And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Acts 11:26

In the beginning, that is the beginning of the church, there was no name for this assembly; they were merely a “sect”, a small group of Jews, which the main-stream shunned as “errant”.  They were not named or classified, except that they followed Jesus, really.

It wasn’t until later, about ten years after the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of the Lord in the city of Antioch that they were called “Christians”, or “little Christs”.  Whether for good or for ill, men like to name things, and, for better or worse, the name has stuck.

Now, some 2,000 years or so later, there are Christians.  We have various definitions and criteria for who is and who is not a Christian.  We have churches and standards for fellowship and memberships.  We have this label today, called “Christian”, and we identify who is and who is not in it.

There is something lost, however, in the translation, or at least in its application.  Today, we have talk about who is in and who is not.  We have standards for fellowship and tradition.  But at the beginning, they had something called “The Way”, and they walked something called “the road”, the narrow one, that is.

You see, the name “Christian” was applied to a group that was already doing something, namely following Christ.

Today, we have a label that we want to fit into, that we feel we must fit into, lest we not be that.

And, that is good, to a point, so long as the label describes the correct thing.

But, the thing it can only ever describe is the man walking in The Way, following that road, living in that truth, and believing in that life.

The question always starts with do you believe?  Well, Yes I believe.  Great.  What of it?  Are you following Him?

There are some today so wrapped around the notion of the name, that though they throw out nearly every tenent of scripture, ever basis of belief and right doctrine, and though they call themselves “church”, they emerge as nothing short of the house of abominations, calling wicked good and good evil, until what they do is more paganly evil and vile in its humanity and self-worship all the while claiming some title called “Christ”, yet they are far from it.  Some go so far as to deny the cross, to deny the blood, and prove themselves anything but His, and yet still want to claim the name?

For what?

The name, and only name that matters is Christ, and not that you merely name it, but that you obey.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 7:21

And, it is only those works done in and by the Spirit that matter.  Everything else is dead (Hebrews 6:1-2, John 6:63).

It has never been about the label.  The church existed for quite some time without it.

But, the question is, are you following Him?  Not a notion of who He is, but the real, living, knowable God.  Are you inside of Him, and He inside of you, so that you are one?  If not, why sully up the good name?  Why call yourself His if you do not love Him more than your pet dog?