Waswe, Evriwan wea Sei Olketa Christian, Olketa Tru Christian?

HAOMAS Christian nao stap long full world? Datfala buk Atlas of Global Christianity sei long year 2010, klosap 2.3 billion Christian nao stap long world. Datfala buk hem sei tu, olketa Christian hia stap long winim 41,000 religion, and evriwan garem difren teaching and olketa acceptim difren standard saed long wanem hem stret and no stret. Diswan mekem samfala for konfius and les for go long church. Maet olketa ting olsem, ‘Waswe, evriwan wea sei olketa Christian, olketa tru Christian?’

Tingim disfala example. Taem wanfala man kasem nara kantri, hem mas talem long immigration hem bilong wanem kantri. Then hem mas showim passport bilong hem for pruvim samting wea hem talem hem tru. Wanfala tru Christian mas olsem tu. Hem no talem nomoa hem man wea followim Christ, bat hem mas duim samting for showimaot datwan. Wanem nao hem mas duim?

Firstaem wea olketa iusim datfala nem “Christian,” hem bihaen long year 44 C.E. Disaepol Luke hem sei: “Long Antioch nao olketa disaepol kasem datfala nem Christian.” (Acts 11:26) So olketa wea garem datfala nem Christian hem olketa disaepol bilong Christ. Wanem nao man mas duim for showimaot hem disaepol bilong Jesus Christ? The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology hem sei: ‘Wanfala disaepol hem man wea barava iusim laef bilong hem for followim Jesus, and hem duim datwan for full laef bilong hem.’ From Jesus nao startim Christian religion, wanfala tru Christian mas barava followim olketa teaching bilong Jesus and duim wanem hem talem.

Waswe, iumi savve faendem eniwan long olketa wea sei olketa Christian wea barava followim teaching bilong Jesus and duim wanem hem talem? Wanem nao Jesus sei bae showimaot man hem tru Christian? Mifala laekem iu for lukim ansa from Bible for olketa kwestin hia. Olketa article bihaen diswan bae showimaot hu nao olketa tru Christian wea duim faevfala samting wea Jesus talem. Bae iumi lukim wanem olketa Christian long first century duim wea showimaot olketa tru Christian. And bae iumi lukim tu hu long olketa wea sei olketa Christian distaem nao duim samting wea showimaot olketa tru Christian.

“Followim Teaching Bilong Mi”

“Sapos iufala followim teaching bilong mi, iufala barava disaepol bilong mi nao. Iufala bae savve long samting wea tru, and datwan bae mekem iufala free.”—JOHN 8:31, 32.

Wanem Jesus Minim: Olketa samting wea Jesus teachim kam from God. Jesus sei: “Mi talem nomoa samting wea Dadi wea sendem mi kam hem laekem mi for talem.” (John 12:49) Taem Jesus prea long Dadi bilong hem Jehovah God, hem sei: ‘Toktok bilong iu hem tru.’ Staka taem Jesus iusim olketa Scripture for sapotim olketa teaching bilong hem. (John 17:17; Matthew 4:4, 7, 10) So olketa tru Christian followim teaching bilong Jesus. Olketa bilivim samting wea Bible talem hem tru, and evri samting wea olketa bilivim and wanem olketa duim kam from Bible.

Wanem Olketa Christian Long First Century Duim: Aposol Paul wea stap long first century garem sem tingting olsem Jesus abaotem Bible. Hem sei: “Evri toktok insaed long olketa Holy Raeting hem kam from God.” (2 Timothy 3:16) Olketa man wea garem waka for teachim olketa Christian long datfala taem, mas “barava faithful for followim toktok bilong God wea tru and wea man fit for trustim.” (Titus 1:7, 9, The Amplified Bible) Olketa Christian long first century no acceptim ‘kastom bilong olketa man and olketa iusles samting bilong disfala world, from olketa samting hia no kam from Christ.’—Colossians 2:8.

Distaem, Hu Nao Duim Wanem Jesus Talem? Datfala Vatican’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, wea olketa Catholic acceptim long 1965 and wea olketa story abaotem long Catechism of the Catholic Church sei olsem: ‘Catholic Church no tekem olketa teaching bilong hem from Bible nomoa. Church mas acceptim and respectim olketa kastom bilong Church olsem olketa duim long Bible.’ Maclean’s magasin talem disfala toktok bilong wanfala Church minister long Toronto, Canada: ‘Iumi no need for followim olketa teaching wea kam from wanfala man wea stap tu thousand year go finis. Jesus and Bible no sapotim olketa idea bilong iumi.’

New Catholic Encyclopedia sei olsem abaotem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness: “Olketa teaching and olketa standard wea olketa followim saed long wanem hem stret and no stret hem kam from Bible nomoa.” No longtaem go nomoa, wanfala man long Canada katem story bilong wanfala Jehovah’s Witness taem hem redi for talem hu nao hem. Man hia sei: ‘Mi savve, iu wanfala Jehovah’s Witness bikos iu holem Bible.’

“No Olsem Pipol Long World”

“Pipol long world heitim olketa bikos olketa no olsem pipol long world.” —JOHN 17:14.

Wanem Jesus Minim: From hem no join insaed politik or raoa bilong pipol long datfala taem, Jesus showimaot hem no olsem pipol long world. Hem sei: “Sapos [kingdom bilong mi] hem bilong disfala world, hard for olketa wea followim mi letem olketa Jew kam tekem mi. Bat Kingdom bilong mi hem no bilong disfala world.” (John 18:36) Hem talem olketa disaepol bilong hem for stap klia from tingting, toktok, and wei for duim samting wea Bible stopem.—Matthew 20:25-27.

Wanem Olketa Christian Long First Century Duim: Olketa willing for safa winim wei for join insaed long war. Jonathan Dymond, man for raet abaotem religion sei olketa first Christian “no join insaed [war], nomata diswan bae minim pipol tok spoelem olketa, putim olketa long prison or killim olketa dae.” And tu, olketa standard wea olketa Christian followim saed long wanem hem stret and no stret hem mekem olketa difren from nara pipol. Olketa Christian savve samting wea disfala scripture talem bae kasem olketa: “From iufala no gohed duim olketa rabis samting olsem olketa, olketa konfius and tok spoelem iufala.” (1 Peter 4:4) Will Durant, man wea raet abaotem history sei from olketa Christian long first century “strong for followim wanem olketa bilivim and garem gudfala wei, diswan mekem pipol wea no Christian and aftarem nomoa hapitaem, for feel guilty.”

Distaem, Hu Nao Duim Wanem Jesus Talem? New Catholic Encyclopedia sei olsem: “Man wea no join insaed war bikos diswan againstim konsens bilong hem, hem duim samting wea no stret.” African Rights, wanfala human rights organization sei, evri church nao join insaed wei for trae killim dae wanfala full tribe long Rwanda long 1994, “bat Olketa Jehovah’s Witness nomoa no join insaed.”

Wanfala skul teacher sei olsem abaotem datfala Nazi Holocaust: “No eni grup or organization tok againstim olketa barava nogud samting wea happen long datfala taem.” Bat bihaen hem story witim olketa long United States Holocaust Memorial Museum hem luksavve datwan hem no tru. Hem faendaot hao Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no join insaed datfala faet nomata olketa kasem olketa nogud samting from datwan.

Waswe long olketa standard saed long wanem hem stret and no stret? U.S. Catholic magasin sei: “Staka young pipol long Catholic church no agree witim olketa teaching bilong church wea sei hem no fitim for tufala wea no marit for stap tugeta, [and] hem no fitim for tufala wea no marit for duim sex.” Magasin hia talem toktok bilong wanfala deacon wea sei: ‘Staka wea marit olketa stap tugeta finis.’ The New Encyclopædia Britannica sei Olketa Jehovah’s Witness “evritaem followim olketa hae standard.”

“Iufala Lovem Iufala Evriwan”

“Mi givim wanfala niu law long iufala. Iufala mas lovem iufala evriwan. Mi lovem iufala, and iufala tu mas lovem iufala evriwan long sem wei. Sapos iufala lovem iufala evriwan, pipol bae savve iufala olketa disaepol bilong mi.”—JOHN 13:34, 35.

Wanem Jesus Minim: Christ talem olketa disaepol for lovem nara disaepol long sem wei olsem hem lovem olketa. Wanem nao Jesus duim wea showimaot hem lovem olketa? Hem lovem evri difren kaen pipol, nomata pipol long datfala taem ting daonem pipol bilong nara ples and olketa woman. (John 4:7-10) From Jesus lovem pipol hem willing for givim taem and strong bilong hem, and hem no garem staka material samting, mekem hem savve helpem nara pipol. (Mark 6:30-34) Hem showimaot barava bigfala love taem hem dae for iumi. Hem sei: “Mi nao nambawan man for lukaftarem olketa sheepsheep. Nambawan man for lukaftarem olketa sheepsheep hem willing for dae for sevem olketa.”—John 10:11.

Wanem Olketa Christian Long First Century Duim: Long first century, olketa Christian kolem nara Christian, ‘brata bilong mi’ or ‘sista bilong mi.’ (Philemon 1, 2) Olketa kongregeson garem pipol from olketa difren kantri. Olketa Christian hia savve “olketa Jew and pipol bilong Greece olketa semsem nomoa, bikos evriwan garem sem Lord nomoa.” (Romans 10:11, 12) Bihaen Pentecost 33 C.E., olketa disaepol long Jerusalem “salem pis land bilong olketa and evri samting wea olketa ownim and sharem selen wea olketa kasem long eniwan wea needim samting.” Why nao olsem? Mekem olketa wea just baptaes savve gohed stap long Jerusalem and “gohed lane from olketa aposol.” (Acts 2:41-45) Wanem nao mekem olketa duim datwan? Samting olsem 200 year bihaen olketa aposol dae, Tertullian storyim samting wea staka pipol talem abaotem olketa Christian: “Olketa barava lovem each other . . . and willing for dae for each other tu.”

Distaem, Hu Nao Duim Wanem Jesus Talem? Datfala buk The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1837) sei insaed staka handred year wea go pas, “olketa barava nogud samting wea olketa wea sei olketa Christian duim long each other hem winim samting wea olketa wea no Christian duim long olketa.” Wanfala research wea olketa duim long United States showimaot staka wea sei olketa Christian, olketa nao no laekem pipol wea kam from difren ples. Staka taem pipol long wanfala religion long wanfala kantri no savve long pipol long sem religion long nara kantri, and from datwan olketa no duim or no laek for duim samting for helpem olketa.

Long 2004, fofala cyclone spoelem Florida, wanfala area long America insaed tufala month nomoa. Bihaen datwan, man wea lukaftarem Emergency Operations Committee hem go long there for chekim sapos pipol kasem relief supply wea olketa sendem. Hem sei Olketa Jehovah’s Witness nao barava organize gud winim eni nara grup, and hem sei hem willing for givim eni relief supply wea olketa Witness needim. Long 1997, wanfala grup bilong olketa Jehovah’s Witness go long Democratic Republic of Congo. Olketa tekem medicine, kaleko and kaikai for helpem olketa Christian brata bilong olketa long there wea insaed hard taem. Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Europe givim relief supply wea kost bilong hem kasem wan million U.S. dollar.

“Mi Talemaot Nem Bilong Iu”

“Mi talemaot nem bilong iu long olketa pipol long world wea iu givim long mi. . . . Mi talemaot nem bilong iu long olketa and bae mi gohed for duim olsem.”—JOHN 17:6, 26.

Wanem Jesus Minim: Jesus talemaot nem bilong God taem hem duim preaching waka. Long taem wea hem readim olketa Holy Raeting long pipol and hem lukim nem bilong God, hem talem datfala nem. (Luke 4:16-21) Hem lanem olketa disaepol bilong hem for prea olsem: “Dadi bilong mifala, mifala laekem nem bilong iu for holy.”—Luke 11:2.

Wanem Olketa Christian Long First Century Duim: Aposol Peter talem olketa elder long Jerusalem hao God acceptim olketa wea no Jew tu “for garem nem bilong hem.” (Acts 15:14) Taem olketa aposol and olketa narawan preach, olketa sei “eniwan wea prea long Jehovah for helpem hem, bae hem sev.” (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13) Olketa Christian long first century iusim tu nem bilong God long olketa buk wea olketa raetem. Wanfala buk, The Tosefta, wea olketa raetem long samting olsem 300 C.E., story olsem abaotem olketa Christian buk wea pipol bonem: ‘Olketa bonem olketa buk bilong olketa Christian and olketa buk bilong olketa minim, wea maet hem olketa Jew Christian. Nem bilong God hem stap long olketa buk hia wea olketa bonem.’

Distaem, Hu Nao Duim Wanem Jesus Talem? Datfala National Council of the Churches of Christ long America hem agree witim olketa firstfala toktok wea stap long Revised Standard Version Bible, wea sei: ‘Olketa Jew stop for iusim nem bilong God bifor taem bilong olketa Christian, and hem stret for olketa Christian tu for no iusim datfala nem. Wanfala God nomoa stap, so no need nomoa for raetem nem bilong hem for showimaot hem difren from olketa nara god.’ Dastawe Bible hia hem aotem nem bilong God and putim datfala title, “LORD.” No longtaem go nomoa, Pope talem olketa bishop: ‘Long olketa singsing and long prea, no iusim or talem olketa toktok wea garem nem bilong God, tetragrammaton YHWH,a insaed.’

Distaem, hu nao iusim nem bilong God and talemaot datwan long nara pipol? Taem Sergey hem young boy hem stap long Kyrgyzstan, and hem lukim wanfala movie wea olketa iusim nem bilong God, Jehovah. For tenfala year, Sergey no herem moa nem bilong God. Gogo taem Sergey muv go long America nao tufala Jehovah Witness meetim hem long haos, and showim nem bilong God long hem insaed long Bible. Sergey hapi tumas for savve wanfala grup stap wea iusim datfala nem Jehovah. Interesting samting, sapos iu luk long datfala nem “Jehovah God” long Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, mining hem olsem: “Wanfala haefala God wea pipol worshipim, and hem nomoa god wea Olketa Jehovah Witness worshipim.”

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‘Olketa Disaepol Bae Talemaot Disfala Gud Nius Abaotem Kingdom’

“Olketa disaepol bilong mi bae talemaot disfala gud nius abaotem Kingdom long evri ples long world mekem pipol long evri kantri mas herem. Bihaen datwan nao, world bae finis.”—MATTHEW 24:14.

Wanem Jesus Minim: Man wea raetem Gospel Luke hem storyim samting wea Jesus duim. Hem sei Jesus “go long evri taon and vilij for preachim gud nius abaotem Kingdom bilong God.” (Luke 8:1) Jesus tu hem sei: “Mi mas talemaot gud nius abaotem Kingdom bilong God . . . bikos hem nao why God sendem mi kam.” (Luke 4:43) Hem sendem olketa disaepol bilong hem for go preach long olketa taon and vilij, and bihaen hem sei olsem long olketa: “Iufala bae talem pipol abaotem mi. . . long evri farawe ples long earth.”—Acts 1:8; Luke 10:1.

Wanem Olketa Christian Long First Century Duim: Olketa disaepol bilong Jesus kwiktaem duim wanem Jesus talem long olketa. “Evriday long temple and long haos tu haos olketa gohed for teachim pipol and talemaot gud nius abaotem Jesus, wea hem nao datfala Christ.” (Acts 5:42) Evri disaepol nao duim preaching waka, no wanfala spesol grup nomoa. Man for raetem history, Neander sei: “Celsus wanfala man wea againstim olketa Christian mekfani and sei, olketa grass-rut pipol, olsem pipol for wakem wool, shoe, leather, olketa wea no skul, evriwan hia nao strong for preachim gospel.” Wanfala buk The Early Centuries of the Church, wea Jean Bernardi raetem hem sei: “[Olketa Christian] mas go long evri ples for story long evriwan. Olketa go long olketa main road, olketa taon, olketa pablik ples and long haos bilong pipol. Olketa go nomata pipol laek lisin or nomoa. . . . Olketa go long full world.”

Distaem, Hu Nao Duim Wanem Jesus Talem? Wanfala Anglican priest, David Watson hem sei: “Wei wea church no ting hem important for preach and teach, hem wanfala reason why staka pipol no interest long religion distaem.” José Luis Pérez Guadalupe wea raetem wanfala buk Why Are the Catholics Leaving? hem sei, olketa Evangelical, Adventists and olketa nara church, “olketa no preach from haos tu haos.” Bat hem sei olsem abaotem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness: “Olketa nao organize gud for duim preaching waka from haos tu haos.”

Jonathan Turley raetem wanfala interesting and tru samting insaed Cato Supreme Court Review, 2001-2002. Hem sei: “Taem pipol herem datfala nem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, staka tingim wanfala grup for preach wea go long haos bilong pipol long taem wea olketa no expectim. Taem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness preach from haos tu haos, olketa no ting long datwan olsem wei for pullim kam pipol long religion bilong olketa, bat diswan hem barava important part long faith bilong olketa seleva.”

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Waswe, Iu Luksavve Hu Nao Olketa Tru Christian?

Taem iu readim olketa article hia wea story abaotem faevfala samting wea Jesus talem wea stap long Bible, iu tingse hu nao olketa tru Christian? Nomata staka religion stap wea sei olketa Christian, tingim disfala samting wea Jesus talem long olketa follower bilong hem: “No evriwan wea sei long mi, ‘Lord, Lord,’ bae go insaed long Kingdom bilong God bat man wea duim wanem Dadi bilong mi long heven laekem nao, bae go insaed.” (Matthew 7:21) Sapos iu luksavve hu nao olketa tru Christian wea duim samting wea Dadi long heven laekem and iu join witim olketa, bae iu kasem olketa blessing taem Kingdom bilong God rul. Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wea givim iu disfala magasin bae hapi for story long iu abaotem Kingdom bilong God, and olketa gudfala samting wea datfala Kingdom bae duim.—Luke 4:43.