Acts 19:9
The Way
9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
Acts 24:14-15
The Way
14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
Acts 24:22
The Way
22 Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.”
Acts 24:1-8
Paul is Ringleader of the Nazarene Sect
1 Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.
5 “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him.[7] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.”
Acts 11:25-26
People of Antioch Were the First to be Called Christians
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
John 10:37-38
Jesus Did Miracles, and Admits to Doing Miracles
37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.
John 14:6-7
Jesus is Truth, the Way, and the Life
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
Jesus is a Complex Man...He still is a difficult Man to figure out, if it is fair to even call Him a Man...Was He really a Man, or maybe just divine?...There were people hundreds of years after His death, still questioning this on whether He was a Man, or just Divine, or even if He existed at all...Much of His controversy circles around this divinity, His Divinity...The ideas on His Divinity grew maybe even more so after His death...And how could a Complex-Complicated Man like this, even or ever exist?...
The earliest of followers of Jesus were know by at least three names, as stated in the Acts...His early followers were called Followers of the Way...They were also called the Nazarene Sect...Paul was called the ringleader of the Nazarene sect by angry Jews...And the earliest of followers were also called Christians...The first followers of Jesus to be called Christians, were the people of Antioch...These three names for Jesus followers give more evidence that He did exist and is a Great Historical Figure...And these followers for the most part were devout followers...He had many disciples, beyond the Twelve Disciples, and they grew quickly...
Beside The Acts of the Apostles, the four gospels and all the New Testament, documents the ministry of Jesus...But both the Jewish and Roman historians have written accounts of Jesus...There is so much detail about His ministry and what He has done and is still doing, that has made it very difficult to deny Him...
Did Jesus exist,, has been a question for now two thousand years...Many of His early followers would die for Him...Just to fabricate a story about a non-existent Man is one thing...To die for Him is quite the opposite...The early Christian persecutions are a part of history and is documented...The detail and account outlined in the Acts of the Apostles by St. Luke is great evidence that Jesus existed...It is hard to account for the early Christian movement and the Christian persecutions and deaths without a Leader like Jesus...The deaths of many of His early followers, help us conclude that He is divine...How else can one explain the rise of Christianity, the persecutions, and the early Christian martyrs...St. Luke is constantly, using documentation about Roman leaders, or places early Christians visited, or in this case what the followers of Jesus were even called...This gives us more of a historical account, and well as all the faith stories and teachings of Jesus, to believe in Him...
I believe that Jesus exists and was both Man and Divine on earth...He showed us many signs that He was from heaven...Quite a bit of evidence points to the One who stood up two thousand years ago, and said I AM Truth...And He added that He is the Way and the Life, our eternal life...Those that really know Him, know His Father God as well...Those who do not believe in Jesus has not taken the time to read all the information about Him, as a first century Leader of the Way, the Nazarene Sect, and the Christians...They were His Sheep, and still are...