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Proof of Identity

Acts 11:19–26

August 16, 2026 · Conrad Wozniak

Leader preparation · 2–3 minutes

Your aim for this conversation

Read Acts 11:19–26 and skim verses 27–30. Notice the scattering in verses 19–21, Barnabas in verses 22–24, and the new name in verse 26.

The conversation is for each person to ask what proof of belonging to Jesus others can see in an ordinary week, without turning it into proving ourselves to God.

Essential questions: Q2, Q3, Q4. Use Q1 when time permits. Conrad's bumper-sticker illustration touched on how our culture talks about identity; keep the talk on our own conduct, not a culture debate.

Timing plan

45 minutes

Opening
4
Passage
5
Questions
24
Application
7
Prayer
5

Total · 45 minutes

The Big Idea

If we identify as a Christian, there should be proof of that identity.

Remember Sunday’s message

Sermon reminders

01

The Scattering Church

After Stephen was killed, the scattered believers spoke about Jesus, and men of Cyprus and Cyrene crossed over to the Hellenists in Antioch. Conrad said Antioch, at the crossroads of three continents, is much like Ventura County, where the nations of the world live around us.

02

Barnabas, Saul, and the Name "Christian"

Barnabas saw the grace of God in Antioch, brought Saul, and they taught the church for a whole year. There the disciples were first called Christians, probably as a put-down from outsiders who saw how differently they lived.

03

Biblical Terms for Believers

Scripture also calls believers disciples, saints, God's household and believers. The word Christian appears only three times, and Conrad summed it up as one who ascribes to the ways of Jesus.

04

The Main Challenge: Proof of Identity

This is not proving ourselves to God, since Christ proved his love at the cross. It is the fruit of a life that belongs to Jesus, seen by our children, our neighbors and the people we work with.

05

Marks of Christian Identity from the Text

From Barnabas and the church in Antioch, Conrad drew marks of that proof: faithfulness, steadfast purpose, goodness, being full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, unity and generosity.

Wednesday’s conversation

Reflect & discuss

Read Acts 11:19–26 together in the ESV.

1

Acts 11:19–21 · Optional · 5 minutes

The world in our backyard

Some who scattered spoke only to Jews, but men of Cyprus and Cyrene spoke to the Hellenists also, and Conrad said the nations of the world now live in our own backyard. Where in an ordinary week do you cross paths with someone whose background is very different from yours, and what makes it easier or harder to talk with them about what matters to you?

Leader notes

Follow-ups to have ready

  • Conrad said the people we meet here may take the message of Jesus with them wherever they go. How does that change the way you think about a short conversation at work or in a store?
  • Where do you most often stay with people who think and look like you, and what would it take to step outside that this week?

If it stalls

Read verse 20 aloud and ask what it might have cost the men of Cyprus and Cyrene to speak to people who did not think like them.

2

Acts 11:22–24 · Essential · 6 minutes

What Barnabas saw

Verse 23 says that when Barnabas came and "saw the grace of God, he was glad," and verse 24 calls him "a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith." When have you seen the grace of God that plainly in another believer's life, and what exactly did you see?

Leader notes

Follow-ups to have ready

  • Barnabas was sent to see what was happening in Antioch. If someone came to look at your life this month, what would you hope they would find to be glad about?
  • Optional, more personal: Conrad said faithful people do not turn to the left when a shiny object appears or to the right when a crisis appears. Which of those two pulls you off course more often right now?

If it stalls

Offer a general example, such as a neighbor who stayed kind through a long illness, then let people pass.

3

Acts 11:25–26 · Essential · 6 minutes

A name from outsiders

Conrad said the name Christian was probably first a put-down from outsiders, who noticed that "their conduct, their speech, their way of living" was different. If the people on your street or at your work gave you a nickname based only on what they see you do, what might it be, and what would you hope it would be?

Leader notes

Follow-ups to have ready

  • Conrad also walked through the Bible's other names for believers: disciple, saint, member of God's household, and believer. Which of those is hardest for you to accept about yourself, and why?
  • When has someone noticed your faith before you said anything about it?

If it stalls

Start light with the cheeseheads or the Yankees, and let people laugh before anyone answers about themselves.

4

Acts 11:26 · Essential · 7 minutes

On trial

Conrad asked, "If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough proof?" If the people who see you at home or at work on an ordinary Monday were called as witnesses, where would the evidence be thinnest, and what is one thing you will do about it before next Wednesday?

Leader notes

Follow-ups to have ready

  • Optional, more personal: Conrad asked whether his children could tell he is a Christian by the way he speaks to them when he is frustrated. Where would the people closest to you say your words do not yet match your faith?
  • The church in Antioch showed its faith by deciding together to send relief in a famine (verses 27–30). What would that kind of generosity look like as evidence in your life this month?

Background you may need

  • Conrad was clear that this is not proving ourselves to God: "Christ proved his love for us by going to the cross for us." If the talk turns to earning God's favor, return to that line.

If it stalls

Allow a minute of silence for each person to picture an ordinary Monday before anyone answers.

Carry it into the week

Next Steps

From the sermon

  • When you call yourself a Christian, or someone calls you one, stop and consider the weight of that name.
  • Ask yourself: if you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict?
  • Notice the people from other nations and cultures you meet at work and around town, and take the chance to share the message of Jesus with them.
  • Love your neighbors as yourself, rather than putting them down to get what is yours.

Application

Before next Wednesday, write down the one piece of evidence you named in Q4, and ask one person in the group to pray for you about it during the week.

My notes

Close in prayer

Thank God that Christ proved his love for us at the cross, and ask him to make our words and actions at home, at work and on our streets show plainly whose name we carry.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible, © 2001 by Crossway. Text Edition: 2025. Used by permission. Permissions. Prepared for this small group from the August 16, 2026 sermon; questions and applications are editorial study material.

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