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Christy
Acts 11:19-26
17 July 2016
19
Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen
traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. 20 Some
of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to
Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with
them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. 22 News of this
reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When
he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all
to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy
Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas
went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So
for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of
people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Your brother and sister are standing side by side in a room. You obviously know them
both, but you have one word to indicate to a stranger which one you’re talking about. What’s
your one word? Probably “he” or “she.” Maybe “taller” or “shorter.” You definitely would not
say “nice” or “smart” or “funny.” You use the most identifiable feature you can. There are only
two genders, and yes, there are two. If two people are clearly different genders, it’s an instant
identifier every time. When comparing two things, “bigger” and “smaller” work very well. You
identify people and things all the time. You don’t describe a person in a crowd by saying, “she’s
my neighbor and she likes to read”; you say, “Oh, she’s the redhead.” You don’t ask your son
for the screwdriver that you used to open up the timer for the board game that one time; you say
“Bring me the smaller one, will you?” We don’t beat around the bush when we identify people
and things. We go for the most precise description that only fits one, and a description that’s
readily understandable.
Now suppose people do know who you are. They’ve interacted with you before, so
they’re familiar with your typical behavior and patterns of speech. There’s no need to identify
you by what you’re wearing or how tall you are. So what one word would they say, not to
indicate you, but to characterize you? Nice? Genuine? Lackadaisical? Stubborn? Unpolished?
The point of language and words is to communicate ideas, to capture a concept with one simple
utterance. And as Acts 11:26 says, “the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”
See, “Jew” was starting to become something different, as it is today. Jew was still one
group and Gentile was another group. But Gentiles were joining the church in Antioch. This is
discussed in Ephesians as a mystery: that Gentiles and Jews are coheirs together. So what one
name could be used for Jews and Gentiles who believe the same thing, that Jesus was the
promised Messiah and died and rose again for the salvation of all people? Hmm, what’s the
most obvious characteristic to identify this group of people? They’re those Christ-y people –
hey, how about “Christians”? And the text says “they were called Christians.” At the very least,
that leaves open the possibility that they did not make up this name for themselves. Could it be
that outsiders saw various aspects of their behavior and the most concise description that came
to them was “those Christ-like people”? Could it be that the first evangelists, “some of them,
men from Cyprus and Cyrene,” were deemed Christ-like and that is how they were described by
those who would soon become Gentile converts?
19
“Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen
traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews.” Does that
sound Christy? In Matthew 8, people begged Jesus to leave the region of the Gadarenes after a
demon He drove out of a man caused some pigs to go over a cliff and drown. “Scattered by
persecution,” if you will. So He left. In Matthew 9 He’s in a different town showing His power
to heal and to forgive sins. Every time He had to leave one place, He went to the next place to
teach. Those are also the instructions He gave His apostles when He sent them out two by two.
20
“Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to
speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.” Does that sound
Christy? How about John 4, when Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman? They were at a well in a
town called Sychar. Jesus told her that everyone who drinks that well water would be thirsty
again, but whoever drinks the water Jesus gives will never thirst, because that water wells up to
eternal life. Does that qualify as telling the good news about the Lord Jesus? And when the
Samaritan woman mentioned the Messiah, He said, “I am He.”
23
“When he [Barnabas] arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad
and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man,
full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” Does
that sound Christy, remaining true to the Lord with all your heart? Can you think of a time when
Jesus was not true to the Lord? What did Jesus do that God would never do? Let’s see, Jesus
lived according to all God’s commandments. He showed compassion to the sick, the poor, and
the suffering. He corrected those who were in error. He never deviated from His mission, which
was to live a perfect life and die in the place of those whose lives were full of sin, including me.
So was Jesus true to the Lord with all his heart? Of course. He was the Lord!
25
“Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he
brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught
great numbers of people.” So these Christians were well-learned in Christianity. Does that sound
Christy? Did Jesus know the history of God’s plan of salvation? Of course He did; that’s why
He quoted Moses and the prophets. Did Jesus know what God expected of those who would
follow Him? He knew well enough to speak with authority about the corruption of God’s Law
that had taken place at the hands of the religious leaders. He knew enough to pinpoint precise
moments when Old Testament prophecies were being fulfilled. He knew enough to shun the
ideas of some, that the Messiah was coming to make Israel a great nation again, a world power,
even though that meant He would be going to the cross.
Yes, Christ was well-learned in Christianity. And when these people of Antioch kept
acting in ways that seemed to resemble that Jesus Christ guy who had lived a few years ago,
they were called Christians. And that’s when the word came into existence. What one word
would they say about you? What if there was an app on Facebook that allowed all your friends
anonymously to post the one word they think captures you best? I’m not sure I would even want
to know. Maybe it would be mean or boring or angry or even unchristian. You’ve probably
heard the quotation attributed to Mohandas Gandhi: “I like your Christ; I do not like your
Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” What’s that in one word? Hypocrite.
We take pride in the names and titles we are given. You probably know someone who is
named after his father or mother or grandparent. You probably know someone who took her
husband’s name when she married him. You probably know someone who needs other people to
know that he’s a doctor. But sometimes we don’t feel like we’re living up to our title or name. A
sports player who costs his team the game might wonder, “Why am I even the captain?” Maybe
you get promoted at work to some fancy title with supervisor or specialist in it. But you’re not
sure you deserve that title.
Do we deserve the title Christian? Being associated with Christ means being associated
with a great deal of accomplishment, after all. John 1 says “In the beginning was the Word and
the Word was with God. Through Him all things were made. The Word became flesh and made
His dwelling among us.” Do we deserve to be associated with an eternal, almighty being? Can
we perform miracles? Toward the end of John it says “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in
the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book.” Should we really be named
after the Son of God? Are we worthy of being associated with Christ, Who singlehandedly won
salvation for mankind by giving up His righteous life for the unrighteous? Why should our
names or titles sound anything like someone who rose from the dead to seal the salvation He
won for you and me?
Those are very good questions. Here’s God’s answer: it doesn’t matter if you’re worthy
or not because in love I predestined you to be adopted as My sons through Jesus Christ. “For
you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of
sonship. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are
children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:15-17).
Now our lives are separated from Jesus’ life by a lot more years than the Christians in
Antioch. And they say that biblical literacy is at an all-time low. We can’t always expect people
to associate the things we do and say with Christ if they don’t know who He is. But Jesus knows
who His brothers and sisters are. God knows who His children are. Take pride in the name
Christian because it’s not about you; it’s about Christ. Remain true to the Lord with all your
hearts. You’re not going to look exactly like Christ; that would be perfection. And it was His
perfection and His death that saved you. But make it so that when Jesus describes you, you’re
not the tall one or the one in the dark shirt, but the Christian. And in the next life you will be
even more Christy. You also will rise from the dead to live forever in perfect harmony with the
Father’s will.
Lastly, I skipped one verse: 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of
people believed and turned to the Lord. As you have clearly heard, being Christy means
spreading the gospel. There are a million ways to do that, as individuals and as a church. But
remember that the Lord’s hand is with you. That’s what you’re trying to show. That’s what
makes you Christy.