CHAPTER 5
“We Must Obey God as Ruler Instead of People”
The apostles set better example for all true Christians to follow
As e dey for Acts 5:12–6:7
1-3. (a) Why them carry the apostles go the Sanhedrin, and wetin be the real question? (b) Why the thing wey the apostles do concern us today?
PEOPLE wey de judge for the Sanhedrin just de vex more-more! Them accuse Jesus disciples and carry them go this high court. Why? Joseph Caiaphas, wey be high priest and president of the Sanhedrin use vex tell them say: “We give una strong command say make una no continue to teach with this name.” The president no even want use im mouth call Jesus name. E still talk say, “una don make Jerusalem full with the things wey una de teach, and una don decide to bring the blood of this man ontop our head.” (Acts 5:28) The warning dey clear: Stop to preach, or else we go punish una!
2 Wetin the apostles go do? Na Jesus give them the work to preach and im authority come from Jehovah. (Matt. 28:18-20) Jesus apostles go allow fear of their enemies make them stop to preach? Or them go get strong heart and continue to preach? The real question na: Who them go obey? Na God or na people? Peter no waste time and e no fear to give them direct answer and e talk for all the apostles.
3 The thing wey the apostles do as the Sanhedrin threaten them concern all of us wey be true Christian today. God command us to preach too, and as we de do this work, people fit suffer us too. (Matt. 10:22) Them fit make-am hard for us to preach or even ban our work. If this one happen, wetin we go do? If we think about wetin help the apostles get strong heart and wetin them face for the Sanhedrin, this one go help us. a
“The Angel of Jehovah Open the Doors” (Acts 5:12-21a)
4, 5. Wetin make Caiaphas and the other Sadducee people de vex for the apostles?
4 Remember say the first time wey them command the apostles to stop to preach, Peter and John talk say: “We no go stop to talk about the things wey we don see and hear.” (Acts 4:20) After this first time wey the Sanhedrin command them, Peter and John, with the other apostles continue to preach for temple. The apostles do miracles. Them heal sick people and comot demons from people body. Them do this things for “Solomon Veranda,” wey be one long veranda wey get roof wey dey the east side of the temple, and many Jew people de gather there. Even Peter shadow cure people. Many people wey them cure accept the good news. Because of this one, “more people wey believe the Lord continue to join and their number really plenty, both men and women.”—Acts 5:12-15.
5 Caiaphas na Sadducee. Im and the other Sadducee people “heart full with jealousy.” Because of this one, them put the apostles for prison. (Acts 5:17, 18) But why them de vex? The Sadducee people no believe say person wey don die fit come back to life but the apostles de teach people say Jesus don come back to life. The apostles talk say na only Jesus go fit save people. But the Sadducee people de fear say Rome government go punish them if the people accept Jesus as their Leader. (John 11:48) No wonder the Sadducees ready to make the apostles stop to preach.
6. Who be the number one people wey de cause problem for Jehovah people today, and why this one no de surprise us?
6 Just as e be that time, the number one people today wey de give Jehovah people problem na leaders for religion. Them de try to use government and news people to stop our work. This one no surprise us at all! Them de vex because wetin we de teach de show people say them no de follow wetin dey Bible, and wetin them de teach na lie. When people wey get better mind accept wetin Bible talk, them don free from lie-lie worship. (John 8:32) No wonder, this leaders for lie-lie religion de really vex for us!
7, 8. How wetin the angel tell the apostles help them, and which question we suppose ask ourself?
7 As the apostles dey prison, de wait for the court to judge their matter, them fit de wonder if na so their enemies go just kill them because them get faith for Jesus. (Matt. 24:9) But that night something wey them no ever think of happen. “The angel of Jehovah open the doors of the prison.” b (Acts 5:19) The angel tell them exactly wetin to do. E talk say: ‘Make una go, and stand for the temple, and continue to preach.’ (Acts 5:20) Wetin the angel tell them, make the apostles dey sure say na the correct thing them don de do. This one go don help them continue to preach no matter wetin happen. With strong faith, the apostles “enter the temple when day break and start to teach.” Them no fear.—Acts 5:21.
8 All of us need to ask ourself say, ‘I sure say I get faith and strong heart to continue to preach if I dey this kind condition? We go fit get power to continue to “preach well about the Kingdom of God” if we de remember say angels de support us and de direct the work.—Acts 28:23; Rev. 14:6, 7.
“We Must Obey God as Ruler Instead of People” (Acts 5:21b-33)
“So them bring them and make them stand for front of the Sanhedrin.”—Acts 5:27
9-11. Wetin the apostles do when the Sanhedrin command them say make them stop to preach? How this one be example for true Christians to follow?
9 Caiaphas and other judges wey dey the Sanhedrin don ready to punish the apostles. Them send people go bring them come from the prison. Them no know say the apostles no dey there again. Just think how e go really shock the people wey them send, when them see say the prison gate lock, “the guards stand for the doors,” but the apostles no dey there again. (Acts 5:23) After small time, the captain of the temple come hear say the apostles don de preach about Jesus for the temple again—the same work wey make them put them for prison! Quick-quick, the captain and the other officers go the temple go bring the apostles come the Sanhedrin.
10 As we see for the beginning of this chapter, the leaders of Jew people religion vex well-well and make-am clear say make the apostles stop to preach. Wetin the apostles do? Peter talk for all the apostles, e no fear to answer them say: “We must obey God as ruler instead of people.” (Acts 5:29) This thing wey the apostles do na example for all true Christians to follow. Even though say God tell us make we obey human government, them no get right to tell us say make we no do wetin God want. So, if government ban our work, we no go fit stop to preach the good news because na God give us the work. (Rom. 13:1) Instead, we go find other ways wey government no go notice us to fit continue to “preach well about the Kingdom of God.”
11 Because the apostles no fear to give them that kind answer, the judges for the Sanhedrin vex well-well. Them decide say them go “kill the apostles.” (Acts 5:33) E clear for the apostles eye say them go kill them. But Jehovah go soon help them for way wey them no expect!
Acts 5:34-42)
“Una No Go Fit Stop Them” (12, 13. (a) Which advice Gamaliel give the other judges, and wetin them do? (b) How Jehovah fit help im people today, and wetin we fit dey sure of if e allow us to “suffer because [we] de do wetin correct”?
12 Gamaliel wey be “Law teacher wey all the people really respect,” defend the apostles. c E really sabi the law and other judges de respect-am well-well. Them even do as e talk when “e give command say make them put the men for outside for small time.” (Acts 5:34) Gamaliel talk about some people wey gather followers to fight Rome government but all this groups end after their leaders die. E tell the court to dey patient and no stop the apostles because na only small time don pass since Jesus their Leader die. Gamaliel try to reason with them, e say: “Make una no get anything to do with this men, but make una leave them. Because if this plan or this work wey them de do na from people, e go end, but if na from God, una no go fit stop them, instead, una fit even de fight against God.” (Acts 5:38, 39) The judges follow im advice. But them still flog the apostles and “command them make them stop to talk with the name of Jesus.”—Acts 5:40.
13 Jehovah fit still use people wey dey big position like Gamaliel to help im people today. (Prov. 21:1) Jehovah fit use im spirit make people wey de rule, judge, or make law, to do wetin e want. (Neh. 2:4-8) But if e allow us “suffer because [we] de do wetin correct,” make we dey sure of two things. (1 Pet. 3:14) (1) God go fit give us power to endure. (1 Cor. 10:13) And (2) the people wey want stop the work wey God give us, no go fit succeed.—Isa. 54:17.
14, 15. (a)Wetin the apostles do after them flog them, and why? (b) Talk one example wey show say Jehovah people de endure with joy.
14 The apostles stop to preach because them flog them? Them no ever stop! “Them comot from the Sanhedrin, and de really happy no be small.” (Acts 5:41) Them “really happy”? Why? No be because them enjoy the flogging, but na because them know why them de suffer—them de follow the example of Jesus and them no leave Jehovah.—Matt. 5:11, 12.
15 Like our brothers for the apostles time, we de happy to endure when people suffer us because of the good news. (1 Pet. 4:12-14) No be say e de sweet us if them threaten us, suffer us or put us for prison, but wetin de really make us happy na say we no leave Jehovah. Henryk Dornik na one brother wey endure when wicked governments suffer-am for many years. E remember say for August 1944, them send im and im brother go concentration camp. The people wey de suffer them talk say: “E no dey possible to make this brothers do anything. Them dey happy to die because of their faith.” Brother Dornik talk say: “No be say to die de hungry me, but for me to get strong heart and no shame to suffer because I no want leave Jehovah, make me happy.”—Jas. 1:2-4.
Like the apostles, we de preach “from house to house”
16. How the apostles show say them don decide to continue to preach, and how we de follow the same method wey them use?
16 The apostles no waste time start to preach again. Them no fear, them continue to preach the “good news about the Christ,” “everyday for the temple and from house to house.” d (Acts 5:42) Them don decide say nothing go stop them to preach well about God Kingdom. Them do as Jesus tell them, them go people house go preach. (Matt. 10:7, 11-14) Na so them take make Jerusalem full with the things wey them de teach. Today, people know Jehovah Witness as the people wey de use the same method wey the apostles take preach. As we de preach for every house for our territory, e show say we no want miss anybody, we want give everybody the chance to hear the good news. Jehovah don bless our house to house preaching? Yes! Millions of people don hear the good news about God Kingdom for this time of the end and come serve Jehovah. Many of them first hear the good news when Jehovah Witness come knock their door.
Men Wey Qualify to Care for One “Important Matter” (Acts 6:1-6)
17-19. Which problem the congregation face, and to settle the matter wetin the apostles direct the brothers to do?
17 The new congregation de face one serious problem. Wetin be that? Many of the disciples wey baptize na visitors wey come Jerusalem and them want learn more before them go back. The disciples wey de live for Jerusalem contribute money so that them fit buy food and other things to help this visitors. (Acts 2:44-46; 4:34-37) But this one bring one problem. For the food wey “them de share everyday,” the widows wey de speak Greek “no de get their share of things.” (Acts 6:1) But the widows wey de speak Hebrew de get their share of things. So the problem na say, them favor some people pass some. This kind thing fit really cause big problem for congregation.
18 The apostles, wey be the governing body of the Christian congregation wey just de grow, see say e no go make sense for them “to leave the word of God de share food.” (Acts 6:2) To settle this matter, them direct the disciples to find seven men “wey really get spirit and sense,” wey them fit choose to care for this “important matter.” (Acts 6:3) Them need men wey qualify because the work no be only to share food, but them go still handle money, buy things and write everything wey them do. All the men wey them choose get Greek name and this one fit make-am easy for the widows wey vex to trust them. After them don pray about the men wey them choose, the apostles appoint them to care for this “important matter.” e
19 As them give this seven men work to share food give people, e mean say them no go de preach again? No be so! Stephen na one of the men wey them choose and na person wey go later preach with strong heart and no fear. (Acts 6:8-10) Philip still dey among the seven men and them de call-am the “person wey de preach.” (Acts 21:8) E dey clear say the seven men continue to put body for the preaching work.
20. How God people today de appoint elders and ministerial servants like the apostles?
20 Today, Jehovah people de follow the example of the apostles. The brothers wey them de choose to take the lead for congregation na people wey de think as Jehovah de think and show say them get God holy spirit. Them de follow as Governing Body direct to appoint brothers wey meet up with wetin Bible talk to serve as ministerial servants and elders. f (1 Tim. 3:1-9, 12, 13) As this brothers meet up with wetin dey inside Bible wey God use im holy spirit write, we fit talk say na holy spirit appoint them. This brothers de work hard to handle many important matter. For example elders fit arrange make them help old people for congregation wey need help. (Jas. 1:27) Some elders dey for construction work, de organize conventions, or de work with Hospital Liaison Committee. Ministerial servant de do many work for congregation but na elders de take the lead to shepherd and teach the congregation. Even though elders and ministerial servant de do many work for congregation and for the organization, all of them must continue to preach the good news about God Kingdom.—1 Cor. 9:16.
“The Word of God Continue to Spread” (Acts 6:7)
21, 22. Wetin show say Jehovah bless the new congregation?
21 Jehovah help the new congregation survive the problems wey come from outside and the ones wey come from inside wey fit divide the congregation. Bible make-am clear say Jehovah bless them. E talk say: “The word of God continue to spread, and the number of disciples continue to add no be small for Jerusalem. And plenty-plenty priests start to obey the faith.” (Acts 6:7) This na one example for the book of Acts wey show how Jehovah bless the congregation that time. (Acts 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20; 28:31) Today too, e de encourage us when we hear how the preaching work de move for different part of the world.
22 For the time of the apostles, the leaders for religion no stop to suffer God people. Instead, them even de plan to suffer them more-more. Them go soon deal with Stephen as we go see for the next chapter.
a Check the box “ The Sanhedrin—Jew People High Court.”
b This one na the first time among about 20 times wey the book of Acts mention the word “angels.” Acts1:10 don first talk about angels but that place no call them angels, instead e call them “men wey wear white cloth.”
c Check the box “ Gamaliel—The Rabbis Really Respect-am.”
d Check the box “ ‘House to House’ Preaching.”
e This men fit don de show better-better character wey elders need to get because to handle this “ important matter” na big work. But Bible no tell us the exact time wey them start to appoint elders for the Christian congregation.
f For the apostles time, na brothers wey qualify de appoint other brothers as elders. (Acts 14:23; 1 Tim. 5:22; Titus 1:5) Today, Governing Body de appoint circuit overseers and circuit overseers de appoint elders and ministerial servants.