Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victors crown.(Revelation 2:8-10). Pt 1, Kingdom 104: What Profit Has Righteousness in the Kingdom? They were poor. The crown of life is one of several crowns mentioned in Scripture. Oct 04, 2021 41:20. In this same verse, Jesus offers great comfort to His church by assuring them that He is the God who sees, knows, and cares about their troubles. These early believers could have participated in a few cultural customslike sprinkling incense on the fire that burned in front of the emperors statue. All rights reserved. Olympian games were held in Smyrna. The name of Smyrna was equated with myrrh. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. Christians were viewed as antisocial elitists for refusing to participate in it. You cant associated with us in these festivities to our gods. 7. They were despised. At first, the emperors did not want anything to do with it, but by the time Domitian became the Roman emperor, he made it mandatory that all citizens would worship the emperor or face death. What can be done to invite Him further into your church? Another warning for us is do not let him use you. For the first He says in Revelation 2:10, Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 1.2 Name. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. The Church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) The Essential Inductive Questions (for more Inductive questions see Inductive Bible Study): 1. We will be rewarded for staying strong until death. 19:20; 20:10-15). If I am trusting God then I should not be afraid. This article is part of our larger End Times Resource Library. God asks us to be conquerors and faithful witnesses to whom and what He is! What additional insight do these verses give concerning the crown of life? (8) Revelation 2:8 - "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 'The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. I had not ever said anything about the Lord to her. Who is it that overcomes the world? In Revelation, the Apostle John records Jesuss address to seven churches in Asia Minor. Property Reports > U.S. > Georgia > Cobb County > Smyrna > 30080 > Church St > 975 . 1. It was probably six weeks. What can you do to grow in this area and to glorify Him more fully? But, if we are not faithful, there is no outstretched hand, only missed opportunities and an infamy to a community, a life wasted, a church of dysfunction, and a crown of shame instead of a crown of life. He knows the thoughts and inclinations of our hearts (Psalm 94:11). If not, talk to your small group leader or myself, and we will be glad to answer any questions. Do you ever feel that way that you are under that kind of pressure that it is just going to suffocate you? When we are faithful, we become beacons of hope and encouragement to others, too. Give it to the Lord, trust His hand, and look ahead to the blessings that await you eternally. The application is that a dead or dying church with faithful, Christ-empowered people can be resurrected. Do you want a cup of coffee? I am thinking, I do not know where that came from! I will tell you it was turning point because she did not say one more word to me negatively. 1. I just thought, you have no idea.. The purpose of this crown or crowns is not for you. He is aware of the enemys plans and the afflictions we face (Hebrews 2:17-18). In between were the temples of Apollo, Asklepios, and Aphrodite. An aspect of maturity is being slow to respond to accusation-as our Lord did. The third thing we need to remember is that the ultimate enemy is Satan. 4 MacArthur, New Testament Commentary, 71.
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