Mark ‘Fit for Duim Ministry’

KONGREGESON long Antioch kasem samfala problem, bat problem wea Paul and Barnabas kasem hem difren. Tufala missionary hia plan for go preach, nomata olsem, taem tufala disaed hu nao bae go witim tufala, tufala “barava raoa nao.” (Acts 15:39) Tufala hia separate nao bikos tufala raoa abaotem Mark wea hem tu wanfala missionary.

Hu nao Mark? Why nao tufala aposol hia garem strongfala tingting and raoa abaotem hem? Waswe, tingting bilong tufala hem change? Wanem nao iu savve lanem from Mark?

Hom Bilong Hem Long Jerusalem

Mark hem wanfala Jew wea big kam long Jerusalem, and luk olsem famili bilong hem rich. First samting wea iumi savve abaotem Mark hem long taem Christian kongregeson just start. Samting olsem 44 C.E. nao angel bilong Jehovah helpem Peter long mirakol wei for go aot from prison bilong Herod Agrippa I. Long datfala taem Peter “go long haos bilong Mary, wea hem mami bilong John. Nara nem bilong John hem Mark. Staka disaepol hipap long there and prea.”​—⁠Acts 12:​1-​12.a

Luk olsem Jerusalem kongregeson iusim haos bilong mami bilong Mark for olketa meeting. Maet haos hia hem big lelebet from “staka disaepol” nao hipap long there. Rhoda wea hem haosgele bilong Mary nao openem “door” taem Peter noknok. Olketa samting hia showimaot Mary hem mas rich lelebet. Luk olsem Mark hem young yet long datfala taem, and Bible sei datfala haos hem bilong Mary and no hasband bilong hem, so maet Mary hem wanfala widow woman.​—⁠Acts 12:⁠13.

Taem olketa disaepol hipap for prea, luk olsem Mark tu long there. Luk olsem hem savve gud long olketa disaepol bilong Jesus and olketa narawan wea lukim wanem Jesus duim long ministry. Maet Mark nao young man wea trae for followim Jesus, and taem olketa arrestim Hem, Mark werem smol kaleko nomoa and ranawe.​—⁠Mark 14:​51, 52.

Olketa Privilege Insaed Kongregeson

From Mark fren gud witim olketa mature Christian, datwan nao helpem hem. Hem start for kamap gud long spiritual wei, and datwan mekem olketa brata ting for givim privilege long hem. Samting olsem 46 C.E. Paul and Barnabas kam from Antioch for helpem olketa brata long Jerusalem taem hangre kasem olketa. Tufala laekem Mark for helpem tufala. Taem Paul and Barnabas go bak long Antioch, Mark hem followim tufala.​—⁠Acts 11:​27-​30; 12:⁠25.

Maet wanfala man wea readim disfala story tingse Paul, Barnabas, and Mark olketa spiritual brata nomoa. Maet olketa tingse Paul and Barnabas chusim Mark bikos hem man wea garem savve. Bat wanfala leta bilong Paul showimaot Mark hem kasin bilong Barnabas. (Col. 4:​10) Maet diswan showimaot why olketa nara samting happen long Mark.

Bihaen wanfala year, holy spirit leadim Paul and Barnabas long wanfala missionary gogo. Tufala lusim Antioch for go long Cyprus. John Mark go “for helpem tufala.” (Acts 13:​2-5) Maet Mark nao duim samfala nara waka mekem tufala aposol hia busy long olketa spiritual samting.

Paul, Barnabas, and Mark preach taem olketa akrosim Cyprus and then olketa go for Asia Minor. Long there nao, John Mark disaedem samting wea mekem Paul feel nogud. Bible hem sei taem olketa kasem Perga, “John hem lusim olketa and go bak long Jerusalem.” (Acts 13:13) Bible nating storyim why hem duim olsem.

Bihaen tu-thri year, Paul, Barnabas, and Mark go bak long Antioch. Tufala aposol hia storyim mek-tu missionary gogo and wanem moa for duim. Barnabas laekem kasin bilong hem Mark for go witim tufala, bat Paul hem les bikos hem lusim tufala bifor. Diswan nao mekem olketa barava raoa olsem iumi storyim firstaem. Barnabas and Mark go for preach long Cyprus wea hem hom bilong Barnabas, and Paul hem go for Syria. (Acts 15:​36-​41) Paul and Barnabas garem difren tingting abaotem samting wea Mark disaedem long firstaem.

Fren Bak Moa

From samting wea happen Mark mas feel nogud tumas. Nomata olsem, hem faithful and gohed long ministry. Story bilong Mark kamap moa long Bible 11 or 12 year bihaen hem lusim Paul. Long tingting bilong iu, wea nao hem stap distaem? Maet iu sapraes hem witim Paul moa!

Taem Paul stap long prison long Rome long 60-​61 C.E., hem sendem samfala leta wea kamap part long Bible. Long wanfala leta wea Paul sendem for olketa long Colossae, hem sei: “Aristarchus man wea mitufala stap long prison sendem kam hello bilong hem long iufala, and tu Mark kasin bilong Barnabas, (diswan wea iufala kasem komand for welkamim sapos hem kasem iufala,) . . . Olketa nomoa waka witim mi for kingdom bilong God, and olketa hia kamap samting for helpem and strongim mi.”​—⁠Col. 4:​10, 11.

Datwan hem bigfala change! Paul les long Mark bifor, bat distaem Paul tingim hem olsem man wea fit for waka witim hem. Paul talem olketa long Colossae hao maet Mark nao visitim olketa. Sapos olsem, Mark nao bae duim waka wea Paul talem long hem.

Waswe, Paul hem tingim nomoa nogud saed bilong Mark bifor? Waswe Mark needim discipline, and kasem eni gud samting from datwan? Or waswe, maet Paul and Mark lanem eni gud samting? Taem tufala no letem samting wea happen bifor for spoelem hao tufala savve waka tugeta moa, datwan showimaot mature. Diswan hem nambawan example for eni Christian wea raoa witim narawan!

Mark Hem Go Long Staka Ples

Taem iu read abaotem olketa difren ples wea Mark hem go long hem, iu luksavve hem go long staka ples. Hem kam from Jerusalem, hem muv go long Antioch, and then hem go long boat for go long Cyprus and Perga. Then hem go long Rome. Bihaen datwan Paul laek for sendem hem go long Colossae. And hem go long staka ples moa!

Samting olsem 62 go kasem 64 C.E., aposol Peter raetem firstfala leta bilong hem. Hem sei: “Woman wea stap long Babylon . . . sendem hello bilong hem long iufala, and Mark tu, son bilong mi.” (1 Pet. 5:​13) So Mark go long Babylon for waka witim aposol Peter, wea hem go long olketa Christian meeting bifor, long haos bilong mami bilong Mark.

Mek-tu taem wea Paul stap long prison long Rome long samting olsem 65 C.E., hem raet for askem Timothy for kam from Ephesus, and Paul hem sei: “Tekem kam Mark witim iu.” (2 Tim. 4:​11) So Mark stap long Ephesus long datfala taem. From Paul nao askem Mark for kam long Rome, iumi no daot hao hem willing for kam witim Timothy. Mark hem willing for go long olketa difren ples hia nomata hem no isi long datfala taem.

Nara Bigfala Privilege

Wanfala big privilege wea Mark enjoyim, hem nao wei wea Jehovah iusim hem for raetem wanfala Gospel. Nomata mek-tu Gospel nating talem nem bilong man wea raetem, olketa long datfala taem sei Mark nao raetem and hem kasem information from Peter. Tru tumas, klosap evri samting wea Mark raetem Peter hem lukim.

Olketa man wea studyim Gospel bilong Mark tingse hem raetem datwan for olketa wea no Jew, bikos hem provaedem olketa extra information for explainim samfala wei bilong olketa wea Jew. (Mark 7:3; 14:12; 15:42) Mark transleitim samfala Aramaic word for helpem olketa wea no Jew for minim. (Mark 3:​17; 5:​41; 7:​11, 34; 15:​22, 34) Hem iusim staka Latin word, and samfala taem hem explainim tu olketa Greek word. Evri samting hia agree witim wanem pipol long datfala taem talem hao Mark nao raetem Gospel bilong hem long Rome.

“Hem Fit for Helpem Mi Long Ministry”

Mark no raetem nomoa Gospel bilong hem long Rome bat hem duim olketa nara samting tu. Why nao Paul talem Timothy for “tekem kam Mark”? Bikos hem sei, “hem fit for helpem mi long ministry.”​—⁠2 Tim. 4:​11.

Diswan nao lastfala taem wea Bible storyim Mark, bat staka samting nao iumi lanem abaotem hem. Bible nating talem hao Mark kasem privilege olsem aposol, leader, or profet. Bat hem man for duim ministry, wea minim, hem helpem and waka for olketa narawan. Long taem wea Paul klosap for dae, hem barava needim Mark for helpem hem.

Taem iumi ting raonem evri samting hia, diswan helpem iumi for luksavve hao Mark hem man wea barava strong for talemaot gud nius long staka difren ples. And tu, hem man wea hapi for helpem olketa narawan. Tru nao, from Mark no givap, hem kasem and enjoyim olketa nambawan privilege!

Iumi wea waka for God distaem tu disaed strong for preachim gud nius abaotem Kingdom, olsem Mark hem duim. Samfala fit for muv go long olketa difren ples for talemaot gud nius. Nomata evriwan no fit for muv go long difren ples, iumi evriwan savve followim wei bilong Mark long nara important wei. Olsem Mark wea willing for helpem and waka for olketa nara Christian, iumi tu mas trae hard for helpem olketa brata and sista for gohed gud long ministry. Taem iumi duim olsem, iumi sure hao iumi bae gohed kasem olketa blessing from Jehovah.​—⁠Prov. 3:​27; 10:22; Gal. 6:⁠2.

[Footnote]

[Map/​Piksa long page 8, 9]

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Samfala Long Olketa Taon wea Mark Visitim

Rome

Ephesus

Colossae

Perga

Antioch (long Syria)

Cyprus

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Jerusalem

Babylon