Persecution Startim Wei for Grow Long Antioch

TAEM persecution brek aot bihaen olketa killim dae Stephen, planti long olketa disaepol bilong Jesus ranawe from Jerusalem. Wanfala long olketa ples wea olketa ranawe go for sef hem Antioch, Syria, samting olsem 550 kilometer go long north. (Acts 11:19) Olketa samting wea happen long there bihaen datwan affectim history bilong Christian wei. For minim gud wanem nao happen, hem gud for savve lelebet abaot Antioch.

For markem olketa taon wea stap anda long Rul Bilong Rome saed long size, living, and wei for important Rome and Alexandria nomoa winim Antioch. Disfala kapitol taon bilong Syria hem bossim northeast kona bilong Mediterranean basin. Antioch (distaem hem Antakya, Turkey) hem stap long Orontes River, wea fitim olketa ship for kam insaed, wea joinim hem witim harbor bilong hem, Seleucia Pieria, 32 kilometer awe. Hem bossim gogo bilong big bisnis midolwan long Rome and Tigris-Euphrates Valley. Olsem wanfala bisnis center, hem duim bisnis witim full Roman world and lukim evri difren kaen samting wea evri difren kaen pipol duim, wea tekem kam olketa nius abaot olketa religion evriwea insaed Roman world.

Greek religion and idea bilong man hem kamap big long Antioch. Bat “long taem bilong Christ,” man for raetem history, Glanville Downey hem sei, “olketa old cult bilong Greek religion and olketa idea bilong man start for kamap biliv bilong man wanwan, taem pipol lukaotem wei for satisfae and kamap free from olketa problem.” (History bilong Antioch long Syria) Planti pipol satisfae witim olketa kastom, rul and biliv bilong Jew religion hao wanfala God nomoa stap.

Wanfala bigfala sekson bilong Jew stap long Antioch from taem taon hia start long 300 B.C.E. Olketa tingim hao namba bilong olketa hem from 20,000 go kasem 60,000, hem kamap winim 10 percent bilong datfala population. Man for raetem history Josephus hem sei olketa king bilong Seleucid laen encouragem olketa Jew for stap long datfala taon, and mekem olketa fit for kamap citizen. Long datfala taem, Hebrew Scripture hem stap finis long Greek languis. Diswan muvim interest bilong olketa wea garem sem hope witim olketa Jew abaotem Messiah. Dastawe, planti Greek pipol go long Jew religion. Evri samting hia mekem Antioch kamap wanfala field wea garem staka frut long Christian waka for mekem disaepol.

Witness Long Olketa Gentile

Planti long olketa disaepol bilong Jesus wea kasem persecution and go aot from Jerusalem sharem faith bilong olketa witim olketa Jew nomoa. Bat, long Antioch samfala disaepol from Cyprus and Cyrene story long “pipol wea savve tok long Greek languis.” (Acts 11:20) Nomata wei for preach long olketa Jew wea savve tok long Greek languis and pipol wea followim Jew religion hem start finis long Pentecost bilong 33 C.E., preaching waka long Antioch hem olsem niufala samting. Olketa no preach long olketa Jew nomoa. Tru nao, datfala Gentile man Cornelius and famili bilong hem kamap disaepol finis. Bat Jehovah need for showim wanfala vision for mekem aposol Peter bilivim hao hem stret for preach long olketa Gentile, or pipol bilong olketa nation.—Acts 10:1-48.

Insaed wanfala taon wea garem wanfala bigfala Jew community bilong bifor wea fasin for enemy midolwan olketa Jew and Gentile no big tumas, pipol wea no Jew kasem gudfala witness and hapi for lisin long gud nius. Luk olsem gudfala living long Antioch mekem diswan kamap, and ‘planti pipol biliv.’ (Acts 11:21) And taem olketa niu follower, wea worshipim olketa giaman god bifor, kamap Christian, olketa garem spesol wei for witness long olketa nara Gentile wea still duim diswan.

Taem olketa herem samting wea kamap long Antioch, kongregeson long Jerusalem sendem go Barnabas for lukluk. Hem wise and loving for duim diswan. Barnabas hem man bilong Cyprus, olsem samfala long olketa wea start finis for preach long pipol wea no Jew. Barnabas hapi for stap midolwan olketa Gentile bilong Antioch. Olketa bae luk long hem olsem member bilong community wea olketa savve gud long hem.a Hem garem semkaen tingting long waka wea olketa duim. So “taem hem arrive and lukim kaeness bilong God wea man no fit for kasem, hem hapi and start for encouragem evriwan for go ahed long Lord witim strongfala purpose,” and “bigfala sekson kam join witim Lord.”—Acts 11:22-24.

Man for raetem history, Downey hem sei: “Luk olsem firstfala gogo long Antioch hem win, maet from olketa missionary long disfala taon no need for fraetem olketa krangge Jew olsem olketa feisim bifor long Jerusalem; and tu datfala taon, olsem kapitol bilong Syria, olketa military komanda nao rulim, dastawe olketa enjoyim pablik order wea moabeta, and chance for olketa crowd duim raf fasin hem no big tumas olsem hem happen finis long Jerusalem, wea luk olsem olketa bigman bilong Judaea (long disfala taem) no fit for bossim krangge pipol bilong olketa Jew.”

Taem evri samting go ahed gud olsem and witim planti samting for duim, maet Barnabas luksavve hao hem needim help, and tingim fren bilong hem Saul. Why nao Saul, or Paul? Luk olsem from Paul, nomata hem no wanfala bilong 12 aposol, hem kamap aposol bilong olketa nation. (Acts 9:15, 27; Romans 1:5; Revelation 21:14) So, Paul hem barava fit olsem wanfala man for waka tugeta witim for talemaot gud nius long Gentile taon bilong Antioch. (Galatians 1:16) So Barnabas go long Tarsus, faendem Saul, and tekem hem kam long Antioch.—Acts 11:25, 26; lukim box long page 26-7.

Kasem Nem Christian Thru Long God

For wan full year, Barnabas and Saul “teachim planti pipol, and long Antioch nao hem firstaem wea, thru long God, olketa disaepol kasem nem Christian.” Luk olsem olketa Jew no first wan for kolem olketa follower bilong Jesus olketa Christian (Greek) or Messianist (Hebrew), from olketa rejectim Jesus olsem Messiah, or Christ, so hem hard for olketa kolem olketa follower bilong hem olketa Christian. Samfala tingse maet olketa heathen pipol nao givim disfala nem olketa Christian for mekfani long olketa nomoa. Bat, Bible hem showimaot hao nem olketa Christian hem kam from God.—Acts 11:26.

Insaed long Christian Greek Scripture, verb wea olketa iusim witim datfala niu nem, wea olketa transleitim “wea kasem nem,” hem evritaem join witim samting wea no bilong man, wei for story witim olketa god, or samting wea kam from God. Dastawe olketa savveman talem olsem wei “for talemaot toktok wea garem paoa,” “God talemaot,” or “God givim komand or kaonsel, for teach from heven.” From “thru long God,” olketa follower bilong Jesus kasem nem olketa Christian, hem luk olsem Jehovah leadim Saul and Barnabas for givim datfala nem.

Olketa go ahed for iusim datfala nem nao. Hem no hard for luksavve hu nao olketa disaepol bilong Jesus and hu nao sect bilong Jew religion, bikos tufala barava difren evribit. Samwea long 58 C.E., olketa bigman bilong Rome savve gud hu nao olketa Christian. (Acts 26:28) Olsem man for raetem history Tacitus hem talem, kam kasem 64 C.E., planti long Rome tu acceptim datfala nem.

Jehovah Iusim Olketa Faithful Wan Bilong Hem

Gud nius hem grow big long Antioch. Witim blessing bilong Jehovah and wei wea olketa follower bilong Jesus disaed strong for go ahed preach, Antioch kamap wanfala center bilong first-century Christian wei. God iusim kongregeson long there olsem main base for spreadim gud nius long olketa farawe ples. Olsem example, long evri missionary gogo bilong hem, Paul hem start from Antioch.

Long taem bilong iumi tu wei for stand strong and disaed strong taem pipol againstim iumi hem help for spreadim trufala Christian wei, mekem planti herem gud nius and showimaot olketa tinghae long diswan.b So sapos pipol againstim iu from iu saportim klinfala worship, tingim hao Jehovah garem reason for letem diswan happen. Olsem long first century, pipol distaem mas garem chance for herem gud nius abaot Kingdom bilong God and saed witim diswan. Wei wea iu disaed strong for servem Jehovah long faithful wei maet hem nao samting man needim for helpem hem for kasem stretfala savve bilong truth.

[Olketa Footnote]

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‘Olketa Year Bilong Saul wea No Eniwan Savve’

LASTFALA taem wea olketa talem nem bilong Saul insaed buk bilong Acts, bifor hem muv go long Antioch samwea long 45 C.E., hem taem wea olketa wea garem sem biliv olsem hem duim samting for stopem plan for killim hem dae long Jerusalem and olketa sendem hem go long Tarsus. (Acts 9:28-30; 11:25) Bat datwan happen naen year bifor, samwea long 36 C.E. Wanem nao hem duim long datfala taem—wanfala taem wea olketa kolem olketa year bilong Paul wea no eniwan savve?

From Jerusalem, Saul go insaed area bilong Syria and Cilicia, and olketa kongregeson bilong Judea herem hao: “Datfala man wea persecutim iumi bifor hem nao talemaot gud nius abaotem faith wea hem trae for finisim bifor.” (Galatians 1:21-23) Datfala report maet story abaotem waka hem duim long Antioch witim Barnabas, bat nomata bifor datwan iumi sure Saul hem no stap kwaet. Kasem 49 C.E., planti kongregeson stap finis long Syria and Cilicia. Wanfala hem long Antioch, bat samfala tingse maet olketa narawan kamap from hard waka bilong Paul insaed taem wea olketa kolem olketa year bilong hem wea iumi no savve.—Acts 11:26; 15:23, 41.

Samfala savveman bilivim hao staka nogud samting wea happen long laef bilong Paul hem mas insaed olketa taem hia. Hem hard for disaedem wanem taem nao hem kasem planti hard samting hia insaed missionary waka bilong hem olsem wanfala ‘minister bilong Christ’ sapos iumi no savve long olketa year hia. (2 Corinthians 11:23-27) Wanem taem nao faevfala taem wea Saul kasem 39 whip from olketa Jew? Long wea nao olketa whipim hem thrifala taem witim stik? Wea nao ‘planti’ taem hem stap insaed prison? Bihaen nao olketa holem hem long Rome. Iumi garem story abaotem wan taem wea olketa whipim and putim hem long prison—long Philippi. Bat waswe long olketa narawan? (Acts 16:22, 23) Wanfala man for raet sei maet Saul long disfala taem hem “givim witness abaotem Christ insaed olketa synagogue bilong Diaspora long wei wea mekem persecution kamap from olketa bigman bilong religion and gavman.”

Saul hem kasem shipwreck fofala taem, bat Scripture story abaotem wanfala nomoa, wea happen bihaen hem storyim olketa hard taem bilong hem taem hem raet long olketa bilong Corinth. (Acts 27:27-44) So luk olsem hem kasem nara thrifala hia taem hem gogo long ship wea iumi nating savve eni samting abaotem. Eni or evri samting hia maet happen insaed long “olketa year wea no eniwan savve.”

Narafala samting wea luk olsem hem happen long disfala taem olketa storyim long 2 Corinthians 12:2-5. Saul sei: ‘Mi savve long wanfala man wea wan mind witim Christ wea, fotin year bifor olketa tekem hem go long mek-thri heven, long paradaes, and hem herem olketa toktok wea man kanduit talem wea againstim law for wanfala man for talem.’ Luk olsem, Saul story abaotem hemseleva. From hem raetem diswan long samting olsem 55 C.E., 14 year bifor diswan hem 41 C.E., midolwan long “olketa year wea no eniwan savve.”

Iumi sure datfala vision givim spesol wei for luksavve long Saul. Waswe, diswan hem for redyim hem olsem “wanfala aposol long olketa nation”? (Romans 11:13) Waswe, diswan affectim hem bihaen long tingting, raeting, and toktok? Waswe, olketa year midolwan taem Saul kamap Christian and taem olketa kolem hem for go long Antioch givim hem training and mekem hem mature for olketa responsibility long future? Nomata wanem nao olketa ansa for olketa kwestin hia, iumi sure hao taem Barnabas invaetem hem for help for leadim preaching waka long Antioch, Saul barava fit evribit for fulfillim datfala assignment.—Acts 11:19-26.

[Map long page 25]

SYRIA

Orontes

Antioch

Seleucia

CYPRUS

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Jerusalem

[Credit Line]

Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1997 Digital Wisdom, Inc.

[Piksa long page 24]

Antap: Antioch distaem

Midol: Southern view bilong Seleucia

Botom: Harbor wall bilong Seleucia