Hu Nao Iu Obeyim​—God or Man?

“Mifala mas obeyim God olsem ruler winim olketa man.”—ACTS 5:29.

1. (a) Wanem nao theme scripture for disfala study? (b) Why nao olketa aposol go long prison?

MASBI olketa judge long hae kot bilong olketa Jew olketa kros fogud. Olketa prisoner lus. Olketa nao olketa aposol bilong Jesus Christ, man wea hae kot judgem hem for dae tu-thri week bifor. Datfala kot redi for deal witim olketa klos follower bilong hem. Bat taem olketa gard go for tekem olketa kam long kot, cell bilong olketa emti, nomata olketa door lok. Olketa gard faendemaot hao olketa aposol hia go long temple long Jerusalem. Olketa no fraet bat gohed teachim pipol abaotem Jesus Christ, wea datwan nao sem samting wea mekem olketa go long prison firstaem! Stretawe olketa gard go long temple, arrestim olketa aposol moa, and tekem olketa long kot.—Acts 5:17-27.

2. Wanfala angel givim komand for olketa aposol duim wanem samting?

² Wanfala angel mekem wei for olketa aposol go aot from datfala prison. Waswe, diswan hem for stopem olketa for kasem persecution moa? Nomoa. Hem for givim chance for pipol wea stap long Jerusalem for herem gud nius abaotem Jesus Christ. Datfala angel talem olketa aposol for ‘gohed talem pipol evri toktok abaotem disfala laef.’ (Acts 5:19, 20) Dastawe, taem olketa gard long temple arrive, olketa lukim olketa aposol gohed obeyim komand bilong datfala angel.

3, 4. (a) Taem kot talem Peter and John for no preach moa, wanem nao ansa bilong olketa? (b) Wanem nao ansa bilong olketa nara aposol?

³ Tufala long olketa hia wea strong for preach, aposol Peter and aposol John, go long kot bifor, and datfala chief justice, Joseph Caiaphas, tok strong taem hem remindim olketa abaotem datwan. Hem sei: “Mifala komandim iufala for no teach long [nem bilong Jesus], batawea, iufala fulimap Jerusalem witim teaching bilong iufala.” (Acts 5:28) Caiaphas shud no sapraes for lukim Peter and John long kot moa. Firstaem wea kot talem olketa for no preach moa, tufala aposol hia ansa olsem: “Sapos iufala tingse hem raeteous front long God for lisin long iufala winim wei for lisin long God, datwan hem saed bilong iufala. Bat mifala kanduit stop for story abaotem olketa samting wea mifala lukim and herem.” Olsem datfala profet from bifor kam, Jeremiah, Peter and John no savve stop for duim waka bilong olketa for preach.—Acts 4:18-20; Jeremiah 20:9.

⁴ Distaem, Peter, John, and evri nara aposol—wea insaed diswan hem Matthias tu—garem chance for talemaot tingting and disison bilong olketa long datfala kot. (Acts 1:21-26) Taem kot talem olketa for no preach moa, olketa tu sei: “Mifala mas obeyim God olsem ruler winim olketa man.”—Acts 5:29.

God Olsem Ruler or Man Olsem Ruler

5, 6. Why nao olketa aposol no obeyim samting wea datfala kot talem?

⁵ Olketa aposol pipol for obeyim law and hem no wei bilong olketa for no obeyim samting wea wanfala kot talem. Nomata olsem, no eniwan garem paoa for talem narawan for no obeyim wanfala komand bilong God, nomata hem man wea garem barava hae position. Jehovah nao “Most Hae ovarem full earth.” (Psalm 83:18) Hem nao “Judge bilong full earth,” and tu, hem Nambawan Man for givim Law and King bilong olowe. Long tingting bilong God, kot no garem eni paoa for stopem samting wea Hem komandim.—Genesis 18:25; Isaiah 33:22.

⁶ Samfala savveman saed long law luksavve long diswan. Olsem example, long mek-18 century, William Blackstone from England hem talem hao no eniwan shud letem eni law bilong man winim “datfala law wea showaot finis,” wea minim law insaed long Bible. So, datfala Sanhedrin duim samting wea olketa no garem paoa for duim taem olketa talem olketa aposol for no preach moa. Olketa aposol kanduit obeyim datwan.

7. Why nao preaching waka mekem olketa chief priest kros?

⁷ Wei wea olketa aposol strong for gohed preach hem mekem olketa chief priest kros fogud. Samfala member bilong sekson bilong olketa priest, olsem Caiaphas, olketa nao olketa Sadducee, wea no biliv long resurrection. (Acts 4:1, 2; 5:17) Bat olketa aposol strong for talem olowe hao Jesus hem laef bak from dae. And tu, samfala chief priest duim enikaen samting for mekem olketa bigman bilong Rome hapi long olketa. Long kot case bilong Jesus, taem Pilate givim chance for olketa Jew acceptim Jesus olsem king bilong olketa, olketa chief priest strong for sei: “Only king wea mifala garem hem Caesar.” (John 19:15)a Olketa aposol strongim hao Jesus hem laef bak, and tu, olketa teachim hao Jesus nomoa savve sevem olketa man and “no eni nem moa anda long heven midolwan olketa man savve mekem wei for iumi sev.” (Acts 2:36; 4:12) Olketa priest wari, nogud pipol start for expectim Jesus wea resurrect finis for kamap Leader bilong olketa, bikos sapos olsem, olketa bilong Rome bae kam and olketa bigman bilong Jew bae lusim ‘ples and nation bilong olketa.’—John 11:48.

8. Wanem wise kaonsel nao Gamaliel talem long olketa long Sanhedrin?

⁸ Luk olsem olketa aposol bilong Jesus Christ go insaed taem bilong trabol nao. Olketa judge long Sanhedrin barava laekem for olketa mas dae. (Acts 5:33) Bat, samting hem happen wea no eniwan expectim. Gamaliel, wanfala savveman long Law, hem standap and warnim olketa nara bigman for no kwiktaem duim samting. Hem talem disfala wise toktok: “Sapos waka olketa duim hem from olketa man, bae hem no savve win; bat sapos hem from God, iufala bae no fit for finisim olketa.” Then, Gamaliel hem tok stret olsem: “Nogud iufala kamap pipol wea faet againstim God.”—Acts 5:34, 38, 39.

9. Wanem nao pruvim hao waka wea olketa aposol duim hem kam from God?

⁹ Sapraesing samting nao, datfala kot acceptim advaes bilong Gamaliel. Datfala Sanhedrin “kolem kam olketa aposol, whipim olketa, and orderim olketa for no tok long nem bilong Jesus, and letem olketa for go.” Bat olketa aposol nating fraet and olketa disaed strong for obeyim komand from datfala angel for preach. So, bihaen olketa kamap free, “evriday long temple and from haos tu haos olketa [aposol] gohed and nating givap for teach and talemaot gud nius abaotem datfala Christ, Jesus.” (Acts 5:40, 42) Jehovah blessim waka bilong olketa. Long wanem wei? “Message bilong God hem gohed for grow, and namba bilong olketa disaepol gohed for kamap big tumas long Jerusalem.” Tru nao, “bigfala sekson bilong olketa priest start for biliv” tu. (Acts 6:7) Datwan mas barava nogud tumas long olketa chief priest! Hem start for showaot klia hao waka wea olketa aposol duim hem barava kam from God!

Olketa wea Faet Againstim God Kanduit Win

10. Why nao maet Caiaphas feel sure long position bilong hem, bat why nao hem rong for trustim olketa man?

¹⁰ Long first century, olketa bigman bilong Rome appointim olketa hae priest bilong olketa Jew. Joseph Caiaphas wea hem wanfala rich man kasem position bilong hem from Valerius Gratus, and hem keepim datfala position for longfala taem winim plande hae priest bifor long hem. Luk olsem Caiaphas no tingse diswan hem wanfala blessing from God bat from hem savve tumas for keepim peace witim Rome and hem fren gud witim Pilate. Nomata wanem nao tingting bilong hem, gogo hem faendemaot hao hem shud no trustim olketa man. Thrifala year nomoa bihaen olketa aposol standap front long Sanhedrin, olketa bigman bilong Rome start for les long Caiaphas and olketa aotem hem olsem hae priest.

11. Wanem nao happen long Pontius Pilate and evri samting bilong olketa Jew, and wanem nao iu lanem from diswan?

¹¹ Boss bilong Pilate, Lucius Vitellius, wea hem governor bilong Syria, hem nao man wea givim komand for aotem Caiaphas from position bilong hem, and Pilate, wea hem gud fren bilong Caiaphas, no savve stopem datwan. Tru nao, wanfala year nomoa bihaen long datwan, Pilate tu lusim position bilong hem and mas go bak long Rome for givim ansa for samfala serious samting wea olketa accusim long hem. And saed long olketa leader bilong olketa Jew wea trustim Caesar, olketa bilong Rome barava kam and tekem ‘ples and nation bilong olketa.’ Diswan hem happen long 70 C.E. taem olketa army bilong Rome finisim evribit taon bilong Jerusalem witim datfala temple and Sanhedrin hall. Saed long diswan, toktok bilong man for raetem psalm hem barava tru. Hem sei: “No putim trust bilong iufala long olketa bigman, or long son bilong man long earth, wea no savve givim salvation”!—John 11:48; Psalm 146:3.

12. Hao nao samting wea Jesus kasem pruvim hao man wea wise hem obeyim God?

¹² Long wei wea difren evribit, God markem Jesus Christ wea resurrect olsem Hae Priest bilong wanfala bigfala spiritual temple. No eni man savve aotem hem from datfala position. Tru nao, “no eniwan bae changem [Jesus] olsem priest.” (Hebrews 2:9; 7:17, 24; 9:11) God markem Jesus tu olsem Judge bilong olketa wea laef and olketa wea dae finis. (1 Peter 4:5) From hem nao Judge, Jesus bae disaedem sapos Joseph Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate bae laef bak long future or nomoa.—Matthew 23:33; Acts 24:15.

Olketa wea Preachim Kingdom Distaem and No Fraet

13. Hao nao waka wea kam from olketa man, and waka wea kam from God hem showaot klia long taem bilong iumi? Hao nao iu savve?

¹³ Long distaem, olsem long first century, plande pipol stap wea “faet againstim God.” (Acts 5:39) Olsem example, taem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Germany nating willing for acceptim Adolf Hitler olsem Leader bilong olketa, Hitler talem hao hem bae finisim olketa evribit. (Matthew 23:10) Luk olsem Hitler and sekson bilong hem wea laek killim dae staka pipol fit for duim samting hem talem. Olketa Nazi arrestim plande thousand Witness and putim olketa long olketa raf prison. Olketa killim dae samfala Witness tu. Bat olketa Nazi fail for stopem wei wea olketa Witness strong for worshipim God nomoa, and olketa no finisim olketa servant bilong God evribit. Waka wea olketa Christian hia duim hem from God, no olketa man, dastawe no eniwan savve finisim datwan. Sixti year bihaen, olketa faithful wan wea no dae long olketa raf prison bilong Hitler gohed yet for servem Jehovah ‘witim full heart and soul and mind bilong olketa,’ bat Hitler and Nazi rul bilong hem finis longtaem nao.—Matthew 22:37.

14. (a) Hao nao olketa wea againstim olketa servant bilong God tok laea againstim olketa, and wanem nao kamaot from diswan? (b) Waswe, samting wea olketa trae for duim fit for spoelem pipol bilong God for olowe? (Hebrews 13:5, 6)

¹⁴ Long olketa year bihaen olketa Nazi, samfala nara sekson faet againstim Jehovah and pipol bilong hem, bat no savve win. Long samfala kantri long Europe, samfala sekson saed long religion and politik iusim enikaen kleva wei for mekem pipol tingse Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wanfala ‘danger sect,’ wea hem nao sem samting pipol talem abaotem olketa Christian long first century. (Acts 28:22) Bat, datfala European Court of Human Rights talem hao Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no wanfala sect, bat wanfala religion. Olketa wea againstim iumi luksavve long datwan. Nomata olsem, olketa gohed for tok spoelem olketa Witness. Wei wea pipol kolem iumi wanfala sect hem mekem samfala Christian lusim waka for selen. Olketa pikinini bilong olketa Witness kasem hard taem long skul. Samfala man wea ownim building wea olketa Witness rentim for olketa meeting for plande year finis, olketa fraet and cancelim kontrak for rent. Long samfala kantri, olketa department bilong gavman stopem samfala for kamap citizen bilong olketa from Olketa Jehovah’s Witness! Nomata olsem, olketa Witness no wikdaon.

15, 16. Wanem nao Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long France duim taem samfala againstim Christian waka bilong olketa, and why nao olketa gohed for preach?

¹⁵ Olsem example, plande pipol long France garem gudfala tingting and no teksaed. Nomata olsem, samfala wea againstim iumi trae mekem olketa law for stopem Kingdom waka. Wanem nao Olketa Jehovah’s Witness duim? Olketa kamap moa busy winim bifor long preaching waka bilong olketa and barava gud samting kamaot from diswan. (James 4:7) Sapraesing samting nao, insaed sixfala month nomoa, namba bilong olketa Bible study hem go ap 33 percent long datfala kantri! Masbi Devil hem kros fogud for lukim olketa wea garem honest heart long France acceptim gud nius. (Revelation 12:17) Olketa Christian brata and sista bilong iumi long France feel sure hao toktok bilong profet Isaiah bae kamap tru for olketa: “Eni samting for faet againstim iu bae no win, and eni toktok wea bae kam againstim iu long datfala judgment bae iu pruvim hem rong.”—Isaiah 54:17.

¹⁶ Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no hapi for kasem persecution. Nomata olsem, from olketa obeyim komand bilong God for evri Christian, olketa kanduit stop and bae no stop for story abaotem olketa samting wea olketa herem finis. Olketa trae for olsem gudfala citizen. Bat taem law bilong man askem samting wea againstim law bilong God, olketa mas obeyim God olsem ruler.

No Fraet Long Olketa

17. (a) Why nao iumi shud no fraet long olketa enemy bilong iumi? (b) Iumi shud garem wanem tingting abaotem olketa wea persecutim iumi?

¹⁷ Olketa enemy bilong iumi duim danger samting. Olketa faet againstim God. So, followim komand bilong Jesus, iumi no fraet long olketa wea persecutim iumi, bat iumi prea for olketa. (Matthew 5:44) Iumi prea hao sapos eniwan long olketa go againstim God from olketa no savve, olsem Saul from Tarsus hem duim, Jehovah bae helpem olketa for luksavve long truth. (2 Corinthians 4:4) Saul hem kamap datfala Christian aposol Paul and kasem staka persecution from olketa wea garem paoa long taem bilong hem. Nomata olsem, hem evritaem remindim olketa Christian brata and sista bilong hem for “stap anda and obeyim olketa gavman and olketa wea garem paoa olsem ruler, and for redi for evri gudfala waka, for no tok daonem eniwan, [nomata olketa wea strong for persecutim olketa], no faet, garem balance fasin, and showimaot kwaet fasin evribit long evri man.” (Titus 3:1, 2) Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long France and long olketa nara ples trae hard for followim disfala kaonsel.

18. (a) Long olketa wanem wei nao maet Jehovah sevem pipol bilong hem? (b) Wanem nao bae happen long end?

¹⁸ God talem profet Jeremiah: “Mi stap witim iu for sevem iu.” (Jeremiah 1:8) Wanem nao maet Jehovah duim distaem for sevem iumi from persecution? Maet hem mekem wanfala judge kamap wea no teksaed, olsem Gamaliel. Or maet seknomoa hem mekem wanfala bigman wea garem balance tingting hem changem wanfala wea hem raverave and wea againstim iumi. Bat samfala taem, maet Jehovah letem wei wea pipol bilong hem kasem persecution for gohed. (2 Timothy 3:12) Sapos God letem iumi kasem persecution, hem bae evritaem strongim iumi mekem iumi no givap. (1 Corinthians 10:13) And nomata wanem kaen samting God letem for kasem iumi, iumi sure hao long end, olketa wea faet againstim pipol bilong God, really olketa faet againstim God, and olketa wea faetem God kanduit win.

19. Wanem nao yeartext for 2006, and why nao hem fitim?

¹⁹ Jesus talem olketa disaepol bilong hem hao olketa mas expectim trabol. (John 16:33) Taem iumi tingim diswan, toktok long Acts 5:29 hem barava fitim distaem winim enitaem bifor: “Mifala mas obeyim God olsem ruler winim olketa man.” Dastawe disfala nambawan toktok hem kamap yeartext bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness for 2006. Iumi mas disaed strong long disfala niu year and for olowe for obeyim God olsem Ruler nomata wanem samting kasem iumi!

[Footnote]

Waswe, Iu Savve Ansa?

• Wei wea olketa aposol feisim sekson wea againstim olketa hem showimaot wanem gudfala example for iumi?

• Why nao iumi shud evritaem obeyim God olsem ruler winim olketa man?

• Olketa wea againstim iumi really faet againstim hu nao?

• Olketa wea no givap taem olketa kasem persecution bae kasem wanem samting?

[Blurb long page 23]

Yeartext for 2006 hem olsem:“Mifala mas obeyim God olsem ruler winim olketa man.”—Acts 5:29

[Piksa long page 19]

“Mifala mas obeyim God olsem ruler winim olketa man”

[Piksa long page 21]

Caiaphas trust long olketa man and no long God