Bible Study - Acts 11

S - 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.

Acts 11:25–26 ESV

O - Commentary:
Jesus’ disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. The ending “-ian” means “belonging to the party of”; thus “Christians” were those of Jesus’ party. The word “Christians” is used only two other times in the New Testament: in 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16. The significance of the name, emphasized by the word order in the Greek text, is that people recognized Christians as a distinct group. The church was more and more being separated from Judaism.

Stanley D. Toussaint, "Acts,".%0a~Jesus%E2%80%99+disciples+wer) in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 383.

A - Two things stand out here.

First, Barnabas goes looking for Saul. He doesn't wait for Saul to show up. He tracks him down and pulls him into the work. A full year of teaching, side by side. That's not an accident — that's Barnabas choosing partnership over solo ministry. You can do this alone. But you were never meant to. Gifts multiply in unity. Iron sharpens iron because iron shows up.

Second, a name gets born in Antioch: Christian. "Belonging to the party of Christ." That's not just a label — that's an identity. A line in the sand between who you were and who you now belong to. The world was watching close enough to notice something different and give it a name.

Same question lands on us today. Does your life carry that kind of identity? Does it say, clearly, "I belong to Him"?

R - Heavenly Father, You are the Christ. Jesus is our Lord, and we claim that identity today. Thank You for every gift that flows from knowing You. Strengthen us to walk boldly in Your purpose and character, and let the way we love others make it unmistakably clear whose we are.