Fearless and Faithful in Persecution

Christ's letter to the church in Smyrna is a letter for a suffering church. Wherever people gather to proclaim Christ, worship the Lord Jesus, turn from sin, and seek to obey Him, there is opposition. Jesus promised it would be so, "In the world you will have tribulation." (John 16:33). In 2 Tim 3:12 Paul tells Timothy, "All those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." The Lord explains what kind of suffering they can expect in Smyrna. But He goes further and tells them exactly what they ought to do about it.