Why Jesus’s Followers Are Called Christians | Acts 11:19-30

Acts 15 reminds us that God is still at work in unfinished people. Even in the middle of conflict between Paul and Barnabas, God continued advancing His mission and redeeming John Mark's story. Rather than defining ourselves or others by a single failure or season, we're invited to see every story through the lens of God's redeeming grace, trusting that he is faithful to complete the work he has begun.

Acts 15 records a pivotal moment in the life of the early church as believers wrestled with an essential question: What is required for salvation? Rather than adding requirements to the gospel, the apostles affirmed that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus alone. As they sought God's wisdom together through Scripture, testimony, and the Spirit's leading, the church preserved both the truth of the gospel and the unity of the body.

Many followers of Jesus want to make a difference for the gospel but can feel discouraged when they don't see immediate results. In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas remind us that God is always working, even when we can't see it. Their ministry was marked by supernatural grit, gospel-given security, and clarity of calling. As we abide in Jesus and depend on the Spirit, God can use us to faithfully help others know Jesus and become more like him.

In this message, Marvin Walker reminds us that God is often at work long before we recognize it. As Paul preaches the gospel in Acts 13, we're invited to see God's sovereign hand throughout history, respond to Jesus by faith, and resist the temptation to remain neutral when God calls us to obedience.

In this message, we looked at the church in Antioch, one of the most influential churches in the first century, and the birthplace of foreign missions. As we examine what marked this church, we're reminded that it's the same God, the same gospel, the same Spirit, and the same mission today. Through four questions, we were challenged to be fully present, fully expectant, and eager to join God in what he wants to do in and through his church.

Acts 12 reminds us that it is the norm for God's people to find themselves in situations so far beyond their control that they feel helpless and hopeless. James is executed, Peter is imprisoned, and Herod appears to have all the power. While Herod displays his control, the church prays earnestly, Peter rests peacefully, and God continues to accomplish his purposes. This passage invites us to trust God's sovereignty, to pray fervently, to find our peace in who God is, and to remember that, in the end, there is only one who is truly in control.

In this week’s message, Dave Bruskas, Executive Director of Discipleship, walks through Acts 11:19-30 and the growth of the church in Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians. Through the faithfulness of ordinary believers, the encouragement of Barnabas, and the unity of the early church, we see what happens when people are deeply formed by Jesus. The passage challenges us to consider whether our lives are so shaped by Jesus that people naturally see him in us.

In Acts 10–11, we see the first Gentile conversion and one of the most important turning points in the book of Acts. TA walks through four movements in the story and then highlights four things that matter to Jesus and should matter to us. This passage challenges us not to settle for mediocrity as a church and to make sure what matters to Jesus still matters to us.

In this week’s message, TA taught through Acts 9:32-43 and showed how the healing of Aeneas and the raising of Tabitha point to one central truth: Jesus is healer. These miracles reveal Jesus’ power not only over physical brokenness, but also over our broken relationship with God through his death and resurrection.

In Acts 9, we see that God saves people no one expects, through servants no one would choose, to accomplish what no one can stop. Tyler walks through Saul’s story and highlights four movements of grace: God’s radical intervention, Ananias’s reluctant obedience, Saul’s redirected purpose, and Barnabas’s risky encouragement. Together, they show that God can make much of your obedience.