1-4. Which hard condition Peter face, and how you go feel if na you be Peter?

 THE big iron gate jam with loud noise as Peter enter. E dey for the middle of two Roman soldiers and them chain-am. The soldiers carry-am go im prison cell. Na there e dey for many hours de wait, maybe for many days. E no know wetin them go do-am. Nothing dey to look for here, except the prison wall, the gates, im chains, and the soldiers.

² Peter hear the wicked judgment. King Herod Agrippa I ready to kill Peter. a In fact, Herod want bring Peter come out after the Passover and kill-am to make the people happy. Herod mean-am, e no de play. Na just small time don pass since the time wey Herod kill James wey be apostle like Peter.

³ Herod de plan to kill Peter the next day. Wetin Peter de think as e dey for prison? Maybe e de remember say many years before that time, Jesus tell-am say, one day, them go carry-am go place wey e no want go and e go happen around the time wey e go die. (John 21:18, 19) E fit de think whether that time don reach.

⁴ If na you be Peter, how you go feel? Many people go really dey sad, because them go de think say hope no dey again. But real disciples of Jesus Christ go always get hope, no matter the condition. For this chapter, we go see wetin we fit learn from Peter and the other Christians when people really suffer them.

5, 6. (a) Why and how King Herod Agrippa I attack the Christian congregation? (b) Why e really pain the congregation say James die?

⁵ As we don learn for chapter 9, the Christian congregation really happy when Cornelius and im family wey no be Jew become Christian. But e go don really shock other Jew people wey no be Christians to see  say Christians wey be Jew and Christians wey no be Jew de worship God together.

⁶ Herod na politician wey get sense. E see this one as chance to make those other Jews happy, so e start to suffer the Christians. “E kill James wey be the brother of John with sword” because e fit don hear say apostle James really dey close to Jesus Christ. (Acts 12:2) This one na really tough time for the congregation! James na one of the three people wey see when Jesus cloth and face start to really shine like light, and e still see other miracles wey the other apostles no see. (Matt. 17:1, 2; Mark 5:37-42) James and John na brothers, and Jesus call them “Sons of Thunder” because them no de waste time to show their strong feeling. (Mark 3:17) So, na person wey get strong heart and wey the congregation really love, na im die.

7, 8. Wetin the congregation do when Peter dey for prison?

⁷ As Agrippa kill James, the Jews wey no be Christian really happy, and na wetin Agrippa want be that. This one give-am mind to face Peter now. For the beginning of this chapter, we talk how e arrest Peter. Agrippa fit don remember say when them put the apostles for prison before, miracle happen and them come outside, as we don learn for Chapter 5 of this book. So Herod no take this matter play at all, e make sure say them chain Peter for middle of 2 soldiers, and 16 soldiers de do shift, de work for morning and night to make sure say Peter no escape. If Peter escape, na the soldiers them go kill instead. Wetin the other Christians fit do to help Peter for this hard condition?

⁸ The congregation know exactly wetin them need to do. Acts 12:5 talk say: “So them keep Peter for the prison, but the congregation no stop to really  pray to God for-am.” Yes, them really pray and beg God with all their heart for their dear brother. Them no talk say as James die, them no go fit trust God again, or talk say Jehovah no de answer prayer. Our prayers really dey important to Jehovah. E go answer our prayer if wetin we de ask for agree with wetin e want. (Heb. 13:18, 19; Jas. 5:16) This one na important lesson for Christians today.

9. How we fit copy the example of the Christians wey pray for Peter?

⁹ You know any brother or sister wey de suffer? Maybe na people de suffer them, government ban our work for their area, or things like heavy rain, strong breeze, or fire destroy their property. You fit pray for them? You fit still know brothers or sisters wey de face other kind of problems, like family problem, or maybe everything don tire them, or any other problem wey de test their faith. If you de think deep before you pray, you fit remember people wey you go mention their name as you de talk to Jehovah, the God “wey de hear prayer.” (Ps. 65:2) You too go still need your brothers and sisters to do the same thing for you when things hard for you.

10, 11. Describe how Jehovah angel free Peter from prison.

¹⁰ Peter de fear say Herod go soon kill-am? We no dey sure, but for that last night for prison, e don sleep go for middle of the two soldiers wey their eye de shine like torch. Peter get strong faith for Jehovah, and e dey sure say no matter wetin happen to-am, e dey safe with Jehovah. (Rom. 14:7, 8) Peter no ever think say things go happen the way e later happen. At once, bright light just shine full the  cell wey e dey, and one angel stand for there. E clear say the soldiers no see the angel. Quick-quick, the angel wake Peter, and the chains for im hand—chains wey be like say nothing go fit break-am—just fall for ground!

¹¹ The angel give Peter different-different simple commands: “Get up quick-quick! . . . Wear your cloth and wear your sandals. . . . Wear the cloth wey you de wear ontop.” Peter no waste time to obey. Then the angel talk say: “Continue to follow me,” and Peter obey. Them comot for the cell, waka pass the soldiers wey de guard the cell from outside, and them sofri de go near the big iron gate. Maybe Peter go de think about how them go fit pass that one. Even if that kind thinking dey im mind, no be for long time. As them waka near the gate, the gate “open by imself.” Before Peter know wetin de happen, them don pass the gate enter street, then the angel disappear. Peter just stand for there, na that time im eye clear say all this things wey de happen no be vision. E dey real. E don really free!—Acts 12:7-11.

12. If we de think about how Jehovah save Peter, why that one go make our mind come down?

¹² Our mind de come down anytime wey we think about the kind power wey Jehovah get to save im servants. Of all the government wey don rule the world, na the government wey get power pass de support the king wey put Peter for prison. Even with that one, Peter waka comot from prison, just like that! Na true say Jehovah no de do this kind miracle for all im servants. E no do-am for James. E no still do-am for Peter later, when wetin Jesus talk before about how Peter go die finally happen. Today, Christians no de expect say Jehovah go always do miracle to save them. But, we remember say Jehovah never change. (Mal. 3:6) E go soon use im Son to free millions of people wey dey for the prison wey no de gree free people—death. (John 5:28, 29) This promise fit help us continue to get strong heart when we de suffer.

13-15. Wetin the congregation members wey gather for Mary house do when Peter come back from prison? (b) Wetin the book of Acts talk about after Peter story, and wetin Peter continue to do for im Christian brothers and sisters?

¹³ Peter stand for the dark street, de think about where to go. Then e decide. One Christian woman wey im name na Mary get house near that place. E clear say this Mary get money and im husband don die. Im house big sotey, the whole congregation fit gather for there. Na this Mary be the mama of John Mark. This na the first time wey the book of Acts talk about John Mark and Peter later treat-am like im own son. (1 Pet. 5:13) For this night, plenty people for that congregation dey Mary house, de pray, even as time don really go. E clear say them de pray make Jehovah free Peter, but the way Jehovah answer their prayer really surprise them!

¹⁴ Peter knock the gate wey person go pass enter the compound. One servant  girl wey im name na Rhoda come check who dey gate. Rhoda na Greek name wey mean “Rose,” and plenty people de bear that name. E shock as e hear Peter voice. Instead make e open gate, e leave Peter for outside, run enter house de happy and e try to make everybody believe say Peter dey gate. Them talk say e de craze, but e no gree keep quiet. E continue to tell them say na true. Some of them come gree say maybe the girl really hear something, and maybe wetin e hear na the voice of angel wey de represent Peter. (Acts 12:12-15) All this time, Peter continue to de knock, until finally, them open the gate.

¹⁵ When them open the gate, “them see-am and them really surprise”! (Acts 12:16) Them really happy sotey Peter tell them say make them quiet so that e go fit talk wetin happen. E still tell them say make them tell the disciple James and the other brothers wetin don happen. Then e comot go another place before Herod soldiers go catch-am. Peter continue to serve Jehovah well for another place wey dey safe. Im story for the book of Acts end for here. The only time wey them talk about Peter again na for chapter 15 when them de settle the matter about circumcision. The book of Acts continue with the work wey apostle Paul do and about the different times wey e travel. We dey sure say Peter make the faith of im brothers and sisters strong for any place wey e go and say when e comot from Mary house, everybody really de happy.

16. Why we dey sure say we go enjoy plenty happy times for future?

¹⁶ Sometimes, Jehovah de bless im servants pass wetin them fit think of, and this one de really give them joy. Na so Peter Christian brothers and sisters feel that night. We too fit feel like that sometimes when we see how Jehovah don bless us. (Prov. 10:22) For future, we go see how the things wey Jehovah don promise go happen for the whole earth. The wonderful things wey go happen go surely better pass anything wey we fit think of now. So, as far as say we no leave Jehovah, we dey sure say we go enjoy plenty happy times for front.

17, 18. Why the people de shout say Herod na god?

¹⁷ E really surprise Herod say Peter escape from prison, and e really vex no be small. Quick-quick, e give command say make them find Peter, and e question Peter guards. E say “make them go punish them,” and this one fit be to kill them. (Acts 12:19) Herod Agrippa no be person wey de show pity. This wicked man ever get im own punishment?

¹⁸ Shame fit don catch Agrippa as e no succeed to kill Peter. But small time, e see another chance to raise shoulder again. Some of im enemies come meet-am because them want make peace with-am. This one give-am chance to talk for front of plenty people wey gather. Luke talk say before Herod talk  for front of the people, e “wear one special cloth wey king de wear.” Josephus wey be Jew and wey de write history talk say na silver them use make Herod cloth, so when light shine ontop-am, e go just de shine, so the people think say e be like god. This proud politician come open mouth de talk. And the people start to shout say: “This one na voice of God, no be voice of man!”—Acts 12:20-22.

19, 20. Why Jehovah punish Herod? (b) Why the story about how Herod Agrippa die fit make our mind come down?

¹⁹ Na only God suppose get that kind praise, and God de look everything wey de happen! Herod for fit do wetin go make God no punish-am. E fit correct the people or even tell them say e no deserve that kind praise. But e no do like that, instead, im example really match the proverb wey talk say: “If person de proud, e go fall.” (Prov. 16:18) “At once, the angel of Jehovah strike-am.” Then “worms chop-am and e die.” That proud man wey de only think about imself die for bad way. (Acts 12:23) Josephus wey de write history still write say na at once Agrippa sickness start and say the king talk say e de die because e accept the praise from the people. Josephus still write say Agrippa sick for five days before e die. b

²⁰ Sometimes, e fit be like say wicked people de go free. Make that one no surprise us, because “na the wicked person de control the whole world.” (1 John 5:19) Even people wey de serve God well de worry when wicked people escape punishment. Na im make story like this Herod own de make our mind come down. We see say Jehovah de do something, and e de remind us say Jehovah no de like partial. (Ps. 33:5) Small time, e go make sure say partial no dey again for the whole world.

21. Wetin be the main lesson for Acts chapter 12, and why this one fit make our mind come down?

²¹ This story end with one lesson wey really encourage us: “The word of Jehovah continue to grow and de spread.” (Acts 12:24) This kind report about how the preaching work spread fit remind us of the way Jehovah de bless our work today. E clear say Acts chapter 12 no be only about how one apostle die and how another one escape. This chapter teach us better lesson about Jehovah and wetin e do to stop Satan make e no destroy the Christian congregation or stop their preaching work. All Satan attack fail, and anybody wey de try to stop the preaching work go fail too. (Isa. 54:17) But anybody wey don decide to worship Jehovah and follow Jesus Christ de do work wey no go fit ever fail. This one de really encourage us! Na really big honor we get to preach “the word of Jehovah” today!