An Orderly Account of God’s Grace

By Sonia Thompson

[intro]During the Perpendicularity series here at Riverview, there was something that always stood out to me from this particular series’ opening vignette. As various words and sentences flashed across the screen, my thoughts seemed to always linger on the idea of “an orderly account.” What did they mean by this? Why was it something they chose to emphasize? [/intro]

While I wasn’t sure exactly what it referred to biblically at the time, what I gathered, given the topics the series was dedicated to, was that it was one way of sharing the gospel with others. When I looked up “orderly account” I was lead to references of Luke 1:3, which reads:

“It seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
Luke 1:3-4

When I looked this verse up in my Life Application Study Bible, it explains:

“There was a lot of interest in Jesus, and many people had written firsthand accounts about him. Luke may have used these accounts and all other available resources as material for an accurate and complete account of Jesus’ life, teachings, and ministry. Because truth was important to Luke, he relied heavily on eyewitness accounts. Christianity doesn’t say, “Close your eyes and believe,” but rather, “Check it out for yourself.” The Bible encourages you to investigate its claims thoroughly (John 1:46; 21:24; Acts 17:11, 12).”

So, in Luke’s “orderly account,” his intent was to provide as much detail as possible regarding the life of Jesus, in order to represent it as accurately as possible for those who were not able to observe it.

What does this mean for us? How do we, as people who are living thousands of years after Jesus’ time on earth, “go” ourselves, and provide an orderly account? How do we represent the life of Jesus to others when we have only others’ accounts of him to go by?

An Orderly Account of Our Own

The truth is, the only way we can provide an account of the life of Jesus is to point others to the Bible, and yet, we can still point others to Jesus by providing an orderly account of our own. The Bible tells us that God works all things together for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Think about some of the darker times you’ve gone through. Even though you may know that Jesus is the only “place” you can turn to that can never be taken away, sometimes we all still need to hear the story of a person who has been through the same thing. If you didn’t grow up in a family of believers, and came to know Jesus after years of thinking that all this “Jesus stuff” wasn’t for you, imagine how your story might help others.

I’m amazed every day at the strongholds that Jesus has released in my own life. Struggles that I thought I would deal with forever suddenly becoming less of a struggle. Patience, I thought just wasn’t one of my virtues, was now a little easier. Biblical guidance that used to just sound nice, but didn’t really apply in my situation, all of a sudden, clicked. Epiphanies. The Holy Spirit has a way of making them a regular part of life.

God calls us to go out and spread the good news of the Gospel, but we have to make it relatable to a world that dwells in darkness. Not change it, not make it more convenient, but to show others that despite the darkness we will inevitably face in this life, Jesus does amazing things. No matter what you’ve been through, and no matter what you’ve done, you’re not the only person to have lived through it in this world. If Jesus has found you in the midst of it, share your story as a way to give others hope.

If you’re still searching, keep a record of your journey, so that one day, you can be the story of one who “has been through it and made it out alive,” through the love and grace and sacrifice of Christ.

Image Credit: Mark Sebastian