1-3. (a) Why nao aposol Paul barava feel nogud taem hem stap long Athens? (b) Wanem nao iumi savve lanem taem iumi studyim example bilong hem?

 PAUL stap long Athens long Greece. Athens hem main ples wea olketa savveman olsem Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle teach bifor. Pipol long there lotu gud tumas. Bat Paul barava feel nogud from hem lukim staka idol long olketa temple, long pablik ples, and long olketa road. Pipol bilong Athens worshipim plande god. Paul savve long tingting bilong tru God Jehovah abaotem wei for worshipim idol. (Ex. 20:4, 5) Jehovah heitim olketa idol and Paul tu heitim!

² Paul seke fogud taem hem go insaed long market. Hem lukim pipol laenem staka idol bilong god Hermes followim northwest saed long market wea klosap long main gate. Olketa idol hia showim private part bilong Hermes. Market fulap long olketa smol temple. Hao nao aposol Paul preach long pipol hia wea worshipim plande idol? Waswe, hem kontrolem feeling bilong hem for no kros and trae for storyim samting wea olketa agree long hem? Waswe, hem helpem eniwan long Athens for savve long tru God?

³ Samting wea Paul storyim long olketa savveman long Athens long Acts 17:22-31 hem example long hao for story gud, tingim feeling bilong man, and luksavve long samting. Taem iumi studyim example bilong Paul, iumi bae lanem hao for storyim samting wea pipol agree long hem mekem olketa savve ting raonem wanem iumi storyim.

4, 5. Long Athens, wea nao Paul preach and wanem kaen pipol nao hem preach long olketa?

⁴ Paul go long Athens long mek-tu missionary gogo bilong hem long samting olsem 50 C.E. a Taem hem weitim Silas and Timothy for arrive kam from Beroea, hem “go long sinagog for story long olketa Jew” olsem hem savve duim evritaem. Hem go tu long “market” for story witim olketa citizen bilong Athens wea no Jew. (Acts 17:17) Datfala market stap northwest long Acropolis and area bilong market hem samting olsem 5 hectare. Long market  pipol savve baem and salem samting. Bat hem ples wea pablik savve hipap long hem tu. Wanfala buk sei hem main ples long Athens saed long “bisnis, politik, and culture.” Pipol bilong Athens laekem tumas for hipap long market and storyim olketa difren kaen idea.

⁵ Hem no isi for Paul story long pipol wea hipap long market. Samfala wea lisin long hem followim teaching bilong Epicurus and Zeno, tufala savveman bifor wea teachim olketa difren kaen idea. b Olketa wea followim teaching bilong Epicurus bilivim evri samting wea laef seknomoa kamap. Olketa ting olsem abaotem laef: “Man no need for fraet long God. Man wea dae finis no savve feelim eni pain. Man savve duim gud samting. Man savve gohed strong nomata hem kasem nogud samting.” Pipol wea followim teaching bilong Zeno sei evri samting mas garem reason and mek sense. Olketa no bilivim God hem olsem man wea garem tingting and feeling. Olketa wea followim teaching bilong Epicurus and Zeno no bilivim pipol bae laef bak olsem olketa disaepol bilong Christ teachim. Idea bilong tufala grup hia nating agree witim tru samting wea Christ teachim wea Paul preach abaotem.

6, 7. Wanem nao samfala Greek savveman talem taem olketa herem teaching bilong Paul, and wanem nao savve happen distaem?

⁶ Taem olketa Greek savveman herem teaching bilong Paul, wanem nao olketa talem? Samfala kolem hem long Greek word wea minim hem “toktok nating nomoa.” (Acts 17:18) Wanfala savveman sei pipol iusim datfala word for storyim smol bird wea kaikaim seed long graon. Bihaen, olketa iusim word hia for storyim man wea pikim olketa pis kaikai wea pipol torowem and olketa nara samting wea stap long market. Gogo pipol iusim datfala word for piksarem man wea storyim enikaen information bat hem nating minim gud. Hem olsem olketa Greek savveman sei Paul no savve long eni samting bat hem storyim nomoa samting wea hem herem from narawan. Nomata olsem, Paul no warim nomoa wanem olketa talem.

⁷ Distaem tu, pipol savve tok spoelem iumi Olketa Jehovah’s Witness bikos long biliv bilong iumi. Olsem example, samfala teacher sei evolution hem tru samting and man wea garem savve mas acceptim datwan. Olketa sei pipol wea no bilivim evolution no minim eni samting nomoa. Olketa teacher hia laekem narawan for tingse iumi “toktok nating nomoa” taem iumi storyim Bible and pruv wea showimaot samwan nao designim evri samting. Bat iumi no warim wanem pipol talem. Iumi no fraet for storyim biliv bilong iumi hao Jehovah God wea garem bigfala savve nao designim and wakem evri samting long earth.​—Rev. 4:11.

8. (a) Wanem nao olketa narawan talem taem olketa herem teaching bilong Paul? (b) Storyim wanem hem minim taem olketa tekem Paul go long Areopagus. (Lukim footnote.)

⁸ Olketa narawan long market wea lisin long Paul talem difren samting. Olketa sei: “Luk olsem hem story abaotem olketa difren god.” (Acts 17:18)  Waswe, Paul storyim olketa niu god long olketa? Sapos olsem, hem serious samting bikos staka handred year bifor, pipol kotem Socrates long datwan and hem kasem judgment for dae. So iumi no sapraes why olketa tekem Paul go long Areopagus for hem explainim wanem hem teachim wea here difren long olketa. c Hao nao Paul ansarem pipol bilong Athens wea no savve long olketa Holy Raeting?

9-11. (a) Wanem nao Paul story abaotem mekem hem savve preach long pipol bilong Athens? (b) Hao nao iumi savve followim example bilong Paul taem iumi duim ministry?

⁹ Olsem iumi storyim finis, Paul barava feel nogud from pipol bilong Athens worshipim staka idol. Nomata olsem, hem kontrolem feeling bilong hem for no kros and no tok strong long olketa abaotem datwan. Paul laekem olketa for lisin long hem, so hem trae for storyim samting wea evriwan agree long hem. Hem startim story bilong hem olsem: “Olketa man bilong Athens,  mi lukim iufala savve lotu gud tumas winim olketa nara pipol.” (Acts 17:22) Hem olsem Paul sei, ‘Mi luksavve iufala barava interest long religion.’ Paul praisem olketa for datwan. Hem luksavve samfala wea bilivim olketa false teaching maet garem gudfala heart. Long bifor, Paul tu ‘no savve and hem duim olketa nogud samting from hem no garem faith.’​—1 Tim. 1:13.

¹⁰ From Paul laek storyim samting wea olketa agree long hem, hem story abaotem altar wea hem lukim wea pruvim pipol bilong Athens lotu gud tumas. Datfala altar garem disfala toktok: “Altar bilong god wea mifala no savve long hem.” Wanfala buk sei: “Hem kastom bilong olketa long Greece and olketa narawan for wakem olketa altar for ‘olketa god wea olketa no savve long olketa.’ Olketa duim olsem bikos olketa fraet nogud olketa no worshipim wanfala god and hem feel nogud.” From pipol bilong Athens wakem altar olsem, datwan showimaot olketa savve wanfala God stap bat olketa no savve long hem. Paul storyim datfala altar mekem hem savve preachim gud nius long olketa. Hem sei: “Disfala god wea iufala worshipim nomata iufala no savve long hem, hem nao mi storyim long iufala.” (Acts 17:23) Hao Paul story long olketa mekem olketa luksavve hem no preach abaotem wanfala niu god olsem samfala talem. Bat hem explainim tru God wea olketa no savve long hem.

¹¹ Hao nao iumi savve followim example bilong Paul taem iumi duim ministry? Taem iumi go long haos bilong wanfala man, maet iumi lukim samting long haos, long area, or samting wea hem werem wea showimaot hem lotu gud. Iumi savve sei: ‘Luk olsem iu interest long religion. Mi hapi for story witim man olsem iu.’ From iumi duim olsem, maet iumi garem chance for storyim samting wea hem agree long hem. Iumi no judgem pipol bikos long biliv bilong olketa. Staka brata and sista bilong iumi bilivim olketa false teaching bifor olketa lanem truth.

12. Wanem nao Paul duim mekem hem savve gohed preach long olketa wea lisin long hem?

¹² Paul storyim samting wea olketa agree long hem, bat wanem nao hem duim mekem hem savve gohed preach long olketa? Olketa wea lisin long hem savve long teaching bilong olketa Greek savveman bat olketa no savve long olketa Holy Raeting. So Paul changem hao hem story long olketa. First samting, hem storyim wanem Bible teachim bat hem no sei datwan kam from olketa Holy Raeting. Mek-tu, hem iusim toktok “iumi” for mekem olketa feel olsem hem man olsem olketa tu. Mek-thri, Paul talem toktok from olketa Greek raeting for pruvim samfala samting wea hem teachim hem insaed long raeting bilong olketa tu. Bae iumi storyim olketa tru samting wea Paul teachim abaotem God wea olketa long Athens no savve long hem.

13. Wanem nao Paul talem abaotem universe, and datwan showimaot wanem?

¹³ God wakem universe. Paul sei: “God wea wakem world and evri samting  insaed, and wea hem nao Lord bilong heven and earth, hem no stap insaed olketa temple wea man wakem.” d (Acts 17:24) Evri samting long universe no seknomoa kamap. Tru God nao wakem evri samting. (Ps. 146:6) Jehovah no olsem god Athena and olketa nara god. Hem no stap insaed olketa temple wea man wakem and glory bilong hem no depend long wei for garem olketa temple and altar. (1 Ki. 8:27) Samting wea Paul talem hem klia. Tru God hem barava winim evri idol and temple wea man nomoa wakem.​—Isa. 40:18-26.

14. Wanem nao Paul talem wea showimaot God no depend long olketa man?

¹⁴ God no depend long olketa man. Pipol wea worshipim idol mekem olketa idol for werem expensive kaleko, givim expensive present long olketa, or givim kaikai and drink for olketa. Olketa tingse olketa idol needim datwan! Bat maet samfala Greek savveman wea lisin long Paul luksavve olketa god no needim man for givim eni samting long olketa. Maet olketa agree witim toktok bilong Paul taem hem sei God “no needim eni man for helpem hem long eni samting.” Tru tumas, God no needim eni material samting from olketa man! God nao givim wanem olketa man needim. Hem mekem “olketa man laef and savve brith and hem givim evri samting long olketa.” Hem mekem sun hem shaen, rain hem rain, and givim gudfala graon mekem kaikai grow gud. (Acts 17:25; Gen. 2:7) So God wea givim evri samting no depend long man wea needim samting.

15. (a) From pipol bilong Athens tingse olketa gud winim pipol from nara kantri, wanem nao Paul storyim? (b) Wanem important samting nao iumi lanem from example bilong Paul?

¹⁵ God wakem man. Pipol bilong Athens tingse olketa gud winim pipol from nara kantri. Bat wei for mekhae long kantri or kala skin no followim wanem Bible talem. (Deut. 10:17) Paul story abaotem datwan long gudfala wei. Hem sei: “God wakem pipol long evri kantri long world from wanfala man nomoa.” Maet wanem Paul talem mekem olketa for tingting nao. (Acts  17:26) Paul story abaotem Adam long buk bilong Genesis, wea hem nao dadi bilong evriwan. (Gen. 1:26-28) From evriwan kam from wanfala man nomoa, no eniwan hem winim narawan. Hu nao bae no minim wanem Paul talem! Iumi lanem important samting from example bilong hem. Taem iumi preach, hem gud for iumi story gud and tingim feeling bilong pipol. Nomata olsem, iumi shud no hol bak for storyim tru samting long Bible bikos iumi no laek mekem pipol feel nogud.

16. Why nao God wakem olketa man?

¹⁶ God laekem olketa man for savve gud long hem. Staka taem olketa savveman wea lisin long Paul storyim why olketa man laef, bat olketa no savve explainim gud datwan. Bat Paul talem why God wakem olketa man. Hem sei: “Diswan hem for pipol traem best for savve long God, and gogo bae olketa savve long hem nao, bikos hem no hard nomoa for savve long hem.” (Acts 17:27) Hem isi nomoa for savve long God wea pipol bilong Athens no savve long hem. Bible sei God laek fren witim pipol wea laek for savve long hem and lane abaotem hem. (Ps. 145:18) Evriwan and Paul tu mas “traem best for savve long God.”

17, 18. (a) Why nao olketa man shud laek fren witim God? (b) Wanem nao iumi savve duim for mekem pipol interest olsem Paul duim?

¹⁷ Olketa man shud laek fren witim God. Paul sei: “[God] nao mekem iumi laef and savve wakabaot and duim samting.” Samfala savveman sei Paul story abaotem toktok bilong Epimenides, man bilong Crete wea raetem olketa poem long mek-6 century B.C.E. Hem “important man saed long religion long Athens.” Paul storyim nara reason why olketa man shud laek fren  witim God. Hem sei: “Samfala man bilong iufala raet olsem tu. Olketa sei: ‘Iumi evriwan olketa pikinini bilong hem.’” (Acts 17:28) Olketa man shud laek fren witim God bikos hem nao Dadi bilong firstfala man wea iumi kam from. Paul storyim toktok from olketa Greek raeting bikos hem savve olketa wea lisin long hem tinghae long olketa raeting hia. e Samfala taem iumi tu savve storyim information from olketa buk abaotem history or olketa nara buk wea storyim tru samting. Olsem example, maet iumi storyim information from buk olsem for pruvim long man wea no Witness hao olketa kastom and celebration bilong false religion hem start.

¹⁸ Paul teachim olketa tru samting abaotem God and hem changem story for fitim pipol wea hem story long olketa. Bat wanem nao Paul laekem olketa long Athens for duim? Hem gohed for talem olketa.

19, 20. (a) Wanem nao Paul talem wea showimaot hem krangge samting for worshipim idol? (b) Wanem nao olketa long Athens mas duim?

¹⁹ Paul laekem olketa wea lisin long hem for duim samting. So hem storyim moa toktok from olketa Greek raeting. Hem sei: “From iumi olketa pikinini bilong God, hem no fitim for iumi tingse God hem olsem samting wea olketa man wakem followim tingting bilong olketa, and wea olketa wakem from gold, silver, or ston.” (Acts 17:29) Tru tumas, God nao wakem man, so hem no stret for iumi sei God hem olsem idol wea man nomoa wakem! Samting wea Paul talem showimaot hem krangge samting for worshipim idol wea man wakem. (Ps. 115:4-8; Isa. 44:9-20) Maet kaonsel wea Paul givim no mekem olketa feel nogud tumas bikos hem iusim disfala toktok, “hem no fitim for iumi.”

²⁰ Paul talem stret wanem olketa mas duim. Hem sei: “God no judgem pipol bifor wea duim kaen samting olsem from olketa no savve [wea minim olketa tingse God acceptim wei for worshipim idol], bat distaem hem talem olketa man long evri ples for olketa mas repent.” (Acts 17:30) Maet samfala seke taem olketa herem olketa mas repent. Bat story bilong Paul mekem olketa luksavve God nao mekem olketa laef and olketa mas givim ansa long Hem for wanem olketa duim. Olketa mas traem best for savve long God, lanem tru samting abaotem hem, and duim wanem hem laekem. Datwan minim pipol bilong Athens mas luksavve hem no stret for worshipim idol and olketa mas stop for duim datwan.

21, 22. Wanem nao Paul talem for finisim story bilong hem, and hao nao iumi minim datwan?

²¹ For finisim story bilong hem, Paul tok stret long olketa: “[God] markem wanfala day for judgem olketa man evriwea long world. Hem bae judgem olketa  long stretfala wei and hem bae iusim wanfala man wea hem markem for duim diswan. Evri man savve trustim diswan from hem mekem disfala man for laef bak moa.” (Acts 17:31) Olketa mas traem best for savve long tru God bikos Jehovah markem wanfala day for judgem olketa man! Paul no talem hu nao God markem for Judge. Bat hem sei datfala Judge hem man wea stap long earth, hem dae, and God mekem hem laef bak!

²² Iumi minim gud lastfala toktok wea Paul talem long olketa. Iumi savve Jesus Christ hem Judge wea God markem. (John 5:22) Iumi savve Judgment Day hem for 1,000 year and hem barava klosap nao. (Rev. 20:4, 6) Iumi no fraetem Judgment Day bikos iumi savve olketa wea faithful bae kasem olketa nambawan blessing. Iumi trustim God bae mekem olketa promis bilong hem kamap tru bikos hem mekem Jesus Christ for laef bak!

23. Wanem nao pipol duim bihaen Paul finis for story?

²³ Tingim samting wea pipol duim bihaen Paul finis for story. “Samfala mekfani” taem olketa herem pipol bae laef bak. Olketa narawan kaen bat no disaed for repent and kamap Christian. Olketa sei: “Bae enitaem moa iu storyim diswan long mifala.” (Acts 17:32) “Bat samfala man joinim Paul and biliv. Olketa nao Dionysius, wea hem wanfala judge long datfala kot long Areopagus, and wanfala woman wea nem bilong hem Damaris, witim samfala moa.” (Acts 17:34) Semkaen samting tu savve happen taem iumi duim ministry. Samfala mekfani long iumi, bat olketa narawan kaen nomata olketa no interest. Bat iumi hapi tumas taem samfala acceptim message abaotem Kingdom and kamap Christian.

24. Wanem nao iumi lanem from story bilong Paul taem hem standap long Areopagus?

²⁴ Iumi lanem staka samting from story bilong Paul. Iumi lanem hao for iumi joinim olketa point taem iumi story, hao for storyim olketa pruv, and hao for changem story mekem pipol gohed lisin long iumi. Iumi mas patient and story gud tu witim pipol wea bilivim olketa false teaching. Important samting wea iumi lanem hem for no hol bak for storyim tru samting long Bible bikos iumi no laek mekem pipol feel nogud. Taem iumi followim example bilong aposol Paul, iumi savve kamap gudfala teacher long ministry. Olketa elder tu savve kamap gudfala teacher long kongregeson. Taem iumi duim olsem, bae iumi helpem olketa narawan for “traem best for savve long God, and gogo bae olketa savve long hem.”​—Acts 17:27.