First Called Christians

Faithful in Antioch, Fruitful in the World

The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” 

 Acts 11:26

Scripture Reading Acts 11:19-26

In the diverse and bustling city of Antioch in Syria, something new was born. Amid persecution, believers who had been scattered began preaching not only to Jews but also to Gentiles. The Lord’s hand was with them, and “a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:21). It was here that Jesus’ followers were first called “Christians”—a name that transcended cultural and ethnic lines and marked them as people who belonged to Christ.

To nurture this young and growing church, Barnabas, a man “full of the Holy Spirit and faith,” was sent from Jerusalem. He encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord with all their hearts (v.24). Encouragement, as Eugene Peterson puts it, is “verbal sunshine”—and Barnabas became a warm and steady light in a new and vibrant community. He later brought Saul (Paul) to Antioch, and together they discipled the church for a whole year.

Their ministry bore not only spiritual fruit but practical love. When a famine was predicted, the believers responded with generosity: “Each, according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea” (v.29). This early church lived out their identity in Christ through faith, encouragement, teaching, and sacrificial giving.

This same identity would echo across centuries and continents. In Kerala, India—where my ancestors come from ancient Christian communities tracing their origins to the apostle Thomas called themselves Nasranis, from the word “Nazarene”—a biblical title for Followers of the Nazarene (Acts 24:5). Later, they also became known as Syrian Christians, not because of ethnicity, but because of their connection to the Syriac-speaking churches of the East. These believers worshiped in Syriac, followed the liturgy and theology of the Church of the East or the Antiochene tradition, and preserved an unbroken Christian witness long before Western missions arrived.

The names Christian, Syrian Christian, and Nasrani all speak of a deep and ancient truth: to bear the name of Christ is to belong to Him—and to live that out in faith, hope, love, and courage.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for calling me by Your name. Help me to live in a way that honors You. Make me an encourager like Barnabas, a faithful witness like Paul, and a generous disciple like the early church. May my life, like theirs, point others to You. Amen.