I have been reading a book about antagonists in the church. Most churches have them. They are the troublemakers. They bring trouble to paradise. It gives a psychological profile of such people, and offers advise as to how they should be dealt with. I have made the statement that I wish I had read this book thirty years ago. It would have saved me a lot of grief. I think that every elder and every preacher and every church leader should have this book in their libraries. But, there have been antagonists in the church from the very beginning. Diotrephes was one of them. John had this to say about him in 3rd John, verse 9-10: “I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deed which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.” Diotrephes was a man with overwhelming ambition. We don’t know if he was an elder, a preacher or an average member of the church. But whoever he was, he was bound and determined to have first place. He was not content to play second fiddle. He loved to put himself first. He desired to have a following. He did not accept authority. He would correspond with those today who are going to have their own