The Seven Churches of Revelation Pt. 9 by Chris White

Wealthy Sardis had a large school and gynasium for youth

“ Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.  So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. ⁴ But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.  He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white. garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”   --Rev. 3:2-5

Sardis is where the legendary King Midas was supposed to have lived.  King Midas was given by the gods the unique power of turning everything he touched into gold (hence, the “midas touch”).  At first this was seen as a good thing because it created untold wealth for his city, but in time proved to be more of a curse than a blessing.  Imagine all the things you touch in a day turning to gold.  See any problems here?  Having had too much of a good thing, Midas begged to be released from this gift and was told to bathe in the nearby Pactolus river.  Upon entering the river, King Midas was instantly free of his power but the Pactolus river became full of gold dust.  By the Christian era, the gold in the Pactolus river had played out, but not before making Sardis a very wealthy city.  And it is in Sardis that the minting of gold coins was introduced to the Greek and Roman world as a means of purchase and paying debt.  The church of Sardis was born and lived in an environment plagued by affluence, Judaism, and paganism.  Their problem was that they were not struggling with temptation, but rather embracing and walking in it.  It is interesting to note that the community of Sardis had a very short attention span and were known in the ancient world for not finishing things they started.  When the Lord rebukes them, and frankly He doesn’t seem to have even one thing to commend them on, Jesus says even his church has not finished the deeds he has called them to do.  The church of Sardis was quite incomplete in their obedience to the Lord.  How easy it is for any of us to mistake our knowledge of Jesus for actually walking with Him in obedience.  The Gospel of Christ calls us to a totally new life and way of thinking that is oriented towards the Kingdom of God.  To be living for this world is the antithesis of embracing the Gospel of Christ.  To the few in Sardis who were obedient, the Lord says keep your garments clean.  In the ancient world all priests in pagan temples wore the whitest of robes and if they had even one stain they were not to be worn in the temple because it would be unworthy of the god.  What are Christians to do when they live in a corrupt and decadent place?  Ultimately, we must look to our own lives and our own relationship with the Lord, and seek to keep ourselves unstained by the world around us.  We are in the roll book of another kingdom which means we should all be cautious of becoming over invested in the ambient culture.

With you on the Journey,

 Chris

The Seven Churches of Revelation Pt. 6 by Chris White

Mt. Pagus today

  ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but a synagogue of Satan.  Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. ‘   --Rev. 2:9-10

After leaving Ephesus, our next stop is the Smyrna (modern day Izmir Turkey).  The name of the city means “sweet smelling aroma” or city of Myrhh.  Myrhh is an incense that comes from the sap of a shrub where the wood must be repeatedly wounded to extract it.  The church of Smyrna was a suffering church but through their persecution they would be rewarded by Christ.  Thirty years prior to this letter Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Roman Empire and Smyrna proved to be a popular enclave for the more rich and influential Jews who fleeing this war.  Within 80 years the Jewish community of Smyrna  conspired against the church there which resulted in one of the most famous martyrdoms in the early Christian era, namely that of St. Polycarp.   Polycarp was burned at the stake at the stadium above the city on Mt. Pagos.  Before and during the Christian era this stadium was the site of Olympic games where the winners in those days received a crown instead of a medal.  Surrounding the stadium was a ring of buildings and homes that would have looked at a distance like a victor’s crown.  A written account of his death was taken down and circulated around the Christian world and Polycarp’s testimony became a source of inspiration to all who have suffered for their steadfast faith in Jesus for nearly 1850 years.  A fascinating detail in the letter to Smyrna is the suggestion that their suffering and tribulation will last 10 days.  There was no known 10 day persecution in Smyrna, but if this were taken to encompass the Roman persecutions that touched Asia Minor, there were exactly 10 of them before the Emperor Constantine made Christianity a legal religion.  The point for all Christians to remember is that Christ patiently suffered at the hands of evil men and in so doing purchased our redemption and eternal life.  Those who are his disciples can expect to follow in his steps of suffering too.   Even as the sweet smelling Myrrh is extracted by the repeated wounding of a tree, so the repeated wounding of the church is a sweet smelling aroma of worship unto Christ.  Jesus doesn’t tell his suffering church to repent, just hang on and the victory will be won.

With you on the journey,

 Chris