“Them Use Power From Jehovah”and No Fear to Talk

1, 2. Wetin happen when Paul and Barnabas dey for Lystra?

NOISE dey everywhere as people for Lystra de happy. One man wey no fit waka since them born-am de jump and de happy after two strangers heal-am. People surprise and them think say this two men na gods. One priest of Zeus bring flowers wey them make like crown for them. E still bring bulls and e de prepare to kill them. Paul and Barnabas de shout as them de try beg the people to stop. Them tear their cloth and beg say make the people no worship them. Them beg tire before them fit manage convince the people to stop.

² Then, some Jew men wey dey against the good news come from Iconium and Antioch wey dey Pisidia. Them talk bad things about Paul and Barnabas, and Lystra people believe them. This people wey want worship Paul, don surround-am now and de throw-am stones until e faint. Then, them drag Paul go outside the city gate, with wounds and blood for im body. Them think say e don die.

3. Which questions we go talk about for this chapter?

³ Wetin cause this thing wey happen? Wetin people wey de preach today fit learn from this thing wey happen to Barnabas, Paul and the people for Lystra? How elders for congregation fit copy the example of Barnabas and Paul wey no stop to preach, but instead them no fear to talk “and them use power from Jehovah.”—Acts 14:3.

“Plenty-Plenty People . . . Believe the Good News” (Acts 14:1-7)

4, 5. Why Paul and Barnabas travel go Iconium, and wetin happen for there?

⁴ Some days before this time, Paul and Barnabas dey for one Rome people city wey them de call Antioch for Pisidia. For there, some Jew people dey against them and throw them outside the city. But them no allow that one make them tire, instead, the two men “shake the dust comot from their leg.” (Acts 13:50-52; Matt. 10:14) Paul and Barnabas sofri comot from that city and leave the people to suffer the punishment wey go come from God. (Acts 18:5, 6; 20:26) This two missionaries no stop to de happy, and them continue their preaching work. After them don trek about 150 km go the southeast side, them reach one land wey level, wey de produce well, between the Taurus and the Sultan mountain area.

⁵ Paul and Barnabas first stop for Iconium. People for here de follow Greek culture. This city na one of the important cities for Galatia and na Rome people de rule them.a Plenty Jew people and people wey don join Jew religion dey for this city. Paul and Barnabas enter the synagogue as them de always do, and them start to preach to people. (Acts 13:5, 14) “The way wey them talk make plenty-plenty people wey be Jew and Greek believe the good news.”—Acts 14:1.

6. Wetin make Paul and Barnabas sabi teach well-well, and how we fit follow their example?

⁶ Wetin make Paul and Barnabas sabi teach well-well? Paul know God Word well-well. E sabi connect wetin the word of God talk with things wey don happen, prophecy, and Moses Law, and e de do all this ones to prove say na Jesus be the Messiah wey God promise say e go send. (Acts 13:15-31; 26:22, 23) The way Barnabas de talk show say e really care about the people. (Acts 4:36, 37; 9:27; 11:23, 24) This two men no teach people wetin come from their head, instead, them talk with “power from Jehovah” word. How you fit copy the example of this missionaries when you de preach? Na like this you go do-am: Know God Word well-well. Choose Bible verse wey go touch the mind of people for your area. Find way to make the mind of people come down when you de preach. And always teach people with the power from Jehovah Word, no be from wetin you know.

7. How people de behave as we de preach the good news? (b) If your family don scatter because you de worship Jehovah, wetin you go remember?

⁷ But no be everybody for Iconium happy to listen to Paul and Barnabas. Luke talk say, “Jew people wey no believe the good news move the people of the nations and spoil their mind to dey against the brothers.” Paul and Barnabas see say e dey important to stay and defend the good news, so “them spend long time de talk” and them no fear. Wetin come happen? “The people wey de live for the city divide. Some of them support the Jew people, but other ones support the apostles.” (Acts 14:2-4) Today, people still de behave like that as we de preach. For some place, the good news de make people dey as one, and for other place, e de make people dey against each other. (Matt. 10:34-36) If your family don scatter because you de worship Jehovah, remember say many people dey against us because them don believe the lie-lie wey people de talk about us. But your better character fit prove say those things wey them hear na lie and their heart fit later soft.—1 Pet. 2:12; 3:1, 2.

8. Why Paul and Barnabas comot from Iconium, and wetin we learn from their example?

⁸ After some time, people wey no like the good news for Iconium come plan to stone Paul and Barnabas. When the two missionaries hear this one, them decide to go preach for another place. (Acts 14:5-7) Today, Christians still de use their sense like this as them de preach. When people talk bad things about us or our message, we no de fear to talk. (Phil. 1:7; 1 Pet. 3:13-15) But when them want fight or attack us, we go use our sense. We no go do wetin go put our life or the life of our brothers and sisters for danger.—Prov. 22:3.

“Follow the God Wey Dey Alive” (Acts 14:8-19)

9, 10. Where Lystra dey, and wetin we know about the people for there?

⁹ Paul and Barnabas go Lystra. This place dey about 30 km from the southwest side of Iconium and na one of the areas wey Rome people de rule. Lystra and Antioch wey dey Pisidia de do many things together, but Lystra no get plenty Jews like Antioch. Even though say people for Lystra de speak Greek language, their native language na Lycaonia language. E fit be say, Paul and Barnabas preach for public place for this city because synagogue no dey. For Jerusalem, Peter heal one man wey no fit waka since them born-am. For Lystra, Paul heal one man too, wey no fit waka since them born-am. (Acts 14:8-10) Because of the miracle wey Peter do, plenty people believe the good news. (Acts 3:1-10) But when Paul do this miracle, the way the people behave really dey different.

¹⁰ As we talk for the beginning of this chapter, when the man wey no fit waka jump up and start to waka, the people think say Paul and Barnabas na gods. People for Lystra de worship lie-lie gods. Them talk say Barnabas na Zeus, the chief of the gods, and say Paul na Hermes, the son of Zeus. Hermes na the god wey de represent the other gods and talk for them. (Check the box “Lystra and the Worship of Zeus and Hermes.”) But Barnabas and Paul ready to help the people understand say them no be gods, but na Jehovah, the only true God, de give them power to talk and do miracle.—Acts 14:11-14.

11-13. (a) Wetin Paul and Barnabas tell the people for Lystra? (b) Wetin be one lesson wey we fit learn from the thing wey Paul and Barnabas talk?

¹¹ Even with the way the people behave, Paul and Barnabas still try to preach to them. We learn one better way to preach to people wey de worship lie-lie gods from this story wey Luke write. See how Paul and Barnabas reason with the people, them talk say: “My people, why una de do this things? We be humans like una and we get where we dey weak like una. We de preach the good news to una so that una go turn back from this useless things and follow the God wey dey alive, the Person wey make heaven, earth, sea, and everything wey dey inside them. For time wey don pass, e allow all the nations make them de do wetin them want, even though say e show who e be as e do good, e de give una rain from heaven and de make the things wey una plant to really produce well for their season, e de make una belleful with food, and de make una heart full with joy.”—Acts 14:15-17.

¹² Wetin we fit learn from this thing wey Paul and Barnabas talk? First of all, Paul and Barnabas no de think say them dey important pass the people. Them no pretend to be something wey them no be. Instead, them carry body down and talk say even them get where them dey weak just like the people. Na true say Paul and Barnabas don receive holy spirit and them don free from all the things wey lie-lie religion de teach. Them even get the hope to rule with Christ for heaven. But them see-am say if this people for Lystra obey Jesus, them go get the same blessings too.

¹³ How we de see the people wey we de preach to? We de see-am say we no dey important pass them? As we de help people learn the truth for Bible, we de copy Paul and Barnabas wey no accept praise wey be like worship? Brother Charles Taze Russell show us better example. E be better teacher wey direct the preaching work from around 1870 go reach 1916. E write say: “We no want any praise, or worship, for ourself or for the things wey we write, and we no want make them call us Reverend or Rabbi.” Like Paul and Barnabas, Brother Russell really carry body down. Na so we suppose do, we no de preach make people fit praise or worship us, but na to make them worship “the God wey dey alive.”

14-16. Wetin be the second and third lesson wey we fit learn from wetin Paul and Barnabas tell the people for Lystra?

¹⁴ Make we talk about the second lesson wey we fit learn. Paul and Barnabas de quick adjust. The people for Lystra no be like the Jews and people wey join Jew religion for Iconium. Them no know wetin dey the Word of God or the friendship wey God get with Israel people. Them be farmers. Lystra get better weather. Rain de fall well-well and their land de produce well. As them de look their fine land, the people fit see plenty things wey prove-am say the Person Wey Make Things get fine-fine character. So, Paul and Barnabas use this one preach to them.—Rom. 1:19, 20.

¹⁵ We fit learn to de quick adjust too? When farmer want plant seed for different-different land, even though say na the same seed e want plant, no be the same way e go prepare the soil. Some soil fit don already soft and e fit just plant the seed. Other soil fit need more things to prepare-am before the farmer go fit plant the seed. Na so e still be, na the same seed we de always plant—the message about God Kingdom wey dey for Bible. So, if we be like Paul and Barnabas, we go try see the different-different condition of the people wey we de preach to and wetin them believe. Then we go use this one adjust the way we de preach to them.—Luke 8:11, 15.

¹⁶ We fit still learn third lesson from this story about Paul and Barnabas, and the people for Lystra. No matter how we try reach, sometimes, the seed wey we plant fit fall ontop rock or person fit come comot-am. (Matt. 13:18-21) If e happen like that, no tire. Like Paul later remind the disciples for Rome, “each of us [even people wey we preach to] go answer God” for wetin e do.—Rom. 14:12.

“Them Put Them for the Hand of Jehovah” (Acts 14:20-28)

17. Where Paul and Barnabas go after them comot from Derbe, and why?

¹⁷ After Lystra people drag Paul go outside the city and them think say e don die, the disciples go help-am and them give-am place to sleep for night for the city. The next day, Paul and Barnabas start to travel another 100 km go Derbe. Just think how this waka go hard reach for Paul, person wey them just stone some hours before e start to travel. Even so, im and Barnabas no stop to preach, and when them reach Derbe, them “make some people become disciples.” Then, instead make them take short cut go back to their house for Antioch wey dey Syria, “them go back to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch [wey dey Pisidia].” Why? To “make the disciples dey strong,” and to “encourage them make them continue to dey for the faith.” (Acts 14:20-22) This two men really show better example! For them, to help the congregation dey important pass to dey okay. Circuit overseers and missionaries for this our time de copy their example.

18. Wetin them de do before brother fit be elder?

¹⁸ To encourage the disciples, Paul and Barnabas no only talk and show better example, but them still “appoint elders for them for each congregation.” Even though say na “holy spirit send” Paul and Barnabas to do this missionary work, them still pray and fast when “them put them [the elders] for the hand of Jehovah.” (Acts 13:1-4; 14:23) Na so e still be for this our time. Before the body of elders mention any brother name to be elder, them go first pray and check whether the brother de do wetin Bible talk say person go do to fit be overseer. (1 Tim. 3:1-10, 12, 13; Titus 1:5-9; Jas. 3:17, 18; 1 Pet. 5:2, 3) The main thing wey them de check no be whether e don be Christian for long time. Instead, them de check how the things wey the brother de talk be, how e de behave, and whether people know-am as person wey de allow holy spirit direct im life. If e de follow all the things wey Bible talk say overseer must do, e go qualify to be shepherd of Jehovah sheep. (Gal. 5:22, 23) Na circuit overseer work to make person be elder.—Compare 1 Timothy 5:22.

19. Who go judge the elders, and how them de follow Paul and Barnabas example?

¹⁹ Elders know say God de see how them de treat the congregation, and e go use that one judge them. (Heb. 13:17) Like Paul and Barnabas, na elders de dey for front and de lead the preaching work. Them de talk wetin go encourage other disciples. And them ready to do wetin go favor the congregation first before their own.—Phil. 2:3, 4.

20. How we de gain when we read about the work wey our brothers and sisters de do?

²⁰ When Paul and Barnabas go back to Antioch wey dey Syria, them tell the brothers “the plenty things wey God don use them do and say e don open door for people of the nations so that them go fit get faith.” (Acts 14:27) As we de read about the work wey our Christian brothers and sisters de do for this our time, and how Jehovah don bless their work, e go move us to continue to talk and “no fear” as we de use the “power from Jehovah.”