"The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not a luxury; it is an absolute necessity," writes celebrated author and respected pastor Warren Wiersbe.  In his first of two books covering Acts, Be Dynamic focuses on Peter's ministry, mostly in Israel and centered in Jerusalem.  Through explaining Luke's record of the Gospel's advancement and church expansion, Wiersbe opens the door to understanding the work of the church today. Using hard-hitting quotes from recognized names like St. Augustine and John Bunyan, Wiersbe proves himself as a well-read author and gifted writer.  The depth of his study is astounding, yet the accessibility of his text for every age group is evident as well.  He proves what Luke intended-for Acts to be interpreted not as the apostles' glorious acts, but as the life-changing acts of the Holy Spirit.  The same Spirit lives in believers today, the same God calls followers to expand His church, and the same basic problems still arise within the church, but the same power available then is still available now to change the nations. Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe (1929–2019) was an internationally known Bible teacher, author, and conference speaker. He served as the pastor of Moody Church in Chicago from 1971 to 1978. For ten years he was associated with the  Back to the Bible  radio broadcast, first as Bible teacher and then as general director. In his lifetime, Dr. Wiersbe wrote more than 150 books—including the popular BE series—selling over five million copies. Dr. Wiersbe was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). His trusted writing will continue to impact generations.   BE DYNAMIC EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF GOD'S PEOPLE By Warren W. Wiersbe David C. Cook Copyright © 1987 Warren W. Wiersbe All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4347-6746-2 Contents Cover, The Big Idea: An Introduction to Be Dynamic by Ken Baugh, A Word from the Author, 1. The Faith of the First Christians (Acts 1), 2. Power From Heaven! (Acts 2), 3. The Power of His Name (Acts 3:1—4:4), 4. Persecution, Prayer, and Power (Acts 4:5–31), 5. Beware of the Serpent! (Acts 4:32—5:16), 6. Truth and Consequences (Acts 5:17–42), 7. Stephen, the Man God Crowned (Acts 6—7), 8. A Church on the Move (Acts 8), 9. God Arrests Saul (Acts 9:1–31), 10. Peter's Miracle Ministry (Acts 9:32—10:48), 11. Making Room for the Gentiles (Acts 11), 12. Wake Up to a Miracle! (Acts 12), Extras, CHAPTER 1 The Faith of the First Christians (Acts 1) A famous Hollywood producer once said that for a movie to be successful, it must start with an earthquake and work up to a climax. Luke certainly didn't follow that formula when he wrote the book of Acts. Except for the ascension of Jesus Christ, events recorded in Acts 1 are anything but dramatic. After all, what is exciting about a business meeting? Then why record these events? Why didn't Luke just start with the story of Pentecost? For several reasons. To begin with, Luke was writing volume two of a work that started with what we call the gospel of Luke (see Luke 1:1–4), and he had to begin with the proper salutation and introduction. We don't know who Theophilus was or even if he was a believer, but Luke's salutation suggests that he may have been an important Roman official (see Acts 23:26; 24:3; 26:25). Likely Theophilus was a Christian or at least a seeker who was carefully studying the Christian faith. His name means "friend of God," and we hope he lived up to his name. But even more important, Luke had to build a bridge between his gospel and the book of Acts (Luke 24:50–53). At the close of his gospel, he had left the believers in the temple, praising God. Now he had to pick up the story and explain what happened next. Imagine how confused you would be if, in reading your New Testament, you turned the last page of the gospel of John and discovered—Romans! "How did the church get to Rome?" you would ask yourself; the answer is found in the book of Acts. The book of Acts is also the account of the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the church. The gospel of Luke records what Jesus "began both to do and teach" in His human body, and the book of Acts tells us what Jesus continued to do and teach through His spiritual body, the church. Even today, congregations can learn much about church life and ministry from this book, and this even includes the business meetings! In this chapter, we see the believers taking care of "unfinished business" and getting ready for Pentecost. What they said and did reveals to us the faith of the church. In what did they really believe? They Believed in the Risen Christ (1:1–11) After His resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for forty days and ministered to His disciples. He had already opened their minds to understand the Old Testament message about Himself (Luke 24:44–48), but there were other lessons they needed to learn before they could launch out in their ne