Demas Who Loved This World

Fellow worker named in earlier letters; in the last letter, Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica. Failure mode: Slow drift; the world's love wins over the long road. Restoration path: Watch the slow drift; the present world is the danger, not just persecution. Markers: once a co-laborer; gradual cooling; loves this present world; departs at the hard hour; named for the leaving, not the joining