The Book of ACTS | O Theophilus

Opening Greetings and Ministry Announcements

Well, hello and welcome to the apologetic dog where it's our heart's desire to contend for the gospel of grace. And so if you're new to the apologetic dog If you look at the logo, you'll see first Timothy 620 where Paul tells Timothy.

Oh Timothy guard the deposit that's been entrusted to you and so this apologetics ministry is really meant to be an example for all Christians how we are to Guard the gospel of grace and we do so by avoiding irreverent Babel.

We do so by avoiding Contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge and also if you're in the Northeast, Arkansas area I'm also a pastor and elder at twelve five church. We're the only reformed Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

We have a lot of Presbyterian brothers. So we do have reformed brethren out there and we have wonderful partnerships. And so yeah, so if you're anywhere in the area, we'd love for you to come visit twelve five church.

We are a church plant. Oh goodness a little bit over three years old now and it's just been incredible to just be a part of it from from the very get-go till now and I say we have some people on the side chat.

One of the members of Twelve five church is also here. It says happy birthday dog. Now that is because your boy is 32 years old. And I'm feeling it. Oh, I'm feeling it. So once again, thank you so much for joining me this evening.

Weeks that I don't have guests. I still want to be able to do live streams and interact with y 'all to just show y 'all love support and I've been trying to think of ways that we can still interact with the scripture and.

So I would like to do a study through the book of Acts together. It's it's often a neglected book. It's something that we can glean so many Principles from the Word of God that can equip us we can look back to see what the early church looked like.

And I want us to get into some hermeneutics. I want us to be able to distinguish. What is prescriptive? What is telling us about the the early church that was unique for that time period and also figure out what is Prescriptive for us to do today.

So what's descriptive and what is prescriptive? So thank y 'all so much for joining me this evening. Oh, yeah, we got some people on the chat. I want to just once again, thank all of y 'all for joining me this evening.

Check this out. Christ rescued me is here. Thank you so much for tuning in and and Sparky. She's one of our mods here at the apologetic dog. And so let me let me let me give some shout outs. Okay, we got Christ rescued me.

Little wolf wolf. Let me make sure I get this where y 'all can see a little bit better. So I have a program called Ecam live and it's nice, but I'm still learning some of the specs on it. So y 'all have to forgive me a little bit, especially as we go love you would think I'd have all this down pat.

Okay, see not to see here. BAM, there we go. Christ rescue me. Thank you so much for tuning in to the apologetic dog. Who else is out there in the chat. Wesley once again, thanks so much. Ah, check this out.

We have a whole farm of us out there in the chat. Thank you for joining me, sir. I Want to say your name? I'm gonna I'm gonna get it wrong the apoplectic. I think I missed an L in there beer. We're gonna have to meet up one of these days.

Thanks so much Brandon. Happy birthday dog. Brandon we need to talk on the phone man. It's been a while. Hope everything is going well. Let's see, ah Wesley tell Tara tell Sarah. I said, thank you. She says happy birthday 32 don't know how I feel about it yet.

I'll be honest. I don't really feel 30. I feel about 24. But I know I cannot move like I was at 24, which I don't know about the apologetic dog is I used to run and jump a lot and I did high jump play basketballs point guard that whole thing.

But I can't do it anymore. But if you were to look me up on Facebook. You'll find an archive and you're like that's not him and I just want to tell you there was a day when I didn't have A beard. So yeah, it actually happened.

I want to give a little bit more time for people to Log in. Oh Adam Carmichael something. Oh my goodness.

Yeah.

Let's see here Adam Carmichael. He's also a mod. Thank you for tuning in. I'm sure Adam serves as a deacon at 12 -5 church here in Jonesboro, Arkansas. And if I spout any heresy if there's any errors Adam Carmichael will definitely hold me accountable in that so I appreciate that sir.

Okay, mr. Bear Thank you so much for Your support to the apologetic dog ministry, we're gonna have to meet up. I got it last. I looked bears are a lot bigger than dogs. So you might have a few things to teach me.

You said can you? Can you share your theory as to why Matthews? Shouldn't have been an apostle. You sure persuaded me. Mr. Bear, I want you to go to chat GBT. I think that's what it's called. And I want you to ask.

I want you to ask the AI bot Which one replaced Judas Iscariot if it was Matthias Matthias or if it was the Apostle Paul. We will get to that though. We have to walk through the book of Acts. But since you gave a super chat, I will honor that but you know what?

You have to stay till the end of the live stream before I answer that question and we get into it. But hey, thank you so much for that support means a lot one of these days I'd love to be able to do more live streams more apologetics even full-time I think that would be incredible.

But in the meantime, what if the Apostle Paul do he built tents?

So.

Okay, let's see who else made it in the chat. Let's see. Ah Leanne. She's let me know that her oldest son just turned 33. So yeah, so I'm talking about. Let me see if I could change this up a little bit.

Tell me let's see. Want to change the background on that to maybe black but I'm not exactly sure.

See.

This may look weird so I may have to go back and change it. Yeah, it's not gonna work. Okay, that Looks better, but I'd like to have that black so y 'all can every time I pull up the The chats inside.

I just want y 'all to be able to see it better. Okay, as we continue wait and Have more people join in. I have some announcements for y 'all with the apologetic dog a lot of things on the horizon very excited.

Let's see here. Thank you again, Wesley. Let's see here first up. I Believe it's August 23rd. The fishbone and the apologetic dog. We're gonna be doing a two-on-two on the same team showdown debate at the gospel truth hosted by Marlon Wilson and the subject.

It's in the wheelhouse. It's asking the question is water baptism necessary. Now when you look up this video, you'll see the full Proposition and I'm not gonna tell you all my thoughts about it now, but it's essentially saying water baptism is necessary.

For a person for all of a person's sins past present and future and we The the fishbone and I gladly said yeah, we'll negate that one. So That'll be interesting. Like I said, I don't want to talk a whole lot about it now.

But if you follow the apology apologetic dog ministry for any time, then you know. Something ain't right with that. But anyway Flow over to Marlon's channel. He hosts so many good wonderful debates. I have done no telling how many debates at this point at Marlon's platform.

But I have done 11 debates in total three of those have been in person and I just want to tell you in-person debates. Totally different beast than the online debates. But yeah, I look forward to that.

Tell me what you think let's see we're going to all right. Adam Carmichael going to get some pizza. I would say Save me a slice. But I already ate so I mean y 'all y 'all take care. Okay, let's see. Oh Yeah, y 'all remind me this is a great question.

Stephen Reeves, let me make sure I'm posting this where y 'all can read it. So Stephen Reeves is asking Jeremiah. Did you get an answer from Aaron Gallagher yet? Because I issued a debate challenge to him.

I'm gonna come back to that. I'm gonna come back to that. But thank you for getting us ready.

All right.

Georgia. Just dipping in for a little bit. We'll see you soon. Thank you for stopping by just for a few minutes. If y 'all haven't already, please. If you if you have appreciated the apologetic dog ministry to any degree I just want to invite you to please like and subscribe when you subscribe you'll get notified.

You can even hit the notification bell. Especially when I do surprise live streams and people are like, oh, I didn't have time. I'm about to go eat dinner and Something else I want to blame myself a little bit more is I did tell everybody on Facebook I was gonna go live at 8 p .m.

But I was sitting around and I thought man just twiddling my thumbs. I'm watching Jay Dyer who is a Greek Orthodox and I'm always trying to figure out how to Defeat his argumentation. Don't tell him I said that though I'm studying up again because you got to think Jay Dyer and the apologetic dog have to square off at some point.

Like I said, I enjoy kind of seeing how he engages people. But anyway, I was just I was just hanging out I thought well, we'll go ahead and go live even though it's an hour earlier than what I told everybody.

But Yes, all right, thank y 'all for stopping by and like I said if you if you appreciate the apologetics ministry Please like the video. Please like it and share it with other people that helps the ministry Circulate about so August 23rd the fishbone and the apologetic dog.

We will be having a two-on-two debate. I cannot wait is gonna be a blast. So with my second announcement We're gonna have a conference in Tennessee, I believe it's Tullahoma, Tennessee unless the venue has changed and if it does that's Jeffrey Rice's call.

Last year, we had a conference say last year just this last February and it was called why Calvinism? Such a wonderful time able to Come speak on the sovereignty of God in suffering times of suffering Tribulation trials and we look to God who is sovereign in all things that has ordaining purposes in all things.

And that that was just a blessing. I was also able at this last conference to be able to speak against the dangers of hyperpreterism. So me and dr. Frost dr. Sam Dr. Frost we were able to give presentations and he went first and kind of shared his heart of how he Once got roped in to this heretical group about God by his amazing grace brought him out of it.

So he went first I was able to go second then we had an awesome time of Q &A and so Next February this will be on war the spirit versus the flesh. And so the whole theme is kind of going to be about sanctification in the life of a believer.

You don't know if you can see the graphic. Let me make it a little bigger. So You may see the apologetic dog Here but I'm not going to be preaching or giving a lecture. I will be actually participating in a Debate and so this gets back into Steven's question earlier.

Everyone's like Jeremiah. Who are you debating? What are you debating about? Well, what Jeffrey Rice called me and said hey We don't we're not sure about James White's schedule for next year if he's gonna be around to be able to debate.

He said would the apologetic dog like to do that and I was like, of course. That's what we do here at the apologetic dog. We we debate we examine scripture. We study theology. We sharpen one another and you know, some people are like, hey, did you win the last debate blah blah?

It's like debating in my mind is never about claiming victory. It is about sharing the Word of God trusting that God's Word never returns void it always goes out to accomplish in that which it's intended for and There are things every time I debate.

Pray that I would learn something new that it would just be a drop in the bucket to trying to better understand God's Word. So anyway, I get excited with debates because I just don't want to look at it as a quote-unquote competition.

Even though your boy back in the day when I was a younger man did play a lot of basketball. Tons of sports. So maybe there's a little competitive edge in there. But I told Jeffrey Ross would love to be a part of the next conference, especially Doing the last event of the conference, which would be debate but Jeff said All right, Jeremiah.

Now your next task is to Come up with the debate proposition something around sanctification. And more we talked about it. We want it to be. Probably if a believer believer can lose not just loose. But lose their sanctification.

So this will be a debate probably around eternal security. I like thinking about a positive proposition that I could affirm that God will complete Sanctification in the life of believer something like that.

So Jeff just said Jeremiah be thinking on that and oh, by the way, it's up to you to find your interlocutor your opponents. I was like, thanks and he said I prefer that it would be someone who is a Church of Christ or they like to say a member of the Church of Christ and I was like, oh man.

There's a long line of those people. And so let's see. It's been it's been. What is it a week and a half or so? I think it was last week on Tuesday. I sent out a debate challenge for Aaron Gallagher. And let's see Stephen Reeves, are you still here?

Let's see. Oh, yeah, Stephen Reeves is saying that. My last debate was hopefully very profitable you picked the perfect text so Appreciate the support mean. So last week I sent a debate challenge out to Aaron Gallagher.

I'd call him an apologist for the Church of Christ and He hasn't answered me yet as far as I can tell. I've sent him. Obviously this video if you look back and the live tab you can find me in the fishbone is so funny.

It's right. It's like he won't do it. He won't do it Jeremy. I'm like, come on. He'll do it and I really at the time thought he was wanting to do it. This is a perfect opportunity. We're gonna be at a conference.

We're gonna have a huge live audience. We're gonna be able to Talk about what salvation looks like if it can be lost or loosed. Or not and so I sent Gallagher a message on Facebook didn't respond to me told him I would love to talk to him on the phone.

I drive a lot with my job and no response and then. Maybe a couple days later. He sent me he what he told me last I heard from him. He says that he would let me know at the end of this week. And so it's Thursday and We'll see.

At the end this week, I guess technically he has till Tuesday of next week before we just got to move on. But what was interesting? Steven if you keep up with him at all. Someone is recommending a K Richardson.

The problem with a K Richardson in This kind of debate is it needs to be somebody that wants to represent the Church of Christ. I don't think a K is interested in that. I like a K Richardson's on many fronts though.

We actually talked from time to time and we talk about doctrine we talk about all the stuff but the thing I like about a K the most is he's very Respectful very articulate and I do consider a K as a deep thinker.

So if you talk to a K and he is interested Tell him we can definitely talk about that. But like I said, it's got to be somebody that's willing to represent the Church Christ. And he's told me in the past that he's not not really interested in doing that and that's okay.

Wonder if I can change something on the fly again edit background. Come on, why can't I figure out how to change that? That color style. See here do do do do. Nope edit background. Oh, we might be on to something color.

And.

Yeah, not really what I was looking for but that's okay, okay, so something else I was gonna say about Gallagher is A couple days ago. Maybe it's yesterday. He reviewed My some of my past content along with Trey Fisher's for four and a half hours.

And I was like, I hope he doesn't have the answer to my debate challenge somewhere hidden and all that. So here's here's my thought. Unfortunately, I think Trey might be right if Gallagher was going to accept this even though he's got some time left.

I felt like he would have done it by now. This is next February and Plenty of time to think about it. I've told him no big deal either way, but there's not very clear communication going on with the Gallagher.

So I.

Will keep you updated with that. Let's see here. An Unapologetic cat chimes in and says I think Gallagher did a review of you guys review of his eight-hour review. So he is still watching your stuff.

Yeah is is that the one that was about? Four and a half hours that he did he released yesterday. So, yeah, y 'all let me know if he says out there one way or another because we really do have to schedule this thing and If Gallagher does it y 'all let me know in the side chat if Gallagher is not available.

Who would you like to see the apologetic dog debate on a topic relating to eternal security? I would love I should totally make a A poll in the side chat. Okay, so Leanne you might can explain more about this comment.

You said Aaron just put up a video making excuses as to why he doesn't want to debate. Okay. Is that maybe his way of saying?

That.

He is turning down my offer. Man that really makes me sad. I really thought me and the Gallagher could square off, but that's okay. We will find somebody else. All right. I would like for y 'all to tell me so someone said a K Richardson again.

Y 'all let me know who else y 'all would have in mind for me to maybe debate in the future.

Okay.

Let me double check all of my stats here.

Let's see.

Okay, someone says David Paulman is someone who affirms conditional security. That would be an interesting one for me. That would be interesting. I have a lot of respect for David Paulman. Um, I Say a lot of respect.

He actually Unfriended me on Facebook and I couldn't believe it because I would comment on all of his things especially relating to the philosophy. I think he's an analytic philosopher. He appeals to direct acquaintance, even though I believe that begs the question.

Yeah, I know you're right he absolutely has done. He has debated against eternal security because I believe he identifies as a classic Armenian. Thank You sharpening iron podcast for saying that. Oh. This is interesting.

Yes, Sparky. They would have to go to Tullahoma. But Last I checked I'm pretty sure they will get compensated for their travels and perhaps paid for For coming and debating. Okay, this is what I'm talking about.

I need to know if this is a good idea or not. How about Johnny Robertson boys? I don't know their name, but they are hardcore Church Christ. Just type in Johnny Robertson. So I've heard of this name before.

I Don't really know much about them, but they seem lively they seem energetic and let's just let me just say I am I'm curious about the Robertson people. But let me know if that is not a good idea or if you would love to see that.

Yeah, there might be some local pastors in the area of Tullahoma after I've heard that there's a lot of Church Christ there so that's actually a Possibility. Let's see. Let's see here. Okay, the cat Has a good idea.

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You should ask Mike or Jake if they have any recommendations. That is a good point. I think that they might have some good insight. See this one. I'm talking about Stephen Reeves.

I kind of want to find someone who is a hardline COC. I want people to see in and you know to Mike high sauce credit. He would not identify as a hardline COC and I think our debate was very informative.

Educational respectful we were able to dialogue about the Greek. We were able to even reflect some on church history and things like that. But I want to debate all kinds especially within the COC. And so yeah, I don't I don't really know much about the Robertson clan.

But I've had a number of people Recommend that Let's see. I Love looking at y 'all's comments. See we have to get warmed up before we get into the book of Acts. Let's see here. All right. I always love reading Miss Leanne's comments.

She says Aaron would rather evade the challenge and focus on taking Trey out of context instead. For he knows Jeremiah is completely equipped to destroy his false gospel to the hilt.

Well.

Appreciate that Leanne. Hey, let me do a shameless book plug for Leanne real quick. So Leanne wrote this book Christ rescued me from the Church of Christ. And if you're curious Definitely check out this book and I was a Leanne was so kind to come on to the apologetic dog.

And we we talked about kind of just a highlight. Her book is broken up into about five parts or so and so we were able to hit the highlights and one of the chapters that she wrote that I really Appreciate the way she articulated.

It was the water gospel. And you know, I try to be charitable Leanne towards Lutherans as I read some of the early church fathers, I think there's so many good things in the early church. But there's a lot of things I'm like no because we're called to ultimately hold the early church Lutherans whoever to our ultimate standard, which is the Word of God and Context is always King.

And so there are there are Positions out there that affirm salvation our justification is by faith alone, but then they'll have you know some.

Baptismal.

Regeneration view and we all know those those are contradictory views, but as long as someone's Trying to maintain and champion that we are justified by faith apart from our works. Then for me, I'm willing to allow.

Good.

Conversation within them merciful. Inconsistencies perhaps but this is where the Church Christ altogether say we fundamentally deny Justification by faith alone, they will appeal to James chapter 2 no different than the Roman Catholics and the Greek Orthodox and the Jehovah's Witnesses Seventh-day Adventist and just say if you have faith alone That's a dead faith and obviously that's taking verses like James 2 24 out of context and so forth.

But yeah Galatians 1 you have to believe in the right gospel And if you don't if you add anything to it if you add your ceremony you're working participation to the already finished work of Christ, then you're cursed you're anathema and so.

To Leanne's point. I think with the CLC what you have to be able to put your finger on is how they are defining Terms and definitions and we always look at proof text in light of the context. So yes. Thank you.

Oh. Someone's asking where can we get that book?

Well.

Thank you for this asking that question. I recommend you going in or on my youtube page the apologetic dog. Find my interview with Leanne and you will see a link in the show notes where you can check it out and bite.

Okay. Anybody else got anything to say? Oh, yes. Appreciate it. Thank You Carl for all your your wonderful recommendations in the chat. Carl Henry is a truck driver. That is a church Christ that likes to share his opinions about me on tick-tock.

So you're welcome in the chat me and All. Right, well with that let me take off that announcement. Mm-hmm, man, that's fun. So y 'all y 'all be on the lookout for this conference coming up and I will keep you updated.

About who I'll debate and exactly what that debate proposition looks like. Okay. So with that being said I want to now transition.

To.

The book of Acts. Let me make sure I get all my my ducks in a row on my side book of Acts. This the reason why I chose the book of Acts wanting to cover a little bit. This comes a little bit from my heart in apologetics, especially Contending with the Church of Christ, you know, you got verses like Acts 238 Acts 22 16.

Those are two that just come to mind right off the bat. But I believe these verses are taken out of context, but the book of Acts is a narratival book. It's primarily Descriptive and anything that we are going to say is prescriptive.

We need to be able to examine that with the Pauline epistles the the pistols to the church in the entirety of Scripture. And so I think for some. And maybe perhaps it for all people at some time or another Acts is just kind of rough.

Like what's the whole deal at Pentecost? Why is that important? Why did Jesus ascend on high? These are great questions that I want us to be able to work through together and I thought what better chance when we have a week where I don't have a guest on.

We can just kind of walk through the book of Acts together. And I just want you to know that I'm a fan of Anthony Rogers. And I like his pace meaning he he does not go fast. But one good thing about kind of going slow to unpack a passage of Scripture.

Going through a book is it gives y 'all a chance to interact in the side. And so somebody let's see Adam Carmichael's back. Okay, anybody else show up in the chat. Let me know. Tell me. Hey and As we're going through as we're going through the book of Acts I think today we're just gonna maybe cover the the opening prologue of Acts.

But if you noticed I titled the video Oh Theophilus. So I want to talk a little bit about that name in relation to the author of the book of Acts. And if you have questions, please put them in the side chat, but I'm not a pro at this yet.

So you may have to post it in there a few times. So just spam that. People are saying what's up Dalton, I don't see Dalton if you're out there man. Send a comment so I can let people know that you exist.

I'm not sure which Dalton we're talking about.

Let's see.

Thank y 'all for joining. We got a pretty good crowd so far. Okay, so I do want us to dive into the book of Acts and so kind of historically Acts Was it has been called Acts and the kind of the the extension of the title is Acts of the Apostles I I think that's a decent name for the book But I want us to understand that there's a heavy emphasis on the Holy Spirit in this book and so in some ways I want us to understand the book of The book of Acts the Acts of the Apostles that are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and The Holy Spirit and this will get into baptism.

This will get into so many other important doctrines. But the Holy Spirit is not Contained and manipulated by man. So we're saying Acts of the Apostles and dwelt by the Holy Spirit. It's not that the Holy Spirit is being, you know controlled by the Apostle.

It's the other way around It's the sovereignty of God on display and they the Apostles themselves they are being fueled and guided by the Holy Spirit and so that's kind of in my mind when we're looking at the book of Acts like We're seeing the sovereignty of God put on display.

We're seeing God's manifold wisdom his plan of redemption Unfolding before our very eyes and we're talking about the birth of the early church of the New Testament Church That has a beginning point I believe in many ways in Matthew 16 where Jesus says I will build my church and the gates of hell will not Stand against it or prevail.

I do think he has in mind the new covenant Revealed church where the mystery of Christ Is put on display. There's no longer that division between Jew and Gentile and so yes that did that does start in Acts chapter 2, but the the universal church Believers of all time have existed since the very dawn of time.

I'd push this all the back to Adam and Eve and we see.

Those.

Stepping in faith the same way that we are in many ways beginning with Abel when we look at Hebrews chapter 11 I won't challenge when you go back Verse 3 talks about by faith. We understand that the universe Was created ultimately by the the Word of God and it's interesting because that's that's a verse relating to faith in the very beginning.

But it's not really mentioning Adam and Eve and so verse 4 talks about how Abel by faith Abel did did the things that were pleasing to God and so I just want to as we're going through the book of Acts I want to emphasize the fact that there we need we need to understand there's an aspect of the universal Invisible church that are the true believers of all time and then there's what's called the visible church.

And so in Acts chapter 2, I believe we we definitely we definitely get a peek into The universal church being put on display through the visible church. And so yeah that begins essentially in Acts 2 Dalton Chalice exists mean Ontologically, so Dalton Chalice, I just want to brag on this young man we are we are buds and he's a member at 12 -5 church and Hope to have him on the apologetic dog would love for him to share his testimony with y 'all.

Get to know him. Y 'all will love it. And I want to say that Dalton has read a little bit of Leanne Ferguson's book Christ rescued me. Have you read it all yet Dalton? Let me know if you haven't come on now I think I think I gave you a copy Leanne donated.

Oh goodness, maybe 15 copies to 12 -5 church. So thank you again, Leanne. Your blessing to the church who else is out there? Someone said hey RJ. Oh.

Man.

RJ Platt's Sargey Platt's is a pastor friend of mine a few towns over and we're but he's about to teach us the The the deepness to the the Greek so we have a class set up looking forward to that. Thank you for joining us RJ.

RJ. You missed it, man. We've had some really lively characters in the the side chat. And somebody even supported the ministry. So RJ. Thanks for joining us, man. Okay. So like I said, if you have any questions as we get into it, y 'all let me know.

So let's look at essentially The the the prologue of Acts and then I want us to talk about Theophilus who that is potentially what that name means especially in relation to the author of Acts. So in the first book Oh Theophilus I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day when he was taken up after he had given Commands through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom he had chosen.

He presented himself alive to them after suffering by many proofs appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the Kingdom of God and while staying with them He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father.

Which he said you heard from me for John baptized with water. But you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

So.

This is kind of the passage. I want to tackle with y 'all this evening. This is a prologue meaning some of these things have been built upon Prior in the Gospels, but will be further explained in this book so Let's kind of start with verse 1 in the first book Oh Theophilus I so the author is identifying himself have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach.

This is not new for many of you. But acts is volume 2 or book 2 to the book of Luke the gospel of Luke and I Want to say the the church? Historically has always just said oh, yeah. We know that this is Luke like this is just kind of common knowledge towards the end of the first century and onward.

But I want to talk a little bit more about that. I want to talk a little bit about the internal consistency of the gospel of Luke with the book of Acts and a big part of that is how Theophilus is addressed both in the early verses of Luke's gospel and also here in the book of Acts so Theophilus You see how like this?

Theophilus if I recall means friend of God and so there's a little bit of discussion about is The writer Luke is he talking to a particular person or is this just the friend of God generically? And so I believe in Luke's account.

I want to take you. I want to show you real quick the the consistency here We read Theophilus is Addressed in a very particular way. So this is the opening verses of Luke's gospel and as much as I have undertaken To compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us.

Just as those whom are from the beginning where eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us. 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 and then he ends this thought with verse 4 that you may you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

And so here Theophilus is addressed again as most excellent Theophilus. And so many commentaries kind of point out people of high position later on the book of Acts I believe you have the phrase most excellent excellent King Agrippa and so a lot of times most excellent is a endearing term of authority reverence giving honor and respect and so what is very likely is Luke we're going to talk about the the good internal evidence for why Luke wrote the gospel of Luke and wrote Acts but Perhaps Theophilus is a Roman convert Someone in high authority in Rome and was converted by the gospel of grace.