1, 2. How Barnabas and Saul work take different from other men wey don go other lands to preach and how their work help make wetin dey Acts 1:8 happen?

 NA HAPPY day for the congregation wey dey Antioch. Out of all the prophets and teachers wey dey Antioch, na Barnabas and Saul holy spirit choose to carry the good news go far-far places. a (Acts 13:1, 2) The truth be say, before now, them don send men wey qualify to go preach for many places wey Christians don already dey. (Acts 8:14; 11:22) This time, them want send Barnabas and Saul go places wey people never hear the good news, and John Mark go follow them to help them.

² About 14 years before this time, Jesus tell im disciples say: “Una go tell people about me for Jerusalem, for everywhere for Judea and Samaria, and for every corner for the earth.” (Acts 1:8) As them send Barnabas and Saul go this lands as missionary, e go help to make wetin Jesus talk happen. b

3. Why e no easy to travel go far-far place for the apostles time?

³ For this our time, people fit use small time travel go far-far place because we don get things like motor and aeroplane. But things like this no dey for the apostles time. That time, the main way to travel na to trek, and many times, the road no de good. Person fit trek about 30 km for one full day, and e go really tire. c So Barnabas and Saul know say the journey no go easy. Them go really need to work hard and endure many things. But them ready to start the journey.—Matt. 16:24.

4. (a) How them take get the direction to select Barnabas and Saul, and wetin the brothers do? (b) How we fit support people wey receive any type of assignment?

 ⁴ But why e be say na Barnabas and Saul God holy spirit “select . . . for the work”? (Acts 13:2) Bible no tell us. But we know say na holy spirit direct-am say make them select this men. The prophets and teachers for Antioch no jealous Barnabas and Saul, instead, them do everything wey them fit do to support them. Think about how Barnabas and Saul go don feel when their brothers fast and pray with them and even “put their hand ontop them and send them go.” (Acts 13:3) Make we too de do everything wey we fit do to help people wey receive any type of assignment, even people wey them appoint as overseers for congregation. Instead of to de jealous them, make we “use love show them more honor because of their work.”—1 Thess. 5:13.

5. Explain wetin e be like to preach for the island of Cyprus.

⁵ After them don waka reach one place wey ship de stop near Antioch, wey them de call Seleucia, Barnabas and Saul enter ship go reach island of Cyprus. This place na journey of about 200 km. d Barnabas come from Cyprus, so e go don really happy to preach to im country people about the word of God. When them reach the city wey them de call Salamis, for the east side of  the island, this men no waste time at all. Quick-quick, “them start to preach the word of God for the synagogues of Jew people.” e (Acts 13:5) Barnabas and Saul travel from one side go reach the other side of Cyprus, and them preach for some of the big cities as them de go. Depending on the road wey them follow, this missionaries fit don waka reach about 160 km!

6, 7. (a) Who be Sergius Paulus, and why Bar-Jesus want try make-am no accept the good news? (b) Wetin Saul do to stop Bar-Jesus?

⁶ For the apostles time, people for Cyprus de worship idols. Barnabas and Saul really see this one when them reach Paphos, for the west side of the island. Na for there them meet one man “wey im name na Bar-Jesus. Na person wey de do magic and na lie-lie prophet. E dey with governor Sergius Paulus, one man wey really sabi things.” f That time, plenty Rome people, even person “wey really sabi things” like Sergius Paulus de go meet person wey de do magic or people wey de use star talk wetin go happen, when them want make important decision. Even with this one, Sergius Paulus really like the good news and e “really want hear the word of God.” But Bar-Jesus, wey people still de call Elymas, wey mean, “person wey de do magic,” no happy about this one.—Acts 13:6-8.

⁷ Bar-Jesus no like the good news. E want continue to be the person wey go de give Sergius Paulus advice, so e try “to make the governor no believe the faith.” (Acts 13:8) But Saul no go allow this Bar-Jesus wey de do magic comot Sergius Paulus mind from the good news. So wetin Saul do? Bible talk say: “Holy spirit start to full inside Saul wey them still de call Paul, and e look the man [Bar-Jesus] straight and talk say: ‘You wey all kind of lie-lie and all kind of wicked thing full your body, you son of the Devil,  you wey be enemy of everything wey dey correct for God eye, you no go stop to twist the correct ways of Jehovah? See! The hand of Jehovah dey against you and you go blind, you no go see sunlight for some time.’ And just that time, something wey be like thick smoke and darkness cover-am, and e waka round de try to find person wey go hold im hand.” g Wetin Sergius Paulus do when e see this miracle? “The governor, as e see wetin don happen, e believe the good news, because the things wey them teach about Jehovah really surprise-am.”—Acts 13:9-12.

8. How we go fit get strong heart like Paul?

⁸ Paul no fear Bar-Jesus. Like Paul, when people de try to weak the faith of people wey ready to learn Bible, make we get strong heart and defend the truth. As we de do this one, we go still ‘make the things wey we de talk de always sweet, like say we put salt.’ (Col. 4:6) We go do everything wey we fit do to help person wey want learn continue to learn about Jehovah even if e go make other people vex. Like Bar-Jesus, lie-lie religion de try to “twist the correct ways of Jehovah.” So make we no fear to talk about all the lie-lie wey them de talk and do. (Acts 13:10) Like Paul, make we get strong heart and teach people wey really want learn the truth. And even though say God no go give us power to do miracle like Paul, we dey sure say God de use im spirit help people wey get better mind learn the truth.—John 6:44.

9. How Paul and Barnabas take set better example for people wey de direct things for congregation today?

⁹ Paul, Barnabas, and Mark comot from Paphos and them use boat travel about 250 km go Perga wey dey near sea for Asia Minor. For Acts 13:13, them call them “Paul and the people wey de travel with-am.” This one fit mean say  na Paul come de lead this group. Bible no talk anything wey show say Barnabas start to jealous Paul. Instead, this two men continue to work together to do God work. Paul and Barnabas set better example for people wey de direct things for congregation today. We no de try to make ourself dey important pass other people, because we remember wetin Jesus talk say: “All of una na brothers.” And e still talk say: “Anybody wey de raise imself up, them go bring-am down, but anybody wey de bring imself down, them go raise-am up.”—Matt. 23:8, 12.

10. Describe how the journey be from Perga to Antioch wey dey Pisidia.

¹⁰ When them reach Perga, John Mark leave Paul and Barnabas and e go back to Jerusalem. Bible no tell us why e comot like that. Paul and Barnabas continue to preach, them travel from Perga go Antioch for Pisidia, wey be one city for Galatia. To trek reach this place no easy, because the Antioch wey dey Pisidia dey up for mountain area. To travel pass this mountains no really dey safe because thief de attack people wey de travel for that road well-well. Ontop that one, e be like say Paul don already de sick for this time. h

11, 12. When Paul talk to the people for the synagogue for Antioch wey dey Pisidia, wetin e do to make them like im message?

¹¹ For Antioch wey dey Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas enter the synagogue for Sabbath day. Bible talk say: “After them don read the Law for public together with the things wey the Prophets talk, the leaders for the synagogue send message to them and talk say: ‘Men, our brothers, if una get any word to encourage the people, make una talk-am.’” (Acts 13:15) Then Paul stand up to talk.

¹² Paul start im talk like this: “Men,  people of Israel, and other people wey de fear God.” (Acts 13:16) The people wey dey there na Jew people and other people wey don join Jew religion. These people never accept Jesus as the Messiah. So how Paul go reason with them? Paul first tell them the history of Jew people. E explain how Jehovah “raise the people up as them de live as strangers for the land of Egypt” and how God “bear the things wey them de do for the wilderness” for 40 years after them comot from Egypt. Paul still talk about how Jehovah help Israel people win and inherit the Promise Land and how e give them the land “as their property.” (Acts 13:17-19) Some people talk say Paul de talk about things wey the people just hear that day when them read the Scriptures to them as part of wetin them de do for Sabbath day. But if that one na true, e mean say Paul really know how to “be everything to different kind of people.”—1 Cor. 9:22.

13. How we fit make people like our message?

¹³ Like Paul, make we de talk to people for way wey go make them really like the message. For example, when we know wetin person believe, we fit discuss topics wey dey important to that person. We fit still quote Bible verse wey the person don already know. Sometimes, e go better to tell the person to read from inside im own Bible. Make we think of different-different ways to make people like the message wey we de preach to them.

14. How the thing wey Paul de talk since connect with wetin e talk about Jesus, and which warning e give the people? (b) Wetin the people do after Paul talk finish?

¹⁴ Then, Paul explain how Jesus come from the family of Israel people kings, how John the Baptizer prepare the people to accept Jesus, the “person wey go save” them, how them kill Jesus, and how Jesus come back to life. (Acts 13:20-37) Then e talk say: “Make una know say na through this person God go forgive una sins, and na this one I de preach to una . . . Because of this person, God go talk say anybody wey believe dey free from sin.” Then Paul give them this warning: “Make una dey careful so that e no go happen to una just as the Prophets talk say: ‘Make una look-am, una wey no get respect for the work of God, and make una surprise and die, because I de do work for una time, work wey una no go ever believe even if person tell una everything about-am.’” Wetin the people do after Paul talk finish fit don surprise Paul. “The people beg them make them talk about this things for the next Sabbath.” After them comot from the synagogue, many “Jew people and people wey join Jew religion wey de worship God, follow Paul and Barnabas.”—Acts 13:38-43.

15. Wetin happen for the next Sabbath?

¹⁵ The next Sabbath, “almost everybody for the city” gather to listen to Paul. But some Jew people start to vex and “start to talk wicked things against the things wey Paul de talk.” Paul and Barnabas tell them say: “E dey important  make them preach the word of God to una first. Since una de reject-am and una don judge unaself as people wey no reach to get life wey no go end, see! we de go meet people of the nations. Jehovah don command us with this word say: ‘I don choose you as light to the nations, so that I go fit use you save people for every part of the earth.’ ”—Acts 13:44-47; Isa. 49:6.

16. Wetin the Jew people do after Paul and Barnabas talk finish, and wetin Paul and Barnabas do when the Jew people throw them outside the city?

¹⁶ Small time, the word of Jehovah spread reach everywhere for the country and “all the people wey show say them want get life wey no go end, believe the good news.” (Acts 13:48) The people wey no be Jew really happy but the Jews no happy. Paul and Barnabas tell the Jew people say, na them be the first to hear the good news about the Messiah but them reject-am. Because of that one, God no go accept their worship again. The Jew people turn the mind of the big women and the big men for the city, “and them suffer Paul and Barnabas and throw them outside the city.” Wetin Paul and Barnabas come do? Them “shake the dust comot from their leg as sign against them and move go Iconium.” Na so Christian religion take end for Antioch wey dey Pisidia? No! The disciples wey remain for there “continue to really get joy and dey full with holy spirit.”—Acts 13:50-52.

17-19. How we fit follow the better example of Paul and Barnabas, and how this one go help us continue to get joy?

¹⁷ We fit learn from wetin this disciples do even when people de suffer them. We no go stop to preach, even when people wey get big position try to stop us. We fit still learn from wetin happen when Antioch people throw Paul and Barnabas out of their city. Paul and Barnabas “shake the dust comot from their leg.” No be because them de vex, instead, them do-am to show say them don do wetin Jehovah send them and their hand no dey again for anything wey go happen to the people. Them know say them no fit force the people to get faith for Jesus. But them fit decide whether them go continue to preach. And na wetin them do be that. Them go Iconium and continue to preach.

¹⁸ What of the disciples wey remain for Antioch? Na true say people de suffer them, but their joy no depend on whether people like their message. Jesus talk say: “People wey de hear the word of God and de do-am go happy!” (Luke 11:28) The disciples for Antioch wey dey Pisidia ready to always do wetin Jesus don command them.

¹⁹ Like Paul and Barnabas, make we always remember say na our work to preach the good news. E dey people hand to choose whether them go accept-am or them no go accept-am. If people no gree listen to us just as e be for the apostles time, make we learn from the disciples. Even when people suffer us, we go fit still continue to get joy if we value the truth and allow make God holy spirit direct us.—Gal. 5:18, 22.