What is a Christian?

You'll only find the word "Christian" three times in the Bible*. It was a nickname given to the people who followed Jesus and it literally means "little Christ ones".

Put very simply, a Christian is a person who is a follower of Jesus Christ. Following someone - the greek word for that was "disciple" - was very common at the time that Jesus lived on the earth.

Jesus initially called just 12 people to leave their jobs and become his disciples. For 3 years they literally followed him wherever he went. They travelled all over Israel and as they walked together Jesus taught them about God, who he is and about his plan to provide a saviour for mankind. They didn't realise it until after he was crucified but Jesus was explaining to them that he was actually the saviour that God had sent.

A few months after his resurrection Jesus went back to heaven and he told his followers to be prepared for his return. While they waited Jesus told his disciples to make more disciples - to teach them everything he had taught them and to baptise them as a public way of showing that they too had become his followers. That process has been going on for the last 2,000 years and there are now groups of Jesus' followers who meet in groups (churches like ours) all over the world.

If you would like to know more about becoming a Christian, keep reading.

* If you're interested you'll find the word "Christian" in Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16.