Christian! (how many times is that word in the Bible?). The answer is only 3! (And two are in a bad way)
1. Acts 11:26: “…And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”
When the word Christian came out at first, it was a name given to believers by people outside of the faith. Kind of like ‘Christ Junior’.
The word “Christian” was originally used as a mocking insult or a derogatory label. When the pagan citizens of Antioch coined the term Christian (Acts 11:26), they did not mean it as a compliment. The primary reasons the term started as a mockery.
I personally try not to use it. It is too vague. And it is shared with a lot of people who are ‘CHINOS’. Christians in name only. Even real Christians give Christianity a bad name because they are a pretty mean spirited group as a whole. I prefer to be called ‘a follower of Jesus’ or a follower of the Bible.
One little boy ‘Poochie’, whom we practically raised from infancy, is 16 now. He just asked me if I was a Christian. I preached and testified to him for 16 years. Fed him and his family all of these years. Been friends of the family for 16 years too. Took his dad to the hospital various times. When he asked me if I was a Christian, I practically fainted. Makes sense though, I never call myself a Christian. People who call themselves a Christian usually aren’t. The word tends to group me with a bunch of mean or weird people I don’t want to be identified with. I talk about Jesus Christ to others, not myself. I told him ‘yes! I’m a Christian!’ He said ‘oh, that’s what I thought.’ What a compliment!
Another person, an 86 year old ex-pat, who I call ‘the Mayor’ thinks he’s a Christian, but I really don’t think so. I am worried about his soul. I have known him for 13 years. I admire him in every way except for his walk with the Lord. He loves our work here in Nicaragua. He knows we are missionaries and he calls me a minister. He has given significant donations to Millones de Amigos. I constantly minister to him about Jesus, (for 12 years) and he then, in return, tells me what he believes, (which makes me cringe). Yet, when he was talking to another friend of mine, he didn’t know why I was doing what we do, and why Winnie and I are doing and saying all these nice things. He even came close to accepting the Lord a few times. But he did not realize that I was a Christian. (In his circles, Christians have a bad name I guess). I never call myself a Christian.
2. Acts 26:28, when King Agrippa says to Paul, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian,”
It was half truth, half sneer. I performed a wedding once for ‘Christians in name only, CHINOS’
I throw a pretty wide net evangelizing. I am friends with muslims, Confucians, (I am brushing up on my Chinese, there’s tons of them here), commies, gays, bums, lesbians, cons, narcos etc etc. The hosts of this wedding (not the people being married, but the people paying for it) are gay. One of them said ‘can I have the microphone for a minute??’ Sure I said. He grabbed it and announced in a silly fashion ‘I want to ask for tithes and money, I always wanted to do that’. All his ‘friends’ giggled and giggled. They honored me to officiate and to marry the couple in the eyes of the Lord, but had to make an annoying dig at the end. Like King Agrippa. ‘You almost convinced me (compliment) to be a Christ Junior’. I am a Christian, and I wear that badge in honor for the glory of Jesus. I just don’t like to flash it to beat down non-believers. I am a true ‘Christ Junior’
Romans 8:29 For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
3. In 1 Peter 4:16, the Apostle writes, “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed…”. Peter is preparing us. Back then, the title Christian was something to be proud of and cherish.
But after centuries of inquisitions, bad popes and monks, crusades, perverted, money hungry church leaders, ridiculous teachings and shows by tele-evangelists and angry self righteous church goers, fakes and hypocrites using the title Christian, using it is a deterrence to spreading the Gospel of love. Yes, we as Christians, do and will suffer for Jesus. But I prefer the term disciple of Christ, which is found 239 times in the Bible. I am proudly a disciple of Christ, come what may!
“And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:27