“Come Macedonia”

1-3. (a) How holy spirit direct Paul and the people wey dey with-am? (b) Which things we go talk about?

SOME women comot from the city of Philippi wey dey Macedonia. E no tey, them come reach one small river wey them de call Gangites. Them come sitdown near the river to pray to the God of Israel as them de always do. And Jehovah de watch them.​—2 Chron. 16:9; Ps. 65:2.

² Before this time, some men comot from the city of Lystra wey dey the south side of Galatia. And from this place go reach the east side of Philippi, pass 800 km. After some days, the men reach one road wey Rome people use stone make, wey lead to the west side for the area wey people plenty pass for Asia. This men wey their name na Paul, Silas, and Timothy, really ready to travel pass that road go Ephesus and other cities where plenty people need to hear the good news about Christ. But even before them start to go, the holy spirit stop them for some way wey Bible no explain. Holy spirit no allow them preach for Asia. Why? Na because Jesus de use holy spirit direct Paul and people wey dey with-am. Jesus want make them travel pass Asia Minor, cross the Aegean Sea, go that small river wey them de call Gangites.

³ Today, we fit learn some important lessons when we think about how Jesus direct Paul and im friends as them de travel. So, make we talk about some of the things wey happen for the second time when Paul travel as missionary, wey start around 49 C.E.

“God Call Us” (Acts 16:​6-15)

4, 5. (a) Wetin happen to Paul and im friends near Bithynia? (b) Wetin the brothers decide to do, and wetin come happen?

⁴ As holy spirit no allow Paul and im friends to preach for Asia, them come travel face north to preach for the cities wey dey Bithynia. To reach there, them fit don waka for some days for roads wey dirty, between Phrygia and Galatia for the areas wey people no too dey. But when them don near Bithynia, Jesus use holy spirit stop them again. (Acts 16:​6, 7) This one go don really confuse the men. Them know wetin to preach and how to preach, but them no know where to preach. E just be like say them don knock the door wey them de pass enter Asia, but e no open. Them don still knock the door wey them de pass enter Bithynia, but e no open. But Paul make up im mind say e go continue to knock until e see door wey go open. The men come make one decision wey person fit think say e no make sense. Them turn face the west side, and trek reach 550 km. Them pass different-different city until them reach the place wey ship de park for Troas, wey them de pass go Macedonia. (Acts 16:8) For there, Paul knock door again for the third time, and this time, the door open wide.

⁵ Luke, wey write the book of Luke, and wey join Paul and im friends for Troas, talk wetin happen. E say: “For night, Paul see one vision. One man from Macedonia stand for there, de beg-am say: ‘Come Macedonia and help us.’ As e just see the vision finish, we try to go Macedonia because we don see-am say na God call us to preach the good news to them.”a (Acts 16:​9, 10) Last-last, Paul don know where to preach. Paul go don really happy say e no tire to try im best to preach to people for other areas! Quick-quick, the four men enter boat go Macedonia.

6, 7. (a) Wetin we fit learn from the things wey happen when Paul de travel? (b) When we think about the things wey happen to Paul, wetin we fit dey sure of?

⁶ Wetin we fit learn from that story? Notice say: Na only after Paul enter road go Asia, na im God spirit direct-am make e no go there, na only after Paul near Bithynia Jesus do something, and na only after Paul reach Troas Jesus direct-am say make e go Macedonia. Jesus wey be the Head of the congregation fit direct us like that too. (Col. 1:18) For example, we fit don get-am for mind for some time say we want be regular pioneer or move go area wey them need more publishers. But e fit be say na only after we don really do something, Jesus go use God spirit direct us. Why? Think of this example: Driver fit turn motor go left or right, but na only when the motor de move e go fit do that one. Na so e still be with us, Jesus de direct us to fit do more for our preaching work. But na only when we de move e go direct us​—this one na when we de really try our best to do wetin we get for mind.

⁷ But wetin we go do if the plan wey we get never work? We suppose tire, and think say God spirit no de direct us? No. Remember say, Paul face some problems too as e try to make im plan work. But e continue to knock, until e see door wey open. We fit dey sure say Jehovah go bless our work, if we no tire to de find, door wey go open for us ‘to do more work’ for-am.​—1 Cor. 16:9.

8. (a) How the city of Philippi be? (b) Which better thing happen as Paul preach for where “people de gather pray”?

⁸ After Paul and the people wey dey with-am don reach the area of Macedonia, them come travel go Philippi. The people for this city really dey proud say them be Rome citizen. Plenty Rome soldiers wey don retire de live for Philippi. And for them, the city of Philippi just be like Rome too. For outside the city, near one small river, Paul and im friends come see one area where them think say “people de gather pray.”b For Sabbath day when them go that place, them come see some women wey gather for there to worship God. The disciples come sitdown and preach to them. One woman wey im name na Lydia “de listen. And Jehovah open im heart well.” The things wey Lydia learn really touch im heart, and this one make-am baptize together with im family. Then, e beg Paul and im friends say make them come stay for im house.c​—Acts 16:​13-15.

9. How plenty people for our time don copy Paul example, and which blessings them don get?

⁹ Just think about how Paul and im friends happy when Lydia baptize! Paul go don really happy say when e get the invitation to “come Macedonia,” e accept-am. And e go don happy too say Jehovah use im and im friends to answer the prayers of those women wey de fear God! Today, plenty brothers and sisters, both the old ones and young ones, the ones wey don marry, and the ones wey never marry de pack go where them need more publishers to preach. Them fit de face some problem, but the problems no reach anything when them compare-am with the joy wey them de get as them de see people wey de accept the truth from Bible, like Lydia. You fit change some things for your life so that you go fit go area wey them need more publishers? You go get plenty blessings. For example, one brother wey don pass 20 years, wey im name na Aaron, move go one country for Central America. Just like many people wey don serve for another country, this brother talk say: “As I de preach for another country, e don help me near Jehovah more-more. I de enjoy the preaching for here, and I de study Bible with eight people!”

“Plenty People Come . . . Against Them” (Acts 16:​16-24)

10. Wetin demons do to make people dey against Paul and im friends?

¹⁰ Satan really vex as the people de accept the good news and baptize. E fit be say nobody don ever go against-im and im demons for this part of the world before. So e no surprise us say the demons do anything wey them fit do to make people dey against Paul and im friends! As them de continue to go that place where people de gather pray, one servant girl wey demon dey im body meet them. This girl de bring plenty gain for im oga them as e de talk wetin go happen for future. E come de follow Paul and im friends, and e de shout say: “This men na slave of the God Wey High Pass, and them de tell una how God go save una.” E fit be say the demon make the girl talk this things so that people go think say both the things wey e de talk and wetin Paul de teach people, come from God. That one fit make people comot mind from wetin the true disciples of Jesus de preach. But Paul pursue the demon comot from the girl body, e no allow-am talk again.​—Acts 16:​16-18.

11. After them don pursue the demon comot from the girl body, wetin happen to Paul and Silas?

¹¹ When the people wey the girl de work for see say wetin de give them money no dey again, them vex no be small. Them drag Paul and Silas go the market, for the place wey the rulers for the city wey de represent Rome government de handle court case. Them know say the judges dey proud to be Rome people and say them hate Jew people. So them tell the judges say Paul and Silas de cause trouble as them de teach people, tradition wey Rome people no agree with. At once, wetin them talk make the people vex. So “plenty people [for the marketplace] come together against them [Paul and Silas];” and the rulers for the city give command say make them “beat them with sticks.” After, them drag Paul and Silas put for prison. The watchman for the prison put them for the cell wey dey inside-inside the prison and lock their leg between wood. (Acts 16:​19-24) When the watchman close the door of the prison, the place dark sotey e go don hard for Paul and Silas to see each other. But Jehovah de see wetin de happen.​—Ps. 139:12.

12. (a) When people suffer Jesus disciples, how the disciples de see-am, and why? (b) Which method Satan and im people still de use cause trouble for servants of God today?

¹² Many years before that time, Jesus tell im disciples say: “Them go suffer una.” (John 15:20) So as Paul and the people wey dey with-am enter Macedonia, them don already know say people go suffer them. So when the people de suffer them, them no see-am as sign say Jehovah de vex for them, but them see-am as wetin show say Satan de vex. Today, people wey Satan de use still de behave like the people for Philippi. For school and for workplace, people wey dey against us de talk different-different lie about us, and this one fit make other people dey against us. For some countries, people for other religion wey dey against us de carry us go court, e just be like say them de talk say: ‘This Jehovah Witness people de cause trouble as them de teach people tradition wey our people no agree with.’ For some areas, them de beat our brothers and sisters and put them for prison. But, Jehovah de see wetin de happen.​—1 Pet. 3:12.

Them “No Waste Time to Baptize” (Acts 16:​25-34)

13. Wetin make the watchman for the prison ask say: “Wetin I go do for God to save me?”

¹³ Paul and Silas go really need some time before their body go dey okay, as them beat them that day. For midnight, their body don better pass as e dey when them just beat them, sotey them come “de pray and de praise God with song.” At once, ground begin shake for the prison! The watchman for the prison wake up, e see say the doors for the prison don open, and e fear say the prisoners don run. As e know say them go punish-am say e allow the prisoners run comot, “e bring out im sword and e want kill imself.” But Paul shout say: “No kill yourself, because all of us dey here!” As the watchman de shake with fear, e come ask them say: “My oga them, wetin I go do for God to save me?” Na Jesus go fit save-am, no be Paul and Silas. So them tell-am say: “Make you believe the Lord Jesus, and God go save you.”​—Acts 16:​25-31.

14. (a) Wetin Paul and Silas do for the watchman for the prison? (b) Which blessing Paul and Silas get as them endure and still happy even when people de suffer them?

¹⁴ The question wey the watchman ask really come from im heart? Paul really dey sure say e come from the man heart. The watchman na person wey no de serve God, so e no know wetin dey for the Word of God. Before e go fit be Christian, e go need to learn and accept the truths from Bible. So Paul and Silas take their time and sofri preach “the word of Jehovah to the man.” As Paul and Silas de busy de teach people the Word of God, them fit don forget the body wey de pain them because of the beating wey them beat them. But the watchman notice the wounds wey dey their back, so e clean the wounds. Then the “man and everybody for im house no waste time to baptize.” E clear say Jehovah bless Paul and Silas because them endure and still happy even when people de suffer them!​—Acts 16:​32-34.

15. (a) How plenty servants of God today don show say them de follow the example of Paul and Silas? (b) Why we suppose continue to de go back to the house of people for our territory?

¹⁵ Like Paul and Silas, when many servants of God today dey prison because of their faith, them still de preach the good news and better result don come out. For example, for one place wey them ban our work, e get one time wey, almost half of the people wey de live for there, learn the truth about Jehovah when them dey prison. (Isa. 54:17) Remember say na only after the ground shake open, na im the watchman ask for help. Na so e still be today, some people wey no de listen to the Kingdom message now, fit start to listen after something wey them no expect happen to them. If we continue to de go back to the house of people for our territory, we de show say we ready to teach them anytime wey them ready to listen.

“Now Them Want Bring Us Come Out for Secret?” (Acts 16:​35-40)

16. After don flog Paul and Silas, how the matter take change?

¹⁶ After them don flog Paul and Silas, the next morning, the rulers for the city come talk say make them release them. But Paul talk say: “Them flog us for public when them no even judge us, even though say we be Rome people, and them put us for prison. Now them want bring us come out for secret? No, e no go happen! Make them come by theirself and escort us come out.” The rulers for the city “really fear” when them know say Paul and Silas na Rome people and them no treat them well.d Now, the matter come change. As them flog Paul and Silas for public, the rulers for the city go need to beg them for public. So them beg Paul and Silas say make them comot from Philippi. Them gree say them go comot, but them first take their time go encourage the new disciples before them comot.

17. Which important lesson the new disciples fit don learn as them see the way Paul and Silas endure?

¹⁷ If to say Paul and Silas quick talk say them be Rome people, maybe them for no flog them. (Acts 22:​25, 26) But that one for don make the disciples for Philippi think say, Paul and Silas don use their position as Rome people take dodge the suffer wey them for suffer because of Christ. How that one for affect the faith of the disciples wey no be Rome people, since them no dey among people wey Rome law de protect? So as Paul and Silas endure the suffer, them use their example show the new disciples say, disciples of Christ fit still hold God tight even when people de suffer them. But, as Paul and Silas later talk say them be Rome people, the rulers no get choice but to make-am clear for public say them no really follow the law. That one fit make them follow the law next time and no suffer the disciples of Christ anyhow.

18. (a) How Christian elders today de follow Paul example? (b) How we de use law ‘defend the good news and make-am stand well’ today?

¹⁸ Today too, overseers for Christian congregation de use their example show us wetin to do. This Christian elders dey ready to do anything wey them expect their Christian brothers and sisters to do. Just like Paul, we too de sofri think about how and when to use the rights wey we get to protect ourself. If need dey, we fit carry our matter go court for our area, our country, or even international court, so that we go dey free to worship. No be say we want change wetin law talk, but we want use law ‘defend the good news and make-am stand well.’ This na wetin Paul write to the congregation for Philippi, about ten years after them don put-am for prison. (Phil. 1:7) No matter wetin court decide, like Paul and im friends, we don make up our mind to continue to “preach the good news” anywhere wey God spirit direct us go.​—Acts 16:10.