CALLED TO BE SOMETHING DIFFERENT

CALLED TO BE SOMETHING DIFFERENT The first Christians Were actually called Christians At Antioch “Then Barnabas went to Tarsus To look for Saul 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 fist At Antioch” Acts 11:25-26 Don’t you FIND it interesting That the disciples Were given a NEW NAME From a person- Outside their community? I think the others WHEN looking at the COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS That came after Jesus Saw in them SOMETHING DIFFERENT Saw in them something extraordinary Saw in them- THE LOVE OF GOD- And the love and POWER of Jesus Christ YES-they saw something different They saw something NEW YES we are something different IN CHRIST We are something new In Christ WE ARE CHRISTIANS “Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘Do you think That in such a short time You can persuade me To be a Christian?’ Paul replied ‘Short time or long I pray to God That not only you But ALL who are listening To me today May BECOME what I am -Except for these chains’” Acts 26:28-29 As Christians- We are called to be SOMETHING DIFFERENT In today’s world And we are called To LOVE AND FORGIVE all Jew or Gentile We are to be ONE NATION- ONE PEOPLE- UNDER the Lord OUR GOD So HERE we are Some 2,000 years later STILL STRUGGLING To understand this name of CHRISTIAN We are to be A NEW CREATION Under God and Christ Maybe it is simply this- LIKE the song says “THEY will KNOW we are CHRISTIANS BY our LOVE” And like Christ himself said: “A new command-I GIVE YOU- LOVE ONE ANOTHER as I have love you- So you MUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER” John 13:34 IF this is what a CHRISTIAN is: SOMETHING radically new and different-in this Sometimes cruel and hateful world TO BE SURE Robert P. Wallman 4-20-16 PS INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Father James Stephens, O.C.S.O.