CHAPTER 15
‘Strongim Olketa Kongregeson’
Olketa traveling overseer helpem olketa kongregeson for garem strong faith
Acts 15:36–16:5 storyim diswan
1-3. (a) Hu nao Paul chusim for go witim hem, and wanem kaen man nao hem? (b) Wanem nao bae iumi lanem long disfala chapter?
APOSOL PAUL and Timothy baeleg long olketa bush road for kasem olketa taon. Paul lukluk long Timothy and maet hem tingim wanem nao bae kasem hem. Timothy hem young and strong, and maet hem klosap 20 year or winim datwan. Taem olketa gogo, olketa isisi go farawe from hom bilong Timothy. Gogo olketa no savve lukim gud Lystra and Iconium nao. Wanem nao bae happen long gogo bilong olketa? Maet Paul savve finis bikos diswan hem mek-tu missionary gogo bilong hem. Hem savve laef bilong olketa bae stap long danger and olketa bae kasem staka problem. Waswe, Timothy gohed strong nomata olketa kasem olketa problem?
2 Paul trustim Timothy nomata Timothy maet tingse hem no fit for go witim Paul. Olketa samting wea happen no longtaem nomoa mekem Paul luksavve brata wea hem chusim for go witim hem mas gohed strong for duim waka and tufala mas wan mind taem olketa visitim and strongim olketa kongregeson. Why nao Paul ting olsem? Maet hem bikos hem and Barnabas raoa and tufala go difren nao.
3 Long disfala chapter, bae iumi lanem best wei for stretem problem. Bae iumi lanem tu why Paul chusim Timothy for go witim hem and important waka wea olketa circuit overseer duim distaem.
“Iumi Go Visitim Olketa Brata” (Acts 15:36)
4. Wanem nao Paul laek duim long mek-tu missionary gogo bilong hem?
4 Iumi lanem long Chapter 14, Paul, Barnabas, Judas, and Silas go long Antioch for storyim disison bilong governing body abaotem wei for circumcise and datwan strongim olketa brata. Bihaen datwan, wanem nao Paul duim? Hem sei long Barnabas: “Kam, iumi go visitim olketa brata long evri taon wea iumi preachim message bilong Jehovah finis. Iumi go lukim hao nao olketa gohed distaem.” (Acts 15:36) Paul no minim for olketa go hello nomoa long olketa Christian wea just baptaes. Buk bilong Acts storyim why Paul planim mek-tu missionary gogo bilong hem. First reason, hem laek storyim samting wea governing body disaedem long olketa brata. (Acts 16:4) Mek-tu, from Paul hem traveling overseer, hem laek helpem olketa kongregeson for garem strong faith mekem olketa savve gohed fren gud witim God. (Rome 1:11, 12) Hao nao organization bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness followim example bilong olketa aposol?
5. Wanem nao Governing Body duim for givim instruction and encouragem olketa kongregeson?
5 Christ iusim Governing Body bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness for leadim kongregeson bilong hem distaem. Olketa faithful anointed brata hia givim instruction and encouragem evri kongregeson long world thru long olketa leta, olketa pablikeson wea stap online and wea olketa printim, olketa kongregeson meeting, and long olketa nara wei tu. Governing Body traem best tu for savve hao each kongregeson gohed distaem. So olketa iusim olketa traveling overseer for visitim olketa kongregeson. Governing Body nao markem staka thousand elder raonem world for kamap circuit overseer.
6, 7. Wanem nao samfala responsibility bilong circuit overseer?
6 Taem olketa traveling overseer visitim olketa kongregeson, olketa showimaot interest long evriwan and encouragem olketa. Long wanem wei nao olketa duim datwan? Olketa followim example bilong olketa Christian long first century, wea wanfala hem Paul. Nomata Timothy hem elder finis, Paul encouragem hem olsem: “Talemaot toktok bilong God. Strong for duim olsem nomata taem datwan hem isi or taem hem hard. Stretem olketa brata, warnim olketa, and encouragem olketa. Taem iu duim diswan, iu mas barava patient and teach long gudfala wei. . . . Duim waka for talemaot gud nius.”—2 Tim. 4:2, 5.
7 For followim advaes bilong Paul, circuit overseer and waef bilong hem, sapos hem marit, waka witim olketa pablisa long kongregeson long ministry. Olketa traveling overseer and waef strong for duim ministry and savve gud hao for teach. Example bilong olketa encouragem kongregeson for duim sem samting. (Rome 12:11; 2 Tim. 2:15) Olketa showimaot love and no tingim olketa seleva nomoa. Olketa willing for helpem olketa narawan and travel nomata weather hem nogud or go long ples wea danger lelebet. (Phil. 2:3, 4) Olketa circuit overseer givim olketa Bible tok for encouragem, kaonselem, and teachim each kongregeson. Evriwan long kongregeson savve kasem gud samting sapos olketa garem sem faith olsem olketa traveling overseer and ting raonem gud samting wea olketa duim.—Heb. 13:7.
Paul and Barnabas “Barava Raoa Nao” (Acts 15:37-41)
8. Wanem nao tingting bilong Barnabas abaotem idea bilong Paul?
8 Barnabas laekem idea bilong Paul for “go visitim olketa brata.” (Acts 15:36) Tufala waka gud tugeta and savve gud long ples wea tufala ting for go long hem and pipol long there. (Acts 13:2–14:28) So maet tufala ting hem gud idea for duim datwan tugeta. Bat problem kamap. Acts 15:37 sei: “Barnabas laekem tumas for John mas go witim tufala. Nara nem bilong John hem Mark.” Barnabas no talem nomoa tingting bilong hem bat hem laekem tumas for kasin brata bilong hem Mark “mas go witim tufala” long datfala missionary gogo.
9. Why nao Paul no agree witim Barnabas?
9 Paul no agree witim Barnabas. Why nao olsem? Bible sei: “Paul no laekem [Mark] for go witim tufala, bikos taem olketa kasem Pamphylia, hem no gohed long datfala waka bat hem lusim olketa.” (Acts 15:38) Mark go witim Paul and Barnabas long first missionary gogo bilong tufala bat hem no gohed long datfala waka. (Acts 12:25; 13:13) Taem olketa just gogo nomoa, Mark lusim tufala long Pamphylia and go bak long hom bilong hem long Jerusalem. Bible no talem why Mark duim olsem, bat luk olsem aposol Paul no hapi long datwan. Maet Paul tingse tufala no savve depend long Mark.
10. From Paul and Barnabas no agree, wanem nao happen?
10 Nomata Barnabas laekem tumas for Mark mas go witim tufala, Paul strong tu for Mark no go. Acts 15:39 sei: “Diswan mekem Paul and Barnabas for barava raoa nao, so tufala go difren.” Barnabas tekem Mark and tufala sail go long Cyprus, hom bilong Barnabas. Paul duim wanem hem planim. Bible sei: “Paul chusim Silas, and bihaen olketa brata askem Jehovah for blessim hem, hem go nao.” (Acts 15:40) Tufala go “long Syria and Cilicia” for “strongim olketa brata long olketa kongregeson.”—Acts 15:41.
11. Sapos samwan mekem iumi feel nogud, wanem kaen wei nao iumi mas showimaot mekem iumi fren gud moa?
11 Datfala story showimaot hao iumi olketa man no perfect. Governing body markem Paul and Barnabas for duim spesol waka for olketa. Luk olsem Paul tu kamap member bilong governing body. Nomata olsem, Paul and Barnabas duim samting wea showimaot tufala no perfect. Waswe, tufala gohed kros long each other? Nomoa. Nomata tufala no perfect, tufala hambol and garem sem tingting olsem Christ. Gogo tufala forgivim each other and showimaot Christian love. (Eph. 4:1-3) Bihaen, Paul and Mark waka tugeta moa for duim olketa nara assignment. a—Col. 4:10.
12. Wanem example bilong Paul and Barnabas nao olketa elder and traveling overseer traem best for followim?
12 Nomata Paul and Barnabas raoa, hem no wei bilong tufala for duim olsem. Barnabas lovem pipol and hem kaen tumas long olketa, dastawe olketa aposol no kolem hem long really nem bilong hem Joseph bat olketa kolem hem Barnabas, wea minim “man for strongim narawan.” (Acts 4:36) Paul tu hem kaen and lovem olketa brata and sista. (1 Thess. 2:7, 8) Olketa elder and circuit overseer traem best for followim example bilong Paul and Barnabas for hambol and kaen long olketa nara elder and olketa narawan long kongregeson.—1 Pet. 5:2, 3.
Olketa “Talem Olketa Gud Samting Abaotem Timothy” (Acts 16:1-3)
13, 14. (a) Hu nao Timothy, and maet wanem taem nao Paul meetim hem? (b) Why nao Paul lukluk gud long wei bilong Timothy? (c) Wanem assignment nao Timothy kasem?
13 Long mek-tu missionary gogo bilong Paul, hem go long Galatia, wanfala province bilong Rome. Samfala kongregeson stap long there. Gogo hem “kasem Derbe and then hem go long Lystra.” Bible sei: “Wanfala disaepol stap long there wea nem bilong hem Timothy. Mami bilong hem wanfala Jew woman wea biliv and dadi bilong hem man bilong Greece.”—Acts 16:1. b
14 Luk olsem firstaem wea Paul go long Lystra long samting olsem 47 C.E. nao hem meetim famili bilong Timothy. Tu-thri year bihaen Paul meetim olketa moa and hem lukluk gud long wei bilong Timothy. Why nao olsem? Hem bikos olketa brata “talem olketa gud samting abaotem Timothy.” Hem no olketa brata long hom bilong Timothy long Lystra nomoa wea talem gud samting abaotem hem. Bible sei olketa brata long Iconium tu talem sem samting, nomata Iconium hem samting olsem 30 kilometer from Lystra. (Acts 16:2) Holy spirit leadim olketa elder for markem Timothy for duim important waka, wea hem nao for helpem Paul and Silas for duim traveling waka.—Acts 16:3.
15, 16. Why nao olketa brata talem gud samting abaotem Timothy?
15 Why nao olketa brata talem gud samting abaotem Timothy nomata hem young? Waswe, hem garem bigfala savve, hem savve hao for duim olketa samting, or bikos long lukluk bilong hem? Olketa samting olsem nao pipol savve tinghae long hem. Profet Samuel tu tingim tumas samting wea hem lukim. Bat Jehovah sei long hem: “Hao man lukim samting hem difren from hao God lukim samting. Man lukim aotsaed nomoa, bat Jehovah lukim samting wea stap insaed lo heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7) Olketa Christian talem gud samting abaotem Timothy bikos hem garem gudfala wei and no bikos long savve bilong hem.
16 Samfala year bihaen, aposol Paul story abaotem samfala gud wei bilong Timothy. Paul sei no eniwan garem gudfala wei olsem Timothy. Hem showimaot love and no tingim hemseleva. Hem waka hard for duim olketa assignment wea hem kasem. (Phil. 2:20-22) Pipol luksavve faith wea Timothy garem ‘hem tru wan.’—2 Tim. 1:5.
17. Hao nao olketa young wan distaem savve followim example bilong Timothy?
17 Staka young wan distaem followim example bilong Timothy. Olketa garem olketa gudfala wei wea God hapi long hem. Nomata olketa young, olketa garem gud nem witim Jehovah and olketa brata and sista tinghae long olketa. (Prov. 22:1; 1 Tim. 4:15) Olketa no act olsem Christian and duim haed olketa nogud samting, bat olketa garem faith wea tru. (Ps. 26:4) Dastawe olketa tu savve duim important waka long kongregeson olsem Timothy. Taem olketa kamap pablisa and gogo olketa dedicate long Jehovah and baptaes, datwan encouragem evriwan wea lovem Jehovah!
‘Faith Bilong Olketa Kamap Strong’ (Acts 16:4, 5)
18. (a) Taem Paul and Timothy duim traveling waka, olketa wanem assignment nao tufala kasem? (b) Hao nao datwan helpem olketa kongregeson?
18 Paul and Timothy waka tugeta for staka year. Taem tufala duim traveling waka, governing body iusim tufala for duim olketa difren assignment. Bible sei: “Taem olketa gogo long olketa taon, olketa storyim long olketa brata samting wea olketa aposol and elder long Jerusalem disaedem for evriwan mas followim.” (Acts 16:4) Luk olsem olketa kongregeson followim samting wea olketa aposol and elder long Jerusalem disaedem. From olketa brata and sista obey, faith bilong olketa “gohed for kamap strong, and evriday plande pipol moa olketa biliv.”—Acts 16:5.
19, 20. Why nao olketa Christian shud obeyim ‘olketa wea leadim olketa’?
19 Olketa Jehovah’s Witness distaem tu kasem gud samting bikos olketa obeyim and stap anda long ‘olketa wea leadim olketa.’ (Heb. 13:17) From world gohed for change, hem important for olketa Christian followim evri instruction wea olketa kasem from “wakaman wea faithful and wise.” (Matt. 24:45; 1 Cor. 7:29-31) Datwan helpem olketa for stap klia long olketa rabis wei bilong world and no isisi go difren.—Jas. 1:27.
20 Olketa elder and olketa member bilong Governing Body distaem no perfect olsem Paul, Barnabas, Mark, and olketa nara anointed brata long first century wea elder. (Rome 5:12; Jas. 3:2) Bat pipol bilong Jehovah savve trustim Governing Body bikos olketa barava followim Bible and example bilong olketa aposol. (2 Tim. 1:13, 14) From Governing Body duim olsem, datwan encouragem and strongim faith bilong evri brata and sista long world.
a Lukim box, “ Mark Kasem Staka Privilege.”
