Christians...

Title: “Christians…”

Text: Acts 11:19–26

Introduction:

I’ve been thinking—always a dangerous thing for a Baptist preacher, I know—but what does it really mean to be a Christian?

Is it walking an aisle?

Shaking a preacher’s hand?

Maybe it’s when you get baptized?

(Though I’ve seen some folks go into the baptistry as dry sinners and come out as wet ones.)

The word Christian gets thrown around quite a bit. But in Acts 11, we’re told about the first time followers of Jesus were actually called Christians. And it wasn’t a self-appointed title—it was something others saw in them.

So, what was it that made people in Antioch look at this group and say, “Now that’s a Christian”?

Let’s take a look.

[Read Acts 11:19–26]

I. Christians Inform Others About Jesus (vv. 19–21)

At first, the message of Jesus was kept “in-house,” so to speak.

Verse 19 tells us they were speaking the word to Jews alone.

Why just the Jews?

Simply put, they didn’t know any better. Their faith was still in its infancy.

They were probably thinking, “Jesus was Jewish, the disciples were Jewish, we’re Jewish—makes sense, right?”

They hadn’t yet grasped that the gospel doesn’t respect ethnic or cultural boundaries.

But then something incredible happened.

Verse 20: Some brave souls from Cyprus and Cyrene started sharing Jesus with Greeks—non-Jews.

These believers had grown in their understanding of the gospel’s inclusiveness.

And look at the result in verse 21:

“And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.”

This is a reminder: Christians are not secret agents. If you’re saved, it should be hard for the people around you not to know it.

II. Christians Inspire Others in Their Faith (vv. 22–24)

Word got back to Jerusalem about what was happening in Antioch.

The church in Jerusalem, being sort of the home office for the early church, sends Barnabas to check it out.

Maybe they were skeptical—“Gentiles? Coming to Christ? Without our help? We’d better look into this.”

Or maybe they were just trying to be good stewards of doctrine and unity. Either way, Barnabas was the man for the job.

And what did he find?

Verse 23 says he witnessed the grace of God and rejoiced.

He didn’t care that he hadn’t personally led these folks to Christ.

He wasn’t bitter that someone else was having success in ministry.

He celebrated that the lost were being saved.

Now that’s a rare spirit. Most of us struggle not to compete with the church down the road, much less rejoice when they’re growing faster.

Barnabas was an encourager. That’s literally what his name means.

He exhorted them to stay true to the Lord with a devoted heart.

And because of his encouragement and leadership, even more people came to Christ.

This is what happens when believers stop comparing ministries and start inspiring each other.

III. Christians Invest Their Lives in Others (vv. 25–26)

Barnabas recognized something vital: this work in Antioch was too big for one man.

So, what did he do? He went to look for Paul.

Now, this wasn’t a quick text or email—it was a journey. Barnabas was intentional.

He knew Paul was called to minister to Gentiles.

He knew Paul was uniquely gifted for teaching and discipleship.

And he knew this growing body of believers needed depth, not just zeal.

Together, Barnabas and Paul spent a whole year with the church in Antioch.

They didn’t just hold a weekend revival and move on.

They planted roots.

They taught. They discipled. They worshipped.

They invested their lives into the lives of others.

And somewhere along the way—verse 26 tells us—the community around them began to call them Christians.

Not because they wore name tags. Not because they had T-shirts that said “Team Jesus.”

But because their lives looked like Jesus.

Conclusion:

The world gave them a name—Christians—because they were clearly Christ’s people.

So, let me ask you something simple this morning:

If someone watched your life this week—just the past 7 days—would they recognize you as a Christian?

Not by your bumper sticker. Not by your church attendance.

But by the way you talk. The way you love. The way you forgive. The way you live.

Have you become a new creation—or are you just a better-dressed version of the old you?

Deep in your heart, you already know the answer.

And if today you realize you’ve been wearing the label of Christian without the life of one—why not change that?

Come to Christ. He’ll do the rest.