The Value and Purpose of the Book of Acts
Howard Marshall (TNTC) sums up the purpose and value of the books of Acts for the church then and us today:
To help and encourage the people of God: We pray this series encourages and helps us to see and experience Jesus’ work in and through the church then (and now).
To show the essential “task” of the church is mission: Jesus’ said you will be MY witnesses (1:8). We are “his” before we do anything. Since we are his, we become about his purposes.
To call for unity in the church: we see in the Apostles (and others throughout the book) people from all sorts of backgrounds – social, spiritual, economic, race – who come together around Jesus. We pray to be a diverse community centered on Jesus.
To show it is God who builds the church: there is a prominence of God’s Spirit empowering, guiding, raising up and directing the church. This gives us great comfort and confidence as we trust Him to build His church in Jupiter (and to the ends of the earth).