Acts 1:1

Letters to the Faithful - Acts 1:1

Berean Standard Bible

In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach,

King James Bible

The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

Greek Text:

Τὸν μὲν πρῶτον λόγον ἐποιησάμην περὶ πάντων, ὦ Θεόφιλε, ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν.

Transliteration:

Ton men prōton logon epoiēsamēn peri pantōn, ō Theophile, hōn ērxato ho Iēsous poiein te kai didaskein.

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In my first book

This phrase refers to the Gospel of Luke, which is the first volume of a two-part work by the same author, Luke the physician and companion of Paul. The Gospel of Luke provides a detailed account of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Luke's meticulous approach to documenting events is evident in his attention to detail and historical accuracy, as seen in his use of eyewitness accounts and careful investigation (Luke 1:1-4).

O Theophilus

Theophilus, whose name means "lover of God" or "friend of God," is addressed in both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. While some scholars suggest Theophilus may have been a real person, possibly a Roman official or a patron of Luke's writings, others propose that the name could symbolize any believer or seeker of God. The use of "most excellent" in Luke 1:3 suggests a person of high status, possibly indicating a formal address to someone of importance.

I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach

This phrase highlights the dual focus of Jesus' ministry: His actions and His teachings. The Gospel of Luke records numerous miracles, parables, and teachings of Jesus, emphasizing His role as the Messiah and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. The use of "began" implies that Jesus' work continues through the apostles and the early church, as documented in the Book of Acts. This continuation underscores the ongoing mission of the church to spread the Gospel and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).

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To the Faithful in Christ Jesus, scattered across the nations but gathered in one Spirit,

Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who was, and is, and is to come. I write to you not with ink alone, but with the fire of conviction that has burned from the days of the apostles until now, a flame passed from heart to heart, generation to generation, unquenched by time, unshaken by persecution, unbound by geography. We are heirs of a testimony that does not age, a Kingdom that does not collapse, a Gospel that does not weaken. Let us hold fast the confession of our faith with boldness, for He who promised is faithful.

In the first book, Theophilus received a careful account of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach. And that, my beloved, is a sentence worthy of our meditation: what Jesus began to do and teach. These words open a window into the heartbeat of the Gospel, into the very nature of the mission that was set into motion by our Lord’s Incarnation, ministry, passion, and resurrection. For if Jesus began something, then what He began is still ongoing. What He initiated, He continues—through His Spirit, through His Church, through us.

This is no dead history we proclaim. This is not a tale concluded, a memory embalmed. No, we speak of a living Christ, of a work still unfolding in the earth. The Gospels give us the beginning, but the Acts of the Apostles—and indeed the acts of every generation of believers—tell of the continuation. Jesus is not merely the subject of our sermons—He is the One still working in the midst of His people. He has ascended, yes, but He has not retired. He has risen, yes, but He has not withdrawn. His body is in heaven, but His Spirit is in us. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, there is movement, there is mission.

So I write to you today, not as one who reports from the past, but as one who urges you to take your place in the unbroken story of divine commission. What He began in Galilee, He continues in your city. What He taught by the Sea of Tiberias, He now teaches through your life. What He did in power—healing the sick, casting out devils, raising the dead, preaching good news to the poor—He is still doing, through hands that are consecrated, hearts that are surrendered, voices that are lifted in holy obedience.

Do not say, “That was for them, not for us.” Do not divide the acts of Jesus from the acts of His Church. For the Church is His body, and a body does not act independently from its head. He lives in us, He moves through us, He speaks by us, and His mission continues wherever there is faith to believe and boldness to obey. Theophilus was a lover of God, and so are you. Receive, then, this letter as your own. Let it awaken your spirit and stir your heart. You are not merely a recipient of truth—you are a vessel of divine action.

The former treatise declares the beginning. But what will the next chapter say of you? What will the record of heaven say of our generation? Will it say we sat quietly, content to admire what was? Or will it say we rose in faith, carried the message, turned cities upside down, and bore the light of Christ into the darkest corners of the world?

I charge you, therefore, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice. Let your feet be shod with the readiness of the Gospel. Let your lips be anointed with truth. Let your heart burn with compassion. Let your mind be renewed with the Word. Let your hands be stretched out to heal, to serve, to bless. Do not wait for permission. You have already been commissioned. Do not ask if the time is right. The time is now. Do not wonder if you are qualified. The Spirit qualifies whom He fills.

Jesus began to do and to teach. What He began, He entrusted to witnesses—not merely spectators, but participants, those who walked with Him, saw His glory, and then were filled with power from on high. The promise of the Father is yours. The same Spirit that came upon them comes upon you. The same boldness, the same authority, the same fire is for you and your children and for all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.

So rise, beloved. Write the next verse. Preach the Word. Heal the broken. Love the unlovable. Carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Let the name of Jesus be lifted higher than your name, your comfort, your dreams. Let your life be another chapter in the acts of the risen Christ. The world has not seen the end of His works. And neither have you.

I commend you to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among the sanctified. Stand firm. Walk worthy. Keep your eyes on the One who began the work—and who will surely bring it to completion.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

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O Sovereign Lord, Maker of heaven and earth,

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

We lift our hearts before You with reverence and awe, with thanksgiving and trembling, for You are holy, enthroned in glory, and yet near to those who call upon Your name in truth. You are the God who speaks, who acts, who reveals, who fulfills all that You begin. There is no shadow of turning in You, no faltering in Your plans, no failing in Your hands.

We come before You with gratitude for the testimony of the sacred text, for the Word that abides forever, for the record of what Jesus began both to do and to teach. O Lord, You are not a God of theory, but of action. You are not distant in the heavens, but present in power. You did not merely teach righteousness; You embodied it. You did not merely declare salvation; You purchased it with Your own blood. And You did not merely begin a good work on earth; You have continued it by Your Spirit, and You will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.

Father, we bless You for Jesus, the Christ, who in the days of His flesh walked among us, healed the sick, cast out demons, forgave sinners, and proclaimed the Kingdom of God. We glorify You that He taught with authority, not as the scribes, and that He confirmed every word with mighty deeds. Yet more than this, we rejoice that His work did not end with His ascension, but that He poured out the Holy Spirit upon all flesh, that He continues His ministry now through His Church, the body of Christ on earth.

O Lord, we stand in awe that You have called us to be part of that body. That what Jesus began, You have called us to carry forward. That His mission is now our mandate, that His words are now our witness, and that His Spirit is now our strength. We confess, Lord, that often we have been slow to believe, slow to act, slow to go. But You are patient, rich in mercy, abounding in steadfast love, and You have not cast us off. You have chosen jars of clay to carry Your treasure, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of You, and not of us.

So now, Most High God, fill us afresh with the Holy Spirit. Let the fire that descended on Pentecost burn again in our hearts. Let the boldness of the apostles rest upon Your people today. Let our voices be lifted without fear, our feet move without hesitation, and our hands stretch forth in compassion and healing. Let Your Word proceed from our lips with power. Let signs and wonders follow those who believe. Let the sick be healed, let the oppressed be delivered, let the lost be found, let the dead be raised, and let Jesus be glorified in all the earth.

Lord, stir up the Church again. Awaken us from comfort. Deliver us from apathy. Shake us from the dust and clothe us with strength. Let us not only admire what Jesus began, but participate in what He is doing. Let us not sit as spectators, but run as messengers. Let us not merely remember Pentecost, but live in its power.

O Jesus, exalted at the right hand of the Father, we honor You. You are the head of the Church, the author and finisher of our faith, the One who holds the seven stars in Your hand and walks among the golden lampstands. You began to do and to teach, and You are still doing, still teaching, still moving, still saving. Make us faithful to Your calling. Let us be living epistles, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God.

We pray for every city, every nation, every language and tribe. Let the Gospel go forth to the ends of the earth. Let the sound of Your name be heard in every land. Let the unreached be reached. Let the forgotten be remembered. Let the persecuted be strengthened. Let the saints be unified. Let the world know that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And Lord, let us live with the urgency of the unfinished. Let us remember that Acts is not a closed book but a continuing testimony. Let our lives be pages written by Your Spirit. Let the history of salvation continue through us, through the Church You have called, through the people You have redeemed. Do in our day what You did in theirs—and even greater things, as You promised. Not by might, not by power, but by Your Spirit, says the Lord.

We await the day when You shall come again in glory, O Christ, to judge the living and the dead, to consummate what You began, to gather the harvest of the ages. Until that day, may we be found laboring, praying, proclaiming, healing, and hoping. May we not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.

To You, O Lord, be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, world without end. And may the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.

In the matchless name of Jesus Christ our risen King,

Amen.