Daniel Hope

How many people go there? What’s their weekly budget? That’s how we often begin our assessments of churches. When we open a church newsletter our eyes are trained to automatically search for the "Records" section so we can learn how full the pews and the collection plates were last Sunday. Invariably the first question I am asked by the person who finds out that I am now preaching full-time at Great Oaks is, "What size congregation is Great Oaks?" If we are not careful, we may find ourselves thinking, "Large churches with large budgets must be doing something right, because God is blessing them. And small churches with small budgets must not be doing something right, because God is not blessing them." Maybe. Maybe not.

We need to realize that God doesn’t use man’s standards to measure His churches.

From man’s perspective, the church in Smyrna is poor. However, it may surprise some to know that this church—perhaps the poorest of the seven churches of Asia—receives nothing but praise from Jesus. Listen to Jesus’ perspective on their situation: "I know…your poverty (but you are rich)." The Christians in Smyrna are rich in their poverty. Smyrna is the poor-rich church. You see, this church is poor physically but rich spiritually. These Christians in Smyrna answer James’ rhetorical question— "Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" (James 2:5)—in the affirmative.

How can these people possibly be considered rich? Because they have Jesus. John D. Rockefeller once gave the following three simple rules for anyone who wants to become rich: 1. Go to work early. 2. Stay at work late. 3. Find oil. Please allow me to suggest an even simpler rule for anyone who wants to become truly rich: 1. Find Christ. Jesus makes a statement in Matthew 11:4-5 that has fascinated me for some time. He says, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor [now pay attention to this…] have the gospel preached to them." What? Jesus gives the blind their sight back, the lame their mobility back, the lepers their health back, the deaf their hearing back, the dead their life back, but doesn’t give the poor their money back? Why not? Because He gives them something that makes them even richer than they would be if they were given all the money in the world. Jesus gives them something that makes them spiritually rich in their physical poverty. That something is the gospel.

Not only are the Christians in Smyrna rich in their poverty, but they are also triumphant in their tribulation. Jesus warns them of the suffering that is coming their way. And then Jesus reassures them that, as Christians, they have nothing to fear. Do you remember what Jesus told His apostles before He sent them on their limited commission? He said, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28). After calming their fears, Jesus then encourages the Christians in Smyrna to be faithful until death to receive the crown of life. The phrase "be faithful until death" in the context doesn’t mean "be faithful until you die," but "be faithful even though it costs you your life." And for many, it did.

Polycarp, a pupil of John’s and a resident of Smyrna, was burned at the stake in A.D. 155 for not saying, "Caesar is Lord." Just before the fire started, Polycarp said, "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?"

From man’s perspective, the church in Smyrna is nothing more than a poor church that is enduring tribulation. But from God’s perspective, the Christians here are rich in their poverty and triumphant in their tribulation. The next time you start to assess a congregation or pick up a newsletter, remember…GOD DOESN’T USE MAN’S STANDARDS TO MEASURE HIS CHURCHES.