Letters to the Church: The Church at Smyra-Rev. 2:8-11

In this letter, Jesus referred to Himself as; "The First and Last, who was dead
and came to life again." He is the eternal Lord, who rules over all creation.
through Him, all things were made, both in heaven and on earth. He is the very
Word of God made flesh.(John 1:1) He is the One who humbled Himself, and
took upon Himself human flesh and suffered for the sins of the world.He was
put to death for our sins, and was raised for our justification. Those who
believe on His name have the blessed promises of forgiveness, peace, and
eternal life. This is the wonderful message that the Church proclaims to
the world. It is the message of Him who has come, and will come again.

Jesus informed this congregation that He was aware of their struggles. He
knew all that they had undergone for the sake of His Gospel. Jesus knew
that they needed both His presence and His encouragement. As with this
Church, the Church today stills needs both the presence and the
encouragement of Christ. The Church on earth has to endure much as it carries
out ministry. There are times when churches do struggle and become weary.
It is easy for the saints to become weary and discouraged. They might think
that their efforts have failed. Christ has words of encouragement and strength
for His struggling saints. He encourages the saints to hold on to Him, and
to remain always faithful.

The Church at Smyrna was a poor struggling Church. They may have been poor
in material goods, but these were people who were rich in faith. These were
people who came from the poorer class, so they did not have much. They had
lost much due to persecutions and hardships, but they still held on. They
held on to their faith despite all that they had endured. In truth, they
were really rich. They had held on to the true and lasting treasure, faith
in Jesus Christ. This was a treasure that could not be taken away from
them.

The Church of today still faces many struggles. There are places in the
world where Christians still suffer for the faith. There are many Churches
that are struggling to maintain ministry through difficult hardships. In
the eyes of the world, these Churches might seem weak and poor.This is
not the case at all. The Church that remains faithful to Christ and to
His Gospel is really rich beyond compare. The Church might be poor in
material goods; it is rich in the Savior's grace and blessing.

The Church at Smyrna was a courageous Church. It did not allow the struggles
and the persecutions to stop it's service to Christ. These saints remained
faithful and strong in Christ. They took hold of the faithful promises
of the Savior. Jesus urged them to remain faithful to the point of death,
and they would receive the crown of life.

This is an example for the Church today. The Church on earth will never
have a life of ease. The faithful Church will always know both struggle
and hardship. Yet the Church can still press on in the mission. The
Church can press on because it lays hold of the Savior. The world
might see the Church as poor and broken, it is not. The Church's
wealth and victory come from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.