How should the early Jerusalem Jewish believers be classified instead of as Christians?
The early Jerusalem Jewish believers should be classified as Jewish believers under the covenant promises, not as Christians. The Word of God never calls them Christians; Acts 11 shows Gentile believers at Antioch were first called Christians. They were saved under covenant promises, like John the Baptist's followers and Pentecost believers, not under the Gospel of the grace of God.
Les teaches that the Word of God never refers to the early Jerusalem Jewish believers as Christians. He points out that Acts 15 does not call them Christians, and Acts 11 says the Gentile believers at Antioch were first called Christians. He refuses to call these Jewish believers Christians. Instead, they were Jewish believers under the covenant promises, just like John the Baptist's followers, those who came under Christ's ministry, those saved on Pentecost, and all the rest up to that point. Les explains that you cannot call a person a Christian who has not been saved according to the Gospel of the grace of God—that Christ died for our sins, rose from the dead, and ascended. He notes that even the best theologians mix this up, but he sees a clear difference.