Scripture: Revelation 2:8-11; John 15:18-20
Theme: Digging Deep and Leaning In
This sermon is about how to live a vibrant and positive life in the face of Persecution using St. Polycarp and the Smyrna Church as models.
INTRO:
Grace and peace in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Have you ever heard of a woman by the name of Callisto?
If you are into astronomy you might say – Well, isn’t Callisto the name that was given to the 2nd largest moon that orbits Jupiter?
And you would be right. But the Callisto that I am referring to this morning was a woman who lived in the city of Smyrna. She lived around the same time that John the Apostle was working with the house churches in Smyrna.
We don’t know very much about Callisto, only that she was instrumental in the life of a young boy named Polycarp. Callisto meets Polycarp when he was a slave. A slave that would have little chance in life to become someone or do something meaningful.
Callisto purchased Polycarp and then did some things that transformed his life forever:
+She adopted him as one of her own children. Polycarp was no longer a slave. He was free. He had all the privileges and rights of a free person in Smyrna.
+She taught him about the Lord Jesus Christ.
+She introduced Polycarp to the Apostle John who was so impressed with him that he asked Polycarp to become one of his students. John then poured himself into this young man and taught him everything he knew about Jesus and Salvation.
That is the world in which Polycarp grew up. His city of Smyrna was one of the great cities of Asia Minor. It was nicknamed the Ornament of Asia. It was famous for its intellect and its advancements in medicine and art. And it was also a sports city with an amphitheater that could hold over 20,000 people.
Polycarp became not only an influential leader in his own city but one of the first Christian bishops in Asia Minor. He became famous for his knowledge of Jesus and his commitment to righteousness and holiness.
One of his close friends, a bishop by the name of Ignatius once told Polycarp, “Your mind is grounded in God as an immovable rock.”
That immoveable rock became not only famous for his ability to share Jesus with others but for his ability to withstand suffering and persecution.
When Polycarp was 86 years of age, he was arrested for his faith in Jesus. He had refused to worship Caeser and to proclaim Caeser as the Savior and LORD of the earth.
He was taken to the amphitheater and was told that he could either present a sacrifice to Caeser or else like others before him he would be put to death. Rome had decided that the Christian Church was a threat to its existence and to choose Christ over the state; over Caeser could now result in a death sentence.
They showed Polycarp the stake where they were going to bind him and the pile of wood that they had gathered up that they were going to use to set him on fire. Unless he recanted and proclaimed that Caesar was Savior of the world and not Christ, he would die a horrible death in the flames.
Polycarp looked at the soldiers around him and at the top of his lungs yelled out these words for all who had gathered to watch the Christians die at the hands of gladiators, wild animals, the sword and fire.
“86 years have I have served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” ....I bless Thee for (deigning) considering me worthy of this day and this hour that I may be among Thy martyrs and drink the cup of my Lord Jesus Christ.”
With that the soldiers set him on fire and one of them took a knife and thrust it into his heart. Rather than deny Jesus, this 86-year-old man made a stand for Christ. He was the 12th esteemed leader that had been put to death in the Smyrna church in its first 100-year history.
It’s hard to imagine being part of a church that during its first 100 years that had 12 important leaders taken out and put to death for their faith in Jesus. You can only imagine how many others were put to death alongside of them.
This church: these house churches that Jesus talks to in our passage this morning were strong churches. They were strong in witness; they were strong in their faith, and they were strong in their ability to stand up against persecution.
These house churches that were in Smyrna were the only churches that Jesus speaks to in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 that there is no reproof or condemnation.
That in itself speaks volumes.
So, how did Polycarp get to the point even as an old man that he was able to withstand the temptation to just give in and live out his life in peace and quiet. How did he stay true all his life? And how did the others stay true even in the midst of being persecuted, hounded, and threatened for years?
I. They had a deep foundation in Christ Jesus
The Bible tells us that if we follow Jesus, we must be ready to be persecuted. We must be ready to be slandered, lied about, and put under social, emotional and even physical pressure.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” – John 15:18-20
12 “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” - 2 Timothy 3:12
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:10-12
We may not have to endure the same level of persecution that Polycarp endured but if we stand up for Christ today there is an ever-growing level of persecution that we will have to endure.
Every day, even in the United States we are watching faithful disciples of Jesus being attacked as they promote Biblical values. People are being threatened, sued, and arrested as they stand up for what is right according to God’s Holy Word.
So, how can we prepare ourselves? How can we prepare ourselves to be able to stand true when persecution comes our way.
By having a solid foundation in Christ Jesus.
When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he reminded them:
“Finally, be strong in the LORD and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” – Ephesians 6:10-11
When Jesus taught about how to be a true and faithful disciple, he used the Parable of the Wise Man who built his house on the Rock (Matthew 7:24-27).
If we are going to be able to withstand persecution – people lying about us, speaking harshly to us or shoving us to the side – the only way we are going to make it is to have our Spiritual armor on and our spiritual foundation deep in the Word of God.
We need to take the next step in reading our Bibles. We need to comprehend the Bible and assimilate its truth. We need to understand why we believe what we believe. We need to make sure that we do believe in what we say in stating the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Two Great Commandments.
For persecution will either drive us away from God and towards bitterness or it will drive us towards God and ultimate victory.
For a brief period, the Prophet Elijah found himself overwhelmed by persecution. He had just experienced one of the greatest victories of his life on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18). But immediately after that victory, Queen Jezebel sent him word that as soon as she could, she would personally put him to death (1 Kings 19).
That is what evil does. It doesn’t quit. It comes back with a renewed vengeance. You would have thought that after such a great spiritual defeat King Ahab and Queen Jezebel would have crawled off somewhere to lick their wounds.
Instead, Queen Jezebel doubled her efforts against the LORD and Elijah. She was more committed than ever to seeing Israel reject God and accept a false god (Baal). She was even more committed than ever to having Elijah caught and burned at a stake, impaled, or crucified.
The Bible tells us that Elijah instead of facing persecution ran away to hide. He ran all the way past Beersheba into the wilderness.
At times, I think we all have either wanted to do that or have done that. When people started lying about us, cursing us, shouting at us or trying to harm us we just became quiet. We stop talking about Jesus. We went to our corner and didn’t say another word.
God came down and rescued Elijah. He helped him find a safe place. He fed him and made sure that Elijah felt safe.
The Lord helped Elijah come to a deeper faith because He knew in the weeks and months to come that Elijah would have to be stronger, understand more and be more established in his faith than he had ever been before.
We must do the same. We can’t face the next few years with the depth of faith we currently possess. We must dig deeper into the Word, our prayer life had to become richer and purer, and we must put on God’s Armor of truth, righteousness, faith and holiness.
II. We must link up and lean into one another.
The LORD deepened Elijah’s faith and then instructed him to go out and link up with others like Elisha, Jehu and Hazael. He was to find other people that he could link up with and lean into for strength and vision.
This is what the Early Church did in Acts chapter four when it came under persecution.
The Early Church could have splintered and disappeared. But it didn’t.
It came together and linked together, and it leaned into one another. It learned the importance that in numbers there is great strength.
It also learned that the more people it brought to faith the less chance there was for persecution.
That is a vital key. For the last 100+ years the Church in America has had to endure less persecution than those who live in other parts of the world. It has been that way because most people in America love God, love country and family.
It is vital today that we don’t hide away because of persecution. It is vital today that we do what these house churches did in Smyrna. They didn’t hide. They didn’t disappear. They linked themselves together like children do when they play the game Red Rover, Red Rover. They leaned into one another and supported one other when someone tried to break them apart.
And
III. They asked the LORD for more of His Holy Spirit
They followed the same direction that the Early Church followed in Acts chapter four.
Listen to what Acts 4:23-31 says after Peter and John had been released from prison:
23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant,[a] said by the Holy Spirit,
“‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’[b]—
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
How do we know that they did something very similar to that?
Because after 2,000 years of constant struggle, persecution, and trials the city of Smyrna (now called Izmir) still has several Christian Churches. Despite the area being unfavorable to Christianity, it still has a vibrant Christian presence. The oldest church is the Church of St. Polycarp which of course should not surprise us.
Will we be persecuted – Yes – Jesus says we will.
What can we do about it?
+We can strengthen our foundation in Christ – we can dig deep in the Word of God – learning, understand and receiving its truth and life.
+We can put on our Spiritual Armor – truth, righteousness, faith, prayer and holiness.
+We can link up and lean into one another – we can pray for and support those who face intense persecution that live around us and those that live all over the world.
According to Christianity Today, the Open Door and Voice of the Martyrs – there are over 70 counties in the world that in various ways persecute Christians. Last year almost 6,000 Christians were put to death, over 120,000 lost their homes and approx. 6,000 churches buildings (churches, school buildings, etc.) were destroyed because they proclaimed Christ.
Overall, 360 million Christians live in areas with high levels of persecution or discrimination. That’s 1 in 7 Christians worldwide, including 1 in 5 believers in Africa, 2 in 5 in Asia, and 1 in 15 in Latin America.
Some of the most dangerous areas to be a Christian include the countries of
1. Nigeria 2. Pakistan 3. India 4. Central African Republic
5. Democratic Republic of Congo 6. Mozambique 7. Cameroon
8. Afghanistan 9. Mali 10. South Sudan
This morning let’s pray that God will give us the courage to stand up, to not be silent and to share the message of Jesus with love. Let us dig deep in God’s Word and strengthen our faith. Let us lean into one another for support and encouragement. Let us pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to come and bring strength, courage and miracles.
We must realize this morning that what is happening in countries like Nigeria, Sudan and India can happen here in the West. We are not immune to a time of testing and persecution.
For 86 years, Polycarp had been able to grow as a disciple. He had been able to go to church, teach others and be a bishop. But a leader arose that hated Christianity and Polycarp and others were arrested and put to death.
If you had asked the Jews in 1937 if they thought that almost 6 million of them would be put to death over the next 8 years, it would have been considered unimaginable. No one could have conceived of such an atrocity.
You and I do not know what will happen in the next 5 to 10 years. Hopefully, our nation and the world will experience a Revival. I believe that is what we all pray for each day.
However, it may be that the Church may have to go through another time of testing and trial. And if that is the case we must be prepared spiritually, socially mentally, and emotionally. We must be:
+Firmly Established in Our Relationship with the LORD.
+Leaning into one another – linking up with one another.
+Praying for courage and strength in the Power and Presence of the Holy Spirit.
This morning, I would like for us to close by praying for those today who are being persecuted not only here in the West but all over the world today. To pray for courage, steadfastness and safety today. To pray that rather than the Church be destroyed that the light and salt of Christ be spread all over those nations that are persecuting God’s people.
And I think we all need to become more aware of what is going on all over the world by connecting with such ministries as Open Doors, The Jesus Film Project and Voice of the Martyrs.
The more we know the more we can support and love those who are putting their lives on the line for Christ Jesus. The more we know the more we pray for those who are in danger of being persecuted.
Prayer
Invitation to Holy Communion -
