With the New York Marathon still in the rearview mirror, it seems timely to explore “finishing well”.  That is what “DDD” is all about.

When we think of “Triple D”, it is the Food Network program “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives“.

If you ask ChatGPT what “DDD” stand for, it provides various options: Domain-Driven Design, Doctor of Dental Dentistry, Dynamic Data Driven, Degenerative Disc Disease and Direct Distance Dialing.  (Obviously ChatGPT is not a foodie.)

But none of those (other than possibly Degenerative Disc Disease) warrants a “Warning”.  For purposes of this post, “DDD” stands for “Don’t Do a Demas”.  It is about a faithful leader “finishing well” by pursuing faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing and not giving up or settling for less than God’s best..

Who Was Demas?

We learn from the heroes of the Bible (e.g., “WWJD”), but we also learn from those who failed.

Back in post #197 (Don’t “Do an Ahaz”) we looked at another Biblical character named Ahaz who was not to be emulated.  Ahaz was one of those “did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord” kind of Biblical kings. Ahaz made a lot of mistakes, but two mistakes relevant to a faithful leader trying to lead with faithful integrity through business a better way came when he was facing a significant challenge.  Ahaz put his trust in the things of the world rather than God, and he failed to seek God’s wisdom and guidance through prayer.

“DDD” is another opportunity to learn from failure. You may not have paid much attention to Ahaz, but you may have never even noticed Demas, who is only mentioned three times in Scripture (all three times by Paul).  Even N.T. Wright only mentions Demas once in his 465-page biography of Paul.  But those few mentions by Paul tell an important story:

 Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. (Colossians 4:14)

Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. (Philemon 1: 23-24)

For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. (2 Timothy 4:10)

Demas was one of Paul’s friends and a co-laborer in Paul’s ministry.  He is mentioned alongside Gospel writers Luke and Mark, putting him in Paul’s inner circle.  He was clearly known to Timothy.

And then we have what some commentators have called one of the saddest passages of the Bible–Paul’s trusted friend Demas chose his “love with this present world” over his friend Paul, deserting Paul.

We must remember that 2 Timothy was Paul’s last letter, believed to be written during his final imprisonment before his execution.  Some have called it his “farewell letter”.  In it he wrote:

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:6-7)

What’s “Doing a Demas”?

We know two things about what Demas did.  First, he made a choice–he chose to abandon the difficult life Paul describes in favor of “the present world“.  Second, we know he went to Thessalonica.  Mostly, we know that Demas was a faithful leader who failed to “finish well”.

His Choice

Paul is very clear with Timothy about what lies ahead–about the perilous life Demas chose to abandon.

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  (2 Timothy 3: 10-13)

In his Commentaries, John Calvin described the choice that Demas made:

And yet, we must not suppose that he altogether denied Christ or gave himself up either to ungodliness or to the allurements of the world; but he merely preferred his private convenience, or his safety, to the life of Paul. He could not have assisted Paul without many troubles and vexations, attended by imminent risk of his life; he was exposed to many reproaches, and must have submitted to many insults, and been constrained to leave off the care of his own affairs; and, therefore being overcome by his dislike of the cross, he resolved to consult his own interests. Nor can it be doubted, that he enjoyed a propitious gale from the world.

The fall of Demas was not the spectacular indiscretion, fraud or greed that finds its way to the front page of newspapers, ending careers, toppling churches and destroying reputations. It is not the scandals that tarnished the names of Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, Mike Jeffries, Bernie Madoff, Elizabeth Holmes, Ravi Zacharias, Ted Haggard, Jim Bakker, or Jimmy Swaggart.

There is no evidence that Demas abandoned his faith or even his ministry.  It seems Demas saw what lie ahead for Paul and retreated to a safer faith. The choice Demas made to settle sounds very much like the choice George Barna suggests is made by many Christians:

A large share of the people who figure out what’s coming as they pursue holiness choose to retreat to previously mastered stops on the trail, preferring the comfort and security of mediocrity to the challenges of godliness.

It is the choice we described in our last post about Crossing the Fourth Gap–choosing between surrender and safety.  It seems that Demas chose safety.

Safety for Demas

For Demas, safety was Thessalonica.   St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople and one of the early church fathers, paraphrased Paul’s reference to Demas as, “having loved his own ease and security from danger, he has chosen rather to live luxuriously at home, than to suffer hardships with me, and share my present danger.”

Charles Ellicott wrote:

It has been supposed, however, by some, that Thessalonica was chosen by Demas as his abode when he left St. Paul because it was a great mercantile centre, and his business connections were there, and he preferred them, the rich and prosperous friends, to St. Paul, the condemned and dying prisoner. Thessalonica was, at this time, one of the great cities of the empire. It was the most populous of the Macedonian cities, and had been chosen to be the metropolis of that great province.

For our purposes, Demas chose to abandon the challenges and risks of business a better way–business in alignment with the Kingdom of God–for the ease and safety of business as usual–business in alignment with the kingdom of the world.  It is the choice captured by Oswald Chambers when he warns:

The greatest enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but good choices which are not quite good enough.

Chrysostom says that “declining toils and dangers” is “having loved this present world.”  And we are all too familiar with the warning in 1 John 2:15:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

Because of his choice, Demas is memorialized for eternity as a leader who did not “finish well”.

How to Avoid “Doing a Demas”

A faithful leader seeking to lead with faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing will be tempted to “Do a Demas”.  They will face challenges that test their faith, and they will be tempted to put their trust in the things that the world trusts.  They will be tempted to go back to business as usual or choose the relative safety of faith as usual Side Roads.

It is not a question of “if”–it is a question of “when”.  But the biggest question of all is how the faithful leader will respond.

“Finishing Well” Requires “Starting Well”

Demas started well.  He was a trusted co-worker in the inner circle of Paul.  For a faithful leader, “starting well” requires making the choice we described in post #222 (The Choice).

A faithful leader seeking to lead with faithful integrity toward Biblical flourishing faces a foundational choice between two starkly different options with profound implications. One option is business as usual — business in “the way of the world” or, more precisely, according to “the kingdom of this world.” We call the other option business a better way — business aligned with Biblical beliefs, principles, and priorities, according to God’s Kingdom.

Every faithful leader must ultimately choose between these kingdoms.  Choosing business a better way is uncomfortable. The bondage of business as usual runs deep and the veil of the world’s way is thick.  Business as usual is “everywhere.” It is:

• Business as taught in business schools and management training programs.

• Business as rewarded by management, Boards, and stockholders.

• Business as demanded by investors, fund managers, and stock analysts.

Henry Kaestner had the vision for Sovereign’s Capital because he saw the pressure on young faithful entrepreneurs to give up their dreams of “starting well” by making a faithful choice.  They have a vision of starting an organization that embodies their faith–creating something that matters, doing the right thing and caring for people.  And then they need financing.

Kaestner knew that traditional venture capital funds care only about the bottom line, and the result is that the vision of business a better way erodes into business as usual because it is not encouraged, valued or supported by those who hold the purse strings.

Unfortunately, when business as usual doesn’t feel right and business a better way feels too radical, faithful leaders often try faith as usual “fixes” to business as usual to make it look and feel kinder and more “Godly”.

Unfortunately, faith as usual tweaks to business as usual create just a “veil upon the veil” — a deception to cover the deception. Faithfully leading through business a better way requires a radical change in how you understand business and work and “do” business–-“renewal” of the leaders’ minds and “heart” change in the organization. It’s essential to breaking your organization free from the kingdom of the world into the “reality” of God’s Kingdom.

The Assurance of Challenges

Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life . . . will be persecuted.”  John 16:33 says “In the world you will have tribulation.” A faithful leader of an organization committed to leading with faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing will face challenges, because that leader is seeking the BIGGER Kingdom but doing it in a broken world.

In his book To Change the World, James Hunter warns:  “To enact a vision of human flourishing based in the qualities of life that Jesus modeled will invariably challenge the given structures of the social order. In this light, there is no true leadership without putting at risk one’s time, wealth, reputation, and position.”

Although these challenges may come in the form of human resistance and resistance from worldly systems, the Bible tells us that these challenges are spiritual:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  (Ephesians 6:12)

Back in post #091 (Trust in God), we identified these challenges as resistance, dilemmas and risks.

• Resistance is certain when challenging “the given structures of the social order” in a fallen world.  The Bible warns that those following God’s commands will have trouble (John 16:33), be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12), suffer affliction (Romans 12:12), be accused of wrongdoing (1 Peter 2:12) and suffer unjustly (1 Peter 2:19).  Resistance may come from employees, customers, vendors, owners, regulators and communities.

• “Dilemmas” are likely.  Because an organization is operating in a fallen world, there may not be “easy answers” to organizational challenges–leaders are likely to be faced with choices that involve two imperfect alternatives. There may be times when the best stewardship in alignment with God’s will seem foolish by the world’s standards. There may be times when the best stewardship in alignment with God’s will may require difficult decisions that seem at odds with Biblical beliefs, principles and priorities.

• Risks are necessary when facing resistance and resolving dilemmas in line with Biblical beliefs, principles and priorities.

Finishing Well Requires Perseverance

Throughout the Bible, we see this pressure and people’s tendency to “forget” God’s way and drift back to the world’s way.  The Israelites continually forgot God’s commands, and they continually forgot the miracles God had done for them.

Numbers 14:4 tells us that the Israelites were ready to give up and go back:

And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

We talked about perseverance in post #208 (Integrity Idea 038: Recall Your Faithful Purpose).  People will not keep “running” with a vision unless they are continually inspired by it, and that requires continually reminding them of it in inspiring ways.  The world will keep pushing your owners and employees back toward business as usual, and an organization is more likely to remain on the ancient path of business a better way if its stakeholders are constantly reminded of the organization’s counter-cultural WHY.

Perseverance Requires Surrender

Ultimately, the ability to persevere against all challenges and hardship requires crossing the Safety/Surrender Gap.  A faithful leader’s ability to pursue God’s will for an organization in doing the right thing, in the right way and for the right reasons, no matter the worldly cost, can only happen when the leader’s heart has been surrendered, allowing the organization’s heart to be surrendered.

It can only happen when a faithful leader embraces genuine stewardship, recognizing God as the true owner.  In a world of business as usual, that takes trust in God’s commands and God’s sovereignty, and it also requires prayer.  It requires faith.

Faith Requires Surrender

In describing the Safety/Surrender Gap, we pointed to the words of Soren Kierkegaard that “infinite resignation is the last stage prior to faith“.  Our friend Dr. Skip Moen expands eloquently on this thought and the reality of the choice–business as usual or business a better way/alignment with the kingdom of the world or the Kingdom of God/the faithful leader’s will or God’s will:

Faith is my active attitude of total reliance on God’s absolute trustworthiness.  That means that my “faith” is demonstrated in the action of putting myself in His care, no matter what the circumstances!  Until and unless I act on His reliability, I just don’t have faith.  I might have a set of written beliefs that I can recite, but I won’t have any active relationship.  Faith is only found in the action, not the declaration. . . . If faith is the action of trusting Him, then I either act or I don’t act.  I either trust Him, or I try my own way.  There is no half-full measure here.

To not “do a Demas” is to refuse to settle for “good”.  It is loving God so much that you don’t to settle for anything less than His best.

PERSONAL NOTE (from PM):  I must admit that I had never paid attention to Demas until I read Preston Poore’s book Discipled Leader.  Preston Was recently the guest speaker at NCS New Canaan.  You can listen to his story, titled “From Jerk to Joy: Embracing the Exchanged Life“, at this link.  Thank you Preston!

ESSENCE: A faithful leader seeking to lead an organization with faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing must remember “DDD”–“Don’t Do a Demas.”  You might be asking, “Who is Demas?”   The better question is “What’s ‘doing a Demas’?”  The best question is “How do I avoid ‘doing a Demas’?”  Demas was a Biblical character who didn’t finish well.  He saw the personal cost of continuing to walk with his friend Paul and chose instead a worldly path of “ease and security”.  Business a better way is counter-cultural, rejecting the ways of the kingdom of the world for the ways of the Kingdom of God.  That will bring spiritual resistance, challenges and temptations to “do a Demas”–to revert to the worldly ease of business as usual or to the relative safety of faith as usual.  It is settling for something less than God’s best.  A faithful leader pursuing faithful integrity who wishes to “finish well” must have the faith that comes with crossing the Safety/Surrender Gap, because with surrender will come the trust to persevere and the confidence to steward the organization in alignment with God’s will.

Copyright © 2024 Integrous LLC.  Integriosity is a registered Service Mark of Integrous LLC.

Photo Credit: Original image by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com (photo cropped)