Reflections on Verse of the Day: Acts 11:26

The verse of the day from the WELS Mobile app is Acts 11:26.

And when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. -Acts 11:26

At first glance one wonders why this might be a verse of the day. It seems like just a little bit of history. Educational? Maybe. Inspirational? Perhaps not so much.

AdoptionWhat I do find interesting however is the name given to followers of Jesus first here in Antioch. “Christians.” Followers of Jesus (that’s us) were given the name of our Savior.

There is a lot in a name. Parents take time and great care in naming their children…and often there is something very special and unique about that name and why it was chosen. We don’t know how this name was chosen, but we do know that it stuck. We have it today. God allowed the application of a name that is so fitting for us. We have our Savior’s name.

Yes, we could also say that about the term Lutheran, but Luther would be the first to say it’s not about me, but Christ. Don’t take my name, but His. We hold to Lutheran beliefs…but we ARE Christ’s! He adopted us when he walked among us, took our sins, went to the cross and paid for us. He bought us and gave us his name! Appreciate that name today, and also such good news can come from seemingly uninspiring
passages.

Christ, thank you for the name you have given us, the Word you recorded for us, and the salvation you won for us. Amen.

Note: Just a quick word about the image I used in the blog post today. It is from a free collection of images contributed to the WELSTech Photo Challenge. While the challenge is over, you can still use these royalty free images however you like…or if you are a photographer, contribute to the collection.

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