CHAPTER 1
‘Go Make People . . . My Disciples’
Some things wey dey the book of Acts and how e concern us
1-6. Talk about how our brothers and sisters de preach for different-different condition.
REBECCA, na one young Jehovah Witness for Ghana wey de always preach for im school. Rebecca de always carry books and magazines wey de talk about Bible for im schoolbag. For break time, e de use any chance wey e see to preach to other students. Rebecca start to study Bible with many of im classmates.
2 For Madagascar, two pioneers de always trek around 25 kilometers for hot weather de go one village wey far well-well. For there, them study Bible with people wey want learn.
3 Jehovah Witness for Paraguay and brothers wey volunteer from 15 other countries make one boat to fit preach to people wey de stay near Paraguay and Paraná river. This boat be like house wey de float for water and 12 people fit live inside. E heavy reach 45,000 kg. This boat help them fit preach for place wey them no fit go before.
4 Many people de always visit Alaska for the time wey Alaska de get hot weather and Jehovah Witness people use that chance preach to them. Them arrange our books and magazines for different-different language where the visitors wey ship carry come from different-different country go see them. For the same area, them use aeroplane go preach for far-far village wey no dey easy to go before. Because of this one, the good news don reach place wey Aleut, Athabascan, Tsimshian, and Tlingit people dey.
5 Larry na one brother for Texas U.S.A. wey de stay for place wey them de take care of old and sick people. Because e get accident, e de use wheelchair, so e take this place as im special territory. E de always preach and help people know say for God Kingdom, e go use im leg waka again as Bible talk.—Isa. 35:5, 6.
6 Some brothers wey dey Mandalay use three days go assembly for upper Myanmar with boat. Because them really want preach, them carry publications wey them give people for boat. Anytime the boat stop for any town or village, quick-quick them go come down enter the community and start to share our book for people. When them come down, other people de enter the boat and when the brothers come back, them go take this new people as their “new territory” and start to preach to them.
7. Which ways Jehovah people de use preach about God Kingdom and wetin them get for mind?
7 Like the example of the brothers and sisters wey we just read about, Jehovah people for the whole world de “really preach well about the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 28:23) Them de preach from house to house, and for street, them still de write letter and de use phone preach. Them de look for every chance to preach about God Kingdom, whether them dey inside motor, de waka for road, or even for break time for where them de work. Even though say them de preach for different-different ways, wetin them get for mind na the same—to preach the good news anywhere wey them see people.—Matt. 10:11.
8, 9. (a) Why we fit talk say the way the preaching work de spread na miracle? (b) Which question person fit ask and wetin we go do to get the answer?
8 Our dear friend wey de read this book, you dey among Jehovah people wey de preach for more than 235 lands? If na so, you dey among the people wey de make the preaching work spread more-more! True-true, the way the good news don spread for the whole world na big miracle. Jehovah Witness people de really preach about the Kingdom of God to people for every land even when plenty problem dey, like when government ban our work or when them de suffer us.
9 One question wey person fit ask na, Why e be say any problem, even the one wey Satan de cause never fit stop the way the preaching work de spread? To answer this question, we go need to carry our mind go back to the time of the apostles. This na because as Jehovah Witness, na the work wey them start that time we de do today.
Big Work Wey Them Go Do
10. Wetin be the number one work wey Jesus do, and wetin e know about this work?
10 Na Jesus Christ start the Christian congregation and e really put body for the preaching work; e make-am number one work for im life. E talk say: “I must tell people the good news of the Kingdom of God for other cities too, because na that one be the reason why them send me come this earth.” (Luke 4:43) Jesus know say only-am no go complete the preaching work wey e start. Small time before e die, e talk say them go preach the good news “for all the nations.” (Mark 13:10) But how them go do this work, and who go do-am?
“Go, and make people from all the nations my disciples.”—Matthew 28:19
11. Which important work Jesus give im disciples, and wetin go help them to fit do the work?
11 After Jesus come back to life, e appear to im disciples and give them one important work, e talk say: “So, make una go, and make people from all the nations my disciples, make una baptize them for the name of the Papa, the Son and the holy spirit, make una teach them to do all the things wey I don command una, and see! I dey with una all the days go reach the last days of the world.” (Matt. 28:19, 20) When e talk say “I dey with una,” this one show say, e go help im disciples as them de preach and teach people. Them go need Jesus to help them because e don talk before say “all the nations go hate” them. (Matt. 24:9) But e get something wey go still help them. Before Jesus go heaven, e tell im disciples say, holy spirit go give them power to preach “for every corner for the earth.”—Acts 1:8.
12. Wetin be some questions wey we need to ask, and why e dey important make we know the answers?
12 Some questions wey need answer na: The preaching work wey Jesus give im apostles and other Christians for their time, them take-am serious? This small group of Christian men and women still continue to preach about the Kingdom even when people suffer them? Jehovah really help them and give them holy spirit to make new disciples? The book of Acts answer all this questions and other ones too. Why e dey important make we know the answers to this questions? Jesus promise say the work wey e give im disciples go continue “go reach the last days of the world.” So, the preaching work na wetin all true Christians must do, even we wey de live for this time of the end. Because of this one, wetin dey the book of Acts concern us well-well.
Some Things Wey Dey the Book of Acts
13, 14. (a) Who write the book of Acts, and how e take know wetin e write? (b) Wetin dey the book of Acts?
13 Who write the book of Acts? The book no tell us, but the words wey start the book show say na the same person wey write the book of Luke write-am. (Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1, 2) For long time, people know Luke as the person wey write the book of Acts. Luke na doctor and e de write about things wey don happen. (Col. 4:14) The book of Acts talk about wetin happen for about 28 years, from 33 C.E. wey Jesus go heaven go reach around 61 C.E. when apostle Paul dey prison for Rome. Luke use the word “we” for many places because e dey there when many of the things wey e write about happen. (Acts 16:8-10; 20:5; 27:1) Luke really want write exactly wetin happen, so e fit be say e meet Paul, Barnabas, Philip and other people to hear some things direct from them before e write the book.
14 Wetin dey the book of Acts? When Luke write the book of Luke, e talk about the things wey Jesus talk and do. But for the book of Acts, e write about things wey Jesus disciples talk and do. So, the book na about Jesus disciples wey people de see as ordinary people wey no go school, and how them do work wey no dey ordinary. (Acts 4:13) This book wey holy spirit help Luke write, show how the Christian congregation start and how e grow. E still talk about how Christians for the apostles time preach—the different ways wey them do-am, and how them put body for the work. (Acts 4:31; 5:42) E still talk about how holy spirit help them preach the good news. (Acts 8:29, 39, 40; 13:1-3; 16:6; 18:24, 25) Acts talk about the main message for Bible wey concern how God Kingdom wey Christ go rule go make God name dey holy, and how the Kingdom message de spread even when them de suffer Jesus disciples.—Acts 8:12; 19:8; 28:30, 31.
15. If we study the book of Acts, how we go gain?
15 The truth be say, if we study the book of Acts, we go enjoy-am well-well and e go make our faith strong! If we think about how Jesus disciples really put body for the work and no fear to preach, e go touch our heart and move us to follow their example. This one go help us obey Jesus command to “go . . . make people” im disciples. This book wey you de read now go help you fit study the book of Acts well.
Book Wey Fit Help Us
16. Which three main things this book fit help us do?
16 Wetin this book fit help us do? E go help us do three main things: (1) to continue to dey sure say Jehovah de use im holy spirit support us as we de preach and make disciples, (2) de do more for the preaching work as we de learn from the example of Jesus disciples for Bible time, and (3) to make our respect deep more-more for Jehovah organization and for the people wey de take the lead for the preaching work and still de care for all the congregation.
17, 18. How them arrange this book, and which things dey the book wey go help you for your personal study?
17 How them arrange this book? The book get eight part, and each part de talk about some chapter and some verse for the book of Acts. This book no de explain the book of Acts verse by verse, but e go help us learn from the things wey happen and see how we fit do wetin we learn. For the beginning of all the chapter, them write the main point for that chapter and Bible verse wey de show the part of the book of Acts wey the chapter de talk about.
18 Some things dey this book wey go help you for your personal Bible study, like fine pictures wey de show wetin happen for the book of Acts. This one go help you think about-am like say you dey there when the things happen. For many chapters, you go see some box wey go help you learn more things. Some box de talk about people for Bible wey we fit copy their fine example. Some other box de talk about some place, things wey happen, different custom and some people wey dey the book of Acts.
Preach for your territory like person wey know say time no dey again
19. How we fit de check ourself from time to time?
19 This book go help you check yourself well-well. No matter how long you don de preach, e good say from time to time make you stop and think about wetin really dey important for your life and how you de see the preaching work. (2 Cor. 13:5) Ask yourself say: ‘The way I de put body for the preaching work now show say I understand say time no dey again? (1 Cor. 7:29-31) I de use all my heart preach and believe wetin I de preach? (1 Thess. 1:5, 6) I de do my best for this work to preach and make disciples?’—Col. 3:23.
20, 21. Why we need to de preach more pass before, and wetin this one go move you to do?
20 Make we always remember say, we get the work to preach and make disciples. As time de go, we need to de preach more pass before, because the end of this wicked world don near well-well. People life don dey for danger now pass before and we no know how many people still remain wey the condition of their heart dey good and wey go listen to our message. (Acts 13:48) But na our work to help them come serve Jehovah before e too late.—1 Tim. 4:16.
21 E dey important make we copy the example of Jesus disciples for the apostles time wey no tire to preach about God Kingdom. As you de study this book, make e help you to dey bold and preach more-more. And make e move you to get strong mind to continue to de “preach well about the Kingdom of God.”—Acts 28:23.