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1In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (ESV)

‘Of the original quartet of writers on Jesus, Luke alone continues to tell the story as the apostles and disciples live it into the next generation. The remarkable thing is that it continues to be essentially the same story. Luke continues his narration with hardly a break, a pause perhaps to dip his pen in the inkwell, writing in the same style, using the same vocabulary.

The story of Jesus doesn’t end with Jesus. It continues in the lives of those who believe in him.’ Eugene Peterson

When Luke writes that in his first volume he ”dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach”, his implication surely is that volume 2 is the story of Jesus continuing to do and teach. The ministry is still Christ’s, but He carries it out through His church. David Pawson, the eminent Bible teacher, put it like this: he said, at the Ascension Jesus switched bodies. In the gospel, we see Him moving towards Jerusalem in a physical body; in the ‘Acts’ we find Him moving out from Jerusalem in a spiritual body, the church.

In the book of ‘Acts’ there is an emphasis on the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit from the outset (2,5.8). In the gospel, Luke has a number of repeated themes. The Holy Spirit is one of them. (Prayer is another, and we’ll get to that great topic further on in the chapter). But here is another point of continuity between the gospel and ‘Acts’. What Jesus was enabled to do in the power of the Spirit, the church is now called and equpped to do in the power of that self-same Spirit. ‘The supernatural does not stop with Jesus.’ Peterson

As I read verse 3 again the other evening, I was impressed by the thought that, still today, encountering the risen Lord personally is the greatest evidence for the resurrection. ‘You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.’ I like the answer of the man who was challenged, ‘How do you know Jesus is alive?’ ‘Oh’, he replied, ‘I was talking with Him just five minutes ago!’

1In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (ESV)

Our minds inevitably go to the prologue of Luke’s gospel when we read the opening of ‘Acts.’ We cannot help but see/hear a similarity:

1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (ESV)

Dr. Luke wrote a two volume history of the beginnings of Christianity: his gospel dealing with the life and ministry of Jesus, and the ‘Acts’ outlining the life and ministry of the earliest church. What is striking is that, it would appear, that all his painstaking work was done for just one man ‘Theophilus.’ Although ‘Theophilus’ could be a code word for the church, it seems likeliest that he was one precious human being – perhaps a ‘seeker’ after truth, or a new disciple. But he was well worth Luke’s efforts. More than worth them.

In Luke 15, the good doctor records three parables of Jesus: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. In fact these stories are about one lost sheep, one lost coin, and one lost son. And oh the joy when what is lost is found. It seems that this truth was deeply impressed upon Luke that one matters. Theophilus mattered, and he went to great lengths to help him.

Years ago I heard a preacher say, ‘You will never lock eyes with anyone who doesn’t matter to the Father.’

‘It is the individual touch that tells. He (Jesus) doesn’t love in the mass, but in one’s.’ Amy Carmichael

4“O LORD,” I prayed, “have mercy on me.

Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

5But my enemies say nothing but evil about me.

“How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.

6They visit me as if they were my friends,

but all the while they gather gossip,

and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.

7All who hate me whisper about me,

imagining the worst.

8“He has some fatal disease,” they say.

“He will never get out of that bed!”

9Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,

the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

10LORD, have mercy on me.

Make me well again, so I can pay them back!

11I know you are pleased with me,

for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.

12You have preserved my life because I am innocent;

you have brought me into your presence forever.

13Praise the LORD, the God of Israel,

who lives from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and amen! (NLT)

Yesterday we established the principle that God heals (v3). More, He is a loving, caring healer, ‘nursing’ His patients to health.

Following on from the principle David prays for healing. Note that it is not wrong to pray for our own health concerns. However, you will no doubt notice that David prays for restoration to health so that he can pay back his enemies. This inevitably raises questions in our minds, but commentators tend to point out that David is not talking about personal revenge, something forbidden in Scripture (Deut.32:35; Rom.12:19). But as king, he had the responsibility to punish wrongdoers, and to purge evil from the land. Because David was God’s anointed king, those speaking against him were actually speaking against God. David was supremely jealous for the Lord’s honour.

Perhaps even greater than the pain of sickness is the pain of treachery (v.9). Ultimately, this verse was fulfilled in Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Christ.

The Psalms divide into five distinct sections, or ‘books’. With Psalm 41:13, book 1 comes to a glorious end. For all that our ever-living God is (and has taught us) to Him be eternal praise! ”Amen and amen!”

(From next Monday, God-willing, we will embark on a fresh journey through the book of Acts. You might want to look out for all the healing miracles as the ministry of Jesus continues in and through His church, by the power of the Holy Spirit).