Christian is the most perverted word in use today.
The first occurrence of the term Christian occurred in the book of Acts. The term was invented by the gentiles and scattered Jews who did not understand what was happening. They applied it to people that acted exactly like what they had witnessed in Christ. Those who were identified by the gentiles as ‘Christian’ were actually the Disciples of Christ and members of Israel’s Little Flock … none of them were gentiles.
Acts 11:26 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.
This occurred after the resurrection of Christ and shows the transition into the revelation of the Mystery by God through Paul. It was at a time when God was establishing the Gospel of the Grace of God.
The gentiles and unbelievers of Israel (Jews) noted that the Disciples of Jesus Christ were exactly like Christ in their actions, their message, their power, their authority, their demeanor, etc.; they were an extension of, and an ongoing force of Christ. They did and said exactly what they learned from Jesus Christ as they continued His earthly ministry, as well as being confined to the same scope of the message, to Israel only. They were the people that followed and learned directly from Jesus Christ; the Disciples of Christ.
That is not the case today. Believers who are members of the Body of Christ, according to God as revealed through Paul, are not like Christ in any of His earthly attributes, His message, or the scope of His message. Nor are we supposed to be. We are to have the mind of Christ. We do not have His earthly message of the kingdom or of promise to Israel only; nor His power to do miracles, and not His dominion on earth.
An apostate Jewish king invoked the second occurrence of the use of the term Christian, which is also in the book of Acts.
Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
At this usage Israel has already been completely set aside; the Little Flock is non-functional, and the Dispensation of Grace is in full effect
The Gospel of the Kingdom had ceased to function and Israel’s Little Flock was dying out, no one was doing miracles; no one was seeking the redemption of Israel only, and no one was fulfilling Prophecy. The king’s rebellion against God had rendered him completely ignorant. And, in his ignorance, he invoked a non-applicable reference to the Disciples of Christ, which Paul was not a part of anyway. In fact, it is impossible for Agrippa to become a Christian because he cannot be a Disciple of Christ; Jesus Christ was no longer on earth to follow and learn from.
At the conclusion of the Dispensation of Grace, God will again be dealing with Israel only and will not strive with gentiles. The denotation of His followers as being ‘Christ like’ will still not be valid, as seen in I Peter 4:16; they are referred to “as a Christian”, they are not called Christians. They should expect to suffer, just as the Disciples of Christ suffered, when the gentiles were referring to them as Christians; but they are still not Christians. Those Hebrew people are members of Israel’s Little Flock in the 70th week according to God through Daniel.
I Peter 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
Today, or anytime during God’s Dispensation of Grace, the term Christian, or any derivative thereof, does not apply to anyone serving God who is saved by grace according to God as He revealed it to us through Paul. The term Christian never even occurs in any epistle given by God through Paul. Members of the Body of Christ are not Christians! We are members of the Body of Christ.