Christ wants a church that is fearless and faithful in its witness of Him.
Smyrna sat up on a hill. Became a center for Cesar worship in the second century.
7 out of
Behold, the First and the Last
Be Not
The eternal one
He became dead.
Whatever trial you encounter he has been there first! Whatever temptation, he has already been tempted.
He is Alive!
Be Fearless
Do not fear, for He has conquered.
Be Faithful
Polycarp - “Eighty-six years I have served him, and he has never wronged me? How then can I blaspheme my Lord who saved me?”
Crown of life is promised - the victor’s crown (stephanos)
From Stephen and the Apostles, to Polycarp, to Perpetua, to John Hus, to William Tyndale, to Narcissa Whitman, to Jim Elliot, to the girls captured by Boko Haram, to John Chau.
