Evriwan Long Kongregeson Kamap Strong

“Datfala kongregeson . . . kasem wanfala taem bilong peace and kamap strong.”—ACTS 9:31.

1. Maet iumi askem olketa wanem kwestin abaotem “datfala kongregeson bilong God”?

LONG Pentecost 33 C.E., Jehovah acceptim wanfala grup bilong olketa disaepol bilong Christ for kamap wanfala niu nation, wea hem nao “datfala Israel bilong God.” (Galatians 6:16) Bible storyim hao olketa Christian hia wea spirit anointim, kamap “datfala kongregeson bilong God” tu. (1 Corinthians 11:22) Bat hao nao olketa hia kamap datfala kongregeson bilong God? Hao nao “datfala kongregeson bilong God” bae organize? Hao nao bae hem duim waka long earth, nomata olketa member bilong hem stap long olketa difren ples? And hao nao datwan savve affectim laef bilong iumi and wei wea iumi stap hapi?

2, 3. Hao nao Jesus showimaot datfala kongregeson bae organize?

² Olsem iumi storyim long first article, Jesus talem hao disfala kongregeson bilong olketa anointed follower bae kamap taem hem sei olsem long aposol Peter: “Mi bae buildim kongregeson bilong mi antap long disfala big ston [Jesus Christ], and olketa gate bilong Hades bae no winim hem.” (Matthew 16:18) And tu, taem Jesus still stap witim olketa aposol long earth, hem givim information abaotem hao disfala kongregeson bae organize and olketa arrangement bilong hem.

³ Jesus teachim thru long toktok and samting wea hem duim hao samfala bae lead insaed kongregeson. Olketa bae duim diswan long wei for servem olketa narawan insaed grup bilong olketa. Christ hem sei: “Iufala savve hao olketa ruler and olketa bigman bilong olketa barava bossim tumas olketa nation. Bat iufala mas no olsem; eniwan wea laek kamap bigman long iufala mas kamap man for servem iufala, and eniwan wea laek for nambawan mas slave long evriwan.” (Mark 10:42-44) So hem klia hao “datfala kongregeson bilong God” bae no olketa man wanwan wea stap farawe from each other and wea no garem eni organization. Bat hem bae organize and garem olketa arrangement, and olketa long kongregeson bae waka and story gud tugeta.

4, 5. Hao nao iumi savve olketa insaed long kongregeson bae needim spiritual kaikai?

⁴ Jesus wea kamap Hed bilong datfala “kongregeson bilong God” talem hao olketa aposol and olketa narawan wea lane from hem bae garem olketa responsibility insaed long kongregeson. Wanem nao bae olketa duim? Wanfala important assignment olketa bae garem hem for teachim olketa insaed long kongregeson abaotem Jehovah. Bihaen Jesus hem resurrect, tingim samting wea hem talem Peter taem samfala nara aposol tu stap. Hem sei: “Simon, son bilong John, waswe, iu lovem mi?” Peter hem ansa: “Ia, Lord, iu savve mi lovem iu.” Jesus talem hem: “Feedim olketa pikinini sheepsheep bilong mi. . . . Shepherdim olketa smol sheepsheep bilong mi. . . . Feedim olketa smol sheepsheep bilong mi.” (John 21:15-17) Datwan hem barava important assignment!

⁵ Toktok bilong Jesus showimaot hao olketa wea kam insaed long kongregeson, olketa olsem wanfala sekson bilong olketa sheepsheep. Olketa sheepsheep hia, wea hem nao olketa Christian man, woman, and pikinini, bae need for kasem spiritual kaikai and bae needim tu olketa man for shepherdim olketa long gudfala wei. And from Jesus komandim evri follower bilong hem for teachim pipol and mekem olketa kamap disaepol, olketa niufala sheepsheep bae needim training long hao for duim datfala waka wea God givim long olketa Christian for duim.—Matthew 28:19, 20.

6. Wanem nao olketa arrangement wea kamap bihaen datfala “kongregeson bilong God” hem start?

⁶ Taem “datfala kongregeson bilong God” hem start, olketa wea insaed datfala kongregeson hipap evritaem for kasem instruction and for encouragem each other: “Olketa gohed strong for herem and followim teaching bilong olketa aposol and for share witim each other, kaikai tugeta, and prea.” (Acts 2:42, 46, 47) Nara important samting Bible talem hem wei wea samfala man wea kasem olketa mark insaed Bible kasem assignment for lukaftarem samfala need wea kamap. Olketa hia no kasem responsibility from olketa garem big education or savve tumas hao for duim plande samting. Olketa man hia “wise and spirit barava stap witim olketa.” Wanfala long olketa hem Stephen, and Bible talem hao hem “wanfala man wea garem bigfala faith and holy spirit barava stap witim hem.” From olketa kongregeson hem organize, “datfala message bilong God hem gohed for kasem plande ples and muvim staka moa pipol, and namba bilong olketa disaepol barava gohed for kamap staka long Jerusalem.”—Acts 6:1-7.

Olketa Man wea God Iusim

7, 8. (a) Wanem nao responsibility bilong olketa aposol and elder long Jerusalem? (b) Taem olketa kongregeson kasem direction from governing body, wanem nao kamaot from datwan?

⁷ Olketa aposol nao leadim olketa kongregeson long taem bifor, bat hem no olketa nomoa wea duim datwan. Wantaem, Paul and olketa fren bilong hem go bak long Antioch long Syria. Acts 14:27 hem sei olsem: “Taem olketa arrive and hipimap olketa long kongregeson, olketa talemaot plande samting wea God iusim olketa for duim.” Taem olketa stap yet witim datfala kongregeson, olketa long there laek for savve sapos olketa wea no Jew wea kamap Christian need for circumcise or nomoa. For stretem diswan, olketa arrangem for Paul and Barnabas “go long olketa aposol and elder long Jerusalem,” wea serve olsem wanfala governing body.—Acts 15:1-3.

⁸ Datfala Christian elder James, wea hem haf brata bilong Jesus bat no wanfala aposol, hem lead taem “olketa aposol and elder hipap for storyim diswan.” (Acts 15:6) Bihaen olketa storyim and ting raonem gud datfala samting witim help from holy spirit, olketa mekem wanfala disison wea followim Bible. Olketa raetem disison hia insaed leta and sendem long olketa kongregeson. (Acts 15:22-32) Olketa wea kasem disfala direction, acceptim and followim datwan. Wanem nao kamaot from datwan? Diswan strongim and encouragem olketa brata and sista long spiritual wei. Bible hem sei: “From datwan, olketa kongregeson gohed for kamap strong long faith and staka moa pipol joinim olketa.”—Acts 16:5.

9. Bible hem storyim wanem waka nao for olketa Christian brata wea kasem mark for serve?

⁹ Bat hao nao bae olketa kongregeson organize? Tingim example bilong olketa kongregeson long Crete. Nomata plande pipol wea stap long there garem fasin wea nogud, samfala changem nogud wei bilong olketa and kamap olketa tru Christian. (Titus 1:10-12; 2:2, 3) Olketa Christian long there stap long olketa difren taon, and evri taon hia hem farawe from Jerusalem wea governing body hem stap. Nomata olsem, datwan no bigfala problem bikos olketa kongregeson long Crete garem olketa “elder” olsem olketa kongregeson long nara ples tu garem. Olketa man hia kasem olketa mark insaed Bible. Olketa kasem appointment for serve olsem elder for “encouragem man long gudfala teaching and kaonselem olketa wea againstim diswan.” (Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-7) Olketa narafala brata wea kasem olketa mark insaed Bible kasem appointment for serve olsem olketa ministerial servant for helpem olketa kongregeson.—1 Timothy 3:8-10, 12, 13.

10. Olsem Matthew 18:15-17 talem, hao nao olketa brata savve stretem olketa bigfala problem?

¹⁰ Jesus showimaot hao olketa kongregeson bae garem olketa arrangement olsem. Tingim story long Matthew 18:15-17. Jesus storyim hao maet samfala taem olketa problem savve kamap midolwan long tufala wea worshipim God taem wanfala hem sin againstim narawan. Datfala man wea narawan sin againstim hem savve go long hem and ‘talem rong wea datfala man duim.’ Bat tufala hia nomoa mas story tugeta. Sapos datwan no stretem problem, maet hem savve askem wan or tufala narawan wea savve long datfala problem for helpem hem stretem datwan. Waswe sapos datwan no stretem problem yet? Jesus talem olsem: “Sapos hem no lisin long olketa, story long kongregeson. Sapos hem no lisin long kongregeson, iu mas ting long hem olsem man bilong olketa nation and olsem man for kolektem tax.” Long taem wea Jesus talem datwan, olketa Jew nomoa “datfala kongregeson bilong God,” so long firstaem, samting hem talem hem for olketa.a Bat taem datfala Christian kongregeson hem start, olketa long kongregeson tu mas followim datfala direction bilong Jesus. Diswan hem narafala pruv wea showimaot pipol bilong God bae garem olketa arrangement insaed kongregeson for strongim and leadim each Christian long spiritual wei.

11. Wanem nao olketa elder duim for stretem olketa problem?

¹¹ So olketa kongregeson bae garem olketa elder nao for help stretem olketa problem or deal witim olketa case wea man hem sin. Datwan hem agree nao witim olketa mark bilong olketa elder long Titus 1:9. Hem tru, olketa elder no perfect olsem Titus tu no perfect, wea hem nao brata wea Paul sendem long olketa kongregeson for “stretem olketa samting wea rong.” (Titus 1:4, 5) Distaem, bifor olketa brata savve kamap elder, olketa need for showimaot for plande year finis hao olketa garem faith and love for God. Datwan bae mekem olketa narawan insaed long kongregeson trustim direction wea olketa kasem from disfala arrangement.

12. Wanem responsibility nao olketa elder garem insaed long kongregeson?

¹² Paul hem sei olsem long olketa elder long kongregeson long Ephesus: “Lukluk gud long iufala seleva and long evri sheepsheep, from holy spirit appointim iufala olsem olketa overseer for shepherdim kongregeson bilong God wea hem baem witim blood bilong Son bilong hem.” (Acts 20:28) Distaem tu olketa elder kasem responsibility “for shepherdim kongregeson bilong God.” Olketa shud duim datwan long kaenfala wei and no long wei for bossim olketa sheepsheep. (1 Peter 5:2, 3) Olketa overseer mas trae hard for helpem and strongim “evri sheepsheep” long spiritual wei.

No Lusim Kongregeson

13. Wanem nao savve happen insaed long kongregeson samfala taem, and why nao olsem?

¹³ From olketa elder and evri narawan long kongregeson no perfect, samfala taem olketa problem savve kamap, olsem hem kamap long first century taem samfala aposol stap yet. (Philippians 4:2, 3) Maet wanfala overseer or narawan talem samting wea iumi tingse datwan hem no fitim wanfala Christian for talem, hem no kaen, or hem no really tru. Or maet iumi tingse samting gohed long kongregeson wea no followim Bible and hem luk olsem olketa elder no duim eni samting for stretem datwan nomata olketa savve abaotem datfala problem. Bat maet olketa elder deal witim datwan finis or gohed for deal witim datwan followim Bible and olketa nara information wea iumi no savve abaotem. Nomata sapos wanfala samting wea no stret hem gohed for happen, tingim diswan: Wanfala barava nogud samting gohed insaed long kongregeson long Corinth, wea datwan hem wanfala kongregeson wea Jehovah barava tingim. Gogo, Jehovah hem mek sure olketa elder deal witim datfala rong samting long stretfala wei. (1 Corinthians 5:1, 5, 9-11) Maet iumi askem iumiseleva, ‘Sapos mi stap long Corinth long datfala taem, wanem nao mi bae duim sapos mi savve long datfala sin and olketa no stretem datwan yet?’

14, 15. Why nao samfala stop for followim Jesus, and wanem nao iumi lanem from datwan?

¹⁴ Tingim narafala samting wea savve kamap insaed long kongregeson. Tingim sapos samwan faendem hem hard for minim and acceptim wanfala Bible teaching. Maet hem duim research finis insaed long Bible and olketa pablikeson wea iumi kasem long Kingdom Hall and askem help tu from olketa mature Christian, or maet olketa elder. Nomata olsem, hem still faendem hem hard for minim or acceptim datwan. Wanem nao hem savve duim? Wanfala samting olsem hem happen klosap wanfala year bifor Jesus hem dae. Jesus talem hao hem nao “bred bilong laef” and for man kasem laef olowe, hem mas “kaikaim body bilong Son bilong man and drinkim blood bilong hem.” Datfala toktok mekem samfala disaepol bilong hem feel nogud. Plande long olketa disaepol hia no askem Jesus for explainim datwan or weit for Jehovah stretem datwan long taem wea fitim. Olketa “no followim [Jesus] moa.” (John 6:35, 41-66) Sapos iumi stap long datfala taem, wanem nao bae iumi duim?

¹⁵ Distaem, samfala brata and sista laek for servem God seleva and no witim kongregeson. Maet olketa sei olketa duim olsem bikos narawan mekem olketa feel nogud, olketa tingse olketa elder no stretem wanfala rong samting, or from olketa no acceptim wanfala teaching. Waswe, olketa duim samting wea balance? Nomata iumi savve hao each Christian shud fren gud witim God, iumi luksavve hao hem gohed for iusim wanfala kongregeson wea stap evriwea long world, olsem hem duim long taem bilong olketa aposol. And tu, Jehovah iusim and blessim olketa kongregeson long first century, and arrange for olketa elder and ministerial servant wea kasem olketa mark insaed Bible for helpem olketa kongregeson. Hem semsem tu distaem.

16. Sapos man laek for lusim kongregeson, wanem nao hem shud tingim?

¹⁶ Sapos wanfala Christian tingse hem savve depend long God nomoa and no need for kaban witim kongregeson, hem rejectim arrangement wea God startim, wea hem nao datfala kongregeson wea stap evriwea long world and olketa kongregeson long olketa ples wea pipol bilong God stap. Maet datfala man disaed for worshipim God seleva or kaban witim tu-thri nomoa, bat hem no kasem help from datfala arrangement for garem olketa elder and ministerial servant long kongregeson. Interesting samting nao, taem Paul raet long kongregeson long Colossae and askem olketa for readim datfala sem leta long kongregeson long Laodicea, hem story abaotem wei for “garem rut and kamap strong long [Christ].” Olketa wea kaban witim kongregeson nomoa bae kasem gud samting from diswan, no olketa wea no laek kaban witim kongregeson.—Colossians 2:6, 7; 4:16.

Post wea Sapotim Truth

17. Wanem nao iumi lanem abaotem kongregeson long 1 Timothy 3:15?

¹⁷ Insaed firstfala leta wea aposol Paul raetem long Timothy, wea hem wanfala elder, hem storyim olketa mark for olketa elder and ministerial servant long olketa kongregeson. Stretawe bihaen datwan, Paul storyim “datfala kongregeson bilong God wea laef,” and talem hao datwan hem “wanfala post wea sapotim truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15) Full kongregeson bilong olketa anointed Christian barava kamap wanfala post wea sapotim truth olsem long first century. And iumi barava savve hao main wei for each Christian savve kasem disfala truth hem thru long kongregeson. Hem nao ples wea olketa savve herem narawan storyim and defendim truth, and wea olketa savve kasem help for kamap strong long spiritual wei.

18. Why nao hem barava important for attendim olketa kongregeson meeting?

¹⁸ Long distaem tu, full Christian kongregeson evriwea long world hem famili bilong God, wea hem nao “wanfala post wea sapotim truth.” Wei for evritaem attendim and tekpart long olketa meeting long kongregeson bilong iumi hem main wei for kasem spiritual help, fren gud witim God, and for duim will bilong hem. Taem Paul raet go long kongregeson long Corinth, hem story abaotem samting wea olketa talem long olketa kaen meeting olsem. Hem talem hao hem laekem for olketa mas talem samting wea klia and wea olketa narawan savve minim, mekem olketa wea hipap savve “kamap strong” long spiritual wei. (1 Corinthians 14:12, 17-19) Iumi distaem tu savve kasem encouragement sapos iumi luksavve hao Jehovah God nao startim arrangement for garem olketa kongregeson and hem gohed for sapotim datwan.

19. Why nao iu barava tinghae long kongregeson bilong iu?

¹⁹ Tru tumas, sapos iumi laek for kamap strong long spiritual wei, iumi mas kaban witim kongregeson evritaem. For longfala taem finis, kongregeson protectim pipol bilong God from olketa false teaching, and God hem iusim diswan for mek sure disfala gud nius abaotem Kingdom bilong Messiah hem kasem evri ples long world. Tru nao, God hem iusim Christian kongregeson for duim staka samting.—Ephesians 3:9, 10.

[Footnote]

Waswe, Iu Remember?

• Why nao iumi no sapraes hao God iusim olketa kongregeson long earth distaem?

• Nomata olketa elder no perfect, hao nao olketa helpem kongregeson?

• Long wanem wei nao kongregeson strongim spiritual saed bilong iu?

[Piksa long page 10]

Olketa aposol and elder long Jerusalem serve olsem wanfala governing body

[Piksa long page 12]

Olketa elder and ministerial servant kasem direction wea helpem olketa for duim waka bilong olketa insaed kongregeson