CHAPTER 20
Pipol Againstim Olketa Bat ‘Message Kasem Staka Ples and Plande Bilivim’
Wanem Apollos and Paul duim mekem staka pipol herem gud nius
Acts 18:23–19:41 storyim diswan
1, 2. (a) Long Ephesus, wanem danger samting nao kasem Paul and olketa wea go witim hem? (b) Wanem nao bae iumi storyim?
STAKA pipol long Ephesus raeot nao! Olketa singaot big and ran followim road. Evriwan olobaot nao. Big road wea olketa stoa stap hem kwiktaem nomoa emti. Pipol ran go long big stadium wea 25,000 pipol savve sidaon insaed. Olketa holem tufala wea gogo witim aposol Paul and tekem tufala long datfala stadium. Staka no savve why nao raeot gohed, bat maet olketa tingse samfala tok spoelem temple and woman god bilong olketa Artemis. So olketa gohed singaot olsem: “Artemis bilong mifala long Ephesus nao hem nambawan!”—Acts 19:34.
2 Distaem moa Satan trae for mekem raeot kamap for stopem gud nius abaotem Kingdom for kasem staka ples. Bat hem no datfala samting nomoa wea Satan iusim. Long disfala chapter bae iumi storyim olketa nara samting wea Satan iusim for trae spoelem preaching waka and wan mind bilong olketa Christian long first century. Bat bae iumi lanem hao evri plan bilong Satan fail nomoa bikos “message bilong Jehovah hem go kasem staka nara ples moa and plande pipol nao bilivim datwan.” (Acts 19:20) Wanem nao mekem olketa Christian winim Satan? Jehovah nao mekem olketa win and hem duim olsem for iumi tu. Bat olsem olketa Christian long first century, iumi tu mas followim instruction wea iumi kasem. Holy spirit savve helpem iumi for garem gudfala wei wea savve helpem iumi for duim gud ministry. Firstaem bae iumi storyim example bilong Apollos.
‘Hem Savve Gud Long Olketa Holy Raeting’ (Acts 18:24-28)
3, 4. Aquila and Priscilla luksavve long wanem samting abaotem Apollos, and hao nao tufala helpem hem?
3 Taem Paul gogo for Ephesus long mek-thri missionary gogo bilong hem, Apollos, wanfala Jew man arrive long Ephesus. Hem from Alexandria, wanfala taon long Egypt. Apollos garem gudfala wei. Hem savve tumas for story and “savve gud tu long olketa Holy Raeting.” From “God givim holy spirit long hem,” hem strong for preach long olketa Jew long sinagog and nating fraet.—Acts 18:24, 25.
4 Aquila and Priscilla herem Apollos taem hem story long pipol. Masbi tufala hapi bikos hem “teachim pipol stret samting abaotem Jesus.” Bat tufala luksavve Apollos “savve nomoa long baptism wea John preach abaotem” and hem need for minim gud moa samfala important samting. Aquila and Priscilla no garem staka material samting and waka bilong tufala hem for wakem tent. Nomata olsem, tufala no fraet for story long Apollos wea garem bigfala savve and savve tumas for story. Tufala “tekem hem go long haos bilong tufala and helpem hem for minim gud moa teaching bilong God.” (Acts 18:25, 26) Hao nao Apollos ting long datwan? Hem hambol and acceptim help bilong tufala and datwan hem wanfala important fasin wea olketa Christian savve garem.
5, 6. Why nao Jehovah iusim Apollos and wanem nao iumi lanem from example bilong hem?
5 From Apollos acceptim help bilong Aquila and Priscilla, Jehovah fit for iusim hem. Hem go long Achaia and “barava helpem olketa wea biliv.” Hem story gud tu long olketa Jew wea no bilivim Jesus hem Messiah wea God promis for sendem kam. Luke sei: “Hem barava pruvim long evriwan teaching bilong olketa Jew hem no stret and hem iusim olketa Holy Raeting for showimaot Jesus nao hem datfala Christ.” (Acts 18:27, 28) Apollos barava helpem olketa kongregeson! Olsem Paul, ministry bilong Apollos tu helpem plande pipol for bilivim “message bilong Jehovah.” Wanem nao iumi lanem from example bilong Apollos?
6 Evri Christian shud hambol. God givim iumi evriwan olketa difren kaen savve. Maet iumi savve tumas for duim samting or maet samwan lanem iumi for duim datwan. Or maet samting wea iumi kasem mekem iumi savve hao for duim samting. Nomata olsem, pipol shud lukim wei wea iumi hambol and no savve bilong iumi. Sapos nomoa, maet savve wea iumi garem mekem iumi for praod tumas. (1 Cor. 4:7; Jas. 4:6) Man wea hambol bae ting long narawan olsem hem winim hem. (Phil. 2:3) Bae iumi willing for narawan teachim iumi and no feel nogud taem narawan stretem iumi. Taem holy spirit helpem iumi for minim go moa samfala samting, iumi bae no praod and sei tingting bilong iumiseleva nao hem stret. Jehovah and Son bilong hem savve iusim iumi sapos iumi hambol.—Luke 1:51, 52.
7. Wanem nao Paul and Apollos duim wea showimaot tufala hambol?
7 Man wea hambol bae no laek winim narawan. Long first century, Satan laekem tumas for spoelem wan mind bilong olketa Christian! Hem bae hapi tumas sapos tufala strong brata olsem Apollos and aposol Paul jealous long each other and laek garem bignem long olketa kongregeson! Hem isi nomoa for datwan happen bikos samfala Christian long Corinth sei, “Mi followim Paul” bat olketa narawan sei “Mi followim Apollos.” Waswe, Paul and Apollos laekem olketa for tok olsem? Nomoa! Paul hem hambol and luksavve long gud samting wea Apollos duim for helpem preaching waka. Hem givim samfala nara assignment long hem tu. And Apollos followim wanem Paul talem. (1 Cor. 1:10-12; 3:6, 9; Titus 3:12, 13) Tufala showimaot gud example long wei for hambol and waka tugeta!
“Hem Story Gud Tumas Abaotem Kingdom” (Acts 18:23; 19:1-10)
8. Storyim gogo bilong Paul for kasem Ephesus and why hem duim olsem.
8 Paul go bak long Ephesus olsem hem talem. a (Acts 18:20, 21) Bat tingim gogo bilong hem. Iumi storyim finis hem go bak long Antioch long Syria. For kasem Ephesus, hem savve go long Seleucia wea klosap nomoa, tekem ship, and sail go long Ephesus. Bat Paul no duim olsem. Hem “go followim road long olketa maunten.” Wanfala buk sei gogo bilong Paul wea Acts 18:23 and 19:1 storyim hem samting olsem 1,600 kilometer! Why nao Paul followim datfala gogo wea savve mekem man taed tumas? Hem bikos hem laek “strongim olketa disaepol.” (Acts 18:23) Mek-thri missionary gogo bilong Paul bae no isi olsem nara tufala gogo bilong hem, bat hem luksavve hem bae helpem olketa narawan. Distaem olketa circuit overseer and waef bilong olketa showimaot semkaen wei. Iumi tinghae long wei wea olketa showimaot love and sakrifaesim samting for helpem narawan!
9. Why nao samfala disaepol mas baptaes moa, and wanem nao iumi lanem from olketa?
9 Taem Paul kasem Ephesus, hem meetim samting olsem 12-fala disaepol bilong John Baptaesa. Olketa baptaes followim teaching bilong John, bat olketa Christian no duim datwan nao. Olketa no savve long eni samting abaotem holy spirit tu. Paul explainim why olketa mas baptaes long nem bilong Jesus. Olketa hambol and willing for lane olsem Apollos. Bihaen olketa baptaes long nem bilong Jesus, olketa kasem holy spirit and savve toktok long olketa difren languis and talem profesi. Tru tumas, man savve kasem blessing sapos hem gohed followim organization bilong God.—Acts 19:1-7.
10. Why nao Paul lusim sinagog and go preach long wanfala skul, and hao nao iumi savve followim example bilong hem?
10 No longtaem bihaen datwan, nara change hem kamap. For thrifala month Paul go olowe long sinagog for preach. Nomata hem “story gud tumas abaotem Kingdom bilong God,” samfala strong hed tumas and againstim hem. “Olketa tok spoelem datfala niu wei,” so Paul lusim olketa and evriday hem go preach long wanfala skul. (Acts 19:8, 9) Olketa Christian wea laek gohed followim organization bilong Jehovah mas lusim sinagog and go long datfala skul. Olsem Paul, maet iumi tu lusim haosholder sapos hem les for lisin or laek argue nomoa. Iumi savve gohed preachim gud nius long pipol wea hambol!
11, 12. (a) Wanem nao Paul duim wea showimaot hem waka hard and willing for change? (b) Hao nao iumi savve followim example bilong hem?
11 Long skul, maet Paul hem preach from 11:00 a.m. go kasem 4:00 p.m. (Acts 19:9) Maet hem taem long day wea kwaet bikos pipol savve rest from waka and olketa kaikai, bat hem savve hot tumas tu. Sapos Paul followim datfala schedule for tufala year, hem bae preach for winim 3,000 hour, wea datwan hem 125 hour evri month. b Datwan hem nara reason why message bilong Jehovah go kasem staka ples and plande pipol bilivim. Paul waka hard and changem schedule bilong hem mekem hem savve preach long taem wea fitim pipol long community. Wanem gud samting nao happen? “Olketa Jew and olketa bilong Greece wea stap long Asia olketa herem message bilong Lord.” (Acts 19:10) Paul barava preach gud long pipol!
Iumi preach long olketa difren wei mekem iumi savve storyim gud nius long evriwan
12 Iumi Olketa Jehovah’s Witness distaem tu waka hard and willing for changem schedule bilong iumi. Iumi traem best for kasem pipol long eni ples wea olketa stap and long taem wea fitim olketa. Iumi duim street witnessing, preach long market, and long olketa nara ples tu. Maet iumi iusim telephone or raetem leta long pipol. And iumi trae for preach long haos tu haos long taem wea pipol savve stap long haos.
Olketa Demon No Savve Stopem “Message Bilong Jehovah” (Acts 19:11-22)
13, 14. (a) Jehovah givim paoa long Paul for duim wanem? (b) Wanem nao olketa son bilong Sceva duim wea no stret, and hao nao pipol wea sei olketa Christian duim olsem tu?
13 Luke storyim gud samting wea happen. Jehovah givim paoa long Paul “for duim olketa mirakol.” Pipol savve tekem eni kaleko bilong hem and putim long body bilong olketa wea sik, and olketa gud bak moa. Olketa savve iusim datfala kaleko tu for aotem demon. c (Acts 19:11, 12) Olketa nambawan samting wea Paul duim for winim olketa demon mekem staka pipol interest. Nomata olsem, samfala nogud samting happen tu.
14 Samfala “Jew wea savve gogo raon for raosem olketa demon” trae for duim olketa sem mirakol olsem Paul. Olketa iusim nem bilong Jesus and Paul for raosem olketa demon. Luke storyim sevenfala son bilong wanfala hed priest bilong olketa Jew wea nem bilong hem Sceva, olketa tu duim datwan. Bat wanfala demon sei long olketa: “Mi savve long Jesus and mi savve long Paul tu, bat iufala hu ia?” Man wea demon stap long hem getap and faetem olketa man hia olsem wild animal attakim olketa. Olketa garekil and naked and olketa ranawe. (Acts 19:13-16) Datwan mekem staka pipol bilivim “message bilong Jehovah.” Olketa luksavve God givim paoa long Paul bat olketa hia wea followim false religion nating garem paoa nomoa. Distaem staka million pipol tingse sapos olketa prea long nem bilong Jesus or sei olketa Christian, datwan hem gud nao. Bat olsem Jesus showimaot, pipol wea duim wanem Dadi bilong hem long heven laekem nao bae garem hope for future.—Matt. 7:21-23.
15. Sapos iumi garem eni samting wea join witim devildevil, hao nao iumi savve followim example bilong olketa long Ephesus?
15 Nogud samting wea kasem olketa son bilong Sceva mekem staka pipol for fraet long God. Olketa biliv and stop for duim olketa samting wea join witim devildevil. Pipol long Ephesus duim enikaen magic. Olketa cursim narawan, werem samting for protectim olketa seleva, and garem olketa buk bilong magic wea toktok insaed olketa savve singim or readim. Staka long Ephesus wea duim magic tekem kam olketa buk bilong olketa and bonem front long evriwan, nomata kost bilong olketa hem staka thousand dollar long selen bilong iumi. d From olketa duim datwan, Luke sei “message bilong Jehovah hem go kasem staka nara ples moa and plande pipol nao bilivim datwan.” (Acts 19:17-20) Datwan pruvim hao tru samting long Bible garem moa paoa winim olketa demon and olketa laea samting! Olketa long Ephesus showimaot gudfala example for iumi. Plande pipol long world distaem duim samting wea join witim devildevil. Sapos iumi garem eni samting wea join witim devildevil, iumi shud distroem datwan olsem olketa long Ephesus duim! Iumi shud stap klia long eni samting wea join witim devildevil, nomata datfala samting wea iumi garem kostim staka selen.
“Bigfala Raoa Hem Kamap” (Acts 19:23-41)
“Iufala savve iumi evriwan kasem big selen from disfala waka wea iumi duim.”—Acts 19:25
16, 17. (a) Storyim wanem Demetrius duim for startim raeot long Ephesus. (b) Wanem nao showimaot pipol long Ephesus strong long religion bilong olketa?
16 Tingim nara samting wea Satan duim for stopem gud nius. Luke sei: “Bigfala raoa hem kamap abaotem datfala niu wei.” Luke no extram story bilong hem. e (Acts 19:23) Demetrius wea wakem olketa samting long silver nao startim raoa. Hem talem olketa narawan wea wakem idol olketa kasem big selen from waka wea olketa duim. Hem sei message wea Paul preachim savve spoelem bisnis bilong olketa bikos olketa Christian no worshipim idol. From hem savve pipol hia tinghae long kantri and wei wea olketa citizen bilong Ephesus, hem sei toktok bilong Paul “bae mekem no eni man praisem” woman god bilong olketa Artemis and ting nating long temple bilong hem.—Acts 19:24-27.
17 Olketa wakaman hia duim nao samting wea Demetrius laekem. Olketa singaot olsem: “Artemis bilong mifala long Ephesus nao hem nambawan!” Evriwan long taon barava olobaot and raeot nao olsem iumi storyim long start bilong disfala chapter. f From Paul tingim narawan, hem laek go long stadium for story long pipol hia bat olketa disaepol stopem hem bikos hem danger tumas. Wanfala man wea nem bilong hem Alexander standap and trae for story long olketa. From hem wanfala Jew, maet hem laek for explainim hao olketa Jew difren from olketa Christian. Bat olketa pipol bae ting nating nomoa long datwan. Taem olketa luksavve hem wanfala Jew, evriwan gohed singaot big for tufala hour and sei: “Artemis bilong mifala long Ephesus nao hem nambawan!” Staka pipol distaem tu strong long religion bilong olketa and hem hard for story gud witim olketa.—Acts 19:28-34.
18, 19. (a) Wanem nao bigman bilong taon talem wea mekem evriwan kwaet? (b) Wanem nao samfala bigman duim for protectim pipol bilong Jehovah, and wanem nao iumi savve duim mekem pipol protectim iumi?
18 Gogo bigman bilong taon mekem evriwan stap kwaet. Datfala man wea garem gudfala tingting sei olketa Christian bae no spoelem temple and woman god bilong olketa. Hem sei Paul and olketa wea go witim hem no duim eni nogud samting againstim temple bilong Artemis and sapos olketa laek accusim olketa, olketa shud duim datwan long kot. Hem talem olketa pipol hia gavman bilong Rome maet againstim olketa from olketa brekem law and mek trabol long taon. Then hem talem evriwan for lusim datfala ples. Big raoa finis nao bikos long gud advaes wea datfala bigman talem.—Acts 19:35-41.
19 Hem no firstaem for wanfala bigman protectim olketa follower bilong Jesus. Olketa nara bigman wea garem gudfala tingting duim olsem tu. Aposol John lukim vision hao, long olketa last day samfala bigman long world wea garem gudfala tingting bae protectim olketa follower bilong Jesus. Olketa bigman hia piksarem earth wea bae swallowim river wea Satan toroaotem from mouth bilong hem. Datfala river piksarem olketa samting wea Satan duim for spoelem olketa Christian. (Rev. 12:15, 16) Datwan hem kamap tru. Long staka kot case, olketa judge wea garem gudfala tingting protectim raet bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness for hipap tugeta for worship and for preachim gud nius. Gudfala wei bilong iumi tu savve mekem pipol for laek protectim iumi. Luk olsem samfala bigman long Ephesus tinghae long gudfala wei bilong Paul dastawe olketa laek for protectim hem. (Acts 19:31) Gudfala wei bilong iumi and wei wea iumi respectim narawan savve mekem pipol for tinghae long iumi. Iumi no savve wanem gud samting nao bae kamap from gudfala wei bilong iumi.
20. (a) Long first century and distaem tu, staka pipol bilivim message bilong Jehovah. Hao nao tingting bilong iu abaotem datwan? (b) Wanem nao iu disaed strong for duim?
20 Long first century, “message bilong Jehovah hem go kasem staka nara ples moa and plande pipol nao bilivim datwan.” Datwan mekem iumi hapi tumas. Iumi hapi tu hao Jehovah duim semkaen samting distaem. Waswe, iu laek duim samting for helpem disfala waka for gohed? Sapos olsem, lane from olketa example wea iumi storyim. Gohed hambol, followim organization bilong Jehovah, waka hard, stap klia long eni samting wea join witim devildevil, and duim best bilong iu for showimaot respect and garem gudfala wei.
a Lukim box, “ Ephesus Hem Kapitol Bilong Asia.”
b Paul raetem Firstfala Leta for Olketa Long Corinth tu taem hem stap long Ephesus.
c Maet kaleko hia hem olketa handkerchief wea Paul werem long forhed for stopem swet for no go insaed eye and nara kaleko wea hem werem antap long kaleko bilong hem. Kaleko wea hem werem antap long kaleko showimaot maet hem duim waka for wakem tent. Maet hem duim waka hia long early morning taem hem free.—Acts 20:34, 35.
d Luke sei kost hia hem 50,000 silver coin. Sapos silver coin hem denarius, man mas waka for 50,000 day, wea minim hem waka evriday for samting olsem 137 year for kasem datfala selen.
e Samfala sei Paul story abaotem big raoa hia taem hem talem olketa Christian long Corinth hem “no sure bae [hem] laef or nomoa.” (2 Cor. 1:8) Bat maet Paul tingim samting wea danger winim datwan. Taem Paul sei hem “faet witim olketa wild animal long Ephesus,” maet hem minim olketa really animal wea hem faetem long stadium or pipol wea againstim hem. (1 Cor. 15:32) Nomata pipol tingse hem olketa animal or olketa man wea againstim hem, hem savve minim tufala evriwan.
f Taem plande pipol wea duim sem waka wan mind for duim samting, hem hard for kontrolem olketa. Olsem example, samting olsem 100 year bihaen, olketa wea beikem bred startim wanfala raeot tu long Ephesus.