Letters to the Seven Churches: Study for LentSample

Be Encouraged in Suffering: The Church at Smyrna

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What gets you through hard times in your life?

When I’m in a situation that feels unbearable, I tell myself, “Tomorrow this will only be a memory.” I learned to do this in an airport halfway around the world from my home.

When my father was invited to teach other doctors in a missionary hospital, he and my mother decided to go as a family. The trip involved several long flights and took us through eight time zones. When our last flight landed, I was so tired, I felt delirious. My whole body ached. All I wanted to do was go to bed. But the piece of luggage containing equipment the hospital needed hadn’t appeared on the carousel. My parents were unwilling to leave the baggage claim area without it.

Sensing that this was going to take a while, my mother encouraged my sister and me to sit down with the other suitcases away from the conversation. From this vantage point, we watched all the other passengers gather their things and leave. Even the airport staff finished their various jobs and disappeared. This left my family alone with a few government officials and several soldiers with large guns.

My sister and I prayed together as we watched the conversation unfold. I had never felt so vulnerable. And so miserable. Sweat dripped down my back as the tropical sun beat down on the metal building.

Tired, hungry, sweaty, and scared…. something inside me screamed, “I can’t stand this any longer.” Then the thought came to me, “Tomorrow, this will only be a memory.”

My home, my bed, and everything safe and comfortable were just a memory to me then. I could think about them, but they didn’t affect my life. And this meant that the misery I was feeling would also slip into the past. This knowledge took away the power of my discomfort and I relaxed.

When Jesus sent a letter to suffering Christians in the city of Smyrna, He encouraged them to do something similar, to look beyond their present situation and focus on the time when their suffering would only be a memory. In fact, because of their present suffering, they would be beyond the reach of even worse suffering.

Personal Reflection

The church at Smyrna is one of only two churches that received nothing but encouragement from Jesus. The city seemed like an ideal place to live. According to the Greek historian Strabo, it was famous for its beauty, wealth, and fine wines. But following Christ took you outside of the prosperous economy because it was permeated with worship rituals to the emperor and pagan gods. Following Christ also brought you under attack from the large population of Jews in the city. Instead of promising relief from the persecution and suffering, Jesus predicted things would only get worse.          

1. In what ways does your Christian faith put you in conflict with people and with the culture around you?
   
   • Have you ever been looked down on or attacked for your faith in Christ? If so, when and what happened?          
2. What situations in your life are, or have been, most challenging to your faith?          
3. Summarize Jesus' encouragement to the suffering and persecuted church.
   
   • What stands out to you about the way He encouraged them to stay faithful to Him in the midst of their suffering?
   
   • Jesus presents Himself to them as “him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again,” and He promises that “the one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.” In what way is this particularly helpful for Christians who are suffering?          
4. List ways that someone looking at your life might see poverty or suffering.
   
   • What part of Jesus' letter to the Smyrnians can encourage you?
   
   • In what ways would Jesus say that your life is rich?

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Discuss  

• What is something you want to remember from the video?   
• How does what you have learned encourage you to persevere in your relationship with God?

Take Away

Eventually, God said “Yes” to my family’s prayers in the airport. The missing suitcase appeared. Even more amazing, all of the equipment was still inside. We drug our bags and our weary selves out of the airport, saying prayers of thanks as we left the officials and the soldiers behind us. We took a taxi to the guest house, and I fell into the bed prepared for me. When I woke up, the fear and the misery were indeed just a memory.

That experience was nothing compared to the “constant pain [and] dire poverty” of the church of Smyrna (Revelation 2:9 MSG). Each new day brought them suffering instead of relief. But Jesus promised them a tomorrow in which all their suffering would just be a memory. He presented Himself as proof of the gleaming, glorious life that would be theirs if they persevered. And He assured them they would be exempt from the “second death,” which would be much worse than the first one.

History shows that many believers in Smyrna persevered. When Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna and a disciple of the apostle John, was burned alive at the stake for refusing to renounce his faith, he reportedly said: “Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” His words and example have encouraged suffering Christians throughout the centuries.

What words or example could you use to encourage yourself when what you are facing feels unbearable?       

• What is one thing you want to remember from this devotional?    
• What does this mean for your life this week?

— Annette Gulick