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Topic:
A New Name
After the stoning of Deacon Stephen, the early
Church was scattered because of the persecution. At that time it was opinioned
by the proselytes that salvation was for Jews and not Gentiles.
The proselyte Jews were adamant in this belief,
after all it was their God who gave
them His law. They felt, if a
Gentile was to be saved, he would have to convert to Judaism and follow Jewish laws
and traditions. But when Peter brought the news about a Gentile named
Cornelius, that he had been converted, and after these Jews had gotten over the
shock, that he had actually eaten with Gentiles, their reaction changed. Only
then did they want to be taught how to handle disagreement, rather than judging
the behavior of these new and fellow believers.
After the death of Stephen, the Church scattered
into Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. As the Church began to spread about, so
did the gospel, the good news of Jesus
Christ. It was around this time that Barnabas was sent by the Church to
Antioch to investigate it’s state. When he arrived he was pleased with the
Church’s condition. In those days there were two cities with the name Antioch.
There was Antioch of Pisidia. it was here that many
Jews migrated. Mainly because of it’s commercial value, but also because it was
a great place to spread the gospel. It was here, that Paul preached in the
city’s synagogue and later founded a church there during his first missionary
journey. But all was not a bed of roses for the Apostle, his success as an
evangelist soon angered the Jews there, and eventually he was run out of town.
(Acts 13).
Then there was Antioch of Syria; the capitol of the
Roman province of Syria. Nicolas, who was one of the seven deacons called in
the 6th chapter of Acts, fled to this Antioch, along with others at
Jerusalem, following the stoning of Stephen and the persecution of the church.
Here, the gospel was preached first to the Jews. But! after Peters report of
Cornelius’ conversion, and that the Gentiles converts had also been filled with
the Holy Ghost, they began to preach
to them there.
The evangelistic outreach was so successful
converting them, that it was here that the first Gentile Church was founded.
When the Church leaders at Jerusalem heard about it, they sent Barnabas to
investigate. After seeing for
himself, Barnabas was so pleased with the state of this Church, that he
went to Tarsus to look for Paul. He found him, brought him back to Antioch and
they both stayed there for a full year teaching the many new converts.
It was here at Antioch of Syria, the believers were
first called Christians. which became their new name. It has been said the name
Christian was given to these believers at Antioch, by the heathens or
non-believers. I never read that in the Bible. If you have, then show me where
it is, so that I might read it for myself. Every child of God knows something about Jesus
that non-believers don’t. Jesus
asked the question, “who do men say that I
AM?” Those who didn’t know Jesus,
gave all of the wrong answers. Some said He
was John the Baptist, others He was
Elijah, or He was Jeremiah, He was one of the prophets. None of
them suggested that He was the Christ, or that He was the Anointed One. To them,
He was everyone except Himself .
But when He asked His disciples, who do you say that I AM, Peter answered, you are The Christ, The Messiah, The Son of the
Living God. Only those who really
know Jesus, can give the correct
answer to that question.
We don’t have to be an Einstein to figure this one
out. If non-believers had labeled the believers at Antioch it surely would not
have been Christian. Instead of Christians, a close possibility is that they
might have said they were Jesusites. After all, there are certain
suffixes that are attached to certain names which identifies one with certain
groups. For example the suffix an, doesn’t say much, but when you connect it to
a certain group, you get American,
Canadian, or Mexican. When a suffix is connected to a certain group it
identifies one with the group. Like an is today, ites in the long ago was also
a suffix. When it was connected to certain groups, it would also identify
people with that group. Groups like Amorites, Ashdodites, Canaanites, Edomites,
Ekronites, Gazites, Hittites, Hivites Jebusites, Kenizites, Moabites, and
Perizzites. Not to mention the Benjamites, the Gadites, the Rubenites, who all
belong to the Israelites. If it was as
some have been told and other have heard, that the non-believers labeled the
believers at Antioch, Jesusites, not Christians is a close possibility.
The word Christian has a special meaning. It means
followers of Christ, or Christ like. To be Christ like is to know Him and
to have a personal relationship with Him. That alone disqualifies any and all
non-believers. Believer have something within, that reminds them that their Savior died on a cross for their
sins. He died rose from the dead the
third day morning and declared all power in heaven and earth was in His hands. He ascended up into heaven, sits on the right hand of The Father and there makes
intercessions for them.
Not on the outside but something on the inside keeps
reminding believers that they are children of God. The question that Jesus
asked of His disciples
concerning His identity was “who do you think that I Am?” Peter’s answered, “thou art the Christ, the Messiah, Son of the Living God”. That revelation did not come from natural sources, but from
the Supernatural.
The new name Christian did not come from
unauthorized sources. Luke as he writes this text, says that the disciples were
called Christians first at Antioch. Notice that Luke calls them disciples. A
disciple is one who professes to have learned certain principles from another
and maintains them on that others authority. The Pharisees had disciples and
John the Baptist also had disciples, but the term is applied mainly to Jesus. While the Pharisees constantly
opposed the authority of Jesus, John
the Baptist told his disciples I must decrease and He must increase. as a result some of John’s disciples became
followers of Christ. Then Jesus announced a secret that would
identify His disciples to everybody.
He commands that they have love one
for another.
Luke says that in the Church at Antioch the
disciples were first called Christians. The word call has so many
different meanings that if you don’t
really dig into it, can easily be misinterpreted. Other words that can be used
in place of the word call are, called, or calling, such as to cry out, to
designate, to invite, to name, to pray, to send for or to summon, to telephone,
and to visit. But in theological terms to call is to invite sinners to accept
the salvation that is offered through Christ
Jesus. This call is both an
external and an internal call.
This is how that works, when the gospel is preached,
sinners hears some wonderful news. He hears that it does not matter how bad he
has messed up his life, or the lives of others, nor does it matter how awful he
thinks he is, or how awful others think he is, God ain’t mad at him. He
loves him so much so that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
The preaching of the gospel is an external call to
accept the salvation of Christ Jesus.
Then there is an internal call. The internal call begins when the sinner hears
the preached Word. The Word starts stirring and disturbing and
convicting continually until the soul cries out “Lord save me”. That’s when the Holy
Spirit takes over. He takes the old spirit and makes it
new. That which was once unregenerated now becomes regenerated.
A new birth takes place. The principles of a new
life is implanted in the sinner, and the governing disposition of the soul is
made holy. He that is born in sin, must be born again. Well my brothers and my
sisters, excuse me if I left you hanging with the explanation offered in this
passage concerning the interpretation of this word called. True it is that all
who are saved are called through the preaching of the gospel.
I Corinthians
1:21 says that it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. II Timothy 1:9 says that
the God who hath saved us and called
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which is
given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began.
True that we were called into salvation, but what is
Luke really saying in the text: And the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. There is a word
in the NT Greek which is “ Chrematizo”. Chrematizo means to be called or named
because of what you do and not who you are. If you’re called a musician, people
know that you can play music, if
you’re called an artist, they know that you can paint pictures, if you are a mechanic, they know that you
work on motor vehicles, And if any man would deny himself, take up his cross
daily, and follow Christ, he will have a new name Christian.
Something about that name,
that was first called at Antioch. It couldn’t stay in one place, and began to
spread all over. It spread to Rome, went to Corinth, moved to Galatia, stopped
in Ephesus, entered next into Philippi, slipped into Colosse, found it’s way to
Thessalonica, to Smyrna, Pergamos Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and
to the uttermost parts of the earth, a new name spread. But then my brothers
and sister one more thing I believe we need to know about this new name; Where
did it come from? It did not come from any worldly source, like non-believers.
We were not told that the believers named themselves either. Who then is
responsible for this new name?
Isaiah say, in the 56th
chapter verse 5, “even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls
a place and a name better than of sons and daughters. I will give them an
everlasting name that shall not be cut off. In the 62nd chapter verse 2, “And
the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou
shalt be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name. In
Revelations 3:12, “and I will write upon him My new name. A new name given by
Him.
God Bless You.