November 1, 2021
Alareece Collie
Iam passionate about traveling. When I was in seminary, I took a trip to the Middle East with a group of seminarians. It was my first visit. I was extremely excited. My childhood fantasy of being like Indiana Jones was becoming a reality.
We went to Jordan: visited places like the ancient city of Petra. We went to Israel, took a dip in the Dead Sea, enjoyed a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We went to Turkey: visited the cities of the seven churches in Revelation, including Smyrna, the focus of this article.
Smyrna, now the modern-day city of Izmir, can trace its roots to Alexander the Great. Also, many believe that it is the birthplace of the poet Homer. In Smyrna one of their main streets was called the Street of Gold. Other interesting data on the city include the meaning of its name: Smyrna means myrrh, an aromatic potion that thrice figures in the Gospel records of His life: first as a fragrant spice given to the baby Jesus, then twice in relation to his crucifixion and burial (see Mark 15:23; John 19:39).
Ancient ruins can seem outdated and irrelevant. We relegate them with That was then; this is now! But Smyrna does have lessons for us. Such as faithfulness: Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (Rev. 2:10).
I read these words and wonder: whatever became of faithfulness? In a world of frantic busyness, increased skepticism, and broken vows, faithfulness sometimes seems outdated, like ancient ruins.
The message to the church of Smyrna reminds us that faithfulness is fundamental to the Christian journey, a lesson learned by looking at the cross, the church, and the crown.
First, the message to Smyrna reminds us about the significance of the cross: These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life (Rev. 2:8). Jesus was faithful unto death, death on a cross (Phil. 2:8). In faithfulness to His mission, He is an example for us today. The cross remains a symbol of hope for us because of His substitutionary sacrifice, and a source of inspiration because of His example of unflinching faithfulness. And He speaks with unique authority: as the First and Last. Alpha and Omega. Beginning and End and everything in between; Lord of the past, present, and future.
Hear His voice in Isaiah: Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last (Isa. 48:12). He speaks with the authority of someone who has experienced persecution and was called to be faithful to death. His commitment and love sustained Him through intense sacrifice, rejection, and pain. Likewise, in every generation His followers are called to be faithful, enduring until the end (Matt. 10:22).
The church of Smyrna knew persecution well. They experienced it from Jews who lived there, and from the Romans. Jesus warned that it would worsen (Rev. 2:10). Polycarp, once Smyrnas Christian bishop, understood the cost of his refusal to call the emperor his Lord. He left us memorable lines: For eighty-six years I have been his servant, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?1 And: I bless you, Father, for judging me worthy of this hour, so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ.2
For some Christians, persecution for our faith may seem distant. However, in other parts of the world, our brothers and sisters are losing their lives because they want to remain faithful to Jesus. In India several Adventist pastors have been beaten or killed. In China a recent law has forbidden the sale of online Bibles,3 and there continue to be new laws that restrict religious freedom for Christians.4
Nevertheless, the light of hope burns even in Jesus call to faithfulness. For faithfulness until means that a time is coming when Smyrna will no longer have to suffer. And the promise is for all who reach that point: faithful until death? Heres your crown of life (Rev. 2:10). Smyrna will share the victory of their Lord, He who was dead and came to life again. Years before John wrote, the city of Smyrna had been destroyed and rebuilt. Smyrnas saints could understand that though there is death, there will be life again.
How do we learn from Smyrna, when many today never even dream of persecution for our faith? Im free to express my beliefs and not be persecuted. How can I show faithfulness to faith in the absence of threat? It seems that the real question is not about willingness to die for Jesus, but about commitment to Him whatever the circumstance. Polycarp came to martyrdom only because of who he was in life. Am I as committed as Polycarp to living for Him?
How do we learn fromSmyrna, when many today never even dream of persecution for our faith?
A friend of mine told me of sailing from the island of Cozumel in Mexico to the mainland. A sign on her boat said, Warning. Waters could get rough. And just as the sign said, the waters got rough. She, along with many other passengers, was throwing up. She felt so bad that she wished she could jump off the ship. Her husband, not nearly as sick, leaned over and said, Keep your eyes on the horizon. She did. Staring at the horizon restored her sense of equilibrium, and she was able to complete the journey with no more seasickness.
We need to keep our eyes on the cross. We will be tempted and tested daily, but we, with Smyrna, may remain faithful, and emerge victorious. Jesus, our Savior and Guide, has been here before: He has experienced the tests, tribulations, and temptations; He can bring us through. With Him, after life and death, there is life again, a more abundant life. Keep your eyes on the cross, symbol of love and faithfulness.
The message to Smyrna reminds us that we are called as a community. Attachment to, dependence on a community, is becoming rare. Loud praise of individualism seems to drown out the beckoning call of community. And yes, the choice to follow Jesus is personal: no one can choose for us. But our call also has collective significance. Were in this together, a togetherness that further molds, and yes, tests our faithfulness. Community can be frustrating at times. It can also spur growth, strength, and healing. There is something about people gathering together with one focus and mission. We strengthen each other to be faithful.
Smyrna had much to inspire. Science and medicine flourished. A library, stadium, and theater that seated about 20,000 people testified to prosperity. However, many believers were financially poor as a result of the persecution they were experiencing. Jesus knew of their struggle: I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich) (Rev. 2:9). His message was that despite material poverty, they were succeeding where it mattered: they were spiritually rich. And they were because they had chosen to be faithful. Amid daily challenges, they supported each other, and rose together above their difficult circumstances.
Jon Cole, a colleague of mine, lived and taught in Izmir for a year. Recently, as we reflected on community, he shared a story. He needed to find the landlord to pay his rent in person. He found him playing backgammon with a group of friends, and apologized for the interruption. His landlord smiled and said, No problem; an uninvited guest is Gods guest. His message was that people and relationships are not an inconvenience.
The gift of community is celebrated in the We of one of my favorite songs, Were Marching to Zion. As the chorus says: Were marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful, Zion; were marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God.5 Were marching: Im marching, youre marching, were marching. Nobodys doing it alone. Were a community of faithfulnessto Jesus, to His cross, to our individual integrity, and to our church, the family of faith, in which we journey together and are faithful together. And we are not together to compete against one another: Whos holiest? Whos most faithful? Rather, we support each other all the way to until, when theres no more because weve reached the finish line. And everyone who covers the distance by faith in Jesus will receive a reward, the crown of eternal life.
Whether we experience turbulent skies or troubled seas, we are assured not only by each others presence, but, supremely, by the competence of the Captain of our salvation (see Heb. 2:10).
Some years ago I was heading to Puerto Rico from The Bahamas to take some classes at Antillean Adventist University. I flew to Puerto Ricos capital, San Juan, via Miami, Florida. Getting to Antillean Adventist University then required catching a connecting flight from San Juan. Arriving there late, I ran to the waiting area for my connecting flight to Mayaguez. There were four people there. I thought, Praise the Lord, I made it . . . Seems like Im earlier than most of the other passengers.
After some waiting, they called the flight. There were still only five of us. I wondered, Strange . . . Wheres everyone? Perhaps this isnt a full flight . . .
We walked out to the plane, and there it was, so small: This looks like a toy; a paper plane.
Five of us quite filled the plane. We strapped in, and off we went, flying over beautiful Puerto Rican beaches, some of the best beaches in the world. The skies were clear, and it seemed like a good day.
But then the winds picked up. The plane began to experience turbulence. It began to shake.
You could feel it struggling against the wind. I held on because thats all you could do. You cant always predict turbulence, and you cannot control it. It comes.
Then I saw a red light on the captains dashboard. The plane was so small, and I was sitting so close to the captainall the passengers were! I could easily see the dashboard. Then we heard a beeping sound. As if on cue, my seatmate and I both turned and looked at each other, communicating without words: What is that light? Why is there a light? What is that beeping noise? Im afraid. Are you afraid? OK, were both afraid.
For me, its one of the great reassurances in being on an airplane. Im never alone. Theres companyfellow passengers who feel the turbulence, who are afraid at times, just like me. And theres a competent captain. There, thousands of feet up in the air, in the midst of turbulence, were in community.
The flight continued: smooth skies; rough bumps; occasional terror; and a safe landing, eventually.
Whether the Christian journey involves troubled seas or turbulent skies, we are never alone. We have an expert Captain and fellow passengers on the journey: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us runwith perseverancethe race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus,the pioneerand perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross (Heb. 12:1, 2, NIV).
What joy? The joy of us for company, not just for a while, but throughout the victory celebration when the promise of our text finds its total fulfillment, as the Captain of our salvation crowns us all with immortality, the crown of life (Rev. 2:10).
Alareece Collie is executive pastor of the University church on the campus of Walla Walla University, College Place, Washington.
Excerpt from:
Adventist Review Online | Whatever Became of Faithfulness? - Adventist Review
- Here's What You Should Know About Stem Cell Beauty Products - Who What Wear - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- After Death Dangles Answers to the Only Important Question - The Stream - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Igniting Hope conference aims to end race-based health disparities ... - University at Buffalo - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- 10 Best Horror Anime on Crunchyroll - Screen Rant - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- 10 Flowers That Represent Freedom - AZ Animals - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Demon Slayer: What is Muzan's illness? Explained - Sportskeeda - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Enterprise's Archer Copied Picard's Star Trek: Insurrection Romance - Screen Rant - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Anemone Flowers: Meaning, Symbolism, and Proper Occasions - AZ Animals - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- The billion-dollar search for immortality - UnHerd - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Should Medicine Still Bother With Eponyms? - The New York Times - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Immortality: A Love Story - Plugged In - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Harvard morgue scandal: The history of selling body parts - The Boston Globe - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Imbibe yoga in its true spirit on the International Yoga Day - Daily Pioneer - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Everything you need to know about Nick Fury as Secret Invasion arrives - Yahoo Entertainment - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Some Interesting Facts On The Hindu Epic Ramayana - The Movie Blog - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Will AI Become Our New Gods? - Answers In Genesis - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- There's food growing in The Woodlands. Here's how to forage for it ... - Houston Chronicle - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- One Piece: Op-Op Fruit is the source of Imus immortality - Dexerto - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- King Charles III's Coronation at the Convergence of Policy ... - JURIST - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Ancient Greek healing temple in Trikala to be restored - The Greek Herald - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- The long and short of telomere rejuvenation | Opinion - Chemistry World - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Is there a solution to the puzzle that is cancer? The fundamental ... - Sciencenorway - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- The Week In Russia: Theater Of War - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- No. 788: Hi, Mom were getting ready for your big day with dirty ... - Innovate Long Island - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Star Trek: Who Is The Oldest Human? - GameRant - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Sabbaticals: A Gateway to Reimagining Health - Non Profit News - Nonprofit Quarterly - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Florence Nightingale birth anniversary: The Lady with the Lamp who founded modern nursing during Crimean War - News9 LIVE - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Defence Secretary oral statement on war in Ukraine - GOV.UK - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- TOM UTLEY: Mrs U and I are better prepared for the end. But scientists say we might live to 122! - Daily Mail - March 31st, 2023 [March 31st, 2023]
- Eddie Jones reveals NRL legend Andrew Johns was on the verge of a shock code switch in 2005 - Daily Mail - February 18th, 2023 [February 18th, 2023]
- The debauched world of Ozzy Osbourne - biting bats to Sharon finding him in bed with the nanny - Daily Mail - February 5th, 2023 [February 5th, 2023]
- 6 Benefits of Reishi Mushroom (Plus Side Effects and Dosage) - Healthline - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- Alchemy - Wikipedia - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- Emily Dickinson - Poems, Quotes & Death - Biography - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- Alexis Carrel - Wikipedia - December 21st, 2022 [December 21st, 2022]
- Medicine MBChB - University Of Worcester - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Republic of Florence - Wikipedia - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Taoist sexual practices - Wikipedia - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Herbal medicine - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Aubrey de Grey - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Greek language - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Gynostemma pentaphyllum - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Lingzhi (mushroom) - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- The Hayflick Limit: Why Every Human Can Live Up to 125 Years - History of Yesterday - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Downtown Lecture Series, now in 10th year, will focus on sexualities - University of Arizona News - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Scent of Wind Review: A Simple Tale of Kindness From Iran Echoes the Countrys Masters - Yahoo Entertainment - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Proxy voting rises when Congress usually flies in and out of town, analysis finds - Oil City Derrick - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Keith Simpson reviews 'Boris Johnson: The Rise and Fall of a Troublemaker at Number 10' - PoliticsHome - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Disney+ Releases Official Trailer for the Original Series Limitless with Chris Hemsworth from National Geographic - Yahoo Finance - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- True Fathers Resist the Holy Father - OnePeterFive - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Targeted-sequence of normal urothelium and tumor of patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer | Scientific Reports - Nature.com - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Cheers and Jeers: Thursday - Daily Kos - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- North Korea tells officials that 350,000 people died of diseases this year - Radio Free Asia - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- New York: World War II: Inventive Report An interactive presentation of how, without real danger, the - Game News 24 - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Soma (drink) - Wikipedia - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Lavish Qin Shi Huang Tomb Built for Immortality - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The Four Directions & Medicine Wheel of Native Americans - Gaia - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Kanye, Selena Gomez have bipolar disorder. Why is there a stigma? - USA TODAY - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Forrest Bess Was a Fisherman by Day and Painter of Wild Visions by Night. A New Show Explores His Legacy - artnet News - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 'Star Wars': 9 Force Powers Used Only by The Jedi - We Got This Covered - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The CIA has invested in wooly mammoth resurrection technology and nobody knows why - Daily Star - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Here's why we age - Hindustan Times - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- Blind mystic Baba Vanga's five predictions for 2023 - from end of births to nuclear disaster - Irish Mirror - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- President Biden Says Covid-19 Pandemic is Over in the US - Slashdot - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- Immortality a possibility? This jellyfish could have the answer - Ohmymag - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- Early Puberty Resulting From Excessive Smartphone Screen Time? Here's What This Study Found - Forbes - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- Godard's assisted suicide - not an option everywhere - SWI swissinfo.ch - SWI swissinfo.ch in English - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- Akudaaya: Tinubu, Abacha and Shettima's Theory of Ruthless Leadership -By Festus Adedayo - Opinion Nigeria - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- On The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, a hard rains a-gonna fall - The A.V. Club - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- The longevity diet: Lots of beans and periodic fasts slow ageing - The New Daily - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- The Real Effects Aloe Vera Has On Your Body - Health Digest - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Its Time To Rethink the Origins of Pain - Scientific American - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Queen Elizabeth II: Celebrities send well-wishes as world waits for update on health - The Independent - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- The Moon: Earths Eighth Continent to This Jellyfish is Immortal (Planet Earth Report) - The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- This president was shot in the back, but the doctors are the ones who killed him - Salon - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- As The Royal Family Deals With Devastating Racism Accusations From Meghan Markle, 96-Year-Old Queen Elizabeth II Now Under Extensive Medical Care as... - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- To quit or not to quit: The hardest question for sporting greats - Deccan Herald - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- OND: Harvest moon, climate refugees, wall wind turbine, JWST and more - Daily Kos - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- 10 Fantasy Shows Like Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power You Should Check Out - /Film - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Jared Kushner is keeping fit because he thinks he might live forever - Business Insider - August 27th, 2022 [August 27th, 2022]