Audio Sermons

Building Up the Church of Christ:

What It Is To Be A Christian?

Life B-P Church Worship Service, 4^th June 2023

Text: Acts 11:19-26

• The Bible warns against pseudo-faith: dead faith, counterfeit faith, blind faith, etc. For every spiritual grace, there is always a counterfeit (egs. Esau, Judas, Simon the sorcerer).
• It was in Antioch that these disciples of Christ were called “Christians” for the first time. Most likely, the name “Christians” was first coined by the people of Antioch, unbelievers, as a term of ridicule.

1.  A Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ

• First, a Christian is someone who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. A “Christ-IAN” is “of the party of Christ.” The one thing which characterized every one of these believers in Antioch was their faith in Jesus Christ, their belonging to Him, and so they were appropriately called “Christians.”
• Genuine Christianity involves a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The heart of the Christian faith is that one is brought into a union, into a personal and living relationship with Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour (Acts 9:11b). The whole object of Paul’s life is to KNOW Christ (Philippians 3:10).
• A genuine relationship with Jesus Christ is not merely of the head, but of the heart, not just an intellectual acceptance of the gospel, but a complete love and trust in the Person of Jesus Christ. Christianity is a heart religion (Luke 8:15). If you want to know whether your faith is authentic, test it by the place Christ occupies in your inner man, in your heart. Does Christ occupy the 1^st place in your heart and life?

2.  A Christ-like Character

• Second, a Christian is someone whose speech and conduct reflect Christ. The people of Antioch observed these disciples, took notice of them as to their conversation, conduct, and manner of life, and said, “They are Christians.” A Christian is one who is like Christ; he manifests Christlikeness.
• Our lives as they are lived and expressed are the best indicator of our relationship to Christ (Hebrews 11:1). One of the clearest signs of true conversion is that there is a noticeable change in us (2 Corinthians 5:17). Your relationship with Christ, if it is authentic, will change and transform your life so that you will desire to become more like Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:5-7; Romans 1:8).
• Faith in Christ is always manifested by our lives (James 2:17,18; Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 3:2; Matthew 5:14-16). If Jesus is real in your life, He will show! Martin Luther: “The world does not need a definition of religion as much as it needs a demonstration of religion.” Genuine faith involves a commitment to live for Christ and to be like Christ.

3.   A Witness in the World

• Third, the name “Christians” speaks of the witness we bear in and against this world. Those not themselves Christians were the first to apply the name to the followers of Christ. The lives of the believers in Antioch were noticeably distinct and different from the culture and society they lived in.
• Christians are supposed to live in a manner so visibly different from the people of this world, so that we can bear a good witness for Christ (Philippians 2:15). We are in the world to be Christ's witnesses, to testify against the unbelief of this world by our walk and testimony. Are we shaped and influenced by the world, instead of being God’s witnesses in this world?
• There is and always has been a fundamental, irreconcilable divide between the Church and the world, between Christians and non-Christians (1 John 2:15; James 4:4; Romans 12:1-2). The name “Christians,” once directed at Jesus’ followers in scorn, was embraced by them as a badge of honour, a mark of allegiance to Christ. It is a privilege to wear the name. Understood rightly, it is a glorious title. Can you say, “I am a Christian, I belong to Jesus Christ, I live for Christ, and I am a witness for Christ in this world?”

Questions for Discussion

1.  There are 2 other occasions where the word “Christian” occurs in the Bible – Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16. Examine these occasions of its NT use. What significance is attached to the name?

2.  Consider the words of Isaiah 43:7: “Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” How does it affect you to be called a “Christian” by other people?

3.  Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” How can I confess or deny Christ by my speech and life?