There are no other books like Acts. It is indispensable. Without the book of Acts, the New Testament would have a gaping hole in its heart. The Gospels and the later parts of the New Testament would be irreparably divided. Each part would still make sense by itself, but numerous vital connections would be missing. Acts, then, is a “link” book.
But it is much more than that. In a sense, Acts provides the backdrop against which most of the epistles must be placed. It defines the “outside” of the early Christian church: the travels of the missionaries, the founding of the congregations with accompanying joys and hardships, and the connection between the infant fellowships. In Bryan Williams’ study guide on the book of Acts, readers will encounter anew the trials and triumphs of the church in Jerusalem, and document its spread throughout the Roman Empire—even to the ends of the earth.