Copyright 2011 Theresa Harvard Johnson
3 John 1:9-10
9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 10 So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.
There are people around us who are like Diotrephes. They start off subtly, and as they gain courage they will begin to tear up a ministry from the inside out. While we could dig deeply into this, Father simply said this to me today: Watch out for the rise of Diotrephes in the midst of your ministries. Many have evicted him in the past, but he’s trying to come back in. One of the ways he’s entering in this season is by taking on unauthorized leadership and mentorship roles within varying ministries in a very, very subtle manner.
I know this message was for me. But after Father’s downloads, I couldn’t just keep it to myself. I felt pressed to share it here.There are multiple areas we can tap into, but the one that kept standing out to me was this: “Begin to watch those in your midst who constantly feel the need to TEACH and PROPHESY after you have released a word or spoken into the life of someone.”
Specifically, this is for your local ministries and leadership teams — especially those apostles, prophets and pastors who have or oversee churches, congregations or ministry teams.
The Vision
I saw a leader teaching prophetically by Holy Spirit. I knew immediately that this leader represented many leaders. The students, mentees and/or congregants were hungrily taking in the Holy-Spirit inspired teachings. There was a hand-full of people, however, scattered about that seemed to be spectators. When the group dispersed for a break, these students, mentees and/or congregants moved to the lobby area of this location and some went into the parking lot. My eyes were focused on the parking lot.
Suddenly the spectators began moving about the people like wolves. They did not seem to know one another, but they began picking out certain people and talking with them. As I listened to one person in particular, they were “adding to” and “expounding upon” the teachings they had heard or the prophetic words that had gone forth that morning. It was at a point where they were “giving their perspective” on what Holy Spirit was trying to convey instead of allowing the WORD that was spoken to do what it was ordained to do in God’s people. They were speaking in such away that would “poison” the people — so-to-speak to the leader and to the word released from that leader.
The Revelation
Diotrephes is attempting to clone himself in the midst of congregations in this hour. He is using an open door called “competiton” to get in. There are people in our congregations, ministries and prayer groups that we know personally who are silently harboring jealousy and envy in their hearts … and dissect everything that their “leaders and mentors” are releasing. Father is saying, “Began to intercede and break up the spirit of division that Diotrephes is attempting to bring into the midst of God’s people. It’s a distraction to stop the anointed work of your ministries.
This spirit is cunning, in that it can target and identify those people who are catching “fire” in the Word and WRECK that person’s alignment with the leader assigned to them, while drawing them into the counsel of others with hidden agendas.
For some reason, Diotrephes in this particular vision, wanted to place a wedge between the person being poured into and the Apostle, Prophet or Pastor that was giving authority by God to speak into a specific area in their lives. The goal here was simple, “Bring confusion. Bring division. Put out the fire (especially the fire to DO within the confines of the ministry).”
This “innocent” discussion about the teachings and the words that went forth in the midst of the session, the classroom or the sermon — was actually a very manipulative conversation. One in which, Diotrephes was “cunningly” elevating himself as an authority over the people in the midst of a congregation in which leaders had already been placed.
Beware.
Apostle, Prophets & Pastors: Begin asking Holy Spirit to identify those in your midst who feel the need to clarify, expound or explain their version of what Heaven is releasing to you. As Father leads, simply ask Him in your place of intercession to reveal their motives and what to do. The apostle Paul confronted the situation head on.
(In sharing this, I am IN KNOW WAY trying to tell anyone what to do. But I believe, this is a tactic currently underway to undermine leadership and it needs to be shut down and those operating under this strong hold need to be delivered. This is a subtle form of competiton and it can grow into something much worse. Father is causing us in this season to set some serious boundaries — not to control people — but to establish clear boundaries. This casual approach and response to leadership must end.)
