Christian: A Nickname from Antioch Text: Acts 11:19-26
Introduction: The Right Kind of Wildfire
We live in an age that is deeply suspicious of institutions, and at the same time, deeply terrified of chaos. In the church, this manifests itself in two opposing errors. On the one hand, you have the institutionalists, the denominational bureaucrats, who want every move of the Spirit to be pre-approved in triplicate by the appropriate committee. Their goal is control, and their fruit is often a tidy, respectable, and thoroughly dead orthodoxy. On the other hand, you have the enthusiasts, who chase every supposed wildfire of the Spirit, mistaking emotional fervor for genuine revival. Their goal is freedom, and their fruit is often a chaotic, formless, and doctrinally vacuous sentimentality.
The book of Acts, and this passage in particular, presents us with a third way. It shows us God's pattern for kingdom expansion. It is a wildfire, yes, but it is a holy wildfire. It begins outside the established channels, prompted by the sovereign chaos of persecution. But it does not remain chaotic. It is quickly identified, encouraged, and brought under the careful, doctrinal cultivation of wise leadership. It is the perfect marriage of Spirit-led spontaneity and apostolic order.
What happened in Antioch was a pivotal moment in the history of the world. This was the launching pad for the mission to the Gentiles. This was the place where the church began to look like what God intended it to be: a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. And it was here that we got our name. The name "Christian" was not invented by a marketing team in Jerusalem. It was a nickname, likely a derogatory one, slapped on the disciples by the pagans of Antioch. But it was a name that stuck, because it was true. It was a name earned through a radical, Christ-centered identity that was forged by sound teaching. This passage shows us how that identity was built, and in so doing, it provides a timeless blueprint for the church in every age.
The Text
So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. Now the news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch, who, when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and began to encourage them all with a purposeful heart to remain true to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a considerable crowd was brought to the Lord. And he left for Tarsus to search for Saul; and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it happened that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a considerable crowd. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
(Acts 11:19-26 LSB)
Providential Scattershot (vv. 19-21)
The story begins with the unintended consequences of persecution.
"So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone." (Acts 11:19 LSB)
Notice the engine of this missionary movement: persecution. The enemies of the church, in their attempt to stamp out the fire in Jerusalem, succeeded only in scattering the embers all over the world. This is the beautiful irony of God's sovereignty. He uses the wrath of man to praise Him. The devil and his instruments intended to destroy the church, but God used their malice as the very means to fulfill the Great Commission. The church in Jerusalem was perhaps growing a bit too comfortable, a bit too settled. So God, in His wisdom, allowed the hornet's nest to be kicked, and the believers were scattered.
Their initial impulse was conservative. They spoke the word "to no one except to Jews alone." This was the safe, established pattern. It was not wrong, but it was incomplete. The gospel was for the Jew first, but also for the Greek. God's plan was bigger than their comfort zone.
"But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord." (Acts 11:20-21 LSB)
Here is the breakthrough. It did not come from a formal decree from the apostles. It came from "some of them," nameless, ordinary believers. These were not apostles; they were refugees. But they were faithful men who understood that the good news of a crucified and risen Lord was too good to keep to themselves. They broke protocol. They crossed an ethnic and cultural barrier that was, for them, as significant as the Berlin Wall. They began speaking to the Greeks.
And what was the result of this unsanctioned innovation? "The hand of the Lord was with them." This is the ultimate validation. It is not about whether the mission plan was approved by the home office. It is about whether God's power is present. When the gospel is preached, and a large number of people genuinely repent and believe, that is the signature of the Holy Spirit. That is God's "amen." The proof of their faithfulness was in the fruit of conversions.
Wise Oversight (vv. 22-24)
News of this irregular and explosive revival travels back to headquarters.
"Now the news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch..." (Acts 11:22 LSB)
This was a critical moment. The Jerusalem church could have responded with suspicion and fear. They could have sent ecclesiastical policemen to shut down this unauthorized Gentile mission. This is what institutions often do when something new and powerful springs up outside their direct control. But in the wisdom of God, they sent the right man for the job. They sent Barnabas, whose name means "son of encouragement."
And Barnabas lived up to his name. When he arrived, he did not conduct a procedural audit. He conducted a spiritual assessment. And what did he see? He "saw the grace of God." He had the spiritual discernment to recognize a genuine work of God when it was right in front of him. He did not see a threat to his authority; he saw the triumph of God's grace. And because he saw rightly, he responded rightly. He "rejoiced." A man of God rejoices when God is at work, regardless of who gets the credit.
His first pastoral act was not to correct, but to encourage. He urged them "with a purposeful heart to remain true to the Lord." He knew that a great beginning is not enough. The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. The same grace that saves us is the grace that must sustain us. Luke then gives us the reason Barnabas was the right man: "for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith." His character determined his ministry. Because he was a good man, filled with the Spirit, he could see what the Spirit was doing. And the result was that his ministry fanned the flames, and "a considerable crowd was brought to the Lord."
Humble Partnership (vv. 25-26a)
Barnabas's wisdom is displayed not only in what he did, but in what he did next. He recognized that the harvest was too great for one man.
"And he left for Tarsus to search for Saul; and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch." (Acts 11:25-26a LSB)
This is a remarkable act of humility and foresight. Barnabas was the leader on the ground. He had the approval of Jerusalem. But he knew that God had gifted another man, Saul of Tarsus, in a unique way for this very work. Saul was the apostle to the Gentiles in waiting. He was brilliant, zealous, and at this point, likely languishing in obscurity back in his hometown. Lesser men would have seen Saul as a rival, a threat. Barnabas saw him as a partner, a gift from God for the church. So he went on a recruiting mission. He set aside his own ego and sought out the man God had prepared for the hour. This is the mark of a true leader: he is more concerned with the success of the mission than with his own prominence.
He found Saul and brought him to Antioch. And together, they formed one of the most powerful ministry teams in the history of the world. This is God's design for the church. Not a collection of lone-ranger superstars, but a fellowship of saints, working together, leveraging their diverse gifts for the glory of God and the building of His church.
The Defining Identity (v. 26b)
What did this dynamic duo do? They did not launch a series of flashy events. They settled in for the hard, patient work of teaching.
"And it happened that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a considerable crowd. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." (Acts 11:26b LSB)
For a full year, the foundation of the Antioch church was the systematic teaching of the Word of God. Revival fire is sustained by doctrinal fuel. Without sound teaching, a church will burn out on emotionalism or drift into heresy. Barnabas and Saul knew that the only way for these new believers to "remain true to the Lord" was for them to know the Lord, to understand His Word, and to have their minds renewed by His truth.
And the result of this intensive, year-long discipleship was a new identity. The pagan world around them looked at this strange new community, this multi-ethnic group of Jews and Greeks who worshipped a crucified Nazarene as Lord, and they needed a label for them. So they called them Christianoi, Christians. It was likely a term of contempt, a bit of street slang. It meant "partisans of Christ," or "little Christs." It was the equivalent of calling someone a "Trumper" or a "Marxist" today. It was a way of branding them and dismissing them.
But the name stuck, because it was accurate. The teaching of Barnabas and Saul was so Christ-centered, and the lives of the disciples were so Christ-saturated, that even their enemies could not help but associate them completely with Jesus Christ. They did not name themselves. They were named by what the world saw in them. Their identity was not in their ethnicity, their social class, or their personal preferences. Their identity was Christ. And the world noticed.
Conclusion: Earning the Name
The story of the church in Antioch is the story of how the gospel is supposed to work. It begins with the sovereign, sometimes disruptive, move of the Spirit through the bold witness of ordinary believers. It is then confirmed and nurtured by wise, discerning, and joyful leadership. That leadership is humble enough to seek out help and build partnerships. And it is all consolidated and made durable by the deep, patient, and systematic teaching of the Word of God.
The result of this process is a people whose identity is unmistakable. A people who live and breathe and talk and think in such a way that the world has no choice but to name them after Jesus Christ. The question for us is simple. Is our identity in Christ that obvious? If the name "Christian" did not exist, and the world had to invent a name for us based on our loves, our loyalties, and our lives, what would they call us? Would they call us Americans? Republicans? Democrats? Consumers? Hobbyists?
Or would they look at us, at our strange love for one another, our unwavering commitment to the truth, our joyful submission to our Lord, and be forced to conclude, in derision or in wonder, "Those people are all about Christ." May God grant us the grace to be a church that earns its name.