Continue to “Encourage Each Other”

1. Wetin 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tell us say make we de do?

E GET time when your congregation first build or repair wuna Kingdom Hall? If yes, you remember the first time wey wuna do meeting for the new Kingdom Hall? You go don really happy say Jehovah make-am possible. You fit don happy sotey you nearly cry as you de sing the opening song. Our fine-fine Kingdom Hall de bring praise to Jehovah. But another thing dey wey de bring praise to Jehovah pass the Kingdom Hall wey we de build. Wetin be that? Na to de encourage our brothers and sisters wey de come this Kingdom Hall to serve Jehovah. Apostle Paul get this one for mind when e write wetin dey 1 Thessalonians 5:11, where we carry the topic of this article.—Read-am.

2. Wetin we go talk about for this article?

² Apostle Paul na better example of person wey know how to encourage e brothers and sisters and e de feel for them. For this article, we go talk about how apostle Paul help e brothers and sisters (1) to endure problem, (2) to make peace with each other, and (3) to make their faith for Jehovah strong. Make we see how we fit copy e example, and this one go help us continue to encourage our brothers and sisters today.—1 Cor. 11:1.

PAUL HELP E BROTHERS AND SISTERS ENDURE PROBLEM

3. Which example Paul show?

³ Paul really love e brothers and sisters. E don face different-different problem, so e know how the brothers and sisters de feel when them de face problem. For example, e get one time wey money finish for the hand of Paul, so e go find work to fit care for e self and people wey dey with-am. (Acts 20:34) Paul handwork, na to make tents. When e reach Corinth, e start to work with Aquila and Priscilla wey still de make tents. But every sabbath day, Paul de preach to Jew people and people wey no be Jew. And when Silas and Timothy come, “Paul begin dey busy de preach the word” of God. (Acts 18:2-5) But Paul no ever forget the number one thing for e life wey be to serve Jehovah. Paul show good example as e de work hard to take care of e self and still put Jehovah worship as number one. This one make-am fit encourage e brothers and sisters. E advice them make they no allow the things wey them de face for life and how to care for their family make them forget “wetin dey important pass” wey be the worship of Jehovah.—Phil. 1:10.

4. When them de suffer the brothers, how Paul and Timothy take help them?

⁴ Small time after they form the congregation for Thessalonica, they begin suffer the new brothers and sisters. When people for the city no see Paul and Silas, they drag “some of the brothers go meet the people wey de rule the city.” They begin shout say: “This men dey against Caesar and the law wey Caesar give.” (Acts 17:6, 7) Just think about how this new brothers and sisters go don fear as the people for the city dey against them. This thing wey happen fit affect the way the brothers de serve Jehovah, but Paul no want make that kind thing happen. Na true say wetin happen make Paul and Silas comot, but they make sure say they arrange how the congregation go stand well. Paul tell the brothers for Thessalonica say: “we send Timothy our brother . . . , to help wuna stand well and encourage wuna make wuna faith strong. So that the problem wey wuna de face no go shake wuna.” (1 Thess. 3:2, 3) Timothy go don see how they suffer the brothers for Lystra wey e come from. And e don see how Paul encourage the brothers for there. As Timothy see how Jehovah support the brothers for Lystra, this one go don help-am dey sure say Jehovah go still help this new congregation for Thessalonica.—Acts 14:8, 19-22; Heb. 12:2.

5. How one elder help one brother wey them de call Bryant?

⁵ Which other thing Paul do to make the brothers and sisters strong? When Paul and Barnabas go back to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, they “choose some men to serve as elders for different-different congregation.” (Acts 14:21-23) The elders wey they choose that time, go don really help the congregation just as elders de help us today. See wetin one brother wey e name na Bryant talk, e say: “When I dey 15 years, my papa leave us, and they disfellowship my mama. I no happy at all, e just be like say they don troway me.” Wetin help Bryant to fit endure this problem wey e face? E talk say: “One elder for my congregation wey e name na Tony de encourage me for meetings and for other times. E tell me about people wey don face problem and still de happy. E show me wetin dey Psalm 27:10 and de always tell me about the story of Hezekiah wey continue to serve Jehovah even though say e papa no show good example.” How this one help Bryant? E talk say: “As Tony encourage me, this one don help me to enter full time service.” Elders, make wuna de quick notice people wey be like Bryant wey need “good word” to encourage them.—Prov. 12:25.

6. How Paul use life story encourage e brothers and sisters?

⁶ Paul remind the brothers and sisters about “plenty group of people” wey don endure their problem because Jehovah help them. (Heb. 12:1) Paul know say the life story of this people wey don endure go give the brothers and sisters power and help them to put mind for “the city of the living God.” (Heb. 12:22) Na so e still be today. How you de feel when you read about how Jehovah help Gideon, Barak, David, Samuel, and many other people? Their story no de encourage you? (Heb. 11:32-35) What about the example of brothers and sisters for this our time wey don show say they get faith? For our headquarters, we de always get letters from brothers and sisters wey don read the life story of other brothers and sisters wey hold Jehovah tight for this our time. They talk say this story them don really make their faith strong.

PAUL SHOW E BROTHERS AND SISTERS HOW TO MAKE PEACE WITH EACH OTHER

7. Wetin we fit learn from wetin Paul talk for Romans 14:19-21?

⁷ We de make our brothers and sisters strong, when we de talk and do things wey go make peace dey for congregation. Even though say we de see things for different ways, we no de allow that one scatter us. And we no de talk say wetin we want must stand, if the matter no dey against wetin Bible talk. Make we see one example. For apostle their time, the congregation for Rome get Christians wey be Jew and the ones wey no be Jew. When people wey de serve God stop to follow the Law of Moses, need no dey for them to obey wetin the Law talk about some kind food wey they no suppose chop. (Mark 7:19) After that time, some Christian wey be Jew feel say them dey free to eat any food wey they want. But other Christians wey be Jew still feel say e no good to chop some kind food. This matter cause issue for the congregation. Paul talk why e really dey important to make peace dey when e say: “E better make you no chop meat or drink wine or do anything if the thing go fit make your brother fall.” (Read Romans 14:19-21.) Paul help e brothers know say this one fit scatter the congregation and make the brothers de quarrel. Paul even ready to change how e de behave so that e no go make other people fall. (1 Cor. 9:19-22) We too go fit make our brothers strong and make peace dey, when we no argue say wetin we want must stand.

8. How Paul handle one serious matter wey nearly make peace comot from the congregation?

⁸ Paul show good example of how we fit make peace when other people no agree with wetin we talk. For example, some Christian for apostle their time feel say people wey no be Jew wey just become Christian must circumcise. They talk this one so that people wey be Jew no go dey against them. (Gal. 6:12) Paul no agree at all with wetin they talk. But instead of Paul to talk say na wetin e talk must stand, e sofri carry the matter go meet the apostles and elders for Jerusalem. (Acts 15:1, 2) Because of how Paul handle this matter, this one make the brothers dey happy and make peace dey the congregation.—Acts 15:30, 31.

9. How we fit copy example wey Paul show?

⁹ If serious matter happen, we de show say we want make peace dey when we meet people wey Jehovah don choose to care for the congregation for advice. Plenty times, we fit get better advice from our book them or other things wey Jehovah don use e organization give us. If we follow this better advice instead of us to de talk say wetin we want must stand, we de make peace wey dey our congregation grow.

10. Which other thing Paul do to make peace dey for congregation?

¹⁰ Paul mention the fine-fine character wey e brothers and sisters get, no be their bad side. This one show say e want make peace dey. For example, when Paul de end e letter to the brothers for Rome, e mention the name of some brothers and sisters and still talk some good things about them. We fit copy the fine example of Paul, when we de always talk about the fine-fine character wey our brothers and sisters get. When we do this one, we de make our brothers and sisters dey tight with each other, and we de make love dey congregation.

11. How we fit make peace when quarrel dey?

¹¹ Sometimes, even mature Christian fit quarrel or argue with each other. This kind thing happen to Paul and e tight friend Barnabas. Two of them really quarrel about whether they go take Mark for their next missionary work. So “two of them start to quarrel and vex” and they decide to stop to travel together. (Acts 15:37-39) But after, Paul, Barnabas, and Mark settle the matter. This one show say they really want make peace dey for congregation. Later, Paul even talk good things about Barnabas and Mark. (1 Cor. 9:6; Col. 4:10) We too must try to settle any quarrel wey we get with other people for congregation and continue to put eye for their fine-fine character. When we do this one, we go make peace dey congregation and make-am dey as one.—Eph. 4:3.

PAUL MAKE THE FAITH OF E BROTHERS AND SISTERS STRONG

12. Wetin be some of the things wey our brothers and sisters de face?

¹² We de encourage our brothers and sisters when we de make their faith for Jehovah strong. For some of our brothers and sisters, their family people wey no de serve Jehovah de laugh them, even their workmate or classmate. Some of them de endure serious sickness or person fit do wetin pain them wey de hard them to comot for mind. Still some Christian wey don baptize for many years don de wait make the Kingdom come. All this things fit shake our faith today. Christians for apostle their time even face this kind things. Wetin Paul do to encourage them?

13. How Paul help Christians wey people de laugh because of wetin they belief?

¹³ Paul use the Word of God make the faith of e brothers and sisters strong. For example, e fit be say some Christian wey be Jew that time no know wetin they go talk when their family people wey no de serve God talk say Jew religion better pass to be Christian. So, the letter wey Paul write to Hebrew Christian really make their faith strong. (Heb. 1:5, 6; 2:2, 3; 9:24, 25) They fit copy the sense wey Paul use for e letter to answer people wey dey against wetin they belief. Today, we fit help our brothers and sisters to know how to use our book them explain their belief when people de laugh them. And if them de laugh young people because they believe say na God make everything, we fit help them find wetin they go use from the brochure Was Life Created? and The Origin of Life—Five Questions Worth Asking to explain why they believe say na God make everything.

14. Even though say Paul dey busy de preach and teach people, wetin e still do?

¹⁴ Paul encourage e brothers and sisters make they show love as them de do “better work.” (Heb. 10:24) E help e brothers and sisters with wetin e talk and wetin e do. For example, when the brothers for Judea de face hunger, Paul carry the things wey other brothers don contribute go give them. (Acts 11:27-30) Paul de always find way to help poor people even though say e dey busy de preach and teach people. (Gal. 2:10) As e de do this one, Paul make e brothers and sisters dey sure say no matter wetin happen Jehovah go care for them. Today, when we use our time, power and wetin we know to help our brothers and sisters when natural disaster happen, we de make their faith for Jehovah strong. We fit still do this one when we de contribute to support the work wey our brothers de do for the whole world. If we de do like this, we de help our brothers and sisters to trust say Jehovah no go ever leave them.

15-16. How we suppose treat people wey their faith don weak?

¹⁵ Paul no tire to encourage people wey their faith don weak. E show pity for them and talk things wey go encourage them with love. (Heb. 6:9; 10:39) For example, for the letter wey e write to Hebrew Christian, e always use the word “we” and “us” to show say e too suppose follow the advice wey e de give. (Heb. 2:1, 3) Like Paul, we no de tire to encourage people wey their faith don weak. Instead, we de make them strong as we de show say we really care about them. If we do this one, we de show say we love them from our heart. We fit still make them strong when we dey kind and gentle as we de talk with them.

¹⁶ Paul make e brothers and sisters know say Jehovah de see all the good things wey them de do. (Heb. 10:32-34) We fit do this one when we de help any brother or sister wey e faith don weak. We fit ask-am make e tell us how e start to serve Jehovah or encourage-am make e try remember many way wey Jehovah don help-am for past. We fit use this chance make-am dey sure say Jehovah never forget the love wey e don show and say E no go ever leave-am for future. (Heb. 6:10; 13:5, 6) This kind talk fit move this brother or sister to continue to serve Jehovah.

MAKE WUNA CONTINUE TO “ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER”

17. Which other way we fit learn to encourage people?

¹⁷ Just as person wey de build house de learn new way to do e work well, na so we too fit continue to learn more way to encourage our brothers and sisters. We fit help other people get power to endure their problem, when we de tell them story about people wey don endure for past. We fit make peace dey, when we tell people the good character wey they get, when we do wetin go make peace dey before quarrel start, and when we try to settle quarrel quick-quick. We fit continue to make the faith of our brothers and sisters strong as we de tell them some important things wey we don learn from Bible, de give them the help wey they need, and de support any of them wey e faith don weak.

18. Wetin you don make up your mind to do?

¹⁸ The people wey de build the place wey we de use worship Jehovah de get real joy. We fit dey happy when we de help to make the faith of our brothers and sisters strong. Any house wey person build fit scatter, but when we make the faith of our brothers and sisters strong, they go live forever! Make we make up our mind to continue to “encourage each other and de make each other strong.”—1 Thess. 5:11.