No Lusim Wei for Hipap Tugeta

Bible hem sei: “No lusim wei for hipap tugeta, olsem fasin bilong samfala, bat encouragem narawan, and duim long bigfala wei moa taem iufala lukim datfala day hem kam klosap.” (Hebrews 10:25) Hem klia tumas, olketa tru worshiper mas kam tugeta long wanfala ples for worship for “tingim and muvim each other for showimaot love and gudfala waka.”—Hebrews 10:24.

TAEM aposol Paul raetem olketa toktok hia long first century bilong Common Era bilong iumi, olketa Jew savve worship long nambawan temple long Jerusalem. Olketa garem tu olketa synagogue. Jesus hem ‘teach long wanfala synagogue and long temple, ples wea evri Jew hipap tugeta.’—John 18:20.

Wanem kaen ples for hipap nao Paul minim taem hem encouragem olketa Christian for hipap tugeta for encouragem each other? Waswe, olketa bigfala lotu building bilong Christendom hem semsem witim temple arrangement long Jerusalem? Wanem taem nao olketa wea sei olketa Christian start for garem olketa bigfala lotu building?

‘Wanfala Haos for Nem Bilong God’

Firstfala instruction abaotem wanfala ples for worshipim God hem stap long Bible buk bilong Exodus. Jehovah God talem pipol bilong hem wea hem chusim—olketa Israelite—for buildim “datfala tabernacle,” or “tent bilong meeting.” Datfala ark bilong covenant and samfala holy samting nao shud stap long there. Long 1512 B.C.E. taem olketa wakem finis, “glory bilong Jehovah hem fulimap datfala tabernacle.” Datfala tent wea olketa savve karem witim olketa hem nao kamap olsem main samting insaed arrangement bilong God for worshipim hem for winim foa handred year. (Exodus, chapter 25-27; 40:33-38) Bible savve kolem tu datfala tent olsem “temple bilong Jehovah” and “haos bilong Jehovah.”—1 Samuel 1:9, 24.

Bihaen, taem David hem king long Jerusalem, hem talemaot hao hem want tumas for buildim wanfala haos for glory bilong Jehovah. Bat, from David hem wanfala man for faet long war, Jehovah talem hem: “Iu bae no buildim wanfala haos for nem bilong mi.” Bat, Hem chusim Solomon son bilong David for buildim datfala temple. (1 Chronicles 22:6-10) Bihaen olketa buildim finis insaed seven and haf year, Solomon hem dedicatem datfala temple long 1026 B.C.E. Jehovah hem appruvim datfala building, hem sei: “Mi mekem disfala haos wea iu buildim kamap holy taem mi putim nem bilong mi long there for olowe; and eye bilong mi and heart bilong mi bae olowe stap long there.” (1 Kings 9:3) Sapos olketa Israelite stap faithful, bae blessing bilong Jehovah stap long datfala haos. Bat sapos olketa tanawe from stret samting, Jehovah bae aotem blessing bilong hem from datfala ples, and ‘datfala haos bae kamap hip rabis nomoa.’—1 Kings 9:4-9; 2 Chronicles 7:16, 19, 20.

Gogo, olketa Israelite tanawe from tru worship. (2 Kings 21:1-5) “So [Jehovah] tekem kam king bilong Chaldea for againstim olketa, wea . . . go ahed for bonem haos bilong trufala God and aotem wall bilong Jerusalem; olketa bonem olketa taoa bilong hem witim fire and tu evri naesfala samting, for finisim hem. And tu, hem karem go olketa wea hem no killim dae long sword for olsem prisoner long Babylon, and olketa kamap olsem servant bilong hem and bilong olketa son bilong hem.” Bible record showimaot hao diswan hem happen long 607 B.C.E.—2 Chronicles 36:15-21; Jeremiah 52:12-14.

Olsem profet Isaiah talem finis, God sendem kam King Cyrus bilong Persia for mekem olketa Jew kamap free from paoa bilong Babylon. (Isaiah 45:1) Bihaen olketa stap olsem prisoner for 70 year, olketa go bak moa long Jerusalem long 537 B.C.E. for buildim moa datfala temple. (Ezra 1:1-6; 2:1, 2; Jeremiah 29:10) Bihaen samfala delay kamap taem olketa buildim, olketa finis for buildim temple long 515 B.C.E., and klin worship bilong God hem start bak moa. Nomata hem no barava luk naes tumas olsem temple bilong Solomon, datfala building hem stap for klosap 600 year. Bat, olketa no keepim gud tu disfala temple bikos olketa Israelite no ting for worshipim Jehovah. Taem Jesus Christ kam long earth, King Herod hem isisi start for buildim moa datfala temple. Wanem nao bae happen long disfala temple?

“No Eni Ston Bae Stap Antap Long Narafala Ston”

Taem hem story abaotem temple long Jerusalem, Jesus talem olketa disaepol bilong hem: “No eni ston bae stap antap long narafala ston wea olketa no torowem go daon.” (Matthew 24:1, 2) Toktok hia barava kamap tru, datfala main ples for worshipim God for planti handred year hem distroe long 70 C.E. taem olketa army bilong Rome kam for stopem wei wea olketa Jew againstim olketa.a No eniwan buildim moa datfala temple. Long mek-seven century, olketa Muslim buildim ples bilong olketa for worship wea olketa kolem Dome of the Rock, and hem stap kam kasem distaem antap long ples bilong olketa Jew bifor for worship.

Wanem nao arrangement bilong olketa follower bilong Jesus for worship? Waswe, bae olketa firstfala Christian Jew go ahed for worshipim God long datfala temple wea klosap for distroe? Wea nao bae olketa Christian wea no Jew worshipim God? Waswe, olketa building bilong Christendom nao bae changem datfala temple? Story bilong Jesus witim wanfala Samaritan woman helpem iumi for luksavve long olketa samting hia.

For planti handred year, olketa Samaritan worshipim God long wanfala bigfala temple long Maunt Gerizim long Samaria. Samaritan woman hia sei olsem long Jesus: “Olketa laen dadi bilong mifala olketa worship long disfala maunten; bat iufala sei Jerusalem nao ples wea pipol mas worship.” For ansarem hem Jesus sei: “Bilivim mi, woman, Taem bae kam wea iufala pipol bae no worshipim Father long disfala maunten or long Jerusalem.” Wei for worshipim Jehovah bae no needim wanfala really temple, from Jesus explainim olsem: “God hem wanfala Spirit, and olketa wea worshipim hem mas worship witim spirit and truth.” (John 4:20, 21, 24) Bihaen, aposol Paul talem olketa bilong Athens: “God wea wakem world and evri samting insaed long hem, from hem Lord bilong heven and earth, hem no stap long olketa temple wea man wakem.”—Acts 17:24.

Hem klia hao olketa lotu building bilong Christendom no join witim temple arrangement wea stap bifor taem bilong olketa Christian. And olketa Christian long first century no garem eni reason for buildim olketa kaen ples olsem. Bat bihaen olketa aposol dae, samting Paul talem finis abaotem wei wea planti bae lusim tru teaching—wei for apostate—hem kamap. (Acts 20:29, 30) Planti year bifor olketa sei Roman Emperor Constantine hem kamap wanfala Christian long 313 C.E., olketa wea sei olketa Christian start for lusim olketa samting wea Jesus teachim.

Constantine hem help for joinim “Christian Wei” witim heathen Roman religion. The Encyclopædia Britannica hem sei: “Constantine seleva nao talem olketa for buildim thrifala bigfala Christian Church long Rome: St. Peter’s, S. Paolo Fuori le Mura, and S. Giovanni long Laterano. Hem . . .  wakem datfala plan bilong church wea luk olsem cross wea gogo planti church long western Europe build followim long Middle Ages.” Kam kasem distaem pipol tingim St. Peter’s Basilica long Rome, wea olketa buildim bak, olsem main ples bilong Roman Catholic Church.

Man for raetem history, Will Durant hem sei: “Datfala Church tekem olketa kastom and narakaen heathen worship bilong Rome wea olketa garem bifor Christian religion hem kamap long there.” Insaed diswan hem “plan bilong datfala church.” From mek-10 go kasem mek-15 century, olketa buildim planti church and cathedral, wea mekhae long stael bilong building. Long datfala taem nao olketa wakem planti bigfala church building bilong Christendom wea pipol distaem tingim olsem monument saed long art.

Waswe, pipol olowe kasem spiritual strong and encouragement from wei for worship insaed wanfala church? Francisco wea from Brazil hem sei: “Long miseleva, church stand for evri samting bilong religion wea boring and wea mekem man feel wiki. Mass hem ceremony wea no garem mining, wea talem sem samting olowe wea no savve satisfaem olketa really need bilong mi. Mi barava hapi taem hem finis.” Nomata olsem, olketa tru Christian kasem komand for hipap tugeta. Wanem arrangement for olketa hipap tugeta nao olketa shud followim?

“Kongregeson wea Hipap Long Haos Bilong Olketa”

Example for olketa Christian hipap tugeta hem showaot insaed long wei wea olketa bilong first century wea biliv olketa hipap. Bible showim hao olketa savve hipap tugeta insaed olketa haos. For example, aposol Paul raet olsem: “Talem hello bilong mi long Prisca and Aquila wea waka witim mi for Christ Jesus  . . . and talem hello long kongregeson wea hipap long haos bilong olketa.” (Romans 16:3, 5; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 2) Long samfala English Bible olsem King James Version, olketa transleitim Greek word for “kongregeson” (ek·kle·siʹa) olsem “church.” Bat word hia hem really minim wanfala grup pipol wea hipap tugeta for wanfala samting, no wanfala building. (Acts 8:1; 13:1) Worship bilong olketa tru Christian no needim olketa stael lotu building.

Hao nao olketa conductim olketa meeting insaed olketa first Christian kongregeson? Disaepol James iusim wanfala word wea kam from Greek word sy·na·go·geʹ taem hem story abaotem Christian meeting. (James 2:2, footnote) Disfala Greek word minim “tekem kam tugeta” and hem garem sem mining olsem datfala word ek·kle·siʹa. Bat taem olketa year go pas, datfala word “synagogue” kasem niu mining wea minim ples or building wea olketa savve hipap long hem. Olketa first Jew Christian savve long olketa samting wea savve kamap long wanfala synagogue.b

Nomata olketa Jew hipap long temple long Jerusalem for olketa festival bilong olketa wea kamap evri year, olketa synagogue kamap olketa ples for lane abaotem Jehovah and for lane abaotem Law. Luk olsem samting wea olketa savve duim long olketa synagogue hem wei for prea and readim olketa Scripture, and tu wei for storyim olketa Scripture and for givim encouragement. Taem Paul and olketa narawan witim hem go long wanfala synagogue long Antioch, “olketa wea lukaftarem datfala synagogue kol go long olketa and sei: ‘Olketa man, olketa brata, sapos iufala garem eni toktok for encouragem olketa pipol, talem.’” (Acts 13:15) Taem olketa first Christian Jew hipap tugeta insaed olketa haos, olketa mas followim wei wea semsem, wea mekem meeting bilong olketa followim teaching from olketa Scripture and buildimap man long spiritual wei.

Olketa Kongregeson for Encouragem Man

Olsem olketa first Christian, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness distaem savve hipap tugeta long olketa simpol ples for worship for kasem instruction from Bible and for enjoyim gudfala wei for fren tugeta. For planti year olketa savve hipap long olketa haos bilong each other and nomata distaem long samfala ples olketa still duim diswan. Bat distaem namba bilong olketa kongregeson hem winim 90,000, and main ples bilong olketa for hipap hem long olketa ples wea olketa kolem Kingdom Hall. Olketa building hia no ova tumas and hem no luk olsem church. Olketa building hia garem gudfala plan and no stael tumas wea samting olsem 100 go kasem 200 pipol savve hipap tugeta for olketa meeting evri week for lisin and lane from Word bilong God.

Klosap evri kongregeson bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness hipap thrifala taem evri week. Wanfala meeting hem for pablik wea story abaotem wanfala subject wea planti interest long hem. Then bihaen datwan bae olketa iusim Wastaoa magasin for duim wanfala study wea kam from wanfala Bible subject or profesi. Nara meeting hem wanfala skul wea olketa mekem for trainim olketa hao for storyim message from Bible. Bihaen datwan olketa garem meeting especially for givim olketa gudfala idea for duim Christian ministry. Wantaem evri week, olketa Witness savve hipap tu for duim Bible study olsem olketa smolfala grup long haos bilong wanfala brata. Pablik savve kam lukluk long eni meeting hia. Olketa no savve askem selen.

Francisco, wea iumi storyim long firstaem, faendem hao olketa meeting long Kingdom Hall olketa barava gud. Hem sei: “First meeting ples wea mi go long hem, hem wanfala naes building long area long taon, and taem mi lusim datfala hall mi feel gud. Olketa wea attend long there showimaot wei for fren, and mi feelim wei wea olketa garem love midolwan olketa. Mi barava laek tumas for go bak moa. Tru nao, start from datfala taem mi no missim eni meeting. Olketa Christian meeting hia olketa interesting, and olketa satisfaem spiritual need bilong mi. Nomata taem mi feel wikdaon from samfala samting, mi go long Kingdom Hall, mi feel sure hao mi bae kasem encouragement long there.”

Iu garem chance for kasem Bible education, kaban wea encouragem man, and chance for praisem God long olketa Christian meeting bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Mifala barava invaetem iu for attend long wanfala Kingdom Hall wea stap klosap long haos bilong iu. Iu bae hapi tumas sapos iu duim datwan.

[Olketa Footnote]

[Olketa Piksa long page 4, 5]

Datfala tabernacle and bihaen, olketa temple, olketa nambawan ples for worshipim Jehovah

[Piksa long page 6]

St. Peter’s Basilica long Rome

[Piksa long page 7]

Olketa first Christian hipap tugeta long haos bilong olketa

[Olketa Piksa long page 8, 9]

Olketa Jehovah’s Witness garem olketa Christian meeting insaed haos bilong olketa and long olketa Kingdom Hall