Christians Weren't Always “Christians”!

Did you know that Christians weren’t always called Christians? Before we got that name, Christians were called “Followers of the Way” (the way of Jesus), or believers, or the church.

In fact, there were not even church names like we have today. There was no First Baptist Church, or Pine Avenue Methodist Church. Back then, churches were named according to what city they were in, like the church of Rome.

It wasn’t until some believers left Jerusalem and made it all the way to Antioch, a city in the Roman province of Syria. That’s where we first got the name Christians, according to Acts 11:26, “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” (NIV)

Antioch is also the first place that many people who weren’t Jews became Christians: “Some of them…went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 11:20, NIV) 

So Antioch is kind of important to Christianity, even if you haven’t heard much about it!

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.