Revelation 2:8-11. Four verses that can be read aloud in about 30 seconds was all Jesus needed to strengthen the suffering saints of Smyrna. And it seems to me his brief message can be distilled down into a single, powerful word: perspective.
Smyrna was called “The Crown City” not only because the hills that surrounded it resembled a crown but also because it was exceptionally prosperous and proud. This was in large part due to its loyalty to the Roman Empire. From the city’s worldly point of view, the Christians in Smyrna must have seemed awfully foolish for…