The First and Last – Smyrna – The Suffering Church

Smyrna is our next stop – a city named for the incense myrrh and known for its great beauty and Greek games.  But in this city was also great persecution for believers – they suffered under the pressure from the Roman world and the Jewish zealots who despised them for their view of Jesus as Messiah.  These faithful followers faced discriminations and poverty and slander and prison and even death!  In all of this the Lord was watching – “Hebrews 6:10: “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.”

God sees the needs of His people and meets those needs in His way – not always what we think or expect. Myrrh became a great example of suffering even to the point of death.  Myrrh is associated with the Altar of Incense and fittingly speaks to our prayers lifted up to heaven as in 2 Cor 2:15: “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing”. Sunday we will visit Smyrna and listen in to the Angel’s description to John about this Church.  There are things to learn and things to imitate – Come and hear!

See you Sunday,

Pastor Mike