Bible Buk Namba 49​—Ephesians

Man wea Raetem: Paul

Ples Hem Raetem: Rome

Taem Hem Finis Raetem: c. 60–61 C.E.

TINGIM sapos iu long prison. Iu long there bikos olketa persecutim iu from iu strong for duim waka olsem wanfala Christian missionary. Bat distaem from iu no savve go visitim olketa kongregeson for strongim olketa, wanem nao bae iu duim? Waswe, iu savve raetem leta long olketa wea kamap Christian thru long preaching waka bilong iu? Waswe, maet olketa gohed for wari abaotem iu, and maet olketa needim encouragement? Barava nao! So iu start for raet. Iu barava duim samting olsem aposol Paul taem hem stap long prison for firstaem, maet from 59-61 C.E. Hem appeal long Caesar, and nomata hem gohed for weitim kot bilong hem and olketa gardim hem, hem free lelebet for duim samfala samting. Paul raetem leta “For Olketa Long Ephesus” from Rome, maet long 60 or 61 C.E., and hem sendem witim Tychicus and Onesimus.—Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7-9.

² Paul talem long firstfala toktok bilong disfala leta hao hem nao raetem and fofala taem hem minim hemseleva olsem ‘man wea stap long prison for saed bilong Lord.’ (Eph. 1:1; 3:1, 13; 4:1; 6:20) No eniwan savve pruvim Paul no raetem diswan. Chester Beatty Papyrus No. 2 (P⁴⁶), wea stap from samting olsem 200 C.E., garem 86 page from wanfala buk wea garem olketa leta bilong Paul. Insaed long olketa nao disfala leta for olketa long Ephesus, wea showimaot hem stap witim olketa narafala leta bilong hem.

³ Olketa man wea raet for church bifor talem stret hao Paul nao raetem disfala leta “For Olketa Long Ephesus.” For example, Irenaeus, wea stap long mek-tu century C.E., talem disfala toktok from Ephesians 5:30: “Olsem Paul wea kasem blessing talem long leta bilong hem for olketa long Ephesus, hao iumi member bilong body bilong hem.” Clement bilong Alexandria, wea stap long semtaem, talem toktok from Ephesians 5:21 taem hem sei: “Insaed long leta bilong hem for olketa long Ephesus hem raet, Stap anda long each other long wei for fraet long God.” Origen, wea raet long start bilong mek-thri century C.E., talem toktok from Ephesians 1:4 taem hem sei: “Bat disfala aposol long leta bilong hem for olketa long Ephesus, iusim tu sem toktok taem hem sei, Hem chusim iumi bifor world hem start.”a Eusebius, narafala savveman long Christian history (c. 260-340 C.E.), putim Ephesians olsem part bilong Bible, and plande narafala man wea raet for church bifor savve tok abaotem Ephesians olsem part bilong Bible.b

⁴ Chester Beatty Papyrus, Vatican Manuscript No. 1209, and Sinaitic Manuscript aotem toktok “long Ephesus” long chapter 1, verse 1, and so hem no talem wea nao disfala leta bae go kasem. From diswan, and wei wea no eni greeting toktok hem stap for olketa long Ephesus (nomata Paul hem waka hard long there for thrifala year), mekem samfala for tingse disfala leta maet for olketa difren pipol or hem wanfala leta for olketa kongregeson long Asia Minor, wea Ephesus insaed tu. Bat, plande narafala manuscript garem disfala toktok “long Ephesus” and olsem iumi lukim antap, olketa man wea raet for church bifor acceptim disfala leta olsem hem for olketa long Ephesus.

⁵ Hem gud for ting raonem samfala point wea bae helpem iumi for savve long goal bilong disfala leta. Long first century bilong Common Era, pipol savve long Ephesus olsem ples for iusim demon paoa, magic, wei for studyim star, and worshipim woman god Artemis.c Raonem image bilong disfala woman god, olketa wakem wanfala nambawan temple. Long mek-19 century pipol digim disfala area and faendem platform wea hem 72.70 meter waed and 126.65 meter long. Temple hem 49.70 meter waed and 104 meter long. Hem garem 100 marble post, wea each wan hem 16.65 meter hae. Antap long haos hem garem white marble tile. Olketa iusim gold for joinim olketa marble blok and no mortar. Disfala temple pullim kam plande tourist from evriwea long earth, and plande handred thousand visitor savve kam long disfala taon taem olketa garem festival. Olketa man wea wakem samting bilong silver long Ephesus garem gudfala bisnis taem olketa wakem and salem olketa smolfala silver image bilong Artemis.

⁶ Paul hem go long Ephesus long mek-tu missionary gogo bilong hem for shortfala visit for duim preaching waka and then hem lusim Aquila and Priscilla long there for gohed witim waka hia. (Acts 18:18-21) Hem kam bak moa long mek-thri missionary gogo bilong hem and then hem stap for samting olsem thrifala year for preachim and teachim “Datfala Wei” long plande pipol. (Acts 19:8-10; 20:31) Paul waka hard taem hem stap long Ephesus. Long buk bilong hem Daily Life in Bible Times, A. E. Bailey raet olsem: “Paul savve duim waka bilong hem for selen evriday start from taem sun kamap go kasem 11 a. m.  (Acts 20:34, 35) long datfala taem Tyrannus hem finis for teach; then from 11 a.m. go kasem 4 p.m. for preach long hall, garem meeting witim olketa wea laek for help, . . . then duim haos-tu-haos ministry wea gohed from 4 p.m. go kasem naet. (Acts 20:20, 21, 31) Maet iumi tingting wanem taem nao hem garem for kaikai and sleep.”—1943, page 308.

⁷ Taem Paul strong for duim preaching waka, hem talemaot wei wea pipol worshipim image. Diswan mekem olketa wea gohed for wakem and salem olketa image kamap kros, olsem disfala man wea wakem samting bilong silver, Demetrius, and from bigfala raoa kamap Paul mas lusim disfala taon.—Acts 19:23–20:1.

⁸ So distaem, wea Paul stap long prison, hem tingim olketa problem wea kongregeson long Ephesus garem, wea stap midolwan long olketa wea worshipim heathen samting and klosap long disfala nambawan temple bilong Artemis. Olketa anointed Christian barava needim disfala tokpiksa wea Paul talem long olketa, hao olketa nao part bilong “holy temple,” wea Jehovah stap long hem thru long spirit bilong hem. (Eph. 2:21) “Disfala holy secret” wea hem talem for olketa bilong Ephesus abaotem administration bilong God (wei wea hem lukaftarem olketa samting bilong famili bilong hem) wea hem bae iusim for bringim bak peace and wan mind thru long Jesus Christ, hem barava muvim and comfortim olketa. (1:9, 10) Paul mekhae long wei wea olketa Jew and Gentile garem wan mind thru long Christ. Hem encouragem wei for garem wan mind. Dastawe, iumi savve tinghae long goal, and wei wea disfala buk hem important and barava kam from God.

WEI WEA HEM HELPEM IUMI

¹⁶ Leta for olketa long Ephesus story abaotem evri part long Christian living. From olketa nogud problem and wei for brekem law kamap big tumas long world distaem, gudfala kaonsel bilong Paul savve barava helpem olketa wea want for garem living wea followim God. Wanem fasin nao olketa pikinini mas garem long dadi and mami, and dadi and mami long olketa pikinini? Wanem nao olketa responsibility bilong wanfala hasband for waef bilong hem, and bilong wanfala waef for hasband bilong hem? Wanem nao each wan insaed kongregeson mas duim for keepim wan mind long love and Christian wei for klin midolwan long nogud world? Kaonsel bilong Paul story abaotem evri kwestin hia, and hem showimaot wanem nao insaed long wei for werem niufala Christian fasin. Thru long wei for studyim Ephesians, evriwan bae fit for luksavve long fasin wea mekem God hapi and “fitim will bilong Hem long trufala raeteous fasin and loyal fasin.”—4:24-32; 6:1-4; 5:3-5, 15-20, 22-33.

¹⁷ Leta hia showimaot tu goal bilong olketa appointment and assignment insaed long kongregeson. Diswan hem “for stretem olketa holy wan, for duim waka bilong minister, for buildimap body bilong Christ,” witim goal for kamap mature. Sapos hem sapotim evribit olketa arrangement hia bilong kongregeson, wanfala Christian savve “thru long love growap long evri samting long datwan wea hed, Christ.”—4:12, 15.

¹⁸ Disfala leta for olketa long Ephesus barava helpem datfala kongregeson bifor for mekem savve bilong olketa abaotem “holy secret bilong Christ” kamap moa klia. Long hia hem showaot klia hao witim olketa Jew wea bilivim, “pipol bilong olketa nation” bae kam for “kamap member bilong datfala body and tekpart . . . long promis wea join witim Christ Jesus thru long gud nius.” Datfala wall for divaedem datfala “Law bilong olketa komandment,” wea separatem olketa Gentile from olketa Jew hem finis, and distaem thru long blood bilong Christ, evriwan kamap olketa brata bilong olketa holy wan and member bilong famili bilong God. Long wei wea difren evribit from heathen temple bilong Artemis, olketa hia kamap long wan mind witim Christ Jesus olsem wanfala ples for God for stap insaed long spirit—“wanfala holy temple for Jehovah.”—3:4, 6; 2:15, 21.

¹⁹ Long saed bilong datfala “holy secret,” Paul story tu abaotem “wanfala administration . . . for hipimap moa evri samting tugeta insaed long Christ, olketa samting long heven [olketa wea hem chusim for stap insaed Kingdom long heven] and olketa samting long earth [olketa wea bae stap long earth anda long rul bilong datfala Kingdom].” There nao hem mekhae long nambawan plan bilong God for bringim bak peace and wan mind. Paul prea for diswan for saed bilong olketa long Ephesus, wea eye bilong heart bilong olketa kasem savve, mekem olketa kasholem evribit hope wea God kolem olketa for hem and lukim “wanem nambawan richfala samting nao hem keepim olsem reward for olketa holy wan.” Olketa toktok hia barava encouragem olketa long hope bilong olketa. And disfala leta for olketa long Ephesus gohed for buildimap kongregeson long distaem mekem ‘iumi savve fulap witim evri samting wea God givim.’—1:9-11, 18; 3:19.

[Olketa Footnote]