Known As
We have all been called many things during our journey. We want to be known as generous, kind, caring, compassionate, forgiving, and loving. We don’t want to be known as greedy, unforgiving, cruel, thoughtless, nasty, cold-blooded, or heartless.
Those who believed in Jesus were first referred to in the Bible as, disciples, saints, believers, brothers, witnesses, followers of the Way, Nazarenes, and Christians. They were known in these various ways because of who they were and how they behaved. They stood out from the crowd.
How are we known by others? If we have believed in Jesus and are living for Him others will identify us as followers of Jesus, His disciples, learning from our teacher. When we meet other followers of His we can call them brothers or sisters, because we belong to the same family. Once we have believed in Jesus we become saints. I get it. Still, carrying around our sin nature does not make us feel like saints, but feelings don’t make us saints. Jesus does. We are witnesses, which means we testify what we know to be true when given the opportunity. We were first called Christians by those who did not believe as we do in Antioch. It was used in a mocking way. Perhaps many still fear being mocked for what we believe.
How are we known by God? How do I want to be known by Him? That is really all that matters. I want to be known as His child. I want to be known as “Yasu-yan!”
“The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Acts 11:26b NIV
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