The Suffering Church
The Suffering Church
Words of Faith 11-16-2020
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Revelation 2
[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!
Revelation contains seven letters from Jesus, the glorified Christ, to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. The first was to Ephesus, which is sometimes called the Loveless Church. Next was the letter to Smyrna, sometimes called the Suffering Church.
Smyrna was 60 miles north of Ephesus. The church at Smyrna is not mentioned anywhere else in scripture. It was probably planted during Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. Fifty years later, the church was going through frightening economic and personal persecution because of their faith in Jesus.
We are blessed to live in a free nation. We joke about the Sunday that they change the time to Daylight Savings as Christian Persecution Day. Or we complain about persecution because of censorship on social media—a genuine problem. But real persecution is much worse and is no laughing matter.
Over 245 million Christians currently live in places where they experience high levels of persecution. This is 1 in every 9 Christians worldwide. In the last year, 4,305 Christians were killed for their faith. 1,847 churches and other Christian buildings were attacked. 3,150 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, or imprisoned.
Why were things so desperate in Smyrna? Smyrna was one of the most important cities in Asia Minor. It was a port city smaller than Ephesus. This was a proud ally of Rome and called itself “the first city of Asia.”
Smyrna had a temple to Rome built in BC 195. IT also had a Temple dedicated to Emperor Tiberius AD 26 which made it a center Emperor worship. Once a year all people had to burn incense declaring the Emperor as god. This was required to be part of a “guild” -trade union. This guild allowed one to buy, sell and work. Jews were exempted from this. But if you didn’t burn incense once a year you starved… and could be put to death.
Jesus: “I know what you are going through…” [9] "I know your tribulation and your poverty…" If anyone else said this, it would sound trite and insulting. Jesus wants to make sure we know that He is watching.
Tribulation is the word thlip-sis. It means affliction, trouble, anguish, literally pressure. It is used to describe a narrowing tunnel or a crushing throng.
How do you find hope in a situation that seems hopeless? Jesus begins with a simple foundation… Remember who I AM. ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life'.
He had declared this earlier. I AM the first and last, beginning and end (1:17-18). I AM the One who died and came to life. I am your everything if you will look to Me. I am your hope. I AM Life-- even after death. We must not focus on our circumstances. When we go through difficult times, especially times of crushing affliction, trouble, or anguish, He is the One who gives life.
Jesus is not just anything we want Him to be, but he is everything we will ever need. Jesus will meet us at the point of our need.
If we listen, the Lord will speak to us a part of His nature that precisely meets the need we are experiencing.
Lord, carry us through the times of affliction. Carry us through suffering when it arises. Keep me focused on the truths and promises of Your Word. In Jesus’ Name.
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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2020
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.
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