CHAPTER 21
“My Hand Clean From the Blood of Everybody”
Paul really put body for the preaching work and give elders advice
As e dey for Acts 20:1-38
1-3. (a) Describe wetin happen the night wey Eutychus die. (b) Wetin Paul do, and wetin this one teach us?
FOR Troas, Paul and many brothers and sisters dey one room wey dey upstair. E don de talk to them for long time because this na the last evening wey e go spend with them. E don reach midnight. Them light some lamp for the room so the room de hot and breeze no too dey the room. One young man wey im name na Eutychus sitdown for one of the window. As Paul de talk, Eutychus come fall from the window. E fall from the third story of the house!
2 Because Luke na doctor, e fit be say e dey among the first people wey run go outside go check the young man. But e no get anything wey them fit do. Eutychus “don die.” (Acts 20:9) But miracle come happen. Paul put imself ontop the young man and embrace-am and e tell the people say: “Make una stop to worry, because e dey alive.” Paul don bring Eutychus come back to life!—Acts 20:10.
3 Wetin happen, show the wonderful things wey Jehovah fit use im holy spirit do. No be Paul fault say Eutychus die, but e no want make the brothers and sisters dey sad as them de comot from this important meeting, e no still want make them no get faith for Jehovah again because of wetin happen. As Paul bring Eutychus back to life, the brothers mind come down and e help them continue to put body for the preaching work. E clear say Paul know say life really dey important. This one remind us of wetin e talk. E say: “my hand clean from the blood of everybody.” (Acts 20:26) Make we see how Paul example fit help us to de see life as something wey really dey important.
“E Start to Travel to Macedonia” (Acts 20:1, 2)
4. Which serious thing happen to Paul when e dey Ephesus?
4 As we see for Chapter 20, wetin happen to Paul for Ephesus no easy at all. The people for there vex well-well because of wetin e de preach. In fact, all the people wey de make and sell idols of Artemis riot! “When the riot don come down,” Acts 20:1 talk say, “Paul call the disciples. And after e don encourage them and tell them bye-bye, e start to travel to Macedonia.”
5, 6. (a) How many years Paul fit don stay for Macedonia, and wetin e do for the brothers there? (b) How Paul feel about im brothers and sisters?
5 As Paul de go Macedonia, e stop for where ship de stop for Troas and e spend some time for there. Paul de hope say, Titus wey e send go Corinth, go come meet-am for there. (2 Cor. 2:12, 13) But when e come clear say Titus no de come, Paul come go Macedonia. E be like say e stay there reach one year and e use the time de “encourage the people for there with many words.” a (Acts 20:2) After some time, Titus go meet Paul for Macedonia and e tell-am about the better way wey the brothers for Corinth receive im first letter. (2 Cor. 7:5-7) This one make Paul write another letter give them. Na this letter we know as 2 Corinthians today.
6 Notice say Luke talk say Paul “encourage” the brothers for Ephesus and Macedonia when e visit them. This one show say Paul really love the brothers and sisters. E no be like Pharisee people wey de think say them better pass other people. E happy to serve God together with im brothers and sisters. (John 7:47-49; 1 Cor. 3:9) Even when e give them serious correction, e no still think say e better pass them.—2 Cor. 2:4.
7. How elders fit copy Paul example?
7 Today, elders for congregation and circuit overseers de try to copy Paul example. Even when them want give person serious correction, them de try do-am for way wey go make the person faith strong. Them no de condemn the brothers, but them de try understand how them de feel and encourage them. One circuit overseer talk say: “Many of our brothers and sisters want do wetin correct, but them de see things wey de disappoint them, wey still de make them fear, and them no know wetin to do.” Elders fit really encourage all this brothers and sisters.—Heb. 12:12, 13.
‘Them Plan Against-am’ (Acts 20:3, 4)
8, 9. (a) Wetin happen wey make Paul change im plan to go Syria? (b) Wetin be some things wey go don make Jew people hate Paul?
8 From Macedonia, Paul go Corinth. b After e stay there for three months, e want go Cenchreae and e plan to enter boat from there go Syria. From there, e go fit go Jerusalem and give the contribution to the poor brothers wey dey there. c (Acts 24:17; Rom. 15:25, 26) But something come happen wey make Paul change im plan. Acts 20:3 talk say: “Jew people get [plan] against-am”!
9 Jew people really hate Paul well-well, because e don comot from their religion. Before this time, Crispus wey be the leader for the synagogue for Corinth, become Christian because of wetin Paul preach. (Acts 18:7, 8; 1 Cor. 1:14) Another time too, Jew people for Corinth carry Paul go meet Gallio wey be governor of Achaia and them talk say Paul de go against the law, but Gallio no believe them and this one really make them vex. (Acts 18:12-17) Jew people for Corinth fit don know or think say Paul go soon use boat go Cenchreae, so them plan say them go wait-am for there and kill-am. Wetin Paul go do?
10. Wetin Paul do as e no go Cenchreae na correct thing? Explain.
10 Because Paul want protect im life and the contribution money wey dey with-am, e no go Cenchreae again. Instead, e come pass Macedonia comot. Na true say to de travel for land that time still dey dangerous. Robbers de hide for the road and even the hotels wey dey the road no dey safe. But Paul know say e go better make e pass the road, instead of-am to go Cenchreae. The good thing be say, na im and other people de travel together. Some of the people wey follow-am for this part of im missionary journey na Aristarchus, Gaius, Secundus, Sopater, Timothy, Trophimus, and Tychicus.—Acts 20:3, 4.
11. Wetin we fit do to protect ourself, and which example Jesus set for this matter?
11 Just like Paul, Christians for this our time de do wetin them fit do to protect theirself when them dey preaching. For some areas when them de preach, them de pair two people together or them de preach as group. What about when people de suffer us because of our faith? We know say this kind thing must happen. (John 15:20; 2 Tim. 3:12) Even with this one, we no go put ourself for danger. Think about wetin happen to Jesus. One time when people wey de go against-am for Jerusalem carry stone to stone-am, “Jesus hide and comot from the temple.” (John 8:59) After, when Jew people de plan to kill-am, “Jesus no come de waka for public among the Jew people, but e comot from there go the area wey near wilderness.” (John 11:54) Jesus do wetin e fit do to protect im life so far wetin e want do, no dey against wetin Jehovah want. Na the same thing Christians de do today.—Matt. 10:16.
“Their Mind Really Come Down No Be Small” (Acts 20:5-12)
12, 13. (a) How the congregation feel when Paul bring Eutychus come back to life? (b) Which hope fit make our mind come down today?
12 Paul and the people wey dey with-am travel pass Macedonia together, then them come separate for some time. All of them come meet again for Troas. d Bible talk say: “before five days end, we come meet them for Troas.” e (Acts 20:6) Na here for Troas na im Paul bring Eutychus come back to life as we see for the beginning of this chapter. Just think about how the brothers and sisters feel when them see say Eutychus come back to life! Like Bible talk, “their mind really come down no be small.”—Acts 20:12.
13 Na true say this kind miracle no de happen today. Even with this one, the mind of people wey their family or friends don die, de come down because of the hope wey Bible give say people wey don die go come back to life again. (John 5:28, 29) Eutychus still die again because e no dey perfect. (Rom. 6:23) But people wey go come back to life for the new world go fit live forever! And the people wey go rule with Jesus no go fit ever die again. (1 Cor. 15:51-53) Whether we be anointed or “other sheep, as we know say people go come back to life, this one fit help our “mind really come down no be small.”—John 10:16.
“For Public and From House to House” (Acts 20:13-24)
14. Wetin Paul tell the elders wey come from Ephesus when e meet them for Miletus?
14 Paul and the people with-am, travel from Troas to Assos, them come go Mitylene, Chios, Samos, and Miletus. Paul plan to reach Jerusalem before the Festival of Pentecost start. Because e want quick reach Jerusalem, this time e enter ship wey no go stop for Ephesus. But because Paul want talk to the elders for Ephesus, e tell them say make them come meet-am for Miletus. (Acts 20:13-17) When the elders come, Paul tell them say: “Una really know how I behave among una from the first day wey I enter Asia. I work for the Lord as slave and I really de carry body down as I de do this one with tears and the problems wey I face because of the things wey the Jew people plan against me. And I no stop to tell una any of the things wey una go gain from or to teach una for public and from house to house. But I really preach to Jew people and Greek people well, say make them repent and turn follow God and get faith for our Lord Jesus.”—Acts 20:18-21.
15. Why e good as we de go preach from house to house?
15 For this our time, we de preach to people for different-different ways. Like Paul, we de try to go anywhere wey people dey, whether na for bus stops, for streets wey plenty people de pass, or for market. But our main method, na to go from house to house. Why? One reason na say, this one de give everybody chance to hear the message about God Kingdom everytime, and e show say God no de do partial. Another reason na say, people wey want really learn, go fit get the help wey them need to know God. As we de go preach from house to house, e de make our faith de strong more-more and we de learn how to endure. True-true, one way to know real Christians for this our time, na the way them de use all their heart preach “for public and from house to house.”
16, 17. How Paul show say e no de fear, and how Christians for this our time de copy im example?
16 Paul tell the elders wey come from Ephesus say e no know the danger wey e go face when e go back to Jerusalem. Then e talk say: “But I no take my own life as something wey dey important to me, as long as say I complete the race and the work wey the Lord Jesus don give me, to really preach the good news well about the special favor of God.” (Acts 20:24) Paul no fear, e no allow any condition, whether na sickness or na people wey de attack-am, to stop-am make e no do the work wey God give-am.
17 Christians for this our time still de endure different-different problems. Government don ban our work and de suffer our brothers for some place. Some de endure serious sickness for body and things de happen wey de make some really feel bad, but them still continue to preach. The problem wey our children de face for school be say people de try to make them join do bad things. No matter the condition wey Jehovah people dey, them de hold God tight, like Paul. Them don make up their mind to de “preach well about the Kingdom of God.”
“Make Una Watch Unaself and All the Sheep” (Acts 20:25-38)
18. Wetin Paul do to dey clean from the blood of everybody, and how the elders from Ephesus fit do like Paul?
18 When the elders from Ephesus meet Paul, e give them better advice and remind them about how e de take care of the congregation. E first tell them say this time fit be the last time wey them go see-am. E come tell them say: “My hand clean from the blood of everybody, because I no hide anything from una, I tell una all the things wey God want.” How the elders from Ephesus fit copy Paul and dey clean from the blood of everybody? E tell them say: “Make una watch unaself and all the sheep wey the holy spirit don appoint una as overseers among them, to care for the congregation of God, wey e buy with the blood of im own Son.” (Acts 20:26-28) Paul warn them say “wicked wolf them” go enter the congregation and “talk bend-bend things to draw the disciples to follow them.” Wetin the elders go do? Paul warn them say: “Make una continue to dey awake and get-am for mind say for three years, day and night, I no ever stop to advice each of una with tears.”—Acts 20:29-31.
19. Wetin people wey don comot from the truth do and wetin come later happen?
19 The “wicked wolf them” enter the congregation about 60 years after Jesus die, when only small number of the apostles remain. Around 98 C.E., apostle John write say: “Even now, many people wey dey against Christ don come . . . Them be dey with us, but them comot leave us because them dey different from us. If to say them no dey different from us, them for stay with us.” (1 John 2:18, 19) Around 200 years after Jesus die, people wey de take the lead wey don turn against true worship come de see theirself as special group of people wey get high position pass other people for congregation. Then, around 300 years after Jesus die, Emperor Constantine give people freedom to practice this fake type of “Christian religion.” This leaders wey don turn against true worship really “talk bend-bend things” as them mix wetin Bible talk with wetin people wey de worship idols de do, so that e go be like say those things na wetin Bible support. This lie-lie things wey them de teach and do, na wetin church people still de follow today.
20, 21. How Paul show say e de do wetin go benefit im brothers first before im own and how Christian elders today fit do like Paul?
20 Paul no be like those people wey de take the lead, wey later use people for congregation to benefit theirself. E work to take care of imself so that e no go be heavy load for the people for congregation. Paul support the brothers and e no expect any money from them. E encourage the elders from Ephesus say instead of them to de think of theirself first, make them de do wetin go benefit their brothers first. E tell them say: “Una must support people wey dey weak and must continue to remember the things wey the Lord Jesus talk when e talk say: ‘Na when person de give e go happy pass when e de receive.’”—Acts 20:35.
21 Like Paul, Christian elders today no de think of theirself first, but them de do wetin go benefit their brothers first. Them no be like the leaders for church, wey de collect money from the people to dey rich. Them understand say them get work to “care for the congregation of God,” and them no de do this work because of wetin them go gain. For the Christian congregation, people no de carry shoulder or de struggle to get high position, because people wey de “find glory” for theirself no go succeed. (Prov. 25:27) Person wey de do pass imself go only bring disgrace.—Prov. 11:2.
“All of them cry no be small.”—Acts 20:37
22. Why the elders for Ephesus love Paul?
22 Paul really love im brothers, na im make the brothers love Paul too. When time reach for Paul to comot, “all of them cry no be small and them embrace Paul and sofri kiss-am.” (Acts 20:37, 38) Christians de really value and love people like Paul, wey de use their time, power, and money to support their brothers and sisters. After all this things wey we don learn about Paul example, you no gree say true-true, Paul no de boast or de lie when e talk say: “My hand clean from the blood of everybody”?—Acts 20:26.
a Check the box “ Letters Wey Paul Write For Macedonia.”
b E fit be say Paul write Romans this time when e visit Corinth.
c Check the box “ Paul Bring the Contribution.”
d For Acts 20:5, 6, Luke use the words “us” and “we.” This one mean say e join Paul again for Philippi when Paul de go Troas.—Acts 16:10-17, 40.
e Na five days them dey for boat wey carry them from Philippi go Troas. E fit be say them meet heavy breeze because before this time, Paul don travel the same journey and na only two days e use.—Acts 16:11.