Today’s Reading: Acts 1

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote…
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
(Acts 1:1a, 8b)

Luke writes to Theophilus. The gospel that bears his name and this book, chronicling the origins of the church, began as letters. No one knows who Theophilus was, although scholars have some theories. 

But who Theophilus was matters little compared with how Luke constructed this two volume work. 

Luke begins his gospel with the ends of the earth: angels praising God at the birth of Jesus. As Jesus’s ministry progresses, he goes into Samaria, then moves to Judea, and finally to Jerusalem, where he dies and rises again. Then, the gospel of Acts moves in reverse: from the Holy Spirit descending in Jerusalem, to the disciples ministering in Judea and Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth. 

This verse, verse 8b from Acts, forms the literary structure of the gospel of Luke and Acts. Not only that, but it’s known as Luke’s Great Commission, similar in function to the more famous Great Commission found in Matthew 28. 

This literary analysis helps us see something important: commissions and calls change over time. For Jesus, his ministry grew increasingly narrow and focused. At the start, he has huge crowds following him. These dwindle to just the disciples during the lead-up to the cross, and then to just a handful of women at the foot of the cross. For the disciples in Acts, the church moves from a handful of believers in Jerusalem, into Judea and Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth, as we see the disciples venturing far away from their homeland. Jesus’s ministry narrowed, the disciples’ ministry grew.

Commissions and calls change overtime. Sometimes, God calls us to be more focused, with a narrower mission. Sometimes, God calls us to wider, broader, calls, growing our mission. Sometimes, we think if we’re not growing in mission, or numbers of various kinds, or people, we’re somehow doing ministry wrong. Such is not the case. Commissions and calls change overtime. A narrowing focus is not a judgment on who we are, nor our capabilities, but rather God moving in ways beyond our imagination to further our mission: building the Kingdom of God here on earth. 

Think
What call do you have on your life? Is it narrowing or growing at the moment? 

Pray
Ask God to see your call with clarity and for guidance in how to respond. 

Do
However you feel called, do something today that acts on that call, furthering God’s Kingdom-building work.

Think, Pray, Do. As we respond in faith to scripture, God moves in power through our minds, hearts, and bodies. We are the people of God. Thanks for reading today. Go in peace. Amen.

Think, Pray, Do devotionals by Ted Goshorn follow the suggested bible reading plan from his website and book, Prayer Changes Us. Find this Bible reading plan at tedgoshorn.org/biblereading. If you have found today’s devotion helpful, don’t forget to subscribe for daily emails at tedgoshorn.org and share with others that we may think, pray, and do faithfully.