An Impossible Message

When Paul and his companions, including Luke, travelled throughout the Roman empire sharing the gospel they brought a message that must have sounded like utter nonsense.  They travelled from city to city proclaiming that an executed Jewish peasant was the savior of the world.  Not only that, but most Jews had rejected the claims of Jesus and were seeking to eradicate this new teaching from the Synagogues.  As Paul turned to Gentiles he was asking them to forsake every religious idea they had ever learned.  He was asking them to turn their backs on the culture of the day and give their lives to this Jewish Rabbi whom he claimed had risen from the dead.  Only by the power of God could Paul expect Greeks and Romans to follow after Jesus.  And of course that is exactly what happened.  In the book of Acts we see the miraculous growth of the church as many placed their faith in Jesus.  Luke, a first century Greek doctor wrote the book of Acts.  He was one of Paul’s closest friends and a fellow missionary.  In Acts 27, we read that Luke travelled with Paul to Rome when their ship broke up in a storm.   Before writing the Book of Acts, Luke wrote a history of Jesus “so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”  The Gospel of Luke was written then to teach a wealthy Roman leader and others that Jesus is the hope for all nations.   Luke’s desire was that they would see that while religion fails, Jesus is the answer to all of our needs.  This Sunday we start a journey to discover the real Jesus.  Religion fails but Jesus is the Savior for all people.