1, 2. Wetin make apostle Paul come Jerusalem, and which problems e face for there?

 PAUL dey Jerusalem again! E de waka for the small streets wey people full. For many years now, Jerusalem na the main place wey people de worship Jehovah. This one make plenty people for there, really dey proud of their nation. Paul know say many Christians for Jerusalem still de hold the Law of Moses tight and them no want adjust to the new way wey Jehovah de teach them to worship-am. So when e dey for Ephesus, e plan to go Jerusalem to help the Christians for there. No be only money e want go give the brothers, but e want still correct the way them de think. (Acts 19:21) E go Jerusalem, even as e no dey safe for-am.

² Things hard Paul for Jerusalem. One problem be say some brothers de believe lie-lie story wey people de talk about Paul. Other problems wey e get come from Jesus enemies. Them lie against Paul, beat-am, and them threaten say them go kill-am. Paul use all this things wey happen as chance to defend the truth. The way e carry body down, get strong heart, and show strong faith na better example for Christians today.

3-5. (a) Which meeting Paul go for Jerusalem, and wetin them talk for there? (b) Wetin we fit learn from the meeting wey Paul get with the elders for Jerusalem?

³ The day after them reach Jerusalem, Paul and the people wey follow-am, go see the elders for the congregation. Them no mention any of the apostles name for this part of the story for the book of Acts. E fit be say that time, all of them don go preach for other part of the world. But, James wey be Jesus brother still dey there. (Gal. 2:9) E fit be say na James be chairman for the meeting when “all the elders dey there” with Paul.​—Acts 21:18.

⁴ Paul greet the elders “and start to tell them everything wey God do among people of the nations with im preaching work.” (Acts 21:19) E go  don really encourage the brothers to hear this one. Today too, we de happy to hear better report about how the preaching work de move for other lands.​—Prov. 25:25.

⁵ Paul go don tell them later about the contribution wey e bring come from the brothers wey dey Europe. E go don really make them happy to know say their brothers wey dey far-far place love them sotey them send them something. After Paul tell them wetin God don use-am do, “them start to praise God.” (Acts 21:20a) Na so e still be today, when we help or encourage our brothers wey de face problem or de suffer serious sickness, e de make them happy.

6. Wetin be the problem wey the elders tell Paul?

⁶ The elders tell Paul one problem for Judea wey concern-am. Them talk say: “Our brother, you see how plenty thousands of Jew people don believe the good news and all of them de use all their heart de follow the Law. But them don hear people de talk about you say you don de teach all the Jew people among the nations to turn against the Law of Moses, and de tell them say make them no circumcise their children or de follow the tradition wey don dey since.” a​—Acts 21:20b, 21.

7, 8. (a) Wetin many Christians for Judea no understand? (b) As them no understand this matter well, e mean say them no be faithful Christians?

⁷ E don pass 20 years wey the Law of Moses end, but why many Christians  still de talk say them must de obey-am? (Col. 2:14) For 49 C.E., the apostles and the elders do meeting for Jerusalem and send letter to tell the congregations say, people of the nations no need to circumcise and follow the Law of Moses when them become Christians. (Acts 15:​23-29) But, that letter no talk about Jew people wey become Christians, and many of them no understand say them too no need to follow the Law of Moses again.

⁸ The Christians wey be Jew still be faithful Christians even as them no understand this matter well. This Law wey them de hold tight so, na Jehovah give them. No be say the Law bad, no be say e get anything to do with demons. No be say them dey for lie-lie religion before and still de do the things wey them de do there before. But na the old covenant get that Law. Now, Christians don dey under the new covenant. So Jehovah no command them again to continue to follow that Law before e go fit accept their worship. The Jew Christians wey de talk say people must continue to obey that Law, no trust the new arrangement wey Jehovah don give im people to worship-am. Them need to accept the new way wey Jehovah de show them to follow, as them de worship-am. b​—Jer. 31:​31-34; Luke 22:20.

9. Wetin Paul teach about the Law of Moses?

⁹ People de talk say, Paul say make Jew people “no circumcise their  children or de follow the tradition wey don dey since.” Paul preach to people wey no be Jew, and e explain to them say them no need to follow the Law of Moses. E still show them say people wey de talk say them must circumcise and follow the Law of Moses dey wrong. (Gal. 5:​1-7) Paul still preach the good news to Jew people wey dey the cities wey e go. E go don explain to people wey ready to learn say as Jesus die, e don end the Law and say God no expect them again to obey that Law for them to be righteous people.​—Rom. 2:​28, 29; 3:​21-26.

10. How Paul use sense for this matter of Law and circumcision?

¹⁰ Paul no condemn the people wey want continue to follow some tradition wey Jew people get, like to avoid work for Sabbath day and to avoid some kind food. (Rom. 14:​1-6) And e no make rules about circumcision. Paul even tell Timothy to circumcise because e no want make Jew people reject-am, because im papa na Greek person. (Acts 16:3) Person fit decide for imself whether e want circumcise or e no want. Paul tell the Christians for Galatia say: “Whether person circumcise or e no circumcise, this one no dey important. But the thing wey dey important na faith wey de work through love.” (Gal. 5:6) E no correct for person to circumcise so that e go fit obey the Law, or to de talk say person must circumcise before Jehovah go fit accept im worship. Person wey do like that, no get faith.

11. Wetin the elders tell Paul to do, but wetin Paul no go do? (Still check footnote.)

¹¹ Wetin Jew Christians hear about Paul really worry their mind. But this things no correct. So, the elders give Paul this direction: “We get four men wey don make promise to God. Go with this  men and make yourself clean as the Law talk together with them and pay for the things wey them need, so that them go shave their head. Then everybody go know say the things wey them de hear about you na lie, but say you de do things for the correct way and you still de obey the Law.” c​—Acts 21:​23, 24.

12. How Paul show say e ready to follow the advice wey the elders for Jerusalem give?

¹² Paul for fit talk say the real problem na the way those Christians de hold the Law of Moses tight, no be the things wey them hear about-am. But Paul ready to do wetin the elders tell-am, so far e no dey against wetin God talk. E don write before say: “To people wey dey under law, I don be like person wey dey under law, even though say I no dey under law, so that I go fit gain people wey dey under law.” (1 Cor. 9:20) This time, Paul cooperate with the elders for Jerusalem and do like person “wey dey under law.” This one na better example for us today to de cooperate with the elders and no de talk say we must do things the way we want.​—Heb. 13:17.

13. (a) Why some Jew people start to riot for the temple? (b) Wetin save Paul?

¹³ Things no go well for the temple. When the time don near for the four men to complete their promise, Jew people from Asia see Paul for the temple and them accuse-am say e bring people wey no be Jew enter temple, and this one cause riot. If to say Rome army commander no come the temple to see wetin de happen, them for don beat Paul till e die. The army commander tell im soldiers to arrest Paul. From that day to the day wey them free Paul, e pass four years. Even as the soldiers don hold Paul, e never still dey safe. When the commander ask the people why them de attack Paul, them de shout de talk different things. Because of the way them de shout, the commander no understand wetin them de talk. Last-last, the soldiers need to carry Paul comot from there. When Paul and the soldiers want enter the place wey soldiers de live, Paul tell the commander say: “I de beg you say make you allow me talk to the people.” (Acts 21:39) The commander gree, and Paul start to defend im faith with strong heart.

14, 15. (a) Wetin Paul explain to Jew people? (b) Wetin the army commander do to know why the people de vex for Paul?

¹⁴ Paul talk say, “Make una listen as I want explain my case.” (Acts 22:1)  Paul use Hebrew language talk to the people and this one make them quiet. E come really explain wetin make-am start to follow Christ. Paul talk about some things wey the people fit confirm by theirself if them want. Na Gamaliel wey people sabi well-well teach Paul and Paul be de suffer Jesus disciples. Some of the people for there fit know this one. For vision wey e see as e de go Damascus, Jesus wey don come back to life, talk to-am. The people wey de follow Paul travel see one light wey de shine and hear voice, but them no understand wetin the voice de talk. (Check study notes for Acts 9:7; 22:​9, nwtsty.) Paul come blind because of wetin happen, so the people wey dey with-am hold-am enter Damascus. Ananias wey Jew people for that area sabi, do miracle to help Paul fit see again.

¹⁵ Paul still tell them say after e come back to Jerusalem, Jesus appear to-am for temple. This one vex the Jew people and them start to shout say: “Take this kind man comot from the earth, because e no suppose to live!” (Acts 22:22) To save Paul, the commander carry Paul go where the soldiers de live. The commander really want know why the people de vex for Paul, so e command the soldiers to flog Paul so that e go confess wetin e don do. But as the soldiers want flog-am, Paul tell them say e be Rome person and ask whether Rome law give them right to beat-am. Today too, Jehovah people de use different laws defend their faith. (Check the box  “Rome Law and Rome Citizens” and “ Court Case for This Our Time.”) When the commander hear say Paul na Rome person, e see say e go need to find another  way to know more about the matter. The next day, e order the Sanhedrin wey be the supreme court of Jew people to do special meeting and e bring Paul come.

16, 17. (a) Explain wetin happen when Paul talk to the Sanhedrin. (b) When them slap Paul, how Paul show say e dey humble?

¹⁶ Paul start to defend imself for the Sanhedrin. E talk say: “Men, my brothers, I don live my life for front of God with conscience wey really dey clean come reach today.” (Acts 23:1) Paul no fit talk anything again because “the high priest wey be Ananias command people wey stand near-am make them slap im mouth.” (Acts 23:2) This na big insult! E show say even before Paul talk anything e don already dey the high priest mind say Paul de lie. No wonder Paul tell-am say: ‘God go strike you, you wey be like wall wey them paint white. You sitdown for there to use Law judge me and for the same time you de break the Law as you command say make them slap me?’​—Acts 23:3.

¹⁷ The people for there shock, no be the slap shock them but na wetin Paul talk. Them ask-am say: “You de insult the high priest of God?” Paul show say e dey humble as e quick talk say: “My brothers, I no know say na high priest, because them don write-am say, ‘Make you no ever talk bad about person wey de rule your people.’” d (Acts 23:​4, 5; Ex. 22:28) Then Paul start to reason with them for another way. E know say the people for the Sanhedrin na Pharisee and Sadducee people, so e talk say: “Men, my brothers, I be Pharisee, and son of Pharisee people. Them de judge me because I get the hope say people wey don die go come back to life.”​—Acts 23:6.

18. Why Paul talk say e be Pharisee, and how we fit use this style when we de preach?

¹⁸ Why Paul talk say e be Pharisee? Because e be “son of Pharisee people.” This one mean say, e come from family wey be Pharisee. So, plenty people still  de see-am as Pharisee. e But why Paul call imself Pharisee even as Pharisee people get some belief about resurrection wey no correct? Pharisee people believe say the soul no de ever die and say the soul of righteous people go live again for another body. Paul no believe that kind thing. The resurrection wey e believe na the one wey Jesus teach. (John 5:​25-29) Sadducee people no even believe at all say person wey don die get any hope to live again. So, Paul agree with the Pharisee people say person wey don die get hope to live again. We fit use this style when we de preach to Catholic people or other church people. We fit talk say, like them, we believe say God dey. Na true say na the God wey get the Bible we de worship, but them believe say God na Trinity. Even with that one, we and them agree say God dey.

19. Wetin scatter the meeting for the Sanhedrin?

¹⁹ Wetin Paul talk scatter the Sanhedrin. Bible say: “Plenty noise start among them and some of the scribes wey dey Pharisee group stand up and start to really argue, de vex and de talk say: ‘We no see any bad thing wey this man don do, but if spirit or angel don talk to-am​—.’” (Acts 23:9) The Sadducee people no believe say angels dey, so when them hear this one, them really vex. (Check the box “ Sadducee and Pharisee People.”) The noise plenty sotey the army commander come back again to save Paul. (Acts 23:10) But, Paul never still dey safe. Wetin go happen to Paul now? We go learn this one for the next chapter.