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According to a recent TIME magazine poll, 17 percent of Christians surveyed aligned themselves with some type of a prosperity theology movement. Sixty-one percent believed that God wants people to be prosperous—31 percent agreed that if you give your money to God, He'll bless you with more money. In their September 10, 2006 article on Time.Com, David van Biema and Jeff Chu write that prosperity theology claims, “a God who loves you does not want you to be broke. Its signature verse could be John 10:10: ”˜I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.'” Yet as Martin Luther once asked, “If Christ wore a crown of thorns, why should His followers expect only a crown of roses?”
Not every Christian experiences persecution, but the New Testament makes it clear that those who follow Jesus don't always experience material abundance. In fact, conversion may lead to physical loss, as with the Thessalonians. When Paul spoke of the Thessalonians being imitators of him, he likely meant both their faith and their being persecuted for that faith. Like Paul, the Thessalonians experienced persecution as a part of their walk with Christ from the beginning.
Despite suffering, the Thessalonians received the gospel with joy. Not only that, they became a model not just in Macedonia, where Thessalonica was located, but also in Achaia, the region to the south. It's easy to miss the fact that “you” in verse 7 is plural. Thus the entire Thessalonian church, not just individuals within that church, was an example. This is unusual in Paul's writing, which tells us quite a bit about this church!
This suffering church was also a model of proclaiming the gospel. The joyous effects of turning from idols to serve the living God and the glorious hope of Christ's return echoed forth from the Thessalonians like a trumpet ringing out (v. 8).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Verses 9 and 10 present two keys of the Christian life. The first is to turn from idols. As fallen humans, we're drawn to various idols, those things we believe essential to our survival, such as financial success or career advancement. Even good things can become idols if they compete with our allegiance to God. The second is to hope in Christ's return. It's easy to hope in things that will eventually pass away and to lose sight of the only hope that never disappoints, Jesus Christ.
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