Draw Away Disciples
Good Morning,
As active Christians, we all get concerned about younger believers. We watch and notice when a youth or newer believer is influenced by less than spiritual people, and we should notice. The book of Proverbs warns constantly about the wrong crowd misleading the simple one and promises to bless the one who walks with the wise. (Proverbs 13:20)
At times, we fail to see how mature believers can, likewise, be misled.
Acts 20:29 “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.”
vs. 30 “Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”
Notice that last phrase: “to draw away disciples after them.” The drawing away was not of young believers, but disciples — disciplined ones.
2 Timothy 4:10 “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.”
Demas was a faithful companion of Paul; the love of this world drew him.
Colossians 4:14 “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.”
It was not necessarily that Demas desired riches and wealth over Christ, he could simply have “loved this present world” and was not inclined to follow Paul to prison and death. How many believers have evaded service on a foreign field where their life would be in danger? I, for one, considered with hesitancy that my son be permitted to travel with a college friend to areas of Trinidad and Guyana where there was a possibility of harm. We had not denied the faith, but we do love having our children around and would wish long life for them. He did make the trip, and we trusted him to the hands of the loving Father.
The reasons are undisclosed of why Crescens and Titus also departed from Paul. (Titus, of course, is the faithful man who penned the book of Titus.) Their reasons for leaving may not have been negative; they may have made the decision for ministry in another place, but the context is not favoring that idea, as it followed the comment about Demas and gained no positive explanation.
Whatever their reasons were for leaving Paul, the faithful believer needed to be careful about who influenced him. The books we read, the internet sites we visit, the sermons we might hear on the radio or online all need to be carefully monitored in order to protect our spiritual future.
Fear caused Peter to deny his Lord. Love of money or the praise of men caused Ananias and Sapphira to lie about their finances and die premature deaths. (Acts 5) Perhaps it was fear of death that caused John Mark to return from following Paul and Barnabas to the mission field. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that at one point he left. (Acts 13:13)
In the exhortation of Paul to the Ephesian elders, Paul was fearful about doctrinal error drawing away disciples and thereby causing the ministry of the Gospel to suffer. It was in the early church that men denied the idea that Gentiles could be saved. (Acts 11) Shortly after, saved Jews came telling young believers that they needed to keep the Law of Moses to be saved:
Acts 15:1 “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.”
vs. 2 “When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them,”
Many stories exist of Satan’s attempts to draw the fledgling church into error, and Paul had to straighten them out; even the faithful Apostle Peter was openly rebuked for wrong:
Galatians 2:14 “But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?”
Do not lightly allow others to influence your faith or doctrine. Walk guardedly, and inspect the teacher as well as the teaching before it is casually adopted into your faith. One popular pastor, with a large internet audience, preaches against the nation of Israel, Jews of today, and against the idea that we will be raptured before the tribulation. One error leads to another, and once a pastor takes an off-ramp from the Bible in one area, he is forced to preach all manner of foolishness. Followers of that man, like sheep, innocently travel the road to increasing error.
For the faithful believer, take heed, guard your influences, and if anything unusual comes across your path, compare it to the Bible and time-tested, godly leaders.
Acts 20:29 “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.”
vs. 30 “Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”
Pastor