Flirting with Greatness

As The Real Thing collection continues, Landon Lacy offers insight into 3 John and what we can do in our own lives when we are confronted with our desire to be the first and the greatest.

If you were to design a machine with the power to destroy and divide a church community, what would you create? What has the power to pull apart the Church community? We get the answer in 3 John.

3 John is characterized by three major movements in three paragraphs. They all start with the word “Beloved.” In verse 9, John mentioned a man named Diotrephes, “who liked to put himself first.” That’s philoprotos. Philo means friend, and protos means first or foremost. Put together, it means being friends with the idea of being the foremost.

So, what did Diotrephes do to the community? He didn’t acknowledge the leadership structure in the church. He took it further by gossiping and speaking badly about the leaders. Gossip is a bit of truth, something emotional, and then a story leading to lies. It’s crafty and confusing when you hear it. Lastly, he stopped people from working in ministry and made people choose sides. The root of all of this was his desire to be first and preeminent. His desire to be seen as a leader in the community drove him to disregard the actual leaders. It wasn’t a doctrinal disagreement dividing the church—it was personal ambition.

How can we examine our hearts to ensure we don’t give in to philoprotos? In 3 John, the two most repeated words are truth and love. The first step to fighting selfish ambition is to fight to remember the truth that you are loved. Don’t flirt with the idea of being first; you don’t need to hear its flattering words when you have the words of your Father over you. How do we know we are loved by God? Because love sends, sacrifices, and stays. God sent His Son, Jesus, who sacrificed His life, and the Holy Spirit stays.

The quickest way to disarm selfish ambition is to immerse yourself in the truth about God. What does God have to say about being the greatest? Jesus said in Mark 9:35-36 that if anyone is going to be first, they will be last and a servant of all. He repeated the sentiment in Mark 10:43-45 by ranking the first as last and saying that service is required. Anyone can serve. Jesus defines greatness not by how many followers you have, but by how many feet you’ve washed. What’s your posture?

You can’t just know the truth—you have to walk in it. Your belief must equal your behavior. Your confession must match your conduct. This is integrity: when your actions, words, and beliefs align. So what do you do in response to a guy like Diotrephes? Continue to walk in the truth. What if you don’t know how? Then partner with those who do.

Support people in ministry who are walking in the truth. Look for people who are living for Jesus and follow what they do. Find a mentor. Do this in your occupation, your marriage, your parenting, etc. We need to lift up those who are doing it right so that there is another example to see when those who are doing it wrong are getting all the attention.

Imitate the people who are walking in truth and doing good. We are, by nature, imitators—it’s how we learn. We follow them as they follow Christ. Diotrephes was a bad example for the church, but instead of getting down on his level, John lifted up someone who was a good role model: Demetrius. He had a good reputation with everyone, there was evidence of truth in his life, and the leaders advocated for him. These are the types of people to follow—and to become.

The fatal flaw in selfish ambition is to realize that Jesus is King, Jesus is first, and Jesus is preeminent.