8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
The purpose of a spouse, apparently, is to keep you straight. I recently discussed the Church at Philadelphia and commented, in error, that it was the only church about which the Lord had nothing negative to say. My wife has pointed out that Smyrna also invoked no negative comment. It’s characteristics were poverty and persecution. Smyrna was one of the most beautiful cities in the empire. It’s loyalty to Rome was famous. It had a small but nasty Jewish population. Both the Roman loyalists and the synagogue of Satan hated the small Christian contingency. One of their most famous was Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. He was burned at the stake after being offered his life if he would deny Christ. To which he responded: “Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? Bring forth what thou wilt.”
The Philadelphians were known for their faithfulness, the Christians of Smyrna for their faithfulness in the midst of persecution. We consider ourselves faithful if we have stuck with Jesus after years of his favor and generous blessings. Would we be as faithful after persecution when all we could say is that he has “done me no wrong?” It’s easy to be faithful in the times of plenty; will we stay so when famine comes?
Christian Persecution is any hostility, experienced from the world, as a result of one’s identification with Christ. In the United States we are just beginning to feel isolation from the “mainstream” as Christians. We have NO IDEA. From verbal harassment to hostile feelings, attitudes and actions, believers in areas with severe religious restrictions pay a heavy price for their faith. Beatings, physical torture, confinement, isolation, rape, severe punishment, imprisonment, slavery, discrimination in education and in employment, and even death are just few examples they experience on the daily basis.
According to The Pew Research Center, over 75% of the world’s population live in areas with severe religious restrictions. Many of these people are Christians. Also, according to the United States Department of State, Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in the person of Jesus Christ.
The very least we can do is pray. As Christians in the free world, we are to take stand for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a simple matter of compassion and justice to speak up for the suffering (Zechariah 7:9, Luke 11:42, Matthew 25:35-36). In following Christ’s example, we are to show mercy to those who are suffering, especially those in the household of faith (I Corinthians 12:26-27). We can pray for those who are really persecuted and pray to have their strength when our time comes.
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