Smyrna and Philadelphia Churches in the Last Days

Among God's Next moves in these end-times is spotlighting the poor in spirit and the least is the greatest, which are powerful apostolic teachings of Jesus in the Gospel. God is now raising up Smyrna and Philadelphia churches in our midst, and even within churches, like how he built a nation within the nation of Egypt in Moses' time. In our time when anything that is big, peopled and moneyed is worshipped everywhere, God reinstates the meek and lowly to demolish the strong and wise of this world. 

Photo by Beth Macdonald on Unsplash.

In Revelations 2 and 3, Jesus says this of Smyrna church:

I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!

 Of the church in Philadelphia he says:

I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

But to the rest of the churches---the active, rich and impressive-looking---Jesus sternly warned to "repent." They were far from being what God wanted them to be and doing what God wanted them to do. They weren't really doing things for the Kingdom but only for their own empires, their own Babylon ministries. 

By lauding these seemingly inconsequential and belittled churches (Smyrna and Philadelphia) Jesus was giving us a strong hint on what churches should be like today. Our goal should be the Smyrna and Philadelphia churches. But sadly, majority are desperate to be like the other churches Jesus harshly warned in Revelation.

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Small Yet Big

Small in the eyes of the world yet big in God's eyes. Don't get this wrong. Churches should aggressively preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and make disciples. As many as possible. All believers should do so. But it's not to grow their local church or denominational membership. Some church denominations use the Gospel to enrich themselves with all the tithes and offerings they can amass (using that to buy more properties, put up massive buildings and posh facilities) and get their Babylon ministries bigger.

Aggressive evangelism should target souls for the Kingdom--get them into the Ark before the floods come, so to speak, and disciple them in Christ. All resources should be put to building that one Ark that God commanded to be built, the body of Christ. Or in our time, the one glorious church of Jesus Christ.

Glorious church. You get that? 

God commanded Noah to build one Ark for global use. ONE ARK. A kind of worldwide spiritual rescue mission. Why not make 50 or 100 Arks (or mini arks) to stash in a bigger number of people inside in Noah's time? Nope, it has to be One Ark, with a small number of people who really believe, and use them for world rescue mission. The end goal is not to remain small or be confined to the Ark but to multiply again and refill the world. It starts with a remnant that really and desperately believes God. Disciples. Like how Jesus started with 12, then 120, and kept multiplying. 

Big but small, small but big.

Being small keeps everyone meek and poor in spirit. Small churches may seem unimpressive and weak, but that's exactly the point. It keeps them useful to God because He prefers the weak, foolish and despised. What the world looks down on and belittles. He's been doing it in the bible. We should get the idea by now. If we're spiritually sharp and smart, we should know that mega church memberships and buildings DO NOT impress God at all. Church growth that the flesh appreciates (and worships) is always infected with pride.

God revealed his end-time preferred churches--Smyrna and Philadelphia. That's clear enough in the end-time Book of Revelation. Yet, church still doesn't get it, paying no attention to what God says, although they use God's Word to lure people in. They're still in the stupid rat race of proving who's the most numerous, moneyed and propertied church of all. Who's the mega-est.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. [1 Corinthians 1.27-28]

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Small and yet big. The idea is to multiply but remain small. Like keeping membership to 50 or 100 each local church or house church to be more accurate. When Jesus divided the multitudes like this--50s and 100s--the bread and fish multiplied and became more than enough so that "everyone ate and were satisfied." You see the principle? There were multitudes of people but Jesus subdivided them into small groups. They weren't really just small groups because together they formed a big mass of people.

We aim to make disciples, as many as the Father gives us (because He alone decides how many disciples you get, says John 6.37). But once the followers become too many, you have to release some to other disciplers or pastors, even to other churches of another Christian denomination (because you belong to the same Body, anyway). It's not growing your local church big but growing the body of Christ big. 

In Moses' time, the greedy got more than enough manna for their families, and the extra manna just turned maggots the next day. Probably why there are maggots in church. Any extra that God did not intend for you, but which you grabbed, will turn maggot. Be sensitive and led by the Spirit to discern what's yours and what's not. Extras are intended for other local churches. Don't be led by the flesh.

Don't desire a big church membership to build your mega church empire. That desire is greed and pride. The reason why there are "poor" churches and pastors is because big and rich churches keep gobbling up what they could to satiate their monstrous appetites, targeting the whole populace in a locality all for themselves and unwilling to share with others, leaving so little (if any) to small churches. 

Naturally, because they have more money to improve their facilities, advertise, and offer allurement, people are more attracted to rich or mega churches. People are apt to prefer them than small and unattractive churches. And big churches flaunt that around, showing off their material possessions, as advertisement, to get more. They even mock small churches and compare them to their size and possessions, forgetting that they're all one body. If one part suffers, all suffer.

So "big" easily falls into the trap of materialism, idolatry, the ego and pride. Big makes them forget that they're all part of one body. Remember what Jesus told the rich---give up everything, sell your possessions and give to the poor. GIVE TO THE POOR. The same principle is true with rich and poor churches because they're one Body. Give up so the needy can receive. God wants equal distribution, not selfishness or greed. If we obey the Lord, there will be enough for everyone. 

“There should be no poor among you, for the LORD your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you." [Deuteronomy 15]

If all churches return to how the Acts church was (and especially how Jesus' ministry was)--no building, no altar, no gimmicks, no ads--and remain small while multiplying, we will all be content with simple house churches. Any membership excess, we turn over to other house-churches with small members, or break up groups that get bigger than what fits a regular house-church and assign new leaders or pastors to lead them. But all these churches should remain deeply connected and related to Christ and to his one body.

Mega empires may be impressive in the eyes of the world, but they're small in God's eyes. Moneyed and propertied churches tend to serve two masters--their church possessions and Jesus--and eventually aren't able to give up everything they have to share and give to the poor. This makes them inconsistent to the poor in spirit character of the Kingdom and the Smyrna and Philadelphia churches. And as Revelation shows, these last days, God's eyes are after only the Smyrna and Philadelphia churches.

The Acts church met in homes (house churches) though the Lord added more and more to their number. What did they do? Build mega churches? Build impressive buildings and altars? Invest in posh sound systems and musical instruments? Nope, they met in homes, remained small units (but all part of one big, growing body), not just because they were persecuted and hunted but they needed to stay consistent with Jesus' teaching. Poor in spirit. How Jesus said that blessed are the meek, believing God's preference for the lowly and despised. That's the main thing. No one built impressive church buildings in Acts. No money was wasted on that.

Race to be the Better Brand

It's the tendency of the flesh to flaunt progress, possession, finances and influence. To announce his achievements and efforts. In the secular world, they do this by building monuments to showoff tremendous finances, growth or supremacy, like towering office buildings, huge properties, headquarters, malls, new branches, the like. It's understandable because that's how the world is. 

But church follows suit. This translates to impressive church buildings and altars, local churches (branches or franchises) everywhere, advertised ministries, bible schools and seminaries. More titles and degrees. Plus hi-tech sound systems and musical instruments. All the glamor. 

The more you have these things the more popularity, approval, clout and influence you enjoy. The more people look up to you as a "successful" ministry, "blessed by God" more than others. So churches run after these things today. They are "musts" in church. Without them, you're a failure and lacking progress. Stagnant and without growth. How will people be blessed and challenged in your church if you don't have them?

Naturally, more people prefer big churches because of what they see in the physical or fleshly realm, not the spiritual. All the qualities mentioned above are actually religious advertisements to lure people into membership, to get more people in, suggesting how their brand is better than other brands because of the membership benefits and advantages. When each brand is desperate to be the better brand, the contest pushes the church farther from the complete unity that Jesus wants. The desperation to be the better brand feeds the ego. The flesh. And no one wants to be the least anymore. Poor in spirit loses its appeal.

Can you imagine your right forefinger wanting to be better that your left forefinger? Forgetting that they both belong to the same body? That the success of your right foot means success for your left foot, too, and for the whole body? That nutrition should be equally distributed to every part of the body, not just the right eye or left hand? But it's cut-throat competition out there when it comes to grabbing as many people for church membership as possible.

This look of success, grandness and largeness builds denominational pride in the members and condescension with those of lesser or "inferior" brands. Being "poor in spirit" is thrown out the window in favor of making a name for themselves (like what the Babel builders did), being something the world approves of. So everyone works hard to belong to this bracket--the better brands bracket--to gain some reputation and get a bigger share of the pie, which is the number of people that can be grabbed into membership.

John warned about this:

16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. [1 John 2]

Here's another version:

For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.

Isn't that what churches are doing today? They advertise how they have this and that and doing these and those, then try to outdo each other. They beat each other trying to reach every locality and nation (and get more members from that), and then take pride in being the first denomination to put up a church in such places. This is what they dub as "world mission."

They all want to be first in everything because that puts them on a pedestal. But Jesus said the first should be last. The last, first. And aren't they all one body in Christ? Isn't your victory also my victory, and your achievement also my achievement? If your right foot is the first to reach a place, doesn't it mean your whole body did, too? The right foot will be silly to claim prominence over the rest of the body because where it reaches first, the rest do, too.

The "race" is not about one part of the body trying to beat the other to the finish line, but the whole body against the devil. That's how the church should see it.

What is Poor in Spirit? 

Being poor in spirit is so important and weighty in the Kingdom that Jesus so radically modeled it in his life and ministry, aside from making it his first pointer in his Sermon on the Mount. He came here as a nobody. "He emptied himself and took the form of a servant," says Paul in Philippians. He chose to be numbered among the weak and despised, although he could've opted to be a Pharisee or High Priest or law teacher or a human king. Or a rich and successful man like Zacchaeus, or the rich, young ruler.

Nope, it was vital that he "emptied himself" and opted to be a son of a poor carpenter. It was no accident or coincidence. It was a major part of the plan that was contrived before the world was created. It was a public demonstration of belittling everything that the world appreciates and values and magnifying everything it hates, like being lowly, meek and having nothing, or being poor in spirit as Jesus showed with his life.

Emptying yourself means two things. You rid yourself of all self-importance and take the lowliest position. Second, you purify yourself of any stain from the world, taking off everything that makes you look approved by worldly standards, like throwing off filthy clothing. You empty yourself of all that. You live the radically simple life of Jesus. That's the Smyrna-Philadelphia character God looks for.

But mind you, it's not poverty or lack. It's not being a beggar (or asking solicitations when church needs money). Instead, being poor in spirit is not loving the world or anything in the world--and really living it out as a lifestyle. The disciples once marveled at the temple buildings as they passed by. Jesus was nonchalant and said, "These great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. Everything will be thrown down." It was contempt for anything this world takes pride in. That's poor in spirit.

All Else is Garbage

Second, poor is spirit is a value system that prefers a meek and selfless character and highly commends it. It boasts of nothing except Jesus, his ways, his value system and his Kingdom. Period. All else is garbage. Especially man's achievements or his church denominations. Maintaining a small, weak façade is vital here. God showed clearly through King Solomon's life how even a chosen and anointed man of God can end up an idolater (which was what King Solomon became) if he becomes big in the eyes of the world. You should be big in the eyes of God.

So we have to remain small--but big. We must increase in the spiritual realms as we decrease in the world. We must prosper in God while become poor in the eyes of the World. God makes us possess all things when we give up everything.

"...poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything." [2 Corinthians 6.10]

This is how we rule and reign in Christ.

True Church Generals Work for the Kingdom

Genuine church generals (true church leaders in God's eyes) come from Smyrna and Philadelphia churches. Mega churches, big ministries, big crusades, having the most number of churches planted, having the most number of church members--these things don't mean anything in the spirit realm. But the church, presently, is still blind to them, thinking the more and the bigger, the better and greater. We think the more we have in our hands, the higher our position in the Kingdom, the more God is pleased with us.

It is generally seen that generals of the Kingdom are the great ministry performers on earth. The same was assumed by Prophet Samuel when he wondered who the next king of Israel would be. He saw Eliab and decided he must be the guy--with his appearance, aura, height and everything. Samuel thought the physical appearance mattered. But the Lord rebuked him.

"Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Up to this very moment of church history, church still gauges greatness based on what the eyes can see and the flesh can appreciate. Big, mega, popular, peopled, moneyed, influential and all other qualities applauded in the world. We still regard everything and everyone from a worldly point of view. Never from the point of view of the cross.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

[2 Corinthians 5.16]

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. [1 Corinthians 2.2]

One time, I watched how a denomination rewarded its pastors that had the most number of new members, the most number of church members as a whole, the most number of people baptized during the year, the highest Sunday school attendance and the highest church income during the year. They gave the "winning" pastors P10k each. Wow, what a standard to judge good performance in God's Kingdom. Or is it really God's Kingdom? More like it was nothing but men's empire, men's Babylon ministries.

In God's Kingdom, it's not outward appearance that matters. It's the heart. Paul said, as aforementioned above, real Kingdom people (new creations in Christ) did not regard anyone from a worldly point of view anymore, admitting that once upon a time they had regarded Christ this way [2 Corin.5.16]. The world thinks you are nothing if you cannot display anything it values highly. 

So people today, church people included, display everything they can to be acceptable--church buildings, members, income, titles and degrees, positions, authority, educational attainment and the like. It's ridiculous being in a pastors' meeting where you see how they try to outdo each other to prove their worth. You also see in Christian pages on Facebook where they try to impress each other with their theologies. Can you imagine Jesus doing this?

Though they read it in the Gospel, their spirits are still too weak to realize that in God's eyes the least is the greatest and the poor in spirit owns God's Kingdom. It seems they refuse to have any part in this. They want to be the greatest and they're out to prove it.

Who are God's real ministry generals then?

We get a glimpse of his standards in the way Jesus commended people in the Gospel. He commended how Mary simply sat by his feet listening intently, relishing in his every word. He commended how the Syro-Phoenician woman (believed to be from the area of Tyre and Sidon) urged and insisted Jesus for a miracle not yet due for her at the time. He commended a Roman officer who merely took Jesus at his word for the healing of his servant. He commended a widow who gave her last penny (two very small copper coins) into the offering box.

I mean, these people didn't do anything grand or great. They didn't have mega ministries or did great exploits for God. They simply believed God seriously with their simple acts and simple lives that demonstrated clearly their deep belief in Jesus--and without such faith it is impossible to please God.

Not to mention how pauper Lazarus ended up in Abraham's bosom relaxing and enjoying peace while the rich man (no doubt applauded by this world) ended up in hell. I can imagine how church today would also applaud and reward the rich man for his "outstanding compassion for the poor" by giving leftover loaves to the needy, and his "inspiring efforts to achieve success" and became wealthy. Modern church has this spiritual myopia of seeing only those seated near the stage because of their high status in life and do not see people seated in the far-flung rows of seats hidden in the shadows because of their low status. 

Eyes that Have God's Heart

We value those we see as active in church, present in all the activities and ministries, running here and there like Martha did, oozing with this and that talent, and especially those fond of giving and contributing money, so called "givers." Our physical eyes see these things and we size them up or base our criteria on them when we weigh people, forgetting that what God commends is in the heart. Only eyes that see in the spirit discern what is in the heart.

God's real ministry generals are those the church barely notices today but who take faith seriously, fervently praying and worshiping God in private, quietly living a life pleasing to the Lord, faithfully meditating God's Word day and night, faithful with their giving (meager or hefty giving, doesn't matter), sharing their faith and their lives with others, doing quietly what little tasks they can in church. 

Or even just sitting in the pews. It's okay.

Most pastors make fun of people "just sitting in the pews each Sunday" but Mary (sister of Martha) would probably do the same if she were in church with us today--and that would be real and powerful "ministry" in the eyes of the Lord. Sitting intently at the Lord's feet. Because listening like that sets you off in the right direction as you do ministry, preach the Gospel and make disciples. Without that experience of listening at the Lord's feet, you will never end up in a Smyrna-Philadelphia church ministry in these last days.

Modern church is impressed with those who make noise and bark around to prove they are the best. But one poster I saw put it succinctly: "Lighthouses don't bark to prove they are lighthouses. They simply shine." 

Real generals of the Kingdom are the least among us, unheard of nobodies, and who never care about themselves or their standing in men's eyes (never makes noise to prove their worth), but only cares about what the King thinks.