Following Jesus to Disciple Others

Discipleship is one of the most important areas of a Christian's life. I am personally thankful to the LORD for men and women who taught me God's Word, instructed me in the living for the LORD, and shared their lives with me as means to disciple me. Sadly, discipleship is missing in the lives of many Christians. Thus they never truly develop into a mature follower of Christ. This doesn't mean that they are lost but they have never grown in the faith.

Today, Luke 1:1-4 speaks to the need of discipleship. Yes, this is the introduction for the book. It gives information about the audience, the author, and additional information. The original audience is specifically a man named Theophilus. We don't know much about him expect that both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts are both addressed to him.

Most likely the Gospel of Luke was written by a man named Luke. There are many things about Luke that we find in Scripture: he was a physician and apparently a historian.

It is within the additional information that we find some important details that specifically speak to us about making disciples. There is that fact that Luke is aware of the other efforts to record the events surrounding Jesus' life and ministry. He also aware of the "original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed" (verse 2) down to each of them. It is this word that has been handed down that Luke desires to share with his friend Theophilus. Luke's purpose is stated in verse 4: "So that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed." All of this is after he has "carefully investigated everything from the first, to write" (verse 3). Luke has done his homework. He knows what he believes and why he believes it. 

But don't miss this. He doesn't keep his knowledge about Jesus to himself. He doesn't keep all that he has learned to himself. He instead is eager to share this information with his friend. 

Do we have the same motivation to share with our friends. As Jesus teaches us, let us teach those around us. As we learn knew truths from God's Word, let us share these truths with those around us. By doing this we will be "Following Jesus to disciple others."

Praying today for:
(1) The Lake O' the Pines community of Eagle Landing
(2) The State of North Carolina
(3) The Nation of Tunisia
(4) The European Peoples throughout the World