Working from the Right Scorecard 2: Instructions for a Courageous Climb - Revelation 2:8-11

There is a robin on our street that has been singing all through the winter. A robin usually only comes in springtime, but this is a very optimistic robin. This robin has courage in suffering! We're walking through the letters to the seven churches in Revelation in a series I called "Working from the right scorecard". We have our own scorecards, what we value, what we put effort and strength into. But are these the same things that are on God's scorecard? These letters were for these churches 2000 years ago, but they are messages for all churches all through the ages, and for us too. What is it that God values in the life of his church? What does he notice, reward, praise? Last week we talked about, to the church in Ephesus, how we love. Unquestionably this will be top of God's scorecard. When we stand before him, he'll ask, how did you love people? This week we'll see in the letter to Smyrna another thing on his scorecard: courage in suffering.Extra reading: Psalm 46:1-11Preacher: Bill Dyck