Papa and Mama, Help Your Children Become Jesus Disciple!

1. Wetin papa and mama need to dey sure of before their pikin baptize?

ONE girl wey im name na Blossom Brandt talk wetin happen before e baptize. E sey: “For some months, I dey tell my papa and mama sey I want baptize, and dem dey always talk to me about am. Dem want make I know sey baptism na serious matter. I come baptize for December 31, 1934.” Today, papa and mama wey dey serve Jehovah still want make their children choose well. But to dey shift baptism go front anyhow, fit spoil person friendship with Jehovah. (Jas. 4:17) But e still good for papa and mama to make sure sey before their pikin baptize, e don ready to be Jesus disciple.

2. (a) Wetin some circuit overseer don see? (b) Wetin we go talk about for this topic?

² Many young people wey dey around 20 years never baptize, even though sey dem born dem inside Jehovah organization. Some circuit overseer talk sey e dey worry dem for mind when dem meet this kind young people. Many of this young people dey go meeting and preaching. Dem dey see theirself as Jehovah Witness. But e get some things wey make dem never give their life to Jehovah and baptize. Wetin fit dey hold dem? For some of dem, na their papa and mama dey tell dem make dem wait. For this topic, we go talk about four things wey don make papa and mama tell their pikin to wait.

MY PIKIN DON BIG REACH?

3. Wetin first make Blossom papa and mama dey fear?

³ Blossom papa and mama wey we talk about for the first paragraph, dey worry about their pikin age. Dem want dey sure sey their pikin don big reach to know wetin baptism mean, and to know sey baptism na serious matter. How papa and mama go take know if their pikin don reach to give Jehovah im life?

4. The thing wey Jesus talk for Matthew 28:​19, 20, how e fit help papa and mama as dem dey teach their children?

⁴ Read Matthew 28:19, 20. As we don talk for the topic before this one, Bible no talk about any age wey person go reach before e baptize. But, e good for papa and mama to think well about wetin e mean to make disciple. For Matthew 28:19, the Greek word wey dem translate as “make disciple,” mean to teach person with the mind sey the person go become disciple. Disciple na person wey learn and understand the things wey Jesus teach. And e go still ready to follow dem. So, wetin papa and mama suppose get for mind as dem dey teach their children from small pikin? Na to help their children baptize as Jesus disciple. Na true sey, small pikin (baby) wey never know anything never reach to baptize. But, Bible show sey, even young children fit understand wetin Bible talk and dem fit value am.

5, 6. (a) Wetin we know about Timothy from wetin Bible talk? (b) How papa and mama wey wise fit help their children?

⁵ Timothy still dey young when e make up im mind to serve Jehovah. Apostle Paul talk sey Timothy start to learn about Jehovah from small pikin. Timothy mama and grandmama teach am God Word, even though sey im papa no dey serve Jehovah. And Timothy value wetin e learn. This one make im faith strong. (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14, 15) So when Timothy dey around 20 years, e come reach to get some special work for congregation.​—Acts 16:1-3.

⁶ All children no be the same. No be the same time dem take dey understand things. Some of dem dey quick understand the truth wey dey Bible, dey fit choose well, and want baptize when dem dey young. But other children fit no want baptize until dem don big small. So, papa and mama wey wise no go force their pikin to baptize. Instead, dem go help their pikin continue to do well as im power reach. Papa and mama go happy when their pikin follow wetin dey Proverbs 27:11. (Read am.) But make dem no forget sey the main thing na to help their children become Jesus disciple. Papa and mama wey get this one for mind suppose ask theirself sey, ‘The things wey my pikin know for Bible don reach to make am baptize?’

MY PIKIN DON KNOW BIBLE REACH?

7. Person wey want baptize need to know everything for Bible? Explain.

⁷ As papa and mama dey teach their children, dem want make dem know Bible well. This one go make the pikin want give Jehovah im life. But this one no mean sey the pikin go know everything for Bible before e baptize. Person wey be Jesus disciple go continue to learn wetin dey Bible, even after e don baptize. (Read Colossians 1:9, 10.) So how person suppose know Bible reach before e baptize?

8, 9. Wetin we fit learn from the story about Paul and the officer for prison?

⁸ Wetin happen to one family for apostle time go fit help papa and mama today. (Acts 16:25-33) Around 50 C.E., Paul visit Philippi for the second time wey e travel go preach. When e dey there, dem come lie for im and Silas head, dem arrest dem, and put dem for prison. For night, one strong earthquake shake the prison, and all the door come open. The officer for the prison come dey fear sey all the prisoner don run comot. So e want kill imself, but Paul stop am. Paul and Silas come preach to the officer and im family. Because dem like the truth wey dem learn, dem no waste time before dem baptize. Wetin this story teach us?

⁹ E fit be sey, the officer na Rome soldier before e retire, and e no know God Word. So for am to be Christian, e go need to learn the first things wey person suppose learn for Bible. E need to understand wetin e mean for person to be God servant, and e go ready to do everything wey Jesus talk. E no waste time baptize because e value wetin e learn. We dey sure sey the man continue to learn about God after e baptize. So if your pikin tell you sey e want baptize because e value wetin e dey learn from Bible, e love Jehovah, and e want obey am, wetin you go do? Una fit let am tell the elders. Na the elders go check whether e don reach to baptize.a Like other people wey don baptize, e go continue to learn about Jehovah.​—Rom. 11:33, 34.

MAKE MY PIKIN GO SCHOOL FIRST?

10, 11. (a) Wetin some papa and mama think? (b) Wetin be the first thing wey papa and mama suppose dey think about?

¹⁰ Some papa and mama think sey e better make their pikin first go school like university, and get better work before e baptize. Papa and mama fit get good thing for mind, wey make dem talk like that. But e go really make the pikin happy for life? Bible support that kind thing? How Jehovah want make we use our life?​—Read Ecclesiastes 12:1.

¹¹ E good to remember sey this world and the things wey dey inside, no dey agree with wetin Jehovah want and how e dey think. (Jas. 4:7, 8; 1 John 2:15-17; 5:19) Na when pikin friendship with Jehovah dey strong, e go fit protect imself from Satan and this world. E go still help am make e no dey think like people for the world. If papa and mama dey put school and other things before Jehovah, e go make their pikin think sey this things better pass their friendship with Jehovah. And this one fit make dem leave Jehovah. If papa and mama love their pikin, dem go allow this world teach am wetin people think sey dey make person happy? The truth be sey, na when we put Jehovah as the number one person for our life we go really happy.​—Read Psalm 1:2, 3.

WHAT IF DEM DISFELLOWSHIP MY PIKIN?

12. Why some papa and mama dey tell their pikin to wait if e want baptize?

¹² One sister talk why e no want make im pikin baptize. E sey: “Shame dey catch me to talk am. The main thing be sey, I dey fear sey if my daughter baptize, e fit do wetin go make dem disfellowship am.” Like this sister, some papa and mama dey tell their pikin to wait if e want baptize. Dem feel sey na that one better pass for am, until e don pass the age wey e go fit run from some kind things wey young people dey do. (Gen. 8:21; Prov. 22:15) Dem fit dey think sey, if their pikin never baptize, dem no go fit disfellowship am. But why e no good to think like that?​—Jas. 1:22.

13. If person never baptize, e mean sey Jehovah no go hold am for wetin e dey do? Explain.

¹³ The truth be sey, papa and mama no go want make their pikin baptize when e never ready to give Jehovah im life. But e no make sense for person to think sey if e pikin never baptize, Jehovah no go hold am for wetin e dey do. Why e be like that? Na when pikin don know wetin good and wetin bad for Jehovah eye, e go hold am for wetin e do. (Read James 4:17.) So, e no good for papa and mama to dey tell their pikin make e never baptize. Instead, from small pikin, dem go start to teach dem wetin good and wetin no good for Jehovah eye. And dem go dey show the children better example. (Luke 6:40) So na the love wey your pikin get for Jehovah go help am dey do wetin good for Jehovah eye.​—Isa. 35:8.

OTHER PEOPLE FIT JOIN HAND

14. How elders fit join hand with papa and mama?

¹⁴ E good make elders dey talk to children about why e good make person plan to do something for Jehovah. This one go show sey dem dey join hand with papa and mama wey dey try to help their children baptize. E get one sister wey don pioneer pass 70 years. When e dey six years, Brother Charles T. Russell tell am something wey help am. The sister sey: “Brother Russell use 15 minutes take talk to me about wetin I plan to use my life do for Jehovah.” True true, the better thing wey we tell people fit help dem for life. (Prov. 25:11) Elders fit still tell papa and mama, and their children make dem join do work for Kingdom Hall. And when elders dey give children work, e good to look their age and wetin dem fit do.

15. How other people for congregation fit join hand to help young ones?

¹⁵ How other people for congregation fit join hand to help children? Make dem use better mind dey do wetin show sey dem really like the children. You fit put eye for wetin dem dey do wey show sey dem don dey near Jehovah. For example, e get any pikin wey give better answer to question for meeting, or wey handle part for meeting? E stand well when e face temptation? E preach to person for school? If the answer na yes, no waste time to tell am sey e dey do well. We fit put am as part of our plan to dey talk to young people before meeting, or after meeting. When we dey do this kind things, children go know sey Jehovah organization value dem.​—Ps. 35:18.

HELP YOUR PIKIN TO FIT BAPTIZE

16, 17. (a) Why e good make young people baptize? (b) Wetin fit make papa and mama happy? (Go check the first picture.)

¹⁶ One better work wey Jehovah don give papa and mama na for dem to dey teach their children about am. (Eph. 6:4; Ps. 127:3) Israel people for Bible promise to serve Jehovah. So any pikin wey dem born don already dey among Jehovah people. But no be so e be for us today. Just because papa and mama love Jehovah and wetin dem dey learn for Bible, e no mean sey na so their children go be. From the day wey dem born the pikin, e good make papa and mama get am for mind to help am become Jesus disciple. Dem go help am to fit give im life to Jehovah and baptize as im servant. E get wetin better pass this one? If person don give im life to Jehovah, e don baptize, and e dey serve Jehovah well, na that one go fit make am survive great tribulation.​—Matt. 24:13.

¹⁷ When Blossom, wey we talk about before want baptize, im papa and mama want dey sure sey e don ready. When dem see sey e don ready, dem come support am. The night before im baptize, im papa do one better thing. Blossom talk sey: “E tell all of us to kneel down and e come pray. E tell Jehovah sey e dey happy as im daughter talk sey e want give am im life.” Even though sey e don pass 60 years after that time, Blossom talk sey: “I no go fit ever forget that night!” When papa and mama see sey their pikin don give im life to Jehovah and e don baptize, e dey give dem joy. We want make all of una wey be papa and mama get this kind joy.