16 EKOBEE

“Lu Lo Sī Masɛdɔnia Ama”

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Susu tam alu enɛ i sa egerebu bu ɛɛbu wee nua leelee

Dɛɛa nyɔɔ Doonu 16:6-40

1-3. (a) Bu mɛ sīdee na kaɛ edɔɔ̄ bee baɛloo Pɔɔl le pya a bee ye le loo a? (b) Ena i kɛɛrɛbu loo a?

¹Buū bu English

² Buū bu English

³ Buū bu English

“Bari Ekora I” (Doonu 16:6-15)

4, 5. (a) Ena a bee siraloo Pɔɔl le pya ye gbo bie waɛloo Bitinia a? (b) Ena pya a wee nyɔɔnɛ dumɛ Jizɔs ama bee biaɛfii a, e ena a sira aabu a?

⁴ Buū bu English

⁵ Buū bu English

“So we put out to sea from Troas.”—Acts 16:11

6, 7. (a) Ena i dap nɔ aāloo nu a bee sira sɔ̄ Pɔɔl bee le dee kiā a? (b) Amunu dɛrɛ nyiɛ nyɔɔ na i ɛrɛ aāloo nu a bee siraloo Pɔɔl a?

⁶ Buū bu English

⁷ Buū bu English

8. (a) Naa baatɛ̄ kɛ̄ buɛ̄ Filipai bee mɛā doo. (b) Amunu le nu na a bee sira sɔ̄ Pɔɔl bee zue ue bie “dɔ kɛ̄ yere kara” a?

⁸ Buū bu English

9. Bu mɛ sīdee na gbɛnɛ-edo nɛɛ enɔā edoba Pɔɔl anii’ee a, e amunu leelee na esira aabu a?

⁹ Buū bu English

How can we “step over into Macedonia” today?

“Gbɛnɛkpo Nɛɛ Aakɛ̄ Loo Edoo Wa” (Doonu 16:16-24

10. Ena pya gbo-yɔ bee doo lo edoo kɔ pya nɛɛ a kiiya lo edoo Pɔɔl le pya a bee ye le loo a?

¹⁰ Buū bu English

11. Ena a bee siraloo Pɔɔl le Sailas sɔ̄ a bee lu elɛɛ pɔrɔ edɔɔ̄ bu lo nwiī emuā a?

¹¹ Buū bu English

12. (a) Bu mɛ sīdee na pya a bee nyɔɔnɛ dumɛ Kraist bee ɛp tɛ̄ŋaloo a, e ena anua a? (b) Pya amunu sīdee na Setan le pya a ye le loo lege gaa su beā Pya Nɛɛ Kraist anii’ee a?

¹² Buū bu English

“Lu Edoo Ye Baptism Loo Aba Sɔ̄” (Doonu 16:25-34)

13. Ena a bee doo kɔ nɛɛ baɛloo tɔ kpɔgɔrɔ a bip kɔ: “Ena m doo lokwa alu ekpɔā mɛ a?”

¹³ Buū bu English

14. (a) Bu mɛ sīdee na Pɔɔl le Sailas bee yerebah nɛ lo nɛɛ baɛloo tɔ kpɔgɔrɔ a? (b) Bu mɛ sīdee na Jɛhova bee nɛ leelee Pɔɔl le Sailas nyɔɔbee ba bee egerebu bu ɛɛbu a?

¹⁴ Buū bu English

15. (a) Bu mɛ sīdee na gbɛnɛ-edo pya Ekeebee anii’ee enyɔɔnɛ edoba Pɔɔl le Sailas a? (b) Ena anua i wee kiisī lo ewee obia si loo pya a le i kɛ̄ zue ue a?

¹⁵ Buū bu English

“Nyaawo Ba Gaa I Kpo Bu Gɔā Lɛɛ Ni?” (Doonu 16:35-40)

16. Ena a bee sira dee a bee lu ezip Pɔɔl le Sailas a?

¹⁶ Buū bu English

17. Amunu nu enɔ a kuī na pya aā nɛɛ a wee nyɔɔnɛ dumɛ Kraist bee nɔ sɔ̄ ba bee muɛ kɛ̄ Pɔɔl le Sailas bee egerebu doo a?

¹⁷ Buū bu English

18. (a) Bu mɛ sīdee na pya kanɛɛ anii’ee nɔ edoba Pɔɔl a? (b) Bu mɛ sīdee na i ‘kpega sa zue le yereue bu sīdee lok yerekpotɛ̄’ anii’ee a?

¹⁸ Buū bu English

LUKE—THE WRITER OF ACTS

Up to chapter 16, verse 9, the book of Acts is narrated strictly in the third person. That is, the writer limits himself to reporting what others said and did. At Acts 16:10, 11, however, there is a change in that style. In verse 11, for instance, the writer says: “We put out to sea from Troas and made a straight run to Samothrace.” This is where Luke, the writer, joined the action. But since Luke’s name does not appear anywhere in Acts of Apostles, how do we know that he was, in fact, the writer?

The answer lies in the introductions to the book of Acts and Luke’s Gospel. Both introductions are addressed to a certain “Theophilus.” (Luke 1:1, 3; Acts 1:1) The opening words of Acts read: “The first account, O Theophilus, I composed about all the things Jesus started to do and to teach.” Since ancient authorities agree that “the first account,” the Gospel, was written by Luke, he must also have written Acts.

We do not know very much about Luke. His name appears only three times in the Bible. The apostle Paul calls Luke “the beloved physician” and one of his own “fellow workers.” (Col. 4:14; Philem. 24) The “we” sections of the book of Acts—those in which Luke includes himself in the narrative—indicate that Luke first accompanied the apostle Paul from Troas to Philippi in about 50 C.E. but that when Paul left Philippi, Luke was no longer with him. The two men met up again in Philippi in about 56 C.E. and traveled with seven other brothers from Philippi to Jerusalem, where Paul was arrested. Two years later, Luke accompanied Paul, who was still in chains, from Caesarea to Rome. (Acts 16:10-17, 40; 20:5–21:17; 24:27; 27:1–28:16) When Paul, who had been jailed for a second time in Rome, perceived that his execution was near, “only Luke” was with him. (2 Tim. 4:6, 11) It is clear that Luke traveled long distances and was willing to suffer hardships for the sake of the good news.

Luke did not claim to have witnessed what he wrote about Jesus. On the contrary, he said that he undertook “to compile an account of the facts” based on the accounts of “eyewitnesses.” Moreover, he “traced all things from the start with accuracy, to write them to you in logical order.” (Luke 1:1-3) The results of Luke’s labors show that he was a careful researcher. Perhaps he conducted interviews with Elizabeth, with Jesus’ mother, Mary, and with others in order to collect his material. Much of what he wrote is unique among the Gospel accounts.—Luke 1:5-80.

Paul stated that Luke was a physician, and a doctor’s interest in those who suffer can be perceived in what he wrote. Just to mention a few examples: Luke noted that when Jesus cured a demon-possessed man, “the demon came out of him without hurting him”; that the apostle Peter’s mother-in-law was distressed with “a high fever”; and that a woman whom Jesus helped had been afflicted with “a spirit of weakness for 18 years; and she was bent double and was unable to straighten up at all.”—Luke 4:35, 38; 13:11.

Clearly, Luke put “the work of the Lord” first in his life. (1 Cor. 15:58) His objective was, not to pursue a secular career or prominence, but simply to help others know and serve Jehovah.

LYDIA—THE SELLER OF PURPLE

Lydia lived in Philippi, a prominent city in Macedonia. She was originally from Thyatira, a city in the region called Lydia in western Asia Minor. To ply her trade as a seller of purple, Lydia had moved across the Aegean Sea. She likely traded in purple goods of various kinds—rugs, tapestries, fabrics, and even dyes. An inscription found in Philippi testifies to the presence of a guild of sellers of purple in that city.

Lydia is described as “a worshipper of God,” likely meaning that she was a proselyte to Judaism. (Acts 16:14) She may have become acquainted with the worship of Jehovah in her home city. In contrast with Philippi, it hosted a Jewish meeting place. Some believe that Lydia was a nickname—meaning “Lydian Woman”—given to her in Philippi. However, there is documentary evidence to show that Lydia was also in use as a proper name.

The Lydians and their neighbors were famed for their skill in the dyeing of purple since the days of Homer, in the ninth or eighth century B.C.E. Indeed, Thyatira’s water was reputed to produce “the brightest and the most permanent hues.”

Purple materials were luxury items, accessible only to the rich. Although different sources for purple dye were known, the best and most expensive—used for treating fine linen—came from Mediterranean shellfish. A single drop of dye could be extracted from each mollusk, and some 8,000 shellfish had to be processed to obtain just one gram of the precious liquid; thus, cloth of that color was very costly.

Since Lydia’s trade required substantial capital and she had a large house capable of hosting four men—Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke—in all likelihood she was a successful and wealthy merchant. The reference to her “household” could mean that she lived with relatives, but it may also imply that she had slaves and servants. (Acts 16:15) And the fact that before leaving the city, Paul and Silas met with some brothers in this hospitable woman’s home suggests that it became a meeting place for the first Christians in Philippi.—Acts 16:40.

When Paul wrote to the Philippian congregation some ten years later, he made no mention of Lydia. So the details contained in Acts chapter 16 are all we know about her.

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