Christian Living

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November 30, 2011 – The World and the Blame Game

9 Make every effort to come to me soon. 10 For Demas has deserted me for the love of this present world and has gone to Thessalonica; Crescens [has gone] to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. – 2 Timothy 4:9-10 AMP

Paul wrote the Book of Second Timothy near the end of his life. He wanted Timothy to come visit him before he died. But my focus today is neither on Timothy nor Paul. My focus today is on Paul’s co-worker Demas. Demas had deserted Paul. He had left the faith because of his love for the world. Many Christians are being led away from the faith today in the same way Demas was led away hundreds of years ago.
Christians are faced with even greater influences from society to leave the faith than Demas encountered in the first century. Everything in the world competes for our attention. There’s television, Facebook, sporting events, recreation, work, and right now even Christmas shopping. All these things can slowly lead the best Super Christian you know astray. How do I know this? I know this because Paul told us about Demas.

Demas deserted Paul. Stoned, beaten, shipwrecked, lived through it all Super Christian Paul! Wrote almost half of the New Testament Paul! At times I have prayed for God to give me the faith Paul had. Afterwards I have been scared. What if God did give me that kind of faith? Could I handle it? And here is his co-worker Demas. Demas worked beside this apostle day after day. They ministered together. Then Demas just left. He should have been sticking to Paul like Elisha stuck to Elijah (2 Kings 2). He should have been there with Paul until the end and said “Brother Paul, when God takes you home, let me receive a double portion of the faith you have.” But he didn’t. He went to Thessalonica, a city running rampant in pagan religions and probably more immorality than you can imagine. He didn’t go there to minister; he went there to live a worldly life.

Christians today are continually following Demas’ example. Who do we blame? We blame society. We blame relatives. We blame the internet. We blame television. We even blame the church. While all of these things play an active part in some people’s lives, our choices lead us to our destination. Demas chose to leave Paul. People choose to do the things they do. And Christians choose to forsake the faith for the world.

For years I played the same blame game Christians play. I was saved and a good church going Christian. But I was still living in sin. I blamed a man who said he was led by God to mentor me. I blamed a preacher. I blamed the world we live in. I blamed everyone but myself for the choices I made. If it wasn’t for a loving God and a forgiving wife (too many times to count, but definitely more than seventy times seven) I wouldn’t even have a family today. But no one put me in my situations except me. I was responsible. I made the destructive decisions for my life. I had to repent. And, unlike Demas, I chose to desert this present world for the life God had for me.

What’s your story? Do you spend so much time gossiping about your neighbors and “friends” on Facebook that your children are our running the streets and addicted to drugs? Do you spend hours watching trashy dramas on television and no more about the lives of those make-believe characters than the life of your spouse? Are you obsessed with sports so much that you know more about your favorite player’s statistics than God’s Word? Or are you a person who would take pepper spray Christmas shopping with you because you are determined to get everything on your list no matter what? Obviously none of these activities depict a godly lifestyle, yet there are people worldwide who claim to be Christians and do such things without any forethought. They are not only running the risk of leaving the faith, but may have done so already. And when it happens, it will always be someone else’s fault.

Blaming someone for our actions is something society has taught people to do. We’re all perfect, right? And because we are we couldn’t possibly do anything wrong. Since we can do no wrong, there has to be an outside cause. That’s all baloney. I can guarantee you this: Demas couldn’t blame Paul. Paul never compromised. If it was wrong in God’s eyes, Paul didn’t do it. He didn’t let people get away with keeping sin in their life. Read First Corinthians; Paul didn’t hold back anything from those guys.

Some of you may now be wondering how we can survive in such an unholy world. How can our children make it? How can it be done? Do we have to live in a hole in the ground? How do we stop the influence of the world in our lives? Paul sheds some light on this dilemma.

11 But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusive, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber. [No] you must not so much as eat with such a person. – 1 Corinthians 5:11 AMP
Surround yourself with believers who live what the Bible says. If you befriend believers who continue to justify sins in their life, you will in turn justify them as well (1 Corinthians 15:33). We are not supposed to have friendships with those whose faith is not consistent with our own (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Have you forsaken the faith? Do you just now realize it, or have you known but really don’t care? Who is to blame? You can blame it on your preacher or your neighbor. You can even blame your love of the world on the world. But remember: your relationship with God is your responsibility and yours alone (Philippians 2:12). What choice will you make? Whatever you choose, either God or the world has to be deserted.

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