Lessons from a Desolate Place Pt. 5 by Chris White

     Christians of previous centuries have held the notion that there are three kinds of martyrdom a believer may undergo for the sake of Christ.  Red martyrdom obviously relates to the shedding of blood as a witness for Christ while white martyrdom was associated with boat sails where the believer would leave family, friends, Church, and homeland to spread the Gospel without ever returning home.  Finally there was green martyrdom.  Green martyrs were people who did battle with Satan but also with their own flesh.  Their goal was to die to the world and the flesh in an extraordinary way that they might serve Christ in a greater fashion.  Those who entered the desert thought of themselves as martyrs whose chief aim was unceasing prayer and deep purity of soul.  One would think that moving away from civilization and living in a place of low visual stimulation like the desert would make it very easy to live such a life but most people who attempted this had a constant battle on their hands.  The voice of God does seem louder in quiet places and quiet times, but at the same time the voice of our true inner soul becomes much louder too.  As Christians we are very much aware of the presence of our old nature but many of us do a good job of concealing the really ugly parts from others and ourselves.  Life in the desolate places simply didn’t allow this to continue.  Every believer who did this successfully came into a great awareness of God but also themselves.  Some became so discouraged they gave up, but many, many more looked at their reality, considered the grace of God, and then took some radical steps of towards deep transformation.  But that we’ll save for next time.

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