There will always be those who will attempt to put themselves forward. They will try to show their virtue. They will put down and gossip about the righteous. They will not build up. They will tear down.
The correct paradigm is to have your eyes open, make yourself worthy, do the job in front of you to the best of your will, and then leadership may be put on you. It is not a reward as much as a burden: if you have been trusted with little you will be trusted with more, until you reach the point where it is not you that is performing but Christ.
At that point your prayer live becomes essential. For you cannot do the job in front of you alone.
And at that point you do not care about virtue, for you have glimpsed holiness.
The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. I was overjoyed when some of the friends arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, namely how you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends, even though they are strangers to you; they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God; for they began their journey for the sake of Christ, accepting no support from non-believers. Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may become co-workers with the truth. I have written something to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the friends, and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. Everyone has testified favorably about Demetrius, and so has the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true. I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink; instead I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face. Peace to you. The friends send you their greetings. Greet the friends there, each by name.
Diotrephes is a proto entryist. He does not want to spend the years of prayer, sweat and effort to attain the burden of leadership. He wants to take short cuts. The first thing he will do is cut down those around him. He thinks that life is a zero sum game, and that to win he must destroy others. ‘
This is wrong. The success of others is their success. I can rejoice in their triumph and learn from their habits.
Do not enter the church with any agenda but that of Christ. The church is not your political club. It is not a social network. It is not a force for neo reaction or progression. It is far more important than that.
The church is Christ’s. Against it the gates of hell cannot stand. By the bowels of Christ, turn to him and seek his redemption