Summary
Christians
The name "Christian" was first given to the disciples in Antioch, in what might rightly be called the first church of the Gentiles Acts 11:26. The word comes from the Greek Christianoi, meaning "the party of Christ" or "those who belong to Christ." It was not coined as a compliment. Pagan neighbors used it as a term of derision—mocking these believers for their loyalty to Jesus. Yet the early church wore the label as a badge of honor. The historian Eusebius records an early martyr who answered his torturers with the simple confession, "I am a Christian."
To be a Christian is, at the most fundamental level, to belong to Christ. None of us deserve the name. We are sinners in thought, word, and deed, who by our own merit deserve nothing but condemnation. But Jesus Christ has borne our sins on the cross, His tomb stands empty, and the Father has accepted His sacrifice. In the waters of Holy Baptism, God claims us as His own, gives us faith by the Holy Spirit, and joins us to the family of His Son. As Paul writes, "whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's" Romans 14:8. That is what makes a Christian: not a decision we make for Jesus, but the decision Jesus has already made about us, calling each one by name and saying, "You are mine."
The first congregation to bear this name was marked by three things: they were taught, they were called Christians, and they lived out their name "Christians" May 12, 2019 Sermon. Barnabas and Paul met with the church for an entire year and taught a great many people. Out of that teaching the church at Antioch in turn produced more prophets and teachers Acts 13:1. The apostles understood from the beginning that their calling was to devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word Acts 6:4. Teaching is paramount, because it is through the Word that God forms, transforms, and matures His people, and through the Word that the faith is handed on to the next generation.
This shapes how Christians ought to choose a congregation. Not by program, not by friendliness, not by demographics or size, but by what the church teaches. Programs come and go; friends move away; teaching endures and forms disciples. The Antiochene believers did not gather to be entertained, to have their ears tickled with cute stories, or to have their opinions validated. They gathered to be taught, because mature disciples are born by God's grace through faithful instruction.
Christians also live out their name. When the prophet Agabus foretold a severe famine, the disciples at Antioch determined that, according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers in Judea Acts 11:27-30. They loved in Jesus' name—and they loved the Jews, the very people who had so long despised them. Those who had more gave more; those who had less gave less; but all gave proportionally and sacrificially. Having been served by the cross and the empty tomb, they served others. That is the pattern of Christian life: claimed by Christ, taught by His Word, and sent out to love and serve in His name.
Video citations
- "Christians" May 12, 2019 Sermon — names of churches interest me. I've always maintained that this church she has a great name. Living Word, why it refers to the word, the Lord Jesus Christ, it refers to Scripture, it draws on the…