1-3. Which vision Peter see, and why we need to understand wetin e mean?

 THE year na 36 C.E. Na season wey leaves de fall from trees and the sun no too hot. Peter de pray ontop the flat roof of one house wey near sea for the city of Joppa. E come visit for some days now. The man wey get the house na Simon. E de use animal skin make leather. No be every Jew go gree stay with person wey de do this kind work. a As Peter stay for this house, e show say e de try to treat people well. But Jehovah want still teach Peter one important lesson about how E no de do partial.

² As Peter de pray, e start to see vision. No Jew go like see wetin e see. E see one big cloth de come down from heaven and animals wey Jew people no de chop dey ontop. One voice come tell Peter to kill and chop the animals. But Peter talk say: “I never ever chop anything wey no dey holy and wey no dey clean.” Na three times the voice tell-am say: “Stop to talk say the things wey God don clean dey dirty.” (Acts 10:14-16) The vision make Peter confuse but Jehovah help-am understand.

³ Wetin the vision mean? We need to understand-am because e go teach us one important lesson about how Jehovah de see people. We need to learn how Jehovah de see people because e go help us to fit de preach well about the Kingdom of God. Now we go learn about wetin happen before and after this vision to fit understand the meaning of wetin Peter see that day.

4, 5. Who be Cornelius, and wetin happen when e de pray?

⁴ Peter no know say the day before e see vison, one man wey im name na Cornelius see vision too. Cornelius dey Caesarea wey dey 50 km  from Joppa. Cornelius na officer for Rome army but na man “wey really get respect for God.” b Na good man wey de take care of im family and wey “de fear God together with everybody for im house.” Cornelius no be Jew and e no join Jew religion. But e de give money and gifts to Jew people wey need help because e pity them. This good man “de really beg God for help everytime.”—Acts 10:2.

⁵ Around 3:00 p.m Cornelius de pray when e see vision. For the vision one angel tell-am say: “God de notice your prayers and the gifts wey you de give to help poor people and e de always remember-am.” (Acts 10:4) Cornelius do wetin the angel talk as e send some of im men go find Peter. Cornelius go be the first person wey become Christian even though say e no be Jew and e never circumcise.

6, 7. (a) Talk about one example wey show say God de answer prayer of people wey want learn the truth about-am. (b) Wetin this one teach us?

⁶ God de answer people wey de pray for this our time to really find the truth about-am? See one example. One woman for Albania collect one Watchtower wey de talk about how to train children. c E tell the sister wey knock for im door say: “You fit believe say I just de pray to God to help me to fit train my daughters? Na God send you come! You touch my heart! Na exactly wetin I de find be this!” The woman and im daughters start to study Bible and im husband later join for the study.

⁷ This thing no just happen on e own because this kind thing don happen many times for different places. So wetin this things de show us? The first one be say Jehovah de answer people wey pray for help to learn about-am. (1 Ki. 8:41-43; Ps. 65:2) The second thing be say the angels de support us for our preaching work.—Rev. 14:6, 7.

8, 9. Wetin God tell Peter to do, and wetin Peter do?

⁸ When the men wey Cornelius send reach Simon house, Peter still dey the flat roof and e still de surprise about wetin the vision wey e see fit mean. (Acts 10:17) If Peter don talk three times say e no want chop food wey the Law no allow Jew people chop, e go gree follow this men enter house of person wey no be Jew? God use im holy spirit make Peter know wetin E want-am to do. Peter hear this command: “See! Three men de find you. So get up, go downstairs and go with them. No doubt at all because na me send them.” (Acts 10:19, 20) This vision wey Peter see help-am to follow the direction wey God holy spirit give.

⁹ When Peter hear say na angel tell Cornelius to send the men come, Peter tell them make them come inside the house “and stay as im visitors.” (Acts 10:23a) Peter don already start to change the way e de think as e come understand wetin God want.

10. How Jehovah de lead im people, and which questions we need to ask ourself?

¹⁰ Till today, na small-small, Jehovah de help im people understand wetin e want. (Prov. 4:18) E de use im holy spirit direct “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matt. 24:45) Sometimes, the way we understand some things for Bible de change and the way we de do things for Jehovah organization de change. E good make we ask ourself say: ‘I ready to change the way I de think? I de happy to follow how God holy spirit de direct?’

11, 12. Wetin Peter do as e reach Caesarea, and wetin e learn?

¹¹ The day after e see vision, Peter and nine other people—the three men wey Cornelius send come and “six brothers” from Joppa wey be Jew go Caesarea. (Acts 11:12) As Cornelius don already de wait for Peter, e call “im family people together and im tight friends” and e fit be say, all of them na people wey no be Jew. (Acts 10:24) As Peter reach the place, e do something wey e no think say e go ever do: E enter the house of person wey no be Jew and wey no circumcise! Peter talk say: “Una really know say e dey against law for Jew person to mix with or meet person wey no be Jew person. But God don show me say I no suppose talk say any person no dey holy or no dey clean.” (Acts 10:28) Now Peter come understand say the vision no be just to teach-am about the kind food wey e fit chop. But make e no “talk say any person no dey holy” even person wey no be Jew.

¹² All the people for Cornelius house want hear wetin Peter want talk. Cornelius talk say: “All of us don gather for front of God to hear all the things wey Jehovah don command you to talk.” (Acts 10:33) Just think about how e go make you feel if you hear this kind thing from person wey want learn  about Jehovah! Peter talk say: “Now I don really understand say God no de do partial, but for every nation, God de accept any person wey de fear-am and de do wetin correct.” (Acts 10:34, 35) Peter learn say God no de favor people for one country pass people from another country, or tribe, or skin color. Peter preach to them about Jesus, the work wey e do, im death and resurrection.

13, 14. (a) As Cornelius and other people wey no be Jew become Christian for 36 C.E., wetin this one show? (b) Why e good make we preach to all kind of people?

¹³ Something wey never happen before come happen: “As Peter still de talk about this things, everybody wey de hear the word receive the holy spirit.” (Acts 10:44, 45) This na the only time wey Bible talk about people wey receive holy spirit before them baptize. Peter see this one as sign say God accept this people as im servants. So e command say “make them baptize” this group of people wey no be Jew. (Acts 10:48) As this people wey no be Jew become Christians for 36 C.E., e show say the time wey God de show special favor to Jew people don end. (Dan. 9:24-27) Na this time Peter use the third and last key of “the keys of the Kingdom.” (Matt. 16:19) This key open the door for people wey no be Jew and wey never circumcise to become Christians wey God anoint with holy spirit.

¹⁴ As we de preach the good news today, we de see say “God no de do partial.” (Rom. 2:11) The thing wey God want for “all kind of people na to save them.” (1 Tim. 2:4) So make we no ever judge people because of wetin them look like. Jesus command us to de preach well about the Kingdom of God, and this one mean say we go preach to all kind of people no matter their country, religion or how them look like.

15, 16. Why some Christians wey be Jew no accept wetin Peter do, and how e take explain wetin e do?

¹⁵ Peter want go Jerusalem so that e go tell the brothers wetin don happen but before e reach there, the news say people wey no be Jew don accept the word of God first-am reach there. As soon as Peter reach, “the people wey de talk say person must circumcise, start to talk bad about-am.” Them vex because e “go inside the house of people wey no circumcise and chop with them.” (Acts 11:1-3) Them no vex because people wey no be Jew become Christian instead them think say for this people to fit worship Jehovah well, this people wey no be Jew still need to obey the law wey Jehovah give Moses—and to circumcise na part of the law. This one show say e no easy for some Christians wey be Jew to accept say, the Law wey Jehovah give Moses, them no need to de obey-am again.

¹⁶ How Peter explain wetin make-am baptize this people wey no be Jew? According to wetin Acts 11:4-16 talk, Peter explain four reasons why e dey sure  say wetin e do na wetin God want. (1) the vision wey God show-am when e dey Simon house (Verse 4-10); (2) the thing wey God spirit tell-am to do (Verse 11, 12); (3) As angel visit Cornelius (Verse 13, 14); and (4) As people wey no be Jew receive holy spirit. (Verse 15, 16) Peter complete wetin e de talk with this strong question: “So, if God give the same free gift to them, wey e give us wey don believe the Lord Jesus Christ, who I be to stop God?”—Acts 11:17.

17, 18. (a) After the Christians wey be Jew hear wetin Peter talk, which decision them need to make? (b) Why e no easy to remain as one for congregation, and which questions we need to ask ourself?

¹⁷ After this Christians wey be Jew hear wetin Peter talk, them need to decide wetin them go do. Them go stop to judge people wey no be Jew and welcome them as their Christian brothers and sisters? The book of Acts tell us say: “When them [the apostles and other Christians wey be Jew] hear this things, them stop to argue and them praise God and talk say: ‘So, God don still give people of the nations chance to repent so that them fit get life.’” (Acts 11:18) Because them agree to change how their thinking dey before, the congregation continue to dey as one.

¹⁸ To remain as one no easy at all, because Jehovah people come “from all nations, tribes, people and different-different language.” (Rev. 7:9) Jehovah Witness people come from different place and them grow up for many culture and different-different condition. E good make we ask ourself say: I no de like some people because them dey different? I don make-up my mind say I no go ever treat my brothers and sisters like say my country, culture, tribe and skin color better pass their own like the way people for this world de behave? Remember the mistake wey Peter (Cephas) make some years after some people wey no be Jew become Christians. Peter “separate imself” from the Christians wey no be Jew because of how people de treat them, but Paul correct Peter. (Gal. 2:11-14) Make we really  dey careful too so that we no go de think say we better pass other people wey dey different from us.

19. For Antioch, Christians wey be Jew start to preach to which people, and wetin come happen?

¹⁹ After Jesus followers understand the way God de direct them, them come start to preach to people wey no be Jew and wey no circumcise. Notice wetin later happen for Antioch wey dey Syria. d Plenty Jew people de live for this city and the Jews and people wey no be Jew no too get problem. So Antioch come be good territory to preach. Na here some Christians wey be Jew start to preach to “the people wey de speak Greek.” (Acts 11:20) Them preach to Jews wey de speak Greek and to people wey no be Jew. Jehovah bless their work and “plenty-plenty people believe the good news.”—Acts 11:21.

20, 21. How Barnabas show say e de carry body down, and how we fit copy im example for our preaching work?

²⁰ To fit preach to this plenty people wey ready to listen, the congregation for Jerusalem send Barnabas go Antioch. But only one person no go fit teach all this people. For Barnabas, e make sense make Saul join-am do this work because na Saul go be apostle to the nations. (Acts 9:15; Rom. 1:5) Barnabas go allow jealousy or fear say Saul fit be better teacher make-am no call Saul for help? No. Barnabas carry body down. E go Tarsus go find Saul, and e bring-am to come help-am for Antioch. Them stay there for one year to encourage the disciples there.—Acts 11:22-26a.

²¹ How we fit show say we de carry body down for our preaching work? We need to know where our power fit do reach. All of us get things wey we sabi do pass other people. For example, some people fit really sabi preach to people for house to house or for other place, but e fit hard them to do return visit or start Bible study. If you want make the way you de do any of this things better pass as you de do now, ask for help. If you ask other people to help you, you go really be better Bible teacher, and you go de enjoy preaching more-more.—1 Cor. 9:26.

22, 23. Wetin the Christians for Antioch do to show say them love their brothers and sisters, and how Jehovah people today de do like them?

²² “Na for Antioch them first start to call the disciples Christians as God direct-am.” (Acts 11:26b) This name wey God give them really fit people wey want follow Jesus. As people of the nations start to become Christian, them and Jew people start to love each other? Think about wetin happen when  serious hunger dey around 46 C.E. e when food scarce. Any time wey food scarce, poor people de really suffer, because them no get money and them no get any food wey them don keep. For this time wey food scarce, the Jew Christians for Judea really need help because many of them poor. As the Christians for Antioch, even the Christians wey no be Jew, hear say things hard for the Christians for Judea, them “send things to help the brothers wey de live for Judea.” (Acts 11:29) Them really show deep love for their brothers and sisters.

²³ Na so Jehovah people still be till now. When we hear say our brothers need help, whether them dey for our area or them dey for another country, we de always dey ready to help them. Branch Committees no de waste time to form Disaster Relief Committees wey go take care of the things wey our brothers need when things like heavy rain, strong breeze, earthquake or water destroy their property. All this things wey we de do to support each other de show say we really love our brothers.—John 13:34, 35; 1 John 3:17.

24. How we fit show say we understand wetin Jehovah use vision teach Peter?

²⁴ As real Christians, we know say e dey important for us to learn from the vision wey Peter see when e dey ontop the flat roof for Joppa. The God wey we de worship no de do partial. Wetin e want na say make we really preach well about im Kingdom, and teach people no matter the place wey them come from, their skin color, or their position for community. Make all of us, continue to do our best to teach anybody wey ready to listen so that them go fit worship Jehovah.—Rom. 10:11-13.