Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word.
This week's question:

Jesus told Ananias, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to bear My name before Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for my names sake." (Acts 9:15-16). In Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth, he tells them of his trials as a Christian as some of the Jewish brethren were boasting in themselves since they were of Jewish descent as Jesus, "Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if insane) I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received form the Jews thirty-none lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers form my countrymen, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern of all the churches."
(2 Corinthians 11:22-28). Through all this, Paul says this about his former life as a Hebrew in which he could have been a great player, "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ," (Philippians 3:7-8).

That brings us to our question, "Who deserts Paul for the world?" When Paul first journeys back to visit the churches, he and Barnabas take John Mark with them and he does desert them when trials get difficult. Later, when they again talk about revisiting those churches, Barnabas wants to again take John Mark with them but Paul does not want to, and a sharp disagreement ensues, "And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.' And Barnabas was desirous of taking John, called Mark, along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed to cypress." (Acts 15:36-39)Even though Mark deserts them in the work, he does not go into the world. Paul later says of Mark, "Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service." (2 Timothy 4:11).

So for the answer to our question, we turn to that same book and read, "Make every effort to come to me soon, For Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica;" (2 Timothy 4:9-10). And so there we have the answer to our question, as the one who deserts Paul for the world is, Demas!

May we show the same great courage as Paul, who overcame the world and kept his eye upon the goal of everlasting life as he says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to those who have loved His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8).