Why did ALL in Asia forsake Paul?

[Christine]

‘This thou knowest, 
that all they which are in Asia 
be turned away from me; 
of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.’
(2 Tim. 1:15)  
 

Hello there,

Here, in the verse above, at the very beginning of the epistle, Paul gives Timothy the news that, 'All they which are in Asia be turned away from me.' 

In 2 Timothy 4:10, also, we read also that Demas had forsaken Paul, too.  

‘For Demas hath forsaken me, 
having loved this present world, 
and is departed unto Thessalonica; 
Crescens to Galatia, 
Titus unto Dalmatia.
Only Luke is with me. 
Take Mark, and bring him with thee: 
for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.’
(2Ti 4:10-12) 

* Demas, we read, ’loved this present world’.  Which makes me think of (Rev 12:11)  'And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.' It would seem that Demas could not face the prospect of making the ultamate sacrifice.  At the time the persecution of Christians by Rome was increasing and taking such horrible forms. This was the last letter that Paul wrote before he paid the ultimate sacrifice with his life, so they were dangerous times indeed.

* I cannot believe that this was simply a matter of loving the things of this world, for he was a man who had come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and had served with Paul in his ministry. The new nature would have been formed in him, so the lure of the world would not have had sufficient attraction to cause him to forsake Paul for it.

* However, my question is: Why did those in Asia turn away from Paul?  For this was not one or two, but ALL?

‘At my first answer no man stood with me, 
but all men forsook me: 
I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. 
Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, 
and strengthened me; 
that by me the preaching might be fully known, 
and that all the Gentiles might hear: 
and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. ‘
(2 Tim. 4:16-17  )

Praise God!

I look forward to your input.
In Christ Jesus
Chris 
 

[frienduff thaylorde]

I know its hard for some to fathom.     As you said Demas had been a man on fire for the Lord .    But if we look at the messages to the churches,

read them and don't try and change them .   We see all sorts of warnings how men can fall away .  

Paul said , Better exhort one another daily lest any man becomes hardened through the deceitfulness of sin .   

Paul said IF you continue in HIS GOODNESSS otherwise you will be cut off.    Some need to quit trying to twist and insteqad , JUST FOCUS On CHRIST .   Its real simple really.

But many do love this present world , and many have forsaken the right way , IF indeed they ever knew it .    It happens .   IF we don't follow and obey HE who is in us

and He uses people throughout the church to exhort , remind , stir up   , differing gifts which give aide to the body , THROUGH that ONE HOLY SPIRIT .

Demas may have wanted to escape persecution ,   he may have rather had it easy somewhere else ,   who really knows .   It simply says He loved this present world.

That sounds like his heart was not set above , but his affections or fears were here .    Rather or not Demas ever repented ,  He might have . 

But its all over the place how serious them apostels were .   I also think their must have not been many in Asia,  cause paul said OF whom are phygellus and Hermongones .

Might have been a small group.   Sister , the lusts in life , cares and pleasures can and will choke the word right out of folks .   We must endure and exhort daily BY the power

of HIS indwelling grace .   TIME to get serious again , time to encourage and warn , to do all to build the body up .  

[Jayne]

I think your answer lies in the context before verse 15 and after.

• Before verse 15 [verses 13-14] - Paul tells Timothy to hold fast and keep by the Holy Spirit the sound words that were given in faith and love.  Also to keep the "good thing" - the gospel.
• Verse 15 - He reminds him of the people in Asia - [Roman province of Asia which is more than likely present-day Turkey] - who have turned away from Paul.
• After verse 15 [verses 16-18] - Paul gives an example of a man who has stuck by him no matter what.  Onesiphorus.  He wasn't embarrassed by Paul being in prison.  He actually very "zealously", Paul says, sought him out and ministered to Paul while in was in chains.

I don't know why those people turned from Paul.  Perhaps he was too extreme:  in jail too much, too often in trouble with authorities, and too preachy for them.

Some Christians are weak in the faith.  They don't want to go through bad times and certainly don't want to help others in bad times.  They want their Christianity to be easy and soft.

[frienduff thaylorde]

It does appear demas was in utter grave danger at that time.   Even JOHN says He who loves the world , HAS not the love of the FATHER .

Its time to get them doctrines back on Christ , back on HIS wholesome words of godliness, back on the pattern the apostels set and taught them churches.

Its high serious that we learn as small children that original pattern .   Get it so engrained by daily reading , that if a radiologist did a xray on you ,

He would fall back and say OH MY I think I see JOHN three sixteen etched on that heart .   Figure of speech , but man we better dig in and read that holy book for ourselves .

You loved sister .    You are .    Let us praise the ONE who has saved us and can keep us from falling , obey HIM ,  Follow the SPIRIT and we will never fall .   ONWARD

into the trenches sister ,  the battle will only intensify the closer we get to the end . 

[Christine]

On 6/3/2018 at 6:19 PM, Jayne said:

I think your answer lies in the context before verse 15 and after.

• Before verse 15 [verses 13-14] - Paul tells Timothy to hold fast and keep by the Holy Spirit the sound words that were given in faith and love.  Also to keep the "good thing" - the gospel.
• Verse 15 - He reminds him of the people in Asia - [Roman province of Asia which is more than likely present-day Turkey] - who have turned away from Paul.
• After verse 15 [verses 16-18] - Paul gives an example of a man who has stuck by him no matter what.  Onesiphorus.  He wasn't embarrassed by Paul being in prison.  He actually very "zealously", Paul says, sought him out and ministered to Paul while in was in chains.

I don't know why those people turned from Paul.  Perhaps he was too extreme:  in jail too much, too often in trouble with authorities, and too preachy for them.

Some Christians are weak in the faith.  They don't want to go through bad times and certainly don't want to help others in bad times.  They want their Christianity to be easy and soft.

Hello @Jayne,

I agree with you that the immediate context of 2 Timothy 1:15 and 4:10-12 gives us much to consider in regard to the question. 'Why did all in Asia forsake Paul?' I have been reading through the book of Acts from the last missionary journey made by Paul onwards, and chapter 19 and 20, are very revealing.  In fact Paul did warn the Ephesian elders ('those in Asia') prophetically, what would happen after he left them. 

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, 
and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, 
to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, 
not sparing the flock.
Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, 
to draw away disciples after them.
Therefore watch, and remember, 
that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, 
and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, 
and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.’
(Act 20:28-32) 

* I may come back to this. (God willing) For there is more to say I believe.

Thank you.
In Christ Jesus
Chris

[Christine]

On 6/3/2018 at 6:19 PM, Jayne said:

I think your answer lies in the context before verse 15 and after.

• Before verse 15 [verses 13-14] - Paul tells Timothy to hold fast and keep by the Holy Spirit the sound words that were given in faith and love.  Also to keep the "good thing" - the gospel.
• Verse 15 - He reminds him of the people in Asia - [Roman province of Asia which is more than likely present-day Turkey] - who have turned away from Paul.
• After verse 15 [verses 16-18] - Paul gives an example of a man who has stuck by him no matter what.  Onesiphorus.  He wasn't embarrassed by Paul being in prison.  He actually very "zealously", Paul says, sought him out and ministered to Paul while in was in chains.

I don't know why those people turned from Paul.  Perhaps he was too extreme:  in jail too much, too often in trouble with authorities, and too preachy for them.

Some Christians are weak in the faith.  They don't want to go through bad times and certainly don't want to help others in bad times.  They want their Christianity to be easy and soft.

‘Be not thou therefore ashamed 
.. of the testimony of our Lord, 
.... nor of me His prisoner: 
but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel 
according to the power of God;
(2 Tim. 1:8)

Hello again, @Jayne,

The call is not to be ashamed, isn't it?  Onesiphorus, we read, 'was not ashamed' of Paul's chain. The call was also to be 'a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel' along with Paul, and most importantly the call was, not to be ashamed 'of the testimony of our Lord', 'nor of me His prisoner'. I don't know about you, but this call touches me very much.

* What had taken place since that audience with the Elders of Ephesians in Acts 20? What had produced the atmosphere at Ephesus, made visible to us in this second epistle, in which Paul urges Timothy to rise above the strife of words which was subverting the hearers, the profane and vain babblings which were increasing unto more ungodliness; their words eating away like a 'canker' causing themselves and their listeners to err from the truth. Act 20:28-32, gives us the answer to this as we have seen.

* The testimony of the risen Lord, given to Paul to impart following that audience with the Elders at Ephesus, during his imprisonment at Rome, forms the 'good deposit' which Timothy is urged to 'keep', the, 'form of sound words', which make up the 'good news' imparted by Paul to Timothy. These 'unsearchable riches of Christ' were, I believe, being 'turned away' from, along with Paul himself. (the subject of Eph. Phil. Col. 1&2 Tim.& Titus)

* What an atmosphere Timothy was living in.  Paul's answer for him, was to 'shun' such behaviour, and to, 'Study to shew ' himself 'approved unto God', 'a workman that' needed 'not to be ashamed', 'rightly dividing the word of truth.' (2 Tim. 2:15) . It is that which would elevate him above these things, and keep his ministry, like that of Paul, 'pure from the blood of all men'.

* 2 Timothy was Paul's last letter, before his martyrdom in 67AD, wasn't it? He reached the tape, his race run, in nothing did he need to be ashamed, he had endured faithfully to the end. May we do the same! To the glory of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Praise God!

In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

 

[frienduff thaylorde]

On ‎6‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 1:48 PM, Christine said:

‘Be not thou therefore ashamed 
.. of the testimony of our Lord, 
.... nor of me His prisoner: 
but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel 
according to the power of God;
(2 Tim. 1:8)

Hello again, @Jayne,

The call is not to be ashamed, isn't it?  Onesiphorus, we read, 'was not ashamed' of Paul's chain. The call was also to be 'a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel' along with Paul, and most importantly the call was, not to be ashamed 'of the testimony of our Lord', 'nor of me His prisoner'. I don't know about you, but this call touches me very much.

* What had taken place since that audience with the Elders of Ephesians in Acts 20? What had produced the atmosphere at Ephesus, made visible to us in this second epistle, in which Paul urges Timothy to rise above the strife of words which was subverting the hearers, the profane and vain babblings which were increasing unto more ungodliness; their words eating away like a 'canker' causing themselves and their listeners to err from the truth. Act 20:28-32, gives us the answer to this as we have seen.

* The testimony of the risen Lord, given to Paul to impart following that audience with the Elders at Ephesus, during his imprisonment at Rome, forms the 'good deposit' which Timothy is urged to 'keep', the, 'form of sound words', which make up the 'good news' imparted by Paul to Timothy. These 'unsearchable riches of Christ' were, I believe, being 'turned away' from, along with Paul himself. (the subject of Eph. Phil. Col. 1&2 Tim.& Titus)

* What an atmosphere Timothy was living in.  Paul's answer for him, was to 'shun' such behaviour, and to, 'Study to shew ' himself 'approved unto God', 'a workman that' needed 'not to be ashamed', 'rightly dividing the word of truth.' (2 Tim. 2:15) . It is that which would elevate him above these things, and keep his ministry, like that of Paul, 'pure from the blood of all men'.

* 2 Timothy was Paul's last letter, before his martyrdom in 67AD, wasn't it? He reached the tape, his race run, in nothing did he need to be ashamed, he had endured faithfully to the end. May we do the same! To the glory of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Praise God!

In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

 

Sister I got just THREE words for YOU .   YOU       ARE          LOVED .