Smyrna was one of the seven churches in Asia Minor that Jesus dictated a message when he gave John the Book of Revelation. It would have been described as a poor church that was rich. It was poor in one respect but rich where it mattered. This is very important to see today.
Revelation 2:6 “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. 8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”
All seven of the churches had their own set of problems and weaknesses, but they were all up against the same enemy. In this large world we live in, we may feel small Bible-believing churches are just a dot on the globe. What difference can we make in a time so out of control? We’re so close to the end. Signs are being fulfilled every day. What’s taking place in the Middle East right now alerts us. The spiritual falling away is happening. I’m using secular words to help us understand that we’re seeing the transition of churches from fundamental to liberal.
A person won’t turn from sin if the church environment is full of sin. A church must be holy if the Holy Spirit can convict. When services are set up in a secular manner, they only bring about some social changes not sin releasing meetings with Jesus in the center. Jesus told Nicodemus “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Even though a religious Pharisee, Nicodemus would not go to heaven without accepted Jesus into his heart.
Smyrna was challenged by these kinds of things. It was out of the loop. The efforts to change churches into counterfeits were strong. The same thing brought Laodicea to a lukewarm state. Jesus told Sardis “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” Ephesus lost its first love. He likened Thyatira to Jezebel. It’s not what the world or our peers consider us to be but what God says we are. It’s not what contemporary society or other churches consider us to be; it’s what God says. It’s not by being politically correct or accepted by the world. How are we viewed in the eyes of God? Jesus told Smyrna “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty.” Then in little parentheses he added “but thou art rich.”
If we have a Bible-believing church, we’ll have trouble. We’ll always have an evil influence, temptations of the devil, and loose living to contend to with. There were these things to contend with, but most of Smyrna’s problems came from counterfeit churches and religion. Many departed from the faith and accepted another gospel. It was a blended religion, not to get rid of the church but to change its definition to something unrecognizable by God. There was a blending of secularism. It corrupted the way of salvation, right and wrong. It was a smokescreen that caused people to believe they were Christians when they were not.
When my beliefs don’t match the Word, they’re not right. The Bible has to be rightly divided. It doesn’t have 50,000 different meanings as presented by television, newspapers, or people you may work with. It’s not up for private interpretation. It presents one truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. If another way is presented, they both can’t be correct. If we stay with the Lord, we’ll be made to feel like “poor, ignorant people.” We’ll be thought of as impoverished. The article in the paper this morning would have us feel that the old-time way is a failure. It would have us see ourselves as behind the times. Smyrna faced this just like we are now. Jesus saw their efforts and said YOU ARE RICH.
By sticking with Jesus we are not failures. Don’t listen to the world. We’re rich. In our smallness we have more than others have in their largeness. The success of a church doesn’t depend on its physical number but its spiritual reality. To have what some so-called churches have, we’d have to deny some things like Peter did. We’d have to betray some things like Judas did. We could use the name of Jesus and have a formality of worship, but we’d be leaving him out. Smyrna kept Jesus and chose to put up with the trouble. Jesus said the world would hate us if we follow him BUT remember WE’RE RICH.
This new way is twofold—selling of the new way and troubling of the old way. If I’m behind the times because I still preach the blood-stained gospel, that’s all right. If I’m just an ignorant preacher, that’s all right. I’m rich! You’re rich! The closer to Jesus we are, the richer we are. The closer to the Bible we are, the richer we are. The more transformed we are by the Spirit, the richer we are. We’re rich where it matters—with God.
In regard to worship and the condition of the soul, there is no such label as traditional and contemporary in the Bible. The words that go along with it are natural, carnal, and spiritual. If we’re religious and unsaved, we’re in the natural person. If we’ve backslid and become lukewarm, we’re in the carnal person. If we serve the Lord as children of light, we’re of the spiritual. This is the way it is- period.
I want the Lord to know me. Popularity doesn’t matter. Our mission is not sellout crowds and pleasing people. We’re to witness and be a role model of the truth. Remember the mustard seed. We may seem small to the world around us, but when we stick with the Lord and his Word of Truth, we are rich, and growing ever richer in Him.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 