Bible Buk Namba 51​—Colossians

Man wea Raetem: Paul

Ples Hem Raetem: Rome

Taem Hem Finis Raetem: c. 60–61 C.E.

TUFALA man lusim Ephesus and go long east thru long Asia Minor saed long Maeander (Menderes) River. Taem tufala kasem smolfala river wea nem bilong hem Lycus, long kantri bilong Phrygia, olketa go long south east followim river go ap thru long valley midolwan long olketa maunten. Tufala kasem naesfala ples: gudfala land wea garem green grass witim staka sheepsheep. (Wool bilong sheepsheep hem main samting wea tekem kam selen long datfala area.a) Taem tufala go ap followim valley, tufala pasim richfala taon bilong Laodicea long raet saed, wea hem nao headquarter bilong gavman bilong Rome for datfala distrik. Long left saed, akros long river, tufala savve lukim Hierapolis, wea staka pipol savve hem garem olketa temple and hot springwata. Samfala Christian kongregeson stap long tufala taon hia and long smolfala taon bilong Colossae tu, wea stap samting olsem 17 kilometer go ap long valley.

² Colossae nao ples wea tufala man hia kasem. Tufala Christian. Bat, wanfala hem savve gud long datfala area bikos hem kam from Colossae. Nem bilong hem Onesimus, and hem wanfala slave wea go bak long masta bilong hem, wea wanfala member bilong kongregeson long there. Man wea wakabaot witim Onesimus hem Tychicus, wanfala free man, and tufala karem kam message from aposol Paul, wanfala leta wea hem raetem for “olketa faithful brata wea garem wan mind witim Christ long Colossae.” Hem luk olsem Paul nating visitim Colossae. Maet man wea startim datfala kongregeson, wea staka insaed no Jew, hem Epaphras, wea waka witim olketa and distaem hem stap witim Paul long Rome.—Col. 1:2, 7; 4:12.

³ Aposol Paul nao raetem disfala leta, olsem hem talem long firstfala and lastfala toktok long leta. (1:1; 4:18) Lastfala toktok bilong hem talemaot tu hem raetem leta hia long prison. Diswan nao firstfala taem wea hem stap long prison long Rome, 59-61 C.E., taem hem raetem samfala leta for givim encouragement, wea hem sendem leta for olketa long Colossae tugeta witim wanfala long Philemon. (Col. 4:7-9; Philem. 10, 23) Luk olsem hem raetem long semtaem witim leta for olketa long Ephesus, bikos plande idea and toktok olketa semsem.

⁴ No eni reason stap for daotem wei wea disfala leta for olketa long Colossae hem stret evribit. From hem stap witim olketa narafala leta bilong Paul long Chester Beatty Papyrus No. 2 (P⁴⁶) long samting olsem 200 C.E., diswan showimaot olketa firstfala Christian acceptim olsem wanfala leta bilong Paul. Samfala bigman long first century wea pruvim olketa narafala leta bilong Paul olketa stret evribit talem sem samting tu abaotem disfala leta.

⁵ Wanem nao muvim Paul for raetem leta long olketa long Colossae? Wanfala reason nao, Onesimus bae go bak long Colossae. Epaphras just kasem Paul, and iumi sure report bilong hem abaotem samfala samting long Colossae hem narafala reason for raetem leta. (Col. 1:7, 8; 4:12) Wanfala danger kamap for Christian kongregeson long there. Olketa religion long datfala taem gogo for finis, and pipol startim olketa niu religion long wei for joinim tugeta samfala part bilong olketa old religion. Olketa heathen idea wea join witim wei for followim barava strict living, spiritism, and kastom biliv, tugeta witim Jew kastom for stap klia long samfala kaen kaikai and celebratem samfala day, maet affectim samfala insaed kongregeson. Nomata wanem nao problem, luk olsem gudfala reason stap for Epaphras travel farawe go long Rome for lukim Paul. Bat, gudfala report bilong Epaphras abaotem love and wei wea olketa stand strong hem showimaot hao olsem wanfala kongregeson, olketa no stap long danger distaem. Taem Paul herem disfala report, hem mekhae long stretfala savve and klinfala worship taem hem raetem disfala leta long kongregeson long Colossae. Hem mekhae long wei wea God mekem Christ kamap moa hae taem hem winim olketa heathen idea, wei for worshipim angel, and olketa Jew kastom.

WEI WEA HEM HELPEM IUMI

¹² Iumi savve tingim wei wea olketa brata long Colossae kwiktaem herem nius hao tufala brata kam from Rome. Maet olketa hipap long haos bilong Philemon for herem datfala leta bilong Paul. (Philem. 2) Hem storyim nambawan truth abaotem barava ples wea Christ stap distaem and need for kasem stretfala savve! Hem tok daonem olketa idea bilong man and Jew kastom, and mekhae long peace and word bilong Christ! Diswan hem gudfala kaikai for mind and heart bilong evriwan insaed long kongregeson—olketa overseer, hasband, waef, dadi, pikinini, masta, slave. Tru nao, gudfala kaonsel stap for Philemon and Onesimus taem tufala stap moa olsem masta and slave. Diswan barava leadim olketa overseer long gudfala wei for mekem olketa sheepsheep followim stretfala teaching moa! Toktok bilong Paul barava strongim olketa long Colossae for tinghae long privilege bilong olketa for duim waka witim full soul long Jehovah! And gudfala kaonsel for olketa long Colossae abaotem wei for lusim tingting olsem slave and fasin bilong world hem stap yet olsem message for kongregeson distaem.—Col. 1:9-11, 17, 18; 2:8; 3:15, 16, 18-25; 4:1.

¹³ Nambawan kaonsel for Christian minister hem stap long Colossians 4:6: “Letem toktok bilong iufala hem gudfala evritaem, garem salt, mekem iufala savve hao for givim ansa long each wan.” Pipol wea garem honest heart bae laekem gudfala toktok bilong truth and bae helpem olketa for olowe. And tu, prea bilong Christian wea stap wekap, wea kam from heart wea tinghae, bae kasem spesol blessing from Jehovah: “Gohed for prea olowe, gohed for wekap long hem witim wei for talem thankiu.” And iumi kasem bigfala hapi and encouragement taem iumi kaban witim olketa Christian! “Gohed for teach and encouragem each other,” Paul hem sei, “singsing insaed heart bilong iufala for Jehovah.” (4:2; 3:16) Iu bae kasem plande moa nambawan instruction taem iu lukluk gud long leta for olketa long Colossae.

¹⁴ Disfala leta tok olsem abaotem wei for followim Law: “Evri samting hia olsem shadow long samting wea bae kamap, bat really samting hem bilong Christ.” (2:17) Colossians nao mekhae long disfala really samting wea bilong Christ. Plande taem disfala leta tok abaotem nambawan hope wea stap long heven for olketa wea garem wan mind witim Christ. (1:5, 27; 3:4) Olketa hia fit for barava thankiu long Father from hem aotem olketa from paoa bilong darkness and putim olketa “insaed long kingdom bilong Son wea hem lovem.” Dastawe olketa stap anda long Datwan wea hem “image bilong God wea iumi no savve lukim, hem firstborn bilong evri creation; bikos thru long hem evri narafala samting kamap long heven and long earth, olketa samting wea man lukim and olketa samting wea man no lukim, nomata olketa king or lord or gavman or paoa.” Datwan hem klosap for rul long raeteous fasin insaed Kingdom bilong God. Dastawe Paul kaonselem olketa anointed Christian: “Bat, sapos iufala laef bak witim Christ, gohed for lukaotem olketa samting antap, wea Christ hem sidaon long raet saed bilong God.”—1:12-16; 3:1.

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