Why You Can Be Happy When People Hate You?

1. Wetin Jesus say and why it surprise the people?

IN HIS Sermon on the Mount, Jesus say: “Yor be happy when people hate yor.” (Luke 6:22) The thing Jesus say really surprise the people dem who wor listening to him. And da because nobody can want for people to hate them. So why Jesus say it? Da good question to think about because plenty people hate Jesus disciples today. We will talk about why people hate us and why we can be happy when they hate us.

WHY PEOPLE HATE US?

2-3. (a) Give one reason why people can persecute true Christians. (b) How knowing this one can make us to feel about the people who can do it? (John 16:​2, 3)

² People hate us because we worshiping Jehovah. Jesus talk something about the people dem who wor coming persecute or even kill Jehovah people. He say: “They will do this thing dem because they not know me or the Father.” (Read John 16:​2, 3.) Da who responsible for the persecution on Jehovah people? Da Satan. The Bible say Satan da “the god for this world.” (2 Cor. 4:​3, 4) He na blind people mind so they can’t know the truth about Jehovah and he can make them to go against people who know and love God. (John 8:​42-44) How knowing this one can make us to feel about people who can persecute us? When we understand da Satan the one fooling them, it can make us to not hate them too.

³ Let look at Pavela example. He living in one country where they put stop to our work. Because Pavel continue to worship Jehovah faithfully, they arrest him, beat him bad way, and put him in jail for some months. He say: “It clear to me now da Satan and his demon dem want stop us from worshiping Jehovah. Da not all the people who working in the jail compound hate us. They just doing their work.” One brother in Croatia who na go through persecution from his parents say: “I understand now da Satan da my real enemy, and not my parents.”—Eph. 6:12.

4. Wetin we can learn from Jesus and the disciple Stephen example? (Also see the picture.)

⁴ We mon not hate the people dem who can be against us. In fact, we can even pray for them sometime. (Matt. 5:44) We can learn this one from Jesus and the disciple Stephen example. When the Roman soldier dem nail Jesus on the torture stake, Jesus pray and say: “Father, forgive them.” (Luke 23:34) Jesus wor asking Jehovah to forgive the soldier dem who wor coming kill him. Maybe Jesus wor even thinking about the people dem who wor shouting da they mon kill him because the religious leader dem encourage them to do it. Jesus knew da this people dem not really know what they wor doing. Da the same thing the disciple Stephen do. He ask God to forgive the people dem who wor coming kill him. (Acts 7:​58-60) You think Jehovah answer their prayer? Yes. Plenty people who hand wor in Jesus death, repent and put faith in Jesus and get baptize later on. (Acts 2:​36-41) And Saul who wor happy for them to kill Stephen become Christian later on. And he wor really sorry for all the bad-bad thing he do before.—1 Tim. 1:13.

5. Wetin you learn from César experience?

⁵ Today, Jehovah can listen to us too when we pray for people who against us. Let look at César experience. He living in Venezuela. His pa wor against the truth bad way. César say: “My ma wor good wife and good mother. Even though she always use to put Jehovah first in her life, she never leave my father. She use to teach me and my brother and sister dem to respect our pa. She also teach us to obey him except he tell us to do something da against the Bible.” But after some years, César pa behavior start changing. César say: “One day, I pray to Jehovah from my heart. From there, I tell my pa da I want study the Bible with him. I wor too happy when my pa agree.” After some time, César pa get baptize. Da not everybody who against us will make da kindna change. But some of them can change their behavior when they see the respectful way we can talk and act. And da one can really make us happy! We really waiting for the time Jehovah, the merciful “Judge of all the earth,” will help all this people dem to learn about him.—Gen. 18:25.

6. According to Mark 13:​13, what another reason why people hate us?

⁶ People hate us because we respect Jesus. Jesus say da people wor coming hate true Christians “because of [his] name.” (Read Mark 13:13.) Wetin Jesus “name” stand for? It stand for his good-good way dem and his right to be the King for God Kingdom. So people hate us because we choose Jesus to be our leader. But for them, they can make human being their ruler instead of Jesus who Jehovah na choose to rule the whole world. Jesus start ruling as King for God Kingdom since 1914. He will soon destroy all the other government dem.

7-8. What another reason people hate us? (John 15:​18-20) (Also see the pictures.)

⁷ People hate us because we not want be like the people in Satan world. Jesus say da people wor coming hate his disciple dem because they “not part of the world.” (Read John 15:​18-20.) Like the Christian dem way back, we our self too can’t behave and talk like the people in the world. Because of da, they can make fun out of plenty of our brother and sister dem to their working place or to their school. (1 Pet. 4:​3, 4) But we happy because some people who wor against us na change the way they use to feel about us and they can respect us now.

⁸ Let look at Ignacio experience. He living in Central America. He wor attending one school where one teacher use to make fun out of him because he decide to live by God law. But before Ignacio graduation, da same teacher ask him how he wor able to live by the Bible even though plenty people not use to respect him for doing it. Ignacio explain to the teacher da living by the Bible da protection for him. Then he invite the teacher to meeting. Ignacio wor surprise when he see the teacher to the meeting! The teacher wor really happy to see the love among the brother and sister dem. It make him to continue attending the meetings. Later on, when the teacher start studying the Bible, people start going against him too. But he continue to make his friendship with Jehovah strong and he get baptize.

9-10. (a) Wetin else make true Christians to be different from the people dem in Satan world? (b) Wetin we can learn from the apostle Paul example?

⁹ We also different from the people dem in Satan world because we can’t take part in politics and war. (John 18:36) Da true, we can follow the advice in Romans 13:1 and obey the law dem in the country. But because we true Christians, we can’t take part in politics or run in election. Why? Because we loyal to Jehovah and his Kingdom da Christ ruling. So they na put plenty Jehovah Witnesses in jail for their faith. But even though our brother and sister dem in jail, they continue to preach. They following the apostle Paul example, who spend plenty years in jail. (Acts 24:27; 28:​16, 30) He continue to preach the good news to anybody he see. For example he use to preach to the people dem who minding the jail, the big-big people in the court, governors, kings and even some big-big people in the Roman government.—Acts 9:15.

¹⁰ Da the same way our brother and sister dem who in jail can preach to anybody who want listen. For example, they can preach to the judge dem, big-big people in the government and even the people dem da minding the jail. One brother who stay more than six years in jail because he refuse to take part in politics, say da he not look at it to be punishment. But he look at it to be assignment from Jehovah to find humble people who want listen. We can be happy if Jehovah use us to preach the good news to people dem like da! (Col. 4:3) Now, let look at some other reason dem why we can be happy even if people hate us for serving Jehovah.

WHY WE CAN BE HAPPY WHEN PEOPLE HATE US?

11. How our faith can get more strong when we go through persecution? Give one example.

¹¹ We know da the way the world hate us fulfill Bible prophecy. In the first prophecy in the Bible, Jehovah say da Satan and the people who will follow him wor coming hate anybody who love Jehovah and serving him. (Gen. 3:15) Jesus too always use to talk about how people wor coming hate those who love Jehovah. (Matt. 10:22; Mark 13:​9-12; Luke 6:​22, 23; John 15:20) And other Bible writer dem talk about it too. (2 Tim. 3:12; Jas. 1:2; 1 Pet. 4:​12-14; Jude 3, 17-19) So we can’t be surprise when people persecute us. But we can be happy because the thing the Bible say happening. This one convince us da we serving the true God. One sister who living in one country where they stop some of our work say: “The time I give my life to Jehovah, I knew da I wor coming go through persecution. So I can’t be surprise or scary when I face trials.” Her husband wor one of the people who persecute her. He use to treat her bad and even burn her Bible and her publication dem. But instead of our sister faith getting weak, her faith get more strong. (Heb. 10:39) She say: “The Bible say da people will persecute us. So I wor convince da it will happen. In fact, going through it convince me da the true religion here.”

12. Wetin help one brother to bear it when they persecute him?

¹² Even though we know da we will go through persecution, sometime it can’t be easy to bear it when it happen. One brother who they put in jail say: “Sometime, I use to feel bad and I use to worry and like da, I just use to cry.” Wetin help this brother to bear it? He say: “I always use to pray. The first thing I use to do every morning da to pray. During the day, I use to pray when things get hard. And when I get vex because other people treat me bad, I just use to lock myself up in the bathroom and pray.” Our brother also think good-good on people who bear persecution way back and in our time. It help him to bear the persecution and get the peace da Jesus say his disciple dem will get.—John 14:27; 16:33.

13. Wetin can help us to bear it when people hate us?

¹³ Real love can help us to bear it when people hate us. Even when Jesus wor about to die, he still love his Pa with his whole heart. Jesus also love his friend dem. (John 13:1; 15:13) When we learn to get da deep love for Jehovah and for our brother and sister dem, it will help us too to bear it when people hate us. How? The apostle Paul example can help us to answer da question.

14. Wetin help Paul to remain loyal to Jehovah even when they wor coming kill him?

¹⁴ Just before they kill Paul, he tell his dear friend Timothy say: “God not give us spirit da can make us to be scare, but he give us the spirit da can make us to get power, to show love.” (2 Tim. 1:7) Wetin Paul mean? Paul wor saying da strong love for Jehovah can make us to bear any kindna persecution even if it hard. (2 Tim. 1:8) So even though Paul know da they wor coming kill him, the strong love he wor having for Jehovah help him to be brave and he remain faithful.—Acts 20:​22-24.

15. Today, how our brother and sister dem na show da they really love each other? (Also see the picture.)

¹⁵ We get real love for our brother and sister dem who continue to be faithful even though they going through persecution. Some of them even willing to risk their life for their brother and sister dem just how Aquila and Priscilla risk their life for Paul. (Rom. 16:​3, 4) For example in Russia, plenty brother and sister dem can go to the court house to encourage our brother and sister dem who they arrest. When they arrest one sister and carry her to court, plenty brother and sister dem went there. It comfort her so much da she wor not even able to talk for some time. The real love her brother and sister dem show her, give her the strength she really needed. Ehn we happy to get real love da can help us to bear it when people hate us?

16. Why the apostle Peter say da those who can bear it when people treat them bad for serving God, get reason to be happy? (1 Peter 4:14)

¹⁶ We know da God can be happy with us when people hate us and we bear it. (Read 1 Peter 4:14.) The apostle Peter say da those who can bear it when people treat them bad for serving God, get reason to be happy. Why? Because when people treat us bad, it show da God spirit “resting on [us].” Peter wor happy when he knew da God wor happy with him and it help him to bear persecution. For example, just before Pentecost 33 C.E., they send the Jewish temple police people to arrest Peter and the other apostle dem for preaching. But Peter wor brave and he defend his faith. (Acts 5:​24-29) Even though they beat Peter and the other apostle dem, they not stop preaching. But they wor happy because “God allow them to suffer for talking about Jesus name.” We ourself too can be happy when we going through trial.—Acts 5:​40-42.

17. Wetin Jesus tell his disciple dem on the night before he die?

¹⁷ On the night before Jesus die, he tell his disciple dem say: “Anybody who accept my commandments and obey them, da person love me, and my Father will love him.” (John 14:21) We really waiting for the time da nobody will hate us for serving Jehovah! (2 Thess. 1:​6-8) But until da time can come, let try to remember the plenty reason dem we get to be happy when people hate us. Let it comfort us and give us strength.