Christ Wesleyan Church
Join us for our primary worship service each weekend.
Revelation 2:8-11 NIV
A. The City of Smyrna
1. Derived from the word "myrrh"
Revelation 2:8 NIV
2. Like Ephesus, Smyrna was on the influential Roman Road.
3. Smyrna's Bishop Polycarp was burned alive because of his faith in Jesus.
Revelation 2:8 NIV
“Thou threatenest me with the fire that burns for an hour and in a little time is extinguished; for thou knowest not the fire of the future judgment, and of the eternal punishment that is reserved for the ungodly.”
(Polycarp, upon being burned to death)
B. The Smyrnan Christian
Revelation 2:9 NIV
1. Commended by Christ even though afflicted by culture, friends, and neighbors.
2. Commended by Christ even though afflicted by the Jewish people.
3. Commended by Christ because of their faithful witness in a hostile world.
Revelation 2:10 NIV
C. The Modern Christian Church
Revelation 2:11 NIV
1. To the Christian church in the U.S.A.: persecution will come.
2. To the Christian church in the U.S.A.: know the Spirit's voice more than the cultural pressures (counter-cultural living).
3. To the individual Christian believer in the U.S.A.: faithfulness will lead to surviving the second death.
Revelation 20:15 NIV
D. In the meantime, how do we continue to live in a post-Christian culture?
1. Develop our Christian communities-we need each other.
Example: Support Christian-owned businesses.
2. Do not neglect working to influence the larger society.
Remember, those who DO evil are not the SOURCE of evil. (v. 10)
Example: Encourage Christians to work in mainstream media, political arenas, and the secular art/educational communities.
3. When trials come: pray, trust the Lord, and walk in faith.
4. Pray for the current persecuted Christians and the future persecution of the U.S. Christian community.
5. Listen to the Spirit of God and press in.
Bottom Line:
Fear is not consistent with God’s good and redemptive plan for you.
Facts on Worldwide, Christian Persecution
Where It’s Hardest to Follow Jesus:
1. North Korea
2. Afghanistan
3. Somalia
4. Libya
5. Pakistan
6. Eritrea
7. Yemen
8. Iran
9. Nigeria
10. India
The listed nations (Top 50) contain 309 million Christians living in places with very high or extreme levels of persecution, up from 260 million in last year’s list.
Worldwide registered martyrdoms rose to 4,761 in the 2021 report, up 60 percent from the 2,983 tallied the year before and surpassing the 4,305 deaths noted in the 2019 report.
The latest Pew Research Center analysis of governmental and societal hostilities toward religion found that Christians were harassed in 145 countries in 2018, more than any other religious group. Muslims were harassed in 139 countries, followed by Jews in 88 countries.
Sources: Christianity Today/Open Doors 2021 World Watch List
To begin a relationship with Jesus…
Text: IChooseJesus (all one word) to 570-273-0088
Giving & Attendance Update
Giving last Sunday: 83.6%
Giving year to date: 96%
Last Sunday weekend attendance: 1,852
Salvations to date: 83 | Baptisms to date: 21