His Name: Receiving and Bearing the Name of Christ

The name Christian is more than a church label or something worn on a T shirt. Acts 11 shows believers scattered by persecution, carrying the good news from place to place, and the Lord’s hand bringing great numbers to faith. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch because people could see that they belonged to Christ. Christian means a follower of the Anointed One, a person whose life is now tied to Jesus.

The gospel begins with the fact that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Sin brings death and separation from God, but God did not leave people stuck there. Christ died for sin while people were still sinners, and eternal life comes as God’s gift in Christ Jesus. Faith means personally declaring that Jesus is Lord and believing that God raised Him from the dead. Nobody gets to heaven on the strength of someone else’s faith, religious family history, church attendance, or good intentions.

The new birth happens on the inside. Christ takes sin at the cross and gives His righteousness to the person who receives Him. The Holy Spirit joins with the human spirit, marks the believer with His seal, and makes that person a new creation. The old is gone and the new has come, even though memories of the old life may still hang around. God does not call people to let their past define their future when Christ has made them new.

Religious activity can look right on the outside while missing the heart altogether. The Lord’s Prayer can be said from memory without being prayed, and a person can sit in church for years without personally receiving Jesus. The name of Christ is not an outside brand, like a cap, jumper, surname, or cattle mark. The name is carried on the inside because the believer belongs to Him.

The name of Christ also makes believers His ambassadors. Christ’s aroma comes from within, not from trying hard to look Christian or spraying religious perfume over the old pig smell. The believer does not need to try to be a Christian, because receiving Christ brings a new nature. Christ’s life starts seeping out in conversation, character, and witness. The cross becomes the new coat of arms: still carrying an earthly surname on the outside, but made completely new on the inside.

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Christian means belonging personally to Christ [49:42] The name Christian first identified people whose allegiance had plainly shifted to Jesus. Churchgoing alone cannot produce that identity, because the name comes through believing in Christ. A believer carries a history that reaches back to Antioch, where ordinary people became known by the One they followed. [49:42]
• 2. New birth is an inside change [55:39] Christ does not merely improve habits, polish behaviour, or add religion to an existing life. His Spirit joins with the believer’s spirit and creates something new at the deepest level. The old patterns may try to call a person back, but they no longer have the right to define who that person is. [55:39]
• 3. Religion cannot replace receiving Jesus [01:03:15] Religious words, routines, and attendance can be real blessings when they flow from faith. Religious activity becomes empty when it substitutes for personally trusting Christ. Jesus remains the way, the truth, and the life, and no inherited faith can take another person through that door. [63:15]
• 4. Christ’s aroma should seep out naturally [01:07:49] Christ’s ambassadors do not need to manufacture a Christian image. The new life within them carries the pleasing aroma of Christ into ordinary rooms, ordinary conversations, and even difficult relationships. Witness grows as believers remember who they already are rather than striving to look like somebody else. [67:49]
• 5. The cross becomes a new coat of arms [01:11:26] Family names tell a story about earthly heritage, but the cross declares a deeper belonging. Christ gives His name, His righteousness, and His identity to those who receive Him. The believer may remain the same person outwardly, yet stands before God as someone made new.
  
  ## [71:26]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [39:42] - Branded Clothes and Allegiance
• [42:29] - Surnames, Heritage, and Identity
• [47:47] - Christians First Called at Antioch
• [50:50] - Receiving His Name
• [52:12] - Saved From Sin and Separation
• [54:30] - The Need to Be Born Again
• [57:01] - Christ Takes Sin and Gives Righteousness
• [60:08] - Bearing the Name of Jesus
• [63:15] - Religion Without a Changed Heart
• [65:31] - Christ’s Ambassadors and Aroma
• [69:26] - Witnessing Through Everyday Life
• [71:26] - The Cross as a New Coat of Arms
• [72:25] - Invitation to Receive Jesus

Bible Reading

Acts 11:26 — “and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” [49:42]

Romans 3:23 — “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” [51:45]

2 Corinthians 5:17 — “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” [01:04:45]

John 3:3 — “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” [54:30]

2 Corinthians 5:20 — “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” [01:05:49]

Observation questions

1. In Acts 11, what was happening in Antioch and surrounding places that led people to notice the disciples and call them Christians? [47:50]
2. According to Romans 3:23, what is true of every person before God, regardless of family background, church history, or good intentions? [51:45]
3. What two parts of being “born again” stand out in John 3:3 and the description of Christ taking sin and giving righteousness? [57:01]
4. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, what words describe the believer’s old life and new life? How does this differ from simply improving behaviour on the outside? [01:04:45]

Interpretation questions

1. The disciples were called Christians because their allegiance to Jesus had become clear. What does this show about the difference between merely attending church and personally belonging to Christ? [50:19]
2. Jesus says that a person must be born again to see the kingdom of God. Why is another person’s faith—a parent’s, spouse’s, or church community’s—unable to replace personal faith in Jesus? [54:30]
3. If a person is made a new creation in Christ, how should that person understand memories, regrets, and old labels that still try to define them? [01:04:58]
4. Paul calls believers Christ’s ambassadors. What might it look like for God to make His appeal through a person’s everyday character, words, and relationships rather than through a carefully manufactured religious image? [01:07:49]

Application questions

1. When people hear the word Christian, what do they usually think it means? How could you explain simply that a Christian is someone who has personally received and follows Jesus? [50:42]
2. Is there any part of your faith that has become more like a routine than a real response to Jesus—perhaps prayer, singing, church attendance, or Bible reading? What could help you bring your heart back into it? [01:03:15]
3. Have you personally trusted Jesus as Lord, believing that He died for your sin and rose again? If you have, what helps you remain confident that your salvation rests on Christ rather than your own efforts? [52:12]
4. What old memory, failure, habit, or label most often tries to tell you who you are? How does “the old has passed away; behold, the new has come” speak into that specific area? [01:05:04]
5. Where do you most feel pressure to “look Christian” or prove yourself spiritually? What might change if you remembered that Christ has already made you new on the inside? [01:08:03]
6. Think of one ordinary place you will be this week—home, work, school, sport, or a social setting. How could the aroma of Christ show through you there in a natural and genuine way? [01:10:03]
7. Is there someone in your life who has made it clear that they do not want to discuss faith? What would it look like to be a gracious ambassador for Christ with that person while still being honest about your relationship with Jesus? [01:09:30]