Right now, we are unable to meet together in our building. However, the church is not simply a building. It is us. You and me. We are committed to STAYING CONNECTED.
One of the ways we want to stay connected is through a study of God’s Word.
We will be sharing with you these printable study guides with an expectation for you to join in with us on our journey to strengthen our relationship with Jesus.
Any time you have questions or feedback please reach out us.
You can text me at 618-638-5962, with any questions you may have.
Thank you for your participation.
Pastor Charles Tate
A Study of The Gospel of Luke
As we begin our study of the Gospel according to Luke, listen to one writer…
“The Christian faith is not just a matter of the head, but also, of the heart.It is a balance between head and heart. The emotional aspect of the Christian faith must be firmly grounded in the historical and doctrinal truth of the faith as revealed to us in Scripture.
Otherwise, we have no firm foundation when our feelings change and we have no objective basis (truth) for evaluating our feelings.
It is essential to affirm that the Christian faith is rooted in objective history and absolute, unchanging truth.”
Luke reminds us that our faith in Jesus Christ is grounded on a firm foundation of absolute, unchanging truth that anchors our lives and calms both our emotions and minds.
I pray that our study of Luke will strengthen our faith, settle our thoughts and emotions, and reinforce our resolve as we walk out our Christian faith.
The theme for our study is, “Encountering Jesus through the Gospel of Luke.” I am excited to begin our journey focused on Jesus.
Let me share a brief intro to this Gospel…and then hear how God begins to slice through the silence.
The word “Gospel” simply means the Good News… more accurately the Great News… also, we can include Breaking News… and was used to speak of the message of salvation… but by the second century it was also used in reference to the accounts themselves.
Raymond Culpepper introduces Luke’s gospel account as,
“Luke: Deity Dressed in Humanity.”
The prologue written by Luke’s own hand serves as a great introduction of the Gospel of Luke…
Luke 1:1-4
1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
This gospel is about the fulfillment and accomplishment of God’s plan.
In verse 4, Luke clearly reveals his purpose for writing this account.
Luke writes so that Theophilus (and by implication also all who read this narrative) would have certainty of the truth about everything that was taught about Jesus. The certainty of the truth proclaimed is guaranteed by Luke.
Luke writes so that you can know the truth about Jesus.
We live in a world of relativism, where there is no truth or certainty, especially about Jesus and the Word of God. However, Luke made a careful investigation of the facts, interviewing the eyewitnesses and servants of the word of God.
“Through the orderliness of the narrative and the careful, systematic presentation, Luke hoped to reassure Theophilus and those like him about the certainty of what the apostles taught about Jesus.“(Baker Exegetical Commentary)
Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise and the fulfillment of salvation, which is now available directly to everyone. You can know all you need to know about Jesus because the Gospel accounts about him are accurate, based upon personal research and knowledge by trustworthy writers.
Luke is sharing with true knowledge of Jesus Christ, one that we can trust in with confidence; that truth brings reassurance in our lives that God will take care of us.
Luke’s purpose was “to write a basic, well-organized, authentic, confirming account of the deeds and words of Jesus.” It is also the most comprehensive of all the Gospels in its details, otherwise unknown through the other Gospels.
Luke wanted to strengthen the faith of the believers.
He wanted to make it clear that the Gospel, the Good News is for everyone who would receive it.
R. K. Hughes (Luke: That you may know the truth.)
- Truth that we can measure ourselves against.
- Truth that anchors us.
- Truth that sets us free.
Raymond Culpepper gives these principles revealed through these Spirit inspired stories that Luke shares with his readers—
Jesus:
- Majors on Mercy
- Labors with Love
- Goes all out with Grace
- Fully Forgives
- Completely Cleanses
- Decisively Delivers
- Triumphantly Transforms
Sounds like Good News (Great News) to me!
I pray you will stay committed to our journey that is focused on Jesus through Luke’s account.
As we close this study take a moment to pray for those you may be gathered with. Pray for our Brookport COG family, and pray for a miracle. We are reminded through Luke that God is able to do miracles.
