It is a clear, biblical
truth that is very basic, liberating, and exciting! In fact, it underlies
everything we are and do as God’s people. Yet it can also be difficult
to maintain and explain, especially in our confused, divided religious world.
It is the idea that we
can be and must be just Christians.
That’s it!
How blessed we are to
wear the name of Jesus Christ!
When those among us repented
of our sins and were baptized for the forgiveness of our sins, the Lord gave us
that name. He added us to the body of Christ, the family of God, the church of
God, the church of Christ, as described and defined in the New Testament. That’s
all we became, all we are, and all we ever will be – just Christians.
“Christian?” What’s that?
Let’s go back to where it all started and let the original Christians speak for
themselves.
Let’s see what
happened in Acts 26, when Paul was on trial before the Roman governor Festus
and the Jewish king Herod Agrippa II.
First and Always – Christ
As we outline the
chapter, we note that it’s all about Christ.
26:1-11 Paul’s Opposition to Christ
26:12-18 Paul’s Encounter with Christ
26:19-23 Paul’s Message about Christ
He had to suffer and
rise.
He would proclaim
light.
26:24 Festus: “Paul, you’re smart but crazy!”
26:25-27 Paul: “Agrippa knows and believes!”
From “Christ” – to
“Christian”
Now let’s consider the
conversation that followed.
Ac 26:28 Agrippa replied to
Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.”
29 And Paul said, “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long
time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such
as I am, except for these chains.”
Paul pled with Agrippa
to become only what he himself was – a Christian. If he had, the Lord
would have added him to His same one church as all the disciples. He would have
followed the apostles’ inspired teaching regarding faith, worship, and service.
That’s all we aim to be and to do!
Let’s ask some simple
yet profound questions.
What did Paul try to
get Agrippa II to become?
Just what Paul himself
was (except for his chains) – a Christian.
If he had said yes,
what would he have done?
He would have confessed
Christ, repented and been baptized for the forgiveness of his sins.
At that point, what
would the Lord have done?
He would have forgiven
him and granted him the gift of the Holy Spirit.
To what would the Lord
have added Agrippa?
To the body of
believers, the congregation of Christians, the church belonging to Christ.
Which church would
that be? With whom?
There was only one body
(church), just as there was only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, etc. (Eph
4:1-6)
What would he have
been taught to believe?
The apostles’
doctrine, as given to them by the Holy Spirit.
How would he have
worshipped and lived?
According to the
teaching given to the early church.
How important was the
name of Christ in the NT?
“The Name of Jesus
Christ”
The frequency in Acts
is overwhelming.
2:21, 38 Call on,
repent and be baptized (---).
3:6, 16; 4:7-18
Crippled beggar healed (---).
4:12 No other name by
which we must be saved.
4:17 Forbidden to
speak in this name.
5:27-28, 40-41
Teaching, suffering shame (---).
8:12 Kingdom of God,
name of Jesus Christ.
Name That Name!
9:14-16 Saul / Paul to
bear My Name to Gentiles.
10:43, 48 Forgiveness,
baptism (---).
11:26 Disciples called
“Christians” first in Antioch.
19:17 (---) was being
magnified.
21:13 Paul ready to
die (---).
22:16 Baptized – wash
away sins – calling (---).
26:9 Before
conversion, Paul was hostile to (---).
Our Simple Plea
Let’s teach what they
taught …
Believe what they
believed …
Do what they did …
Be added to what they
were added to …
Worship as they
worshiped …
And be what they were.
Just Christians.
Let’s Be Clear
“Churches of Christ”
(Ro 16:16) – “congregations of Christians,” as the church is defined in the NT.
Jesus said, “I will
build My church” (Mt 16:18).
We can be Christians,
added by God to that same one church that belongs to Christ, without joining
anything man-made!
We must stick to NT
teaching, pure and simple.
We must offer its pure
message to the world.
Not, “Follow us,” but,
“Together let’s follow Jesus Christ!”
The fact is that, when
some people hear “church of Christ,” they think it refers to some man-made
body, with its own creeds and doctrines. They will ask about “church-of Christ doctrine.”
Sometimes I hear a
person say, “I’m church-of-Christ.” Some will mention a “Church-of-Christ
preacher, church, program, preschool, university,” etc.
Such language would
have been foreign to those in the first-century church. In fact, “church of
Christ” is never used as a denominational name in the Bible. It is simply one
designation given in the New Testament to describe the body of Christ.
Instead of using “church
of Christ” in that way, how can we biblically answer the question, “What’s your
religion?”
I might say, “I’m a
Christian, working with a thriving non-denominational congregation of
Christians seeking to follow the faith, teaching, and practice of the
first-century church. We wear the name of Christ, and so we are part of the body
of Christ or church of Christ that we read about in the Bible.”
If I am asked, “What
does your church believe about ___?” or, “What does the church of Christ
believe about ___?” I will change the question and ask, “Could we study what
the Bible says about that? After all, that’s all that really matters.”
Let’s Reject Man’s
Names & Claims
Man’s names reflect
human founders, specific doctrines, church structures or methodologies, types
of theology, scope, or targeted communities. Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist,
Reformed, Catholic, and Community are among these terms. In addition, some
churches have trendy names that forego all “religious” terms entirely.
I found a website
titled, “What Should I Call My Church? Best Practices for Naming Your Church.”
It noted that there are actual churches called Rhythm Church, Pulse Church,
Beat Church, and Dynamic Church. Of course there are many more with “cutting-edge”
names. In fact, there is a church called the “Edge Church.”
Recently on a
neighborhood website someone was looking for a church. Others responded by
saying, “I belong to _____ Church. You should come to our church because …” The
great majority of those responses omitted any mention of Jesus Christ. What a
contrast that is to the message of the New Testament.
By definition
non-biblical names and claims are …
non-biblical names and
claims.
… and they minimize or
omit the name above all names: Jesus Christ!
Also, a church named
for a biblical doctrine must obviously omit other important but less appealing doctrines.
One may often see a “Grace Church” but perhaps never see a “Repentance Church,”
though both are vital parts of the gospel message.
Let’s Heed God’s Prohibition
The problem started very
early. Christians in Corinth began to divide the one body of Christ, wearing
the names of men. They distinguished themselves from each other based on their
preacher preferences.
Note the very strong
rejection of such behavior.
1 Co 1:10 Now I exhort you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that
there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind
and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my
brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I
mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,”
and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Paul
was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
According to
Scripture, the church or body of Christ must not be divided. One should wear
the name, not of Paul, but of the One who was crucified to save us, the One in
whose name we were baptized.
That’s the name of
Jesus Christ!
If Paul forbade others
to wear his name … how opposed we must be to any name that adds to,
detracts from, minimizes, or removes the name of Jesus Christ!
Because We Wear
Christ’s Name
We Sing Christ’s Praise.
We Remember Christ’s Cross.
We Preach Christ’s Word.
We Pray for Christ’s Glory.
We Give for Christ’s Cause.
as directed by nothing
but the Word of God.
Maybe Reviled, but Never
Ashamed!
We find the “name of
Christ” and “Christian” again in 1 Peter.
1 Pe 4:14 If you are reviled
for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and
of God rests on you. 15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a
murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; 16 but if
anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to
glorify God in this name.
The Offer Still
Stands!
As at the beginning,
so it is today.
Ac 2:38 Peter said to them,
“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Ac 2:40 … he kept on
exhorting them …
Ac 2:41 So then, those who
had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three
thousand souls.
Will you accept that
invitation?
I am a Christian. You
can be, too!
