There is a way of being known though it may not make you rich. Let me explain.
Paul begins his letter to the Romans with thanksgiving and
prayer. He does so in most of his letters. The reason for thanksgiving is that their ‘faith
is proclaimed in all the world’ (1:8). Here, 'faith' is not the
dogma or the act of believing. Faith here means
how one struggles to keep what one has come to believe as true.
We don’t know how the believers
in Rome were famous for their faith. It is clear from the latter part of this
epistle that Paul knew many of them by name (Rom 16:1-16). We may guess that many
of the believers or even the church collectively had to struggle to
keep their faith alive in hostile circumstances. Their battles to keep their faith might have become known in all the churches all around the world. Note that Paul later
commends them also for their obedience that had become famous all over the
world (16:9). In similar ways, the church in Thessalonica was also
known around the world among the believers for their faith (1 Thess
1:8).
Being known for the steadfastness of
faith is highly commendable. We are familiar with the inspiring stories of the courage of the Christians in persecuted countries. Many of them who followed Jesus
to the point of their death or imprisonment are famous—not for
their contribution to art, literature or sports like many famous
people. But they are known for their integrity and steadfastness of faith. They held on to Jesus and hated
their own life. The churches in Rome and Thessalonica and many other
places rose to fame through ways that for the world were shameful. Imprisonment, suffering and public execution are shameful by the world's standards. But their faith that made them uphold Christ turns out to be something to be remembered for ever.