CHAPTER 8
Olketa Disaepol “Stap Gud and No Eniwan Againstim Olketa”
Saul wea barava spoelem olketa Christian kamap man wea strong for preach
Acts 9:1-43 storyim diswan
1, 2. Wanem nao Saul plan for duim long Damascus?
SAUL and olketa wea gogo witim hem luk kros tumas. a Olketa gogo for Damascus for duim nogud samting. Olketa heitim olketa disaepol bilong Jesus, so olketa plan for raosem olketa from haos, taengem olketa, mek shame long olketa, and tekem olketa go bak long Jerusalem for hae kot panisim olketa.
2 Saul wea leadim datfala grup stap taem olketa bigman sutim Stephen long ston gogo hem dae. Hem agree for olketa killim dae datfala faithful disaepol bilong Jesus. (Acts 7:57–8:1) Saul barava spoelem olketa disaepol long Jerusalem, and hem laek spoelem tu olketa disaepol wea stap long nara ples. Hem laek stopem evriwan wea followim “datfala niu wei.”—Acts 9:1, 2; lukim box, “ Saul Kasem Paoa for Holem Olketa Disaepol Long Damascus.”
3, 4. (a) Wanem nao happen long Saul? (b) Olketa wanem kwestin nao bae iumi storyim?
3 Taem olketa klosap kasem Damascus, seknomoa wanfala laet shaen raonem Saul. Olketa wea go witim Saul seke taem olketa lukim datfala laet and olketa no savve wanem for talem nao. Saul foldaon and hem no lukim eni samting nao. Hem herem samwan tok kam from skae wea sei: “Saul, Saul, why nao iu againstim mi?” Saul seke tumas and sei: “Hu nao iu?” Hem sei: “Mi Jesus. Mi nao man wea iu againstim mi.” Masbi Saul sapraes tumas taem hem herem datwan.—Acts 9:3-5; 22:9.
4 Wanem nao iumi lanem from firstfala samting wea Jesus talem long Saul and from olketa samting wea happen taem Saul kamap Christian? And wanem nao iumi lanem from samting wea olketa disaepol duim bihaen Saul kamap Christian and no eniwan againstim olketa?
“Why Nao Iu Againstim Mi?” (Acts 9:1-5)
5, 6. Wanem nao iumi lanem from samting wea Jesus talem long Saul?
5 Taem Jesus tok kam long Saul long road wea gogo for Damascus, Jesus no sei: “Why nao iu againstim olketa disaepol bilong mi?” Bat hem sei: “Why nao iu againstim mi?” (Acts 9:4) Long tingting bilong Jesus, nogud samting wea pipol duim long olketa disaepol bilong hem, hem olsem olketa duim long hem.—Matt. 25:34-40, 45.
6 Sapos pipol againstim iu bikos iu biliv long Christ, tingim hao Jehovah and Jesus savve long samting wea kasem iu. (Matt. 10:22, 28-31) Maet distaem Jehovah no finisim hard taem wea iu kasem. Tingim, Jesus lukim wanem Saul duim taem olketa bigman killim dae Stephen and hem lukim tu Saul go insaed olketa haos and kasholem olketa disaepol long Jerusalem. (Acts 8:3) Long olketa taem hia, Jesus no stopem datwan for happen. Nomata olsem, Jehovah givim paoa long Christ for strongim Stephen and olketa disaepol hia mekem olketa savve gohed faithful.
7. Wanem nao iu mas duim for gohed strong taem pipol againstim iu?
7 Nomata pipol againstim iu, iu tu savve gohed faithful sapos iu duim fofala samting hia: First wan, disaed strong for gohed faithful nomata wanem samting nao kasem iu. Mek-tu, prea long Jehovah for helpem iu. (Phil. 4:6, 7) Mek-thri, letem Jehovah nao changem bak nogud samting. (Rome 12:17-21) And mek-foa, trustim Jehovah bae helpem iu for gohed strong go kasem taem hem finisim datfala problem.—Phil. 4:12, 13.
‘Saul, Brata Bilong Mi, Lord Sendem Mi Kam’ (Acts 9:6-17)
8, 9. Maet wanem nao feeling bilong Ananias abaotem assignment wea hem kasem?
8 Bihaen Jesus talem Saul hem nao tok kam from skae, Jesus sei long hem: “Getap and go long taon. Bae wanfala man hem talem iu wanem iu mas duim.” (Acts 9:6) Saul no savve lukim eni samting so olketa wea gogo witim hem leadim hem go long wanfala haos long Damascus. For thrifala day hem gohed prea and no kaikai. Long datfala taem tu, Ananias lukim Jesus insaed wanfala vision and Jesus story long hem abaotem Saul. Ananias hem wanfala disaepol long Damascus wea “olketa Jew tinghae long hem.”—Acts 22:12.
9 Tingim feeling bilong Ananias! Jesus Christ wea laef bak and wea Hed bilong kongregeson story long hem and chusim hem for duim spesol assignment. Masbi Ananias tinghae long datfala privilege bat maet hem wari tu! Taem Jesus talem hem for go story long Saul, Ananias sei: “Lord, mi herem staka story abaotem olketa nogud samting wea disfala man hem duim long olketa disaepol bilong iu long Jerusalem. Hem garem paoa from olketa hed priest for holem eniwan wea trust long nem bilong iu.”—Acts 9:13, 14.
10. Wanem nao iumi lanem abaotem Jesus long hao hem story long Ananias?
10 Jesus no hotem Ananias from hem talemaot tingting bilong hem, bat Jesus talem klia wanem hem mas duim. And Jesus showimaot hem tinghae long Ananias bikos hem talem Ananias why hem laekem hem for duim datfala assignment. Jesus sei long Ananias abaotem Saul: “Mi chusim disfala man for talemaot nem bilong mi long pipol long olketa difren kantri and long olketa king and olketa son bilong Israel tu. Bae mi showim hem evri nogud samting wea bae kasem hem from hem talemaot nem bilong mi.” (Acts 9:15, 16) Ananias obeyim Jesus and stretawe hem go lukaotem Saul. Taem hem faendem Saul, hem sei: “Saul, brata bilong mi. Datfala Lord Jesus wea iu lukim long road, hem sendem mi kam mekem iu savve lukluk moa and iu savve kasem holy spirit.”—Acts 9:17.
11, 12. Wanem nao iumi lanem from olketa samting wea happen taem Saul kamap Christian?
11 Taem iumi ting raonem olketa samting wea happen taem Saul kamap Christian, iumi minim gud samfala important samting. Olsem example, Jesus gohed for leadim preaching waka olsem hem promis for duim. (Matt. 28:20) Nomata Jesus no story kam long eniwan distaem, hem iusim wakaman wea faithful and wise for leadim preaching waka. Hem markem datfala wakaman for lukaftarem olketa nara wakaman. (Matt. 24:45-47) Governing Body givim direction for olketa pablisa and pioneer for go long olketa difren ples for lukaotem pipol wea laek lane abaotem Christ. Olsem iumi storyim long Chapter 7, plande pipol hia just prea long God for helpem olketa and then Olketa Jehovah’s Witness meetim olketa.—Acts 9:11.
12 From Ananias obeyim Jesus and acceptim assignment wea hem kasem, God blessim hem. Waswe, iu obeyim wanem Jesus talem for storyim gud Kingdom bilong God long pipol nomata iu fraet lelebet? Samfala savve fraet for preach long haos tu haos and story long olketa stranger. Hem no isi for samfala duim bisnis witnessing, street witnessing, or iusim telephone or raetem leta for preach long pipol. Gogo Ananias no fraet and hem helpem Saul for kasem holy spirit. b Ananias no fraet bikos hem trustim Jesus and hem ting long Saul olsem brata bilong hem. Iumi tu savve olsem Ananias and no fraet sapos iumi trustim Jesus hem leadim preaching waka, iumi feel sorre long pipol, and garem tingting hao man wea garem nogud wei savve kamap brata or sista bilong iumi.—Matt. 9:36.
“Hem Go Preach Long Olketa Sinagog Abaotem Jesus” (Acts 9:18-30)
13, 14. Sapos iu studyim Bible bat iu no baptaes yet, wanem nao iu lanem from example bilong Saul?
13 Saul kwiktaem duim samting followim wanem hem lanem. Bihaen Ananias mekem Saul for lukluk moa, Saul baptaes and go stap witim olketa disaepol long Damascus. Bat hem duim nara samting tu. Bible sei: “Long semtaem tu hem go preach long olketa sinagog abaotem Jesus and talem long pipol Jesus hem Son bilong God.”—Acts 9:20.
14 Sapos iu studyim Bible bat iu no baptaes yet, waswe, bae iu olsem Saul and followim samting wea iu lanem and disaed for baptaes? Hem tru, Christ duim mirakol for mekem Saul lukluk moa and masbi datwan helpem hem for disaed. Bat samfala narawan lukim olketa mirakol wea Jesus duim, bat olketa no disaed for followim Jesus. Tingim diswan. Olketa Pharisee lukim Jesus healim man wea hand bilong hem dae and staka Jew savve Jesus mekem Lazarus for laef bak. Nomata olsem, staka long olketa no tinghae long mirakol wea Jesus duim and samfala againstim hem. (Mark 3:1-6; John 12:9, 10) Bat Saul hem no olsem. Hem changem tingting bilong hem. Why nao Saul kamap Christian bat olketa narawan nomoa? Hem bikos hem fraet long God and no long olketa man. Hem tinghae long mercy wea Christ showim long hem. (Phil. 3:8) Sapos iu followim example bilong Saul, bae iu no letem eni samting stopem iu for preach and kamap fit for baptaes.
15, 16. Wanem nao Saul duim long olketa sinagog, and wanem nao olketa Jew long Damascus duim?
15 Taem olketa Jew lukim Saul go preach long olketa sinagog abaotem Jesus, masbi olketa barava sapraes and kros tu! Olketa sei: “Hem nao disfala man wea barava spoelem olketa long Jerusalem wea trust long disfala nem!” (Acts 9:21) Saul explainim why hem changem tingting bilong hem abaotem Jesus and “hem pruvim long olketa . . . Jesus hem datfala Christ.” (Acts 9:22) Bat wei for pruvim samting long pipol no evritaem mekem olketa bilivim samting wea olketa herem. Samfala pipol praod and strong for followim kastom bilong olketa and no laek changem tingting bilong olketa. Nomata olsem, Saul no givap.
16 Thrifala year bihaen, olketa Jew long Damascus againstim Saul yet. Olketa mekem plan for killim hem dae. (Acts 9:23; 2 Cor. 11:32, 33; Gal. 1:13-18) Taem Saul savve long plan hia, hem disaed for lusim datfala taon. Olketa brata putim hem insaed long basket and daonem hem go aotsaed long wanfala window long wall bilong datfala taon. Luke sei olketa wea helpem Saul for ranawe long datfala naet hem “olketa disaepol [bilong Saul].” (Acts 9:25) Luk olsem samfala Jew long Damascus acceptim message wea Saul preachim and kamap olketa disaepol bilong Christ.
17. (a) Taem pipol herem tru samting long Bible, wanem nao samfala duim? (b) Wanem nao iumi shud gohed duim and why nao olsem?
17 Taem iu start for story abaotem olketa gud samting wea iu lanem long famili bilong iu, olketa fren, and olketa narawan, maet iu tingse evriwan bae luksavve long tru samting long Bible and acceptim datwan. Maet samfala acceptim bat maet staka narawan nomoa. Tru tumas, maet olketa wea stap long sem haos witim iu kamap enemy bilong iu. (Matt. 10:32-38) Nomata olsem, sapos iu traem best for iusim Bible for story witim pipol and evritaem showimaot gudfala wei, maet gogo olketa wea againstim iu changem tingting bilong olketa.—Acts 17:2; 1 Pet. 2:12; 3:1, 2, 7.
18, 19. (a) Bihaen Barnabas talem olketa aposol hao Saul hem trufala disaepol, wanem nao happen? (b) Hao nao iumi savve followim example bilong Barnabas and Saul?
18 Taem Saul kasem Jerusalem, olketa disaepol long there no bilivim Saul hem wanfala disaepol. Bat bihaen Barnabas talem olketa aposol hao Saul hem trufala disaepol, olketa acceptim hem and Saul gohed stap witim olketa for lelebet taem. (Acts 9:26-28) Nomata Saul mas careful taem hem preach long Jerusalem, hem no shame for talemaot gud nius. (Rome 1:16) Hem no hol bak for preach long ples wea hem barava spoelem olketa disaepol bilong Jesus Christ bifor. Olketa Jew long Jerusalem luksavve main man bilong olketa for againstim olketa Christian hem kamap Christian nao, so olketa trae for killim hem dae. Taem olketa brata luksavve long datwan, “olketa tekem [Saul] long Caesarea and sendem hem go long Tarsus.” (Acts 9:30) Saul followim wanem kongregeson talem bikos hem luksavve Jesus nao leadim kongregeson. Saul and olketa long kongregeson kasem gud samting.
19 Tingim, Barnabas nao duim samting for helpem Saul. Samting wea Barnabas duim mekem tufala fren gud tugeta. Waswe, iu followim example bilong Barnabas and willing for helpem olketa niu wan long kongregeson? Waswe, iu waka witim olketa long preaching waka and helpem olketa for kamap strongfala Christian? Sapos iu duim olsem, Jehovah bae blessim iu. Sapos iu just start for preach, waswe, iu followim example bilong Saul and laekem olketa narawan for helpem iu? Taem iu waka tugeta witim olketa pablisa wea savve gud hao for preach, iu bae lane for preach gud tu and bae iu hapi and garem olketa gudfala fren.
“Staka Biliv Long Lord” (Acts 9:31-43)
20, 21. Wanem nao pipol bilong God long first century and long distaem duim taem “no eniwan againstim olketa”?
20 Bihaen Saul kamap Christian, olketa brata sendem hem long Tarsus. Start long datfala taem, “olketa disaepol long Judea, Galilee, and Samaria stap gud and no eniwan againstim olketa.” (Acts 9:31) Wanem nao olketa disaepol duim long datfala taem wea “hem isi” and no eniwan againstim olketa? (2 Tim. 4:2) Bible sei “faith bilong olketa kamap strong.” Olketa aposol and olketa nara brata wea leadim waka long kongregeson strongim faith bilong olketa disaepol. Olketa helpem kongregeson for “obeyim Jehovah and holy spirit hem mekem olketa strong.” Olsem example, Peter iusim gud datfala taem for strongim olketa disaepol wea stap long Lydda, wanfala taon long Sharon. Peter helpem staka pipol long there for “biliv long Lord.” (Acts 9:32-35) Olketa disaepol no busy long olketa nara samting, bat olketa busy for helpem each other and preachim gud nius. From datwan, “namba bilong olketa disaepol kamap staka.”
21 Long taem bilong iumi tu Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long staka kantri “stap gud and no eniwan againstim olketa.” Olketa gavman wea againstim pipol bilong God for plande year seknomoa finis nao. Long samfala kantri, olketa no tambuim nao preaching waka or letem olketa Witness for duim samfala samting wea olketa stopem bifor. Staka thousand Witness iusim gud datfala taem for preach long pipol, and plande gud samting hem happen.
22. Sapos iu stap long kantri wea gavman no tambuim preaching waka, hao nao iu savve iusim gud datfala taem?
22 Sapos iu stap long kantri wea gavman no tambuim preaching waka, waswe, iu iusim gud datfala taem for gohed busy for preach? Satan laekem iu for busy for kasem staka material samting and no gohed worshipim Jehovah. (Matt. 13:22) No busy for kasem olketa material samting. Sapos gavman no tambuim preaching waka, iusim gud datfala taem for storyim Kingdom bilong God long pipol and for strongim faith bilong olketa brata and sista. No forgetim hao seknomoa gavman savve tambuim preaching waka.
23, 24. (a) Wanem nao iumi lanem from story bilong Tabitha? (b) Wanem nao iumi shud disaed strong for duim?
23 Tingim samting wea happen long Tabitha, wanfala disaepol wea nara nem bilong hem Dorcas. Hem stap long Joppa, wanfala taon klosap long Lydda. Datfala faithful sista iusim gud taem and selen bilong hem. Hem “evritaem helpem pipol and duim gud samting for pipol wea poor.” Bat seknomoa hem sik and hem dae. c Olketa disaepol long Joppa sorre tumas and staka widow woman sorre tu bikos Tabitha kaen tumas long olketa. Taem Peter kasem haos wea olketa disaepol putim body bilong Tabitha, hem duim mirakol wea no eni aposol bilong Jesus Christ duim bifor. Peter hem prea and mekem Tabitha for laef bak! Olketa widow woman and olketa disaepol mas hapi tumas taem Peter kolem olketa for kam lukim Tabitha hem laef nao! Masbi datwan strongim olketa taem olketa kasem hard taem bihaen! “Evriwan long Joppa” herem nius abaotem datfala mirakol and “staka biliv long Lord.”—Acts 9:36-42.
Hao nao iu savve followim example bilong Tabitha?
24 Iumi lanem tufala important samting from story bilong Tabitha. First wan, laef hem short tumas. So taem iumi laef yet, hem important for garem gud nem witim God! (Eccl. 7:1) Mek-tu, Jehovah bae mekem pipol laef bak long future. Jehovah lukim staka gud samting wea Tabitha duim for pipol, and hem rewardim hem. Jehovah bae no forgetim hard waka wea iumi duim and sapos iumi dae bifor Armageddon kam, bae hem mekem iumi laef bak. (Heb. 6:10) So sapos taem wea iumi stap long hem, “hem hard” or “no eniwan againstim iumi,” hem gud for iumi gohed strong for preach abaotem Christ.—2 Tim. 4:2.
a Lukim box, “ Saul Hem Wanfala Pharisee.”
b Olketa aposol nomoa savve putim hand bilong olketa long olketa disaepol mekem olketa kasem holy spirit. Bat long datfala taem, luk olsem Jesus givim paoa long Ananias for givim holy spirit long Saul wea Jesus chusim. Bihaen Saul kamap Christian, hem longtaem lelebet bifor hem just lukim 12-fala aposol. Nomata olsem, hem gohed busy for preach. Luk olsem Jesus mek sure Saul kasem strong wea hem needim for gohed preach.
c Lukim box, “ Tabitha—Evritaem ‘Duim Gud Samting for Pipol.’”