Luke 1:1

Luke 1:1 says, Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,  Luke said many people had written about what Jesus did while in the world as a Man and the things that He did.  Luke said that these were things believed by us, or those who recognized Jesus as the Messiah.  When we read the accounts today, preserved for us in the New Testament, we must believe them to be a part of the family of God.  Verse two adds, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;  Luke said these other writings were delivered to those who believed in Jesus Christ, and were eyewitness accounts of what He had done.  They became the ministers of the Word, as we are to be today.  Verse three states, It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,  Though Luke said it seemed good to him to write about what he had seen in the life of Jesus, I believe this was because the Holy Spirit was inspiring him to write his account.  Luke also said he had a perfect understanding of all the things that occurred in the life of Jesus from the beginning.  As followers of Christ today, we need that same understanding of who Jesus Christ is and what He did for us by His birth, life, death and resurrection.  Verse four adds, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.  Luke had said in verse three that it seemed good to write these things to Theophilus, which means friend of God, and now he gives him the reason, and that was so that Theophilus would know the certainty of what he had been taught.  We have Luke's letter today so that we might know the same the facts about Jesus with a certainty.