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“Come, follow me.” Luke 18:22

Welcome!

I want to kick off an online Bible study of Luke. We will trace how Luke develops a view of prophetic ministry and discipleship. I’ve selected twelve key passages in Luke and Acts. My intent is to take up a passage every two to four weeks.

My hope is that you will want to follow this series and contribute comments along the way.

Luke’s vision for prophetic community

Luke takes the most expansive view of discipleship, including women and a large number of unnamed followers. Disciples closest to Jesus were the twelve apostles and named women who supported and traveled with them. Jesus sent an intermediate circle of seventy disciples on a wider mission than that of the twelve. He “sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.” (Luke 10:1). The there was a much larger group of disciples who traveled with him.

Luke 19:37-38 ³⁷ As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, ³⁸ saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!"

Luke also has a strong interest in prophetic ministry. Luke and Acts present the Holy Spirit as a present and dynamic reality in the lives of the saints and prophets of Israel up to the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. The work of Holy Spirit is manifest in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Finally, the Holy Spirit is the empowering force poured out on the early church in Acts 2. Yet even before Pentecost, Luke hints at the formation of prophetic community as seen Luke 19:37-38, Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In a loud voice they proclaim the coming kingdom. “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Luke embraces an expansive view of prophetic discipleship. We are all called to follow Jesus Christ and to embody a prophetic community in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Getting started

The best way to start is simply to read Luke from start to finish. The following outline may help you get an overall view of Luke. Each section tells us something distinctive about prophetic ministry and discipleship.

1) The coming two prophets: John and Jesus 1 – 2

2) John’s prophetic ministry 3:1 – 3:20

3) Preparation and early ministry of Jesus 3:21 – 4:44

4) Calling disciples and teaching 5 – 8

5) Sending and training disciples 9:1 – 13:21

6) Discourses along the way to Jerusalem 11:14 – 19:27

7) Jesus’ ministry and death in Jerusalem 19:28 – 23:53

8) Discipleship of the risen Christ 23:54 – 24:53

I encourage you to begin reading Luke. Read it through several times!

Image by Jungle Boy