CHAPTER 7
Tell People “the Good News About Jesus”
Philip na better example of person wey de preach
As e dey for Acts 8:4-40
1, 2. Wetin happen when people try to stop the preaching work for the time of the apostles?
PEOPLE wey dey against Christians start to suffer them well-well. Saul start to “attack” the congregation. For Greek, this word wey them translate as “attack” mean to suffer person without mercy. (Acts 8:3) As Jesus disciples run comot for Jerusalem, e come be like say Saul go fit stop their preaching. But something wey them no think about come happen as them run. Wetin be that?
2 As the Christians comot for Jerusalem, them start to “preach the good news of the word” for all the places wey them run go. (Acts 8:4) Just think-am! The people wey dey against God people no fit stop their preaching work and wetin them do even help the good news spread! As them make the disciples scatter, them make-am possible for the preaching work to reach many people wey dey for far-far place. As we go see, this kind thing don happen for our time.
“People Wey Don Scatter Go Everywhere” (Acts 8:4-8)
3. (a) Who be Philip? (b) Why e be say, many people for Samaria never hear the good news before, but wetin Jesus talk say go later happen for that territory?
3 Philip dey among “the people wey scatter.” a (Acts 8:4; check the box “ Philip—‘Person Wey De Preach.’”) E go Samaria. Many people for there never hear the good news before because e get the time wey Jesus tell im disciples say: “Make una no enter any city for Samaria. Instead make una continue to go meet the people wey be like sheep wey don lost for the house of Israel.” (Matt. 10:5, 6) But Jesus know say time de come when people for Samaria go hear the good news, because before e go heaven, e tell im followers 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.
4. Wetin Samaria people do as Philip preach to them, and why them listen to-am?
4 Philip see say Samaria “don ready for harvest.” (John 4:35) E preach give the people and wetin e preach make them happy. Why e be like that? Many Jews hate Samaria people and them no get anything do with them. But Samaria people see say the good news na for everybody and e dey different from wetin Pharisee people believe and how them de behave like say them better pass other people. As Philip no do partial and as e use all im heart preach to Samaria people, e show say e no be like the people wey no de treat them well. This na the reason why “all the people together” listen to Philip.—Acts 8:6.
5-7. Give examples wey show say the good news de spread even when them force Christians to leave their house.
5 For the time of the apostles, God people no stop to preach because people de suffer them, na so e still be today. As them de force Christians to go other places or to go prison, e don make-am possible for many people to hear the good news. For example, when them de fight World War II, Jehovah people still continue to preach even as them dey for Nazi concentration camps. One man wey be Jew wey meet Jehovah Witness people for one of the camps talk say: ‘The strong heart wey Jehovah Witness people wey them put for prison get, na im make me dey sure say them really believe wetin dey Bible, and na wetin make me come be Jehovah Witness.’
6 Sometimes, even people wey de suffer us de accept the good news. For example, when them send brother Franz Desch go Gusen concentration camp for Austria, e study Bible with one of the SS officer for there. After many years, them see theirself for one convention. Imagine how them happy reach when them see say two of them don be brothers!
7 Something like this don happen before, when some of Jehovah people run from their country go another country because people de suffer them. For example, about 50 years ago, when Jehovah Witness people for Malawi run go Mozambique because people de suffer them, them preach for there. After, when people start to suffer them for Mozambique, them still continue to preach. Brother Francisco Coana talk say: “Na true say them arrest some of us many times as we de preach, but we still believe say God de help us as e help the Christians for the time of the apostles because many people accept the good news.”
8. How things wey de happen for some place don make people hear the good news?
8 No be only when them de suffer God people the good news de spread go other places. For some years now, many people don move from one country go another country because of war or because them de find better work. This one don make them fit hear the good news and study Bible for the new country. Many times, this people de speak another language and them go need person to preach to them for their language. For your territory, you de do your best to preach to people “wey come from all nations, tribes, people and different-different language?”—Rev. 7:9.
“Give Me This Power Too” (Acts 8:9-25)
“Now when Simon see say people de receive the holy spirit as the apostles de put hand ontop them, e try to give them money.”—Acts 8:18
9. Who be Simon, and wetin make-am get interest for wetin Philip de do?
9 Philip do many miracle for Samaria. E heal people wey get different problem for body and even remove wicked spirits. (Acts 8:6-8) E touch one man well-well say Philip get the gift to do miracle. The man na Simon. E de do magic and people de respect-am well-well. Them even de talk say: “This man na the Power of God.” But now, Simon see the real power of God as Philip de do miracle, and e come believe the good news too. (Acts 8:9-13) But later, something happen wey test Simon and show wetin really make-am become Christian.
10. (a) Wetin Peter and John do for Samaria? (b) Wetin Simon do as e see say the new disciples de receive holy spirit when Peter and John put their hand ontop them?
10 When the apostles hear say many people don de be Christian for Samaria, them send Peter and John go there. (Check the box “ How Peter Use the ‘Keys of the Kingdom’”) When this two apostles reach there, them put their hand ontop the new disciples, and them start to receive holy spirit. b When Simon see this one, e like wetin the apostles de do. E come tell the apostles say: “Give me this power too, so that anybody wey I put my hand ontop go fit get holy spirit.” Simon even talk say e go give them money, because e think say e fit buy the power!—Acts 8:14-19.
11. Which strong answer Peter give Simon, and wetin Simon do?
11 Peter give Simon strong answer. E tell-am say: “Make you die with your silver, because you think say you fit use money buy the free gift of God. You no get part or share for this matter because your heart no straight for God eye.” Peter tell Simon to repent and pray make Jehovah forgive-am. E say: “Beg Jehovah for help say, if e dey possible, make e forgive you for the wicked thing wey dey your heart.” Simon no be wicked man, e want do the correct thing but wetin happen for this time be say, e follow the wrong thing wey dey im mind. So, e beg the apostles say: “Make una really beg Jehovah for me, so that nothing from the things wey una don talk go happen to me.”—Acts 8:20-24.
12. Wetin be “simony,” and how this one de happen among lie-lie Christians?
12 The strong correction wey Peter give Simon na warning for Christians today. E de teach us say, e dey wrong to buy or sell position for congregation. In fact, them form the English word “simony” from this thing wey happen. “Simony” mean to buy or sell position for religion. This kind thing de happen well-well among lie-lie Christians. Even the ninth edition of the book wey them de call Encyclopædia Britannica (1878) talk say: ‘When person study the history of how them de elect Pope, e no go doubt say them de pay to get the position, and many times the kind simony wey them de do to elect Pope na the worst one, them no de even get any shame at all, and them no de hide do-am.’
13. How Christians go avoid the sin to buy or sell position for congregation?
13 Make Christians no ever buy or sell position for congregation. For example, make them no try to use gift or too much praise buy favor, like, to get more assignment for congregation, from brothers wey de take the lead. Make brothers wey de take the lead still dey careful so that them no go de favor only rich people. This kind thing no good. Anybody wey de serve Jehovah need to bring imself down as “person wey small pass,” and wait for Jehovah spirit to give-am privilege to serve. (Luke 9:48) Make God people no try to bring glory to theirself.—Prov. 25:27.
“You Really Know Wetin You De Read?” (Acts 8:26-40)
14, 15. (a) Who be the Ethiopian man, and how Philip meet-am? (b) Wetin the Ethiopian man do after Philip explain the prophecy give-am and why we no fit talk say e rush go baptize when e never understand wetin e de do? (Check footnote.)
14 Jehovah angel tell Philip to travel for the road wey people de pass from Jerusalem go Gaza. If Philip de think why e de go there, e come dey clear after e see one Ethiopian man wey be eunuch “de read loud from the book of Isaiah the prophet.” (Check the box “ How E Take Be ‘Eunuch’?”) Jehovah holy spirit move Philip to go meet-am for im chariot. As Philip de run follow the man for the side of the chariot, e ask-am say: “You really know wetin you de read?” The man answer say: “How I go fit ever know, unless person guide me?”—Acts 8:26-31.
15 The Ethiopian man tell Philip to enter the chariot. Just think about how their discussion sweet reach. Just like many other people, the Ethiopian man no know who be the “sheep” or the “servant” for Isaiah prophecy. (Isa. 53:1-12) As them de travel de go, Philip explain to the man say, the “sheep” or the “servant” na Jesus Christ. Like the people wey baptize for Pentecost 33 C.E., the Ethiopian man na person wey don already join Jew people religion, so e know wetin e suppose do. E tell Philip say: “See! Na water be this, wetin de stop me make I no baptize?” Philip no waste time baptize the man! c (Check the box “ Baptism for ‘Inside Water.’”) After, Jehovah spirit direct Philip go Ashdod and e continue to preach the good news for there.—Acts 8:32-40.
16, 17. How angels de support the preaching work today?
16 Christians today get the chance to do the kind work wey Philip do. Many times them de preach to people wey them meet as them de travel. E dey clear say, many times na the angels de direct them go meet people wey really want know God, no be with their own power. E de happen like this because Bible talk say the message go reach “every nation and tribe and language and skin color.” (Rev. 14:6) Jesus still talk say the angels go direct the people wey de do the preaching work. For the example wey e give about the wheat and grass, Jesus talk say for the harvest time—the last days of the world—“the people wey de harvest na the angels.” E talk say this angels go “gather from im Kingdom all the things wey de make people sin, and all the people wey de do wicked things.” (Matt. 13:37-41) For the same time, Jehovah still de use the angels to gather both the people wey go rule for heaven for im Kingdom and “plenty people” wey be “other sheep” to be im people.—Rev. 7:9; John 6:44, 65; 10:16.
17 To show say this one de happen, some people wey we de meet for our preaching work de talk say them don de pray make God help them. For example, two Jehovah Witness de preach one day and one small pikin follow them go preaching. As morning time pass, them want close from preaching but the pikin still want continue to go the next house. The pikin go by imself go knock for the door! One young woman come out and the two Jehovah Witness go meet-am to preach to-am. Wetin the woman talk surprise them, e talk say e don de pray make somebody come help-am understand Bible. Them start to study Bible with-am!
“God, anybody wey you be, abeg help me”
18. Why we no go ever take our preaching work play?
18 As person wey be part of the Christian congregation, na honor you get to de work with Jehovah angels for the preaching work wey de reach many people for our time pass before. No ever play with this honor wey you get. If you no tire to preach, your joy go plenty as you de tell people “the good news about Jesus.”—Acts 8:35.
a This Philip different from the Philip wey be apostle. We learn about this Philip for Chapter 5 of this book, e dey among the “seven men wey people de talk well about,” wey them appoint to share food everyday for widows wey de speak Greek and the ones wey de speak Hebrew language for Jerusalem.—Acts 6:1-6.
b Holy spirit de anoint new disciples for the time wey them baptize. This one make-am possible for them to get the hope say them go rule as kings and priests with Jesus for heaven. (2 Cor. 1:21, 22; Rev. 5:9, 10; 20:6) But for this one, holy spirit no anoint this new disciples when them baptize. Na after Peter and John put hand ontop them before them receive holy spirit—and the power to do miracle.
c The Ethiopian man no rush go baptize when e never understand wetin e de do. As na person wey join Jew people religion, e don already know some things wey dey the Scriptures, like the prophecy about the Messiah. E no waste time baptize as e come understand how Jesus go make wetin God want happen.