Don't Call Me a Christian
If you're a believer, don't call me a Christian. Now that I have your attention, let me elaborate on that statement. I'm currently reading through a Bible Reading Plan called "For the Love of God" and one of my scheduled readings today was in Acts 11. At the end of Acts 11:26 we read, " And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians ." (ESV) Now I've read that verse numerous times, but have you ever wondered why we don't see the label "Christian" used more often in the New Testament? In our world today, we hear that term used all the time, but we find it used only three times in the New Testament: here in Acts 11:26, in Acts 26:28, and finally in I Peter 4:16. In each of those places it is a term used by unbelievers to label disciples of Jesus. In Antioch, the disciples were labeled as Christians by the unbelievers in that area. In Acts 26:28, King Agrippa (an unbeliever) asked Paul if he was trying to persuade him to b