What It Means to Be a Christian

Acts 11 brings the church to Antioch, where the scattered believers keep speaking the word even after persecution over Stephen. Jesus fulfills his promise that his people will be witnesses from Jerusalem outward, and the gospel travels hundreds of miles by ordinary men and women telling others that Christ is alive. The witnesses do not merely argue like advocates. They speak as people who have been gripped by the Father’s love in Christ. The Holy Spirit gives assurance that believers are children of God, and that assurance turns cold affections into a clear witness.

Barnabas comes to Antioch, sees the grace of God, and is glad. The grace of God shows up in real people, not in fake shiny happiness, but in a countenance marked by deep-rooted gratitude and joy. Grief and lament remain godly responses to sad things, yet the fruit of the Spirit gives Christians a different kind of presence in an angry and grumpy world. Gratitude remembers that every good and perfect gift, from breath to food to salvation, comes from the Father’s hand. The grace of God makes a people whose lives give others something to consider: Christ has come, and there is joy that cannot be explained apart from him.

Antioch also receives the name Christians for the first time. The name means that these people belong to Jesus by allegiance. The world sees that they do not ultimately belong to Caesar, Herod, a political party, or any other competing power. Jesus does not come to take one seat at the boardroom table of the heart. Jesus comes to remove the other advisors and take the preeminent seat. Christianity is not merely adherence to an idea but allegiance to the risen King.

The Christians in Antioch finally show their belonging through generosity. Christ died and was raised so that his people would no longer live turned inward, trapped in the sad and claustrophobic project of living for self. The Spirit turns believers outward toward Christ, his church, and the needs of the saints. The Antioch church responds to coming famine by giving according to ability for the brothers in Judea. Grace cannot be purchased through money, but grace produces generous hearts because the rich Christ became poor so that his people might become rich in every spiritual blessing.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Witness flows from gospel assurance The Holy Spirit assures believers that they are truly loved children of the Father. That assurance does more than settle private anxiety; it gives Christians something real to say about Christ. The witness becomes clear when the heart has tasted the love it proclaims. [37:07]
• 2. Grace changes a person’s countenance The grace of God does not demand a plastic smile or deny grief. The fruit of the Spirit forms a deeper disposition of gratitude, joy, patience, and love amid real sorrow. Christians display grace when their lives make no sense apart from the goodness of God. [42:30]
• 3. Christ claims the heart’s allegiance The name Christian means belonging to Jesus. Christ does not accept a place alongside every other loyalty, identity, and desire. His kingship calls for the preeminent seat, where every lesser allegiance is brought under his rule. [50:27]
• 4. Generosity turns life outward Christ frees his people from the exhausting project of living for themselves. The church’s giving becomes an overflow of hearts changed by the generosity of God. Christian generosity serves the needs of the saints because Christ gave himself freely for sinners.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [20:55] - The Wonder of Being a Christian
• [25:14] - What Kind of People Do This?
• [28:02] - Christians First Called Christians
• [30:18] - Christians Are Witnesses
• [32:42] - Witnesses of the Risen Christ
• [35:57] - Speaking as a Witness
• [38:46] - Displayers of God’s Grace
• [40:20] - What Grace Looks Like
• [44:30] - Practicing Gratitude
• [47:11] - Belonging to Jesus
• [49:48] - Allegiance to King Jesus
• [51:47] - Christians Live Generously
• [55:20] - Giving to Meet Church Needs
• [58:20] - Christ Became Poor for Us

Bible Reading

Acts 11:19-30
“Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 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. Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.” [19:05]

2 Corinthians 8:9
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” [58:20]

Romans 8:15-16
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” [37:26]

Observation questions

1. In Acts 11:19–21, what circumstances scattered the believers, where did they travel, and whom did they speak to about Jesus? [31:25]
2. What did Barnabas see when he arrived in Antioch, and how did he respond to what he saw? [38:50]
3. What did Barnabas and Saul spend a year doing in Antioch, and what name were the disciples first given there? [47:30]
4. When the Antioch church learned of the coming famine, how did they decide to respond to the needs of believers in Judea? [51:51]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does Acts emphasize that ordinary scattered believers—not only apostles or church leaders—kept speaking about the Lord Jesus? What does this show about the identity of Christians as witnesses? [38:07]
2. Barnabas “saw the grace of God” in the Antioch believers. What kinds of visible attitudes and relationships would make God’s grace recognizable in a church without requiring people to pretend that life is easy? [42:03]
3. The name Christian identified these disciples as people who belonged to Jesus. What is the difference between agreeing with Christian ideas and giving allegiance to King Jesus? [49:26]
4. How does Christ becoming poor for his people reshape the reason Christians give? Why is generosity an overflow of grace rather than a way to earn God’s favor? [58:20]

Application questions

1. Is there someone in your daily life—at work, in your family, in your neighborhood, or among friends—who needs to hear that Jesus is alive? What would it look like to speak as a witness of Christ’s love rather than merely trying to win an argument? [36:11]
2. Where do you most often struggle to rest in the Father’s love: guilt over sin, fear of the future, comparison, doubt, or something else? How might Romans 8:15–16 help you pray for deeper assurance this week? [37:20]
3. Your countenance tells a story to others. What story has your attitude, speech, or presence been telling lately? Where do you need room for honest grief, and where might gratitude help restore joy? [41:05]
4. What are three specific gifts from the Father that you can thank him for this week, including one spiritual gift you have received in Christ? How could a regular practice of gratitude change the way you respond to frustrating circumstances? [44:40]
5. What competing loyalty most pressures you to define yourself—politics, comfort, approval, career, family expectations, money, or something else? What would it look like for allegiance to Jesus to have the preeminent place in that area? [50:27]
6. In what ways has life become overly turned inward recently? Is there a practical need in the church, among fellow believers, or in your community that you could help meet with your time, attention, resources, or hospitality? [54:01]
7. What would it look like for you to grow in generous giving with a willing heart, remembering that God’s grace is free and that Christ has already made you rich in every spiritual blessing? [58:37]