Excellence

 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
Luke 1:3 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.1.3.ESV

Never mind 'most excellent Theophilus' as the initial recipient of this gospel; Doctor Luke comes across as a most excellent historian of Jesus. He is the only Gentile writer of the forty or so authors of the Bible!

Luke was from Troas in modern day Turkey, when he met the apostle Paul, came to faith, and became part of his mission team. He wasn't just some curious Roman skeptic of a biographer. He was convinced that the Lord Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, and he wanted Theophilus to share that certainty.

As Luke travelled with Paul, he will have met other pioneering disciples of Jesus, who he could interview for his gospel. This wasn't some kind of apocryphal gnostic gospel, but a credible historical account. With his doctorly forensic approach, he applied his learning to creating a gospel- a record of the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We might not know for sure whether Theophilus came to a sure and certain hope in Christ as his Lord. But as we read Luke's gospel, we can come to that conclusion for ourselves. Luke's orderly account has blessed many more than perhaps he could ever have imagined with his intended audience of one!

'Lord, we're so excited to receive the good news You have for us. Please help us to rejoice in You, for Your honour and praise, amen'

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mercy

  For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. Deuteronomy 4:31 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.4.31.ESV Jesus Christ is Lord. That's why they crucified Him, for claiming to be God and King: blasphemy to the Jews and treason to the Romans. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. So the same Jesus of yesterday is the Jesus of today. He was merciful yesterday, and He'll be merciful today and forever. He doesn't just turn around and decide to destroy people He's lavished His mercy upon. If we've received God's mercy, or if we receive it now, or before Christ returns, nothing can separate us from the love of God. If we want God's presence in our lives, and we cry out to Him for it, He's not going to abandon us in the wilderness of our sin. If we claim God's Bible promises for ourselves in faith, we are safe in Him. God promises never t
Read more

Power

 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.Exodus 9:16 ESVhttps://bible.com/bible/59/exo.9.16.ESV  Secular historians point to the lack of extra-biblical evidence of Hebrew slavery in Egypt and ensuing exodus. But here in this verse, God describes how this anonymous Pharoah has been immortalised in the annals of the Hebrews, so that God is proclaimed in all the earth. The mighty men of the world might think they can stand against God and win, but resistance is futile!  The more stubborn Pharoah was, the more the Lord was able to display His power. The more insistent Pharoah was of keeping his slaves, the more unreasonable he appeared. It was a battle of wills, and the will of Yahweh prevailed.  In the end, Pharoah will have been broken by the plagues. In the final plague, his own firstborn son was killed, the next in line to the throne of the world superpower. He might have tried to put a brave face on it, but he
Read more

Follow!

 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23 ESV Early on in His ministry, Jesus was really popular. Even just earlier in this chapter, Jesus fed 5,000 men, plus women and children miraculously. But when He started making statements like this verse, He understandably became less popular. Basically, Jesus was asking those who would follow Him to go on 'death row'. Following Jesus in 1st Century Roman Palestine wasn't about pressing a button on social media. It was about changing the entire orientation of your life to live for the promised Messiah.  Understandably, not many people signed up to 'death row for Jesus'. As Jesus made His way inexorably to the cross, the crowds peeled away. They were no better than the Romans, hankering after 'free bread and circuses', and when Jesus didn't play ball, they turned away disillusioned. Note however that Jesus isn't simply ca
Read more