By: R.S. Helms It may be a change to read about something positive, or at least as the Lord viewed the church at Smyrna. This is a church, which may well reflect in the universal church, your local church, and of course, the church is people, it is a good standard to judge our personal spiritual position. The word Smyrna has as its root, the word myrrh is a substance that has the sweet smell and used in the making of perfume, incense, and medicine. Smyrna was a beautiful city with rich farmland; and often referred to as the ‘crown of Asia.’ Nonetheless, it was also the center of Caesar-worship in Asia Minor; the infamous ‘golden street’ that ran from the harbor up to Mt. Pagos. Along the way one passed by an imposing array of pagan temples to Cybele, Apollo, Aesculapius, Aphrodite, and Zeus. Yet, there was a Christian church, which would only relate to the persecution that the Christians underwent. It was the martyr Polycarp who was burned at the stake for