What It Means to Be Christ’s People

A church does not measure faithfulness by how many years it survives, but by whether its people are trying to follow Jesus today, next week, and next year. First Methodist Monroe, Saint Andrews, and Foundry carry a shared legacy because ordinary people kept asking how they could be faithful followers of Christ in their own day. The name Christian began in Antioch as an insult, “those Christ people,” but the believers received it because that was exactly what they were. The name Methodist began much the same way, describing people who took Scripture, small groups, and disciplined faith seriously enough for others to notice.

Christ people first say, “I belong to Christ.” The resurrection makes that claim more than a private preference or a helpful set of teachings. If Jesus was God in the flesh, died, was buried, and rose again, then everybody has to grapple with what that means. Christ’s lordship will eventually confront money, forgiveness, enemies, ambition, pride, politics, prejudices, and relationships. A follower does not ask Jesus to move toward personal preferences. A follower moves toward Jesus.

God’s purchase of salvation gives belonging its deepest meaning. Christ took the curse so that sinners could receive his blessing, and that high price means, “You do not belong to yourself.” The Christian life therefore becomes a continual surrender of the heart’s stubborn desire to do what it wants, when it wants, and how it wants.

Christ people also belong to Christ’s people. The believers in Antioch heard about famine in Judea and sent relief because the church is not a convenient collection of independent individuals. Paul says that Christ’s body belongs to one another. The faith family becomes a real family, where presence, a smile, a handshake, generosity, and encouragement matter for the good of others. Church cannot remain merely a place to ask, “What can I get today?” It becomes a people asking how they can strengthen the ones around them.

Christ people finally belong to Christ’s mission. Antioch became a sending church not because famous apostles did all the work, but because regular believers told Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. The mission of Christ is not an extracurricular activity for professionals. Christ sends his people across the world or across the street, toward the neighbor in front of them, the person nobody notices, the workplace, the school, and the hard conversation. A life that bears Christ’s name faithfully remains available for his purposes.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Christ’s people belong to Christ first. [00:46:10] Christ’s lordship becomes real when his commands cut across personal desires. Forgiveness, money, ambition, and relationships all reveal whether allegiance belongs to self or to Jesus. Following Christ means moving toward him when disagreement comes, not asking him to adjust to personal preferences. [46:10]
• 2. The resurrection demands an honest response. [00:42:58] Christianity cannot be reduced to one private preference among many if Jesus truly rose from the dead. The resurrection establishes the identity and authority of Christ himself. Intellectual honesty therefore requires more than admiring Jesus; it requires deciding what will be done with him. [42:58]
• 3. Christ’s body belongs to one another. [00:52:14] Church is not simply a place chosen for convenience, preference, or personal benefit. The presence and encouragement of each believer strengthens the whole body in ways that are often unseen. Faith matures when belonging shifts from “What can I get?” to “How can I help these people stand?” [52:14]
• 4. Christ’s mission belongs to ordinary believers. [00:58:09] Antioch was shaped by unnamed believers whose lives had been changed by Jesus. Christ does not reserve his mission for apostles, clergy, or unusually gifted people. A clear calling begins with loving the neighbor already in front of them through prayer, attention, generosity, and honest witness. [58:09]
• 5. A faithful life must bear Christ’s name. [01:04:43] Christian beliefs can be affirmed while surrender, community, and mission are still resisted. The harder question is whether the actual shape of a life makes “Christ person” a fitting name. Christ’s name is borne faithfully through allegiance to him, love for his people, and availability for his work.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [29:30] - Celebrating 200 Years of Faithfulness
• [31:43] - Becoming People of Christ
• [32:35] - The First Christians in Antioch
• [34:33] - Why Methodists Received Their Name
• [36:46] - I Belong to Christ
• [39:14] - Is Christianity Exclusively True?
• [42:58] - The Resurrection Changes Everything
• [45:40] - When Jesus Disagrees With You
• [49:50] - I Belong to Christ’s People
• [52:14] - The Church as Christ’s Body
• [56:30] - I Belong to Christ’s Mission
• [58:09] - Ordinary Believers and a Sending Church
• [62:21] - Available for Christ’s Purposes
• [64:10] - Would “Christ Person” Fit?

Bible Reading

Acts 11:26
“When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)” [32:35]

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” [48:57]

Romans 12:5
“so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” [52:06]

Observation questions

1. In Acts 11:26, where were followers of Jesus first called Christians, and what did that name communicate about them? [32:35]
2. According to 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, what reason is given for why believers do not belong to themselves? [48:57]
3. What response did the believers in Antioch make when they learned that fellow Christians in Judea were facing famine? [50:42]
4. In Romans 12:5, what two truths are held together about believers as members of Christ’s body? [52:06]

Interpretation questions

1. Why might the believers in Antioch have received the name “Christ people,” even though it began as an insult? What kind of life would make that name believable?
2. How does being “bought with a price” reshape a believer’s understanding of personal freedom, choices, and surrender to Jesus? [49:06]
3. Romans 12:5 says believers belong to one another. What does this mean beyond simply attending the same church service or sharing similar beliefs? [55:05]
4. The Antioch church was strengthened and spread by unnamed, ordinary believers. Why is it important that Christ’s mission is not limited to pastors, missionaries, or unusually gifted Christians? [58:09]

Application questions

1. Where does following Jesus most clearly challenge personal preferences right now—perhaps in money, forgiveness, relationships, ambition, pride, or the way someone views others? What would moving toward Jesus look like in that area? [46:39]
2. It is possible to agree with Christian beliefs while still resisting surrender to Christ. What are some signs that a person may be organizing life around self rather than around Jesus? [01:04:24]
3. Think about the people in this church family. Who might be strengthened this week by a specific act of presence, encouragement, hospitality, prayer, or practical help?
4. When attending church, is the first question usually “What can I get?” or “How can I help someone else stand strong?” What is one simple way to come ready to encourage another person? [55:58]
5. Who is the neighbor already in front of you—a coworker, classmate, family member, overlooked person, or someone with whom there is a difficult conversation? What would it look like to love that person in a practical way this week? [01:02:21]
6. Are your calendar, resources, abilities, and plans available for Christ’s purposes? Is there one area where you sense an invitation to make more room for his mission? [01:03:21]