“The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:26).

Christians.

The way we use this word today is as a self-designation. We call ourselves Christian. But that wasn’t the case in the early church. The disciples were called Christians. People of the time knew who the Jews were. They knew pagans. They knew who the Romans were. But these guys…these followers of Jesus…these disciples…what are they? They were unlike any people they knew. These were a new category of people. They behaved differently. They loved differently. They worshiped differently.

So, the people of the day called these disciples Christians.

Is there enough evidence in our lives where people look at the way we live, love, worship, serve, give and cannot help but call us Christians?

If this title is only a self-designation, we have a problem.

People ought to know we are Christians because they see Christ-honoring life in us.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).

Fear.

We don’t like that word. We rarely use this word to refer to someone we love, honor, respect, and adore.

But, that’s exactly what the Hebrew word fear means. It means to love, honor, respect, adore, cherish. Loving, honoring, respecting, adoring, cherishing God is the beginning of knowledge and all wisdom. It is only when we properly “fear” God that we can order all other loves and loyalties in our lives.

Our world epitomizes folly. Our world fears and dreads cancer while laughing at hell and the idea of judgment.

How terribly and tragically foolish.

Love, honor, respect, adore, cherish…yes, even fear the LORD and live.

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder” (James 2:19).

satan knows God better than any other creature in all of creation.
satan knows God’s truth, character, and word better than any in all of creation.
satan absolutely believes in God’s power, reality, and truth.

Yet, satan does not obey.

Believing in Jesus but not obeying…

That’s exactly what satan does.