Acts 11- Christians

Take time to read Acts 11, it's a very short chapter.

In Acts 11 we learn a little about the church at Antioch.  The church at Antioch was the first place the disciples were first called Christians.  I want to look at three things that may explain why they were labeled Christians and how those three things can help us be labeled Christians as well.

The disciples at Antioch were called Christians because:

1) Christ was their commonality.
Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman world behind only Rome and Alexandria.  Antioch was a port city with people of many different races, cultures, languages and religious backgrounds.  Now picture a major city of this time.  Much like today I'm sure they had areas where a certain language group lived.  Areas where a certain culture lived.  You know, like our Little Italy's or Chinatowns today.

So, can you imagine the surprise of those in Antioch to see this melting pot of a church.  They struggled to figure out what defined this hodgepodge of a gathering so they called them Christians because Christ was their commonality.

2)They gave.
Just as the prophet Agabus predicted the Roman world had a severe famine.  In response to this famine the church at Antioch gave "each according to his ability to provide help for the brothers in Judea."  The people of Antioch were probably shocked to see such random generosity toward a place most of them had never been and toward people they had never met.  I imagine the people of Antioch trying to figure out what was in it for the church.

3) They were filled with the Holy Spirit.
When Barnabas came to visit the believers at Antioch he "saw evidence of the grace of God."  The "evidence of the grace of God" Luke writes about here is the Holy Spirit.  People can tell when you are full of the Holy Spirit because there is an amazing power associated with that.  The church at Antioch had "a great number of people" brought to the Lord.  Obviously, a lot of people believed because they were large enough to support the original church at Jerusalem.  So the Holy Spirit was doing work in those at Antioch.

The people of Antioch recognized the believers at Antioch as Christians or "Christ-ones".  Would your community recognize your church as being associated with Christ if the sign was taken off the door and the steeple was removed?  Do people notice anything different about you?  Do you associate with people so different from you that Christ is the only common denominator?  Do you give generously?  Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?

Live in such a way that people notice you as a Christian.  Let others see Jesus in you today.