Bible Buk Namba 44​—Acts

Man wea Raetem: Luke

Ples Hem Raetem: Rome

Taem Hem Finis Raetem: c. 61 C.E.

Taem Hem Storyim: 33–c. 61 C.E.

LONG mek-42 buk bilong Bible, Luke raet abaotem laef, waka, and ministry bilong Jesus and olketa follower bilong hem go kasem taem wea Jesus go ap long heven. Record bilong mek-44 buk bilong Bible, Acts of Apostles, gohed for storyim history bilong firstfala Christian religion taem hem tok abaotem start bilong kongregeson taem holy spirit hem waka. Hem storyim tu wei wea witness waka kamap moa big, firstaem midolwan long olketa Jew and then long pipol bilong olketa nation. Bigfala haf bilong first 12-fala chapter hem story abaotem olketa waka bilong Peter, and narafala 16 chapter story abaotem olketa waka bilong Paul. Luke garem klos wei for fren witim Paul, and kaban witim hem long plande gogo bilong hem.

² Hem raetem disfala buk for Theophilus. From disfala buk kolem hem “lord,” maet hem garem bigfala waka long gavman, or maet hem toktok for showimaot respect. (Luke 1:3) Disfala buk givim stretfala history abaotem wei wea Christian kongregeson hem start and grow. Hem start witim taem wea Jesus showim hemseleva long olketa disaepol bilong hem bihaen hem resurrect, and then story abaotem olketa important samting wea happen from 33 go kasem 61 C.E., wea hem samting olsem 28 year.

³ From taem bifor pipol luksavve man wea raetem Gospel bilong Luke nao raetem Acts. Hem raetem tufala buk hia for Theophilus. Long wei for storyim moa olketa lastfala samting wea happen long Gospel bilong hem insaed long olketa firstfala verse bilong Acts, Luke joinim tufala story hia olsem raeting bilong sem man. Luk olsem Luke finis raetem Acts long samting olsem 61 C.E., maet klosap long end bilong tufala year wea hem stap long Rome witim aposol Paul. From hem storyim olketa samting wea happen kam kasem datfala year, taem wea hem finis raetem hem kanduit for bifor datfala taem, and wei wea Caesar no disaedem yet appeal bilong Paul showimaot hem finis raetem Acts long datfala year.

⁴ From taem bifor yet, olketa savveman bilong Bible acceptim Acts olsem part bilong Bible. Samfala part bilong disfala buk hem stap witim samfala barava oldfala papyrus manuscript bilong olketa Greek Scripture, olsem Michigan No. 1571 (P³⁸) bilong mek-thri and mek-foa century C.E. and Chester Beatty No. 1 (P⁴⁵) bilong mek-thri century. Tufala manuscript hia showimaot Acts hem stap witim samfala nara buk bilong Bible and dastawe hem part long catalog long firstaem. Raeting bilong Luke long buk bilong Acts hem barava stret, wea olsem iumi lukim insaed long Gospel bilong hem. Sir William M. Ramsay hem sei man wea raetem Acts hem “wanfala long olketa nambawan man wea raetem history,” and hem minim diswan taem hem sei: “Firstfala and important fasin bilong nambawan man for raetem history hem wei wea hem talem tru samting. Samting wea hem talem mas fit for man trustim.”a

⁵ Olsem example for showimaot raeting hia hem stret evribit, wea hem mark bilong raeting bilong Luke, mifala talem moa toktok bilong Edwin Smith, komanda bilong samfala warship bilong Britain long Mediterranean long World War I, wea hem raetem insaed long magasin The Rudder, March 1947: “Long bifor, pipol no steerim ship olsem distaem witim wanfala rudder wea join long sternpost, bat olketa iusim tufala bigfala oar or padol, wan long each saed bilong stern; dastawe St. Luke [Acts 27:40] hem story abaotem tufala . . . From samting wea mifala studyim, mifala lukim hao evri toktok abaotem gogo bilong disfala ship, from taem wea hem lusim Fair Havens go kasem taem hem stap long shore long Malta, olsem St. Luke hem talem, hem barava stret and fitim olsem plande nara pruv hem sapotim; and wei wea toktok bilong hem wea storyim taem wea ship hem stap long sea hem fitim long bilong gogo; and wei wea hem storyim ples wea ship kasem hem semsem witim datfala ples distaem. Evri samting hia showaot Luke seleva go long datfala gogo, and showimaot hemseleva olsem man wea iumi barava fit for trustim abaotem samting wea hem lukim and talem.”b

⁶ Samting wea olketa savveman for digim graon faendem hem sapotim tu wei wea story bilong Luke hem stret. For example, taem olketa digim graon long Ephesus, olketa faendem temple bilong Artemis and stadium wea stap bifor wea olketa bilong Ephesus faet againstim aposol Paul. (Acts 19:27-41) Olketa faendem samfala raeting wea pruvim Luke hem stret taem hem iusim title “olketa ruler bilong taon” wea minim olketa bigman bilong gavman long Thessalonica. (17:6, 8) Tufala raeting long Maltese languis showimaot Luke hem stret tu taem hem tok abaotem Publius olsem “important man” bilong Malta.—28:7.c

⁷ And tu, olketa difren tok wea Peter, Stephen, Cornelius, Tertullus, Paul, and samfala moa givim, wea Luke raetem daon, evriwan difren long stael and toktok. Olketa tok bilong Paul, wea hem talem front long olketa difren pipol, hem difren for fitim each taem. Diswan showaot Luke raetem nomoa samting wea hemseleva herem or samting wea narafala pipol lukim and talem long hem. Luke hem no man for raetem laea story.

⁸ Iumi no savve tumas long laef bilong Luke. Luke seleva no wanfala aposol bat hem kaban witim olketa aposol. (Luke 1:1-4) Thrifala taem aposol Paul kolem nem bilong Luke. (Col. 4:10, 14; 2 Tim. 4:11; Philem. 24) For samfala year hem go-go evritaem witim Paul, wea kolem hem “doctor wea iumi lovem.” Wei wea hem iusim word “olketa” and “mifala,” showimaot Luke stap witim Paul long Troas long mek-tu missionary wakabaot bilong Paul, and maet hem stap bihaen long Philippi go kasem taem Paul kam bak bihaen samfala year, and then hem joinim Paul moa and kaban witim hem taem hem go for kot long Rome.—Acts 16:8, 10; 17:1; 20:4-6; 28:16.

WEI WEA HEM HELPEM IUMI

³² Buk bilong Acts sapotim olketa story insaed long olketa Gospel for pruvim olketa Hebrew Scripture olketa tru evribit and olketa kam from God. Taem Pentecost kam klosap, Peter talem wei wea tufala profesi hao “holy spirit talem bifor thru long mouth bilong David abaotem Judas” olketa fulfill. (Acts 1:16, 20; Ps. 69:25; 109:8) Peter talem tu olketa pipol long Pentecost wea sapraes tumas hao olketa lukim profesi hem fulfill: “Diswan nao toktok wea profet Joel hem talem.”—Acts 2:16-21; Joel 2:28-32; markem tu Acts 2:25-28, 34, 35 witim Psalm 16:8-11 and 110:1.

³³ For mekem narafala sekson wea stand ap aotsaed long temple for biliv, Peter talem toktok from olketa Hebrew Scripture, firstaem hem talem toktok bilong Moses then hem sei: “Evri profet, start kam from Samuel and olketa wea kam bihaen long hem, evriwan wea tok aot, olketa talemaot klia olketa taem hia.” Bihaen, front long Sanhedrin, Peter talem toktok long Psalm 118:22 taem hem showim wei wea Christ, ston wea olketa rejectim, kamap “hed bilong kona.” (Acts 3:22-24; 4:11) Philip minim long disfala eunuch from Ethiopia hao profesi bilong Isaiah 53:7, 8 hem fulfill finis, and from hem kasem savve, disfala eunuch ask for hem baptaes. (Acts 8:28-35) Long sem wei tu, taem Peter tok witim Cornelius abaotem Jesus, Peter sei: “Long hem evri profet givim witness.” (10:43) Taem olketa gohed for argue abaotem wei for circumcise, James strongim samting hem talem taem hem sei: “Witim diswan olketa toktok bilong olketa Profet agree, olsem olketa raetem finis.” (15:15-18) Aposol Paul tu savve duim olsem. (26:22; 28:23, 25-27) Wei wea olketa aposol and olketa wea lisin long olketa willing for acceptim olketa Hebrew Scripture olsem part long word bilong God showimaot olketa toktok hia barava kam from God.

³⁴ Acts helpem iumi for savve hao nao Christian kongregeson hem start and hao hem grow thru long paoa bilong holy spirit. Insaed long disfala buk, iumi lukim wei wea God blessim olketa for grow, wei wea olketa Christian bifor no fraet and garem hapi, wei wea olketa no brekem faith bilong olketa nomata long persecution, and wei wea olketa willing for serve, wea showimaot long example bilong Paul wea hem go for serve long difren assignment and long Macedonia. (4:13, 31; 15:3; 5:28, 29; 8:4; 13:2-4; 16:9, 10) Christian kongregeson distaem hem semsem, from hem garem love, wan mind, and sem goal taem hem tok abaotem “olketa nambawan samting bilong God” taem holy spirit leadim hem.—2:11, 17, 45; 4:34, 35; 11:27-30; 12:25.

³⁵ Buk bilong Acts showim klia wei for duim Christian waka for talemaot Kingdom bilong God. Paul seleva hem wanfala example taem hem sei: “Mi no hol bak for talem iufala evri samting wea fit for helpem iufala and mi teachim iufala long pablik ples and from haos tu haos.” Then hem gohed for sei: “Mi witness evribit.” Disfala theme for “witness evribit” stap evriwea insaed disfala buk, and hem moa tru long olketa last paragraf, wea Paul strong evribit for duim preaching and teaching, nomata taem hem stap long prison, hem helpem iumi for lukim long olketa toktok hia: “And hem minim long olketa wei for givim witness evribit abaotem kingdom bilong God and hem muvim tingting bilong olketa abaotem Jesus from law bilong Moses and olketa Profet, from morning go kasem evening.” Letem iumi strong olsem long Kingdom waka bilong iumi!—20:20, 21; 28:23; 2:40; 5:42; 26:22.

³⁶ Toktok bilong Paul for olketa overseer long Ephesus garem plande kaonsel wea fitim olketa overseer distaem. From olketa hia kasem appointment from holy spirit, hem barava important for olketa mas ‘lukluk gud long olketa seleva and long evri sheepsheep,’ shepherdim olketa long kaenfala wei and gardim olketa from olketa wild dog wea laek for spoelem olketa. Datwan hem bigfala responsibility! Olketa overseer garem need for mas stap wekap and buildimap olketa seleva from word bilong kaenfala fasin bilong God wea iumi no fit for kasem. Taem olketa waka hard for helpem olketa wea wik, olketa “mas tingim toktok bilong Lord Jesus, taem hemseleva sei, ‘Man hem moa hapi taem hem give winim taem hem kasem.’ ”—20:17-35.

³⁷ Olketa narafala toktok bilong Paul explainim klia tu olketa narafala principle from Bible. For example, gudfala tok wea hem givim long Areopagus for olketa Stoic and Epicurean. Firstaem hem talem toktok from raeting long altar, “Long God wea Man No Savve,” and hem iusim diswan olsem reason bilong hem for explainim hao wanfala tru God, Lord bilong heven and earth, wea mekem from wanfala man evri nation bilong olketa man, “hem no farawe from each wan long iumi.” Then hem talem toktok bilong olketa man for raetem poem bilong olketa, “From mifala pikinini bilong hem tu,” for showim wei wea olketa sei olketa kam from olketa idol bilong gold, silver, or ston wea no garem laef hem krangge. So long kleva wei Paul pruvim sovereign rul bilong God wea stap laef. Long olketa last toktok bilong hem Paul tok abaotem resurrection, and nomata long datfala taem hem no talem nem bilong Christ. Hem minim gud wei wea wanfala trufala God hem sovereign, and samfala kamap biliv.—17:22-34.

³⁸ Buk bilong Acts encouragem wei for gohed, barava waka hard long wei for studyim “evri Scripture.” Taem Paul preach long Beroea for firstfala taem, olketa Jew long there, from “olketa barava willing tumas for kasem word, and olketa lukluk long olketa Scripture evriday for pruvim evri samting hia,” hem tok hae abaotem olketa from olketa “tingting strong.” (17:11) Distaem, olsem long datfala taem, wei for strong for lukluk long olketa Scripture witim help from kongregeson bilong Jehovah wea fulap witim spirit bae kasem blessing bilong wei for sure long samting and garem strongfala faith. From diskaen wei for study bae man barava minim olketa principle bilong Jehovah. Nambawan toktok abaotem olketa principle olsem stap long Acts 15:29. Long hia governing body bilong olketa aposol and olketa olo brata long Jerusalem talemaot hao nomata wei for circumcise hem samting wea spiritual Israel no need for duim, tambu hem stap long wei for worshipim idol, blood, and fornication.

³⁹ Olketa disaepol bifor barava studyim olketa Scripture wea kam from God and olketa savve talem and story abaotem enitaem. Olketa kasem strong thru long stretfala savve and from spirit bilong God for feisim olketa barava nogud persecution. Peter and John showim gudfala example for olketa faithful Christian taem olketa no fraet and tok olsem long olketa ruler wea againstim olketa: “Sapos hem raeteous front long God for lisin long iufala winim wei for lisin long God, iufala judge for iufala seleva. Bat mifala kanduit finis for tok abaotem olketa samting wea mifala lukim and herem.” And taem olketa tekem tufala front long Sanhedrin, wea “talem stret” long tufala for no teach and iusim nem bilong Jesus, tufala talem klia: “Mifala mas obeyim God olsem ruler, winim olketa man.” Disfala wei for no fraet for tok stret givim wanfala gudfala witness long olketa ruler, and hem lead go for disfala teacher bilong Law, Gamaliel, for talemaot toktok bilong hem abaotem freedom bilong worship, wea lead go for olketa aposol kamap free.—4:19, 20; 5:28, 29, 34, 35, 38, 39.

⁴⁰ Nambawan plan bilong Jehovah abaotem Kingdom bilong hem, wea joinim full Bible, hem showaot klia tumas insaed buk bilong Acts. Start bilong hem story abaotem Jesus insaed long 40 day bifor hem go ap, wea hem “gohed for talem olketa samting abaotem kingdom bilong God.” Diswan ansarem kwestin bilong olketa disaepol abaotem wei wea Jesus bae startim moa Kingdom wea hem talem olketa for olketa mas firstaem witness abaotem evriwea long earth. (1:3, 6, 8) Olketa disaepol start for preach abaotem Kingdom long Jerusalem witim strongfala fasin for no fraet. Olketa persecution startim wei for killim Stephen witim ston and diswan muvim staka disaepol for go long niu territory. (7:59, 60) Hem stap long record hao Philip talemaot “gud nius bilong kingdom bilong God” long Samaria and hao Paul and olketa fren bilong hem talemaot “kingdom” long Asia, Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome. Evri firstfala Christian hia givim nambawan example long wei for strong for trust long Jehovah and long spirit bilong hem wea strongim man. (8:5, 12; 14:5-7, 21, 22; 18:1, 4; 19:1, 8; 20:25; 28:30, 31) Taem iumi tingim nambawan strong bilong olketa and wei wea Jehovah blessim long bigfala wei hard waka bilong olketa, diswan muvim iumi tu for faithful long “wei for givim witness evribit abaotem kingdom bilong God.”—28:23.

[Olketa Footnote]