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Study Tip: Demas in the Details

“For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica.” 2 Timothy 4:10

At the end of Paul’s letters, he sends personal greetings to individual Christians. We know next to nothing about most of the people Paul mentions, but occasionally, we can follow a few extra references and get a behind the scenes look at the early church. One of those believers is a guy named Demas. He is first mentioned in Colossians 4:14. “Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.” Then again in Philemon verse 24. “As do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow laborers.”

So what does that tell us about Demas? We know Colossians was written while Paul was in prison in Rome. Demas’s mention indicates he was committed enough to minister to the apostle while he was under house arrest. In Philemon, Paul calls him a fellow laborer.

Most scholars believe those two letters were written within a couple of years of each other, around AD 60-62. However, by the time 2 Timothy was written five or six years later, the relationship had changed. Drastically. Paul says Demas has forsaken him. The Greek word for forsaken carries the idea of leaving someone helpless in the midst of a dire situation. Demas knew Paul was in a Roman dungeon and he utterly abandoned him. The apostle felt hurt and betrayed.

Demas’s reason? Paul says it was because Demas loved this present world. Interestingly, his name means “popular.” When the persecution amped up under Nero, Demas decided the cost was too great. He was not the first.

What can we learn from the brief account of Demas?

We shouldn’t be surprised when people walk away from the faith. Jesus predicted it would happen in Matthew 13:20-21. While we want everybody who hears the name of Jesus to respond with a lifelong commitment, it doesn’t work that way. Even full-time ministers like Demas are not exempt. We need to ensure our relationship with Christ remains vibrant.

Scripture never shies away from portraying our failures and weaknesses. With that kind of honesty, there is no question that the things accomplished were done by the hand of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. We should aim for transparency in our own lives.

Not everything is for public consumption. Did you notice when Paul had good things to say about Demas, he wrote those in general letters intended to be read in public and circulated among neighboring churches? His criticism came in a private letter written to the man he trusted most, Timothy. (Granted, the letter is in the Bible now where everyone can read it, but I think it’s for this lesson.) Take the opportunity to praise people in public, and highlight their work. Any shortcomings should be kept private.

If you want to study more “footnote” folks, try researching Trophimus, Epaphras, or Aristarchus.

Study Tip: Isaiah and the Messiah

By Paula

There are over 300 distinct prophecies in the Old Testament that point to the coming Messiah and His atoning work. Isaiah spoke more about the Messiah than any of the other prophets.

His first mention of Christ comes in 7:14 and is a favorite, especially at this time of year.
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel

Isaiah has over two dozen prophecies about Jesus. Here are a few to get you started. Check them out and see what they tell you about Jesus.

9:6
28:16
29:18 and 35:5
42:1-3
42:7
50:6
53:1,
53:7-8
62:11

Keep in mind that Isaiah made these predictions 700 years before Christ’s birth.

If you want to dig a little deeper, do a quick read of Matthew’s gospel and notice how often he refers to fulfilled prophecies. His whole purpose in writing his gospel was to demonstrate that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. You can even cross-reference them against the list I gave you. Matthew refers to several of those same prophecies.

Consider for a moment – Knowing these prophecies were fulfilled, how does that impact the ways you read God’s other promises?

Study Tip: A Tabernacle for Christmas

By Paula

What does the tabernacle have to do with Christmas? Quite a bit, actually.

You remember the tabernacle from the Old Testament? It was a specially designed tent where God’s presence was. It served as the focal point of the Israelite camp once they left Egypt. In Exodus, God spends three chapters instructing Moses how to build the tabernacle. Then another four chapters recount the construction and fabrication of the furnishings. In Exodus 40, Moses finally sets the thing up. The first ten chapters of Numbers describe how the tribes are to array themselves around the tabernacle in the camp and when they move. The rest of Numbers tells us about the times tabernacle was picked up and moved.

If you gathered from all this that the tabernacle was a big deal, you’d be right. It is far more than just a worship center for a nation of nomads. The tabernacle is one huge object lesson for us, too. We could spend a great deal of time looking at all the intricacies of the tabernacle itself, (and it is almost painful for me not to), but for this tip, I want to focus on the big picture.

Here’s what God said about the tabernacle. “And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat…” Exodus 25:22. The KJV says, “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat…” I love the word “commune” here. In my mind, it hearkens back to the time in Eden before the Fall, when Adam and God shared an intimate face-to-face relationship.

God chose to meet with us and He chose the tabernacle as the spot where that would happen. It was the visible, tangible sign of God’s presence. The only downside was that it was temporary. Now fast-forward fifteen hundred years.

The Tabernacle and Christmas

In the gospel of John, the apostle immediately establishes that Jesus is divine. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1. Then in verse 14, John continues the story. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory …

The Greek word for “dwelt” is translated all sorts of ways depending on your translation of the Bible, including, “made his home among us,” “lived here with us,” even “moved into the neighborhood.” These all fall short of what John was saying. He used a word that meant to encamp, to pitch a tent, to … tabernacle. That word would have caused his Jewish readers to sit up and take notice and it reinforced his point that God had become man. Christmas marks the time when God tabernacled here with us.

The tangible presence of God was no longer marked by a tent, it was a man.

For Jesus’s lifetime, especially those last three years, God made a point of meeting with us and communing with us. It was the pivotal event in human history. But once again it was temporary. Jesus returned to heaven, and while He gave us His spirit, we no longer have the tangible physical presence of God with us.

That’s all going to change.

The Tabernacle and Heaven

Remember that the tabernacle was an object lesson. In the book of Hebrews, the writer explains that the tabernacle Moses constructed was a copy of the real tabernacle in heaven. John saw it in Revelation 15:5.

Then in Revelation 21:3, John relates, And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”

Note the changes. The real tabernacle is:

No longer temporary.
No longer an object lesson.
No longer limited by a human body.

The work Jesus did on the cross destroyed every last barrier preventing us from entering God’s physical presence. Not only that, but He will restore the communion He intended to share with us all along at the consummation of our salvation.

See the connection? The Tabernacle. The Incarnation. Heaven. Each is a key step in the unfolding of our redemption story.

If you want to dig deeper, consider how the Feast of Tabernacles fits into all this. Also consider 2 Peter 1:13 and 2 Corinthians 5:1. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Study Tip: Thanksgiving

By Paula

Thanksgiving Day is just over a week away. So before the feast, take a few moments to sample some thanksgiving goodies from Psalms. Here’s a quick study for you.

WHO should offer thanks to God?

Psalm 30:4
Psalm 79:13
Psalm 97:12

WHAT should we be thankful for?

Psalm 106:1
Psalm 107:8

WHERE should we offer thanks?

Psalm 18:49
Psalm 35:18
Psalm 100:4

WHEN should we offer thanks?

Psalm 30:12
Psalm 119:62
Psalm 79:13

WHY should we offer thanks?

Psalm 92:1
Psalm 75:1

HOW should we do it?

Psalm 69:30
Psalm 107:22

Of course, these are verses that directly mention “thanksgiving.” The Psalms are full of thanks and praise to God. Delving into them often will help keep us in a mindset of grateful praise.

Study Tip: Parallel Construction

By Paula

One literary device that Biblical writers use is parallel construction. Words or ideas are repeated either to contrast them or to show similarities. It lends itself to building a logical argument or even a legal case. Let’s look at how Paul uses parallel construction in the opening verses of Romans 8.

There is, therefore, now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.
(Romans 8:1-3)

Here are some of the parallels I found.

Condemned: It’s a contrast. We are not condemned. Sin is condemned.

Law: Two laws and their results are contrasted. The law of the Spirit brings life. The law of sin brings death.

In: This is an interesting contrast. We are in Christ. Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh.

Walk: The flesh is weak, sinful and condemned. We don’t walk according to it anymore. We walk in the Spirit. If we keep reading, we’ll find out more about what walking in the Spirit means.

Saving us: Here’s a contrast of inability and ability. What the law could not do (save us), God did through Jesus.

Timing: Sin was condemned in the past. We were made free in the past. The law failed in the past. The walking and living without condemnation are present tense. Paul even says NOW to emphasize that.

Pronouns: There is a switch from the broad theological idea that THOSE who are in Christ are not condemned to the very personal, made ME free. It’s a reminder that good theology has a very personal dimension.

There are some other interesting points, too.

Look at all God does in these verses. God sent Jesus. God makes us free. God removes the condemnation.

“Made free” is different from “am free.” This keeps with the judicial tone in the verses. We are declared free.

As you finish Romans 8 and in your other studies, look for these parallel constructions. See what you learn from them.

Study Tip: Edify

By Paula

Let’s do a quick word study of an old word, a good word, that doesn’t get a lot of attention: EDIFY

According to the dictionary, to edify means “to instruct and improve, to uplift.” Most theological contexts pull from its old Greek and Latin roots, to build up. You may have heard preachers or others talk about the “upbuilding of the kingdom.” This is where it comes from.

It connects to a metaphor, a word picture that runs through the New Testament especially, that compares the body of Christ to a building. Peter writes about it in his first letter.

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,

“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”

and

“A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.” 1 Peter 2:4-8

Christ is the cornerstone, and we make up the other stones. It would make sense, then, that we shouldn’t undo all the hard work Christ did to build up His house. Instead, we should be imitating His work and building each other up, that is, edifying each other.

How do we edify each other? Let’s look at some New Testament references to learn more.

Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. Romans 14:19
Pursue the things which will edify somebody else. Pursue them. That requires focus, tenacity and expending a lot of energy.

Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 1 Corinthians 8:1
It makes sense that love would build up. I like the contrast between the temporary, fragile “puff” and the solid brick of “edifies”.

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Ephesians 4:29
Our speech is one of the primary ways we edify others. And did you catch the word “necessary”?

Nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. 1 Timothy 1:4
The ultimate goal of edification is building our faith. Arguing about nit-picking details won’t do that.

1 Corinthians 14 mentions edification more than any other place in the New Testament. It emphasizes two major ideas. First, your gifts were given to you to edify the body of Christ. Second, corporate worship is when that happens. Skip church and you miss your big opportunity to edify and be edified.

In modern usage, edify has largely been replaced by encourage, but that’s an incomplete translation. Encouraging is mostly emotional, helping you feel better about something. Feeling better is more of a side effect, or a bonus with edification. Instead, it primarily strengthens faith by reminding us that we fit into the spiritual house Christ is building.

This is hardly an exhaustive study, but let me leave you with one last word on edification — it is one more result of God pouring out His grace on us.
“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Acts 20:32