THURSDAY July 14, 2022
Faithful Friends
The former account I [Luke] made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen....
Acts 1:1-2
The writer of the book of Acts was Luke the physician. He was well educated. In becoming a physician, he went to one of three universities, either located in Alexandria, Athens or Tarsus. Some Bible scholars believe he was educated in Alexandria, but others, Athens, as he was a Greek. Even though educated, Luke never called himself “Dr. Luke;” he always called himself a servant. He was a humble person.
Luke was a dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. He was the only New Testament writer who was identifiably not a Jew. Paul identifies that not all of his coworkers were Jewish in Colossians 4:11.
Luke dedicated these writings to Theophilus. He wrote to him to give an accurate account of Christ’s life (Acts 1:1-3). Luke also referred to him as “most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3), so in all probability, he was a highly ranked Roman officer, whose name means “loved of God” or “friend of God.” It is believed Theophilus was a converted to Christianity by Luke and became a brother in Christ.
The Apostle Paul called Luke a “beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14). He personally took care of Paul. Luke accompanied him on his missionary journeys to Asia (Acts 20:4-6). In Paul’s toughest times, Luke remained his constant companion––a loyal friend. As Paul’s eyesight was bad, Luke wrote the scrolls––the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. He was a very faithful man to God and a very faithful friend to Paul. He spent his life helping Him.
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
~John 15:13~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
