Goodbye for Miletus

Waves dey hit di wall of di harbour. One ship dey wait. And one group of grown men kneel down together for di stones, dem hold one old friend for dem arms, dey cry like small children.

Paul dey on im way to Jerusalem, and e dey hurry. E wan reach there in time for di feast of Pentecost. So e don decide to sail pass Ephesus, di big city where e spend about three years dey teach and dey build one church. But e no fit bear to pass without one word. When im ship stop for di port of Miletus, south of Ephesus, e send message: make di elders of di church come. Dem make di journey. And Paul, as e know say dis fit be di last time, talk to dem from im heart.

Una know how I live among una, e talk, from di very first day wey I enter Asia. I serve di Lord with humility, with tears, through hard trials. I no hold back anything wey go help una. I teach una for public and from house to house. I tell Jews and Greeks di same thing, make dem turn to God and trust our Lord Jesus. And now, Paul talk, I dey go Jerusalem, di Spirit don bind me, and I no know wetin go happen there. Only say for every city di Holy Spirit dey warn me say chains and hardship dey wait for me. But none of dis things fit shake me, and I no hold my life as something precious to myself, so dat I go finish my race with joy.

Then e talk di hardest words of all. I know say none of una, wey I waka among una dey preach di kingdom, go see my face again. So e give dem one charge. Make una watch unaself, and watch all di flock, wey di Holy Spirit don make una overseers over am. Take care of God people like shepherd, e talk, di church wey God buy with im own blood. Because after I go, wicked wolves go enter, and dem no go spare di flock. Even from among una own group, some people go twist di truth to draw people follow dem. So make una stay awake. Remember say for three years I no stop to warn each one of una, night and day, with tears.

Paul stretch out im hands. I no ever want anybody silver or gold or clothes, e tell dem. Una know say na dis hands work to provide wetin I need, and wetin di people wey dey with me need too. I show una say by working hard we must help di weak, as we remember di words of di Lord Jesus imself: To give get more blessing pass to receive. And when e don talk dis one, Paul kneel down with all of dem and pray. All of dem cry. Dem throw dem arms round im neck and kiss am, and wetin pain dem pass na di word wey e talk, say dem no go see im face again. Then dem waka with am reach di ship.

When Paul talk dis hands, na exactly wetin e mean. Acts tell us say for Corinth e stay with Aquila and Priscilla because dem dey do di same trade: dem dey make tent, dem dey work with cloth and leather. For im letters to di Thessalonians, Paul remind dem say e work night and day so dat e no go be burden to anybody while e dey preach. One leader of di church, wey dey find im own bread with needle and awl.

Goodbye for Miletus. You go find am for Acts chapter twenty, verse seventeen to thirty-eight. One goodbye between friends, full of tears, prayer, warning and love, and di words of Jesus about giving wey Luke keep for us here. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Who don care for you di way Paul care for dis friends, and how you fit thank am?