As we proceed through Jesus’ letters to the seven churches we come to the second church which is often known as the suffering church – Smyrna. Jesus wants to prepare His Church for facing persecution. In Korea, American POW’s had an increased number of defections and the military discovered it was because the soldiers had not been adequately trained in how to face capture and torture. When I went into the service in the late 50’s, I went through many classes on how to resist enemy intimidation and captivity. That is what this letter is about because Jesus knows that all who will live godly will suffer persecution and we must be strong enough to go through it. We will begin with a video on the church of Smyrna. Continue reading →