(1) The Start of the Mission

In the introduction to his book on the Acts of the Apostles Dennis Johnson asks a simple question: "Who needs the book of Acts?"

His answer is meant to be thought-provoking, not condemning. "Churches drift off to sleep. Small groups turn in on themselves. Bible studies and Sunday school classes tread predictable, timeworn paths. Worship becomes routine. Witnessing becomes the work of specialists… When familiarity breeds contentment and complacency, when good order calcifies into rigid regularity, then people who love Jesus sense that something is amiss. They know that it was not always this way, and they turn to the Book to see again what is truly normal for Christ's church. In particular when our zeal flags and our focus blurs, we need to listen to Luke, apostolic associate and documenter of the deeds of the Lord, as he recounts the Spirit's acts in the Spirit's words. We need the Acts of the Apostles."