CHAPTER 12

“Jehovah Strongim Tufala for No Fraet for Story”

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Paul and Barnabas hambol, no givap, and no fraet

1, 2. Wanem nao happen taem Paul and Barnabas stap long Lystra?

PIPOL long Lystra mek noise tumas. Olketa sapraes bikos tufala stranger, Paul and Barnabas healim man wea kripol start from taem hem born. Hem jampjamp bikos hem hapi fogud. Wanfala priest bilong Zeus tekem kam olketa flaoa for tufala bikos pipol tingse tufala olketa god. Olketa buluka krae big bikos priest redi for busarem olketa. Bat Paul and Barnabas les long wanem pipol hia duim. Tufala brekem kaleko bilong tufala, ran go long olketa, and talem olketa for no worshipim tufala. Tufala barava stragol for stopem olketa.

² Then olketa Jew from Antioch long Pisidia and Iconium wea againstim Paul and Barnabas arrive long Lystra. Olketa tok laea abaotem tufala and mekem pipol long Lystra for againstim tufala. Pipol hia wea firstaem laek worshipim Paul sutim hem long ston gogo hem hafded. Bihaen olketa aotem evri kros bilong olketa, olketa pullim Paul go aotsaed long taon from olketa tingse hem dae nao.

3. Olketa wanem kwestin nao bae iumi ansarem?

³ Wanem nao happen samfala day bifor datfala nogud samting happen long Lystra? Wanem nao iumi lanem from samting wea happen long Barnabas, Paul, and from pipol long Lystra wea kwiktaem changem tingting bilong olketa? Barnabas and Paul no givap for preach and “Jehovah strongim tufala for no fraet for story.” Hao nao olketa elder savve followim example bilong tufala faithful brata hia?—Acts 14:3.

‘Staka Pipol Biliv’ (Acts 14:1-7)

4, 5. Why nao Paul and Barnabas go long Iconium, and wanem nao happen long there?

⁴ Samfala day bifor, olketa Jew mekem pipol long Antioch long Pisidia for againstim Paul and Barnabas and raosem tufala from datfala taon. Tufala no wikdaon bat “tufala aotem dust from leg bilong tufala” for warnim olketa wea no laek lisin long gud nius. (Acts 13:50-52; Matt. 10:14) Paul and Barnabas no raoa witim olketa bat tufala lusim datfala taon. Tufala savve God nao bae judgem pipol hia long samting wea olketa duim. (Acts 18:5, 6; 20:26) Tufala hapi and gohed long missionary gogo bilong tufala. Tufala baeleg southeast for samting olsem 150 kilometer and tufala kasem flat ples wea stap midolwan long olketa Taurus and Sultan maunten.

⁵ Paul and Barnabas go firstaem long Iconium. a Plande pipol long there followim kastom bilong olketa long Greece and hem wanfala main taon long Galatia, wanfala province bilong Rome. Staka Jew and pipol wea followim religion bilong olketa Jew stap long there. Olsem Paul and Barnabas savve duim evritaem, tufala go long sinagog and start for preach. (Acts 13:5, 14) “From tufala story gud tumas, staka Jew and staka pipol bilong Greece olketa biliv.”—Acts 14:1.

ICONIUM HEM TAON BILONG PHRYGIA

Iconium stap long flat ples antap long maunten wea garem staka wata and wea kaikai grow gud. Hem stap saed long crossroad wea pipol followim for go salem olketa samting long Syria, Rome, Greece, and long Asia wanfala province bilong Rome.

Pipol long Iconium worshipim Cybele, woman god bilong Phrygia. Olketa worshipim Cybele for mekem olketa garem staka pikinini. Olketa duim tu samfala samting wea followim kastom bilong pipol long Greece long worship bilong olketa. Start long 65 B.C.E., Rome rulim Iconium and long first century C.E., Iconium hem big taon and main ples for duim bisnis and agriculture. Nomata plande Jew stap long Iconium, luk olsem staka pipol gohed followim kastom bilong olketa long Greece. Buk bilong Acts sei olketa Jew and “pipol bilong Greece” stap long Iconium.—Acts 14:1.

Iconium stap long border bilong Lycaonia and Phrygia, tufala area long Galatia. Samfala man for raet bifor olsem Cicero and Strabo, sei Iconium hem wanfala taon bilong Lycaonia bikos saed long geography, Iconium hem part bilong datfala area. Bat buk bilong Acts showimaot Iconium hem no wanfala taon bilong Lycaonia wea pipol story long “Lycaonian languis.” (Acts 14:1-6, 11) From datwan, samfala pipol sei buk bilong Acts no talem stret samting. Bat long year 1910, olketa savveman wea digdig long graon long Iconium faendem olketa samting wea garem raeting long hem. Olketa raeting hia showimaot pipol long Iconium gohed story long Phrygian languis for 200 year bihaen Paul and Barnabas go long there. So buk bilong Acts talem tru samting hao Iconium hem no wanfala taon bilong Lycaonia.

6. Why nao Paul and Barnabas savve tumas hao for teach, and hao nao iumi savve followim example bilong tufala?

⁶ Why nao Paul and Barnabas savve tumas hao for teach? Paul savve gud long olketa Holy Raeting. Hem savve explainim history, olketa profesi, and Law bilong Moses wea pruvim Jesus nao Messiah wea God promisim. (Acts 13:15-31; 26:22, 23) Wei wea Barnabas story showimaot hem tingim pipol. (Acts 4:36, 37; 9:27; 11:23, 24) Paul and Barnabas no depend long savve bilong tufala seleva bat ‘Jehovah nao strongim tufala.’ Hao nao iu savve followim example bilong tufala missionary hia taem iu duim preaching waka? Iu savve duim fofala samting. First samting, studyim gud Bible. Mek-tu, chusim olketa scripture wea pipol bae interest long hem. Mek-thri, tingim wanem iu savve duim for comfortim pipol. And mek-foa, evritaem iusim Bible for teachim pipol and no depend long savve bilong iuseleva.

7. (a) Wanem nao pipol savve duim taem olketa herem gud nius? (b) Sapos famili bilong iu againstim iu bikos iu acceptim gud nius, wanem nao hem gud for tingim?

⁷ Bat no evriwan long Iconium laek herem gud nius wea Paul and Barnabas preachim. Luke sei: “Olketa Jew wea no biliv, mekem olketa wea no Jew for garem barava nogud tingting abaotem olketa brata and for againstim olketa.” Paul and Barnabas luksavve tufala need for defendim gud nius. “So tufala stap lelebet longtaem long Iconium and Jehovah strongim tufala for no fraet for story.” From datwan, “evri pipol long datfala taon, olketa divaed long tufala grup. Samfala saedem olketa Jew and olketa narawan saedem tufala aposol hia.” (Acts 14:2-4) Hem olsem tu distaem. Gud nius savve mekem samfala for wan mind bat hem savve mekem olketa narawan for againstim olketa wea acceptim gud nius. (Matt. 10:34-36) Sapos famili bilong iu againstim iu bikos iu acceptim gud nius, plande taem hem bikos olketa herem laea story abaotem iumi or olketa herem pipol tok spoelem iumi. Gudfala wei bilong iu savve mekem olketa luksavve story olsem hem no tru and maet gogo olketa no againstim iu.—1 Pet. 2:12; 3:1, 2.

8. Why nao Paul and Barnabas lusim Iconium, and wanem nao iumi lanem from tufala?

⁸ Gogo olketa long Iconium wea againstim Paul and Barnabas plan for sutim tufala long ston. Taem tufala savve long datwan, tufala disaed for go preach long nara ples. (Acts 14:5-7) Iumi tu iusim gudfala tingting taem iumi preach. Taem pipol tok spoelem iumi, iumi no fraet for story. (Phil. 1:7; 1 Pet. 3:13-15) Bat sapos danger kamap long wanfala ples, iumi no duim krangge samting wea bae putim laef bilong iumi and laef bilong olketa brata long danger.—Prov. 22:3.

“Worshipim God wea Laef” (Acts 14:8-19)

9, 10. Wea nao Lystra hem stap, and wanem nao iumi savve abaotem pipol long there?

⁹ Paul and Barnabas go long Lystra, wanfala taon wea Rome rulim wea stap samting olsem 30 kilometer southwest long Iconium. Staka samting long Lystra and Antioch long Pisidia hem semsem, bat no staka Jew stap long Lystra. Nomata pipol long Lystra savve story long Greek languis, really languis bilong olketa hem Lycaonian. Maet Lystra no garem sinagog, dastawe Paul and Barnabas preach long pablik ples. Tingim diswan. Taem Peter stap long Jerusalem, hem healim man wea leg bilong hem nogud start from taem hem born. Staka pipol wea lukim datfala mirakol olketa biliv. (Acts 3:1-10) Long Lystra, Paul healim tu man wea kripol start from taem hem born. (Acts 14:8-10) Bat pipol long Lystra duim barava difren samting taem olketa lukim datfala mirakol.

¹⁰ Olsem iumi storyim long start bilong disfala chapter, taem olketa heathen pipol long Lystra lukim man wea kripol jamp ap and start for wakabaot, olketa garem rong tingting abaotem Paul and Barnabas. Olketa sei Barnabas hem Zeus, chief bilong olketa god, and Paul hem Hermes, son bilong Zeus and man for toktok for olketa god. (Lukim box, “ Lystra and Wei for Worshipim Zeus and Hermes.”) Bat Barnabas and Paul laekem pipol hia for mas luksavve tufala no kasem paoa from olketa heathen god bat trufala God Jehovah nao givim paoa long tufala for talem and duim olketa samting hia.—Acts 14:11-14.

LYSTRA AND WEI FOR WORSHIPIM ZEUS AND HERMES

Lystra stap long valley wea no klosap tumas long olketa main road. King Augustus mekem Lystra wanfala taon bilong Rome and nemim long Julia Felix Gemina Lustra. Olketa soldia long Lystra protectim Galatia from olketa tribe wea stap long maunten. Olketa bigman rulim Lystra followim wei wea olketa long Rome organizem samting and olketa bigman hia garem olketa title long languis bilong Rome. Nomata olsem, Lystra no change tumas. Hem olsem taon bilong Lycaonia and no olsem Rome. Olsem buk bilong Acts storyim, pipol bilong Lystra story long Lycaonian languis.

Long area klosap long Lystra bifor, olketa savveman wea digdig long graon faendem samting wea garem raeting long hem wea storyim “olketa priest bilong Zeus.” Olketa faendem tu image bilong god Hermes and altar wea pipol iusim for worshipim Zeus and Hermes.

Kastom story bilong Ovid helpem iumi for minim why pipol laek givim olketa sakrifaes long Paul and Barnabas. Ovid hem man bilong Rome wea raetem olketa poem and hem born long 43 B.C.E. and dae long 17 C.E. Ovid sei tufala god bilong Rome, Jupiter and Mercury, wea long Greek languis hem Zeus and Hermes, change for luk olsem man and visitim pipol long Phrygia. Tufala go long 1,000 haos bat no eniwan welkamim tufala. Bat Philemon and Baucis, wanfala olo hasband and waef nomoa laekem tufala for stap long smol haos bilong tufala. From datwan, Zeus and Hermes mekem haos bilong tufala kamap wanfala temple wea tufala wakem long marble and gold. Tufala markem Philemon and Baucis for kamap man and woman priest. Then Zeus and Hermes distroem haos bilong pipol wea no welkamim tufala. The Book of Acts in Its Graeco-Roman Setting sei: “Sapos pipol long Lystra tingim datfala kastom story taem olketa lukim Paul and Barnabas healim man wea kripol, maet hem nao why olketa laek givim olketa sakrifaes long tufala.”

“Lusim olketa iusles samting hia and worshipim God wea laef. Hem nao wakem skae and earth.”—Acts 14:15

11-13. (a) Wanem nao Paul and Barnabas talem long pipol long Lystra? (b) Wanem nao first samting wea iumi lanem from datwan?

¹¹ Nomata pipol long Lystra duim olketa samting hia, Paul and Barnabas traem best for kasem heart bilong olketa. Samting wea Luke storyim helpem iumi for savve long gudfala wei for preach long heathen pipol. Tingim samting wea Paul and Barnabas storyim for kasem heart bilong olketa. Tufala sei: “Olketa, hao nao iufala duim olsem? Mitufala man olsem iufala nomoa ia! Mitufala kam for talem gud nius long iufala mekem iufala lusim olketa iusles samting hia and worshipim God wea laef. Hem nao wakem skae and earth and sea and evri samting wea stap long olketa. Start long bifor and kam kasem distaem, hem letem pipol wea no Jew for followim mind bilong olketa seleva nomoa. Nomata olsem, hem duim olketa gud samting for showimaot gudfala wei bilong hem long iufala. Hem givim rain for iufala and mekem garden bilong iufala barava grow gud. Hem givim staka kaikai and mekem iufala hapi.”—Acts 14:15-17.

¹² Wanem nao iumi lanem from samting wea tufala talem? First samting, Paul and Barnabas no tingse tufala important winim olketa wea lisin long tufala. Tufala no act olsem bigman. Bat Paul and Barnabas hambol and talem pipol long Lystra tufala man olsem olketa nomoa. Hem tru hao Paul and Barnabas kasem holy spirit, lanem tru samting abaotem God, and garem hope for rul witim Christ long heven. Nomata olsem, tufala luksavve pipol long Lystra tu savve kasem olketa blessing hia sapos olketa obeyim Christ.

¹³ Hao nao tingting bilong iumi long pipol wea iumi preach long olketa? Waswe, iumi ting long olketa olsem iumi semsem nomoa? Taem iumi teachim pipol abaotem olketa tru samting long Bible, waswe, iumi followim wei bilong Paul and Barnabas and no letem pipol for mekhae long iumi? Tingim example bilong Charles Taze Russell. Nomata hem savve tumas hao for teach and leadim preaching waka start long olketa year bihaen 1870 go kasem 1916, hem sei: “Mifala no laekem pipol for mekhae long mifala or samting wea mifala raetem. And mifala no laekem pipol for kolem mifala Reverend or Rabbi.” Brata Russell hambol olsem Paul and Barnabas. Iumi tu preach for helpem pipol “worshipim God wea laef” and no for pipol mekhae long iumi.

14-16. Wanem nao nara tufala samting wea iumi lanem from wanem Paul and Barnabas talem long pipol long Lystra?

¹⁴ Tingim mek-tu samting wea iumi lanem. Paul and Barnabas changem story for fitim samting wea pipol long Lystra savve long hem. Pipol hia no olsem olketa Jew and pipol wea followim religion bilong olketa Jew wea stap long Iconium. Olketa no savve gud long olketa Holy Raeting and samting wea God duim for olketa Israelite. Bat olketa savve gud long agriculture. Lystra no hot or cold tumas and kaikai long garden hem grow gud. Pipol long there luksavve God garem olketa gudfala wei bikos hem mekem garden bilong olketa barava grow gud. So hem nao samting wea Paul and Barnabas story abaotem.—Rome 1:19, 20.

¹⁵ Waswe, iumi tu savve changem story for fitim pipol wea iumi preach long olketa? Ia. Tingim wanfala farmer. Nomata hem laek plantim semkaen seed long evri garden bilong hem, maet graon long evri garden hem no semsem. Maet graon long samfala garden hem soft and redi for plantim seed. Bat maet graon long nara garden hem strong and hem mas houm gud firstaem. Iumi tu plantim wankaen seed nomoa, wea hem nao message abaotem Kingdom wea Bible storyim. Sapos iumi followim example bilong Paul and Barnabas, iumi bae trae for savve long living and religion bilong olketa wea iumi preach long olketa. Wei for savve long datwan bae helpem iumi long hao for storyim message abaotem Kingdom.—Luke 8:11, 15.

¹⁶ Tingim mek-thri samting wea iumi lanem. Nomata iumi traem best for storyim message abaotem Kingdom, samfala taem Satan tekaotem datfala message from heart bilong pipol or message hia no kasem heart bilong olketa. (Matt. 13:18-21) Sapos datwan happen, no feel nogud. Paul sei long olketa Christian long Rome: “Iumi evriwan bae ansa long God for samting wea iumi duim and talem.” Pipol wea iumi preach long olketa tu bae ansa long God.—Rome 14:12.

Tufala “Givim Olketa Elder Hia Long Jehovah” (Acts 14:20-28)

17. Bihaen Paul and Barnabas lusim Derbe, tufala go long wea, and why nao olsem?

¹⁷ Bihaen pipol long Lystra pullim Paul go aotsaed long taon and leavim hem for dae, olketa disaepol kam standap raonem hem. Paul getap and go stap long datfala taon. Long next day, Paul and Barnabas wakabaot for 100 kilometer for go long Derbe. Masbi body bilong Paul soa fogud bikos long day bifor olketa sutim hem long ston. Nomata olsem, Paul and Barnabas no givap and taem tufala kasem Derbe, tufala preach long pipol and “plande long olketa kamap disaepol.” Then tufala shud short kat go bak nomoa long Antioch long Syria, ples wea tufala stap. Bat tufala no duim datwan. “Tufala go bak long Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch [long Pisidia].” Why nao tufala duim datwan? Tufala laek “strongim olketa disaepol and encouragem olketa for gohed biliv long Lord.” (Acts 14:20-22) Tufala showimaot gud example! Tufala no ting for duim samting wea isi for tufala bat tufala tingim firstaem olketa long kongregeson. Olketa traveling overseer and missionary distaem tu followim example bilong tufala.

18. Bifor olketa elder recommendim brata for kamap elder, wanem nao olketa duim?

¹⁸ Paul and Barnabas talem and duim samting wea strongim olketa disaepol, bat tufala duim nara samting tu. “Tufala markem samfala man wea biliv long God for elder long olketa kongregeson.” Nomata “holy spirit sendem tufala” long datfala missionary gogo, tufala prea and followim kastom for no kaikai, then tufala “givim olketa elder hia long Jehovah.” (Acts 13:1-4; 14:23) Olketa elder duim semkaen samting distaem. Bifor olketa recommendim brata for kasem appointment long kongregeson, olketa story tugeta and prea abaotem sapos datfala brata kasem olketa mark long Bible. (1 Tim. 3:1-10, 12, 13; Titus 1:5-9; Jas. 3:17, 18; 1 Pet. 5:2, 3) Main samting wea olketa elder tingim hem sapos holy spirit leadim datfala brata and no haomas year hem baptaes. Olketa bae lukluk long wei bilong hem, hao hem story long pipol, and hao pipol ting long hem. Sapos hem showimaot hem kasem olketa mark long Bible, hem fit for kamap elder for lukaftarem olketa sheepsheep long kongregeson. (Gal. 5:22, 23) Circuit overseer nao garem responsibility for appointim olketa.—Comparem 1 Timothy 5:22.

19. Olketa elder savve olketa mas givim ansa long hu, and hao nao olketa followim example bilong Paul and Barnabas?

¹⁹ Olketa elder savve olketa mas givim ansa long God for hao olketa lukaftarem kongregeson. (Heb. 13:17) Olsem Paul and Barnabas, olketa elder leadim preaching waka. Olketa storyim samting wea encouragem olketa brata and sista. And olketa no tingim wanem olketa seleva nomoa laekem bat olketa tingim kongregeson firstaem.—Phil. 2:3, 4.

20. Wanem gud samting nao bae iumi kasem taem iumi read abaotem waka wea olketa faithful brata bifor duim?

²⁰ Taem Paul and Barnabas go bak long Antioch long Syria, tufala story long kongregeson abaotem “staka samting wea God iusim tufala for duim. Tufala storyim tu chance wea God givim long olketa wea no Jew for olketa savve biliv.” (Acts 14:27) Taem iumi read abaotem waka wea olketa faithful brata bifor duim and hao Jehovah blessim olketa, datwan encouragem iumi “for no fraet for story.” Iumi savve Jehovah bae strongim iumi.

a Lukim box, “ Iconium Hem Taon Bilong Phrygia.”

“BARAVA STORYIM GUD KINGDOM BILONG GOD”