1. Wetin Christians must do if they want complete the race for life?

CHRISTIANS de run one race. This race na to get life. Whether we just start to run or we don de run for many years, we need to continue until we finish the race. The advice wey apostle Paul give Christians for Philippi fit encourage us to run the race go reach the end. When the congregation that time receive the letter wey Paul send, some people for inside don already de serve Jehovah for some years. They don already de serve Jehovah well. But Paul still remind them say make they continue to endure as them de serve Jehovah. Wetin Paul want that time be say make they follow e example and ‘do their best make they fit run reach the end.’​—Phil. 3:14.

2. Why the advice wey Paul give the Christians for Philippi help them that time?

² The advice wey Paul give the Christians for Philippi help them that time. The congregation begin face trouble right from the time wey they form-am. About the year 50 C.E., Paul and Silas obey the thing wey God talk when e say make they “come Macedonia.” So they go Philippi go preach the good news. (Acts 16:9) For there, they meet one woman wey e name na Lydia. The woman “listen and Jehovah open e heart” make e hear the good news. (Acts 16:14) Small time after that one, Lydia and people from e house baptize. But Devil no waste time to cause trouble for the Christians. Men from the city drag Paul and Silas go meet the rulers for the city. They lie say Paul and Silas de cause trouble. Because of that one, they beat Paul and Silas, put them for prison and come tell them after say make they comot from the city. (Acts 16:16-40) Paul and Silas tire to serve their God? No! And how about the brothers and sisters for the new congregation wey they just form? They show good example too as they endure! True-true, the good example wey Paul and Silas show them really encourage them.

3. Wetin Paul understand, and which questions we go talk about?

 ³ Paul don make up e mind say e go continue to endure. (2 Cor. 4:16) Even with that one, Paul sabi say if e want succeed for the race, e must put e mind for the race to run-am go reach the end. Wetin we fit learn from the example of Paul? Today, some people don show say they get faith. How their example show us say we fit endure even as we de face problems? And how our hope for the future fit make our heart strong more-more, so that we go fit continue to endure?

4. Even with the condition wey Paul face, wetin e do so that e go still dey busy de work for Jehovah?

⁴ Think about the way Paul work hard to serve God when e write letter give the Christians for Philippi. That time, Paul dey prison inside one house for Rome. E no fit go outside go preach. Even with that one, Paul no close e mouth. When people come visit Paul for prison, e preach to them. E still write letters and send to congregations for far area. Today too, plenty Christians no fit come out of their house because of their condition. But when people come visit them, this Christians de use that opportunity preach to them. They still de use letters preach. They go write letters to people wey we no de fit meet for house.

5. From wetin we read for Philippians 3:12-14, wetin help Paul make e no remove e mind from the race until e run reach the end?

⁵ Paul no allow the good things or the bad things wey e don do before to remove e mind from the work wey e de do for Jehovah. Paul even talk say e ‘no de think about wetin dey for e back.’ According to Paul, this one dey important because e want ‘continue to struggle go front with all e power so that e go receive wetin dey for e front,’ or succeed to complete the race. (Read Philippians 3:12-14.) Some things for fit remove e mind from the work. Wetin be some of this things? The first thing be say among Jew people that time, Paul really succeed to do many things. But e still see this things as “dirty.” (Phil. 3:3-8) The second thing be say, even as Paul fit don feel bad say e suffer Christians, e no stop to serve Jehovah even with this feeling. And the third be say, Paul no feel say the good things wey e don do for Jehovah dey enough and say e fit stop to work hard for Jehovah. Paul face many problem. For example, they put Paul for prison, e endure beating, e face accident inside sea and people stone Paul. Sometimes, e no de get enough food to chop and cloth to wear. Even with all this one, Paul succeed to do many good things for God’s work. (2 Cor. 11:23-27) But, even with all the good work wey e do and the problems wey e face, Paul sabi say e must continue to serve Jehovah. We too must do the same.

6. Which things dey among ‘wetin dey for back’ wey we fit need to forget?

⁶ Like Paul, wetin go help us make we ‘no de think about wetin dey for back’? Some of us fit need to remove the bad feeling wey we de get because of the bad things wey we don do before. If na so, try make you start your own Bible study program about the ransom sacrifice of Jesus. This one na better topic to study, think deep about and pray about. If we do this one, we fit stop to feel bad about ourself for things wey we no suppose to worry about again. We go fit even stop to worry about sins wey Jehovah don already forgive us. See another lesson wey we fit learn from Paul. Before, some people get better work and this work for fit make them rich. But they leave-am so that they go fit do more for Jehovah. If na wetin you do, you fit forget the things wey you leave for back? This one mean  say you no go see the things wey you leave like say you don miss the chance to gather plenty things. (Num. 11:4-6; Eccl. 7:10) Part of ‘wetin dey for back’ fit be the things wey we don do for Jehovah, or problems wey we don face before. Na true say, we go near our Papa Jehovah more-more when we de remember how e don bless and support us before. But, we no go ever want relax and de think say wetin we don do for Jehovah dey enough.​—1 Cor. 15:58.

7. (a) According to 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, wetin we suppose to do if we want win the race for life? Give example.

⁷ Jesus talk say: “Use all your power struggle.” Paul really understand wetin Jesus talk. (Luke 13:23, 24) Paul be know say, like Jesus, e must use all e power struggle go reach the end. So e talk say our life as Christians be like race wey person de run. (Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.) Who de run race no de allow anything remove e mind from the race until e run finish. For example, for some race, stores and other things for the road wey people de run pass, go fit remove their mind from the race. You think say if person de run the race, e go stop and start to look the things for the store? E no go do that one if e want win. For the same way, we no need to allow anything remove our mind from the race to get life. If we put our mind to run the race finish and work hard to serve Jehovah, like Paul, we go win the prize!

8. Which three problem we go talk about?

⁸ Now make we talk about three problem. This problems fit make us slow down for our race for life. They be, when we never get the thing wey we de expect, when our body no too strong again, and when we face suffer for many years. When we learn how other people don endure with this kind problems, e go help us.​—Phil. 3:17.

9. When we never get the thing wey we de expect, how that one fit affect us?

⁹ When we never get the thing wey we de expect. Na normal thing say we really want the good things wey Jehovah don promise us. One time, prophet Habakkuk show say e want make Jehovah end wicked things wey people de do for Judah. So Jehovah tell Habakkuk make e “de  wait” for that day. (Hab. 2:3) But, when the situation be like say the thing wey we de expect de waste time to happen, that one fit make us slow down as we de serve Jehovah. We fit even tire to wait. (Prov. 13:12) This kind thing happen around 1914. That time, plenty anointed Christians de expect say they go go heaven. As the thing wey they expect no happen that time, how faithful Christians handle the situation?

10. When the thing wey one husband and wife de expect no happen, how they handle the situation?

¹⁰ See the example of Brother Royal Spatz and Sister Pearl. Two of them hold Jehovah tight and they face this kind problem. Brother Royal baptize for 1908 when e dey 20 years. E really dey sure that time say the time wey e go go heaven don near. So for 1911, e tell Sister Pearl make they marry. And e even tell the sister say: “You know wetin go happen for 1914. If we want marry, make we do-am quick-quick!” This husband and wife tire to run the race for life when they no go heaven for 1914? No. This na because the main thing wey they put for mind na to serve Jehovah well go reach the end, no be to go heaven. They ready to endure and run the race. And true-true, Royal and Pearl no slow down and they continue to serve Jehovah well until the end of their life for this earth, after many years. You go surely de wait for the time wey Jehovah go make e name dey holy, when e go show say e way to rule correct, and when e go do everything wey e don promise us. Trust say Jehovah go do-am for the time wey e don choose. Until that time reach, if we de expect something and e never happen, make we no ever allow that one slow us down. Instead, make we remain busy de serve our God.

11-12. Why we fit continue to serve Jehovah well even when our body no too strong again as before? Give example.

¹¹ When our body no too strong again. Who de run race need plenty energy so that e go fit complete the race. But you no need to get strong body before you go fit make your faith de strong more and continue to work for Jehovah. Na true say some brothers and sisters no too strong as before. But the truth be say, they still want do everything wey they fit to serve Jehovah. (2 Cor. 4:16) For example, when Brother Arthur Secord * dey 88 years, e don already serve for Bethel for 55 years. E don old that time and e body no too strong again. One day, one nurse come near e bed to care for the brother. The nurse look the brother and talk say: “Brother Secord, this your body don do many work for Jehovah o!” But Brother Secord no put e mind for wetin e don do for Jehovah before. E look the nurse with smile, and talk say: “Yes, na true you talk. But no be the things wey we don do  dey important. Instead, na the things wey we de do from now dey important.”

¹² Maybe you don serve Jehovah for many years, and now you see say your body no de allow you to work for Jehovah again as before. If e happen to you like that, make you no tire. Know say Jehovah de remember the fine work wey you don do and e value-am. (Heb. 6:10) And make you still remember say no be the amount of work wey we do de show how much we love Jehovah. Instead, we de show our deep love for Jehovah when we continue to get joy and hope, and do our best as we de serve our God. (Col. 3:23) Jehovah know the things wey we fit do and e no talk say make we do wetin pass our power.​—Mark 12:43, 44.

13. How the things wey Anatoly and Lidiya face de encourage us make we continue to serve Jehovah, even with plenty trouble?

¹³ When we face suffer for many years. Some servants of Jehovah don face plenty problem and people don give them trouble for many years. For example, Anatoly Melnik * dey 12 years the time wey they arrest e papa. They carry e papa go Siberia. This place far pass 4,000 miles (7,000 km) from Moldova, the place wey their family de stay. After one year, they still carry Anatoly, e mama, e grand mama and grand papa go Siberia. After some time, they attend meeting for another village. But they waka 20 miles (30 km) for inside snow and endure very cold weather. After, Brother Anatoly remain for prison for three years, far from e wife Lidiya and their one-year-old daughter. Brother Anatoly and e family no slow down for their service to Jehovah. They still continue to serve Jehovah well even as they face trouble for many years. Now, Brother Anatoly dey 82 years and e de serve as member of Branch Committee for Central Asia. Make we copy the example of Anatoly and Lidiya and continue to do our best as we de serve Jehovah. And make we still continue to endure as we don do before.​—Gal. 6:9.

14. Wetin Paul know say e must do if e want finish the race for life?

¹⁴ Paul dey sure say e go run the race finish and e go get the prize. As anointed Christian, Paul hope say e go get “the prize. That prize na life for heaven wey God go give people wey e call.” But e know say if e want finish the race, e go continue to ‘do e best.’ (Phil. 3:14) Paul use one good example to help the Christians for Philippi make they fit put their mind to complete the race for life.

15. How Paul use example of citizen to encourage the Christians for Philippi make they continue to do their best?

 ¹⁵ Paul remind Christians for Philippi say they be citizen for heaven, or they go live for heaven. (Phil. 3:20) Why this Christians need to remember that one? That time, to get the right wey person wey they born for Rome de get na something wey people really value. * But anointed Christians go live for heaven and they go get plenty benefit. To be this kind citizen of the government for heaven better pass the one for Rome. The one for Rome no even near-am at all! Because of this one, Paul encourage the Christians for Philippi say: “Make wuna continue as citizen for way wey go show say wuna value the good news about Christ.” (Phil. 1:27, ftn.) Today, anointed Christians de show fine example as them de do their best to finish the race and live for heaven forever.

16. Whether our hope na to live for heaven or for this earth, wetin we must continue to do according to Philippians 4:6, 7?

¹⁶ Whether our hope na to live for heaven or for paradise earth forever, we must continue to do our best make we fit get-am. No matter our condition, make we no ever put our mind for the things wey we don leave for back. Make we no allow anything make us stop to serve Jehovah. (Phil. 3:16) The things wey we don de expect fit be like say e no de come quick, or our body fit no too strong again like before. Maybe we don endure problems and people fit don suffer us for many years. No matter your situation, “no over worry yourself about anything.” Instead, tell God everything wey you want and e go give you peace. This peace pass anything wey you fit think of.​—Read Philippians 4:6, 7.

17. Wetin we go discuss for the next topic?

¹⁷ When runner don de near the end of the race, e go use all e power struggle to finish the race. Like runner, make we put all our mind for the race for life, and make sure say we finish-am. As our condition allow us, we want do our best to get the wonderful things wey God don promise us. So wetin go help us make we continue to endure as we de run? The next topic go help us know the things wey we suppose to put first for our life and how we fit “dey sure of wetin dey important pass.”​—Phil. 1:9, 10.