‘Ordinary People Wey No Go School’

1, 2. Which miracle Peter and John do near the temple gate?

SUN de shine for afternoon. Jesus disciples and plenty Jew people de waka enter the temple. “The hour of prayer” go soon reach. a (Acts 2:46; 3:1) Peter and John dey the crowd. Them de waka go the temple gate wey them de call Beautiful. Noise full the place as the people wey de waka de talk. One man wey don pass 40 years, wey no fit waka since them born-am de beg for money for there.—Acts 3:2; 4:22.

² As Peter and John near the man, e beg them money. The apostles stop. The man look them and de think say them go give-am money. Peter tell-am say: “I no get silver and gold, but na wetin I get I go give you. For the name of Jesus Christ wey come from Nazareth, stand up and waka!” Imagine how e shock the crowd as Peter hold this man hand and the man stand up for the first time for im life! (Acts 3:6, 7) Just think about how the man feel as e look im leg and waka for the first time for im life. No wonder the man de jump as e de shout de praise God!

3. Which wonderful gift the crowd and the man wey Peter heal fit get?

³ The people really happy. Them run go meet Peter and John for Solomon veranda. Jesus don teach people for here before. Peter tell the people wetin make this miracle fit happen. (John 10:23) Wetin e give the people and the man wey don de waka, pass silver and gold and strong body. This gift na the chance to fit repent, so that God go wipe their sins comot, and to follow Jesus Christ wey Jehovah make “the Main Leader of life.”—Acts 3:15.

4. (a) After Peter and John heal the man, wetin some people try to do? (b) Which two questions we go answer?

⁴ Them no go fit forget that day! The man wey them heal don de waka. And plenty people get the chance to understand wetin God want so that them go fit waka with God. (Col. 1:9, 10) But because of wetin happen that day, the people wey get power to control things try to stop Jesus disciples make them no obey Jesus command to preach about God Kingdom. (Acts 1:8) Wetin we fit learn from the way Peter and John preach and behave, even though them be ordinary people wey no go school?b (Acts 4:13) And how we fit get strong heart like them and the other disciples when people suffer them?

No Be “Our Own Power We Use” (Acts 3:11-26)

5. Wetin we learn from the way Peter talk to the crowd?

⁵ Peter and John talk to the crowd. Them know say some of the people fit don join to talk say make them kill Jesus. (Mark 15:8-15; Acts 3:13-15) Think about how Peter show strong heart as e talk say na Jesus name e use heal the man. Peter no fear to talk the truth. E make-am clear say the people get hand for Jesus death. But Peter no vex for the people. E know say them do wetin them do because them “no know.” (Acts 3:17) Peter call them im brothers and tell them about God Kingdom. If them repent and put their faith for Jesus, them go de get favor from Jehovah and dey “strong again.” (Acts 3:19) Like the apostles, make we get strong heart and no fear when we de talk about how God go judge the world. But make we no dey harsh or judge people. Instead, make we see the people wey we de preach to as people wey fit serve Jehovah with us, and like Peter, make we tell them the better things wey God Kingdom go do.

6. How Peter and John show say them de carry body down?

⁶ The apostles no carry body up. Them no claim say na their power them use heal the man. Peter tell the people say: “Why una de look us like say na our own power we use do-am or like say na because we de serve God well make us fit make-am waka?” (Acts 3:12) Peter and the other apostles know say any good thing wey them do, na God help them do-am, no be by their own power. Na this one make them carry body down and give Jehovah and Jesus all the praise.

7, 8. (a) Which gift we fit give people? (b) How the promise of “the time wey everything go dey new” de happen today?

⁷ Make we too de carry body down as we de preach to people. Na true say today God no de give im people the power to do miracle. But we fit still help people get faith for God and Jesus Christ and get the same gift wey Peter give the people—the chance for God to forgive their sin and show them favor. Every year, plenty-plenty thousands of people de accept this chance wey them get and de baptize as Jesus disciples.

⁸ True-true, we de live for the time wey Peter call “the time wey everything go dey new.” Just as God “holy prophets talk for old time,” the Kingdom start to rule for heaven for 1914. (Acts 3:21; Ps. 110:1-3; Dan. 4:16, 17) Small time after this one, Jesus help im disciples to make people start to worship God for the correct way again. This one don make millions of people today de support God Kingdom and worship God as one. Them don troway the old character and “wear the new character wey God don make just as e want-am.” (Eph. 4:22-24) Just as God spirit heal the beggar, e still de help people today to change and worship God. Like Peter, make we no fear and make we use God Word well to teach other people. When we help people to become Jesus disciples, na God power do-am, no be our own power.

“We No Go Stop to Talk” (Acts 4:1-22)

9-11. (a) Wetin the leaders do because of wetin Peter and John preach? (b) Wetin the apostles decide to do?

⁹ Noise full the place as the people de happy because of wetin Peter talk, and the man wey e heal de jump and de shout. So the chief priests, and the captain of the temple, wey de make sure say people for the temple dey safe, rush go check wetin de happen. Them fit be Sadducees—rich leaders for religion wey get power for politics matter. Them de make sure say them no get problem with Rome people. Them de reject traditions wey Pharisee people no de take play for their religion, and them no believe say person wey die fit come back to life.c Them really vex as Peter and John no fear to preach for the temple say Jesus don come back to life!

¹⁰ Them vex throw Peter and John for prison and carry them go Jew people high court the next day. This rich leaders think say them better pass other people, and say Peter and John no get right to teach for temple because them be “ordinary people” wey “no go school.” Peter and John no go any big school to learn about religion. But the way them dey bold and dey sure of wetin them de talk shock people for the court. Wetin help Peter and John fit talk like this? One reason be say them “don dey with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13) Their Oga de teach with authority, no be like the scribes.—Matt. 7:28, 29.

¹¹ The court command the apostles to stop to preach. That time, anything wey the court talk de carry weight. Some weeks before this time, this same court judge Jesus and them give order say: “E suppose to die.” (Matt. 26:59-66) But Peter and John no fear them, even though say them get money and power, and them go school well-well. With strong heart but with respect, Peter and John tell them say: “Whether the right thing to do for God eye na to listen to una instead of to God, make una judge by unaself. But for us, we no go stop to talk about the things wey we don see and hear.”—Acts 4:19, 20.

12. Wetin fit help us to dey sure of wetin we believe and to get strong heart?

¹² You get strong heart like them? How you de feel when you get the chance to preach to people wey go school well-well, and wey get money and big position? You de fear when family people, schoolmates or workmates laugh you because of wetin you believe? If na so, you fit still get strong heart. When Jesus dey this earth, e teach im apostles how to use strong heart and respect explain wetin them believe. (Matt. 10:11-18) After e come back to life, e promise im disciples say e go continue to dey with them “all the days go reach the last days of the world.” (Matt. 28:20) “The faithful and discreet slave” de follow the way Jesus direct them to teach us how to explain wetin we believe. (Matt. 24:45-47; 1 Pet. 3:15) We de learn this one for our congregation meetings, like Our Christian Life and Preaching, and for publications, like the articles wey the title na “The Answer Wey Bible Give” for jw.org. You de go meeting? You de read this publications? If you de do this things, you go dey sure of wetin you believe and you go get strong heart. And like Jesus apostles, make nothing stop you to talk about the wonderful things wey you don learn from Bible.

“Them Talk Loud to God” (Acts 4:23-31)

13, 14. If people de suffer us, wetin we go do and why?

¹³ As the court release Peter and John from prison, them go meet other people for congregation. Together, them “talk loud to God,” and pray to get strong heart to fit continue to preach. (Acts 4:24) Peter know say we no fit trust our own power to do wetin God want. Some weeks before this time, Peter trust im own power when e tell Jesus say: “Even if all the other people fall because of wetin go happen to you, I no go ever fall!” But just as Jesus talk before, fear catch Peter and e deny im friend and teacher. But Peter learn from im mistake.—Matt. 26:33, 34, 69-75.

¹⁴ To make up your mind no be the only thing wey go help you obey the command to preach about Jesus Christ. When people try to make you to stop to serve Jehovah, follow Peter and John example. Pray make Jehovah give you power. Tell brothers and sisters for congregation to help you. Tell elders and other mature Christians about your problems. When people de pray for you, Jehovah de hear and e go give you power.—Eph. 6:18; Jas. 5:16.

15. If you stop to preach before, which example fit encourage you?

¹⁵ If you don stop to preach before because you de fear some people, no let that one tire you. Remember say, Jesus apostles stop to preach for some time after Jesus die, but after, them start to preach again. (Matt. 26:56; 28:10, 16-20) So no tire, instead, make you learn from your mistake and help other people gain from wetin you learn.

16, 17. Wetin we fit learn from the prayer of Jesus Christ followers for Jerusalem?

¹⁶ Wetin we go pray for when people wey get authority de suffer us? Remember say, the disciples no pray make people no suffer them. Them remember wetin Jesus talk say: “If them don suffer me, them go suffer una too.” (John 15:20) So them tell Jehovah to “hear as [the people] de try to make [them] fear.” (Acts 4:29) The disciples know say, wetin dey important pass na make wetin Jehovah want happen. Them know say na prophecy de happen as them de suffer. Jesus don teach them to pray make wetin God want ‘happen for this earth.’ Them know say e go happen no matter wetin people wey de rule talk.—Matt. 6:9, 10.

¹⁷ For them to fit do wetin God want, the disciples pray to Jehovah say: “Help your slaves make them really get strong heart to continue to talk about your word.” How Jehovah answer their prayer? “The place wey them gather together shake, and holy spirit full inside all of them and them no fear as them de talk the word of God.” (Acts 4:29-31) Nothing fit stop wetin God want to happen. (Isa. 55:11) No matter how the thing hard reach, no matter how the enemy strong reach, if we pray to God to give us power, e go give us so that we go fit continue to preach with strong heart.

Na God Go Judge, No Be People (Acts 4:32–5:11)

18. Wetin the disciples wey dey the congregation for Jerusalem do for each other?

¹⁸ The new congregation come later pass 5,000 people.d Even though them come from different-different place, all of them “dey as one for heart and mind.” Them get one mind for everything and de think for the same way. (Acts 4:32; 1 Cor. 1:10) The disciples no only pray to Jehovah, them still do more—them support each other to get strong faith and even for other ways. (1 John 3:16-18) For example, Joseph, the disciple wey the apostles de call Barnabas, sell im own land and use all im heart give the apostles the whole money, make them use-am help new disciples wey come from far place, to fit stay for Jerusalem for some time and learn more about Jehovah.

19. Why Jehovah kill Ananias and Sapphira?

¹⁹ Ananias and Sapphira na husband and wife wey sell their property and give the apostles money. Them pretend like say na the whole money them contribute but the truth be say, them “hide some of the money.” (Acts 5:2) Jehovah kill Ananias and Sapphira, no be because the money no reach, but na because them lie and na bad thing dey their mind as them de contribute the money. Their “lie, no be to people, but na to God.” (Acts 5:4) Like the pretenders wey Jesus condemn, Ananias and Sapphira want make people praise them instead of God.—Matt. 6:1-3.

20. Which lessons we learn about things wey we de give Jehovah?

²⁰ Just as Christians for the time of the apostles de like to give, millions of Jehovah Witness still de get open hand to give to support the preaching work for the whole world. Them no de force anybody to use im time or money support the work. Jehovah no want make we de complain as we de serve-am or de do-am by force. (2 Cor. 9:7) Wetin dey important pass to Jehovah na the reason why we de give, no be how the money plenty reach. (Mark 12:41-44) Make we no be like Ananias and Sapphira. Make we no serve God because of wetin we go gain or because we want make people praise us. Instead, make we be like Peter, John, and Barnabas, and serve Jehovah because we really love God and people.—Matt. 22:37-40.