II Timothy 1:15 “This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.”
It seems that, in every generation (including the First Century), there are some who are “turned away” from the Apostle Paul; that is, from what he preached and taught. They also ceased to support and assist Paul in his Apostolic ministry. Paul preached and taught what the Bible calls “the doctrine of God our Saviour” (Titus 2:10) and “the doctrine of Christ” (Hebrews 6:1) and “the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42) and “the word” (II Timothy 4:2). Paul tells us that “there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision” (Titus 1:10) and John tells us that “many deceivers are entered into the world” (II John 1:7). Paul warned the ministers from Ephesus that “of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:30). Those who turn away from “the doctrine of Christ” spawn divisions and broken fellowship among the Churches and the Lord’s people. Usually, men like “Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among” the people (III John 1:9) are the root cause of such turning away and division. Because this turning away is such a pervasive problem, Paul exhorts Timothy and us to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 2:1); that is, “be strong” and not compromise the Gospel no matter how articulate or influential some deceivers might be. Said another way, “beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:58)!