The name "Demas" was mentioned 3 times in the Bible, the first is in Colossians 4:14 "Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you,"

Again in 2 Timothy 4:10 " For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed into Thessalonica, Crescents to Galatia, Titus into Dalmatia"

The last verse where it was mentioned Philemon 1:24 " Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas,Lucas, my fellow Labourers"

What is the meaning of the name Demas?
The name Demas is a male name in Greek origin meaning 'Popular"
Apparently, his name caught up with him negatively.

Apostle Paul said in Philemon 1:24 " my fellow labourers". ( Fellow means the same position) which means Demas must be working with Paul as an assistant. If Paul could not go because of his imprisonment, he might have sent Demas to represent him.
So, Demas must be in the rank of the Apostle as Paul himself.

Who is an Apostle?
The Greek word is Apostolos, meaning person sent or the one who is sent off.

The question is how can Apostle backslide?
Matthew Henry commentary Bible proposed that the imprisonment of Paul might have contributed to his backsliding or secular work called him out of ministry for worldly gains.

I proposed that when the shepherd is imprisoned, the sheep scattered. Had it been Paul the Apostle was in constant touch with his fellow labourers, it would not have been possible for Demas to backslide.

An Apostle is an official representative charged with a commission. Apostle is in the rank of General Overseers, they have a mandate from God to fulfill. They are sent by God. Literally, one who is sent off.

The question is , how can an Apostle forsook the faith and embrace worldliness?
1 Corinthians 10:12" Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."
It means any Christian can backslide.whatever name you called yourself, Apostle, Prophet, Bishop,Evangelist, Teacher, Pastor, deacon, Elders, youth leaders, youth coordinators. YOU CAN BACKSLIDE.

Literally,you can commit what is called
" Apostasy". What is Apostasy?
It is the act of refusing to continue to follow, obey or recognize a religious faith.
In Christianity,when you abandoned your loyalty to Jesus Christ.
You have committed Apostasy. You become an Apostate. An Apostate is someone who has totally abandoned his religion.

Now, what is BACKSLIDING?

Grammatically, there are two words put together to become one word; back and sliding or back-sliding. It becomes a closed compounds words, backsliding.

In Christianity, backsliding happened when a person who has surrendered his life to Christ gradually go back to his old habits of sins.
Backsliding is when fervent Christian abandoned his loyalty to Jesus Christ and pursue his own desire.

Somebody is regarded as a backslider when he or she goes back to the old habits he has forsaken and embrace worldliness.

Backsliding does not occur suddenly, it happened little by little, it is something unseen, invisible and unknown to fellow believers at the beginning but it becomes visible afterwards, the purpose of this message is to call our attention to the danger. So that we can reexamine and retrace our steps back to JESUS.

Before it becomes visible to the fellow Christian, the so called backslider begin to lose interest in the things of God, within, the backslider has lost interest in the things of God like daily devotional prayers, attending church services, neglect of Bible reading and witnessing to unbelievers.
It is not only a dangerous state but demonic state.

2 Peter 2;20-22 " For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21: For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandments delivered into them.
22: But it is happened unto them according to the true proverbs, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow (female pig) that was washed to her wallowing in the mire
( swamp or mud)."

How can a dog turned to his own vomit?
That's a dirty and pathetic State.

You have been saved and washed in the blood of Jesus. You abandoned Jesus to follow your own desire.
You have fasted and prayed for deliverance, the demon has left your body but you go back by your backsliding to invite more dangerous demons into your life. It is a terrible state.

Jesus said in Matthew 12: 43-45 " When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out, and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then groweth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is WORSE than the first. Even so shall it be into this wicked generation'


There was a story of a Christian that backslided and did money ritual, he became so rich and everything seemed to be going well for him until the devil struck with sickness. Christian had to gathered to pray for him, he recovered from his illness.
Later, the tempter, the devil came during a fight somewhere, he was wounded and became ill, that was what killed him.

Backsliding is deadly. Things may look good at the beginning, the period of grace from God whether he or she will repent and retrace his or her steps, but afterwards, as the Bible said,
1 Peter 5:8 and John 10:10, the devil is waiting for the time to strike and devour or destroy the backsliders.

What can make a Christian to backslide?


There are so many ways a Christian can backslide but one of the ways is common to all of them.
When a believer does know who he is in Christ Jesus, the believer has failed to know his purpose for accepting Christ, no vision, no goal, destiny is not recognized by the believer. When you don't know who you are and you don't know your purpose in life as a Christian then such a person will surely backslide.

When your dreams, desires and expectations do not agree with the will of God or conform to the with the will of God for your life at that particular time, you begin to backslide, gradually.
When your expectations do not agree with the will and purpose of God your life.

Then, you prayed a wrong prayer for years, you don't get results because that is not the will of God for you at that particular stage of your life.
So, for that reason, you abandoned your faith in Christ Jesus to try other beggarly powers, that is what happened.

Psalm 16:4A" Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another God"


Another reason can be found in what the late Apostle Obadare said, the devil throws stones at everybody, whether you are born again or not born again.
So, it depends on what you do with your stones.
The stones represent the problems of life, some allow it to destroy them while some take the stone and use it to destroy the enemy behind their problems, afflictions and tribulations.

What you call problems may not be problem, it may be the way God is trying to call your attention to the weakest area of your life, so that you can correct it and change.
However, if you fail to cooperate with God during this period of your problems and tribulations, then, God may take you as somebody that is unworthy of the Heavenly city.
If at this stage of affliction, we take offense and backslide then we lose the golden crown laid down for us in the Heavenly city.

Hebrew 12:1" And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, not faint when thou art rebuked of him.
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father. chasteneth not?
But if ye be without chasteneth, whereof all are partaker then are ye bastards, and not sons."

If you think I am not sure of what I am writing, you will do well to watch Pilgrim progress, I978 edition, 2017 edition or even the latest edition of the film on YouTube, it is there now on YouTube. Just go to the search engine of the YouTube and type Pilgrim Progress, you will find different versions of the film, PILGRIM PROGRESS..
Pilgrim Progress was based on the dream John Buyan had when he was imprisoned for Christ sake, in the dream, God revealed to him what the Christian must face on his way to Heaven. In that film, the Christian was moving from the city of destruction to the glorious Heavenly city.
On the way, the Christian or the Pilgrim met one man called "Pliable', Pliable came to look for the Christian so as to bring him back to his family. When they met, the Christian told him about his journey to the Heavenly city, so Mr.Pliable loved the description of the Heavenly city so much that he decided to follow the Pilgrim or the Christian.
As they were going, the devil struck, both of them fell into the the river suddenly, they were both in danger of sinking into the river, they struggled, the Christian cried for help, while Mr. Pliable was disappointed and discouraged by saying,
" is this the Heavenly city you told me about, if it is like this in the beginning, then what would happen at the end, I am going back, I am no longer following you again. I am going back"
That was the end of Mr.Pliable, but the Pilgrim cried for help and he was rescued out of the river.

The film was an allegory of what every Christian will encounter on the way to heaven.

The Bible says In James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."


Sometimes to get ahead in life, you need a powerful opposition. To progress in life, you need a powerful enemy that will subject you to fasting, prayer and memorizing the scriptures to make you strong in the faith.
Your enemy, your problem and your adversity are your greatest assets in life to make you overcome the devil and get to the Heavenly city, the abode of God.
If you are too comfortable, you may relax and backslide. You may become complacent.
That's why you must not be weary, you must be strong and focused to make it to Heaven.
As Christians, we must never get to a place where we are fully satisfied, we must be dissatisfied with our present spiritual life and push further for more of God to transform our lives and our immediate family, environment and Nation.

Problems will come, persecution will come, rejection will come but we must be focused and set our eyes like a flint and walk right unto the promised Land.
There is a Christian Hymn on You tube which you can also find by searching for it and type:
Don't turn around to the things you left behind.
All those bridges you burnt, don't try to find.
Set your face like a Flint and walk right unto
the promise Land.
Don't turn around to the things you left behind.

Apostle Paul admonished us in 1 Corinthians 15:19 " If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable."

Christians must resolve and proclaim confidently like
Apostle Paul also said in
Romans 8: 35 and 38-39

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or unclothedness, or peril, or sword?
Verse 38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Verse 39: Nor height, not depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"

Finally, as Christians, we must make a resolution that no matter what comes our ways, we must be very determine to fight the devil on the way to the Heavenly city, the abode of God.
We must pray that God should search us and see if there is any wickedness in us, if there is, God should perform his surgical operation on our lives and remove anger, lust of the flesh,love of the world, unforgiveness, malice, backbiting, gossiping and all other things that will make us to miss the Heavenly city from our hearts.
We must pray for the mercy of God to keep us to the end because according
Romans 9:16 :" So then it is not of him that willeth or nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy."

May God have mercy on us. May we receive the mercy of David.
Amen.

upload the Audio do the video but this write up is longer than Nigeria problem, dema

yuping:
upload the Audio do the video but this write up is longer than Nigeria problem, dema

I am so sorry. I won't be able to do it.

Written words are better than the audio because it will stay with you and you will never forget.

The audio is moving with speed, so sometimes, it is difficult to note and remember some messages.

God2man2again:


I am so sorry. I won't be able to do it.

Written words are better then the audio because it will stay with you and you will never forget.

The audio is moving with speed, so sometimes, it is difficult to note and remember some messages.

a little bit shaky maybe I will get back to it.

yuping:
a little bit shaky maybe I will get back to it.

Alright

MFM HYMNS 1037. All the Way


1.
All the way my Saviour leads me;

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who thru life has been my guide?

Heavenly peace, divinest comfort,

Here by faith in him to dwell !

For I know whate'er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well.











2.

All the way my Saviour leads me;

Cheers each winding path I thread.

Gives me grace for every trial,

Feeds me with the living Bread.

Though my weary steps may falter,

And my soul athirst may be

Gushing from the Rock before,

Lo! A spring of joy I see.



Fanny J. Crosby