One of my favourite books of the bible is the Acts of the Apostles. I enjoy reading about the early experiences of the Church. We see the apostles boldly proclaiming the good news and healing people in the name of Jesus. This was quite a transformation, for prior to his death, the twelve apostles were often obtuse and afraid. They could not understand that the Messiah had to suffer and die. He was a suffering servant rather than a powerful ruler. It was not until they witnessed the Resurrection and received the gift of the Holy Spirit that things began to change. The Acts of the Apostles present us with a completely transformed group of apostles who are no longer confused or fearful. They understand that they must be like Jesus and proclaim hope and healing to the world. We are told that on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 individuals were baptized after hearing Peter preach. This was the man who denied knowing Jesus three times prior to his Resurrection. In Acts we also see examples of how the disciples experienced great hardships, persecution and imprisonment. They suffered with great love, because they wanted to follow the example of Jesus and tell others about him. They were not afraid because they trusted in their Lord. There is an interesting encounter between the apostles and the members of the Sanhedrin. This group of religious leaders were admonishing the apostles because they continued teaching in the name of Jesus even though they had been warned not to do so. These leaders wanted to put them in prison; however, something else happened that changed their minds. �But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time.?Then he said to them, �Fellow Israelites,?consider carefully what you propose to do to these men.?For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared.?After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered.?So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail;?but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them�in that case you may even be found fighting against God!� (Acts 5: 34-39). The Sanhedrin saw the wisdom in what Gamaliel had to say, so they had the apostles flogged and then released them with the order not to speak about Jesus again. Gamaliel touched upon an important truth. If Jesus had not been the Son of God, who died and rose from the dead, his followers would have most likely scattered when their leader died. We see so many examples of this throughout history. In reality, the followers of Jesus became stronger and more united after his death. This is because of the Holy Spirit � �this undertaking is of God, not of human origin�! The Acts of the Apostles teaches us that the Holy Spirit is about transformation and empowerment. After 2000 years, this important book of the bible continues to be relevant to Christians. We have been given the same Holy Spirit to go into the world to bring good news and healing. As disciples of the Lord, may our �Acts� always inspire hope.