Acts 11:25-26
“Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”
On Saturday I conducted a funeral service in the small community of Oakville. I was fascinated by signs proudly supporting their teams—“Home of the Acorns!” (Oakville – Acorns – got it?) I had to chuckle as I thought of the name of the teams from the town in which I was born—Camas, Washington. It was a paper mill town and the name of our team was (are you ready for this?) “The Camas Papermakers.”
Today’s Scripture is one of those unique passages that may be easily passed by without stopping for a closer examination. It involves Barnabas and the year he spent teaching Saul (later known as Paul) and the church at Antioch for one whole year. We read that it was here that the disciples were first called Christians.
Why were these believers called “Christians?” The answer is that they had opened their heart to Him and were His true followers. They were identified by the One whom they trusted for their eternal salvation.
Has anyone called you a “Christian” lately? Do they see in you a walk that shows that you really are one who belongs to Jesus Christ? I do not want to be known as an “Acorn,” “Papermaker,” “Seahawk,” “Lion” or whatever else—I want to be known to the world as a sold out, genuine, 100% Christian! How about you?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com.
P.P.S. – I have completed my first book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations. The cost is $12.95 plus shipping. You can now order it online by going to https://dailyevotional.com/prior2020/book-by-pastor-cecil . . . You may want to consider this book as a thoughtful gift idea for those who do not have Internet access or as helpful sermon illustrations for your Pastor.
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