This week we begin our 2022 Bible reading plan. We will be reading the gospel of Luke and Acts. We will fully immerse ourselves in the reading of these books. While we will read only one chapter a week, we will read that chapter every day that week.

Luke and Acts are both written by Luke. He is the only Gentile writer of the New Testament. He was a physician and often traveled with the Apostle Paul. He also contributed more to the New Testament than any other writer. He wrote about thirty percent of the New Testament. That is more than Paul and John!

Why should we read the gospel of Luke?

  • It is verifiable history (Luke 1:1-4). This gospel provides us with reasonable evidence to believe in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God. Luke spoke to many eye-witnesses and investigated the events he recorded carefully.
  • It is a record of the work of Jesus (Acts 1:1). Luke writes about the preaching and miracles of Jesus. Luke 4-9 details Jesus’ Galilean ministry.
  • It contains many of Jesus’s parables. Luke’s gospel contains many parables not found in any of the other gospels (Luke 10:30-37; 12:16-21; 15:1-32).
  • It reveals Jesus’ prayer life. Almost all of the major events in Jesus’ life begin with prayer in this gospel (Luke 3:21-22; 6:12-16; 9:28).
  • It gives special attention to God’s love for Gentiles (Luke 4:24-28; 10:30-37; 17:11-19).
  • It places a lot of emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit. There are seventeen references to the Holy Spirit in the gospel of Luke.
  • It focuses a lot on women disciples. This gospel shows us just how involved women were in the ministry of Jesus (Luke 8:1-3).
  • It details what transpired during Jesus’ final journey from Galilee to Jerusalem (Luke 19-24).

Why should we read Acts?

  • Whereas Luke is about the work of Jesus while He was on earth, Acts is about the ongoing work of Jesus through His people. Even though Jesus ascends to heaven, the church continues to spread his message (Acts 1:8; 2:41, 47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:1, 7; 8:4-5, 25-40; 9:1-19; 10:44-48).
  • The disciples expanded the borders of the kingdom while experiencing persecution from both Jewish and Roman authorities. Many believed their message, and others rejected it (Acts 28:24).
  • There are more than 50 references to the Holy Spirit in Acts. God works through the Holy Spirit in His church!
  • The early Christians committed themselves to praying as a spiritual family. Acts emphasizes the vital role that prayer had in the lives of God’s people (Acts 4:31; 6:6; 12:5; 13:3).
  • The church has faced many internal problems. Acts shows us how they solved these problems and continued working for the Lord (Acts 6:1-7; 11:1-2; 15:36-41).

Key Lessons

  • The gospel is for all (Luke 19:10)!
  • The gospel has been entrusted to us (Luke 10:2)!
  • The gospel is powerful (Acts 2:41; Romans 1:16)!
  • The gospel cannot be stopped (Acts 8:1-4)!

Conclusion:

May God bless you as you read these wonderful books and hopefully discover things you have never noticed before.