SARDIS, TURKEY

Monday, June 6th

I made it! I MADE IT!

We started out in Izmir, Smyrna, this morning at 8:30 and wound up the hill to the Smyrna Citadel which overlooks the city of Izmir. The Citadel, fort, looks like a Crown from a distance. In Revelation 2:10, Jesus said, “...be thou faithful until death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” It is said that Pollycarp was martyred here.

It was stirring to one’s spirit man to stand there and hear the Word of Jesus to the Church of Smyrna read. It was as though you could hear the sounds of the martyrs crying out to God for the people of Turkey. In my spirit I could hear the call of Jesus for assistance for the people of Turkey – all 4-5,000 believers of the 72 million – saying come over and help us! They do not need bodies, put prayers, finances to assist them to do the work of reaching their own Jerusalem.

Our journey then took us to Pergamum. It was a journey of about 3 hours. Then a ride up the cable car to the Acropolis. There are a lot of ruins on top of the mountain. If we were back in the days of John we would see three idols from over 3,000 feet below the Acropolis. Everything up there would look like gods to those below. There the “major” buildings were built of white marble. There are still huge stones with the names of notable people inscribed on them because of their positions. Do you remember that Jesus said, “To him that overcometh, I will give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written....”

Below the floor of the major temple, are huge arches and walls to support the temple. But through these one can walk today and descend to the next level and look out and see the steepest amphitheater of any in existence or known. The place is uncanny with sights and the imagination can run in every direction.

After almost three hours we then headed to Thyatira. It was again about a three hour or more journey. Here, it was my turn to read the passage about the Church from Revelation 2:18-29.....

Let me interrupt! Do you hear the sounds? The sounds of the evening call to prayer for the Moslems?

Back to where I was ..... and to share some thoughts. It does something to you to do this and remember the believers who were allowing their political connections, their cultural connections, to weaken their walk with Jesus by compromise. Even to the point that because they belonged to a “guild” they slowly began to indulge in the ways to their culture, their political position, until Jesus said (as stated in the Message Bible) “I’m about to lay her low, along with her partners, as they play their sex-and-religion games.” (Rev. 2:22) That is how low the step-by-step alignment with the ways of the world took them.

I wonder: Is there a message for the Church today in regard to how our relationships with society and its clubs, societies, our political persuasion, and the enticement of “compromise” can produce in our lives?

Well, enough preaching – particularly since I am to be simply writing a “blog” – which is a record of the day’s activities. But what else can I do, when I hear the cry of the martyrs and the warning of the Spirit as it rings loudly the message of Jesus to His Church?

God bless you,

Dr D