Day 387: The price to pay – 1 Thessalonians 1 vs 4 -10
4-7 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece - throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.
8-9 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven - Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment. 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 New Living Translation paraphrase (English Standard Version link)
In the previous post in 1 Thessalonians I focused on vs 1-7 which told how these believers had become a tremendous example to Christians everywhere. Their faith in Christ and love for His people had led to action, and a willingness to work hard for one another's behalf. And the hope that Jesus had brought to their lives hadn't wavered when unbelievers caused them intense suffering. What was the result of their enthusiasm? (vs 8-9)
People all over ancient Greece heard of what happened in their city – especially how they had turned from the idols which had previously been their gods. We mustn't underestimate what a huge step that would have been. Think of someone today of Islamic belief who turns from Muhammad to Christ - and the opposition that could lead to in their life. The people in Thessalonica who turned from idols stood to lose friends, business deals, and even family. But they didn't keep their faith in Jesus Christ a secret even though it was going to cost them a lot of hardship and suffering.
Can this still be true for people who become Christians today? In many countries the answer is definitely yes. Becoming a Christian goes against the religious beliefs of their culture and the person may be completely disowned by everyone in the village or town. In Western countries the opposition may not initially be as fierce and apparent. But as the Christian stops following the materialistic gods of the West, they too may be more and more side lined. Sometimes that keeps a new Christian from wanting to speak openly about Jesus and they try to keep their new found faith a secret. But what was it that gave the Christians at Thessalonica the courage to not hide their love for Jesus. (vs 10)
They had a strong belief, even an excitement, about the return of Jesus Christ. The news that God had put an end to the power of death by raising Jesus from the grave had gripped their hearts. Not only that, they also believed what the gospel teaches about the next coming of Jesus, that it is not only to save those who have put their faith in Him, but also to usher in the final terrifying judgment day of God. They firmly believed that nothing they could lose in this world would compare to losing one's soul for eternity.
Speaking for myself, those who have been Christians for many years – and especially living nearly 2000 years after Jesus came, and He still hasn't returned – it's all too easy to lose that sense of excitement about salvation and the second coming of Christ. Perhaps we need to remind ourselves more often of that day and pray for it's appearing. In the meanwhile, let's remember that there is a price to pay for following Christ in this world, and not keep our love for Him a secret.