Slaves of Christ

Are you the kind of person that would take an insult as a compliment? So it may have been with the Christ-followers of Antioch. When the early followers of Jesus were persecuted in Jerusalem, they moved across the Mediterranean world and then beyond taking with them the message of Jesus.

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. ¹

Antioch is north of Judea on the coast of what is now Turkey. Founded circa 300 BC by the successor of Alexander the Great, it was strategically located on the trade routes between Europe and the East. By the time of the Romans, its population beyond half a million was the third largest in the Empire after Rome and Alexandria. Its location made it a slave trade center between Rome and conquered territories to the east and south. Such was Antioch during the rapid expansion of followers of Jesus—so much so that the Jerusalem leadership sent a representative to assist in the growth.

The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. ²

Earlier in Acts 4:36, Barnabas is mentioned as known by the apostles as ‘son of encouragement’ and then in Acts 9:27, he is the man who meets and vouches for Saul after Saul had fled Damascus and the apostles were leery of his conversion. Now, Barnabas is trusted enough to help guide the Antioch believers in the ways of the LORD. The work was more than one man so Barnabas took steps to increase the effectiveness:

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. ³

Barnabas recruits Saul to assist him in the discipling of the Antioch believers and the Body continues to grow. ‘And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.’ Now, about that insult: ‘Christian’ literally means ‘Christ-follower’ but in the context of Antioch and the Latin structure of ‘Christianos’ the contextual meaning to anyone in Antioch would have been a reference to these followers as ‘adhering to’ or ‘belonging to’ or more directly as used of a slave and relationship to the slave owner. ⁴ But go figure—the Antioch believers took this insult as a compliment! Of course they were Slaves of Christ—that’s exactly what they identified as and wanted to be recognized as in Jesus.

How do you want to be identified by the culture you live in? Are you willing to be known as a slave of Christ, to accept His Lordship for all you are?