· Lessons from the Seven Churches
Revelation 2:8–11; 1 Peter 1:6–7; Luke 9:23–24
Is comfort more dangerous to your faith than persecution? Pastor Max Lyons teaches from Jesus' letter to Smyrna, the persecuted church that received no rebuke and is the only one of the seven still in existence today. Like myrrh, which releases its fragrance only when crushed, the believers in Smyrna proved their faith through fire, and Jesus reminds them that He knows their suffering, gives eternal hope, and offers new life.
Key takeaways
- Every Christian is in full-time ministry; the church exists to equip the saints for the work of the ministry and to have generational impact.
- Jesus knows what you are going through; He introduces Himself to Smyrna as the one who died and came to life, so you are in good company when you are crushed.
- Your faith in Jesus is not preserved by comfort but proven through fire, and persecution has historically multiplied the church rather than destroyed it.
- You either live once and die twice or live twice and die once; being born again means the second death cannot hurt you.
- The greatest spiritual threat to the Western church is not persecution but comfort, because persecution refines while comfort numbs.
Message notes
God is doing something new
Pastor Max Lyons opens with signs of revival: young Christians in the UK have quadrupled in six years, young Americans are more engaged with Jesus than older generations, and college students are being baptized by the hundreds. These are the last days of the last days, and God is pouring out His Spirit.
From player to coach
A torn elbow ligament ended Pastor Max's college baseball career, and he ended up coaching a last-place high school team that finished second in the league one season and third in the state the next. As a coach he helped everyone get better, and that is why he loves pastoring: not to be the star player but to equip everyone to be fruitful followers of Jesus. Every Christian is in full-time ministry, called to be salt and light, and Elan Church is being built with future generations in mind.
The problem of comfort
The biggest obstacle to this vision in the United States is that we are too comfortable. Pastor Max contrasts the prayers of persecuted believers with Western prayers for a bigger house. Jesus promised tribulation in this world, not earthly comfort, and comfort can quickly kill your fire for God. When he injured his back, a chiropractor told him the worst thing he could do was stay still. Spiritually, faith without action is dead.
Smyrna, the city of myrrh
Smyrna's name is the Greek word for myrrh, a resin that releases its fragrance only when crushed. In the same way, crushing in a believer's life releases the aroma of Christ, as 1 Peter 1 describes trials that prove faith genuine like fire purifies gold. "Your faith in Jesus is not preserved by comfort. It is proven by fire." Smyrna was one of only two churches Jesus did not rebuke, and it is the only one that still exists; modern Izmir has around 120,000 Christians.
Jesus knows what you are going through
Jesus introduces Himself as the first and the last who died and came to life, telling a church facing death that He has been there. Smyrna was persecuted from both sides, by religious Jews and by Romans who demanded worship of Caesar. Yet Jesus says, "I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich." In contrast to Laodicea, materially rich but spiritually poor, Smyrna was materially poor and spiritually rich. Life is a vapor, so we must live with an eternal perspective.
Jesus gives you an eternal hope
"Do not fear what you are about to suffer." Christians who refused to say Caesar is Lord were killed. Yet history shows the church grows fastest where it is persecuted most; as Tertullian said, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Persecution tests whether faith is genuine, and a tree is known by its fruit. What happens below the surface is eventually exposed above it, and everything we do is recorded before God. If our only hope is in this life we have nothing, but the crown of life is an anchor for the soul.
Jesus gives you new life
The one who conquers, from the Greek word nike, will not be hurt by the second death. Staying connected to Jesus amid temptation and comfort is the hardest thing, which is why He says to abide in Him. We either live once and die twice, or live twice and die once: those born again live spiritually now and will not face the lake of fire. Pastor Max reads the account of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who refused to revile Christ after eighty-six years of service and was burned alive, acquiring the crown of life.
Persecution refines, comfort numbs
The two most persecuted churches, Smyrna and Philadelphia, are the only two Jesus commended without critique. Pastor Max tells of a Chinese underground believer who moved to the American suburbs and grew cold. Spiritually it may be more dangerous here, where comfort can cost you your fire. Luke 9 calls us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. His prayer is that Elan Church would live with such fire that persecution tomorrow would change nothing. To those being crushed by health or relational pressure, he reminds them that fragrance is released under pressure, and he urges them to let perseverance finish its work and stay faithful under fire.
