‘Dey Treat Stranger Well’

1, 2. (a) Which kind problem stranger dey face today? (Check the first picture.) (b) Wetin Bible sey make we do, and which three question we go answer?

E DON pass 30 years wey Osei,^[1] comot from Ghana go Europe. That time, e never be Jehovah Witness. E remember wetin happen, e sey: “E no hard me to see sey many people no get my time. The weather for there just different. When I comot for airport, the kind cold wey catch me never catch me before. I come start to cry.” Because e no sabi speak the language well, e pass one year before Osei see better work. As e be sey im family no dey there, e come dey miss dem and e come be like sey make e go back.

² Think about how you go like make people treat you if that kind thing happen to you. You no go like am if dem welcome you well for Kingdom Hall, no matter where you come from? Bible even tell true Christian sey make dem ‘no forget to dey treat stranger well.’ (Heb. 13:​2, ftn.) So we go talk about three question wey fit help us for this matter: How Jehovah take dey look stranger? Why e good to use better eye dey look stranger? And how we fit help people wey come from another place make dem happy as dem dey our congregation?

HOW JEHOVAH TAKE DEY LOOK STRANGER

3, 4. From wetin dey Exodus 23:​9, how Israel people suppose dey treat stranger, and why?

³ After Jehovah don save Israel people from Egypt, e give dem different different law. This law help dem know sey dem suppose treat stranger wey don join dem to serve Jehovah well. (Ex. 12:​38, 49; 22:21) Because people dey treat stranger anyhow, Jehovah arrange things wey go help dem. One of the things be sey Jehovah law allow stranger to gather food wey remain from other people farm.​—⁠Lev. 19:​9, 10.

⁴ Jehovah no force Israel people make dem respect stranger, but e tell dem wetin touch their mind. (Read Exodus 23:⁠9.) Dem know ‘wetin e be like to be stranger.’ Eygpt people hate Israel people well well, even before dem make Israel people slave. E fit be because dem feel sey their country and religion better pass Israel people own. (Gen. 43:32; 46:34; Ex. 1:​11-14) Even though sey Israel people suffer well well when dem be stranger for another land, Jehovah want make dem dey treat stranger like their own people.​—⁠Lev. 19:​33, 34.

5. Wetin go help us get the kind mind wey Jehovah get for people wey come from another place?

⁵ Even today, we dey sure sey Jehovah still want make we dey treat people wey come from another place well, when dem come our congregation. (Deut. 10:​17-19; Mal. 3:​5, 6) If we dey think about the problem wey dem dey face, for example people fit no like dem or dem no dey hear our language, e go make us dey do things wey show sey we dey feel for dem and we go treat dem well.​—⁠1 Pet. 3:⁠8.

WHY E GOOD TO USE BETTER EYE DEY LOOK STRANGER?

6, 7. Wetin show sey Christian for apostle time no do like other Jew people?

⁶ Jew people hate people wey no be Jew, but Christian for the apostle time no be like that. How we take know? For Pentecost 33 C.E., Christian wey dey Jerusalem that time, welcome all the new people wey join dem even though sey dem no be Jew. (Acts 2:​5, 44-47) The way dem take show this people love, mean sey dem really know sey to ‘welcome stranger’ na to ‘dey treat dem well.’

⁷ But as people for the congregation come dey plenty, dem come get one problem. The brothers wey dey speak Greek come dey complain sey dem no dey treat their sisters wey their husband don die well. (Acts 6:⁠1) To settle the matter, the apostle dem come choose seven brothers from the congregation wey go make sure sey dem treat everybody well. All this brothers get Greek name. This one show sey the apostle dem want make peace dey. Dem no want make the brothers for the congregation dey feel sey dem dey support one side.​—⁠Acts 6:​2-6.

8, 9. (a) Wetin fit show sey we don dey feel sey we better pass other people? (b) Wetin we go comot from our mind? (1 Pet. 1:⁠22)

⁸ Whether we believe am or we no believe am, where we come from dey affect us well well. (Rom. 12:⁠2) Another thing be sey, we fit dey hear as our neighbour, school mate or work mate dey like to use mouth spoil people wey come from another place. We get this kind character? We dey quick vex if person talk bad about where we come from?

⁹ E get the time wey apostle Peter hate people wey no be Jew, but na small small e come learn how to comot that kind bad thing from im mind. (Acts 10:​28, 34, 35; Gal. 2:​11-14) Na wetin we self go do if we see sey we don dey think sey we better pass other people. Make we try comot am from our mind. (Read 1 Peter 1:22.) E good make we remember sey no matter where we come from, we dey sin and God no suppose save us. (Rom. 3:​9, 10, 21-24) So why we go dey feel sey we better pass other people? (1 Cor. 4:⁠7) Make we do like apostle Paul wey tell other people like am wey go follow Jesus rule for heaven sey dem ‘no be stranger’ and dem ‘no dey another man land again,’ but dem ‘be people wey dey part of God family.’ (Eph. 2:19) If we try well well to comot bad mind for people wey come from another place, e go help us get the new character.​—⁠Col. 3:​10, 11.

HOW YOU GO TAKE TREAT STRANGER WELL

10, 11. How the way Boaz treat Ruth show sey e dey look stranger the way Jehovah dey look dem?

¹⁰ Boaz really show sey e dey look stranger the way Jehovah dey look dem from the way e treat Ruth wey come from Moab. When Boaz come check people wey dey work for im farm, e see one woman wey be stranger wey dey work well well. The woman dey gather wetin people wey dey work for Boaz farm leave. Ruth beg make dem let am gather wetin remain from the farm even though sey Jehovah law allow am. When Boaz hear am, e sey make Ruth even collect from the one wey dem don gather.​—⁠Read Ruth 2:​5-7, 15, 16.

¹¹ Wetin Boaz later tell Ruth show sey e really dey feel for Ruth because Ruth na stranger. One thing wey Boaz do be sey, e tell Ruth make e stay with the women wey dey work for am so that the men no go disturb am. And e still make sure sey Ruth see food chop and see water drink like im worker. Another thing be sey, e no talk to Ruth anyhow even though sey Ruth na stranger but e talk wetin make Ruth happy.​—⁠Ruth 2:​8-10, 13, 14.

12. If we dey treat stranger well, wetin e fit make dem do?

¹² Boaz love Ruth because Ruth love im husband-mama and e don dey serve Jehovah. The way Boaz treat Ruth show the kind love wey Jehovah get for this woman wey don ‘come hide under im wing.’ (Ruth 2:​12, 20; Prov. 19:17) Na so e still be today. If we dey treat ‘everybody’ well, dem go know sey Jehovah love dem and dem go come serve am.​—⁠1 Tim. 2:​3, 4.

13, 14. (a) Why e good make we dey try greet stranger for our meeting? (b) Wetin fit help you near people wey come from another place?

¹³ One way to show sey we dey treat stranger well, na to dey greet dem when dem come our meeting. We fit don see sey some sabi shame well well and dey like dey their own. E fit be sey dem dey feel sey other people better pass dem, maybe because dem no too go school or get money; or e fit still be how dem take train dem. So na we suppose first show dem sey we love dem. If your language get JW Language app, you fit use am learn how to greet stranger for their different different language.​—⁠Read Philippians 2:​3, 4.

¹⁴ You fit dey feel somehow to make friend with people wey come from another place. But wetin fit help you, na to first tell dem about yourself. You fit even come see sey e get many things wey una people dey do wey their people still dey do. And sey all the different different people get their good side and bad side.

DO WETIN GO MAKE DEM HAPPY

15. Wetin go help us take am easy with people wey come from another place?

¹⁵ If we want make people wey come from another place dey happy sey dem dey our congregation, make we ask ourself, ‘If I go another place, how I go want make dem treat me?’ (Matt. 7:12) E no dey easy for people wey come from another place to quick master how things be for our place, so make we take am easy with dem. E fit hard us the first time to sabi how dem dey think or how dem dey behave. So instead make we dey think sey dem go sabi everything at once, make we manage dem as dem be.​—⁠Read Romans 15:​7, footnote.

16, 17. (a) If we want sabi people wey come from another place well, wetin we suppose do? (b) How we go take help dem?

¹⁶ If we know how people wey come from another place take dey do things for their side, e go help us know how we go take dey do things with dem. We fit use part of the time for our family worship do research about people wey we no too know, for our congregation or where we dey preach. Another thing wey fit help us na to invite dem come chop for our house. Like Jehovah wey don ‘open road for people wey no be Jew to fit serve am,’ make we open our door to welcome stranger wey dey follow us serve Jehovah.​—⁠Acts 14:27; Gal. 6:10; Job 31:⁠32.

¹⁷ If we make friend with family wey come from another place, we go know sey e no easy for dem to dey do things like us. We fit see sey we suppose help dem make dem fit learn our language. Another thing be sey we fit help dem get better work or house. This kind thing fit help our brother or sister wey come from another place to fit enjoy their life for our place.​—⁠Prov. 3:⁠27.

18. Which better example people wey come from another place fit copy?

¹⁸ People wey come from another place go try make dem fit sabi how people dey do things for the new place wey dem dey. Ruth na better example for this matter. How? (1) E respect how dem take dey do things for im new place na im make e beg make dem let am gather wetin remain. (Ruth 2:⁠7) E no take am as wetin dem must do for am. (2) E thank Boaz because of the way Boaz treat am. (Ruth 2:13) If people wey come from another place get this kind character, brothers and sisters for congregation go respect dem and other people wey dey the place go still respect dem.

19. Why we suppose dey welcome stranger wey dey with us?

¹⁹ We happy sey because of Jehovah favor, e dey let people wey come from everywhere hear the good news about im Kingdom. For their side, dem fit no get the time to study Bible with Jehovah Witness people. But now dem don get the chance to follow Jehovah people. E good make we dey treat dem well so that dem no go feel like stranger as dem dey with us. If we dey treat dem well, even when we no too get things to give dem, e go make dem know sey Jehovah love dem. As people wey dey ‘follow God example,’ make we do everything wey we fit do to dey welcome stranger wey dey with us.​—⁠Eph. 5:​1, 2.