June 29th - Acts 11:25-26

Acts 11:25-26 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch…(It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.) Barnabas’ famous gift of encouragement was not only expressed in words; he also took action. Antioch, in Syria, was a busy commercial centre with a very mixed population. There were many Jews in the city and an increasing number of people from a non-Jewish background who were following Christ. It was crucial that a good leader was found and Barnabas was sure that Saul had exactly the right qualifications. So he set off to search for him in his home town of Tarsus in southern Turkey, as it’s known today. It was 14 years since Saul’s conversion and so he had had ample time in which to grow as a follower of Christ and develop his teaching ministry. Having tracked down Saul, Barnabas took him back to Antioch. There they spent a year working alongside one another in the church, which was to be the springboard for the mission to the Gentile, or non-Jewish, world. It was in cosmopolitan Antioch that the followers of Christ were first called Christians. This was probably used originally as a term of contempt, but the Christians were proud to be associated with their Lord and Master and were happy to bear his name. It is so significant that the title ‘Christian’ is totally focused on a person. We are members of the Church, but it would be horribly misleading if we were known as ‘churchites’ or ‘churchians’. Christian faith is rooted in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ himself. The Church is a large and complex organisation made up of human beings who regularly get a great deal wrong. But Jesus never lets us down and we can be proud to bear his name. Question What does the word Christian mean to you? Prayer Dear Father, thank you for your son Jesus Christ and for the privilege of being his follower. Amen