I quite enjoy watching investigative television shows or movies. There are some very well researched and incredibly well written scripts that have captured my imagination. The writers spend hours of time researching the intended subject and pour over the details with a fine tooth comb as they write the final script. The more research and investigating they do the more authentic and real the story becomes.
I was intrigued by the opening verses of the Gospel of Luke, specifically how he tells us that he himself has “carefully investigated everything from the beginning”. I imagine that this would have taken a great amount of time considering the investigative tools he would have had access to. Luke really does his homework; he sets the stage by reminding us of prophecies that have been fulfilled from the accounts of those who came before him, he also includes details of an extensive genealogy of the line of Jesus. Luke knew that there was an important message that needed to be communicated through his research and writing, he didn’t want to miss anything.
I like to know as much as I can before I jump into doing something. Today we have an incredible amount of information available to us through the internet and other online resources. When it comes to sharing the Gospel message we have the incredible resource of the written words in the Bible. Men like Luke have done the homework for us. What we need to do is resist the urge to google “sharing the gospel” and sit down and read the Bible, it’s all there, the whole story in one book. I don’t want to discount the work of the many who have devoted their lives to the study of scripture and the message of the Gospel, I believe that the place we need to start is in scripture experiencing first hand the words for ourselves. God has used these words to change lives.
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