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STUDY ARTICLE 28

Continue to Worship Jehovah Even When They Stop Our Work

Continue to Worship Jehovah Even When They Stop Our Work

“We no fit stop to talk about the things wey we don see and hear.”​—ACTS 4:19, 20.

SONG 122 Dey Strong, No Fear

WETIN WE GO LEARN? *

1-2. (a) Why we no go surprise if government talk say make we stop our work? (b) Wetin we go talk about for this article?

FOR 2018, more than 223,000 publishers de live for land wey government stop some part of our work or all our work wey we de do to worship Jehovah. This one no surprise us. As we don learn for the article before this one, true Christians expect say people go persecute or suffer them. (2 Tim. 3:12) Government fit just make law wey we no expect so that we go stop to worship Jehovah, the God wey we love. This one fit happen no matter the place wey we de live.

2 If the government for your place decide to stop the worship of Jehovah, you fit ask yourself this kind question: ‘When people de suffer us, this one mean say God no dey happy with us again? Any law to stop our work go make us no worship Jehovah again? Make I travel go another place wey I go fit dey free to worship God?’ We go answer this questions for this article. We go still talk about how we go fit continue to worship Jehovah when they stop our work. And we go see some traps wey we no suppose to enter.

SUFFER FROM PEOPLE MEAN SAY GOD NO DEY HAPPY WITH US?

3. According to 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, which things apostle Paul suffer from people, and wetin we learn from e example?

3 If government stop our work, we fit begin feel say God no dey happy with us again. But no be so. Make you remember say, because people de suffer us, that one no mean say Jehovah don stop to bless us. Make we see the example of apostle Paul. True-true, God dey happy with Paul. E write 14 letters for Christian Greek Scriptures, and as apostle, e preach to people of the nations. But even with that one, Paul really suffer for the hand of people. (Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-27.) From wetin happen to apostle Paul, we learn say Jehovah de allow people make they suffer e faithful servants.

4. Why the world hate us?

4 Jesus explain why we suppose to expect trouble from people. Jesus talk say people go hate us because we no dey part of the world. (John 15:18, 19) When people de suffer us, this one no be sign say Jehovah no de bless us again. Instead, this one show say we de do the correct thing!

GOVERNMENT LAW TO STOP OUR WORK GO MAKE US STOP TO WORSHIP JEHOVAH?

5. Ordinary people get the power to end the worship of Jehovah? Explain.

5 Ordinary people no go fit end the worship of Jehovah, the almighty God. Plenty people don try-am, but they fail. Think about wetin happen for World War II. That time, government for many country really suffer servants of God. Nazi party for Germany, government for Australia, Canada, and other lands try to stop our work. But, notice how things happen. For 1939 when the war start, the number of publishers for the whole world na 72,475. For 1945 when the war end, the number of publishers don plenty pass times two! The number increase to 156,299 because Jehovah don bless e people.

6. Instead of us to fear and slow down when they suffer us, which fine things fit happen? Give example.

6 Instead of trouble from people to make us fear too much and stop to serve Jehovah, make the trouble push us to serve Jehovah more-more. Make we talk about the example of one husband and wife for one country. They get one pikin. Government for the country decide to stop our work. But this one no make them fear and slow down for their worship. Instead, they start regular pioneer. The wife resign from e work so that e go fit pioneer, even though say the salary big. The husband talk say as government stop the work, this one make plenty people get questions about Jehovah Witness people. So, to start Bible study with people come dey easy for the brother pass before. Another fine thing still happen. Before that time, some people don stop to serve Jehovah for that country. But when the government stop our work, one elder talk say many of this people begin attend meeting and start to preach again.

7. (a) Wetin we learn from Leviticus 26:36, 37? (b) Wetin you go do if government stop our work for the place wey you de live?

7 When our enemies stop our work, they want try to make us fear so that we go stop our worship. Apart from that one, they fit spread different-different lie about us. They fit send government people to search our house, take us go court, or even put some of us for prison. They think say we go fear because they manage put small number of us for inside prison. If we allow them make us fear, we fit even begin stop our worship by ourself. We no want be like the people wey Leviticus 26:36, 37 talk about. (Read-am.) We no go allow fear to make us slow down or stop our service to Jehovah. The trust wey we get for Jehovah dey complete and we no go fear. (Isa. 28:16) We go pray to Jehovah make e guide us. Even the most powerful government for this world no go fit stop us make we no worship our God well. And the reason na because we know say Jehovah dey our back.​—Heb. 13:6.

MAKE I TRAVEL GO LIVE FOR ANOTHER PLACE?

8-9. (a) Wetin each Christian go decide for e family or for e self? (b) Wetin go fit help person make e decide better thing?

8 If the government for the place wey you de live stop our work, you fit de think whether make you travel go country wey you go dey free to worship Jehovah. Na only you go make this decision, nobody go fit make-am for you. Before some people decide, they fit study about the thing wey Christians do for apostle their time when people suffer them. That time, the enemies stone Stephen till e die. Then after, the disciples move go Judea and Samaria; and they even go far place like, Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. (Matt. 10:23; Acts 8:1; 11:19) But before other people decide, they fit think about the thing wey apostle Paul do when the Christians for time of apostles face another suffer. Paul decide say e no go comot from those place wey people dey against the preaching work. Apostle Paul face danger for there. But e no comot, so that e go fit de preach the good news and help the brothers make them dey strong because people don de suffer them.​—Acts 14:19-23.

9 Wetin we learn from this story? Each family head go decide whether e go move go live for another place. Before e decide, make e pray and take time think about the condition of e family. Make e still think about how this decision go affect the family for good way or bad way, if they move. For this kind matter, each Christian go “carry e own load.” (Gal. 6:5) Make we no judge other people for the thing wey they decide.

HOW OUR WORSHIP GO BE WHEN THEY STOP OUR WORK?

10. Which direction the branch office and the elders go give?

10 How you fit continue to worship Jehovah if they stop our work? The branch office go tell the elders for your congregation things wey they go do. And they go give them advice about how to receive publications, how to do meeting, and how to preach the good news. If the branch office no fit reach the elders, then the elders go help you and the congregation make wuna continue to worship Jehovah. They go direct wuna with things wey Bible and our publications talk.​—Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 5:29; Heb. 10:24, 25.

11. Why you fit dey sure say you go get everything wey you need to help you continue to get strong faith, and wetin you fit do to protect your Bible and other publications?

11 Jehovah don promise say e servants go get everything wey they need to make their faith remain strong. (Isa. 65:13, 14; Luke 12:42-44) So you fit dey sure say Jehovah’s organization go do everything to provide the things wey you need to remain faithful. But you too fit do something. If they stop our work for the land wey you de live, find better place wey you go hide your Bible and any other publication wey you get. This things dey precious to you, whether na the one wey they print or the one for computer. So, dey careful make you no leave them for place wey people fit see-am quick. Each of us must do everything wey we fit do to make our faith dey strong.

Because Jehovah dey our back, we no go fear; we fit still do meeting with our brothers (Check paragraph 12) *

12. How elders fit arrange for meeting so that people no go notice the thing wey we de do?

12 What about our congregation meeting? The elders go arrange make wuna de attend meeting for way wey people no go notice-am. They fit tell wuna make wuna gather as small-small group. And maybe they go always de change the time and place of the meeting. You fit protect the brothers and sisters for the meeting if you talk small-small when you de come the meeting or when you de comot. And you fit need to dress for way wey people no go know say na meeting you de go.

Even if government stop our work, we no go stop to preach (Check paragraph 13) *

13. Wetin we fit learn from our brothers for former Soviet Union?

13 What about our preaching work? The situation dey different for different-different place. But we love Jehovah and we de enjoy-am when we talk to people about the Kingdom. So, we go look for way to preach. (Luke 8:1; Acts 4:29) One woman wey e name na Emily B. Baran talk about our preaching work for former Soviet Union. This woman study history. E talk say: ‘When the government tell Jehovah Witness say make they no preach to people, they begin talk with their neighbors, workmates, and friends. When they carry them go prison because of this one, they begin preach to people for the prison.’ Even though say government stop our work, our brothers for former Soviet Union no stop to preach. If they stop the preaching work for the place wey you de stay, make you do like this brothers!

TRAP WEY WE NO SUPPOSE TO ENTER

We need to know when we go dey quiet (Check paragraph 14) *

14. Psalm 39:1 go help us make we no enter which trap?

14 Dey careful about the things wey you de tell people. If they stop our work, make you know say “time dey to keep quiet.” (Eccl. 3:7) Some things dey wey we suppose to keep secret. Things like: the name of our brothers and sisters, the place wey we de do our meeting, the way we de do our preaching work, and the way we de receive Bible and publications. We no go tell government people this things. We no go even tell our friends or family members for our country or other country. If we enter this trap, we go put our brothers and sisters for danger.​—Read Psalm 39:1.

15. Wetin Satan go try to do us, and wetin we fit do make we no enter e trap?

15 No allow small-small problem to divide us. Satan know say if family no dey as one, the family no go fit stand. (Mark 3:24, 25) Satan go always try to scatter us make we no dey as one again. If this one happen, we go fit begin fight each other, instead of Satan. Na the thing wey Satan want be that.

16. Which fine example Sister Gertrud Poetzinger show us?

16 Even if person don serve Jehovah for long time, make e still dey careful about this trap. Make we use the example of two anointed sisters explain-am. Their name na Gertrud Poetzinger and Elfriede Löhr. They put them and other sisters together for prison for Nazi concentration camp (place wey them de use hard work suffer person). For there, Elfriede give fine-fine talk to the other sisters. Because of this one, Gertrud begin jealous Elfriede. After, Gertrud start to regret and e beg Jehovah for help. E write say: “We need to learn to accept say other people sabi do some things pass us or God give them more work to do pass us.” Wetin help this sister fight the jealousy? The sister begin think about the fine-fine character wey Elfriede get and the way e sabi make friend with people. This one help Gertrud be good friend with Elfriede again. The two of them leave the camp and they serve Jehovah well until the end of their life for this earth. If we work hard to solve problems wey we get with our brothers and sisters, we no go allow anything to divide us.​—Col. 3:13, 14.

17. Why oversabi no good?

17 No do oversabi. If we follow the direction wey we de receive from brothers wey we trust and wey Jehovah de use direct the work, we no go enter problem. (1 Pet. 5:5) For example, the government for one land stop our work. So elders give direction say, when publishers de preach, make they no give people publication wey we print. But one pioneer brother for that place no follow the direction. E begin give people publications. So wetin happen after? When this brother and some other publishers do informal witnessing finish, police people start to ask them question. So maybe government people follow the publishers and collect the publications wey them share. Wetin this experience teach us? We need to follow direction even if we feel say the thing wey we sabi better pass the direction. Jehovah de always glad when we follow the direction wey we receive from the brothers wey e don choose to give us direction.​—Heb. 13:7, 17.

18. Why e no good make we give laws wey brothers no need?

18 No make laws wey people no need. If elders make laws wey people no need, they go make things hard for people. Brother Juraj Kaminský remember wetin happen when government stop the work for former Czechoslovakia. The brother talk say: “They arrest the brothers wey Jehovah de use direct the work, and many other elders. After, some other elders for different-different congregation and for circuit begin make laws for publishers. They give them list of things wey they suppose to do and things wey they no suppose to do.” Jehovah no give us the right to decide things for our brothers and sisters. If person de give laws wey people no need, that person no de protect the people. Instead, the person de try to be the master of the faith wey the brothers get.​—2 Cor. 1:24.

MAKE YOU NO EVER STOP TO WORSHIP JEHOVAH

19. According to 2 Chronicles 32:7, 8, why we fit get strong heart no matter wetin Satan do?

19 Satan the Devil, our main enemy, no go stop to suffer faithful servants of Jehovah. (1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 2:10) Satan and e people go try to stop our worship of Jehovah. But we no get any reason to allow fear make us stop. (Deut. 7:21) Jehovah dey our side, and e go continue to support us even if government try to stop our work.​—Read 2 Chronicles 32:7, 8.

20. Wetin you don decide say you go do?

20 Make our decision dey strong for our heart like the one of our brothers for time of the apostles. They tell leaders for their time say: “Make wuna judge-am by wunaself, whether e good for the eyes of God to do wetin wuna want instead of wetin God want. But as for us, we no fit stop to talk about the things wey we don see and hear.”​—Acts 4:19, 20.

SONG 73 Give Us Strong Heart

^ par. 5 Wetin we suppose to do if government talk say make we stop our worship? This article go give us fine-fine advice about things wey we go do and things wey we no go do. This one go help us make we no ever stop to worship our God!

^ par. 59 OTHER THINGS ABOUT THE PICTURE: All the pictures de show Jehovah Witness people for lands wey government stop part of our work. For this picture one small group de do meeting for one room wey one brother de use as store.

^ par. 61 OTHER THINGS ABOUT THE PICTURE: One sister (for left side) de gist with one woman. The sister de look for way to talk about Jehovah.

^ par. 63 OTHER THINGS ABOUT THE PICTURE: One brother wey police people de ask question, but e no gree tell them things about e congregation.