THE RICH, POOR CHURCH
by Jerry Vines
Scripture: II CORINTHIANS 6:10, JAMES 1:12, REVELATION 2:8-11, REVELATION 20:14
THE RICH, POOR CHURCH
Revelation 2:8-11
This is the second letter of our Lord to the churches of Asia Minor,
and it is the shortest in number of verses. In only four verses the Lord Jesus
gives this very brief word of encouragement and word of commendation to the
church of Smyrna. We do not know anything about how the church of Smyrna
began. There is no information in the Bible about its beginning whatsoever. We
do not know who founded the church of Smyrna. We do not know the circumstances
which caused it to come to pass. We do not know anything about the growth and
maturity of the church. What God did in the life of the church of Smyrna is
known only to God. It really doesn't matter. God is the one who is keeping the
records. What God writes in heaven about a church is what is really important
and what really counts. So, we have no Bible information about this church of
Smyrna. We do know some things from history about the city of Smyrna. We know,
for instance, that it is a very fine trading town. It's chief product of
export was myrrh. They were known for the fine myrrh which they were able to
produce. It was also a very lovely city. It was known as the flower of Asia.
It was a gorgeous city. It was one of those cities that had been laid out. Its
streets had been planned. Every detail of the city had been designed. There
was a magnificent street of gold in the city of Smyrna. It went all the way
from the temple of Zeus to the temple of Sibboleth. It was known also as the
crown city. When you came into the harbor of the city of Smyrna, you would
look up a hill and see the city built on a hill. It loaked just like a crown
as you came and as you saw that gorgeous place. It was resort and many people
came to the city of Smyrna for a few days of refreshment and rest. The thing
which is so impressive about the church at Smyrna or the city of Smyrna is
that they were known for their faithfulness to treaties. Early on when Rome
was just a small ...
Revelation 2:8-11
This is the second letter of our Lord to the churches of Asia Minor,
and it is the shortest in number of verses. In only four verses the Lord Jesus
gives this very brief word of encouragement and word of commendation to the
church of Smyrna. We do not know anything about how the church of Smyrna
began. There is no information in the Bible about its beginning whatsoever. We
do not know who founded the church of Smyrna. We do not know the circumstances
which caused it to come to pass. We do not know anything about the growth and
maturity of the church. What God did in the life of the church of Smyrna is
known only to God. It really doesn't matter. God is the one who is keeping the
records. What God writes in heaven about a church is what is really important
and what really counts. So, we have no Bible information about this church of
Smyrna. We do know some things from history about the city of Smyrna. We know,
for instance, that it is a very fine trading town. It's chief product of
export was myrrh. They were known for the fine myrrh which they were able to
produce. It was also a very lovely city. It was known as the flower of Asia.
It was a gorgeous city. It was one of those cities that had been laid out. Its
streets had been planned. Every detail of the city had been designed. There
was a magnificent street of gold in the city of Smyrna. It went all the way
from the temple of Zeus to the temple of Sibboleth. It was known also as the
crown city. When you came into the harbor of the city of Smyrna, you would
look up a hill and see the city built on a hill. It loaked just like a crown
as you came and as you saw that gorgeous place. It was resort and many people
came to the city of Smyrna for a few days of refreshment and rest. The thing
which is so impressive about the church at Smyrna or the city of Smyrna is
that they were known for their faithfulness to treaties. Early on when Rome
was just a small ...
There are 26867 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
