Luke’s Purpose for Writing: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 1:1-4

This Bible study series is for people who are learning English. It is designed for advanced beginner and intermediate learners, but children or adults who prefer simple English may also enjoy it. I also have a Sunday School lesson on Luke 1:1-4 that may work better for native English speakers.

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Luke 1:1-4 Printable Discussion Questions

LUke 1:1-4 Printable ERV Passage

Lesson Icebreaker Question

Can you share about a time someone told you an important story from your family or country? What was the story about?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn about a man named Luke. He wanted to tell the true story about Jesus. We will read why Luke wrote his book and why the truth is important.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

agree: (verb) To have the same idea as another person.
beginning: (noun) The first part of something or the time when something starts.
carefully: (adverb) Doing something with a lot of attention so you do not make a mistake.
complete: (verb) To finish something.
event: (noun) Something important that happens.
give a report: (phrase) To tell or write the facts about what happened.
message: (noun) Information sent from one person to another.
organize: (verb) To put things in a neat order.
study: (verb) To spend time learning about a subject.
true: (adjective) Something that is a fact.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

agree: (verb) To have the same idea as another person.
beginning: (noun) The first part of something or the time when something starts.
carefully: (adverb) Doing something with a lot of attention so you do not make a mistake.
complete: (verb) To finish something.
decide: (verb) To make a choice.
event: (noun) Something important that happens.
give a report: (phrase) To tell or write the facts about what happened.
happen: (verb) To take place.
learn: (verb) To get new information or skills.
message: (noun) Information sent from one person to another.
Most Honorable: (phrase) A title used to show great respect to a leader.
organize: (verb) To put things in a neat order.
plan: (noun) A set of steps to do something.
serve: (verb) To help or work for someone.
study: (verb) To spend time learning about a subject.
sure: (adjective) Having no doubt about something.
taught: (verb) To have helped someone learn something.
true: (adjective) Something that is a fact.
try: (verb) To make an effort to do something.
written: (verb) To have put words on paper so people can read them.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

agree: (verb) To have the same idea as another person.
also: (adverb) In addition to something else.
among: (preposition) In the middle of a group of people or things.
beginning: (noun) The first part of something or the time when something starts.
carefully: (adverb) Doing something with a lot of attention so you do not make a mistake.
complete: (verb) To finish something.
decide: (verb) To make a choice.
event: (noun) Something important that happens.
from the beginning: (phrase) Starting from the very first moment that something happened.
give a report: (phrase) To tell or write the facts about what happened.
God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
happen: (verb) To take place.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
learn: (verb) To get new information or skills.
life: (noun) The state of being alive.
Luke: (noun) The man who wrote this book about the life of Jesus.
many: (adjective) A large number of people or things.
message: (noun) Information sent from one person to another.
Most Honorable: (phrase) A title used to show great respect to a leader.
organize: (verb) To put things in a neat order.
others: (pronoun) More people or things of the same kind.
plan: (noun) A set of steps to do something.
saw: (verb) To have looked at something with your eyes.
serve: (verb) To help or work for someone.
study: (verb) To spend time learning about a subject.
sure: (adjective) Having no doubt about something.
taught: (verb) To have helped someone learn something.
tell: (verb) To give information to someone by speaking.
Theophilus: (noun) The man that Luke wrote his book for.
true: (adjective) Something that is real and not a lie.
try: (verb) To make an effort to do something.
way: (noun) A path or a method of doing something.
write it down: (phrase) To put words on paper so you can remember them.
written: (verb) To have put words on paper so people can read them.

Summary of the Passage

This passage is the very beginning of the book of Luke. The Bible is a special book for Christians. It has two parts. The Old Testament tells about the time before Jesus was born. The New Testament tells about the life of Jesus and his followers. The book of Luke is in the New Testament.

A man named Luke wrote this book as a letter to a friend named Theophilus. Luke was a doctor who traveled with the first Christians. He wanted to explain the life of Jesus to his friend. Many people had already tried to give a report of the things that happened. These writers wanted to complete a record of God’s plan. They learned the stories from people who saw Jesus with their own eyes. These people served God by telling his message.

Luke studied everything very carefully from the beginning. He wanted to organize the facts in a neat order. He wrote it down so Theophilus could be sure that the things he was taught were true. He wanted the information to agree with the facts. The name Theophilus means “friend of God.” He was likely an important leader. In the Bible, people use the title “Most Honorable” to show great respect to a leader.

This passage shows us that the story of Jesus is based on real events. Luke worked hard so that we can trust the things we read about Jesus today.

Read The Passage

Most English learners should use the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV), the New International Reader’s Version (NIRV), or the Good News Translation (GNT). If you want to try something harder, you can read one of the other Bible versions.

Luke Writes About the Life of Jesus
1 Most Honorable Theophilus:
Many others have tried to give a report of the things that happened among us to complete God’s plan.
2 What they have written agrees with what we learned from the people who saw those events from the beginning.
They also served God by telling people his message.
3 I studied it all carefully from the beginning.
Then I decided to write it down for you in an organized way.
4 I did this so that you can be sure that what you have been taught is true.
Luke 1:1-4 (ERV)

Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 1:1-4 (ERV)
Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 1:1-4 (NIRV)
Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 1:1-4 (GNT)
Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 1:1-4 (NLT)
Hard: New International Version: Luke 1:1-4 (NIV)
Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 1:1-4 (ESV)

LUke 1:1-4 Printable ERV Passage

Comprehension Questions

Who is the author of this letter?
To whom is Luke writing this letter?
What have many other people already tried to do?
How did the authors learn the stories about Jesus?
What did the people who saw Jesus do for God?
How did Luke study the information he found?
When did Luke start his study of these events?
How did Luke decide to organize the information?
Why did Luke write this report for Theophilus?
What does the name “Theophilus” mean?

Application Questions

How do you feel when you know a story is true?
What is a subject you want to study or learn about?
How do you show respect to leaders in your country?
How can you share an important message with a friend this week?
What helps you feel sure when you are learning something new?

Theological Insights

God cares about truth and real facts.
The story of Jesus is based on real events.
God uses people to share his message.
The message of Jesus is for all people.
God gave us a Bible that is carefully organized.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father,
You are the God of all truth.
We are sorry for the times we do not listen to your message.
Thank you for giving us the Bible so we can know the story of Jesus.
Please help us to study your word carefully and grow in our faith.
Amen.