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8-11節--既貧窮又富足的教會

啟示錄 第2章

這是致教會的七封書信中最短的一封。基督對以弗所教會說：「你們失去了起初的愛心，現在要重燃愛心，行起初所行的事」。在給士每拿教會的信中，基督則對他們說：「你將要受的苦，但你不用怕」。

士每拿離開以弗所約40哩。我們不知道這間教會由誰人創立，也許是保羅。透過書信的字裡行間，我們對此教會的情況已略知一二：他們正經歷患難、窮乏、受苦、監禁、試煉和死亡。他們為了見證基督而付上沉重的代價。

基督在這封信中，親自安慰這群在苦難中掙扎的信徒；他重申自己是「那首先的」──在未有這一切患難之前，祂便已經存在；祂又是「那末後的」──當這一切過去之後，祂仍然永遠長存。祂曾親身經歷死亡，所以祂嚐過死亡的滋味；但祂已戰勝死亡而復活，所以我們無須懼怕死亡。現在寫信給他們的，正是這位永活和得勝的救主。

基督對他們說：「我知道你的患難」。「患難」一詞的原文，是指到麥子在兩塊大石中間被磨成麵粉的過程中，所承受的極大壓力。基督沒有說要救他們脫離患難，然而，祂卻承諾會保守他們。基督至今仍然給予信徒這應許。

基督同時表示，祂知道他們是貧窮的。也許，他們是為到基督的緣故而失去家財。然而，基督卻指出，他們其實是富足的，因為他們已擁有最珍貴的信仰。同樣地，教會的真正財富，乃是屬靈上的一切豐富賜予。

此外，還有人毀謗教會。教外人會對教會作出種種攻擊，這並不出奇；但最大的傷害，卻在於教會內的信徒彼此攻擊，這樣一來，信徒間的相交生活便遭到完全破壞。

基督將兩個寶貴的應許給予士每拿教會，其一就是把生命的冠冕賜給忠心的信徒，其二是必不受第二次死的苦，也即不會永遠與神隔絕。對士每拿的信徒來說，這豈不是極大的安慰嗎？基督的應許是永不改變的，我們至今仍握有這個寶貴的應許，問題是我們知道嗎？

反思：

我們究竟重視人的評價，還是基督的評價呢？

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THE CHURCH THAT WAS BOTH RICH AND POOR
BIBLE READING: Revelation 2:8-11

This is the shortest of the seven letters to the churches. In the first letter to Ephesus, Christ said You have lost your first love. You need to get back to that. Here Christ is saying, Dont be afraid of the things you might suffer.

The town of Smyrna was about 40 miles from Ephesus. We do not know who founded the church there, probably Paul. The conditions in the church are found in the words, tribulations, poverty, suffer, prison, tried, death. This was the price they paid for standing for Christ.

To the members of this struggling church, Christ described himself as the first-he was there before all these troubles began. He called himself the last-he will be there after all these things are past. He had been dead-he knew what it was to die. He is alive again-he has conquered death so they need have no fear. It was the living, victorious Saviour who was writing to them.

Christ said, I know your tribulations. The word is used for the pressure between two stones that grind wheat into flour. Christ did not say he would take them out of suffering, but that he would keep them in it. This is still true today.

Christ also said he knew how poor they were. Perhaps they had lost everything for the sake of Christ. But Christ also said they were rich in the things that really matter. The true riches of a church are spiritual riches.

Men had been saying things against this church. This had come from the outside and no doubt was not true. The greatest danger is when people on the inside of the church begin to talk against each other. Then their fellowship is destroyed.

Christ gave two wonderful promises to the church at Smyrna-a crown of life for faithfulness, and they would never be faced with the second death; which will really be separation from God forever. Isnt that great news? And those promises are still ours today.

A QUESTION:

Are we concerned about what men say or about what Christ says?

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