Renewing the Church (9)

The second letter
The letter to the church in Smyrna is the second of seven letters in Revelation 2-3 describing what Jesus thinks of His church. His first letter, to the church of Ephesus, explained that they had lost their first love. The vision of the resurrected and exalted Christ, sitting on the same throne as the Father (Rev. 3:21) in full majesty and glory, should be the focus of the Christian’s life. The willingness to follow Christ’s example of humble service (Phil. 2:5-11; John 13:1-11) should be the pattern which the Christian should follow. Love of God and love of neighbor are the compelling force of faithfulness.

Jesus’ letter to the angel of the church of Smyrna teaches us what it means to be faithful in light of “religious” and cultural pressure, even pressure leading to death.

The city of Smyrna
This letter is the shortest of the seven. Jesus says only exemplary things about the church in Smyrna. Smyrna, known as the birthplace of Homer, a city of approximately 200,000 at the time this letter was sent to it, was located thirty-five miles North West of Ephesus. It is now the modern day city of Izmir in Turkey. Although founded in 1200 BC, reportedly by an Amazon who gave it her name, it was destroyed by the Lydians in 600 BC and remained dormant for over three centuries. It was rebuilt as a planned city by Alexander the Great late in the 4^th century BC. Located on a sheltered inlet, the city served as an important port leading to the Aegean Sea. A highly cultured city known as a center of scientific and medical learning, it rivaled even Ephesus and Pergamum in splendor, with a fabulous mall called the “Golden Street” linking the temples of Zeus and Cybele, a mall that supposedly outshone any other in the ancient world. Because Smyrna advantageously sided with Rome during crucial periods in its history, it became a free, self-governed city under the emperor Tiberius. It subsequently competed against twenty-three other ancient cities for the privilege of housing the first temple in honor of the emperor Tiberius and was awarded the honor by the Roman Senate, thus becoming a center of emperor worship. Because of its beauty, Smyrna was called “the ornament of Asia.

Emperor worship
Under the Roman Emperor Domitian in AD 81-96, annual compulsory emperor worship went into effect with penalty of death being imposed upon those who refused. One had to offer a pinch of incense on an altar and proclaim, “Caesar is Lord.” A certificate was then issued which stated one had met the requirement for that year. Many Christians refused to do this, declaring, instead, “Christ is Lord.” The old bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John, “the twelfth martyr of Smyrna,” died in the stadium of Smyrna when he refused to burn incense to the emperor.

Jesus commends the church
Jesus commends this church for its faithfulness because He knew that the members of this church faced persecution.

Jesus identifies Himself as “the first and the last, who died and came to life”( Rev. 2:8). Jesus’ words echo Isaiah 44:6: “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.’” A similar verse also appears in Isaiah 48:12: “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last.” This title is rich in meaning, especially to those in Smyrna who knew the city’s history and reputation. To a city which claimed to be first in splendor in the ancient world, Jesus proclaims that He is first. And to a city which boasted of being dead for centuries and coming back to life again, Jesus, in contrast to this boast, proclaims, “Unlike dead stones which men have used to bring this city into existence once again, I am the Cornerstone who died and came back to life.” Since Smyrna’s Christians faced possible death because of their commitment to Jesus, the risen Lord’s words must have been reassuring: being first and last meant that He, Jesus, was Caesar over all, over creation, over life and death, thus the caesar (with a lowercase “c”) they would soon refuse to worship as a god was not God. Jesus is thus telling the Smyrna Christians, who might well be facing death because of their faith, “I have the power over death. This is the first death. But you will not be hurt by the second death. Fear not.”

Our trials are not forever
Jesus then says, “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9). The word “tribulation” also means “affliction” as well as a “crushing burden.” Jesus, looking down upon this church from heaven, knows them. He knows that they, in accordance with Matthew 6:20, are laying up “treasures in heaven” because of their faithfulness. Whenever you and I are undergoing a crushing burden of any sort and feel overwhelmed and exhausted, we can be assured that Jesus knows what we are going through. Unlike many of the citizens of Smyrna who were well off financially, the Christians in that city were poor, destitute, probably unable to work or deprived of resources; yet Jesus declared that they were spiritually rich.

They were being slandered by “those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” Jews were exempt from Emperor worship. Christians might well have been denounced to the authorities by the Jews in Smyrna. Both the Jews and the pagans applied pressure on the Christians to deny Jesus as Lord. But rather than state to the Smyrna Christians that everything will be all right, Jesus states, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. Rev. 2:10a,b). The same word for “tested” appears here as it did to the letter to the Ephesians when they “tested those who call themselves apostles and are not” (Rev. 1:3). Yet there is comfort in the fact that the persecution they will endure has a divine limit placed upon it—“ten days.” These ten days probably refer to a truncated but indeterminate period of time rather than a literal ten days.

The promise given by Jesus
Jesus then offers this promise: “Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10c). When was the last time you heard a sermon on this subject? The Christian commitment is a commitment unto death. Christ Jesus made such a commitment to us; therefore we, in turn, are to make such a commitment to him. Many supposed Christians make a shallow “fire insurance” type of commitment, but are truly not genuinely engaged in the faith. When such believers are tested, they will either have their faith strengthened, or they will fall away.

Here is a list to evaluate your church in light of this letter:

• In what ways is my church being tested? In what ways am I being tested?
• Is my church one which would be willing to stand in the breach?
• How does it respond to the culture around us?
• Is it willing to be a witness in the culture in which it finds itself?
• Does my pastor teach his sheep that they might have to give up their lives for the faith?

Pray that your church as well as yourself will grow in its commitment to the Lord and would be willing to face the ultimate test of its faith.

Next steps

Go through the checklist provided above. Use a scale of 1 to 10 on each question, with 10 being the highest score. Identify the areas most in need of improvement, then develop a strategy for doing what you can to help strengthen your church in Jesus’ eyes.

For more insight to the Church and its ministry, order a copy of Chuck Colson’s book, Being the Body, from our online store. You might also read the article, “God’s Vision for His Church: A New Year’s Plea to Church Leaders,” by T. M. Moore.

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