Of the four Gospel accounts, Luke, the only Gentile writer in the New Testament, has more of a gospel message for sinners than the other accounts. The key verse tells the message: "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Lk. 19:10). So we can take a look at Luke as the G-O-S-P-E-L of the Son of Man.
G - Luke 1-3
G is for Goal: Luke was written with a goal in mind (1:1-4). Having made careful investigation into the person of Christ, he wrote to his friend, Theophilus, and gave an orderly account of the certainty of those things which had taken place. That's a great goal for us as we present the good news to our friends.
G is for Good News: Most people wait until after the birth of a child to send out birth announcements, but God did it differently. He announced the birth of John the Baptist and then of the Lord Jesus (1:13, 31). Although Dr. Luke was not a pediatrician, only he recounts the details of the Lord's birth and boyhood.
G is for Genealogy: Luke follows Mary's line all the way back to Adam and then connects Adam as the Son of God, which directly presents Jesus as genuinely human and also the Son of God (3:23-38)!
O - Luke 4-5
O is for Overriding Desire: Our Lord's overriding desire to please the Father was a quality, not a condition. He was driven, tested, and proven in the wilderness from where He returned in the "power of the Spirit" (4:1-14). There was absolute dedication to do the Father's will. He had it as a child, for He said, "Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (2:49). Later, He spoke of His ministry with drive and devotion saying, "I must preach the kingdom of God" (4:43). Concerning His passion He knew that "the Son of Man must suffer" (9:22). And when Calvary drew near, He said, "I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem" (13:33).
O is for Outreach: He began His ministry in Nazareth and then moved to Capernaum. Two places, two types of people, and two responses. Nazareth was offended and Capernaum was amazed! "Then He put out His hand!" (5:13). His outreach had begun.
O is for Others: He dealt with individuals like Simon, Simon's mother-in-law, a leper, a paralytic, Levi, the last and least. He spoke to crowds (4:42), multitudes (5:1), and great multitudes (5:12, 29). Above all, He spent time with His disciples (6:1-49).
S - Luke 5-8
S is for Son of Man: Twenty-six times in the Gospel of Luke Christ is called by the title of the Son of Man. This grand title of our Lord links Him to earth and to His mission. It emphasizes His forgiveness (5:24), His passion (9:22), His lowliness and humanity (9:58), and His coming in glory (21:27). Truly, "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
S is for Salvation: There were many that were saved in Luke's Gospel, especially in Luke 7-8. The word for salvation was used in a broader sense than the saving of the soul. Generally it referred to the deliverance from sickness, trouble, and bondage, as well as sins. It is used of the centurion's servant who was sick and ready to die, of the sinful woman at Simon the Pharisee's house, of the demoniac of Gadara, of the woman with a flow of blood, and of Jairus' daughter.
P - Luke 9-23
P is for Preparing: In Luke 9 through 10 we see Him preparing His disciples, testing them in the feeding of the multitude, questioning them, warning them concerning His cross and theirs. He was transfigured before them and taught them to trust in Him for power.
He also warned them not to seek greatness for themselves and that they would be rejected. Sometimes He used events, like the three would-be disciples who turned back after putting their hand to the plow, to teach the disciples what not to do. When the job was done, He sent out seventy disciples and received them back rejoicing.
P is for People: You'll notice that Luke uses people to make his points. He includes the details of an event in the lives of people like Zacharias, John the Baptist, Jairus, Zacchaeus, Lazarus and the rich man, and others. We are to learn lessons from these people. Like Mary and Martha. Mary sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word, while Martha worked busily in the kitchen serving up a half-baked attitude. The Lord commended Mary but corrected Martha. She learned her lesson and next time the meal was well done. Learn anything from that?
P is for Prayer: Luke records the prayer life of the Lord Jesus in chapter 11 with a pattern of prayer, parables about prayer, and the principle to A-S-K: ask, seek, and knock. He also records others' prayers, like the Pharisee and the Publican. Six prayers or times in prayer of the Lord Jesus are mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. He prayed in the wilderness (5:16), on a mountain (6:12), alone (9:18), at His transfiguration (9:28), for Simon (22:32), and in Gethsemane (22:41-44). He exhorted us to pray (18:1), and warned against pretense in making long prayers (20:47).
P is for Power: Many miracles are noted in Luke and every miracle has a message. Like the two lepers who were healed-one teaches us about the will of God (5:12-13), while the other teaches us about the worship of God (17:15-16).
P is for Parables: Luke combines parables on purpose. Like the lost-and-found parables of the sheep, coin, and son. The shepherd finds the sheep, the lamp illumines the house (like the Spirit does the heart) to find the coin, and the father welcomes the son back with open arms. Parables paint pictures of truth for all to see. As they say: "a picture's worth a thousand words."
P is for Passion: The Lord had a passion for souls, as expressed in the account of the rich man and Lazarus. He went up to Jerusalem to a full week of activities leading to His passion: Sunday's triumphal entry, cleansing the temple, teaching the disciples on the end times, confronting the Pharisees, and Passover where He said, "With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." From there He went to Gethsemane, was arrested, scourged, crucified, and burial. "How can I help but love Him when He loved me so?"
E - Luke 24
E is for Evidence: We have the evidences of the empty tomb, the angels' explanation, the women's account, the eyewitnesses on the Emmaus road, and the eleven disciples in Jerusalem.
L - Luke 24
L is for Life: He lives in the power of an endless life! Death no more has dominion over Him. And, because He lives, we live also.
L is for Leaving: Leaving a promise of the Holy Spirit's coming, He led the disciples out to Bethany and departed with a blessing.
L is for Learned: The disciples learned, worshiped, returned to Jerusalem, and continued to do just as He said. What have we learned from this wonderful book of Luke? It is the Gospel!
From Uplook Ministries, https://uplook.org/2006/08/luke/