LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES (PART 4)

Text: Revelation 2:8-11

Scriptural References:                  

Matt 6:20, 3^rd John 1:3, Titus 1:16, Rev 21:8, II Tim 1:7, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4

The Church at Smyrna

The second letter to the Churches was addressed to the Church at Smyrna. The name Smyrna comes from myrrh; myrrh was one of the gifts brought to baby Jesus by the wise men when he was born. It is an ingredient used in preparing the holy anointing oil; it was also used as a perfume and was one of the ingredients used for embalming dead bodies. Myrrh could also be used as a preservative.

The Church was called the martyr church; it had people who were willing to die for what they believed. It was also referred to as the persecuted Church. Persecution means being subjected to pain or suffering because of your beliefs. The Church in Smyrna was also referred to as the poor rich church. They were:

-          Poor outwardly but rich inwardly

-          Poor in temperance but rich spiritually

-          Poor by human standards but rich by God’s standard.

The city was a beautiful Asian city. The authorities in the city had an alliance with Rome and as such were eager to do anything that could please the authorities in Rome. They persecuted the Church with so much zeal so as to please the Roman authorities. Polycarp was famous of the early martyrs, and he was the bishop of Smyrna. Actually, record has it that he was the first and last bishop. Bacchus, “the god of wine” has its origin from there.

Christ commended the Church for the following:

-          Their spiritual endurance: One of the emblem of maturity as a good soldier is that you are able to endure. This church endured all the cruelty that was brought against it and still maintained its stand in the faith. As Christians, we must know that we are soldiers for Christ and we should be ready to stand for the faith when trials and persecutions come.

-          The Heavenly treasures they possessed: This church was living with eternity in view. They did not just live for the now but had the future in view. As Christians, how are we living our lives? Do we live as if Christ will never come back? We must be conscious of eternity in whatever we do and in the way we live. Matt 6:20

-          The poverty and troubles they had to go through because of their faith: This church made so much sacrifice and lost their physical wealth because of their faith. Some of them had their goods burnt and properties destroyed, yet they still remained steadfast. As Christians, we must never shift from the truth no matter what comes our way; our focus must be to stand for the truth at all times.

-          The church was also commended for their ability to detect falsehood and stand against it. Many times, we may see our brother or sister doing something wrong but ignore it because of what we are benefitting from him or her, but as this church did, we must be ready to sacrifice any benefit we think we are deriving from anyone and stand against falsehood at all times. Titus 1:16.

The Church in Smyrna was never accused of anything. This means it is possible for us to live our lives without any accusation. But how did they get to that point? It was through endurance, they never ran away from the challenges that confronted them. Thus, the main lesson here is that we must not run away from trouble, challenges or crisis on our path of righteousness.

Challenges and crisis help to purify and perfect us. It is not as if we should go about looking for crisis, trouble or challenges but when we face troubles and challenges in the course of our faith walk, we must not draw back or quit but confront them headlong. We must stop looking for shortcuts to follow when we are confronted with challenges or crisis because the process of purification involves facing challenges. The key to all these is to remain where God has put you and endure hardship as a good soldier.

The advice and counsel God gave the Church in Smyrna are:

-          Fear not. God told the Church to fear not and this counsel affects us as Christians as well. Because it is fear that empowers Satan to work in our lives. As long as you are fearless, Satan is powerless against you. 2 Tim 1:7; Rev 21:8

-          Be faithful and consistent. God advised the church to remain faithful despite the trials. God rewards faithfulness and not results. As Christians, we are a people of conviction; no matter what we are experiencing, we must remain faithful to the truth.

The assurances God gave the church in Smyrna are:

-          The crown of life. At that time, a crown was equivalent to gold or the medal of this time. Thus, by the time we have run this Christian race to the end, God has a medal or crown for each and every one of us. James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4.

-          They will escape the second death which the Bible described in Rev. 21:8. This also applies to us as Christians.

The letter concluded with this appeal; “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Let us always pray as Christians that God will help us to use our ears effectively to hear and heed to the instructions, advice and counsel He gives us.