Dr Paul Allen

by Eric Davis  If you have been in church long enough, you’ve probably seen him. Or maybe you have been him. He’s not always easily recognizable at first. But eventually, he will irresistibly make himself known. The apostle John dealt with him at one point: I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. 10 For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church (3 John 9-10).   Diotrephes. He was one of the guys who made it into the Bible because of sinful pride. Diotrephes is a dangerous guy. He’s a hazard to himself. He’s a danger to new disciples. He’s a threat to the unity and purity of the church. So, how can we recognize him? Here are a few things that help us diagnose a spiritual Diotrephes....

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia "Their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus ; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some." ( 2 Timothy 2:17-18 )   Many Christians decry the citing of actual names of those Christian leaders who teach heretical doctrines, saying that such an act is "unloving." Paul, however, considered it an important evidence of true love to warn against those who would "overthrow the faith of some," realizing that generalities would be useless.   Not only did Hymenaeus and Philetus make Paul's list, but so did Demas ( 2 Timothy 4:10 ), Alexander the coppersmith ( 2 Timothy 4:14 ), the Cretians ( Titus 1:12 ), another Alexander ( 1 Timothy 1:20 ), and even Peter ( Galatians 2:11-14 ) when he began to teach legalism. Likewise, the apostle John warned against Diotrephes ( 3 John 9 ) and the Nicolaitans ( Revelation 2:6 ).   On...