“What’s in a Name?”

Acts 11:19-26

A. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet said, “What's in a name? that
      which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” She wasn’t supposed
      to like someone who was a Montague—the enemies of her family. So she
      downplayed the importance of a name.

1. Names do matter. Sometimes a person brings shame to their name and then other
people who have the same name have to live with the association.

a. Imagine if you lived in Pennsylvania and your name was Jerry Sandusky after
the Penn State scandal.

b. Imagine if your name was Timothy McVeigh after the Oklahoma City
bombing.

c. Remember figure shaker Tonya Harding? She married a man named “Jeff

                Gillooly.” They divorced. In order to rid himself of his famous name, he had
                his name changed to Jeff Stone. Other men with that name protested it at the
              time.

d. I used to like to point out that Bill Cosby and I share the same birthday. Not so
much anymore.

B. Sometimes when you try to defend the name “Christian” as the name God’s people

should wear, people say, “Names aren’t important.”

1. When someone mispronounces your name, is your name important then?

2. Does it matter whose name is on a check? I bought a used car recently, and the

bank told me they wouldn’t cash the check unless it was endorsed exactly the way
the name was written.

3. When it comes to prescriptions, does it matter whose name is on the prescription?

One time, I had a friend who did something he should not have done with a

prescription. He took a blank prescription from a doctor’s office and filled it in and
signed the doctor’s name for pain medication. The pharmacy called the doctor

and at that point what’s in a name made a difference.

C. As we read the Bible, names make a difference to God.

1. Many times in Scripture when a man would undertake a task for the Lord, the

Lord would give him a new name. Abram became Abraham, Jacob became Israel,

Hoshea became Joshua, Simon became Peter, Saul was called Paul.

2. When Joseph and Mary found out about Mary’s divine pregnancy, God did not

allow them to name the baby, but said, “His name shall be called “Jesus”.

3. In our text, Luke tells us at Antioch, the followers of the Lord were first called

“Christians.”

D. Let’s note three truths about the name Christian.

I. WAS DIVINELY GIVEN BY GOD NOT MEN.

A. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah predicted that God’s people would receive a new
name.

     1. Is. 56:5 “To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, and a
          name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name
          which will not be cut off.”

     2. Is. 62:1-2 “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will
          not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation
          like a torch that is burning. The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings
          your glory; and you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord
          will designate.” (This prophecy is looking to the establishment of the church.)

B. Acts 11:26 says, “the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.”

1. The word “called” is “chreematisai” is used other places in the New Testament is
mostly used to mean “called by God.”

a. Matt. 2:12 “And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to
Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.” (wise men)

b. Luke 2:26 “And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would
not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” (Simeon)

2. What’s the point? It is most likely that Paul and Barnabas were directed by God to
give the name “Christian” to the church at Antioch. Not a nickname by enemies.

C. It is fair to ask, if this name Christian was prophesied in Old Testament, why wasn’t it
used in Acts 2 when the church began instead of Acts 11 ten years or more later?

1. The Antioch church was the first church where Jews and Gentiles alike were
assembled in one congregation.

2. It was not used until the church had both Jews and Gentiles in the fellowship.

D. The name “Christian” is used three times in the New Testament.

1. Here in Acts 11:26, in Acts 26:28 “In a short time, you will persuade me to

become a Christian.” 1 Pet. 4:16 “If anyone suffers as a Christian.”

2. Why do we want to be called just Christians? Because that is the name God gave

us. It is as old as the New Testament.

The name Christian…

II. IT IS CONFIRMED BY HISTORICAL REFERENCES.

A. We have reliable history that further validates that the name Christian was the name

in which the early church was identified.

1. In about A.D. 109/110 we have some letters from Pliny who was the governor

of Bithynia (I Pet. 1:1) to Trajan who was the Roman Emperor. Pliny said, “I was

never present at any trial of Christians; therefore I do not know what limits are

observed.” “I ask them if they are Christians, if they admit it I repeat the question

a second and a third time, threatening capital punishment; If they persist I sentence

them to death.” Pliny/Trajan letters

In February of A.D. 155 a man named Polycarp was asked to recant his faith in

Smyrna. Polycarp said, “If you vainly suppose I will answer by the genius of

Caesar and pretend you are ignorant of who I am listen plainly, I am a Christian

and if you wish to learn the doctrine of Christianity fix a day and Listen.”

(Martyrdom of Polycarp 11; Eusebius, History v.i,19)

3. Josephus the ancient historian said of Jesus, “for he appeared to them alive again

the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other

wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him,

are not extinct at this day.” (Josephus, Antiquities, Book 18, chp. 3, section 3)

a. We have Pliny persecuting people he called Christians, we have Polycarp

identifying himself as a Christian, and we have Josephus attaching the name

Christian to the followers of the resurrected Christ outside the Bible in the first

125 years of the church.

B. “Christian”ity is the term used worldwide to identify the followers of Christ.

     1. On April 6, 2009, President Obama said, “Although, as I mentioned, we have a
          very large Christian population. Whatever we once were, we are no longer a
          Christian nation at least, not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a
          Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.”

(Notice that he used the word “Christian” not some other denominational term.)

2. What is the name of this school? I find it interesting that when denominations
start school at their church what do they call it, “Christian School. Why don’t they

call it “First Methodist School?” Why is the church Methodist and school
Christian?

3. Did you ever hear of Southern Methodist University? Why is called that? Did you

ever hear of the Southern Baptist Convention? Why are they called that? We had

          something in our history called the “Civil War.” That’s where the Northern
          Methodists and the Northern Baptists were separated from the southern Methodists
          and the southern Baptists. When the missionaries were expelled from China during
          the 1940’s people in China said, “we didn’t have a Civil War in China between
          1861-1865—we’ll just call ourselves Christians.

4. If this name “Christian” can be used in the broad sense, why can’t it always be
used in the specific sense? History validates the name Christian.

The name Christian…

III. WILL UNIFY PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW CHRIST.

A. The name Christian is one name around which the followers of Christ can unite.

1. 1 Cor. 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.”

2. B.W. Stone “To be united we must receive the one name given by divine

appointment which is the name Christian. Let all others be castaway and

forgotten.”

3. In 1794 our country was a mere 18 years old when a group of Methodist preachers

got together in Surry county Virginia. They were in rebellion against the hierarchy

of the Methodist church. In that meeting a man named Rice Haggard stood up with
a New Testament in his hand and said, “Brethren, this is a sufficient rule for faith

          and practice, and by it we are told that the disciples were called Christians, and I
          move henceforth and forever the followers of Christ be known as Christians
          simply.” (The motion received unanimous approval.)

B. Listen to what men who are looked upon as great religious leaders of the past said

about the name Christian.

     1. Martin Luther said, “I pray you leave my name alone, and call not yourselves
          Lutherans, but Christians. Who is Luther? My doctrine is not mine. I have not
          been crucified by anyone…Cease my dear friends to cling to these party names and
          distinctions…and let us call ourselves Christians after Him from whom our
          doctrine comes.” From the life of Luther by Stork.

     2. John Wesley said, “Would to God that all party names and unscriptural phrases and
          forms which have divided the Christian world, were forgot that we might all agree
          to sit down together as humble, loving disciples at the feet of the Master.” From

Notes on the New Testament by John Wesley.

     3. Charles Spurgeon, “I am looking forward with pleasure to the day when there will
          not be a Baptist living, I hope they will soon be gone. I hope the Baptist name will
          soon perish, but let Christ’s name last forever.” Memorial Library, Vol. 1, p. 168

4. The Bible only makes Christians only.