Saul Meetim Moa Olketa Fren and Olketa Enemy Bilong Hem Bifor

SAUL wea bihaen hem kamap aposol Paul, mas wari lelebet taem hem kam bak moa long Jerusalem for firstfala taem bihaen hem kamap wanfala Christian.a Thrifala year bifor hem lusim datfala taon, wea long datfala hem kros tumas and laek for killim dae olketa disaepol bilong Jesus. Hem kasem order for kasholem eni Christian wea maet hem faendem long Damascus.​—Acts 9:​1, 2; Galatians 1:​18.

Taem Saul kamap wanfala Christian, hem strong for talemaot faith bilong hem abaotem Messiah wea resurrect finis. From diswan, olketa Jew long Damascus laek for killim hem dae. (Acts 9:​19-​25) So bae hem hard for olketa Jew fren bilong hem long Jerusalem hapi and welkamim hem. Nomata olsem, samting wea moa important long Saul hem for faendem olketa follower bilong Christ long Jerusalem. Hem bae no isi for duim datwan.

“Taem hem kasem Jerusalem hem trae for join witim olketa disaepol; bat evriwan fraet long hem, bikos olketa no bilivim hem wanfala disaepol.” (Acts 9:​26) Iumi savve minim why olketa fraetem hem. From lastaem wea olketa savve long Saul, hem wanfala man wea barava againstim olketa disaepol. Wei wea hem sei hem wanfala Christian maet olsem wanfala trik nomoa, for hem kam insaed long kongregeson. Dastawe, olketa Christian long Jerusalem no barava fren gud witim hem firstaem.

Bat wanfala long olketa, hem helpem Saul. Bible hem sei, Barnabas nao leadim go disfala man wea againstim olketa bifor for go “long olketa aposol.” Luk olsem olketa aposol hia nao Peter (Cephas) and James, brata bilong Lord, for talemaot long olketa hao Saul hem kamap wanfala Christian and abaotem waka for preach wea hem duim long Damascus. (Acts 9:​27; Galatians 1:​18, 19) Bible no story abaotem hao nao gogo, Barnabas trustim Saul. Maet tufala hia savve long each other, wea maet datwan nao mekem Barnabas for kwestinim Saul for mek sure hem really kamap wanfala Christian mekem hem savve talemaot diswan long olketa aposol. Or maet Barnabas savve long samfala Christian long Damascus wea talem hem abaotem wei wea Saul hem kamap wanfala Christian. Nomata wanem, Barnabas no garem eni daot abaotem Saul. From diswan, Saul stap for 15-fala day witim aposol Peter.

Fiftin Day wea Hem Stap Witim Peter

Olsem Saul strongim long olketa long Galatia, hem kasem stret assignment bilong hem from Jesus and no from man. (Galatians 1:​11, 12) Nomata olsem, hem luksavve hao hem important for hem kasem stretfala savve abaotem ministry bilong Jesus. And wei wea Saul stap witim Peter bae givim hem chance for duim datwan. (Luke 24:12; 1 Corinthians 15:​3-8) Saul bae garem staka samting for askem Peter and James, and tufala tu bae garem staka kwestin for askem long Saul abaotem vision wea hem lukim and assignment bilong hem for preach.

Sef From Olketa Fren Bilong Hem Bifor

Iumi savve sei, Stephen hem firstfala Christian for dae for faith bilong hem. Olketa man wea Stephen raoa witim bifor, olketa bilong wanem “olketa kolem Synagogue bilong olketa Freedmen, and bilong olketa Cyrenian and Alexandrian and bilong olketa from Cilicia and Asia.” And distaem Saul nao hem “argue witim olketa Jew wea iusim Greek languis,” and hem no fraet for witness long olketa. Wanem nao happen? Olketa laek for killim hem dae.​—Acts 6:9; 9:​28, 29.

Hem normal nomoa for Saul laek explainim bigfala change wea hem mekem long laef bilong hem and trae hard for teachim olketa fren bilong hem abaotem Messiah. Bat olketa Jew hia wea iusim Greek languis barava kros fogud long Saul wea distaem olketa ting long hem olsem wanfala enemy.

Waswe, Saul luksavve long bigfala danger wea hem feisim? Iumi readim hao taem hem prea long temple, hem lukim Jesus long vision wea sei long hem: “Iu hariap and go aot kwiktaem from Jerusalem, bikos olketa man hia no laekem iu for witness abaotem mi.” Saul ansa and sei: “Lord, olketa savve gud long mi, wea bifor mi savve go raon long plande synagogue for whipim and putim long prison olketa wea biliv long iu; and taem blood bilong datfala witness bilong iu Stephen hem kapsaet, mi long there tu and mi agree witim wanem olketa duim.”​—Acts 22:​17-​20.

Long tingting bilong samfala, samting wea Saul talem showimaot hem luksavve hao hem insaed danger. Olketa narawan tingse hem sei olsem: ‘Bifor mi man for persecutim pipol tu, olsem olketa, so olketa shud luksavve long datwan and acceptim hao mi kamap wanfala Christian. Maet mi savve helpem olketa for savve long truth.’ Nomata olsem, Jesus savve hao olketa Jew hia bae no lisin long toktok bilong wanfala “apostate.” Jesus talem Saul: “Iu go nao, bikos mi bae sendem iu go long olketa nation wea stap farawe.”​—Acts 22:​21, 22.

Taem olketa nara Christian savve abaotem disfala danger, olketa kwiktaem tekem Saul go long harbour bilong Caesarea and sendem hem go long hom bilong hem long Tarsus, wea for go kasem long there hem 500 kilometer. (Acts 9:​30) Samfala year go pas bifor Saul go bak moa long Jerusalem.

Maet wei wea Saul go aot kwiktaem hem protectim datfala Christian kongregeson long datfala taem. Wei wea datfala man for againstim olketa Christian bifor hem stap long there savve mekem bigfala raoa kamap. Bihaen Saul hem go, “evri kongregeson wea stap long full Judea, Galilee, and Samaria kasem peace and kamap strong; and taem olketa gohed for fraet long Jehovah and kasem comfort from holy spirit, namba bilong olketa gohed for kamap moa big.”​—Acts 9:​31.

Olketa Leson Abaotem Fasin for Luksavve

Olsem long first century, distaem tu maet iumi feisim olketa danger wea iumi mas careful long hem. Iumi shud no ova tumas for no trustim olketa stranger. Nomata olsem, samfala taem pipol wea garem nogud fasin trae for mekius long pipol bilong Jehovah for kasem samting for olketa seleva, or maet for spoelem kongregeson. Dastawe iumi mas garem fasin for luksavve mekem iumi no foldaon long laea toktok bilong pipol wea laek for spoelem iumi.​—Proverbs 3:​27; 2 Timothy 3:​13.

Samting wea Saul duim taem hem preach long Jerusalem showimaot narafala samting wea olketa Christian savve careful long hem. For preach long samfala ples or long samfala pipol, wea samfala long olketa hia hem olketa fren bilong iumi bifor, savve mekem iumi stap long danger long physical and spiritual wei, or maet spoelem gudfala fasin bilong iumi. Hem fitim for iumi mas careful evritaem saed long ples wea iumi go, and wanem taem iumi go long datfala ples.​—Proverbs 22:3; Matthew 10:16.

Iumi savve sure hao pipol bilong God bae preachim gud nius abaotem Kingdom bilong God bifor disfala nogud world hem finis. Saul hem showimaot nambawan example for iumi followim, long wei for “no fraet for story long nem bilong Lord” nomata long olketa fren and olketa enemy bilong hem bifor!​—Acts 9:​28.

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Taem Saul kasem Jerusalem, hem strong for witness long olketa Jew wea iusim Greek languis