No Hold Back From Getting Baptize

1. Wass some good reasons fo get baptize?

YOU love Jehovah, da one who wen give you yoa life an wen do plenny good stuff fo you? You like show yoa love fo him? Da bes way fo do dat iz give yoa life to Jehovah an get baptize. Wen you do, you come paht of Jehovah’s family. Cuz you belong to him, yoa Faddah an Fren goin take kea you an show you wat fo do. (Songs 73:24; Isa 43:1, 2) Anodda ting giving yoa life to Jehovah an getting baptize goin do iz give you one hope fo live foeva.​—1 Pet 3:21.

2. Wat we goin go ova in dis lesson?

² Someting stay holding you back from getting baptize? If get, you not da ony one. Millions of guys had fo make changes fo get baptize. Now dey happy fo go all out an serve Jehovah. Wat you can learn from da guys dat wen get baptize long time ago? We go look some tings dat wuz hahd fo dem an wat we can learn from dem.

DA SAMARIA PEOPO WEN GET BAPTIZE

3. Wass some tings da Samaria peopo had fo change fo get baptize?

³ Da Samaria peopo wen belong to one religious group Jesus time. Plenny of dem wen live da north side of Judea, in Shechem an Samaria. Befoa da Samaria peopo could get baptize, dey had fo learn moa from God’s Word an accept da whole ting. Dey wen believe dat ony da five books from Da Start to Da Rules Secon Time, an maybe da book of Joshua, wuz from God. But da Samaria peopo wuz expecking da Messiah fo come cuz of wat Da Rules Secon Time 18:18, 19 wen tell. (John 4:25) Fo dem get baptize, dey had fo accept dat Jesus wuz da Messiah dat da Bible wen promise. “Plenny Samaria peopo” wen do dat. (John 4:39) Anodda ting dey had fo get ova wuz da prejudice dey had fo da Jew peopo.​—Luk 9:52-54.

4. In Jesus Guys 8:5, 6, 14, how some Samaria peopo wen reack to wat Philip wen teach?

⁴ Wat wen help da Samaria peopo fo get baptize? Wen Philip da preacha guy wen “teach da peopo . . . bout da Spesho Guy God Wen Sen,” some Samaria peopo wen “trus wat God tell.” (Read um Jesus Guys 8:5, 6, 14.) Dey wen lissen to Philip even tho he wuz one Jew. Maybe dey had rememba scripchas dat say God treat erybody da same. (Rules 10:17-19) Dey wen “lissen real good to da stuff [Philip] tell” about da Christ, an dey wen believe da proof dat God wen sen Philip. He wen also do plenny miracles like make da sick guys an guys wit demons come good.​—Jesus Guys 8:7.

5. Wat we can learn from da Samaria peopo?

⁵ Dose Samaria peopo coulda choose fo no lissen cuz Philip wuz one Jew or dey neva hea dat kine teaching befoa. But dey neva do dat. Afta dey had believe dat Philip had teach dem da trut, da Samaria peopo neva hold back from getting baptize. Da Bible tell, “Philip teach da peopo dea da Good Stuff bout how peopo get God fo dea king, an dat Jesus, he da Spesho Guy God Wen Sen. So da guys an da wahines trus wat Philip tell, an he baptize dem.” (Jesus Guys 8:12) You shua dat God’s Word iz da trut? You shua dat Witnesses Fo Jehovah show da same kine love dat Jesus sed his followas would show? (John 13:35) Den no be sked fo get baptize, an kno dat garanz Jehovah goin bless you.

6. How Ruben’s exampo can help you?

⁶ Ruben, from Germany, wen grow up in one Witness family. But wen he wuz young, he neva kno if God wuz real so he wen decide fo do something about um. He tell, “I wen study fo myself fo figga out wass tru an wass not. Moa den once I wen study about evolution.” He wen read da book Is There a Creator Who Cares About You? Dat book wen help Ruben out big time. He wen tink to himself, “Ho! Jehovah iz fo real!” Wen he wen go visit world headqwatahs, Ruben wen start fo love da braddahood all ova da world even moa. Wen he wen go back Germany, Ruben wen get baptize at 17 years old. If get stuff you not shua about, go look up dose tings in oua publications. Wen you learn da trut from da Bible, dat goin hemo yoa doubts. (Efe 4:13, 14) Wen you hea about how Jehovah’s peopo get love an stick togedda all ova da world, an you see proof of dat inside yoa own hui, yoa love fo da whole braddahood goin come moa strong.

SAUL FROM TARSUS WEN GET BAPTIZE

7. Wat kine tinking Saul had fo change?

⁷ Try look Saul from Tarsus. He had plenny education wen came to da Jew Laws an wuz coming moa an moa importan wit da Jew peopo. (Gal 1:13, 14; Php 3:5) Dat time, plenny Jews wen believe dat Christians wuz apostates. Saul wen go all out fo make dem suffa. He thought he wuz doin wat God wanted him fo do, but he wuz wrong. (Jesus Guys 8:3; 9:1, 2; 26:9-11) If Saul wuz goin put fait in Jesus an come one baptize Christian, he had fo be willing fo suffa.

8. (a) Wat wen help Saul fo get baptize? (b) In Jesus Guys 22:12-16, how Ananias wen help Saul? (Go look da picha.)

⁸ Wat wen help Saul fo get baptize? Wen Jesus wen talk to Saul from heaven, one bright light wen make Saul blind. (Jesus Guys 9:3-9) Fo three days he neva eat an he wen tink real hahd about wat wen happen to him. So Saul wen kno fo shua dat Jesus wuz da Messiah an dat da guys following Jesus had da trut. Saul probly wen feel real bad fo his paht in Stephen’s death. (Jesus Guys 22:20) Afta three days, one guy name Ananias wen go up to Saul, wen heal him so he could see again, an wen encourage him fo no wait fo get baptize. (Read um Jesus Guys 22:12-16.) Saul wuz humbo, wen lissen to Ananias, an wen get baptize.​—Jesus Guys 9:17, 18.

9. Wat you can learn from Saul?

⁹ Get tings we can learn from Saul. He coulda let stuff hold him back from getting baptize, like his pride or bein sked of peopo. But he neva. Saul wuz humbo an willing fo change his life fo come one followa of Jesus. (Jesus Guys 26:14, 19) Saul wuz willing fo come one Christian even tho he knew peopo would make him suffa. (Jesus Guys 9:15, 16; 20:22, 23) Afta he wen get baptize, he wen keep trusting Jehovah fo help him hando anykine problems. (2 Cor 4:7-10, NEW WORLD TRANSLATION) You might get problems or tests dat come up wen you get baptize az one Witness Fo Jehovah, but you goin get help. You can kno fo shua dat Jehovah an Jesus goin always be dea fo you.​—Php 4:13.

10. How Anna’s exampo can help you?

¹⁰ Anna wen grow up in Eastern Europe. Afta her maddah wen get baptize, Anna’s faddah wen let her study da Bible wen she wuz 9 years old. But dis wen cause plenny problems wit her family dat wen live wit her. Dea ohana wen tink wuz shame fo da family if somebody change dea religion. Wen Anna wuz 12 years old she wen ask her faddah if she could get baptize. He wanted fo kno if dat wuz her own choice or if somebody wen presha her. She wen tell him, “I love Jehovah.” So her faddah wen let her get baptize. Afta Anna wen get baptize, her family still yet wen treat her real bad. Her granfaddah wen tell her, “Would be betta if you wen go fool aroun wit guys an smoke den fo be one Witness Fo Jehovah.” How Anna wen hando? She wen say, “Jehovah wen help me fo be strong, an my maddah an faddah support me plenny.” Anna keep one lis of all da times Jehovah wen help her in her life. Sometimes she look at um fo no foget how Jehovah wen help her. If you sked peopo goin give you hahd time an make you suffa, rememba dat Jehovah goin help you too.​—Heb 13:6.

CORNELIUS WEN GET BAPTIZE

11. Wat coulda hold back Cornelius from getting baptize?

¹¹ Anodda guy we can learn from iz Cornelius. He wuz one army offissa in charge of plenny guys in da Rome army. (Jesus Guys 10:1) Cuz of dis, he wuz one importan guy in da community an in da army. He wen “give plenny money to da pooa peopo.” (Jesus Guys 10:2) Jehovah wen sen da aposal Peter fo go preach to him. Jus cuz Cornelius wuz one importan guy, dat wen hold him back from getting baptize?

12. Wat wen help Cornelius fo get baptize?

¹² Wat wen help Cornelius fo get baptize? Da Bible tell dat “Him an his ohana . . . show respeck fo God.” An Cornelius erytime pray to Jehovah. (Jesus Guys 10:2) Wen Peter wen preach to Cornelius, him an his family wen put fait in Jesus an wen get baptize right away. (Jesus Guys 10:47, 48) Cornelius wuz willing fo make wateva changes so dat he could worship Jehovah togedda wit his family.​—Josh 24:15; Jesus Guys 10:24, 33.

13. Wat tings you can learn from Cornelius?

¹³ Cornelius wuz one importan guy, an he coulda let dat hold him back from getting baptize. But jus like Saul, he neva do dat. You gotta make big changes in yoa life fo get baptize? If you do, Jehovah goin help you. He goin bless you if you make up yoa mind fo follow wat stay in da Bible so dat you can serve him.

14. How Tsuyoshi’s exampo can help you?

¹⁴ Tsuyoshi, from Japan, had fo make one change in his job so dat he could get baptize. He wuz da assistant to da person in charge of one private skool dat wen teach peopo how fo make flowa arrangements. Da guy in charge of da skool wen make flowa arrangements fo funerals an wuz paht of da Buddhist rituals dea. Wen he no could go, Tsuyoshi would go fo him an be paht of all dat stuff too. But wen Tsuyoshi wen learn da trut about wat happen wen we mahke, he knew dat he no could get baptize if he kept on getting involved wit all dis kine rituals. He wen choose fo no be paht of da Buddhist rituals anymoa. (2 Cor 6:15, 16) Tsuyoshi wen talk to da guy in charge of da skool about dis. Wat wen happen? He wuz able fo keep his job witout having fo get involved wit da rituals. About one year afta he wen start fo study da Bible, he wen get baptize.a If you gotta change someting in yoa job fo make Jehovah happy, kno fo shua dat he goin give you an yoa ohana all da tings you need.​—Songs 127:2; Mat 6:33, NWT.

DA CORINT PEOPO WEN GET BAPTIZE

15. Wat made um hahd fo da Corint peopo get baptize?

¹⁵ Da peopo living in Corint wen love money an wen live one pilau kine life. Plenny peopo ova dea wen do tings dat God no like. So wuz hahd fo peopo who wen live in one place lidat fo start serving Jehovah. But afta da aposal Paul had preach to dose guys, “had plenny peopo from Corint dat hear Paul an trus Jesus too, an get baptize.” (Jesus Guys 18:7-11) An den in one vision Paul wen see Jesus, an Jesus wen tell um, “Plenny peopo from dis town, dey all mines.” So Paul wen stay ova dea an keep preaching to dem fo a year an a half.

16. Wat wen help some of da Corint peopo get baptize? (2 Fo Da Corint Peopo 10:4, 5)

¹⁶ Wat wen help da Corint peopo fo get baptize? (Read um 2 Fo Da Corint Peopo 10:4, 5.) God’s Word an his powaful spesho spirit wen help dem fo make mayjah changes in dea life. (Heb 4:12) Da guys in Corint who wen accept da trut about Jesus wuz able fo stop doin pilau tings, like getting drunk, steeling, an bein mahu.​—1 Cor 6:9-11.b

17. Wat you can learn from da Corint peopo?

¹⁷ Even tho some in Corint had fo make mayjah changes, dey neva tink wuz too hahd fo make dose changes fo come Christians. Dey wen work hahd fo get on dat small road dat take you to life. (Mat 7:13, 14, NWT.) You stay working hahd fo make mayjah changes so dat you can get baptize? No lose fight! Beg Jehovah fo his spesho spirit fo help you no like do wass bad.

18. How Monika’s exampo can help you?

¹⁸ Monika, from da country Georgia, wen work hahd fo stop talking pilau an lissening to an watching bad kine stuff so dat she could get baptize. She wen say, “Wen I wuz younga, wat wen give me da strength fo change wuz praya. Jehovah wen kno dat I wanted fo do da right ting an he wen always help me an show me wat fo do.” Monika wen get baptize wen she wuz 16 years old. Get tings you doin dat you gotta stop so dat you can serve Jehovah da right way? Keep asking Jehovah fo da powa fo make dose changes. Jehovah no hold back from giving his spesho spirit.​—John 3:34.

YOA FAIT CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS

19. Wat can help you move yoa mountain size problems? (Go look da picha.)

¹⁹ Kno fo shua dat Jehovah love you an like you be paht of his ohana. Dass tru no matta wat kine tings iz making um hahd fo you get baptize. Jesus wen tell one group of his followas, “if you guys trus God ony litto bit, jalike da smalles mustard seed, you goin tell dis mountain, ‘Go move ova dea,’ an da mountain goin go. No goin get notting dat you guys no can handle.” (Mat 17:20) Da guys dat wuz ova dea fo hea dat wuz wit Jesus fo ony few years, so dea fait wen still need fo grow. But Jesus wen tell dem dat if dey get nuff fait, Jehovah would help dem move dea problems dat wen seem like mountains. An Jehovah goin help you do da same ting!

20. How da exampos of da Christians befoa an today in dis lesson wen help you?

²⁰ If get stuff in yoa life dass holding you back from getting baptize, do someting right away about um. Da exampos of da Christians befoa an today can comfort you an make you come strong. Go let dea exampos encourage you fo like give yoa life to Jehovah an get baptize. Az da bes choice you goin eva make!