“Continue to Talk and Make You No Keep Quiet”

1-3. Why apostle Paul come Corinth, and which problems e face?

APOSTLE Paul dey for Corinth, and this na around the ending of 50 C.E. This place na center of business, and money dey well-well. Greek, Rome, and Jew people full here.a Paul no come here to buy or sell things, or to look for work. Wetin make-am come dey very important, na to preach about the Kingdom of God. E need place to stay, but e decide say e no go be like load for people. E no want do wetin go make people think say them must give-am money as e de preach the word of God. So wetin e go do?

² Paul know how to make tents. E no easy to make tents, but Paul ready to use im hand work to care for imself. E go see work for this busy city? E go fit see better place to stay? Even though say Paul de think about this things, e no forget about the preaching work wey be im main work.

³ E be like say Paul stay for Corinth for some time, and better-better things happen because of im preaching work there. Wetin we fit learn from the work wey Paul do for Corinth wey fit help us preach well about the Kingdom of God for our area?

“Their Work Na to Make Tent” (Acts 18:​1-4)

4, 5. (a) Where Paul stay when e dey Corinth, and which work e do to support imself? (b) How Paul take learn how to make tents?

⁴ As Paul reach Corinth, after some time, e come see one husband and wife wey welcome-am well. The man na Jew person, and im name na Aquila. Im wife name na Priscilla, or Prisca. This husband and wife come stay for Corinth because Emperor Claudius “command all the Jew people say make them comot from Rome.” (Acts 18:​1, 2) Aquila and Priscilla allow Paul stay for their house, and still allow-am to join them for their business. Bible talk say: “Because e [Paul] de do the same handwork with them, e stay for their house and work with them, and their work na to make tent.” (Acts 18:3) This husband and wife get better mind and sabi welcome people. Paul stay for their house when e dey Corinth de preach. E fit be say na when Paul de stay with Aquila and Priscilla, e write some of the letters wey later become part of the Bible.b

⁵ Paul go school, and na ʼGamaliel teach-am.ʼ So why e be say e come de make tent? (Acts 22:3) E be like say even if Jew people for the apostles time de send their children go school well-well, them no de shame to teach their children handwork. So e fit be say Paul learn this work when e still dey young, because e come from Tarsus wey dey Cilicia, and people know that place well-well as where them de make one cloth wey them de call cilicium, wey them de use make tents. To make tents no easy. The person go weave the cloth wey e de use make the tent, or cut-am and sew-am. E hard to do this work because the cloth dey strong.

6, 7. (a) Even though Paul work to make tent, how e see this work, and wetin show say na so Aquila and Priscilla see their work too? (b) How Christians for our time de follow the example of Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla?

⁶ To de make tent no be the work wey dey important pass for Paul. E do this work to care for imself, as e de preach the good news “for free.” (2 Cor. 11:7) But how Aquila and Priscilla see their business? As Christians, them go don see-am the same way wey Paul see-am. The truth be say, when Paul comot from Corinth for 52 C.E., Aquila and Priscilla leave their business and follow-am go Ephesus. And for there, na for their house the congregation de do meeting. (1 Cor. 16:19) Later them go back to Rome and after, them go back to Ephesus. This husband and wife put the Kingdom work as number one thing for their life and them ready to work hard to help other people. Na this one make “all the congregations of the nations” thank them.​—Rom. 16:​3-5; 2 Tim. 4:19.

⁷ Christians for our time de follow the example of Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla. Brothers and sisters wey de put body for the preaching work de work hard so that them no go carry heavy load give anybody. (1 Thess. 2:9) Many pioneers de do part-time work so that them go see money care for theirself as them de do the main work, wey be the preaching work. Like Aquila and Priscilla, many brothers and sisters de allow circuit overseers stay for their house. Brothers and sisters wey de “always welcome and care for people” de see say this one de encourage them and make them happy.​—Rom.12:13.

“Many Corinth People . . . Start to Believe” (Acts 18:​5-8)

8, 9. Wetin Paul do when Jew people dey against-am because e de use all im time preach to them, and where e come dey de preach?

⁸ When Silas and Timothy bring plenty gifts from Macedonia, wetin Paul do make-am clear say the reason why e de work na just to care for imself. (2 Cor. 11:9) Wetin e do? At once, e “start to really busy de teach people the word [or ‘use all im time de preach,’ as The Jerusalem Bible talk-am].” (Acts 18:5) But as Paul preach to the Jew people reach, na so them continue to dey against-am too. So to show them say no be im fault as them no want accept the message of Christ wey go save them, Paul come shake im cloth and tell the Jew people wey dey against-am say: “Make una blood dey una own head. My hand clean. From now go, I de go meet the people of the nations.”​—Acts 18:6; Ezek. 3:​18, 19.

⁹ Where Paul go do im preaching work now? One man wey im name na Titius Justus, wey im house near the synagogue open im house for Paul. E fit be say this man na person wey join Jew people religion. So Paul stop to preach for the synagogue, e come de preach for Justus house. (Acts 18:7) When Paul dey for Corinth, na Aquila and Priscilla house e de stay, but na for Justus house e de do im preaching work.

10. Wetin show say no be only the people of the nations Paul want really preach to?

¹⁰ When Paul talk say from now go, e de go meet the people of the nations, e no mean say e go stop to teach Jew people or people wey join Jew people religion wey want listen. For example “Crispus, wey be the leader for the synagogue and everybody for im house believe the good news and follow the Lord.” And e be like say some of the people wey de come the synagogue join Crispus, because Bible talk say: “Many Corinth people wey hear start to believe too, and them baptize them.” (Acts 18:8) So the house of Titius Justus come be the place wey the new congregation for Corinth de do meeting. If Luke write the different-different story for the book of Acts follow each other as them take happen, as e de always write, e mean say na after Paul don shake im cloth and talk say e de go meet the people of the nations, na im those Jew people or the people wey join Jew religion turn to Christians. That one show say Paul ready to adjust and preach to anybody wey want listen.

11. How Jehovah people de copy Paul as them de preach to people wey dey different-different church?

¹¹ For many place today, people dey many church wey de claim say them be Christians. And the church don affect the way the people de live their life for many years. For some countries and islands, the missionaries of all this church don gather plenty members. Instead of their friendship with God to direct how them de live their life, this people wey de claim to be Christian de allow the way their church de do things to direct them. And na so e still be for the Jew people for Corinth for the apostles time. But like Paul, as Jehovah people, we still de try to preach to this kind people and help them understand wetin them don read for Bible. Even when them dey against us, or the leaders for their religion de suffer us, we no de stop to try to help people. Some people among them “de put all their heart to serve God, but them no de do-am according to the correct teaching,” so we need to look for them and help them.​—Rom. 10:2.

“I Get Many People for This City” (Acts 18:​9-17)

12. Wetin Jesus tell Paul for vision wey encourage-am?

¹² If Paul be de think whether make e continue to preach for Corinth or make e stop, e go don know wetin to do after Jesus appear to-am for vision for night and tell-am say: “Make you no fear. Instead, make you continue to talk and make you no keep quiet, because I dey with you, and nobody go attack you to wound you; because I get many people for this city.” (Acts 18:​9, 10) This vision really encourage Paul! Na the Lord Jesus imself tell Paul say e go protect-am from im enemies, and say plenty people dey the city wey e want-am to preach to. Wetin Paul do after e see this vision? Bible talk say: “E stay there for one year and six months, de teach the people the word of God.”​—Acts 18:11.

13. As Paul de near the place wey the judgment seat dey, wetin e fit don remember, and how e know say them no go kill-am like Stephen?

¹³ After Paul don stay about one year for Corinth, another thing happen wey make-am dey sure say Jesus de support-am. “Jew people join hand together attack Paul and carry-am go the judgment seat,” wey them de call beʹma. (Acts 18:12) E fit be say this place wey them call beʹma be dey near the middle of the market area for Corinth, and some people believe say this na one high platform wey them use blue and white stones make and carve fine-fine design on top-am. The open space wey dey for front of the beʹma big reach for plenty people to gather. People wey de dig ground to know things wey happen for olden days, see some things wey show say, e be like say the judgment seat no far from the synagogue wey near Justus house. As Paul de near the place, e fit don think about the time wey them use stones kill Stephen. Sometimes them de call Stephen the first person wey die because e de talk about Christ. That time, na Saul be the name of Paul, and “e gree make them kill Stephen.” (Acts 8:1) So na that kind thing want happen to Paul now? No, because Jesus don promise-am say: “Nobody . . . go wound you.”​—Acts 18:10.

14, 15. (a) Wetin the Jew people talk say Paul do, and why Gallio end the matter? (b) Wetin happen to Sosthenes, and why some people believe say e fit don change to Christian later?

¹⁴ Wetin happen when Paul reach the judgment seat? The judge name na Gallio. Na im be the governor of Achaia, and na elder brother of Seneca wey be one philosopher from Rome. The Jew people accuse Paul say: “This man de make people worship God for way wey dey against the law.” (Acts 18:13) Jew people talk say Paul de break law as e de make some Jew people change to Christians. But Gallio see say Paul no do any “bad thing,” and e no do any “serious thing against the law.” (Acts 18:14) Gallio no want put mouth at all for the things wey Jew people de argue about. So, before Paul go even talk anything, Gallio end the matter. The Jew people vex no be small. Na Sosthenes them come de vex for, and e fit be say na im take over from Crispus as the leader for the synagogue. So them hold Sosthenes and “start to beat-am for front of the judgment seat.”​—Acts 18:17.

¹⁵ Why Gallio no stop the people as them de beat Sosthenes? E fit be say Gallio think say na Sosthenes gather the people against Paul, so na wetin e suppose get be that. Even if no be Sosthenes gather the people against Paul, wetin happen fit don bring better result. After some years, for the first letter wey Paul write to the congregation for Corinth, e mention one brother wey im name na Sosthenes. (1 Cor. 1:​1, 2) Na the same Sosthenes wey them beat for Corinth be this? If na im, e mean say the beating fit don make-am change to Christian.

16. As Jesus talk say “make you continue to talk and make you no keep quiet, because I dey with you,” how this one de encourage us to continue the preaching work?

¹⁶ Remember say na after the Jew people no gree listen to Paul, na im the Lord Jesus tell-am say: “Make you no fear. Instead, make you continue to talk and make you no keep quiet, because I dey with you.” (Acts 18:​9, 10) E good make we always remember this thing wey Jesus talk, especially when people no gree listen to us. Make we no ever forget say Jehovah de see wetin dey inside people heart and e de draw people wey want really serve-am, to imself. (1 Sam. 16:7; John 6:44) This one de really encourage us to continue the preaching work! Plenty thousands of people de baptize every year and hundreds of people de baptize everyday. Jesus tell im disciples say: “Make una . . . make people from all the nations my disciples.” E promise all the people wey obey this command say: “I dey with una all the days go reach the last days of the world.”​—Matt. 28:​19, 20.

“If Na Wetin Jehovah Want” (Acts 18:​18-22)

17, 18. As Paul dey boat de go Ephesus, wetin e fit de think about?

¹⁷ We no know whether na that decision wey Gallio make about the people wey dey against Paul, na im make the new congregation for Corinth get peace. But Paul “stay plenty more days for there,” before e tell the brothers for Corinth bye-bye. For the season wey new leaves de come out for 52 C.E., Paul decide to enter boat from Cenchreae go Syria, and this journey na about 11 km from the east side of Corinth. But before Paul comot from Cenchreae, e “cut im hair short because of the promise wey e make to God.”c (Acts 18:18) After that one, Aquila and Priscilla follow-am cross the Aegean Sea go Ephesus wey dey Asia Minor.

¹⁸ As Paul enter boat de comot from Cenchreae, e fit be say e de think about the things wey happen when e dey Corinth. Many good things happen wey go make-am really happy. Better things happen because of the preaching work wey e do for there, for one and half years. Now, congregation don dey for Corinth, and na for Justus house them de gather do meeting. Some of the people wey become Christians na Justus, Crispus and im family, and many other people. Paul really love this new brothers and sisters, because na im help them become Christians. After, e write letter to them, and e talk say the brothers be like letters wey talk good things about-am and them write this letters ontop im heart. Na so we self de really love the people wey we help to come serve Jehovah. We de really happy when we see this people wey be like “letters . . . wey talk good things about us”!​—2 Cor. 3:​1-3.

19, 20. Wetin Paul do when e reach Ephesus, and wetin we learn from-am about how to plan to do more for Jehovah?

¹⁹ When Paul reach Ephesus, e just start to preach at once. E “enter the synagogue and start to reason with Jew people.” (Acts 18:19) This time, Paul no too stay long for Ephesus. Even though say them beg-am make e still stay, “e no gree stay.” When e de comot, e tell the people say: “I go come see una again, if na wetin Jehovah want.” (Acts 18:​20, 21) Paul go don know say plenty people still dey Ephesus wey e need to preach to. And e be want go back to Ephesus, but e decide to leave the matter for Jehovah hand. This one no be better example for us? We want plan our life for way wey go allow us do Jehovah work well-well. But we must always follow the direction wey de come from Jehovah and do the things wey agree with wetin e want.​—Jas. 4:15.

²⁰ Paul come enter boat go Caesarea, but e leave Aquila and Priscilla for Ephesus. E fit be say e “go up” go greet the brothers for the congregation wey dey Jerusalem. (Check study note for Acts 18:​22, nwtsty.) Then e go Antioch wey dey Syria. Na there e de stay anytime wey e no de travel. Na so Paul end im second missionary journey with better-better result. Now make we see wetin happen for the third time wey e travel go preach as missionary.