January 5, 2021 • 44 mins
A comparison of the original Christian lifestyle with how Christians live today. Reveals the strange name Christians were originally called (it wasn't "Christians"). Tells why the first Christians used the "fish" symbol, and why all Christians can – and should – live with more peace, healing, and hope in today’s confusing world.
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Episode Transcript
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John (00:00):
John Shields opens the episode by saying
friends! And welcome to Episode02 of the new"Saving
Christianity" podcast, broughtto you by the Christian Family
(00:23):
Online in America.
I'm your host, John Shields.
And in this episode, we're goingto go deeper into the book,
Saving Christianity, the bookthat tells us how to have more
peace, healing, and hope, in ourlives.
It's also the book that gavethis podcast its name.
(00:43):
And so for today, the title ofthis episode-- our second
episode-- is"The Sign of theFish."(Repeats.) And in this
episode, you're going to hearsome more of the hidden facts
about Christianity that havebeen buried for nineteen
(01:05):
centuries.
And also, like the previousepisode, you're going to be
encouraged and inspired by whatyou're going to hear.
So why will you be encouraged?
You'll be encouraged because youand I can't have the same peace,
healing, and hope, that theearly Christians had until we
(01:28):
understand who they were, andwhy they had the supernatural--
the wonderful supernatural--behavior(that they had).
So the purpose of this podcastis to tell you who they were,
and why they had this kind ofbehavior, and how you and I--
(01:50):
this is the important part aswell-- how we can have that kind
of behavior, too.
But before we start, let meintroduce to you again, my best
friend, and the co-host of the"Saving Christianity" podcast:
Owen Allen.
Owen, welcome my friend, to thesecond episode!
Owen (02:11):
Thank you, John.
It's a pleasure to be here forthe second episode of"Saving
Christianity." And...
you know what, John?
I really enjoyed our firstepisode together.
But, I think this episode isgoing to be even more
interesting than the previousone.
Why?
Well, because it's the story ofthe Early Christian use of the
(02:34):
little"fish" symbol.
And it's a very interestingstory.
John (02:39):
Yes, it is, Owen.
And I'm anxious to get started.
So why don't we start the storyof why the Early Christians used
a fish-- a fish!-- To identifythemselves.
That that was an odd identity,wasn't it!
Owen (02:57):
Well, it was! And you know John, as a matter of fact the
"fish" symbol is an odd symbol.
And by the way, just before weleave that point, if some of our
friends missed the previousepisode, they can hear it and
read a script of it on theInternet at www.CFOPODS.com.
(03:17):
C-F-O-P-O-D-S.com.
And on that page, they can clickin the index, or they can scroll
down, obviously right at the topof the sheet there, to Episode
01, which was(the previousepisode) last time.
John (03:33):
Right! And I hope all of you-- all of our friends
listening-- will visit, if youhaven't(already) the previous
episode, so you can keep up todate with us, as we go through
these stories.
Owen (03:46):
I hope that too, John.
So anyway, here we go now withthis episode, because last time
we talked about the firstChristians who lived in the
first three centuries of EarlyChristian history.
And we talked about how they hadsuch Spiritual lives that
non-Christians wanted the samelives-- and thousands and
(04:10):
thousands of non-Christiansjoined the movement and became
Christians.
And that's how, actually,Christianity spread worldwide in
only 70 years.
John (04:22):
Wow, that's true.
And today you know, we refer tothe spread of Christianity as
"evangelism." Except that today,we only talk to non-Christians
about it.
We don't show them very much...
as we discussed in detail in ourfirst episode...
(04:42):
we don't show them through ourSpiritual behavior.
Owen (04:46):
Right.
We talk instead of show, right?
Well anyway the point, then, inthe previous episode, was what
we talked about (04:55):
The daily lifestyle of the Early
Christians.
And we actually call that the"Early Christian Lifestyle." You
don't hear that term very oftenaround today.
But(it's called) the EarlyChristian Lifestyle.
And we said that that lifestylelasted for 300 years, or the
(05:17):
first eight generations ofChristians.
But then, it mysteriously endedat the dawn of the Fourth
Century.
John (05:26):
Yes.
It ended at the open of theFourth Century.
Also, didn't we define the word"lifestyle" in the previous
episode?
Owen (05:35):
Well, we did, didn't we! We said that what scientists say
is that (05:38):
A"lifestyle" is a type of behavior-- a way of living--
a style of conduct.
And we said that"lifestyles" arevery important for this reason:
If you see a person's lifestyle,you're seeing that person's
Spiritual level.
John (05:58):
And we said that is extremely important, too!
Owen (06:02):
Yeah, because being aware of people's Spiritual levels is
the whole point of Christianity.
The whole point of Christianityis to let non-Christians see our
Spiritual level.
But John, that's actually theproblem.
Because since the EarlyChristian Lifestyle that we're
(06:24):
talking about died for mostChristians years and years ago,
today-- not all, but most--Christians don't have that power
anymore.
And that gives us a comparison--we could call it"a comparison"
(because) history gives us this: Two different Christian (06:42):
undefined
lifestyles.
Think about that.
History shows, you could evensay,"two"types" of Christians."
Let's call them lifestyle"A."And lifestyle"B." Lifestyle"A"
was the Early Christians.
(07:02):
They were the most Spiritualpeople on earth in their day.
And they were so Spiritual, thatthey spread Christianity to
every city and country of theworld in only 70 years.
But now, the bad news.
Lifestyle"B" is like this: Because Christian Spirituality (07:20):
undefined
ended in the Four Century, todaythe average Christian is no more
Spiritual t han a non-Christian.
And because of that, today'saverage Christian lifestyle
(07:41):
bears little, o r no,resemblance to the lifestyle of
the original Christians whenChristianity was founded.
John (07:50):
Yeah.
And that lack of Spirituality isthe root of many of today's
Christian problems, such as thedeclining attendance in
Christian congregations.
Owen (08:03):
Exactly.
So--(it's) sad to admit John--but that's exactly why we're
producing the"SavingChristianity" podcast.
Frankly, our purpose is to helpChristians today return to the
amazing Spirituality of theoriginal Christians!
John (08:23):
Yeah, that's right.
And, oh, how we need that! Andsince we've mentioned the
problems in today's Christiancongregations, this is probably
a good time to tell our friendsabout the big principle you're
going to reveal--(the one)that's actually in the
Introduction to the book, SavingChristianity.
Owen (08:45):
Well, that's right.
And I think John, what you'retalking about is, you could call
it the"big takeaway" from theIntroduction to that book.
And so, why don't we just readthat, a few sentences, to our
friends who are listening rightnow.
Here's what those sentences say.
And I quote:"Here's theprinciple to remember from this
Introduction (09:07):
The services, rituals, and programs, of
today's Christian congregations,when compared to the lifestyle
of the early Christians, are twovery different things.
Many people think that thoseservices, rituals, and programs
(09:30):
are Christianity.
But they're not.
So we're going to talk abouthow, and why, today's services,
rituals, and programs, aredifferent from the vibrant
behavior of the EarlyChristians.
And we're going to talk abouthow, and why, today's
congregations don't teachSpiritual behavior.
(09:54):
We're also going to use a seriesof simple diagrams to show how
you and I can live the EarlyChristian Lifestyle in today's
world." So when you think aboutit, we've got a lot to talk
about!
John (10:09):
We do! And that is an incredibly important principle.
And it's one that also grows onyou.
Because, our friends, we realizethat what we see in a typical
Christian congregation, on atypical Sunday morning, is not
(10:32):
what the early Christians saw.
Now, on the surface, that may bea little bit shocking.
But it's not what the earlyChristians had.
Owen (10:45):
That's a disaster, John.
But it's very true.
And I might just say this, John.
I think our friends who arelistening in their cars, or
kitchens, or offices...
wherever they happen to be...
need to realize that thispodcast that you and I are
producing is probably one of thefew places, if not the only
(11:09):
place, where they can hear theselittle known facts about
Christianity.
John (11:15):
Yeah, and that's a key point.
We've worked hard for a longtime to get this podcast online,
because we think that it'sdesperately needed.
Owen (11:26):
Indeed, indeed.
So against that background now--against that that tapestry of
the Early Christian Lifestyle--let's turn to our subject:"The
Sign Of The Fish." And here'sthe story in a nutshell.
Most people would recognize the"fish" symbol because they see
(11:48):
it on people's trunks andbumpers of their cars.
And they know that the symbolindicates that Christians are
driving that car.
Christians are in that carsomewhere.
And you know, John, you and Ieven used the"fish" symbol in
the logo of this podcast.
We think people recognize it.
But here's the trick (12:10):
Most people don't know that the"fish"
sign...
what it originally meant! Theydon't realize that its original
meaning was the exact oppositeof what it means on people's
cars today.
John (12:26):
Yeah, and unfortunately that's typical of a lot of
Christian history, isn't it?
A lot of what we see today isthe opposite of what it was in
the First Century.
So let's tell our friends whatthe"fish" symbol originally
meant.
Owen (12:45):
Well...
and you're totally right, John,about Christian history.
Much of it is the opposite.
But so, let's talk about the"fish" symbol for a minute.
And here's something peopleprobably have not thought about.
The"fish" symbol, o r"sign," wecould call it-- because it was
(literally) a sign originally--is one of the oldest symbols, or
(13:06):
s igns, in world history.
It was not originally aChristian symbol.
People used it for centuriesbefore there were Christians.
For many centuries, the little"fish" symbol simply meant that
it was fishermen, or fishmerchants,(who were) using it to
(13:26):
identify their wares.
And by the way, this isinteresting.
The original design i n theearly centuries was the complete
fish! They actually carved, on aboard, or a rock, or a wall, a
complete fish with e yes, fins,scales...
the whole deal.
(13:46):
And the design t hat we seetoday-- that's made of two
curved lines-- that comes fromthe Middle Ages.
That was not the original"fish"symbol.
John (13:56):
Okay, so when did Christians adopt the"fish"
symbol"?
And who decided they would adoptit?
And what did it originally mean?
Owen (14:11):
Those are great questions ...
great questions! And the funnypart of it is that all of the
Early Christians-- the disciples-- would have seen(the"fish"
symbol).
They probably were using it.
And here's why...
let's talk about it.
It was actually Jesus whodecided that Christians would
adopt the"fish" symbol.
(14:33):
And He's the Person who gave ita Christian meaning.
And here's how that happened.
John, a lot of people don't knowthis: The first five disciples
...
now most people know that Jesushad 12 disciples...
and that one was a taxcollector, and they had
different occupations.
But the first five-- and youcould argue(they were) five of
(14:59):
the most important disciplesthat Jesus recruited-- were
Peter, Andrew, James, John, andPhilip.
And all five of them wereprofessional fishermen on Lake
Galilee in Israel.
In fact, when Jesus recruitedthem, He recruited them on the
shore of the lake where theyworking near the town of
(15:22):
Capernaum.
Now, we said that the"fish" signwas not originally a Christian
symbol.
But we can be sure that thesymbol was on all the docks,
there at Capernaum.
And in the bazaars.
And they had fish auctions,where Peter and the others would
auction their fish off in town.
(15:43):
You can be sure that the"fish"symbol was carved on the wall
there, where that was happening.
So they all saw it, knew it, andused it.
But it didn't have a Christianmeaning.
John (15:56):
It was very familiar.
But when did Jesus change themeaning of the symbol?
Owen (16:04):
Well, He did it standing on the shore of Lake Galilee.
I've stood there where thishappened.
And He knew the symbol, ofcourse, Himself.
He had seen it all of His life.
But here's what He said.
As He went to each of thesefirst five disciples, He said
something very odd(He may havebeen looking at the"fish" sign
on the shore, or one of theboats).
He said,"Follow Me.
(16:26):
Follow Me.
And I will make you"fishers" ofmen and women."(Repeats.)
John (16:36):
That's actually one of the best-known, and also one of the
most important, commands inChristianity!
Owen (16:44):
Absolutely.
And so, what did the fivefishermen do?
They did follow Him.
And He did make them"fishers" ofmen and women.
In fact, they"fished"-- inquotes-- so well that they
changed world history.
But Jesus's command, standingthere on the shore of Lake
(17:06):
Galilee, did two things for thatancient"fish" symbol that people
had used forever.
First, His command made the"fish" a Christian symbol
because Christians(have) used itever since.
And second, His command gave thesign of the"fish" a new meaning.
Catch this now (17:28):
It no longer meant a real fish.
It meant non-Christians whoneeded to be"caught"-- in quotes
-- and made(into) Christians.
In other words, let's say thatagain: The"fish" symbol now mean
non-Christians.
(17:48):
And the disciples were supposedto"fish" for them and"catch"
them.
It didn't mean an actual fish inthe Lake.
John (17:57):
And that's the opposite of what it means on people's cars
today! Today, it means that thepeople in the car are
Christians.
That's what's trying to becommunicated...
but at Lake Galilee, it referredto non-Christians who needed to
be(made into) Christians.
Owen (18:16):
Exactly, and it gets better than that! Because Jesus
had an even more subtle reasonfor giving the"fish" symbol to
the disciples.
And I'm not sure, John,(that)many people have thought about
this (18:29):
He(Jesus) wanted the disciples to put their focus on
non-Christians-- not onthemselves.
And so by adopting the"fish" astheir symbol, they were telling
the world that their mission wasthis: To convince non-Christians
to become Christians.
John (18:51):
Yes, and that's actually what we call"The Great
Commission." So the fish isactually a symbol of The Great
Commission.
Owen (19:02):
Exactly.
And you think about(it).
Most of the people who put thatlittle"fish" on their car
bumpers have no idea that's whatit really means.
That they're...
it means that they're out on thestreet to convince non-
Christians to become Christians.
But instead, they stick it ontheir car to say,"I'm a
(19:24):
Christian." You see how thatfocus flipped.
It's reversed.
And John, just let me say (19:30):
When you study Early Christian
paintings, for example.
You'll see many paintings ofChristians in boats with nets,
pulling in loads of fish.
And you'll see that frequentlyin the catacombs, for example,
(19:52):
under Rome(in) First Centurypaintings! They weren't talking
about they like to catch fishand have a barbecue! They were
showing that they were"catching"and"pulling in" non-Christians
into the boat! The boatrepresented Christianity.
And a lot of those(paintings)have Paul and Peter in the boat,
(20:14):
supervising the"catching" of the"fish." It's just wonderful.
John (20:19):
So let's explain that a little more to our friends.
Owen (20:28):
Well...
I think that something a lot ofpeople don't think about, is
that Jesus started His missionon earth, and ended His mission
on earth, with the very samecommand.
Think about it this way (20:42):
He started His mission on earth at
Lake Galilee, commanding Hisdisciples to be"fishers" of men
and women-- to focus onnon-Christians(and to) bring
them into the boat! But thinkabout it, John.
He ended His mission the verysame way.
(21:05):
Three years later, back in theProvince of Galilee again, one
of the last things He ever saidto His disciples, was the same
command, except, He said it inmore detail.
He said,"Go and make disciplesof all nations, baptizing them
(21:26):
in the Name of the Father, andthe Son, and the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to doeverything I've commanded of
you."
John (21:37):
And that's, Owen, as you know, The Great Commission that
Christians obey today.
So what did the disciples do?
Owen (21:46):
(Chuckles.) They obeyed! History shows that after Jesus
returned to heaven and leftthem, they proclaimed
"Christianity"-- in quotes-- inall places.
All places! Everywhere in theworld.
And Jesus knew they were goingto do that.
He predicted it.
He prophesied it.
(22:07):
He said that His disciples wouldproclaim"Christianity" to the
ends of the earth.
John (22:15):
The point being, we Christians are supposed to still
be doing that same thing today.
Aren't we?
Owen (22:22):
But...
and let's slow down a moment!Because we're about to miss a
really, really big principle.
How did they do it?
How did they change the wholeworld in 70 years?
How did they convince thousandsand thousands of non-Christians
(22:44):
to join the movement?
Because...
think about it...
they didn't have radio, TV, andsocial media.
So how did they do it?
John (22:54):
Actually, the way Christianity spread worldwide in
only 70 years is one of thebiggest miracles in history,
isn't it?
Owen (23:04):
It really is! And so, that's why the key to that
miracle, the key to that 70-yearexplosion(is this): We're right
back again! We've come fullcircle.
The key is the Early ChristianLifestyle, that special
behavior, that special conduct.
(23:27):
And I'm sure that our listenersremember that from the previous
episode.
John (23:33):
I'm sure they do!
Owen (23:35):
Because we said that "lifestyles" are important!
Let's repeat it again.
Because when you see a person'slifestyle, you're seeing that
person's Spiritual level.
The person looks in the mirror,and sees(his or her) behavior.
(People are) looking at howSpiritual they are!
John (23:55):
Yeah, our friends remember that, too.
Owen (23:58):
Yeah.
So! Here's the"secret ofsuccess" in the First Century.
Think about this (24:05):
When I was young, John, there were always
books, and recordings, and radioprograms, about the Secret of
Success.
Okay, here's the"secret ofsuccess" in Christianity: The
Early Christians turned theworld upside down Spiritually
(24:27):
simply by letting people seetheir lifestyle.
(Repeats.) Non-Christian saw thesupernatural power that they had
...
the peace, the healing, the hopein their lives each day...
and the non-Christians wantedit! So they became Christians to
(24:51):
get it.
And that's how the movementspread worldwide in 70 years.
John (25:00):
The whole key is the kind of behavior you see in other
people, isn't it?
Owen (25:04):
Yeah.
It's the behavior.
That behavior was Christianity'soriginal success.
And I would even say, it's thekey to understanding human life.
The principle is so important,it can't be overemphasized.
So let me emphasize it again: The best way to attract (25:21):
undefined
non-Christians to Christianityis to let them see Christians
living a supernatural lifestyleof hope, power, peace, patience,
healing...
and supernatural love, for amatter!(John says,"Wow!") Yeah,
(25:42):
wow is right, John.
But now let's use that, thathistory, to prove the
principle's true.
When Christianity was founded,it was not an organized
religion.
It didn't even have a name.
(Repeats.) It was based on thesupernatural lifestyle the early
(26:07):
Christians were living.
And the proof of that is,whenever Early Christians talked
among themselves-- socially--they talked about supernatural
behavior.
They didn't talk about the sizeof their congregation.
Or the cost of their building.
Or the size of their missionarybudget.
(26:30):
Or the size of their youthprogram, the way we do today.
They talked about supernaturalbehavior.
And you know, there's a goodtrue story that proves that!
John (26:44):
Yeah, I bet you're going to tell us the story of Paul and
Felix, aren't you!
Owen (26:46):
(Chuckles) Paul and Felix! I am! And that story, John, is a
Chapter 1 of the book, SavingChristianity.
It's the true story of theapostle Paul-- when he was put
on trial in the capital city ofIsrael.
Now of course, our listenerswill recognize the name,"Paul."
(27:07):
He was one of the most famousand gifted Christian apostles of
all time.
But in this story, he was framedup.
He was falsely accused by hisenemies.
And it ended up with himstanding in the governor's
palace, on trial before thegovernor, whose name was Marcus
(27:28):
Felix-- he was a Roman fromRome.
And so, Felix asked Paul todefend himself, to explain why
he was there.
And Paul said something verystrange.
He stood up tall before thegovernor, although he was
wearing chains, and he said,"Theonly thing I admit is that I
(27:52):
worship the God of our fathersas a'Follower of The Way'." The
only thing I admit is that Iworship the God of our fathers
as a"Follower of The Way." SoPaul didn't talk about
buildings, buses, and budgets,the way a minister on trial
(28:15):
might today.
He didn't talk about sermons,choirs, and scout troops.
He talked about behavior.
And to understand that, we needto remember that the record of
Paul's trial, which stillexists, was written in Greek.
Greek was the official languageof Israel at that time.
(28:37):
And so, in the original Greek,Paul's words"The Way" can be
translated to mean (28:43):
a special lifestyle; a special conduct; a
special behavior.
Does that sound familiar?
So he said-- Paul-- as a defense(that) his only"crime" was that
he had a special way of thinkingand acting that non-Christians
(29:05):
didn't have, and they arrestedhim for it.
John (29:09):
And that was a strange line of defense.
Wasn't it?
Owen (29:13):
Yeah, I would say! But-- he had this supernatural
behavior(and) his enemies didn'tlike it.
Imagine that! They arrested himfor having supernatural
behavior! I wonder if that'sever happened in our time?
Well, John, let's summarizethen: The early Christians
(29:38):
claimed to be people withsupernatural behavior that
non-Christians didn't have.
They didn't claim to have areligion.
They didn't claim to have atemple.
They didn't even claim to be"Christians." All they claimed
was that they had supernaturalbehavior that other people
(30:02):
didn't have.
John (30:04):
That is a mind-blowing principle, Owen.
(Laughs.) And by the way, thereason Paul didn't use the word
"Christian" in his defense...
is that the word"Christian"didn't exist at the time!
Owen (30:20):
Right on! Think about that a minute.
That's exactly right.
A lot of people don't know that.
The word"Christian" didn't existamong the original Christians.
Listen (30:29):
Jesus didn't use it...
the 12 disciples didn't use it...
the first full generation ofChristians didn't use it.
In fact, it's not even a"Christian" word.
They were called the Followersof The Way.
And they didn't invent the word"Christian." We'll talk about
(30:50):
where the word came from just amoment.
But, let's be clear about thisbehavior-- we keep pounding that
nail!-- about this behavior thatthe Followers of The Way had.
John (31:05):
Which means, it's time to talk about"motivation." Because
Christian motivation is unique.
Owen (31:13):
Absolutely, totally.
You know, scientists say that"all behavior is motivated."
(Repeats.) That means that allof our outer behavior that we
see (31:27):
eating, dressing, everything we do, is coming from
inner forces within us.
And those inner forces havenothing to do with how we look,
with our careers, or even withour personal circumstances.
John (31:45):
Might you give out...
give us an example, Owen.
Owen (31:50):
Well...
it's difficult to give a quick,simple one.
But let's try this (31:53):
Is it true that a person can have ragged
clothes, and drive a rusty car,and yet have kind behavior?
(John answers,"Yes.") All right,isn't it also true that a person
can have expensive clothes, anddrive an expensive car, and yet
(32:19):
have rude behavior?
(John answers,"Yes.") Okay!Doesn't that prove that people's
outer behavior is what makesthem Spiritual and unspiritual?
Not their circumstances-- nottheir clothes.
Not their car.
Their behavior! Are they kind?
Or are they rude?
(32:41):
And so, it's people's innermotivation that creates(their)
outer behavior.
Everything boils down to thisprinciple, John.
It's people's inner motivationthat makes them Spiritual.
Let's repeat that.
It's people's inner motivationthat makes them Spiritual.
(33:03):
Not their appearance, career, orcircumstances.
John (33:07):
That's true.
It's like the old saying that aDitch Digger can be Spiritual,
and a King can be unspiritual.
The problem is, we tend to judgepeople by their circumstances.
Not by their inner motivation.
Owen (33:24):
That's right.
And that's why we keep saying,"If you look at a person's
lifestyle, you're looking attheir Spiritual level." That's
the only thing that proves thedegree to which a person is
Spiritually motivated.
John (33:42):
In other words, a person's behavior is the only real test
of how Spiritual he or she is.
Owen (33:52):
Well, that's right! I often tell people, John:"If you
accidentally slam a desk draweron your finger, what do you do?
Do you curse?
Or do you chuckle and praiseGod?" That's the difference.
And that brings us now to ourfinal historical fact.
The historical fact that's thetrue story of how these
(34:15):
Followers of The Way lost theirname.
John (34:19):
And that's an important story that many Christians have
never heard.
Owen (34:25):
That's right.
The dirty deed happened in thecity of Antioch, Turkey.
And it happened 31 years--almost a lifetime-- after this
movement that Jesus founded, theone that was called,"the
Followers of The Way." So theseFollowers had been focused on
(34:47):
this individual Spiritualbehavior for almost, almost a
lifetime.
And then something interestinghappened.
Some of the Followers lived inAntioch.
And they had a habit ofconstantly talking about"Christ"
in the streets.
(35:08):
Now, we all know that"Christ"means"the anointed one." And
it's just another name forJesus.
So, they were constantly talkingabout Jesus, calling Him
"Christ." In fact, you know,John, sometimes Followers of The
Way are called,"Christ-Followers." But, then
(35:28):
the plot thickened.
This constant talking about"Christ" in the streets and the
shops irritated thenon-Christians in Antioch.
And the funny thing is, historyrecords that they had a habit--
the citizens of Antioch-- had aweird habit.
(35:49):
They liked to give nicknames toeverybody.
John (35:52):
Uh-oh.
I see where this is headed.
The non-Christians gave theChrist-Followers a nickname,
didn't they?
Owen (36:01):
Yep.
They did.
And here's the nickname theygave them.
They began to jeer, and taunt,the Christ-Followers in the
streets and in the shops.
Now remember, the citizens ofAntioch spoke Latin at the time.
So, they began calling out tothe Christ-Followers when they
(36:22):
saw them:" Christiani!Christiani!" And in Latin, that
meant"little Christ! LittleChrist!" See, it was an insult!
They thought they were insultingthe Followers by insulting the
beautiful name of Christ.
But you know what?
The nickname stuck.
(36:44):
And camel caravans passingthrough the city spread the term
worldwide.
And in a few years, theFollowers of The Way lost their
name.
They were never known again asFollowers.
They were now known as"Christians"-- and they're still
known, John, by that nicknametoday.
(37:08):
Think about it.
The people that we call"Christians" today, are actually
the people who were once calledFollowers of The Way.
John (37:22):
So, Owen, as I'm processing this, do you think
that is a bad thing?
Owen (37:29):
I do! And I'll tell you why, John.
Because the nickname,"Christian," flies in the face
of what Jesus told(Followers) todo: Focus on others.
So, it takes the focus off thesupernatural behavior that the
Followers were known as.
(37:50):
Remember, that's what Followersof The Way meant:"The people
with the special supernaturalbehavior." And it puts the title
on, it puts the focus on, anatural, a neutral, type of
religious title--"Christian."And you know what happened?
(38:11):
The Christ-Followers today tendto have forgotten that they were
supposed to be known forSpirituality.
Not a religious title! Andthat's one reason-- maybe not
the only reason-- but onereason, why the Christ-Followers
(38:33):
today are no more Spiritual thannon-Christians.
They've forgotten that they'resupposed to have supernatural
behavior!
John (38:46):
Wow.
These are life-changingprinciples, aren't they! They
show us Christianity in a wholenew light.
Owen (38:55):
Well...
I think so! And, John, that'swhy we're going to the trouble
to produce this podcast.
We're trying to show today'sChrist-Followers-- today's
Christ-Followers!-- how toreturn to the wonderful
supernatural peace, healing, andhope, that the original
(39:19):
Followers of The Way had! Well,there we go again, John.
I'm looking at the big clock onthe wall, and I hate to say it,
but it's time to close Episode02.
And so, let's summarize itquickly.
And to do that, I'd like to reada few sentences from Chapter 1
(39:42):
of the book, SavingChristianity.
John (39:44):
Okay.
What part of Chapter 1 are yougoing to read?
Owen (39:48):
Let's read the last paragraph and the summary of
that chapter, where I'm talkingabout what happened to the
Followers of The Way.
And let's read that quickly.
And I quote:"As we close chapterone, several important questions
remain to be answered.
(40:10):
What happened to the Followersof The Way?
Did they continue theirwonderful Spiritual lifestyle?
And, when did Christiandenominations, as we know them
today, appear in history?
How did those denominationsaffect the Followers of The Way?
(40:34):
Finally, how are the Followersof The Way fairing in America
today?
The answers to all of thosequestions lie just ahead." So,
John, we have a lot to talkabout again in our next episode,
and in all of the episodesfollowing it.
(40:57):
Now, I'd like to remind ourfriends again: This may be-- I
could be wrong-- but this maybe, one of the few places on the
Internet, where they can hearthese little-known, rare facts
about Christianity.
John (41:12):
Yeah.
So, Owen, I'm actually proud ofthat.
We've worked for months--actually, we've worked for years
-- if you think about it,preparing these episodes,
preparing for these episodes,and you've worked for years
discovering these hidden facts.
Owen (41:30):
Yeah.
And you know, John, in the lightof all we revealed in this
episode, I think our friendslistening now, wherever they are
...
in a car, in an office, in thekitchen, anywhere...
should be asking themselves thisquestion:"To what extent am I a
Christ-Follower?"(Repeats.) Towhat extent does my lifestyle
(41:58):
match the lifestyle of theFollowers of The Way?
How much supernatural peace,healing, and hope, do I have
each day?" And the good news is,we're going to"dig up" the
answers to those questions inEpisode 03.
John (42:22):
That's why we're going to ask our friends to please
subscribe to Episode 03.
Owen (42:28):
Yeah, because we've only scratched the surface! So, my
friends, as we close, rememberthis is Episode 02, in our
podcast(and) a script andrecording of it are on the
Christian family Online website.
And to access that, simply go towww.CFOPODS.com(C-F-O-P-O-D-S)
(42:52):
.com on the Internet, and clickin the index, or scroll down.
John (43:01):
And yes, please subscribe to this podcast, so we can get
you the notifications forEpisode 03, and the rest of the
upcoming episodes.
Owen (43:12):
Right.
And if you don't have one,please grab a copy of the book,
Saving Christianity, so you canfollow along with the points
that we're making.
John (43:23):
And, I would just say, that there's much more meat in
the book, than we can cover inour limited time here on our
podcast.
And I really want to encourageyou to get the book, Saving
Christianity.
Owen (43:40):
Yeah.
And, John, our friends need toknow that Episode 03 is really
interesting.
Because we're going to talkabout what happened to the
Followers of The Way later inhistory.
Do any of them still existtoday?
Do any of them live in America?
(44:00):
And if any of them do exist--and do live in America-- do they
still have that supernaturallifestyle that they used to
have?
So, Episode 03 is going to"digup" more facts from our"time
capsule." But for now, this isOwen Allen...
John (44:20):
...
and this is John Shields, alongwith our producer, Shannon Wolf
...
Owen (44:25):
...
and we're saying (44:25):
May the God of our fathers bless you, and keep
you, and guide you, and protectyou, until we meet again.
John and Owen (44:32):
Owen and John end the episode.
John Shields opens the episode by saying
friends! And welcome to Episode02 of the new"Saving
Christianity" podcast, broughtto you by the Christian Family
(00:23):
Online in America.
I'm your host, John Shields.
And in this episode, we're goingto go deeper into the book,
Saving Christianity, the bookthat tells us how to have more
peace, healing, and hope, in ourlives.
It's also the book that gavethis podcast its name.
(00:43):
And so for today, the title ofthis episode-- our second
episode-- is"The Sign of theFish."(Repeats.) And in this
episode, you're going to hearsome more of the hidden facts
about Christianity that havebeen buried for nineteen
(01:05):
centuries.
And also, like the previousepisode, you're going to be
encouraged and inspired by whatyou're going to hear.
So why will you be encouraged?
You'll be encouraged because youand I can't have the same peace,
healing, and hope, that theearly Christians had until we
(01:28):
understand who they were, andwhy they had the supernatural--
the wonderful supernatural--behavior(that they had).
So the purpose of this podcastis to tell you who they were,
and why they had this kind ofbehavior, and how you and I--
(01:50):
this is the important part aswell-- how we can have that kind
of behavior, too.
But before we start, let meintroduce to you again, my best
friend, and the co-host of the"Saving Christianity" podcast:
Owen Allen.
Owen, welcome my friend, to thesecond episode!
Owen (02:11):
Thank you, John.
It's a pleasure to be here forthe second episode of"Saving
Christianity." And...
you know what, John?
I really enjoyed our firstepisode together.
But, I think this episode isgoing to be even more
interesting than the previousone.
Why?
Well, because it's the story ofthe Early Christian use of the
(02:34):
little"fish" symbol.
And it's a very interestingstory.
John (02:39):
Yes, it is, Owen.
And I'm anxious to get started.
So why don't we start the storyof why the Early Christians used
a fish-- a fish!-- To identifythemselves.
That that was an odd identity,wasn't it!
Owen (02:57):
Well, it was! And you know John, as a matter of fact the
"fish" symbol is an odd symbol.
And by the way, just before weleave that point, if some of our
friends missed the previousepisode, they can hear it and
read a script of it on theInternet at www.CFOPODS.com.
(03:17):
C-F-O-P-O-D-S.com.
And on that page, they can clickin the index, or they can scroll
down, obviously right at the topof the sheet there, to Episode
01, which was(the previousepisode) last time.
John (03:33):
Right! And I hope all of you-- all of our friends
listening-- will visit, if youhaven't(already) the previous
episode, so you can keep up todate with us, as we go through
these stories.
Owen (03:46):
I hope that too, John.
So anyway, here we go now withthis episode, because last time
we talked about the firstChristians who lived in the
first three centuries of EarlyChristian history.
And we talked about how they hadsuch Spiritual lives that
non-Christians wanted the samelives-- and thousands and
(04:10):
thousands of non-Christiansjoined the movement and became
Christians.
And that's how, actually,Christianity spread worldwide in
only 70 years.
John (04:22):
Wow, that's true.
And today you know, we refer tothe spread of Christianity as
"evangelism." Except that today,we only talk to non-Christians
about it.
We don't show them very much...
as we discussed in detail in ourfirst episode...
(04:42):
we don't show them through ourSpiritual behavior.
Owen (04:46):
Right.
We talk instead of show, right?
Well anyway the point, then, inthe previous episode, was what
we talked about (04:55):
The daily lifestyle of the Early
Christians.
And we actually call that the"Early Christian Lifestyle." You
don't hear that term very oftenaround today.
But(it's called) the EarlyChristian Lifestyle.
And we said that that lifestylelasted for 300 years, or the
(05:17):
first eight generations ofChristians.
But then, it mysteriously endedat the dawn of the Fourth
Century.
John (05:26):
Yes.
It ended at the open of theFourth Century.
Also, didn't we define the word"lifestyle" in the previous
episode?
Owen (05:35):
Well, we did, didn't we! We said that what scientists say
is that (05:38):
A"lifestyle" is a type of behavior-- a way of living--
a style of conduct.
And we said that"lifestyles" arevery important for this reason:
If you see a person's lifestyle,you're seeing that person's
Spiritual level.
John (05:58):
And we said that is extremely important, too!
Owen (06:02):
Yeah, because being aware of people's Spiritual levels is
the whole point of Christianity.
The whole point of Christianityis to let non-Christians see our
Spiritual level.
But John, that's actually theproblem.
Because since the EarlyChristian Lifestyle that we're
(06:24):
talking about died for mostChristians years and years ago,
today-- not all, but most--Christians don't have that power
anymore.
And that gives us a comparison--we could call it"a comparison"
(because) history gives us this: Two different Christian (06:42):
undefined
lifestyles.
Think about that.
History shows, you could evensay,"two"types" of Christians."
Let's call them lifestyle"A."And lifestyle"B." Lifestyle"A"
was the Early Christians.
(07:02):
They were the most Spiritualpeople on earth in their day.
And they were so Spiritual, thatthey spread Christianity to
every city and country of theworld in only 70 years.
But now, the bad news.
Lifestyle"B" is like this: Because Christian Spirituality (07:20):
undefined
ended in the Four Century, todaythe average Christian is no more
Spiritual t han a non-Christian.
And because of that, today'saverage Christian lifestyle
(07:41):
bears little, o r no,resemblance to the lifestyle of
the original Christians whenChristianity was founded.
John (07:50):
Yeah.
And that lack of Spirituality isthe root of many of today's
Christian problems, such as thedeclining attendance in
Christian congregations.
Owen (08:03):
Exactly.
So--(it's) sad to admit John--but that's exactly why we're
producing the"SavingChristianity" podcast.
Frankly, our purpose is to helpChristians today return to the
amazing Spirituality of theoriginal Christians!
John (08:23):
Yeah, that's right.
And, oh, how we need that! Andsince we've mentioned the
problems in today's Christiancongregations, this is probably
a good time to tell our friendsabout the big principle you're
going to reveal--(the one)that's actually in the
Introduction to the book, SavingChristianity.
Owen (08:45):
Well, that's right.
And I think John, what you'retalking about is, you could call
it the"big takeaway" from theIntroduction to that book.
And so, why don't we just readthat, a few sentences, to our
friends who are listening rightnow.
Here's what those sentences say.
And I quote:"Here's theprinciple to remember from this
Introduction (09:07):
The services, rituals, and programs, of
today's Christian congregations,when compared to the lifestyle
of the early Christians, are twovery different things.
Many people think that thoseservices, rituals, and programs
(09:30):
are Christianity.
But they're not.
So we're going to talk abouthow, and why, today's services,
rituals, and programs, aredifferent from the vibrant
behavior of the EarlyChristians.
And we're going to talk abouthow, and why, today's
congregations don't teachSpiritual behavior.
(09:54):
We're also going to use a seriesof simple diagrams to show how
you and I can live the EarlyChristian Lifestyle in today's
world." So when you think aboutit, we've got a lot to talk
about!
John (10:09):
We do! And that is an incredibly important principle.
And it's one that also grows onyou.
Because, our friends, we realizethat what we see in a typical
Christian congregation, on atypical Sunday morning, is not
(10:32):
what the early Christians saw.
Now, on the surface, that may bea little bit shocking.
But it's not what the earlyChristians had.
Owen (10:45):
That's a disaster, John.
But it's very true.
And I might just say this, John.
I think our friends who arelistening in their cars, or
kitchens, or offices...
wherever they happen to be...
need to realize that thispodcast that you and I are
producing is probably one of thefew places, if not the only
(11:09):
place, where they can hear theselittle known facts about
Christianity.
John (11:15):
Yeah, and that's a key point.
We've worked hard for a longtime to get this podcast online,
because we think that it'sdesperately needed.
Owen (11:26):
Indeed, indeed.
So against that background now--against that that tapestry of
the Early Christian Lifestyle--let's turn to our subject:"The
Sign Of The Fish." And here'sthe story in a nutshell.
Most people would recognize the"fish" symbol because they see
(11:48):
it on people's trunks andbumpers of their cars.
And they know that the symbolindicates that Christians are
driving that car.
Christians are in that carsomewhere.
And you know, John, you and Ieven used the"fish" symbol in
the logo of this podcast.
We think people recognize it.
But here's the trick (12:10):
Most people don't know that the"fish"
sign...
what it originally meant! Theydon't realize that its original
meaning was the exact oppositeof what it means on people's
cars today.
John (12:26):
Yeah, and unfortunately that's typical of a lot of
Christian history, isn't it?
A lot of what we see today isthe opposite of what it was in
the First Century.
So let's tell our friends whatthe"fish" symbol originally
meant.
Owen (12:45):
Well...
and you're totally right, John,about Christian history.
Much of it is the opposite.
But so, let's talk about the"fish" symbol for a minute.
And here's something peopleprobably have not thought about.
The"fish" symbol, o r"sign," wecould call it-- because it was
(literally) a sign originally--is one of the oldest symbols, or
(13:06):
s igns, in world history.
It was not originally aChristian symbol.
People used it for centuriesbefore there were Christians.
For many centuries, the little"fish" symbol simply meant that
it was fishermen, or fishmerchants,(who were) using it to
(13:26):
identify their wares.
And by the way, this isinteresting.
The original design i n theearly centuries was the complete
fish! They actually carved, on aboard, or a rock, or a wall, a
complete fish with e yes, fins,scales...
the whole deal.
(13:46):
And the design t hat we seetoday-- that's made of two
curved lines-- that comes fromthe Middle Ages.
That was not the original"fish"symbol.
John (13:56):
Okay, so when did Christians adopt the"fish"
symbol"?
And who decided they would adoptit?
And what did it originally mean?
Owen (14:11):
Those are great questions ...
great questions! And the funnypart of it is that all of the
Early Christians-- the disciples-- would have seen(the"fish"
symbol).
They probably were using it.
And here's why...
let's talk about it.
It was actually Jesus whodecided that Christians would
adopt the"fish" symbol.
(14:33):
And He's the Person who gave ita Christian meaning.
And here's how that happened.
John, a lot of people don't knowthis: The first five disciples
...
now most people know that Jesushad 12 disciples...
and that one was a taxcollector, and they had
different occupations.
But the first five-- and youcould argue(they were) five of
(14:59):
the most important disciplesthat Jesus recruited-- were
Peter, Andrew, James, John, andPhilip.
And all five of them wereprofessional fishermen on Lake
Galilee in Israel.
In fact, when Jesus recruitedthem, He recruited them on the
shore of the lake where theyworking near the town of
(15:22):
Capernaum.
Now, we said that the"fish" signwas not originally a Christian
symbol.
But we can be sure that thesymbol was on all the docks,
there at Capernaum.
And in the bazaars.
And they had fish auctions,where Peter and the others would
auction their fish off in town.
(15:43):
You can be sure that the"fish"symbol was carved on the wall
there, where that was happening.
So they all saw it, knew it, andused it.
But it didn't have a Christianmeaning.
John (15:56):
It was very familiar.
But when did Jesus change themeaning of the symbol?
Owen (16:04):
Well, He did it standing on the shore of Lake Galilee.
I've stood there where thishappened.
And He knew the symbol, ofcourse, Himself.
He had seen it all of His life.
But here's what He said.
As He went to each of thesefirst five disciples, He said
something very odd(He may havebeen looking at the"fish" sign
on the shore, or one of theboats).
He said,"Follow Me.
(16:26):
Follow Me.
And I will make you"fishers" ofmen and women."(Repeats.)
John (16:36):
That's actually one of the best-known, and also one of the
most important, commands inChristianity!
Owen (16:44):
Absolutely.
And so, what did the fivefishermen do?
They did follow Him.
And He did make them"fishers" ofmen and women.
In fact, they"fished"-- inquotes-- so well that they
changed world history.
But Jesus's command, standingthere on the shore of Lake
(17:06):
Galilee, did two things for thatancient"fish" symbol that people
had used forever.
First, His command made the"fish" a Christian symbol
because Christians(have) used itever since.
And second, His command gave thesign of the"fish" a new meaning.
Catch this now (17:28):
It no longer meant a real fish.
It meant non-Christians whoneeded to be"caught"-- in quotes
-- and made(into) Christians.
In other words, let's say thatagain: The"fish" symbol now mean
non-Christians.
(17:48):
And the disciples were supposedto"fish" for them and"catch"
them.
It didn't mean an actual fish inthe Lake.
John (17:57):
And that's the opposite of what it means on people's cars
today! Today, it means that thepeople in the car are
Christians.
That's what's trying to becommunicated...
but at Lake Galilee, it referredto non-Christians who needed to
be(made into) Christians.
Owen (18:16):
Exactly, and it gets better than that! Because Jesus
had an even more subtle reasonfor giving the"fish" symbol to
the disciples.
And I'm not sure, John,(that)many people have thought about
this (18:29):
He(Jesus) wanted the disciples to put their focus on
non-Christians-- not onthemselves.
And so by adopting the"fish" astheir symbol, they were telling
the world that their mission wasthis: To convince non-Christians
to become Christians.
John (18:51):
Yes, and that's actually what we call"The Great
Commission." So the fish isactually a symbol of The Great
Commission.
Owen (19:02):
Exactly.
And you think about(it).
Most of the people who put thatlittle"fish" on their car
bumpers have no idea that's whatit really means.
That they're...
it means that they're out on thestreet to convince non-
Christians to become Christians.
But instead, they stick it ontheir car to say,"I'm a
(19:24):
Christian." You see how thatfocus flipped.
It's reversed.
And John, just let me say (19:30):
When you study Early Christian
paintings, for example.
You'll see many paintings ofChristians in boats with nets,
pulling in loads of fish.
And you'll see that frequentlyin the catacombs, for example,
(19:52):
under Rome(in) First Centurypaintings! They weren't talking
about they like to catch fishand have a barbecue! They were
showing that they were"catching"and"pulling in" non-Christians
into the boat! The boatrepresented Christianity.
And a lot of those(paintings)have Paul and Peter in the boat,
(20:14):
supervising the"catching" of the"fish." It's just wonderful.
John (20:19):
So let's explain that a little more to our friends.
Owen (20:28):
Well...
I think that something a lot ofpeople don't think about, is
that Jesus started His missionon earth, and ended His mission
on earth, with the very samecommand.
Think about it this way (20:42):
He started His mission on earth at
Lake Galilee, commanding Hisdisciples to be"fishers" of men
and women-- to focus onnon-Christians(and to) bring
them into the boat! But thinkabout it, John.
He ended His mission the verysame way.
(21:05):
Three years later, back in theProvince of Galilee again, one
of the last things He ever saidto His disciples, was the same
command, except, He said it inmore detail.
He said,"Go and make disciplesof all nations, baptizing them
(21:26):
in the Name of the Father, andthe Son, and the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to doeverything I've commanded of
you."
John (21:37):
And that's, Owen, as you know, The Great Commission that
Christians obey today.
So what did the disciples do?
Owen (21:46):
(Chuckles.) They obeyed! History shows that after Jesus
returned to heaven and leftthem, they proclaimed
"Christianity"-- in quotes-- inall places.
All places! Everywhere in theworld.
And Jesus knew they were goingto do that.
He predicted it.
He prophesied it.
(22:07):
He said that His disciples wouldproclaim"Christianity" to the
ends of the earth.
John (22:15):
The point being, we Christians are supposed to still
be doing that same thing today.
Aren't we?
Owen (22:22):
But...
and let's slow down a moment!Because we're about to miss a
really, really big principle.
How did they do it?
How did they change the wholeworld in 70 years?
How did they convince thousandsand thousands of non-Christians
(22:44):
to join the movement?
Because...
think about it...
they didn't have radio, TV, andsocial media.
So how did they do it?
John (22:54):
Actually, the way Christianity spread worldwide in
only 70 years is one of thebiggest miracles in history,
isn't it?
Owen (23:04):
It really is! And so, that's why the key to that
miracle, the key to that 70-yearexplosion(is this): We're right
back again! We've come fullcircle.
The key is the Early ChristianLifestyle, that special
behavior, that special conduct.
(23:27):
And I'm sure that our listenersremember that from the previous
episode.
John (23:33):
I'm sure they do!
Owen (23:35):
Because we said that "lifestyles" are important!
Let's repeat it again.
Because when you see a person'slifestyle, you're seeing that
person's Spiritual level.
The person looks in the mirror,and sees(his or her) behavior.
(People are) looking at howSpiritual they are!
John (23:55):
Yeah, our friends remember that, too.
Owen (23:58):
Yeah.
So! Here's the"secret ofsuccess" in the First Century.
Think about this (24:05):
When I was young, John, there were always
books, and recordings, and radioprograms, about the Secret of
Success.
Okay, here's the"secret ofsuccess" in Christianity: The
Early Christians turned theworld upside down Spiritually
(24:27):
simply by letting people seetheir lifestyle.
(Repeats.) Non-Christian saw thesupernatural power that they had
...
the peace, the healing, the hopein their lives each day...
and the non-Christians wantedit! So they became Christians to
(24:51):
get it.
And that's how the movementspread worldwide in 70 years.
John (25:00):
The whole key is the kind of behavior you see in other
people, isn't it?
Owen (25:04):
Yeah.
It's the behavior.
That behavior was Christianity'soriginal success.
And I would even say, it's thekey to understanding human life.
The principle is so important,it can't be overemphasized.
So let me emphasize it again: The best way to attract (25:21):
undefined
non-Christians to Christianityis to let them see Christians
living a supernatural lifestyleof hope, power, peace, patience,
healing...
and supernatural love, for amatter!(John says,"Wow!") Yeah,
(25:42):
wow is right, John.
But now let's use that, thathistory, to prove the
principle's true.
When Christianity was founded,it was not an organized
religion.
It didn't even have a name.
(Repeats.) It was based on thesupernatural lifestyle the early
(26:07):
Christians were living.
And the proof of that is,whenever Early Christians talked
among themselves-- socially--they talked about supernatural
behavior.
They didn't talk about the sizeof their congregation.
Or the cost of their building.
Or the size of their missionarybudget.
(26:30):
Or the size of their youthprogram, the way we do today.
They talked about supernaturalbehavior.
And you know, there's a goodtrue story that proves that!
John (26:44):
Yeah, I bet you're going to tell us the story of Paul and
Felix, aren't you!
Owen (26:46):
(Chuckles) Paul and Felix! I am! And that story, John, is a
Chapter 1 of the book, SavingChristianity.
It's the true story of theapostle Paul-- when he was put
on trial in the capital city ofIsrael.
Now of course, our listenerswill recognize the name,"Paul."
(27:07):
He was one of the most famousand gifted Christian apostles of
all time.
But in this story, he was framedup.
He was falsely accused by hisenemies.
And it ended up with himstanding in the governor's
palace, on trial before thegovernor, whose name was Marcus
(27:28):
Felix-- he was a Roman fromRome.
And so, Felix asked Paul todefend himself, to explain why
he was there.
And Paul said something verystrange.
He stood up tall before thegovernor, although he was
wearing chains, and he said,"Theonly thing I admit is that I
(27:52):
worship the God of our fathersas a'Follower of The Way'." The
only thing I admit is that Iworship the God of our fathers
as a"Follower of The Way." SoPaul didn't talk about
buildings, buses, and budgets,the way a minister on trial
(28:15):
might today.
He didn't talk about sermons,choirs, and scout troops.
He talked about behavior.
And to understand that, we needto remember that the record of
Paul's trial, which stillexists, was written in Greek.
Greek was the official languageof Israel at that time.
(28:37):
And so, in the original Greek,Paul's words"The Way" can be
translated to mean (28:43):
a special lifestyle; a special conduct; a
special behavior.
Does that sound familiar?
So he said-- Paul-- as a defense(that) his only"crime" was that
he had a special way of thinkingand acting that non-Christians
(29:05):
didn't have, and they arrestedhim for it.
John (29:09):
And that was a strange line of defense.
Wasn't it?
Owen (29:13):
Yeah, I would say! But-- he had this supernatural
behavior(and) his enemies didn'tlike it.
Imagine that! They arrested himfor having supernatural
behavior! I wonder if that'sever happened in our time?
Well, John, let's summarizethen: The early Christians
(29:38):
claimed to be people withsupernatural behavior that
non-Christians didn't have.
They didn't claim to have areligion.
They didn't claim to have atemple.
They didn't even claim to be"Christians." All they claimed
was that they had supernaturalbehavior that other people
(30:02):
didn't have.
John (30:04):
That is a mind-blowing principle, Owen.
(Laughs.) And by the way, thereason Paul didn't use the word
"Christian" in his defense...
is that the word"Christian"didn't exist at the time!
Owen (30:20):
Right on! Think about that a minute.
That's exactly right.
A lot of people don't know that.
The word"Christian" didn't existamong the original Christians.
Listen (30:29):
Jesus didn't use it...
the 12 disciples didn't use it...
the first full generation ofChristians didn't use it.
In fact, it's not even a"Christian" word.
They were called the Followersof The Way.
And they didn't invent the word"Christian." We'll talk about
(30:50):
where the word came from just amoment.
But, let's be clear about thisbehavior-- we keep pounding that
nail!-- about this behavior thatthe Followers of The Way had.
John (31:05):
Which means, it's time to talk about"motivation." Because
Christian motivation is unique.
Owen (31:13):
Absolutely, totally.
You know, scientists say that"all behavior is motivated."
(Repeats.) That means that allof our outer behavior that we
see (31:27):
eating, dressing, everything we do, is coming from
inner forces within us.
And those inner forces havenothing to do with how we look,
with our careers, or even withour personal circumstances.
John (31:45):
Might you give out...
give us an example, Owen.
Owen (31:50):
Well...
it's difficult to give a quick,simple one.
But let's try this (31:53):
Is it true that a person can have ragged
clothes, and drive a rusty car,and yet have kind behavior?
(John answers,"Yes.") All right,isn't it also true that a person
can have expensive clothes, anddrive an expensive car, and yet
(32:19):
have rude behavior?
(John answers,"Yes.") Okay!Doesn't that prove that people's
outer behavior is what makesthem Spiritual and unspiritual?
Not their circumstances-- nottheir clothes.
Not their car.
Their behavior! Are they kind?
Or are they rude?
(32:41):
And so, it's people's innermotivation that creates(their)
outer behavior.
Everything boils down to thisprinciple, John.
It's people's inner motivationthat makes them Spiritual.
Let's repeat that.
It's people's inner motivationthat makes them Spiritual.
(33:03):
Not their appearance, career, orcircumstances.
John (33:07):
That's true.
It's like the old saying that aDitch Digger can be Spiritual,
and a King can be unspiritual.
The problem is, we tend to judgepeople by their circumstances.
Not by their inner motivation.
Owen (33:24):
That's right.
And that's why we keep saying,"If you look at a person's
lifestyle, you're looking attheir Spiritual level." That's
the only thing that proves thedegree to which a person is
Spiritually motivated.
John (33:42):
In other words, a person's behavior is the only real test
of how Spiritual he or she is.
Owen (33:52):
Well, that's right! I often tell people, John:"If you
accidentally slam a desk draweron your finger, what do you do?
Do you curse?
Or do you chuckle and praiseGod?" That's the difference.
And that brings us now to ourfinal historical fact.
The historical fact that's thetrue story of how these
(34:15):
Followers of The Way lost theirname.
John (34:19):
And that's an important story that many Christians have
never heard.
Owen (34:25):
That's right.
The dirty deed happened in thecity of Antioch, Turkey.
And it happened 31 years--almost a lifetime-- after this
movement that Jesus founded, theone that was called,"the
Followers of The Way." So theseFollowers had been focused on
(34:47):
this individual Spiritualbehavior for almost, almost a
lifetime.
And then something interestinghappened.
Some of the Followers lived inAntioch.
And they had a habit ofconstantly talking about"Christ"
in the streets.
(35:08):
Now, we all know that"Christ"means"the anointed one." And
it's just another name forJesus.
So, they were constantly talkingabout Jesus, calling Him
"Christ." In fact, you know,John, sometimes Followers of The
Way are called,"Christ-Followers." But, then
(35:28):
the plot thickened.
This constant talking about"Christ" in the streets and the
shops irritated thenon-Christians in Antioch.
And the funny thing is, historyrecords that they had a habit--
the citizens of Antioch-- had aweird habit.
(35:49):
They liked to give nicknames toeverybody.
John (35:52):
Uh-oh.
I see where this is headed.
The non-Christians gave theChrist-Followers a nickname,
didn't they?
Owen (36:01):
Yep.
They did.
And here's the nickname theygave them.
They began to jeer, and taunt,the Christ-Followers in the
streets and in the shops.
Now remember, the citizens ofAntioch spoke Latin at the time.
So, they began calling out tothe Christ-Followers when they
(36:22):
saw them:" Christiani!Christiani!" And in Latin, that
meant"little Christ! LittleChrist!" See, it was an insult!
They thought they were insultingthe Followers by insulting the
beautiful name of Christ.
But you know what?
The nickname stuck.
(36:44):
And camel caravans passingthrough the city spread the term
worldwide.
And in a few years, theFollowers of The Way lost their
name.
They were never known again asFollowers.
They were now known as"Christians"-- and they're still
known, John, by that nicknametoday.
(37:08):
Think about it.
The people that we call"Christians" today, are actually
the people who were once calledFollowers of The Way.
John (37:22):
So, Owen, as I'm processing this, do you think
that is a bad thing?
Owen (37:29):
I do! And I'll tell you why, John.
Because the nickname,"Christian," flies in the face
of what Jesus told(Followers) todo: Focus on others.
So, it takes the focus off thesupernatural behavior that the
Followers were known as.
(37:50):
Remember, that's what Followersof The Way meant:"The people
with the special supernaturalbehavior." And it puts the title
on, it puts the focus on, anatural, a neutral, type of
religious title--"Christian."And you know what happened?
(38:11):
The Christ-Followers today tendto have forgotten that they were
supposed to be known forSpirituality.
Not a religious title! Andthat's one reason-- maybe not
the only reason-- but onereason, why the Christ-Followers
(38:33):
today are no more Spiritual thannon-Christians.
They've forgotten that they'resupposed to have supernatural
behavior!
John (38:46):
Wow.
These are life-changingprinciples, aren't they! They
show us Christianity in a wholenew light.
Owen (38:55):
Well...
I think so! And, John, that'swhy we're going to the trouble
to produce this podcast.
We're trying to show today'sChrist-Followers-- today's
Christ-Followers!-- how toreturn to the wonderful
supernatural peace, healing, andhope, that the original
(39:19):
Followers of The Way had! Well,there we go again, John.
I'm looking at the big clock onthe wall, and I hate to say it,
but it's time to close Episode02.
And so, let's summarize itquickly.
And to do that, I'd like to reada few sentences from Chapter 1
(39:42):
of the book, SavingChristianity.
John (39:44):
Okay.
What part of Chapter 1 are yougoing to read?
Owen (39:48):
Let's read the last paragraph and the summary of
that chapter, where I'm talkingabout what happened to the
Followers of The Way.
And let's read that quickly.
And I quote:"As we close chapterone, several important questions
remain to be answered.
(40:10):
What happened to the Followersof The Way?
Did they continue theirwonderful Spiritual lifestyle?
And, when did Christiandenominations, as we know them
today, appear in history?
How did those denominationsaffect the Followers of The Way?
(40:34):
Finally, how are the Followersof The Way fairing in America
today?
The answers to all of thosequestions lie just ahead." So,
John, we have a lot to talkabout again in our next episode,
and in all of the episodesfollowing it.
(40:57):
Now, I'd like to remind ourfriends again: This may be-- I
could be wrong-- but this maybe, one of the few places on the
Internet, where they can hearthese little-known, rare facts
about Christianity.
John (41:12):
Yeah.
So, Owen, I'm actually proud ofthat.
We've worked for months--actually, we've worked for years
-- if you think about it,preparing these episodes,
preparing for these episodes,and you've worked for years
discovering these hidden facts.
Owen (41:30):
Yeah.
And you know, John, in the lightof all we revealed in this
episode, I think our friendslistening now, wherever they are
...
in a car, in an office, in thekitchen, anywhere...
should be asking themselves thisquestion:"To what extent am I a
Christ-Follower?"(Repeats.) Towhat extent does my lifestyle
(41:58):
match the lifestyle of theFollowers of The Way?
How much supernatural peace,healing, and hope, do I have
each day?" And the good news is,we're going to"dig up" the
answers to those questions inEpisode 03.
John (42:22):
That's why we're going to ask our friends to please
subscribe to Episode 03.
Owen (42:28):
Yeah, because we've only scratched the surface! So, my
friends, as we close, rememberthis is Episode 02, in our
podcast(and) a script andrecording of it are on the
Christian family Online website.
And to access that, simply go towww.CFOPODS.com(C-F-O-P-O-D-S)
(42:52):
.com on the Internet, and clickin the index, or scroll down.
John (43:01):
And yes, please subscribe to this podcast, so we can get
you the notifications forEpisode 03, and the rest of the
upcoming episodes.
Owen (43:12):
Right.
And if you don't have one,please grab a copy of the book,
Saving Christianity, so you canfollow along with the points
that we're making.
John (43:23):
And, I would just say, that there's much more meat in
the book, than we can cover inour limited time here on our
podcast.
And I really want to encourageyou to get the book, Saving
Christianity.
Owen (43:40):
Yeah.
And, John, our friends need toknow that Episode 03 is really
interesting.
Because we're going to talkabout what happened to the
Followers of The Way later inhistory.
Do any of them still existtoday?
Do any of them live in America?
(44:00):
And if any of them do exist--and do live in America-- do they
still have that supernaturallifestyle that they used to
have?
So, Episode 03 is going to"digup" more facts from our"time
capsule." But for now, this isOwen Allen...
John (44:20):
...
and this is John Shields, alongwith our producer, Shannon Wolf
...
Owen (44:25):
...
and we're saying (44:25):
May the God of our fathers bless you, and keep
you, and guide you, and protectyou, until we meet again.
John and Owen (44:32):
Owen and John end the episode.
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