16 TOGÓ

“Sóo-sóo Fùl Dú Màsedónià”

Gbug nen beè ié tã́áná dee bá boo béè kọọ̀ Pọ́ọ̀l nè gbò e bà dìé ló beè sí tóm e bà né va vaá ĩima kèbá nàà uú boo

Dẹ̀ẹ̀a Boo Nú Ea Di Mm̀ Kpá Tóm 16:6-40

1-3. (a) Mósĩ́ deè ní e nyómá káí beè tulè Pọ́ọ̀l nè gbò e ba beè dìé lóé? (b) Éé ea beè naaá ní eé gé ló bel booé?

“Bàrì A Kólíi” (Tóm 16:6-15)

4, 5. (a) Éé beè naaá ló Pọ́ọ̀l nè gbò e ba beè dìé ló gbẹá kuló Biténìà ẽ? (b) Mókà béèlàfùl ní e gbò nyòòne nvéeá beè nèe, vaá éé beè sìlà aa m-mé?

⁴ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

⁵ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

The apostle Paul and Timothy standing on a ship’s upper deck. Timothy points to something in the distance as the ship’s crew works. — “So we put out to sea from Troas.”—Acts 16:11

6, 7. (a) Éé ní eé láá nó lọl ló nú ea beè naaá ló Pọ́ọ̀l tṍó ea beè di boo kyẽèa ẽ? (b) Nú ea beè naaá ló Pọ́ọ̀lí é láá sièi kpóó ló naa vàẹ?

⁶ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

⁷ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

8. (a) Baatẽ́ bé e boǹ Fílipaì beè dì naa. (b) Éé beè naaá tṍó e Pọ́ọ̀l kọ́ kpẹ̀a gbẹá ‘ketõ̀ò tã̀àgã ló Bàrìa’ ẹ?

⁸ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

9. Mósĩ́ deè ní e gã́bug nen deè nieí ni nó nu dòòmà bá Pọ́ọ̀lẹ, vaá mókà tã́áná dee bá ni silà aa m ẽ́?

⁹ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

Two sisters preaching to a young woman on the street. A young man looks over to see what they are talking about. — How can we “step over into Macedonia” today?

“Bõ̀ònà Gbòa Beè Gbóó Gbà Bel Pọ́ọ̀l Nè Sáílàs” (Tóm 16:16-24)

10. Éé ní e zọ beè naa kọbéè gbòá gba bel Pọ́ọ̀l nè gbò e ba beè dìé lóé?

¹⁰ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

11. Tṍó e baa ni kpó zọá lọl mm̀ nvín páiaá lọ̀l, éé beè naaá ló Pọ́ọ̀l nè Sáílàs e?

¹¹ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

12. (a) Móbá ní e gbò nyòòne nvéè Kráìst ólò ẹ̀bmà nàà uú booé, vaá ló éé? (b) Mósĩ́ deè ní e Sétàn nè pá a gbò ólò naa uú boo gbò níí Kráìst deè nieí é?

¹² Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

“Gbalẹ̀ Boo Tú Va Diilé Múú” (Tóm 16:25-34)

13. Éé beè naa kọọ̀ nen ea géè kùdẽe ló tọọ̀ kpọ́gọ́lọ́á á bĩiná kọọ̀: “Éé ní em é náa kọbé m̀ duuà ẹ?”

¹³ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

14. (a) Mókà nvèe bá ní e Pọ́ọ̀l nè Sáílà beè nè nen ea géè kùdẽe ló tọọ̀ kpógọ́lọ́á ẹ́? (b) Mósĩ́ deè ní e Jìhóvà beè tãanè dee bá Pọ́ọ̀l nè Sáílàs boo béè kọọ̀ ba beè ié zààvà boo tṍó e bà gé ĩima kèbá nàà uú booé?

¹⁴ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

15. (a) Mósĩ́ deè ní e gã́bug pá vígà deè nieí gè nó nu dòòmà bá Pọ́ọ̀l nè Sáílàs e? (b) Éé ní ea náa à bọ́ló kọ é olòó òòà sì gé kãa gbò e bà di kĩée e ólò kọ́ kpẹ̀a ẹ́?

¹⁵ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

“É Kọ Bà Gbĩ́ Gè Sọ̀i Bá Kọ É Kìl E Tọ́ọ̀ Nen Náa É Nyímá?” (Tóm 16:35-40)

16. Éé beè naaá dee ea bẽene nvéè dee e bà bon Pọ́ọ̀l nè Sáílà lọ̀lẹ?

¹⁶ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

17. Éé ní e ãa gbò nyòòne nvéè Kráìst nó boo béè kọọ̀ Pọ́ọ̀l nè Sáílàs beè ié ĩ̀ìmà ẽ?

¹⁷ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

18. (a) Mósĩ́ deè ní e gbò kànen mm̀ bõ̀ònatõ̀ò deè nieí gé nó nu dòòmà bá Pọ́ọ̀lẹ? (b) Mósĩ́ deè ní e ólò kpènà lé kpẹ̀aí gbẹá tọ bèèla deè nieí é?

¹⁸ Bugí Mm̀ Bèkéè

LUKE—THE WRITER OF ACTS

Up to chapter 16, verse 9, the book of Acts is narrated strictly in the third person. That is, the writer limits himself to reporting what others said and did. At Acts 16:10, 11, however, there is a change in that style. In verse 11, for instance, the writer says: “We put out to sea from Troas and made a straight run to Samothrace.” This is where Luke, the writer, joined the action. But since Luke’s name does not appear anywhere in Acts of Apostles, how do we know that he was, in fact, the writer?

The answer lies in the introductions to the book of Acts and Luke’s Gospel. Both introductions are addressed to a certain “Theophilus.” (Luke 1:1, 3; Acts 1:1) The opening words of Acts read: “The first account, O Theophilus, I composed about all the things Jesus started to do and to teach.” Since ancient authorities agree that “the first account,” the Gospel, was written by Luke, he must also have written Acts.

We do not know very much about Luke. His name appears only three times in the Bible. The apostle Paul calls Luke “the beloved physician” and one of his own “fellow workers.” (Col. 4:14; Philem. 24) The “we” sections of the book of Acts—those in which Luke includes himself in the narrative—indicate that Luke first accompanied the apostle Paul from Troas to Philippi in about 50 C.E. but that when Paul left Philippi, Luke was no longer with him. The two men met up again in Philippi in about 56 C.E. and traveled with seven other brothers from Philippi to Jerusalem, where Paul was arrested. Two years later, Luke accompanied Paul, who was still in chains, from Caesarea to Rome. (Acts 16:10-17, 40; 20:5–21:17; 24:27; 27:1–28:16) When Paul, who had been jailed for a second time in Rome, perceived that his execution was near, “only Luke” was with him. (2 Tim. 4:6, 11) It is clear that Luke traveled long distances and was willing to suffer hardships for the sake of the good news.

Luke did not claim to have witnessed what he wrote about Jesus. On the contrary, he said that he undertook “to compile an account of the facts” based on the accounts of “eyewitnesses.” Moreover, he “traced all things from the start with accuracy, to write them to you in logical order.” (Luke 1:1-3) The results of Luke’s labors show that he was a careful researcher. Perhaps he conducted interviews with Elizabeth, with Jesus’ mother, Mary, and with others in order to collect his material. Much of what he wrote is unique among the Gospel accounts.—Luke 1:5-80.

Paul stated that Luke was a physician, and a doctor’s interest in those who suffer can be perceived in what he wrote. Just to mention a few examples: Luke noted that when Jesus cured a demon-possessed man, “the demon came out of him without hurting him”; that the apostle Peter’s mother-in-law was distressed with “a high fever”; and that a woman whom Jesus helped had been afflicted with “a spirit of weakness for 18 years; and she was bent double and was unable to straighten up at all.”—Luke 4:35, 38; 13:11.

Clearly, Luke put “the work of the Lord” first in his life. (1 Cor. 15:58) His objective was, not to pursue a secular career or prominence, but simply to help others know and serve Jehovah.

LYDIA—THE SELLER OF PURPLE

Lydia lived in Philippi, a prominent city in Macedonia. She was originally from Thyatira, a city in the region called Lydia in western Asia Minor. To ply her trade as a seller of purple, Lydia had moved across the Aegean Sea. She likely traded in purple goods of various kinds—rugs, tapestries, fabrics, and even dyes. An inscription found in Philippi testifies to the presence of a guild of sellers of purple in that city.

Lydia is described as “a worshipper of God,” likely meaning that she was a proselyte to Judaism. (Acts 16:14) She may have become acquainted with the worship of Jehovah in her home city. In contrast with Philippi, it hosted a Jewish meeting place. Some believe that Lydia was a nickname—meaning “Lydian Woman”—given to her in Philippi. However, there is documentary evidence to show that Lydia was also in use as a proper name.

The Lydians and their neighbors were famed for their skill in the dyeing of purple since the days of Homer, in the ninth or eighth century B.C.E. Indeed, Thyatira’s water was reputed to produce “the brightest and the most permanent hues.”

Purple materials were luxury items, accessible only to the rich. Although different sources for purple dye were known, the best and most expensive—used for treating fine linen—came from Mediterranean shellfish. A single drop of dye could be extracted from each mollusk, and some 8,000 shellfish had to be processed to obtain just one gram of the precious liquid; thus, cloth of that color was very costly.

Since Lydia’s trade required substantial capital and she had a large house capable of hosting four men—Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke—in all likelihood she was a successful and wealthy merchant. The reference to her “household” could mean that she lived with relatives, but it may also imply that she had slaves and servants. (Acts 16:15) And the fact that before leaving the city, Paul and Silas met with some brothers in this hospitable woman’s home suggests that it became a meeting place for the first Christians in Philippi.—Acts 16:40.

When Paul wrote to the Philippian congregation some ten years later, he made no mention of Lydia. So the details contained in Acts chapter 16 are all we know about her.

See the box “Luke—The Writer of Acts.”