This has to do with Church gone bad.
If we read 3rd John, we quickly discover that there was another letter, apparently with the same geographic address, but confiscated by what appears to be false, bad or self serving leadership, in a word, “redundant.”
Several things have my attention in this present post. The first is that, if all Scripture is “God breathed,” 2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” and I believe it is.
(I need to quickly add that this does not mean that everything that is written down is the way God wanted things to “go down.” It simply means that God wanted us to know what was said and done so that we could learn from what went right as well as what went wrong. What was said that was from Him, and what was said that was not from Him.)
In the case of “3rd John,” This means that while John’s previous letter to the church was not received by the church, John, in this subsequent letter still referred to his previous letter as being written to “the church.” I take this to mean that it was still a church, as far as God was concerned even though Diotrephes was intercepting the mail.
By now, rogue leadership has taken things much further. Things have gone so far as to no longer reflect what God called church even here in 3rd John. For this reason I have for many years now made a distinction between what God calls church, and what is calling itself “church.” What is calling itself “church” is “rogue”: Merriam-Webster On Line Dictionary:
1: vagrant, tramp
2: a dishonest or worthless person : scoundrel
3: a mischievous person : scamp
4: a horse inclined to shirk or misbehave
5: an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variation
The Point I want to make here is that eventually the fruit of rogue leadership is rogue “church.” Even by the time that the New Testament Writings were coming to a close Rogue leadership came in, at least 5 flavors. The menu can be found in Ephesians 4.
By the way, Diotrephes got away with 3rd John.
Love!
Loving Like God 
When you speak of rogue leadership and then reference Ephesians I hope you are not referring to the “gifts” of Apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd and teacher…Take off your shoes m,y brother for you are treading on holy ground! Why we have taken this text (proofed it) and built there three tabernacles! Entire theological and philosophical edifices, movements and denominations are built thereupon! These are not SIMKPLY “gifts” but NECESSARY OFFICES…I.E. higher positions of governance and ‘leadership” in the Kingdom without whom we could not function or have any hope of becoming mature! Without their functioning we could and would not be where we are today! Notice the blessing to be realized by the “five-fold” ministry: “we will no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead. Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). ”
Look at the condition of the body of Christ and how far we have come since Pentecost and you will see our ceuurent level of growth and maturity is a result of the functioning of the gifted ones,. without whom we would be lost.” :)
Nice George! Looks like you got the right idea, in your own inimitable way! :-)
Love!
Speaking of rogues (sheep in wolves clothing) how are you?! thanks for this message i hope all can read between the lines!
Musical Discipleship
Eddie knew more about the music, but the little boy knew more about the Love!
Love!
Love you, D.
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