Luke writes another installment of the Journey with Jesus, following his Gospel, in Acts:

Dear Theophilus, in the first volume of this book I wrote on everything that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he said good-bye to the apostles, the ones he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. After his death, he presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God. Acts 1:1-3 (The Message)

Theophilus could be anyone, he could be me and he could be you. In the greek language ‘Theophilus’ means ‘God-lover’. The most important place to begin with God is in a loving relationship. Looking at God in the right light, the light of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, means seeing God in the light of his sacrificial love. A love that conquors sin and death and is available to everyone through a life of repentance and faith. To love God all we need to realize is the love of God for us that took Jesus Christ to the cross.

The life and death of Jesus are facts of history that are sustainable outside of the narrative of the Bible. No doubt, Jesus lived and died. What happens next is testified to by men of integrity, many of whom died for their faith in the following years. The story continues, for those who accept the testimony of faith, with Jesus setting into opportation a plan. He taught his followers during the forty days between his resurrection and ascension to Heaven. Much more of what the Kingdom of God is was given to them to see. The book of Acts is the story of the work of bringing in the Kingdom of God through the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit.

May your Kingdom come, may your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Let me be a learner of you and a means by which others may know your love. Amen.