Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Would I do that?” Especially after seeing some great act of brave heroism (like a daring rescue). Or maybe some ludicrous spectacle of depravity, done for money (as seen for example on TV shows like Fear Factor, or Jackass).
The life of Saint Luke, in relation to his devotion to Saint Paul as a brother and the ministry to which he was called, is an exciting example of true, sincere, unadulterated commitment. When you read what Paul says about him in 2 Timothy 4:11 - after he lists who have deserted him and before he tells who are busy with other tasks, he says, “...only Luke is with me...” This speaks to the tremendous sense of devotion, loyalty and faithfulness of a friend and a brother.
However, to get the true sense of Luke’s commitment to Paul, one has to look at some of the characters mentioned in the text. One has to look at three persons. This does not mean that the others, which are mentioned, are not of importance but these three work together to make the point about the passage very clear.
1. Demas - he showed the antithesis of commitment;
2. Luke - he was the epitome of commitment; and
3. John Mark - he represents what redemption is all about - “No man needs to remain the way he is.”
ILLUS. Two friends were walking in the forest one day when suddenly they stumbled upon a large grizzly bear who decided that they looked like a good snack. The two started running away when all of the sudden one of them stopped. The other said, "What are you stopping for? Don’t you know the grizzly bear is right behind us?" His friend replied, "I am tying my shoe so I can run faster." At this he couldn’t help but laugh, "What you think you’ll outrun the grizzly?" The friend replied, "I don’t have to outrun the grizzly, I only have to outrun you." In our selfish society, how often do we act like this "friend”?
From these three characters, come some important lessons about commitment.
1. TRUE COMMITMENT DEMANDS GIVING UP PERSONAL COMFORTS.
Vs 10 “...Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.”
The Apostle Paul is writing from his jail cell in Rome. Its winter… he asks Timothy to bring him his coat. He writes to young Timothy to say that there is a problem. Paul is not writing about the problem of his jail sentence. Not at all…instead he says, "I’ve got a problem with Demas...." Paul says, "I’ve got a problem with Demas."
And what is the problem? Demas is gone! This young protégé that Paul has carried all over the land with him, is now gone. He’s "jumped ship", as we say, and gone off to Thessalonica.
There are three mentions of him in Paul’s letters, and the three mentions seen to paint a picture of tragedy.
(i) In Philemon 24 he is listed amongst a group of men whom Paul calls his fellow-labourers.
(ii) In Colossians 4:14 he is mentioned without any comment at all.
(iii) Here he has forsaken Paul because he loved this present world.
So, first, Demas the fellow-labourer, then just Demas, and, finally, Demas the deserter who loved the world. Bit by bit the fellow-labourer has become the deserter; the title of glory has become the name of shame.
World - For ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity the worlds, universe period of time, age
Deserted – Abandon, desert leave in straits, leave helpless totally abandoned, utterly forsaken to leave behind among, to leave surviving
How do we degenerate to that level?
1. When we don’t count the cost!
It is the kind of evangelism, which proclaims: “Accept Christ and you have rest and peace and joy.” There is a sense in which this is true. But it is also true that when we accept Christ, our troubles begin. Up to that time we have lived in conformity with the world and its standards. Because of that, life is easy, because we have followed the path of least resistance and went with the crowd. But once a man accepts Christ, he accepts an entirely new set of standards and is committed to an entirely new kind of life at work, in his personal relationships, in his pleasures, and there are bound to be collisions.
Demas perhaps was unaware of the fact that there would come a time of unpopularity, persecution, the necessity for sacrifice, loneliness and imprisonment. So he quit because he never bargained for that.
2. When we become weary with time!
It may be that there came to Demas the inevitable weariness of the years. For they have a way of taking our ideals away; of lowering our standards, of accustoming us to defeat.
E.g. doctor. When he first qualified, if any asked, “Is there a doctor here?” He would proudly and eagerly step forward to help. But as the years went on, a request like that became a nuisance. The thrill was gone.
The only antidote to weariness, which comes with the passing of time, is to live constantly in the presence of Jesus Christ.
3. When we love comfort more than Christ!
He loved the easy way rather than the way that led first to a cross then to the stars.
When service for Christ becomes the last thing on our list, then we love comfort more than Christ. When preoccupation with our personal advancement in our education, job or family become a hindrance to our devotion to Christ, then we love comfort more than Christ.
II. TRUE COMMITMENT FLOWS OUT OF GENUINE COMPASSION.
Vs. 11 “Only Luke is with me.” How do we show compassion?
1. By putting personal interests on hold for the sake of the Gospel!
Luke did this well. How?
1. Medical doctor - gave up practice to become Paul’s personal physician.
Even more, when an arrested prisoner was on his way to Rome for trial, only two slaves accompanied him. It seems that Luke enrolled himself as one of Paul’s slaves in order to accompany him to Rome and to prison.
2. Historian - wrote Acts but hid himself behind simple reference to “WE”.
There are certain passages in Acts which are written in the first person plural and we can be quite sure that Luke is here describing occasions on which he himself was actually present. Yet he did not grab the chance to parade his part in these history-making moments.
III. TRUE COMMITMENT BEGINS TODAY!
Vs. 11b “...get John Mark, and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in the ministry.”
Paul urges Timothy to bring Mark with him “for he is profitable to me in the ministry.” The word ministry is not used in the narrower sense of the ministry of the Church but in its wider sense of service. So Paul seems to be saying, “Bring Mark, for he is very useful in service.”
Or we may paraphrase it this way, “Bring Mark, for he is a very useful man to have about the place.”
1. Good beginning is good but not good enough!
Mark was young when the Church began, yet he lived him life in the centre of it. It was his mother’s house that Peter came to when he escaped from prison (Acts 12:12) and this house was the central meeting place of the Jerusalem Church.
2. Falling down does not have to mean falling out!
When Paul and Barnabas set out on the first missionary journey they took Mark with them. But when they left Pamphylia and struck inland on the hard and dangerous road that led to the central plateau of Asia Minor, Mark left them and went home (Acts 13:13). His nerve failed him and he turned back.
3. A turn around begins with a decision and is nurtured by support!
While took Mark’s defection very hard, Barnabas opened his arms to him. He took Mark’s indication that he wanted to go on the second journey as a sign of his desire to change. Paul refused to carry a quitter a second time. So fierce was the argument and acute the difference that Paul and Barnabas split company and never, so far as we know, worked together again.
What happened to Mark after that we do not know. Tradition has it that he went o to Egypt and that he was the founder of the Christian Church there. But what ever he did, he redeemed himself. When Paul writes to the Colossians from his prison cell, Mark is there with him, and Paul commends him to the Colossian Church and charges them to receive him. An now, when the end is near, the one man whom Paul wants besides his beloved Timothy, is Mark, for he is useful to have about. The quitter has become the man who can turn his hand to anything in the service of Paul and the gospel.
Still to this day, Christ can make the coward spirit brave and nerve the feeble arm for fight. He can turn the shame of failure into the joy of triumphant service.
CONCLUSION:
What is the difference between involvement and commitment?
Perhaps I can best explain this by way of analogy with bacon and eggs. In bacon and eggs, the hen is involved but the pig is committed.
In what areas of your life is there a real gap in your commitment to Christ?
Church attendance, personal devotions, evangelism, giving, supporting the local Church, participating in the ministry, etc.
1. You can’t claim to be a Christian with an ethical faith if you are Uncommitted. “...it is required about stewards that they be faithful.”
2. You can’t claim to be committed if your desires are purely selfish or self-interested.
3. You can begin again today, even if you fell down before.
(Illustrations are borrowed)
