(GERMANY) A Journey to the Seven Churches Inspired by Revelation 2–3

 
By Esther Nett
 
We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers, through which we were able to experience this journey without any accidents and under God's blessing. During our visits to the seven parishes, we gathered many impressions and spiritual experiences. 
 
Even though six of the seven churches are now only ruins, Jesus' words to them are still alive and powerful for us. The fragrance of their faith and their spiritual struggle have deeply moved us. Through the admonitions and lessons from their mistakes and failures, we were able to re-examine our own faith. In our evening discussions, we were able to revive and deepen our faith and our love. 
 
Volker: “On this trip to Türkiye, I was often disoriented because the city names didn't match the ancient names in the Book of Revelation! So here's an overview: Smyrna is called Izmir. Ephesus is now called Efes. Laodicea is spelled Laodikeia. Hierapolis (Colossians 4:13) is called Pamukkale. Philadelphia is called Alaşehirb. Sardis is called Sart (at Salihli). Thyatiera is called Akhisar. Pergamon is Bergama.”
 

Monday, October 20: Izmir/Smyrna
 
With the strong prayer support of our congregation, 19 travelers from Cologne, Düsseldorf, Speyer, and Neumünster met at Düsseldorf Airport. We departed 20 minutes late (9:40 a.m.) and landed safely in Izmir after a 3.5-hour flight. 
 
Located on the Mediterranean coast, the people there gave us the impression of being friendly and smiling. But their history shows how they suffered under wars between the Turks, Greeks, Armenians, and even Mongols. As the second-largest commercial city in Turkey, with five universities, Izmir is strategically important. The Izmir region is home to approximately 4.5 million people. 
 
First, we visited St. Polykarb's Church in Smyrna. It is the only church among those mentioned in the Book of Revelation that received no condemnation. Why? As Revelation 2:10b says, "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." St. Polikarp was one of those who suffered much hardship until his death at the age of 86. When he was pressured to deny Jesus, he said: “The Lord has been kind to me for 86 years; how can I deny his love and blaspheme him?” So he was burned alive, but with dignity as a victor. 
 
Daniel: “Since the passing of Missionary Rebecca Youk, the words from Revelation 2:10 have never left my heart. How can I endure through so many trials? Then I thought of the first marathon runner who ran exactly 42,195 meters to deliver the news of victory and then died victorious. But if I were to think at 42 kilometers, "Oh, I've run enough. Now I'll stop," then my long distance run would be without victory, without a crown, regardless of how great my effort may have been.”
 

Tuesday, October 21: Ephesus 
 
The church in Ephesus has a glorious history and tradition. The Apostle Paul founded it, and Timothy, Luke, Onesimus, and the Apostle John faithfully served God there, training disciples. This church was the spiritual center that supported the churches in Asia Minor, Corinth, and Rome.
 
But today all its glory is gone; only the traces of the destroyed church remain. Even the tombs of the apostles John and Luke lie deserted. 
 
Jeremiah: “I have seen that many churches in the world focus on outward growth and, like the church in Ephesus, strive to become a spiritual center. For a time, they seem to be successful, but eventually, they lose their spiritual blessing. For Jesus, however, it is not the outward appearance that counts, but whether we have preserved our pure, original love for Him. The church in Ephesus has given me profound insights and spiritual wisdom. I, too, have experienced many disappointments in my life and realized that I have lost the pure, first love in my heart. Therefore, I want to repent, do penance, and return to my first love in order to rekindle it.” 
 
On the way from Izmir to Ephesus, one of our rental cars ran out of engine oil. Markus Kum stopped immediately, and his team had to wait for the replacement bus. Surprisingly, it didn't take very long.
 
Daniel: “When one of our three vehicles ran out of engine oil, we realized how important the engine oil of our hearts is. What is the engine oil of our hearts? It is the Holy Spirit, who keeps us alive and allows us to live dynamically. Our age, our educational background, our origin don't matter. The Lord wants our engine to run dynamically every day. That's why I personally pray: Lord, I don't want to stop at 40 km/h. Until the end of my life, I want to keep my spirit and my ministry running with your engine oil. Lord, help me!”
 

 
Wednesday, October 22: Laodicea 
 
After Smyrna and Ephesus, we traveled on Wednesday to the province of Dezinli, where Laodicea is located. In the ruins, we could still see how rich and powerful Laodicea had been. Situated on major trade routes, Laodicea had a rapidly growing economy and was particularly known for its banking system. Its textiles were of very high quality. Laodicea was also known for a special ointment for healing eyes. They had almost everything. Their only problem was their water supply. Water was piped to Laodicea from a hot spring in Hierapolis and from a cold spring in Colossae. As a result, the city received lukewarm water that was neither healthy nor palatable. 
 
Joseph: “The lukewarm water can also be understood as a symbol. Complacency with life and an immeasurable availability of resources can make our hearts lukewarm toward Jesus. In Revelation 3:20, there is an appeal from the Lord: ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock.’ I want to open the door of my heart to Jesus.”
 

Wednesday, October 22: Pamukkale 
 
Even on the way to Pamukkale, we were full of anticipation to see this special place, which is said to look like a "cotton castle". When we arrived, the white limestone terraces shone in the sunlight—a sight that filled us with wonder at the beauty of God's creation. We took off our shoes and walked barefoot through the warm, mineral-rich water that bubbled up from the earth's springs. The water felt soft and healing; it was as if God himself, through His creation, blessed our steps and gave us new strength. 
 
Markus: “As we stood there looking at the white steps, I thought of the words of the Psalm: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.’ (Psalm 19:2) At that moment I felt deeply that God is present not only in the temple, but in all of creation. Pamukkale was not just a tourist destination for me, but a place of gratitude and wonder. We prayed together, laughed, and experienced God's goodness in nature. This experience reminded me anew how wonderful and loving our Creator is.”
 

Thursday, October 23: Philadelphia 
 
During our visit to the Philadelphia church, we saw that this place was very small compared to the other churches. There stood pillars made of large stones stacked on top of each other. Although Jesus praised this church so highly, we now see only its remnants. Philadelphia means "brotherly love." Jesus praises the church for keeping his word and not denying his name, despite their limited strength. Jesus wants to protect them from the coming temptation and make them a pillar in the temple of God. 
 
Grace: “This has made me realize the importance of holding fast to God's Word and living by it, even when we are weak and flawed. Jesus protects such people from temptation. Furthermore, Jesus makes such people pillars of his kingdom. I resolve once again to obey God's Word wholeheartedly and to use it as my standard in all circumstances.”
 

Thursday, October 23: Sardis
 
We visited the community in Sardis on the fourth day of our trip. First, we visited a GrecoRoman gymnasium bath and, right next to it, a Jewish synagogue. It was impressive to see that soldiers were trained there. We also repeated our morning gymnastics routine together on the lawn there, to combat fatigue and stay physically fit during the journey. Afterward, we drove to the Temple of Artemis, which is located nearby. The remains of the enormous columns and stones gave us an idea of how strong Greek culture and idol worship had been at that time. Right next to it, we saw relatively small and simple remains of the church building that was used by the community in Sardis. It must have been a great challenge for a Christian community to hold fast to the faith and spread the Gospel amidst such a strong culture of idol worship. Yet Jesus sharply rebuked this community, saying that they were dead, even though they were outwardly alive. They should hold fast to what they have received and heard, repent, and remain awake. 
 
Timothy: “I was able to hear this rebuke as a rebuke for myself and recognize the tough spiritual battle we need to hold fast to our faith, stand firm against the various worldly challenges, and bring glory to God. With this heart, we were also able to sing together the song ‘Lord, I want to walk with you’ and pray that God would help us remain pure in faith and prepare ourselves for the day of the Lord.”
 
 
Friday, October 25: Thyatira 
 
The church in Thyatira was located in a city renowned for its advanced crafts, particularly dyeing and textile production. Even today, as the photos show, this church stands in the heart of the bustling city center. This church had both strengths and weaknesses. As mentioned in verse 19 of the biblical text, the believers in Thyatira were truly exemplary in their service to the Lord, in their love, faith, service, and patience. The church in Ephesus, mentioned in the first chapter, initially loved the Lord with great passion but later abandoned this love. With the church in Thyatira, it was the opposite: their love for the Lord was weak at first but later increased. In this respect, the church in Thyatira was a very exemplary church. However, verse 20 also mentions a serious problem: they tolerated a false prophetess named Jezebel. This woman was under the influence of a satanic spirit, uttered false prophecies, and seduced many people. She led others to commit fornication and eat food sacrificed to idols. 
 
Josef: “This saying made me realize that our UBF community also has both great strengths and weaknesses. It is important to cultivate the strengths and to recognize the weaknesses and repent. The same applies to me personally. I pray that I can contribute to making us a church that the Lord praises. On this journey I have been privileged to discover many spiritual mysteries and I am deeply grateful to my missionary brothers and sisters.”
 


 
Friday, October 25: Pergamon 
 
Upon arriving in Pergamon, we went straight to the Acropolis. Since it was situated on a hill, it was very windy. From there, we could admire the mountainous landscape for the first time and look down into the city. High on the hill, we saw a temple built for Emperor Trias. The dedication to the emperor was made visible by a bust of a Roman centurion. The angel of the community in Pergamon speaks of Pergamon as the throne of Satan. People were forced to worship the emperor. We couldn't visit the old church in Pergamon because of renovations. We stood in front of it, sang the Lord's Prayer, and prayed. 
 
Diploma “All in all, it was a very intense time together, during which we saw many destroyed cities and buildings. One can only imagine how magnificent and glorious these places must once have been. And yet, they all lie there in ruins. People from all over the world travel there to see what remains of their former splendor. I felt a desire to get to know the churches in Turkey today, the living stones of God's church, to see how the Spirit continued to work despite outward destruction. We will have to do that another time.”
 
In our evening discussions, we repeatedly grappled with the question of what makes a church vibrant, resilient, faithful, and praiseworthy. We certainly need to delve deeper into this topic. Nevertheless, one thing has become clear: the vitality of the church begins with each of us and our personal relationship with Jesus. From this foundation, we can encourage one another in suffering, support each other in weakness, edify each other in trials, and inspire each other with love. 
 
Thank you for all your practical and spiritual support. A special thank you to Jeremiah and Joseph, who led our group with such gentleness and patience. Participating in another trip would definitely be worthwhile.

 

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