A Story For One

The Bible contains a book called The Acts Of The Apostles, which details major events occurring after Jesus’ resurrection. Scholars accept and teach that this work was written by the apostle Luke. But to whom it was written might be the bigger story.

In the opening lines of Acts we find that the author created this fairly long account for the sole benefit of a man named Theophilus. Little is known about him, so those details must not matter. What I find astounding, however, is that God inspired a devout follower of Christ to write a very significant piece of literature all for the benefit of just one person.

Modern culture promotes more as better. People of influence seek bigger venues and larger audiences. This mindset has crept into the spiritual realm, where even leaders who say they don’t aspire to “mega” still compare the sizes of congregations and budgets.

God, through His servant, found a solitary, needy soul and told that person a story. One life was worth all the effort. I’m left asking myself to what greater lengths I should go for those whose paths cross mine. E-mails, phone calls, visits, assistance of all types – these could be responses to divine inspiration, even if only one fellow journeyer is touched.

The apostles did a lot of great things. Thanks to Luke, I know about their activities, and so did Theophilus. Apparently that was pretty important.