“Gohed for Preach and No Givap”

1-3. Why nao aposol Paul go long Corinth, and wanem nao nara samting wea hem mas duim?

KLOSAP long end bilong 50 C.E., aposol Paul stap long Corinth, wanfala rich taon wea pipol duim bisnis.a Staka Jew witim pipol from Greece and Rome stap long there. Paul no go long Corinth for duim bisnis or faendem waka bat hem go for duim important waka for preach abaotem Kingdom. Nomata olsem, Paul needim ples for stap and hem no laek fulbae long eniwan. Hem no laekem olketa narawan for tingse olketa nao mas provaedem need bilong hem bikos hem duim ministry. Wanem nao hem duim?

² Paul savve hao for wakem tent. Hem no isi waka, bat Paul willing for duim datwan mekem hem kasem need bilong hem. Waswe, hem faendem waka long Corinth? Waswe, hem faendem gudfala ples for stap? Nomata Paul mas faendem waka and ples for stap, hem no forgetim main waka bilong hem, wea hem nao preaching waka.

³ Paul stap long Corinth for lelebet longtaem and staka pipol kamap Christian. Wanem nao Paul duim long Corinth wea savve helpem iumi for storyim gud Kingdom bilong God long pipol long territory bilong iumi?

‘Waka Bilong Olketa Hem for Wakem Tent’ (Acts 18:1-4)

4, 5. (a) Hu nao Paul stap witim long Corinth, and wanem waka for selen nao hem duim? (b) Maet hao nao Paul lane for wakem tent?

⁴ Taem Paul stap long Corinth, hem meetim wanfala Jew wea nem bilong hem Aquila and waef bilong hem Priscilla wea nara nem bilong hem Prisca. Tufala muv long Corinth bikos Claudius, King bilong Rome “talem olketa Jew for mas lusim Rome.” (Acts 18:1, 2) Aquila and Priscilla talem Paul for stap witim tufala and waka witim tufala. Bible sei: “Waka bilong tufala hem for wakem tent. Paul tu savve wakem tent. So hem stap long haos bilong tufala, and olketa waka tugeta.” (Acts 18:3) Aquila and Priscilla kaen tumas for letem Paul stap witim tufala taem hem duim ministry bilong hem long Corinth. Maet Paul raetem samfala leta wea kamap part bilong Bible taem hem stap witim tufala.b

⁵ Nomata Paul lanem staka samting from teacher bilong hem “Gamaliel,” hao nao hem savve wakem tent? (Acts 22:3) Luk olsem olketa Jew long first century tinghae long wei for teachim pikinini bilong olketa for duim wanfala waka, nomata sapos pikinini go long skul tu. Paul kam from Tarsus long Cilicia and hem nao ples wea pipol wakem wankaen kaleko for wakem tent wea olketa kolem cilicium. Luk olsem Paul lane for wakem tent taem hem young. Hao nao for wakem tent? Man savve weavim datfala kaleko for wakem tent or katem and sewim strong kaleko hia for wakem tent. Nomata hem duim eniwan long tufala samting hia, hem hard waka.

6, 7. (a) Hao nao Paul ting long waka for wakem tent, and wanem nao showimaot Aquila and Priscilla garem sem tingting? (b) Hao nao olketa Christian distaem followim example bilong Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla?

⁶ Paul no ting long waka for wakem tent olsem main waka bilong hem. Hem duim datwan for sapotim hemseleva long ministry mekem hem savve talemaot gud nius and “no askem eni selen” from eniwan. (2 Cor. 11:7) Hao nao Aquila and Priscilla ting long waka for wakem tent? From tufala Christian, luk olsem tufala garem sem tingting olsem Paul. Long 52 C.E., Paul lusim Corinth for go long Ephesus and Aquila and Priscilla go witim hem tu. Haos bilong tufala long Ephesus nao kongregeson hipap long hem. (1 Cor. 16:19) Gogo tufala go bak long Rome, then tufala go bak moa long Ephesus. Kingdom nao first samting long laef bilong tufala and tufala willing for helpem narawan. From tufala duim olsem, “evri kongregeson long olketa difren kantri barava thankiu long tufala.”​—Rome 16:3-5; 2 Tim. 4:19.

⁷ Olketa Christian distaem tu followim example bilong Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla. Olketa wea strong for duim ministry waka hard bikos olketa ‘no laek fulbae long eniwan.’ (1 Thess. 2:9) Plande pioneer waka part-taem or waka samfala month long year for sapotim olketa seleva long ministry, wea hem nao main waka bilong olketa. Plande Christian followim example bilong Aquila and Priscilla and welkamim olketa circuit overseer for stap long haos bilong olketa. Olketa wea “evritaem kaen long pipol and welkamim olketa” savve datwan hem encouragem and strongim narawan.​—Rome 12:13.

‘Staka Pipol Long Corinth Biliv’ (Acts 18:5-8)

8, 9. Wanem nao Paul duim taem olketa Jew againstim hem, and hem go preach long wea?

⁸ Samting wea showimaot Paul no ting long waka for selen olsem main waka bilong hem, hem taem Silas and Timothy arrive from Macedonia and tekem kam olketa present. (2 Cor. 11:9) Semtaem nomoa, “Paul hem barava busy nao for preachim message bilong God.” (Acts 18:5) Bat from Paul barava busy for preach, datwan mekem olketa Jew for againstim and tok spoelem hem. Olketa no acceptim message abaotem Christ wea savve sevem olketa, so Paul sekem kaleko bilong hem for showimaot datwan hem no rong bilong hem. Then hem sei long olketa Jew: “Sapos iufala no sev, hem saed bilong iufala nao, hem no rong bilong mi ia. Start long distaem bae mi go long olketa pipol wea no Jew.”​—Acts 18:6; Ezek. 3:18, 19.

⁹ So Paul go preach long wea? Titius Justus wea followim religion bilong olketa Jew garem haos klosap long sinagog and hem talem Paul for iusim haos bilong hem. So Paul lusim sinagog and go iusim haos blo Justus for preach. (Acts 18:7) Paul gohed stap witim Aquila and Priscilla long Corinth, bat haos bilong Titius Justus nao hem main ples wea hem duim waka blo hem for preach.

10. Wanem nao showimaot Paul no preach nomoa long pipol wea no Jew?

¹⁰ From Paul sei hem bae go long pipol wea no Jew, waswe, datwan minim hem no preach long eni Jew or eniwan wea followim religion bilong olketa Jew nomata olketa interest? Nomoa. Bible sei: “Bigman bilong sinagog, wea nem bilong hem Crispus, and evriwan wea stap long haos bilong hem, olketa biliv long Lord.” Luk olsem plande wea go long sinagog kamap Christian olsem Crispus duim bikos Bible sei: “Staka nara pipol long Corinth wea herem gud nius, olketa biliv and baptaes tu.” (Acts 18:8) So haos bilong Titius Justus nao ples wea niu kongregeson long Corinth hipap. Sapos Luke raetem buk bilong Acts followim taem wea samting hem happen olsem hem duim long Gospel bilong hem, datwan minim olketa Jew hia or pipol wea followim religion bilong olketa Jew kamap Christian bihaen Paul sekem kaleko bilong hem. So datwan showimaot Paul willing for preach long olketa Jew and pipol wea followim religion bilong olketa Jew.

11. Olsem Paul, wanem nao Olketa Jehovah’s Witness duim for helpem pipol wea sei olketa Christian?

¹¹ Long staka kantri distaem, olketa religion wea sei olketa Christian stap longtaem finis and garem bigfala paoa ovarem pipol long church. Long samfala ples, olketa missionary bilong olketa mekem plande pipol joinim religion bilong olketa. Plande taem, pipol wea sei olketa Christian strong for followim olketa kastom, olsem olketa Jew long Corinth long first century. Bat olsem Paul, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness traem best for helpem pipol hia for minim tru samting wea Bible teachim. Nomata sapos pipol againstim olketa or olketa bigman long church spoelem olketa, olketa no givap. Pipol wea followim olketa religion hia “laekem tumas for mekem God hapi, bat olketa no savve long tru samting abaotem hem.” Maet staka long olketa hambol and iumi need for faendem and helpem olketa.​—Rome 10:2.

“Staka Pipol Long Disfala Taon Bae Biliv Long Mi” (Acts 18:9-17)

12. Long vision, wanem nao Lord Jesus promisim long Paul?

¹² Maet Paul hem tingting for no gohed preach long Corinth, bat long wanfala naet hem lukim Lord Jesus long vision. Lord sei: “Iu no fraet. Gohed for preach and no givap. Mi stap witim iu and mi bae no letem eniwan for killim or spoelem iu bikos staka pipol long disfala taon bae biliv long mi.” (Acts 18:9, 10) Datwan barava encouragem Paul! Lord promisim Paul hem bae no letem eniwan killim or spoelem hem bikos plande pipol long datfala taon bae kamap Christian. Wanem nao Paul duim bihaen hem lukim datfala vision? Bible sei: “Hem stap long there for wan year and sixfala month and hem teachim pipol abaotem toktok bilong God.”​—Acts 18:11.

13. Maet wanem nao Paul tingim taem hem klosap kasem ples for judgem man, bat why nao semkaen samting bae no happen long hem?

¹³ Bihaen Paul stap long Corinth for samting olsem 1 year, wanfala samting happen wea pruvim Lord gohed stap witim hem. Bible sei: “Olketa Jew againstim Paul and tekem hem go long datfala ples for judgem man” wea olketa kolem beʹma. (Acts 18:12) Samfala sei beʹma hem platform wea olketa wakem long blue and white marble and olketa decoratem long staka karving. Maet hem stap klosap long midol long market long Corinth. Area front long beʹma hem fitim staka pipol for hipap. Olketa savveman wea digdig long graon sei maet datfala ples hem klosap nomoa long sinagog. Sapos olsem, hem klosap tu long haos bilong Titius Justus. Taem Paul klosap kasem beʹma, maet hem tingim taem wea olketa bigman sutim Stephen long ston, wea pipol sei hem first Christian wea dae bikos long biliv bilong hem. Paul wea iusim nem Saul bifor “agree for olketa killim dae Stephen.” (Acts 8:1) Waswe, semkaen samting bae kasem Paul? Nomoa, bikos Lord promisim hem olsem: “Mi bae no letem eniwan for killim or spoelem iu.”​—Acts 18:10.

14, 15. (a) Wanem nao olketa Jew accusim Paul long hem, and why nao Gallio klosim case? (b) Wanem nao happen long Sosthenes, and maet datwan mekem hem for duim wanem?

¹⁴ Wanem nao happen taem Paul kasem ples for judgem man? Magistrate long beʹma hem Gallio, bigman bilong Achaia. Hem big brata bilong Seneca, wanfala savveman bilong Rome. Olketa Jew accusim Paul and sei: “Disfala man hem mekem pipol worshipim God long wei wea hem againstim law.” (Acts 18:13) Long tingting bilong olketa Jew, Paul teachim pipol for duim samting wea againstim law. Bat Gallio luksavve Paul no duim ‘eni samting wea rong’ and no duim eni samting wea “barava nogud.” (Acts 18:14) Gallio no laek join insaed raoa bilong olketa Jew, so bifor Paul talem eni samting, hem klosim datfala case! Olketa Jew kros fogud, so olketa holem Sosthenes and aotem evri kros bilong olketa long hem. Sosthenes hem bigman bilong sinagog wea maet hem nao changem Crispus. Olketa “killim hem nogud front long datfala ples for judgem man.”​—Acts 18:17.

¹⁵ Why nao Gallio no stopem olketa? Maet hem tingse Sosthenes nao leadim olketa Jew for againstim Paul and hem fitim for olketa killim hem olsem. Sapos hem nao reason or nomoa, luk olsem gud samting hem happen bihaen. Samfala year bihaen, taem Paul raetem first leta for olketa long Corinth, hem sei hem stap witim brata wea nem bilong hem Sosthenes. (1 Cor. 1:1, 2) Waswe, hem nao Sosthenes long Corinth wea olketa Jew killim nogud? Sapos olsem, maet nogud samting wea happen long Sosthenes mekem hem for kamap Christian.

16. Promis wea Lord Jesus talem long Paul shud mekem iumi ting hao long ministry bilong iumi?

¹⁶ Olsem iumi storyim finis, olketa Jew les long message wea Paul preachim, bat bihaen datwan Paul lukim vision and Lord Jesus sei long hem: “Iu no fraet. Gohed for preach and no givap. Mi stap witim iu.” (Acts 18:9, 10) Iumi tu shud tingim datwan taem pipol les for herem message wea iumi preachim. Tingim hao Jehovah lukim samting wea stap long heart and hem leadim pipol wea hambol for kam long hem. (1 Sam. 16:7; John 6:44) Datwan strongim iumi for gohed busy long ministry! Samting olsem 300,000 pipol baptaes evri year, wea hem samting olsem 800 evri day. Jesus promis olsem long olketa wea gohed for teachim pipol long evri kantri for kamap disaepol: “Bae mi stap witim iufala go kasem taem wea world hem finis.”​—Matt. 28:19, 20.

“Sapos Hem Will Bilong Jehovah” (Acts 18:18-22)

17, 18. Maet wanem nao Paul tingim taem hem sail go long Ephesus?

¹⁷ Bible no sei sapos samting wea Gallio talem long olketa Jew nao mekem niu kongregeson long Corinth stap gud and no eniwan againstim olketa. Bat Bible sei Paul stap long there for lelebet taem moa bifor hem lusim olketa brata and sista long Corinth. Long spring season long 52 C.E., Paul plan for sail from Cenchreae port, wea hem samting olsem 11 kilometer east long Corinth, for go long Syria. Bat bifor Paul lusim Cenchreae, “hem kat hair . . . for showimaot hem mekem wanfala promis long God.”c (Acts 18:18) Then hem witim Aquila and Priscilla akrosim Aegean Sea for go long Ephesus long Asia Minor.

¹⁸ Taem Paul lusim Cenchreae and sail go long Ephesus, maet hem tingim taem wea hem stap long Corinth. Staka gud samting happen wea mekem hem barava hapi and satisfae. Insaed wan year and sixfala month, hem startim niu kongregeson long Corinth wea hipap long haos bilong Titius Justus. Staka pipol long there biliv. Samfala nao hem Titius Justus, Crispus, and evriwan wea stap long haos bilong Crispus. Paul lovem olketa bikos hem helpem olketa for kamap Christian. Hem raetem leta long olketa and sei olketa nao olsem leta bilong hem wea pruvim hem fit, wea raeting bilong datfala leta stap long heart bilong hem. Iumi tu lovem olketa wea iumi study witim and helpem for worshipim Jehovah. Olketa tu olsem ‘leta bilong iumi wea pruvim iumi fit’!​—2 Cor. 3:1-3.

19, 20. (a) Wanem nao Paul duim taem hem arrive long Ephesus? (b) Wanem nao iumi lanem from Paul saed long olketa spiritual goal bilong iumi?

¹⁹ Taem Paul arrive long Ephesus, hem gohed busy long ministry. “Hem go long sinagog and iusim olketa Holy Raeting for story witim olketa Jew.” (Acts 18:19) Paul no stap longtaem long Ephesus. Nomata olketa brata askem hem for stap lelebet taem moa witim olketa, “hem no willing.” Hem sekhand witim olketa and sei: “Sapos hem will bilong Jehovah, bae mi kam bak moa long iufala.” (Acts 18:20, 21) Paul luksavve plande pipol long Ephesus need for herem gud nius. Hem plan for go bak long there bat hem leavim evri samting long hand bilong Jehovah. Paul showimaot gud example for iumi! Iumi mas trae for kasem olketa spiritual goal bilong iumi, bat iumi mas evritaem depend long Jehovah for leadim iumi and duim samting followim will bilong hem.​—Jas. 4:15.

²⁰ Paul lusim Aquila and Priscilla long Ephesus and hem go insaed boat and go kasem Caesarea. Luk olsem “hem go” long Jerusalem and visitim kongregeson. (Acts 18:22) Then Paul go bak long ples wea hem stap long Antioch long Syria. Mek-tu missionary gogo bilong hem finis nao. Wanem nao happen long lastfala missionary gogo bilong hem?