Bleivet In’s Licht, Nett in da Dunkel

1-2. (a) Vo voah da Paulus vann eah kshrivva hott zu di leit in Ephesus, un favass hott eah si kshrivva? (b) Vass fa questions zayla miah nau shvetza diveyya?

WHILE he was under house arrest in Rome, the apostle Paul wanted to encourage his fellow believers. He could not visit them in person, so he wrote letters. He wrote one of these in about 60 or 61 C.E. to the Ephesians.​—Eph. 1:1; 4:1.

² Almost ten years earlier, Paul had spent quite some time in Ephesus, preaching and teaching the good news. (Acts 19:1, 8-10; 20:20, 21) He loved his brothers very much and wanted to help them to remain faithful to Jehovah. But why did he write to anointed Christians about darkness and light? And what lessons can all Christians learn from this counsel? Let us consider the answers to these questions.

FUNN DUNKEL ZU LICHT

3. Vass fa vadda hott da Paulus gyoost vann eah kshrivva hott zu di leit in Ephesus?

³ Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians: “You were once darkness, but you are now light.” (Eph. 5:8) Paul here used the metaphors of darkness and light to explain contrasting or opposing conditions. Let us consider why Paul could say that the Ephesians were “once darkness.”

4. In vass fa vayya voahra di leit in Ephesus in da dunkel koss funn falshi glawva?

⁴ Religious darkness. Before learning the truth and becoming Christians, the Ephesians to whom Paul wrote were enslaved to false religious ideas and superstitions. The city of Ephesus was home to the famous temple of Artemis, which the ancients considered one of the seven wonders of the world. The people who worshipped there were steeped in idolatry. The fabrication and sale of false religious shrines of the goddess Artemis was a lucrative business. (Acts 19:23-27) In addition, the city was well-known for magical arts.​—Acts 19:19.

5. In vass fa vayya voahra di leit in Ephesus in da dunkel vann’s kumd zu vissa vass recht un letz is?

⁵ Moral darkness. Ephesus was famous for its gross immorality and brazen conduct. Obscene talk was commonly heard in the city’s theaters and even at religious festivals. (Eph. 5:3) Many of its inhabitants were “past all moral sense,” an expression that literally means “having ceased to feel pain.” (Eph. 4:17-19) Before learning what was truly right or truly wrong, the Ephesians did not feel pangs of conscience or think that they had any accountability to Jehovah. Paul could thus describe them as being “in darkness mentally and alienated from the life that belongs to God.”

6. Favass hott da Paulus sawwa kenna es di leit in Ephesus voahra nau “licht”?

⁶ Some of the Ephesians, though, did not remain in darkness. Paul wrote that they were “now light in connection with the Lord.” (Eph. 5:8) They had embraced the light of Scriptural truth. (Ps. 119:105) These Ephesians had abandoned their false religious practices and immoral conduct. They had “become imitators of God” and were doing their best to worship Jehovah and to please him.​—Eph. 5:1.

7. In vass fa vayk is’s baut saym fa uns heit es di Christians in Ephesus?

⁷ In a similar way, before we learned the truth, we were in religious and moral darkness. Some of us celebrated false religious holidays; others of us pursued an immoral lifestyle. But once we learned about Jehovah’s standards of right and wrong, we made changes. We began to bring our life into harmony with his righteous requirements. And as a result, we have enjoyed many benefits. (Isa. 48:17) Now, though, we face ongoing challenges. We need to stay away from the darkness that we left behind and “go on walking as children of light.” How can we do so?

Image digitally reproduced with the permission of the Papyrology Collection, Graduate Library, University of Michigan, P.Mich.inv. 6238. Licensed under CC by 3.0

AUS DA DUNKEL BLEIVA

8. Funn vass Epheser 5:3-5 sawkt, vass henn di leit in Ephesus vekk bleiva missa difunn?

⁸ Read Ephesians 5:3-5. In order to stay far away from moral darkness, the Ephesian Christians had to continue rejecting practices that displeased Jehovah. That included not only sexually immoral conduct but also obscene talk. Paul reminded the Ephesians that they had to avoid such things if they were to have “any inheritance in the Kingdom of the Christ and of God.”

9. Favass sedda ma vekk bleiva funn ennich ebbes es leeda kend zu sexual immorality?

⁹ We too must continue to fight against becoming entangled in “the unfruitful works that belong to the darkness.” (Eph. 5:11) Time and again, experience has shown that the more a person looks at, listens to, or talks about unclean, immoral things, the easier it will be for him to fall into wrongdoing. (Gen. 3:6; Jas. 1:14, 15) In one country, several dozen brothers became “friends” in an online chat group. Many of them started out in their chats talking about spiritual things. In the course of time, however, the chats became unwholesome. They began to revolve around sex. Several of these individuals later admitted that this unclean talk led them to commit sexual immorality.

10. Vass vill da Satan havva es miah denka? (Epheser 5:6)

¹⁰ Satan’s world tries to deceive us, to make us believe that what Jehovah calls immoral and unclean is not wrong at all. (2 Pet. 2:19) This is no coincidence! One of the Devil’s long-used tactics is to confuse people so that they are unable to discern what is right and what is wrong. (Isa. 5:20; 2 Cor. 4:4) It is no wonder that many movies, television shows, and websites promote ideas that go against Jehovah’s righteous standards! Satan is trying to deceive us into thinking that unclean practices and lifestyles are not only acceptable but also enjoyable and harmless.​—Read Ephesians 5:6.

11. Vi dutt di Angela iahra experience veisa vi importand es ’sis fa apleiya vass Epheser 5:7 sawkt? (Gukket aw’s piktah.)

¹¹ Satan wants us to associate with people who make it harder for us to stick to Jehovah’s standards. Accordingly, Paul urged the Ephesians: “Do not be sharers with them,” that is, with those who practice what is wrong in God’s eyes. (Eph. 5:7) We need to remember that our association is not limited to those we spend time with in person. It includes those we interact with on social media, a danger that the ancient Ephesians were not exposed to. Angela,a who lives in Asia, found out how dangerous social media can be. She admits: “It can be a trap, subtly numbing your senses. I reached the point where it did not bother me to have ‘friends’ who did not respect Bible principles. Eventually, I started to think that it was OK to pursue a lifestyle that displeased Jehovah.” Thankfully, loving elders helped Angela to make needed changes. She says: “I now fill my mind with spiritual things rather than with social media.”

12. Vass zayld uns helfa fa shtikka zu vass Jehova sawkt es recht adda letz is?

¹² We must fight against the world’s thinking that immoral conduct is acceptable. We know better. (Eph. 4:19, 20) We do well to ask ourselves: ‘Do I make it a point to avoid all unnecessary association with workmates, classmates, or others who do not respect Jehovah’s righteous standards? Do I courageously uphold Jehovah’s standards even though some may call me intolerant for doing so?’ As indicated at 2 Timothy 2:20-22, we may also need to be careful when choosing our close associates within the Christian congregation. We bear in mind that some may not help us to remain faithful in our service to Jehovah.

“LAWFET VI KINNAH FUMM LICHT”

13. Vass maynd’s fa on gay ‘lawfa vi kinnah fumm licht’? (Epheser 5:7-9)

¹³ Paul encouraged the Ephesian Christians not only to continue rejecting the darkness but also to “go on walking as children of light.” (Read Ephesians 5:7-9.) What does that mean? Simply put, it means to conduct ourselves as true Christians at all times. One way to achieve this goal is by diligently reading and studying the Bible along with our Bible-based publications. It is especially important to pay close attention to the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, “the light of the world.”​—John 8:12; Prov. 6:23.

14. Vi kann heilich geisht uns helfa?

¹⁴ We also need the help of God’s holy spirit so that we can keep conducting ourselves “as children of light.” Why? Because it is a definite challenge to remain clean in this immoral world. (1 Thess. 4:3-5, 7, 8) Holy spirit can help us to combat the thinking of the world, including its philosophies and viewpoints that conflict with God’s thinking. Holy spirit can also help us to produce “every sort of goodness and righteousness.”​—Eph. 5:9.

15. Vi kenna ma heilich geisht greeya? (Epheser 5:19, 20)

¹⁵ One way we can receive holy spirit is by praying for it. Jesus said that Jehovah will “give holy spirit to those asking him.” (Luke 11:13) And when we praise Jehovah together at Christian meetings, we also receive holy spirit. (Read Ephesians 5:19, 20.) The wholesome influence of God’s holy spirit will help us to live in a way that pleases God.

16. Vass zayld uns helfa fa goodi decisions macha? (Epheser 5:10, 17)

¹⁶ When we have important decisions to make, we need to perceive “what the will of Jehovah is” and then act in harmony with it. (Read Ephesians 5:10, 17.) By identifying Bible principles that apply to our situation, we are actually seeking God’s thinking on the matter. Then as we apply his principles, we will more likely make good decisions.

17. Vi kenna miah unsah zeit goot yoosa? (Epheser 5:15, 16) (Gukket aw’s piktah.)

¹⁷ Paul also counseled the Ephesian Christians to use their time wisely. (Read Ephesians 5:15, 16.) “The wicked one,” our enemy Satan, would like to keep us so busy with this world’s pursuits that we have no time for our service to God. (1 John 5:19) It would be all too easy for a Christian to put material possessions, secular education, or his career ahead of opportunities to serve Jehovah. Were that to happen, it would indicate that he is being affected by the world’s thinking. Of course, these things are not wrong in themselves, but they should never take first place in our life. To walk “as children of light,” we need to be “making the best use of [our] time,” focusing on what is truly important.

18. Vass hott da Donald gedu so es eah sei zeit bessah yoosa kann?

¹⁸ Be alert to any opportunities to serve Jehovah more fully. This is what Donald, who lives in South Africa, did. He says: “I looked at my situation and supplicated Jehovah to help me be more productive in the ministry. I prayed for work that would allow me to have more time for preaching. With Jehovah’s help, I did find appropriate work. My wife and I then started our journey of full-time service together.”

19. Vi kenna miah oh’halda lawfa “vi kinnah fumm licht”?

¹⁹ Paul’s letter to the Ephesians must really have helped them in their Christian course. And that inspired counsel can help us too. As noted, it can aid us in choosing our entertainment and our associates wisely. It can motivate us to continue immersing ourselves in the light of truth by having a consistent program of Bible study. And it emphasizes the importance of holy spirit, which can produce fine qualities in us. Applying what Paul wrote can help us to make wise decisions, ones that are in harmony with Jehovah’s thinking. By doing these things, we will be able to avoid the darkness of this world and remain in the light!