The book of Acts is not simply a history book; it is a book for renewal. So claims New Testament scholar John Polhill. He highlights the purpose of Acts and calls us to be renewed by its content and vision:
“The Book of Acts is in a real sense a book for renewal. It calls the church back to its roots—to the early church in the upper room in its undivided devotion to prayer, to its missionary fervor, its fellowship and sharing, its mutual trust and unity. It sets a pattern for faithful discipleship, for a witness that walks in the footsteps of the Master, a wholehearted commitment with a willingness to sacrifice and even to suffer. It speaks to us when discouraged, reminding us that all time is in God’s hands, reassuring us of the reality of his Spirit in our lives and witness. It challenges us to open our hearts to the power of the Spirit that we might be faithful witnesses to the word and come to experience anew its triumph in our own time.”[i]
Polhill offers here an excellent summary of the role that Acts should play in the life of the church. May we thus continually be renewed in our faith and mission.
[i] John B. Polhill, Acts, in The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman, 1992), 72.
