Who Ever Called You "Christian"?

Acts 11

Many call themselves Muslim, but rather than actually practicing the Muslim belief they simply call themselves Muslim because their parents devoutly follow the practice for being a Muslim. This I know because of having friends, a family who are Arabic whose parents were practicing Muslims. But not all of their children follow as their parents did when they were alive. Why do I write about Muslims when the title is about the word Christan? A quick look into Wikipedia defines the word "Muslims" as "submitters [to God]". Then it goes on to describe the beginnings, how being Muslims came about. It was a name by which they called themselves.

So again why all this when the title has the word Christian? Because many people who call themselves Christian hold that title Christian the very same way, for the very same purpose, because their family did.

Sometimes some forms require the person to write down their belief title. When my son was entering the Marine Corps training he had to write down his religion. This was partially in case of death they would see the proper chaplain would be present. My son entered a denomination name because his family always were a part of that denomination, the only practice he knew first hand, but he had no interest in that denomination, at that time he had no interest in God.

All beliefs have a beginning, a source of why they are called what they are called. If you call yourself a Christian, well, I am not one to say whether you are or aren't, but this being my meditation journal, I challenge myself often over this word should I be the one to call myself "Christian". And I will tell why I have come to the conclusion that is not for me to be the one to call me a “Christian”.

[26] And when he (Barnabas) had found him (Saul), he brought him unto Antioch: and it came to pass that a whole year they were conversant with the church, and taught much people, in so much that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Acts 11:26 GNV

"They were called Christians", these disciples were called Christians by others, specifically by those outside of that assembly of disciples. It was the outsiders who heard these disciples talk about Christ so much, live the way of Jesus Christ, changed lives insomuch outsiders would say, they are "little Christs".

Everytime when I read this verse I think and wonder, do others see me as a "little Christ"? Who would call me a Christian just because they see how I live? What I talk about? How I act?

Well, what about the other times the word "Christian" is used in the English language Bible?

[28] Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to become a Christian.

Acts 26:28 GNV

[16] But if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed: but let him glorify God in this behalf.

1 Peter 4:16 GNV

Wow! That's a short list!.

We see King Agrippa responding to Paul's defense, You almost are persuading me to be a little Christ. Paul was confident that the king was well versed in the details and had clear knowledge of the beliefs of those who lived as disciples, believers, followers of that way, the teachings of Christ. And King Agrippa hearing Paul's defense felt that what he said was poignant enough that he was almost being persuaded to begin acting upon what he already knew so much about, about Jesus.

And Peter, one who walked with Jesus throughout His entire three years of ministry may have considered this word Christian and thought about what Jesus had taught in what is known as The Sermon on the Mount,

[10] Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [11] Blessed shall ye be when men revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you for my sake, falsely. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:10-12 GNV

What we do for Christ's sake are our opportunity to praise and glorify Christ. Or maybe he remembered his own experience in Acts 3-4 that for having healed a man in Jesus name, a man who had been a cripple for forty years, from birth. John and he had been taken in before their own Jewish leaders. After being taken before the leaders, placed in detention overnight, interrogated the next day, and threatened Peter and John went back to tell the others. The response from them all was...

[23] Then as soon as they were let go, they came to their fellows, and shewed all that the high Priests and Elders had said unto them. [24] And when they heard it, they lift up their voices to God with one accord, and said, O Lord, thou art the God which hast made the heaven, and the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,

Acts 4:23-24 GNV

They continue praising God acknowledging His Word and finish with...

[29] And now, O Lord, behold their threatnings, and grant unto thy servants with all boldness to speak thy word, [30] So that thou stretch forth thine hand, that healing, and signs, and wonders may be done by the Name of thine holy Son Jesus. [31] And when as they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God boldly.

Acts 4:29-31 GNV

So yes, Peter was speaking from experience, not only the experience of hearing the teaching first hand from Jesus Himself, but also from simply healing a cripple in Jesus Name and being brought before tulers to answer for doing so. It is important to remember two very important details about standing before the authorities. In Acts 4:8 Peter answers being "full of the Holy Ghost". This Jesus had told the disciples would happen (Luke 12:11-12 - "the Holy Ghost shall teach you... what ye ought to say").

And second detail is as important to our discussion:

[13] Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and understood that they were unlearned men and without knowledge, they marvelled, and knew them, that they had been with Jesus:

Acts 4:13 GNV

These rulers saw them as "little Christs". They had healed in Jesus Name. They had the power that Jesus had (full of the Holy Ghost). And they boldly declared that it was these rulers that had Jesus crucified, but that God had raised Him from the dead. Now these rulers would never have accept that this Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, the Annointed, the Messiah, and so they wouldn't have considered them to be "little Christs", but nevertheless that is exactly what they were. In fact it took the Gentile believers following the teachings of Christ Jesus without reservation for others who saw they, heard them, and knew them to deride them as little Christs, calling them Christians.

And so I must ask myself, have I ever been called a "Christian" by someone, anyone else? Not because I go to church, because I taught Sunday School, went to Bible college, write out my meditations, or because of a dozen "religious things" that others think of when the word Christian is used. But was it because they took knowledge of me that I have been with Jesus who is called the Christ?