Change and Allow for Change

3 John 9, 10 "I wrote to the church, but Diotrophes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church."

Luke 9:49 " 'Master,' said John, 'we saw a man driving out demons in Your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.' "

This is one of the last letters John writes, and it shows a great change in his life from his early training and discipleship under Christ. He is addressing a church situation and confronts three issues with this Diotrophes:

1. He loves to be first.
2. He refuses to welcome brothers.
3. He wanted to stop those doing the work of Jesus.

Hmmmm. Let's go back in time. John wanted to be first (asking Jesus if he could sit at His right hand); John refused to welcome brothers (Luke 9:49) ; and John wanted to stop those doing the work of Christ (again, Luke 9:49 ). He even wanted to call down lightning from the sky to destroy the Samaritans who had rejected them. So, John, do you really have the right to make these statements?

Yes he does. Because he was changed.

My point is not to condemn John, but to praise the work of the Holy Spirit who can truly change a heart. John was completely turned around in his thinking. Again - this is an encouraging thing. We can and should change when we're wrong. We should be growing until the day we die. And we should allow for this growth in others instead of locking them into the place where we first encountered them.

Allow for this change in yourself. Be open to the fresh teaching of Christ. You may be wrong in what you're thinking right now and be prepared to let His Spirit work this out in you. I've always said that the most effective testimony of the work of the Spirit is when an entrenched Christian changes. When the bitterness of an older Christian is washed away. When a long-formed habit is broken. When dull eyes are opened. We expect newer Christians to be dynamically changing, but as exciting as this is to watch, I truly believe it is more powerful when the previously "discipled" Christian comes to a higher place in their walk.