I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 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 ekklesia (the called out) — 3 John 9-10
We read of other situations that existed in that day, such as the example of Diotrephes, who loved the preeminence. He attempted to play God and chose those he wanted in his circle of fellowship. All he needed was an organization out of which he could work and justify his rule among men and women. With such an arrangement, he could choose one’s application for membership. He could control what is taught by choosing who is teaching. He could bind burdens on others that he himself would not lift a finger to do (an example of the motto, “Do as I say, not as I do”). He could require high contributions of money as a measure of love and faithfulness. He could position himself as a dictator and cast out of his fellowship anyone he did not favor. I can only imagine the complete ruination of souls if they had no spiritual gifts and developed a local church organization out of which they would work? Divisions existed among brethren, but if that had occurred, there would have been at least three, if not more, local churches in Corinth. Each would have drawn lines of distinction in their teaching and origins. Each would have had names associated with their own movement. Already, there was in Corinth that sectarian spirit that had some saying they were of Paul, Peter, Apollos, or Christ. If Paul and his fellow teachers and apostles had been like Diotrephes, that division may have occurred.