The Book of Acts was written to provide a history of the early church. The acts highlight the importance of the day of Pentecost and the power of being effective witnesses of Jesus Christ. Acts sheds light on the ministerial gift of the Holy Spirit, who empowers, guides, teaches, and serves as our Counselor. While reading the Book of Acts many readers will be enlightened and encouraged by the numerous miracles performed in this period by the disciples Peter, John and Paul. The Book of Acts emphasizes the importance of obedience to the Word of God and the transformation that occurs as a result of knowing Christ. There are also many references to those who rejected the truth preached by the disciples in Jesus Christ. Power, greed and many other vices of the devil or highlighted in the book of Acts. Acts 1:8 is a good summary of the Book of Acts. Acts records the apostles who witnessed Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the surrounding world. The Book of Acts begins with Jesus the Holy Spirit appearing to the chosen apostles for a period of forty days and telling them about the kingdom of God. Jesus commanded the apostles not to leave Jerusalem and to wait for the gift promised by His father. The gift to the apostles was to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Jesus then told his apostles that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Peter is the leader of the apostles. The first thing ordered was to elect Matthias the twelfth apostle, replacing the traitor Judas. During the year of Jesus' death and resurrection, the disciples all gathered for Pentecost, which...... middle of paper...... actions. Peter responded with the Spirit. The strength with which the cripple was healed was that of Jesus of Nazareth. Not only that, but Peter accused the Sanhedrin of being responsible for rejecting and killing Christ. He also noted God's power in raising Jesus from the dead. Peter's speech to the Sanhedrin summarizes his other two sermons. Although it could not deny the apostolic miracle, the Sanhedrin felt obliged to stop the apostolic preaching. Faced with the power of God that transformed ordinary and uncultured men into a powerful announcement of the Gospel, the Sanhedrin was unable to punish the apostles. This chapter ends with an account of the church's prayer in gratitude for God's deliverance of the apostles from the Jewish authorities. God can do extraordinary things through ordinary people. God can and will do the same through us if we submit ourselves completely to Him.