PƐ MƐDÃPIA KPO 21
TÃ 21 Keep On Seeking First the Kingdom
I Ya Pɛ́lɛ Lɛ Lɛ Ɓe Toakili Kaa Gɛnɛ
“Ko yɛlɛ lɛ [pɛ́lɛ] lɛ lɛ ɓe e nua gɛnɛ.”—HIIB. 13:14.
WHAT THE MAIN POINT?
We will learn how Hebrews chapter 13 can benefit us today and in the future.
1. Mɛɛ wɔ̃ lɛ Ziziɛ a gee mɔ lɛɛ lo kɛɛ Zulusalɛ mia ka?
JUST before Jesus die he tell disciple dem one prophecy. The first time that prophecy wor fulfill that during the time Jerusalem wor coming be destroy. He say that one day “soldier people wor coming surround Jerusalem.” (Luke 21:20) So he tell the Christian dem say, as soon they see the soldier people, they must run away from there quick-quick. And that the Roman soldier dem surround Jerusalem.—Luke 21:21, 22.
2. Liewe kpɛɛ lɛ apɔsɔlɔ Pɔɔ a dɔ Hiibulu mia lɛ o kɛ Tokɛlɛipie mia ka Zudia, ɛ̃ɛ̃ Zulusalɛ lɛɛ?
2 Few years before the Roman soldier dem surround Jerusalem, the apostle Paul write one important letter that we can call the book of Hebrews. In that letter, Paul give one advice to the Christian dem in Judea and Jerusalem to help them prepare for what wor coming happen. Wetin wor coming happen? Jerusalem wor coming be destroy. So Paul wor telling them that if they wanted to survive, they must be ready to leave their house and business behind and run away. Talking about Jerusalem, Paul say: “We do not have here a city that remains.” Then he also say: “But we are earnestly seeking the one to come.”—Heb. 13:14.
3. Mɛ e “pɛlɛ lɛ a gã gbɛ̃ala gɛlɛ lɛ ɓe toakili kaa ka,” ɛ̃ɛ̃ mɛ ko mɔ ya ɓo a gɛnɛ?
3 When the faithful Christian dem decide to leave Jerusalem and Judea, maybe other people make fun out of them. But their decision save their life. That the same way today, people can make fun out of us because we can’t put our trust in human being or be running behind money just to live good life. Why we made that decision? Because we know that this wicked world will soon be destroy. So we really waiting for “the city having real foundations,” that mean, “the one to come,” God Kingdom.a (Heb. 11:10; Matt. 6:33) Each of the subheading dem in this article will talk about: (1) how Paul advice help the Christian dem way back to continue waiting for “the [city] to come,” (2) how Paul help them to prepare for the thing that wor coming happen, and (3) how his advice can help us today.
I ZODƆ MI LƐ LƐƐ́ LO E KƆ ƁOO I WIA MƆ
4. Mɛ e Zulusalɛ kɛ kpanazɛ Toakɛlɛimia lɛ o kɛ mɔɔ lɛɛ?
4 Jerusalem wor important to the Christian dem. Why? Because that the place they form the first-century Christian congregation in 33 C.E., and that the place the governing body wor eh. Beside that, plenty Christians wor having their own house and other material thing dem in that city. But still Jesus tell them to run away from Jerusalem and even from Judea.—Matt. 24:16.
5. Zi kpɛɛ lɛ Pɔɔ e gbũa Toakɛlɛipiemiaa mɔ kɛɛ o wɔ̃ lɛ e lo kɛɛ dɔ?
5 Paul wanted the Christian dem to be prepare for what wor coming happen. So he help them to focus on how Jehovah feel about Jerusalem. Paul tell them that Jehovah wor not happy with the priest dem in the temple and He wor not even accepting the sacrifice dem they wor making there. (Heb. 8:13) Plenty people who wor living in that city refuse to accept the Messiah. Also Jehovah wor not using the temple in Jerusalem for true worship again, and it wor coming be destroy.—Luke 13:34, 35.
6. Liewe lɛ Pɔɔ a dɔ Hiibulu 13:5, 6 yia, mɛ a kɛ kpanazɛ Hiibulu mia lɛ o kɛ Tokɛlɛioiemia kaa lɛɛ?
6 Plenty people in Jerusalem wor enjoying good life when Paul write his letter to the Hebrews. One writer from Rome even call Jerusalem ‘the most popular city in the East.’ Jews from different-different areas use to go there for the festivals they use to be having every year. All this one dem help to make the city to be boiling. Because of that, some Christian dem use to make plenty money too. Maybe that the reason why Paul tell them say: “Let your way of life be free of the love of money, while you are content with the present things.” Then he quote one scripture to remind them about what Jehovah promise to do for his servant dem. It say: “I will never leave you, and I will never abandon you.” (Read Hebrews 13:5, 6; Deut. 31:6; Ps. 118:6) The Christian dem who wor living in Jerusalem and Judea needed to be sure about this one. Why? Because soon they receive the letter, they suppose to leave their house, their business, and most of their thing dem behind and go start life all over again.
7. Mɛ e kɛ lɛ laa mɔ ko ko zodɔ Zihova mɔ mɛ kɛ gaga?
7 Lesson for us: Wetin will soon happen? The “great tribulation” will soon start and this wicked world will be destroy. (Matt. 24:21) So we must continue to be faithful and be ready for that time just like the Christian dem way back. (Luke 21:34-36) When the great tribulation start, maybe we will loose some of our material thing dem or even loose all of them. But we must trust that Jehovah will never leave us. We get the chance now-now to show that we really trust Jehovah even before the great tribulation start. So ask yourself, ‘The way I living my life and the thing dem I want do can show that I really trust God who promise to take care of me?’ (1 Tim. 6:17) That true, we can learn good-good lessons from the thing dem that happen in Jerusalem way back. But the “great tribulation” that will come will be something that we not even see before. So how we will know the main thing to do when the great tribulation start?
KA KA LIESIMIA WE KƐ
8. Liewe kpɛɛ lɛZizɛ a dɔ la toapiemia lɛɛ?
8 Few years after the Hebrew Christian dem receive Paul letter, they see the Roman soldier dem surround Jerusalem. That wor time now for them to run away because Jerusalem wor coming be destroy. (Matt. 24:3; Luke 21:20, 24) But where they will go? Jesus just say: “Let the people who in Judea start running to the mountains.” (Luke 21:21) But they wor having plenty mountains in that area. So which one they wor coming run to?
9. Mɛɛ e kɛ lɛ Tokɛlɛipiemiaa o kɛ o yɛlɛtaapia tɔũ lɛ o lo loo a piea ka? (Lɛ bĩĩa gɛ̃.)
9 Yeh some of the mountains that maybe the Christian dem wor coming run to: the mountains in Samaria, the mountains in Galilee, Mount Hermon, the mountains in Lebanon, and the mountains across the Jordan river. (See the map.) Maybe some of the cities in this mountain area dem wor looking safe. For example, Gamla wor on one tall mountain and it wor really hard for people to attack there. Some Jews wor feeling that the place wor really safe. But the Roman soldier dem attack that place before and kill plenty people that wor living there.b
They wor having plenty mountains for the Christian dem to run to, but not all of them wor safe (See paragraph 9)
10-11. (a) Zi kpɛɛ lɛ Zihova e zi zɔ̃ɔ̃a mɔɔ la mia ni lɛɛ? (Hiibulu 13:7, 17) (b) Zi kpɛɛ lɛ Tokɛlɛipiemia o gbumɔ sɔlɔɓoa ye waa o liesimia we kɛɛ ka? (A bĩĩa gɛ̃ nɔ kili.)
10 It look like Jehovah use the brother dem who wor taking the lead to tell the Christian dem what to do. One big book man they call Eusebius say: “Jehovah make it clear to the men dem who wor taking the lead in the congregation in Jerusalem, to tell the Christian dem to run to one city name Perea that they can also call Pella. And they suppose to run there before the war even start.” It look like Pella wor good place for the Christian dem because it wor not far from Jerusalem, so it wor easy for the people to go there. Also plenty people who wor living in Pella wor not Jews. So they wor not trying to fight the Roman army.—See the map.
11 The Christian dem who run to the mountains follow Paul advice to “be obedient to those who are taking the lead” in the congregation. (Read Hebrews 13:7, 17.) Because of that they wor safe. History prove that God never leave his people who wor “awaiting the city having real foundations”—God Kingdom.—Heb. 11:10.
Pella that wor safe place (See paragraphs 10-11)
12-13. Zi kpɛɛ lɛ Zihova aa zi zɔ̃ɔ̃a la mia ni lɛɛ wɔ̃ nyɔɔ gɛ̃ luo e kea ka?
12 Lesson for us: Jehovah been using the brother dem who taking the lead to give clear direction to his people. We can find plenty examples in the Bible that show how Jehovah been using faithful men dem to direct his people during hard times. (Deut. 31:23; Ps. 77:20) And today too, we na see plenty proof that Jehovah still using the men dem who taking the lead.
13 For example, during the corona virus time, “those . . . taking the lead” use to give clear direction. The elder dem use to get clear direction on how to do the meeting so the brother and sister dem can continue serving Jehovah. Right after the corona virus start, all of us enjoy one convention that wor in more than 500 languages. We watch it on the Internet, TV, and listen to it on the radio. We always use to get spiritual food. Because of that, we continue to be united. We can be sure that no matter what kindna problem we face in the future, Jehovah will continue helping the brother dem who taking the lead to give us clear direction on what to do. Beside trusting in Jehovah and obeying his laws, what other quality dem will help us to prepare for the great tribulation and do the right thing when that time come?
KA LƆKƐAMƆ ZƆ̃Ɔ̃ KA KIE NI LƐƐ TO KAA KA KƆYA KA KIE NI WI
14. Lɛ zi Hiibulu 13:1-3 a gee a kaa, yiikɔ kpɛɛ lɛ e kɛa mɔ Tokɛlɛimia o zɔ̃ɔ̃ zuu mia zi luo leĩto luoa ka?
14 When the great tribulation start, we will need to show love to each other more than ever before. During that time, we will need to follow the example of the Christian dem who wor living in Jerusalem and Judea. They always use to show love to each other. (Heb. 10:32-34) But during the time Jerusalem wor coming be destroy, they needed to show “brotherly love” and “hospitality” more than ever before.c (Read Hebrews 13:1-3.) That the same thing we will need to do when we come more close to the end of this world.
15. Mɛɛ e kɛ lɛ Hiibulu mia lɛ o kɛ Tokɛlɛipiemia kaa, e kɛa mɔ o lɔkɔamɔ zɔ̃ɔ̃ ɛ̃ɛ̃ o o kɔya o kie ni wi lɛ o lo tɔũa piea ka?
15 After the Roman soldier dem surround Jerusalem, they just move from there. So the Christian dem run away with just small of their thing dem. (Matt. 24:17, 18) They needed to depend on each other while they wor going to the mountains and to the new place they wor coming be living. Plenty brothers and sisters wor not having food, clothes and place to live. So this one give the Christian dem the chance to show real love and be free-handy by sharing what they get with their brother dem.—Titus 3:14.
16. Zi kpɛɛ lɛ ko bɛi lɔkɛamɔ zɔ̃ɔ̃a ko leege ni lɛ o naa gbumɔ ka ko kɛlɛ lɛɛ? (A bĩĩa gɛ̃ nɔ kili.)
16 Lesson for us: Love can make us to help our brother and sister dem when they really need help. Plenty brothers and sisters can be willing to encourage and take care of their brother and sister dem who can be refugee when bad thing happen. That what happen to one sister from Ukraine who run away because of the war. She say: “We na see for ourself how Jehovah using our brother and sister dem to guide us and take care of us. They welcome us and help us in Ukraine, Hungary, and even here in Germany.” We can show that we working with Jehovah when we be free-handy to our brother and sister dem, and give them the thing dem they need.—Prov. 19:17; 2 Cor. 1:3, 4.
Our refugee brother and sister dem need our help (See paragraph 16)
17. Mɛ a kɛ kpanazɛ kɛɛ ko kɛ lɔkɛamɔ zɔ̃ɔ̃pia ko kie ni lɛɛ to kɔaa ko kɔya ko kie ni wi dɛɛ dɛɛ kaa mɔ?
17 During the great tribulation, we will need to help our brother and sister dem even more than the way we doing it now. (Hab. 3:16-18) That the reason why Jehovah teaching us now-now to show real love and be free-handy. Because this quality dem will really be important during that time.
MƐƐ WƆ̃ LƐ LƐ LIE
18. Zi kpɛɛ lɛ ko bɛi kɛɛa lɛ Tokɛlɛipiemia o kɛ mɔɔ lɛ ɓe?
18 History prove that the Christian dem who obey and run to the mountains survive when Jerusalem wor destroy. Even though they leave everything behind and run away, Jehovah always take care of them. What about us? We not know everything that will happen in the future. But we must follow Jesus advice to be ready. (Luke 12:40) We must also think on the advice that Paul give to the Hebrew Christians and apply it. And Jehovah hisself tell us that he will never leave us or turn his back on us. (Heb. 13:5, 6) So let continue waiting for God Kingdom, the city that will remain; and then we will enjoy the plenty blessings it will bring.—Matt. 25:34.
TÃ 157 Peace at Last!
a Way back, most of the time that king use to rule over the city dem. And they use to call this kindna city, kingdom.—Gen. 14:2.
b This one happen in 67 C.E., right after the Christian dem run away from Judea and Jerusalem.
c The word they use for “brotherly love” can sometime mean the love we get for our family. Paul use it to show the strong love we must get for our brother and sister dem in the congregation.