“ Keep peace with one another . ” ​ — MA@@ R@@ K 9 : 50 .
What counsel did Jesus give to help us handle differ@@ ences in a spirit of love ?
What questions might a Christian ask himself when deci@@ ding how to settle differ@@ ences with others ?
How can the three steps out@@ l@@ ined at Matthew 18 : 15 - 17 be used to re@@ solve some confli@@ cts ?
What human strugg@@ les are fe@@ atu@@ red in Genesis , and why is this of interest ?
What attitude spre@@ ad throughout the world , and what has been the result ?
How did Jesus teach people to handle disa@@ gree@@ ments ?
6 , 7 . ( a ) Why is it important to settle personal differ@@ ences pro@@ mp@@ tly ?
( b ) What questions should all of Jehovah’s people ask themselves ?
Our heavenly Father will hear such humble prayers and answer them . ​ — 1 John 5 : 14 , 15 .
What should we do if we are off@@ ended ?
( Read Proverbs 10 : 12 ; 1 Peter 4 : 8 . )
( a ) How did one sister at first react to cri@@ tici@@ sm ?
( b ) What Scriptural thought helped this sister to maintain her peace ?
11 , 12 . ( a ) How should a Christian act if he believ@@ es that his brother “ has something against ” him ?
How did one overseer react to har@@ sh words , and what can we learn from his example ?
14 , 15 . ( a ) When should we apply the counsel at Matthew 18 : 15 - 17 ?
( b ) What three steps did Jesus mention , and what should be our goal in app@@ lying them ?
What shows that following Jesus ’ counsel is practical and loving ?
What blessings will we enjoy when we “ seek peace ” with one another ?
the message they preach and why they preach it ?
What questions arise because of Jesus ’ words found at Matthew 24 : 14 ?
According to Matthew 28 : 19 , 20 , what four things must Jesus ’ followers do ?
What is involved in becoming “ fi@@ sh@@ ers of men ” ?
( Read Matthew 4 : 18 - 22 . )
What four questions need to be answered , and why ?
Why can you be confident that Jehovah’s Witnesses are preaching the right message ?
How do we know that the cl@@ er@@ gy of Christ@@ en@@ dom are not preaching the right message ?
What is the wrong mo@@ tive for doing the preaching work ?
( Read Acts 20 : 33 - 35 . )
How have Jehovah’s Witnesses shown that they enga@@ ge in the preaching work with the right mo@@ tive ?
What me@@ th@@ ods did Jesus and his disciples use to preach ?
When it comes to preaching the good news , how do the efforts of Christ@@ en@@ dom comp@@ are with those of Jehovah’s people ?
They are the only ones who preach that Jesus has been ru@@ ling as King since 1914 .
What should be the s@@ cope of the preaching work ?
What pro@@ ves that Jehovah’s Witnesses have ful@@ filled Jesus ’ prophecy with regard to the s@@ cope of the work ?
On our offici@@ al website , information is available in more than 7@@ 50 languages .
How do we know that Jehovah’s Witnesses have God’s spirit ?
17 , 18 . ( a ) Why can we be certain that Jehovah’s Witnesses are the ones who are preaching the good news of the Kingdom today ?
( b ) How is it possible for us to continue in this work ?
Because we are preaching the right message , the good news of the Kingdom .
What could cause us to miss out on the benefits of some spiritual provi@@ sions ?
What sugge@@ stions can help us to benefit from all por@@ tions of the Bible ?
How can we benefit from consider@@ ing material directed to young people and to the public ?
1 , 2 . ( a ) How do Jehovah’s Witnesses feel about the Bible ?
( b ) What is your fav@@ or@@ ite part of the Bible ?
3 , 4 . ( a ) How do we feel about our publications ?
( b ) What publications do we receive for specific grou@@ ps of people ?
We can be sure that Jehovah appreci@@ ates what ?
Why do we need to read the Bible with an open mind ?
8 , 9 . ( a ) When reading the Bible , what questions might we ask ourselves ?
( b ) What do the quali@@ fi@@ cations for Christian elders tell us about Jehovah ?
How can I use it to help others ? ’
( Read 1 Timothy 3 : 2 - 7 . )
10 , 11 . ( a ) When reading the quali@@ fi@@ cations for elders , how can we apply the information in our own life ?
( b ) How can we use this information to help others ?
12 , 13 . ( a ) U@@ sing to@@ ol@@ s available to us , what kind of research might we do ?
( b ) Give an example of how back@@ ground information may re@@ v@@ eal lessons that are not im@@ medi@@ ately ob@@ vi@@ ous .
How does the material publish@@ ed for young people help them , and how can it benefit others too ?
Why should adul@@ t Christians be interested in information for young people ?
What else do our publications help young people to do ?
( Read Ec@@ cle@@ si@@ a@@ st@@ es 12 : 1 , 13 . )
How Can I Make Bible Rea@@ ding En@@ joy@@ able ? ”
How can we benefit from reading material written for the public ?
How can we show our gra@@ titude to Jehovah for his provi@@ sions ?
© 20@@ 16 Watch Tower Bible and T@@ r@@ act Society of Pen@@ n@@ s@@ yl@@ v@@ ani@@ a
It is provided as part of a worldwide Bible edu@@ ca@@ tional work suppor@@ ted by volun@@ tary don@@ ations .
To make a don@@ ation , please visit w@@ w@@ w.@@ jw.org .
Un@@ less o@@ ther@@ wise indi@@ cated , S@@ crip@@ ture quo@@ ta@@ tions are from the modern - language New World T@@ ran@@ slation of the Holy Scriptures .
How can our decisions affect us and others ?
When the Bible does not give us a specific law , how can we know what would please Jehovah ?
How can we get to know more about the way Jehovah th@@ in@@ ks ?
What are some examples of Bible laws , and how does obe@@ ying them benefit us ?
I am with you all the days until the conclu@@ sion of the system of things . ”
2 , 3 . ( a ) Why does the Bible not give us ru@@ les for every situation in life ?
( b ) What questions will be considered in this article ?
How could our decisions affect us and others ?
Where there is no Bible law , how can we find out what Jehovah would want us to do in a certain situation ?
How did Jesus per@@ ceive what Jehovah wanted him to do ?
( Read Matthew 4 : 2 - 4 . )
In all your ways take notice of him , and he will make your pa@@ ths stra@@ ight .
What questions can we ask ourselves when we read or study the Bible ?
How can our publications and meetings help us to get to know what Jehovah th@@ in@@ ks about various matters ?
Give an example of how we can make a wise decision when we consider what Jehovah th@@ in@@ ks .
( Read Luke 18 : 29 , 30 . )
How can you determine if a certain style of clothing is pleas@@ ing to Jehovah ?
( c ) How should we@@ igh@@ ty decisions be made ?
( Read Genesis 6 : 5 , 6 . )
How do we benefit from making decisions that please Jehovah ?
Of course , we will always have something new to learn about Jehovah .
After baptism , why should we keep making changes ?
Why does God expect us to put for@@ th effort to overcome our weak@@ nesses ?
What can we do to let God’s Word keep on chang@@ ing our life ?
1 - 3 . ( a ) What changes may it be hard for us to make after our baptism ?
( b ) When making progress is har@@ der than we expected , what questions might we ask ?
Why are we un@@ able to please Jehovah in everything we do ?
What changes did we make before we got baptized , but what weak@@ nesses may we still struggle with ?
6 , 7 . ( a ) What makes it possible for us to be Jehovah’s friends even though we are imperfect ?
( b ) Why should we not hold back from asking Jehovah for forgiveness ?
How do we know that we can keep putting on the new personality ?
What must we do to keep making changes with the help of the Bible , and what questions might we ask ?
Why does Jehovah expect us to put for@@ th effort to overcome our weak@@ nesses ?
What can we do to develop qualities that Jehovah loves ?
( See the box “ The Bible and Pra@@ yer Ch@@ ang@@ ed Their Li@@ ves . ” )
Why should we not be discoura@@ ged if we are not able to make changes quickly ?
If we are loyal to Jehovah , what deli@@ gh@@ tful future can we look forward to ?
How can we be sure that the Bible has power to continue chang@@ ing our life ?
[ 1 ] ( paragraph 1 ) The name has been changed .
Russell : “ Su@@ pp@@ li@@ ca@@ ting Jehovah in prayer and a daily do@@ se of Bible reading helped me .
Me@@ d@@ itating on 2 Peter 2 : 11 and on personal counsel from the elders made a big differ@@ ence . ”
Maria V@@ ic@@ t@@ ori@@ a : “ I fer@@ ven@@ tly prayed to Jehovah to help me control my t@@ ong@@ ue .
I also saw the need to stop having close association with people who loved to go@@ ssi@@ p .
Psalm 6@@ 4 : 1 - 4 made me realize that I did not want to be one from whom others pray to be sa@@ fe@@ gu@@ ar@@ ded !
I also came to appreciate that continu@@ ing to go@@ ssi@@ p would make me a poor example and bring re@@ pro@@ ach on Jehovah’s name . ”
L@@ in@@ da : “ I famili@@ ari@@ zed myself with our tr@@ acts so as to be prepared to offer them .
As@@ soci@@ ating with those who enjoy various a@@ ven@@ u@@ es of service has been a great help .
And I continue to rely on Jehovah through prayer . ”
All humans have faul@@ ts that can hurt others .
how Jehovah choo@@ ses those whom he will mold ?
how God mol@@ ds those who sub@@ mit to him ?
How can we imitate the attitude of repentant Israelites ?
How does Jehovah choose those whom he dra@@ ws to himself ?
( Read 1 Samuel 16 : 7@@ b . )
How should our trust in Jehovah as our Po@@ tter affect our attitude toward ( a ) the people in our territory ?
Later , in a different setting , I met a family whom I ad@@ mi@@ red because of their good conduct .
Then one day I received a sho@@ ck ​ — they were Jehovah’s Witnesses !
Their beha@@ vior moved me to examine the basis for my prejudice .
I soon came to the reali@@ z@@ ation that my attitude was based on ign@@ or@@ ance and hear@@ say , not on fac@@ ts . ”
( Read Hebrews 12 : 5 , 6 , 11 . )
How is Jehovah teaching us today , and how will this education continue in the future ?
And we have learned to show love to others .
How did Jesus reflect the Great Po@@ t@@ ter@@ ’s patience and s@@ kill ?
( Read Psalm 10@@ 3 : 10 - 14 . )
In what ways did David prove to be like so@@ ft clay , and how can we imitate him ?
How does Jehovah mold us by means of holy spirit and the Christian congregation ?
Though having authority over the clay , how does Jehovah show respect for our free will ?
How do Bible students show that they want Jehovah to mold them ?
( a ) What appe@@ als to you about having Jehovah as your Po@@ tter ?
( b ) What aspects of mol@@ ding will we next consider ?
What tra@@ its could har@@ den us against Jehovah’s counsel ?
What qualities can help us to remain mol@@ d@@ able in God’s hands ?
How can Christian parents show that Jehovah is their Po@@ tter ?
Why did God consider Daniel to be a “ very precious man , ” and how can we be obedi@@ ent like Daniel ?
“ A@@ bo@@ ve all the things that you guard , sa@@ fe@@ guard your heart , for out of it are the sour@@ ces of life , ” says Proverbs 4 : 23 .
( Read 2 Chr@@ on@@ ic@@ les 26 : 3 - 5 , 16 - 21 . )
What could happen if we failed to guard against pride ?
One brother said that in time his im@@ proper conduct did not b@@ other him much at all .
7 , 8 . ( a ) How did the ancient Israelites demonstrate the har@@ den@@ ing effect of a lack of faith ?
( b ) What is the lesson for us ?
Why should we “ keep te@@ sting ” whether we are in the faith , and how can we do so ?
What can help us to be like so@@ ft clay in Jehovah’s hands ?
How can Jehovah use the Christian congregation to mold us according to our individual needs ?
The field ministry can help us to cultivate what qualities , and with what benefits ?
What must parents do if they want to be truly effective in mol@@ ding their children ?
How should parents demonstrate their trust in God if their child is disfellow@@ shipp@@ ed ?
( Read 1 Corinthians 5 : 11 , 13 . )
Why should we make sub@@ mission to Jehovah our way of life , and how will this course benefit us ?
In what sense is Jehovah our God “ one Jehovah ” ?
How can we show that we worship Jehovah as “ one Jehovah ” ?
What can we do to maintain our peace and unity ?
( b ) Why did Moses speak those words ?
What questions will we consider in this article ?
4 , 5 . ( a ) What is one meaning of the ph@@ ra@@ se “ one Jehovah ” ?
( b ) How is Jehovah different from the god@@ s of the nations ?
What is another meaning of “ one , ” and how did Jehovah prove to be “ one ” ?
8 , 9 . ( a ) What does Jehovah re@@ quire of his worshippers ?
( b ) How did Jesus empha@@ si@@ ze the imp@@ ort of Moses ’ words ?
( Read Mark 12 : 28 - 31 . )
10 , 11 . ( a ) In what sense is our worship of Jehovah ex@@ clu@@ sive ?
( b ) How did Hebrew y@@ ouths in Babylon demonstrate their ex@@ clu@@ sive devotion to Jehovah ?
In giving Jehovah ex@@ clu@@ sive devotion , against what must we be on guard ?
What could we begin to love more than Jehovah ?
Why did Paul re@@ mind Christians that God is “ one Jehovah ” ?
16 , 17 . ( a ) What prophecy is being ful@@ filled in our day , and with what result ?
( b ) What could under@@ mine our unity ?
18 , 19 . ( a ) What counsel is mentioned at Ephesians 4 : 1 - 3 ?
( b ) What can we do to help the congregation stay united ?
( Read Ephesians 4 : 1 - 3 . )
How can we demonstrate that we understand that “ Jehovah our God is one Jehovah ” ?
There are many fi@@ shing villa@@ ges along the co@@ a@@ sts of T@@ r@@ ini@@ d@@ ad and T@@ ob@@ a@@ go .
Jehovah’s Witnesses often take the opportunity to speak with fi@@ sh@@ er@@ men they meet
How does the Bible show that we are all imperfect ?
What can we do about our own faul@@ ts and those of others ?
How did the Bible fore@@ tell the increase of Jehovah’s people ?
I myself , Jehovah , will spe@@ ed it up in its own time . ”
( Read Mi@@ ca@@ h 4 : 1 , 3 . )
This has helped them to remain “ clean from the blood of all men . ” ​ — Acts 20 : 26 .
Why is the increase of Jehovah’s people no@@ te@@ worthy ?
Why may others at times hurt our feelings ?
The second , like it , is this : ‘ You must love your neighbor as yourself . ’ ”
( Read Romans 5 : 12 , 19 . )
If you had lived in Israel at the time of El@@ i and his sons , how would you have re@@ acted ?
In what sense did El@@ i fail to discipline his sons ?
How did David sin seri@@ ously , and what did God do about it ?
( a ) How did the apostle Peter fail to keep his word ?
( b ) After Peter@@ ’s mistake , why did Jehovah continue to use Peter ?
Why do you trust that God is always just ?
What did Jesus understand about the faul@@ ts of Jud@@ as Is@@ car@@ i@@ ot and Peter ?
The Bible foretold what about Jehovah’s servants in this time ?
How should we view the faul@@ ts of others ?
13 , 14 . ( a ) Why should we be patient with one another ?
( b ) What promise do we want to remember ?
What did Jesus say we should do when others make mistakes ?
What do you want to do when others make mistakes ?
( Read Matthew 5 : 23 , 24 . )
Just as Jehovah freely for@@ gave you , you must also do the same . ”
The answers to those questions are not difficult .
We can see this from what the Bible says about discer@@ n@@ ment and wisdom .
Proverbs 3 : 13 - 15 says : “ Happ@@ y is the man who fin@@ ds wisdom and the man who ac@@ qui@@ res discer@@ n@@ ment ; to gain it is better than ga@@ ining silver , and having it as pro@@ fit is better than having gold .
It is more precious than cor@@ als ; nothing you desire can comp@@ are to it . ”
Jesus Christ set a good example of hone@@ sty .
As man@@ a@@ ging di@@ re@@ ctor , I was expected to come to ‘ an a@@ gre@@ ement ’ with the tax ag@@ ent by bri@@ b@@ ing him to over@@ look the comp@@ any@@ ’s f@@ ra@@ ud@@ ul@@ ent practices .
As a result , I had the re@@ pu@@ tation of being di@@ sh@@ one@@ st .
When I learned the truth , I refused to continue doing that , even though the job pa@@ id very well .
I am a good example for my two sons , and I have quali@@ fied for privileges in the congregation .
Am@@ ong tax a@@ ud@@ it@@ ors and others with whom I do business , I now have the re@@ pu@@ tation of being an honest man . ”
Ruth moved to Israel , where she could worship the true God .
Have you care@@ fully read the rec@@ ent issues of The Watchtower ?
Well , see if you can answer the following questions :
“ We all received . . . undeserved kindness upon undeserved kindness . ” ​ — J@@ O@@ H@@ N 1 : 16 .
What is the greatest expression of Jehovah’s undeserved kindness toward mankind ?
How can we show that we are no longer ru@@ led by sin but by undeserved kindness ?
What blessings come to us as a result of Jehovah’s undeserved kindness ?
1 , 2 . ( a ) De@@ scri@@ be Jesus ’ illustration of the o@@ w@@ ner of the v@@ in@@ ey@@ ard . ( b ) How does the story illu@@ strate the qualities of gener@@ o@@ sity and undeserved kindness ?
Do I not have the right to give all my wor@@ kers whatever I want ?
( Read 2 Corinthians 6 : 1 . )
Why and how has Jehovah shown undeserved kindness toward all mankind ?
What does it mean that Jehovah’s undeserved kindness is “ expressed in various ways ” ?
The apostle Peter wrote : “ To the extent that each one has received a gift , use it in minist@@ ering to one another as fine ste@@ war@@ ds of God’s undeserved kindness that is expressed in various ways . ”
The apostle John wrote : “ We all received from his ful@@ l@@ ness , even undeserved kindness upon undeserved kindness . ”
How do we benefit from Jehovah’s undeserved kindness , and how can we show our gra@@ titude for it ?
( Read 1 John 1 : 8 , 9 . )
What do we enjoy because of God’s undeserved kindness ?
Ex@@ pre@@ ssions of God’s undeserved kindness : The privilege of hear@@ ing the good news ( See paragraph 11 )
How do the anointed bring the “ other sheep ” to righteousness ?
The blessing of prayer ( See paragraph 12 )
How is prayer related to God’s undeserved kindness ?
How can undeserved kindness “ help us at the right time ” ?
How does Jehovah’s undeserved kindness benefit our hearts ?
Th@@ an@@ ks to God’s undeserved kindness , what hope do we have ?
( Read Psalm 49 : 7 , 8 . )
How did some early Christians ab@@ use God’s undeserved kindness ?
Because of Jehovah’s undeserved kindness , what responsibilities do we have ?
What responsibility of ours will be exam@@ ined in the next article ?
[ 1 ] ( paragraph 2 ) See “ Un@@ deserved kindness ” in the “ G@@ lo@@ ss@@ ary of Bible T@@ er@@ ms ” in the re@@ vis@@ ed New World T@@ ran@@ slation .
“ B@@ ear th@@ or@@ ough witness to the good news of the undeserved kindness of God . ” ​ — A@@ C@@ T@@ S 20 : 24 .
What should Jehovah’s undeserved kindness motiva@@ te us to do ?
How does the “ good news of the Kingdom ” high@@ light God’s undeserved kindness ?
How will Jehovah show his undeserved kindness in the new world ?
How did the apostle Paul show that he was grateful for God’s undeserved kindness ?
THE apostle Paul could hone@@ stly say : “ [ God’s ] undeserved kindness to me was not in va@@ in . ”
( Read 1 Corinthians 15 : 9 , 10 . )
( Read Ephesians 3 : 5 - 8 . )
Why can we say that the “ good news of the Kingdom ” is the same as the good news of “ the undeserved kindness of God ” ?
When we explain the ransom to people , how are we spre@@ ad@@ ing the good news of God’s undeserved kindness ?
Why do sinful humans need to be re@@ con@@ c@@ iled to God ?
The apostle John wrote : “ The one who exerci@@ ses faith in the Son has everlasting life ; the one who diso@@ be@@ ys the Son will not see life , but the wr@@ ath of God re@@ main@@ s upon him . ”
9 , 10 . ( a ) What responsibility did Christ give to his anointed brothers ?
Therefore , we are am@@ bas@@ sa@@ d@@ ors sub@@ sti@@ tu@@ ting for Christ , as though God were making an appe@@ al through us .
Why is it good news for people to learn that they can pray to Jehovah ?
Many people pray because it makes them feel good , but they do not really believe that God h@@ ears their prayers .
They need to know that Jehovah is the “ H@@ ea@@ re@@ r of prayer . ”
The psalmist David wrote : “ O H@@ ea@@ re@@ r of prayer , to you people of all sor@@ ts will come .
Jesus told his disciples : “ If you ask anything in my name , I will do it . ”
13 , 14 . ( a ) What mar@@ vel@@ ous privileges will the anointed have in the future ?
( b ) What wonderful work will the anointed do for mankind ?
How will Jehovah show his undeserved kindness toward the “ other sheep ” in the future ?
M@@ il@@ lions of humans who died without knowing God will also be resur@@ rected .
John wrote : “ I saw the dead , the great and the small , standing before the throne , and scro@@ l@@ ls were opened .
But another scro@@ ll was opened ; it is the scro@@ ll of life .
The dead were jud@@ ged out of those things written in the scro@@ l@@ ls according to their dee@@ ds .
And the se@@ a gave up the dead in it , and death and the Gra@@ ve gave up the dead in them , and they were jud@@ ged individu@@ ally according to their dee@@ ds . ”
What should we keep in mind when sharing in our witne@@ ssing work ?
The Bible says : “ The creation it@@ self will also be set free from en@@ sla@@ ve@@ ment to corru@@ p@@ tion and have the gl@@ or@@ ious freedom of the children of God . ”
He also says : “ W@@ r@@ ite , for these words are faithful and true . ”
When we ze@@ al@@ ously preach this good news to others , we truly gl@@ ori@@ fy Jehovah’s undeserved kindness !
“ Keep seeking [ God’s ] Kingdom , and these things will be added to you . ” ​ — L@@ U@@ K@@ E 12 : 31 .
What differ@@ ence is there between what we need and what we want ?
Why should we control our desire to want more material things ?
Why are you convinced that Jehovah can provide your daily needs ?
How does Satan use “ the desire of the eyes ” ?
Remember , the apostle John war@@ ned : “ The world is pa@@ ssing away and so is its desire . ”
What can happen to those who use most of their ener@@ gy to get more things ?
What will we consider next , and why ?
8 , 9 . ( a ) Why should we not worry too much about the things we need ?
( b ) What did Jesus know about humans and their needs ?
When Jesus taught his followers how to pray , what did he say should be most important in their life ?
What do we learn from the way Jehovah ca@@ res for the bir@@ ds of heaven ?
We should “ observe inten@@ tly the bir@@ ds of heaven . ”
Of course , he does not put the food in their be@@ a@@ ks !
What pro@@ ves that we are worth more than the bir@@ ds of heaven ?
( Co@@ mp@@ are Luke 12 : 6 , 7 . )
15 , 16 . ( a ) What do we learn from the way Jehovah ca@@ res for the li@@ lies of the field ?
( See opening picture . ) ( b ) What questions might we need to ask ourselves , and why ?
What does Jehovah know about us personally , and what will he do for us ?
Why should we not worry about what might happen in the future ?
Can you simp@@ li@@ fy your life to focus more on the Kingdom ?
( a ) What is a goal you may set in Jehovah’s service ?
( b ) What can you do to simp@@ li@@ fy your life ?
What will help you to draw closer to Jehovah ?
I@@ l@@ lu@@ strate why it is important to be aware of what time it is and what is happ@@ ening around us .
Why did Jesus tell his disciples to “ keep on the watch ” ?
Why do we pay attention to Jesus ’ warning ?
( a ) Why can we believe that Jesus now knows when Armageddon will occur ?
( b ) Although we do not know when the great tribulation will begin , what can we be sure of ?
When on earth , Jesus said : “ Con@@ cer@@ ning that day and h@@ our nobody knows , neither the angels of the heaven@@ s nor the Son , but only the Father . ”
( Read H@@ ab@@ ak@@ k@@ u@@ k 2 : 1 - 3 . )
Give an example to show that Jehovah’s prophe@@ ci@@ es are always ful@@ filled right on time .
Jehovah’s prophe@@ ci@@ es have always been ful@@ filled right on time !
So@@ meti@@ me later , Jehovah told Abraham : “ K@@ now for certain that your offspring will be fore@@ ign@@ ers in a land not their@@ s and that the people there will en@@ slave them and a@@ ff@@ li@@ ct them for 4@@ 00 years . ”
Why can we be sure that Jehovah will save his people ?
7 , 8 . ( a ) What was the role of a watch@@ man in ancient times , and what lesson does that teach us ?
( b ) Give an example of what could happen when watch@@ men f@@ ell as@@ le@@ ep on the job .
What are most people today not aware of ?
10 , 11 . ( a ) Of what must we be careful , and why ?
( b ) What convinc@@ es you that the Devil has influ@@ en@@ ced people to ign@@ ore Bible prophecy ?
Why must we not let the Devil deceive us ?
( Read 1 The@@ ss@@ al@@ oni@@ ans 5 : 1 - 6 . )
Jesus war@@ ned us : “ Keep ready , because at an h@@ our that you do not think likely , the Son of man is coming . ”
How is the spirit of the world affe@@ cting mankind , and how can we avoid that d@@ ang@@ er@@ ous influence ?
What warning do we find at Luke 21 : 34 , 35 ?
( Read Luke 21 : 34 , 35 . )
What happened to Peter , James , and John , and how might that happen to us too ?
According to Luke 21 : 36 , how did Jesus instru@@ ct us to “ keep a@@ wake ” ?
How can we make sure that we are ready for what is coming in the near future ?
[ 1 ] ( paragraph 14 ) See chapter 21 of the book God’s Kingdom R@@ ul@@ es !
Do not be anxious , for I am your God .
During an assembly , a brother asked me if I would like to preach .
We went to the territory , and he gave me some boo@@ k@@ le@@ ts about God’s Kingdom .
One of the sisters there gave us children Bible lessons based on the Bible and the book The H@@ ar@@ p of God .
As a te@@ en@@ a@@ ger , I enjoyed giving people hope from God’s Word .
The brother sto@@ pped his b@@ ic@@ ycle and asked me to s@@ it down with him on a lo@@ g .
He said : “ Who gave you authority to judge who is a go@@ at ?
Le@@ t@@ ’s just be happy giving people the good news and leave the jud@@ ging to Jehovah . ”
Another older brother taught me that to find happiness in giving , we sometimes have to endure patiently .
Y@@ ears later , his patience was rewar@@ ded when his wife was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses .
After the war , I pione@@ ered for two years in sou@@ thern Ireland .
We did not realize how much power the priests had .
I had never sa@@ iled before , so I was exc@@ ited .
For five years , we preached main@@ ly on i@@ sol@@ ated is@@ lands where there were no Witnesses .
The cre@@ w of missionaries abo@@ ard the Si@@ bi@@ a ( left to right ) : R@@ on Par@@ kin , Di@@ ck R@@ y@@ de , G@@ ust Ma@@ k@@ i , and St@@ an@@ l@@ ey C@@ ar@@ ter
O@@ f@@ ten , they gave us fre@@ sh fish , avo@@ ca@@ do@@ s , and pe@@ an@@ u@@ ts .
Then at d@@ us@@ k we ran@@ g the shi@@ p@@ ’s b@@ ell .
It was lo@@ vely to see how seri@@ ously some of them took their assignment .
When we arrived , I met and f@@ ell in love with Ma@@ x@@ ine Bo@@ y@@ d , a beautiful missionary sister .
So I said to myself , ‘ R@@ on@@ al@@ d , if you want this gir@@ l , y@@ ou@@ ’@@ ve got to act quickly . ’
After three weeks I pro@@ posed , and after six weeks we were married .
Ma@@ x@@ ine and I were assigned as missionaries to Pu@@ er@@ to R@@ ico , so I never went out on the new boat .
For example , in the village of Po@@ tal@@ a Pa@@ sti@@ l@@ l@@ o , there were two Witness families with many children , and I used to play the f@@ lu@@ te for them .
I asked one of the little gir@@ ls , H@@ il@@ da , if she wanted to come and preach with us .
We b@@ ou@@ ght her a pair , and she came preaching with us .
She was about to leave for her assignment in E@@ cu@@ ad@@ or , and she said : “ You don@@ ’t recognize me , do you ?
I am the little gir@@ l from Pa@@ sti@@ l@@ l@@ o who had no sho@@ es . ”
At first , L@@ en@@ n@@ ar@@ t Joh@@ n@@ son and I did most of the work .
Nathan K@@ nor@@ r , who was then taking the lead among Jehovah’s Witnesses , came to Pu@@ er@@ to R@@ ico .
Later , he gave me strong counsel about being organized and said that he was disapp@@ ointed in me .
Father did not accept the truth when M@@ other and I did .
My de@@ ar wife , Ma@@ x@@ ine , died in 20@@ 11 .
I am really loo@@ king forward to seeing her again in the resurrection .
After 60 years on the island , I felt as Pu@@ er@@ to Ri@@ can as a co@@ qu@@ í , the po@@ pu@@ lar little Pu@@ er@@ to Ri@@ can tree f@@ ro@@ g that s@@ ings ko - ke@@ e , ko - ke@@ e at d@@ us@@ k .
Some who come to see me want to discuss personal or family problems .
Every@@ thing we do at Bethel is sacred service .
Wh@@ er@@ ever we serve Jehovah , we have opportunities to praise him .
Le@@ on@@ ard S@@ mi@@ th@@ ’s life story appe@@ a@@ red in The Watchtower of April 15 , 20@@ 12 .
Why can it be said that marriage is a gift from God ?
How would you descri@@ be the hi@@ story of marriage from the time of Adam to Jesus ’ day ?
What can help a Christian to decide whether to get married ?
1 , 2 . ( a ) How did marriage begin ?
( b ) What could the first man and woman have realized about marriage ?
( Read Genesis 2 : 20 - 24 . )
An important purpose of marriage was to po@@ p@@ ul@@ ate the earth .
What can we learn from Ad@@ am@@ ’s and E@@ ve@@ ’s respon@@ ses to Jehovah ?
How would you explain Genesis 3 : 15 ?
( a ) What has happened to marriage since the rebel@@ lion of Adam and Eve ?
( b ) What does the Bible re@@ quire of husb@@ ands and wives ?
What is the hi@@ story of marriage from the time of Adam to the F@@ lo@@ od ?
What did Jehovah do to the wicked in No@@ ah’s day , and what lesson should we learn from what happened at that time ?
( Read Matthew 24 : 37 - 39 . )
( a ) In many cul@@ tu@@ res , what sexual practices became a way of life ?
( b ) How did Abraham and Sarah set a good example in their marriage ?
( Read 1 Peter 3 : 3 - 6 . )
How did the Mo@@ sa@@ ic Law protect the Israelites ?
( Read Deuteronomy 7 : 3 , 4 . )
12 , 13 . ( a ) How were some men tre@@ ating their wives in Mal@@ ach@@ i@@ ’s day ?
( b ) Today , if a baptized person ra@@ n off with someone el@@ se@@ ’s mate , what would the consequences be ?
( a ) In the Christian congregation , what would be the stand@@ ard for marriage ?
Paul added : “ If they do not have self - control , let them marry , for it is better to marry than to be inf@@ l@@ am@@ ed with pa@@ ssion . ”
18 , 19 . ( a ) How should a Christian marriage begin ?
( b ) What will the following article discuss ?
What responsibilities did God give husb@@ ands and wives ?
Why are love and ten@@ der@@ ness very important in a marriage ?
How can the Bible help if there are problems in a marriage ?
Although marriage usu@@ ally beg@@ ins with joy , what can those who marry expect to experience ?
What kin@@ ds of love should marriage mates show ?
How strong should love be in a marriage ?
Paul wrote : “ H@@ usb@@ ands , continue loving your wives , just as the Christ also loved the congregation and gave himself up for it . ”
( Read John 13 : 34 , 35 ; 15 : 12 , 13 . )
4 , 5 . ( a ) What is a husb@@ and@@ ’s responsibility as a family head ?
( b ) How should a wife view head@@ ship ?
( c ) What adju@@ st@@ ments did one married couple need to make ?
I am going to make a help@@ er for him , as a comple@@ ment of him . ”
Mar@@ ri@@ age was an adju@@ st@@ ment for me as I learned to rely on my husband .
It has not always been easy , but we have drawn so much closer as a couple by doing things Jehovah’s way . ”
In marriage , taking two people into consider@@ ation ad@@ ds to the challenge .
But by seeking Jehovah’s guidance in prayer and really list@@ ening to my wi@@ fe@@ ’s in@@ put , it ge@@ ts easier every day .
I feel that we are a real te@@ am ! ”
How does love serve as “ a perfect b@@ ond of uni@@ on ” when problems develop in a marriage ?
7 , 8 . ( a ) What advice does the Bible give regarding sexual rela@@ tions in marriage ?
( b ) Why do marriage mates need to show ten@@ der@@ ness ?
( Read 1 Corinthians 7 : 3 - 5 . )
S@@ ex@@ u@@ al rela@@ tions should never be for@@ ced or de@@ man@@ ded but should come n@@ at@@ ur@@ ally .
Why is sexual interest in anyone who is not one’s own marriage mate un@@ accep@@ table ?
10 , 11 . ( a ) How common is div@@ or@@ ce ?
( b ) What does the Bible say about separ@@ ation ?
( c ) What will help a marriage mate not to separate quickly ?
What may lead a marriage mate to consider separ@@ ation ?
What does the Bible say to Christians married to mates who are not worshippers of Jehovah ?
( Read 1 Corinthians 7 : 12 - 14 . )
Or , husband , how do you know whether you will save your wife ? ”
15 , 16 . ( a ) What counsel does the Bible give Christian wives whose husb@@ ands are not servants of God ?
( b ) What is the position of a Christian “ if the un@@ believing one choo@@ ses to de@@ part ” ?
The apostle Peter coun@@ sel@@ s Christian wives to be in sub@@ je@@ ction to their husb@@ ands , “ so that if any are not obedi@@ ent to the word , they may be w@@ on without a word through the conduct of their wives , because of having been ey@@ e@@ wit@@ nesses of your cha@@ ste conduct together with deep respect . ”
What if an un@@ believing marriage mate choo@@ ses to separate ?
The Bible says : “ If the un@@ believing one choo@@ ses to de@@ part , let him de@@ part ; a brother or a sister is not b@@ ound under such circumstances , but God has called you to peace . ”
What should be the first pri@@ ority of Christian married cou@@ ples ?
Why is it possible for Christians to have a happy and success@@ ful marriage ?
[ 1 ] ( paragraph 5 ) N@@ ames have been changed .
[ 2 ] ( paragraph 13 ) See the book “ Keep Y@@ ourselves in God’s Love , ” app@@ en@@ di@@ x , “ The Bible’s V@@ i@@ ew on Di@@ v@@ or@@ ce and Se@@ par@@ ation . ”
What a plea@@ sure it is to give a witness in the morning hours along the D@@ an@@ u@@ be Ri@@ ver !
These happy publishers are sharing the Kingdom message with an appreci@@ a@@ tive list@@ en@@ er at V@@ i@@ ga@@ d@@ ó S@@ qu@@ are in B@@ ud@@ a@@ pe@@ st , H@@ un@@ g@@ ary
What can you do to make spiritual progress ?
How can you progress spiritually without gro@@ wing w@@ ear@@ y ?
What adju@@ st@@ ments might make you more effective in the ministry ?
1 , 2 . ( a ) How has Isaiah 60 : 22 come true in this time of the end ?
( b ) What needs now ex@@ i@@ st in the earthly part of Jehovah’s organization ?
“ THE little one will become a thou@@ sand and the small one a mighty nation . ”
What does making spiritual progress mean to you ?
How can young people use their strength in Kingdom service ?
6 - 8 . ( a ) How did one young man change his view of God’s service , and with what result ?
( b ) How can we “ ta@@ ste and see that Jehovah is good ” ?
Because of his blessing , I feel in@@ de@@ b@@ ted to him and am moved to do more in his service , and this results in more blessings . ”
( Read Psalm 34 : 8 - 10 . )
Why is it important for you to have “ a waiting attitude ” ?
What spiritual qualities can we work to develop , and why are they important ?
How can members of the congregation prove themselves tru@@ st@@ worthy ?
How can you follow Jose@@ p@@ h’s example if others treat you un@@ fa@@ ir@@ ly ?
What can you do if others treat you un@@ fa@@ ir@@ ly ?
14 , 15 . ( a ) Why do we have to “ pay con@@ st@@ ant attention ” to the way we preach ?
( b ) How might you ad@@ just to chang@@ ing conditions ?
( See opening picture and the box “ Are You Wil@@ ling to Try a Di@@ ffer@@ ent Me@@ th@@ od ? ” )
How can public witne@@ ssing prove to be effective ?
17 , 18 . ( a ) How might you become more confident in public witne@@ ssing ?
( b ) Why do you find Davi@@ d’s spirit in pra@@ is@@ ing Jehovah valuable as you enga@@ ge in the ministry ?
He says : “ During our family worship , my wife and I do research to find answers to ob@@ je@@ ctions and op@@ ini@@ ons people express .
We also ask other Witnesses for sugge@@ stions . ”
( Read 1 Timothy 4 : 15 . )
They will pro@@ claim the glory of your k@@ ing@@ ship and speak about your mi@@ gh@@ t@@ iness , to make known to men your mighty acts and the gl@@ or@@ ious s@@ pl@@ end@@ or of your k@@ ing@@ ship . ”
If you are en@@ trusted with more work in Jehovah’s organization , how can you become a blessing to others ?
Now V@@ ene@@ ci@@ a says : “ P@@ h@@ one witne@@ ssing works ! ”
My wife died three years a@@ go , and last year my son was k@@ illed in an ac@@ ci@@ dent . ”
After two years , I am writ@@ ing back as your Christian sister . ”
Why should we build in Bible students a strong desire to study the Scriptures personally ?
How can we help new ones to con@@ verse with house@@ hol@@ ders and others ?
Why should efforts be made to train prospe@@ ctive shepher@@ ds of God’s flo@@ ck ?
Why must we train others to take up theocratic assign@@ ments ?
3 , 4 . ( a ) How did Paul conne@@ ct study of the Scriptures with a produ@@ ctive ministry ?
( b ) Before we encourage our students to study the Bible on their own , what must we be doing ?
Give a sugge@@ stion on how to help new ones to have a rou@@ t@@ ine of personal Bible study .
You may ask , ‘ How can I train my student to study the Bible regularly ? ’
En@@ courage him to read every issue of The Watchtower and Awake !
( a ) How can you help your student to cultivate love for the Bible in his heart ?
( b ) What is a Bible student likely to do if he devel@@ o@@ ps heartfelt love for the Scriptures ?
How did Jesus train pro@@ claim@@ ers of the good news ?
8 , 9 . ( a ) How did Jesus approach individuals in his ministry ?
( b ) How can we help new publishers to con@@ verse with people as Jesus did ?
10 - 12 . ( a ) How did Jesus cultivate the interest others showed in the good news ?
( b ) How can we help new publishers to improve their sk@@ ill@@ s as teachers of Bible truth ?
13 , 14 . ( a ) What do you think of the Bible examples of those who made great sacrifices in behalf of others ?
( b ) In what practical ways can you train new publishers and young ones to show love for their brothers and sisters ?
D@@ or@@ ca@@ s “ ab@@ oun@@ ded in good dee@@ ds and gifts of mercy . ”
Why is it important that elders take an interest in the progress of men in the congregation ?
16 , 17 . ( a ) What interest did Paul take in the progress of Timothy ?
( b ) How can the elders effe@@ cti@@ vely train future shepher@@ ds of the congregation ?
Why should training others in Jehovah’s service be important to us ?
Why should you be convinced that your di@@ li@@ gent efforts to train others in Jehovah’s service will be success@@ ful ?
It is in va@@ in that they keep worshipp@@ ing me , for they teach comm@@ ands of men as do@@ ct@@ r@@ ines . ’
You let go of the command@@ ment of God and c@@ ling to the tra@@ dition of men . ” ​ — Mark 7 : 6 - 8 .
3 “ Do Not Let Your H@@ ands D@@ ro@@ p D@@ own ”
How did Jehovah strengthen the hands of Moses , Asa , and Nehemiah ?
In what practical ways can we strengthen the hands of our brothers and sisters ?
( b ) What might cause our hands to dro@@ p down ?
The hand , for example , is mentioned hundre@@ ds of times .
How can you be motiva@@ ted and strengthened to endure and have joy ?
However , when Moses ’ hands became heavy and began to dro@@ p down , the Am@@ al@@ e@@ k@@ ites started to win .
( b ) How did God respond to Nehe@@ mi@@ ah’s prayer ?
( Read Nehemiah 1 : 10 ; 2 : 17 - 20 ; 6 : 9 . )
Do you believe that Jehovah uses his “ great power ” and “ mighty hand ” to strengthen his servants today ?
10 , 11 . ( a ) How does Satan try to cause us to let our hands dro@@ p down ?
( b ) What does Jehovah use to strengthen us and give us power ?
He uses lies and threat@@ s from governments , religious leaders , and apost@@ ates .
13 , 14 . ( a ) How was one brother strengthened after his wife died ?
Pra@@ yer and personal study have been like a life j@@ ac@@ k@@ et that has kept my head above water .
And the support of my spiritual brothers and sisters has brought me much comfort .
I have come to realize the importance of develop@@ ing a good personal relationship with Jehovah before difficult situations arise . ”
How does God train us to fight our enemies ?
He also helps us through our Bible - based publications , Christian meetings , as@@ semb@@ lies , and conven@@ tions .
How do we avoid being con@@ qu@@ ered by the evil ?
( b ) Which Bible charac@@ ters will we consider ?
What helped Jacob to per@@ se@@ v@@ ere , and how was he rewar@@ ded ?
( Read Genesis 32 : 24 - 28 . )
How were two Christians helped to control wrong desires ?
This young person also benef@@ ited from the article “ Al@@ ter@@ na@@ tive Life - St@@ y@@ les ​ — Does God App@@ ro@@ ve ? ”
“ For that reason , ” he said , “ I think that as each day pa@@ sses , I can remain faithful .
I am very grateful to Jehovah for using his organization to help us survive each day in this wicked system . ”
Consider also the experience of a sister in the United States .
She wr@@ ites : “ I want to thank you for always fe@@ e@@ ding us with just what we need and at the right time .
I often feel that these articles are written just for me .
For years , I have been batt@@ ling a strong desire for something Jehovah ha@@ tes .
At times , I want to th@@ row my hands up and stop fi@@ gh@@ ting .
I know that Jehovah is mer@@ ci@@ ful and for@@ giving , but because I have this wrong desire and deep down I don@@ ’t hate it , I feel that I am un@@ able to receive his help .
This on@@ going battle has affected every aspect of my life . . . .
After reading the article ‘ Do You Have “ a H@@ ear@@ t to K@@ now ” Jehovah ? ’
in The Watchtower of Mar@@ ch 15 , 20@@ 13 , I really felt that Jehovah does want to help me . ”
( a ) How did Paul feel about his strugg@@ les ?
What can we learn about clothing from God’s Law to the Israelites ?
What can help Christians to make good decisions about how to dress ?
When especially do we need to wear appropriate clothing ?
Of course , some clothing that is appropriate in one place may not be appropriate in another .
( Read 1 Corinthians 10 : 32 , 33 . )
What are some fac@@ tors that may affect whether a brother w@@ ears a be@@ ard ?
The Mo@@ sa@@ ic Law required men to wear a be@@ ard .
In fact , some appointed brothers have be@@ ards .
Even so , some brothers might decide not to wear a be@@ ard .
What effect should our dress and gro@@ o@@ ming have on others ?
A brother in Germany wrote : “ My teachers view the Bible account of creation as a my@@ th .
And they take it for gran@@ ted that the students believe in ev@@ o@@ lu@@ tion . ”
A young sister in France said : “ T@@ e@@ ach@@ ers in my school are quite a@@ st@@ oni@@ shed that there are students who still believe in the Bible . ”
and The O@@ ri@@ g@@ in of Life ​ — F@@ i@@ ve Questions Wor@@ th As@@ king , and the book Is There a Creator Who Ca@@ res About You ?
I@@ ’@@ ve studied those broch@@ u@@ res about a do@@ z@@ en times . ”
They show that the greatest eng@@ in@@ e@@ ers may imitate but will never e@@ qu@@ al the comple@@ x de@@ sign@@ s in n@@ ature . ”
Why does God want you to use your power of reason ?
( Read Romans 12 : 1 , 2 ; 1 Timothy 2 : 4 . )
And many of them lived at different times and did not know one another personally . ”
I liter@@ ally had to stop and con@@ tem@@ pl@@ ate how inc@@ re@@ di@@ ble that proph@@ eti@@ c P@@ as@@ so@@ ver mea@@ l was ! ”
“ H@@ one@@ sty like that is r@@ are , ” said a young brother in Britain .
“ This ad@@ ds to our confidence that the Bible truly is from Jehovah . ”
( Read Psalm 19 : 7 - 11 . )
A young sister in Japan wrote : “ When my family applied Bible teachings , we were truly happy .
We experienced peace , unity , and love . ”
And some stop believing in God because they are disapp@@ ointed with religion .
He added : “ One is stru@@ ck by the comple@@ x@@ ity of even the simp@@ le@@ st form of life . ”
He wrote : “ Every house is con@@ stru@@ cted by someone , but the one who con@@ stru@@ cted all things is God . ”
Why is it so important to know your children well ?
Our children ac@@ quire it little by little . ”
He as@@ ks : ‘ What does the Bible say ? ’
‘ Do you believe what it says ? ’
He wants me to answer in my own words and not simply repe@@ at his or M@@ u@@ m@@ ’s words .
As I got older , I had to exp@@ and on my answers . ”
They answered all my questions , using the Bible . ”
( Read Deuteronomy 6 : 5 - 8 ; Luke 6 : 45 . )
So if life ev@@ ol@@ ved from simple to more comple@@ x for@@ ms , why were these ancient cre@@ atures already so comple@@ x ?
It was a lesson that deeply impre@@ ssed me and that I sha@@ red with my son . ”
Then she asked each of the bo@@ ys to make her a cu@@ p of co@@ ffe@@ e .
“ They took great care , ” she explained .
“ When I asked them why they were so careful , they said that they wanted the co@@ ffe@@ e to be just the way I like it .
I explained that God mi@@ x@@ ed the ga@@ ses in the at@@ mo@@ sp@@ here with similar care ​ — just right for us . ”
And how would you comp@@ are the sound of an a@@ ir@@ plan@@ e to the singing of a b@@ ird ?
So who is more in@@ tel@@ li@@ gent ​ — the ma@@ ker of a@@ ir@@ plan@@ es or the Creator of bir@@ ds ? ”
( Read Psalm 1 : 1 - 3 . )
“ N@@ ever tire of ex@@ per@@ im@@ en@@ ting with new ways to approach old sub@@ jects , ” said one father .
“ From the time they were very young , I studied with them for 15 min@@ u@@ tes every day , ex@@ ce@@ pt on days when we had Christian meetings .
O@@ ver time , many of these were ad@@ dre@@ ssed at meetings or during family or personal study .
T@@ hat@@ ’s why it@@ ’s important for parents just to keep teaching . ”
Let your children see how real Jehovah is to you .
“ We also tell our older daughter , ‘ Have complete trust in Jehovah , keep bus@@ y in Kingdom service , and do not worry too much . ’
When she sees the out@@ come , she knows that Jehovah is helping us .
This has done won@@ ders for her faith in God and in the Bible . ”
The first article shows how our faith can grow and remain strong .
Let me explain what led to that conversation .
I W@@ A@@ S born in Wi@@ ch@@ it@@ a , K@@ ans@@ as , U.@@ S@@ .@@ A . , on December 10 , 19@@ 36 , the ol@@ dest of four children .
Then a soldier wal@@ ked by , and the doctor y@@ el@@ led , “ Do something about this y@@ el@@ low co@@ ward ! ”
The soldier could see that the man was d@@ ru@@ n@@ k , so he told him , “ Go home and so@@ ber up ! ”
He o@@ w@@ ned two b@@ ar@@ ber@@ sho@@ ps in Wi@@ ch@@ it@@ a , and the doctor was one of his c@@ li@@ en@@ ts !
With my parents , going to a convention in Wi@@ ch@@ it@@ a in the 19@@ 40 ’ s
With Jehovah’s blessing and their ze@@ alous work , a congregation was started .
The brother also so@@ ld my car for $ 25 .
We were assigned to special pioneer in W@@ al@@ n@@ ut Ri@@ d@@ ge , Ar@@ k@@ ans@@ as .
Then in 196@@ 2 , we were thri@@ lled to receive an invitation to the 3@@ 7@@ th class of Gilead .
In the ministry in Na@@ i@@ ro@@ b@@ i with Mary and Chr@@ is K@@ an@@ a@@ i@@ ya
So@@ on after , our first daughter , K@@ im@@ ber@@ ly , was born , and 17 months later , we had Steph@@ any .
We would also go ca@@ mp@@ ing with them and would have very enjoy@@ able conversa@@ tions around the ca@@ mp@@ fire .
We arrang@@ ed to have some who were in the full - time ministry stay in our home .
They were sho@@ cked and started to cry and said that they wanted to study .
With the help and direction of God’s organization , we did our best to raise them to love Jehovah .
On a later tri@@ p , K@@ im@@ ber@@ ly met one of his wor@@ k@@ mates , B@@ ri@@ an L@@ le@@ wel@@ ly@@ n .
So they did stay free until they were at least 23 .
At the same time , B@@ ri@@ an and K@@ im@@ ber@@ ly were invited to work at L@@ on@@ don Bethel and later were trans@@ fer@@ red to Mal@@ aw@@ i Bethel .
The day after we left for the Watchtower E@@ du@@ ca@@ tional C@@ enter in P@@ at@@ ter@@ son , L@@ in@@ da called to tell us that M@@ other had died .
N@@ ext , we taught the course in Z@@ im@@ b@@ ab@@ we and then in Z@@ am@@ bi@@ a .
In 200@@ 6 , B@@ ri@@ an and K@@ im@@ ber@@ ly moved next door to us to raise their two daugh@@ ters , M@@ ac@@ k@@ en@@ z@@ i@@ e and Eli@@ z@@ a@@ be@@ th .
Paul and Steph@@ any are still in Mal@@ aw@@ i , where Paul serves on the B@@ ranch Com@@ mit@@ tee .
Why might we need to ad@@ just our view of strangers ?
When I left the a@@ ir@@ p@@ ort and felt the cold for the first time in my life , I started c@@ r@@ ying . ”
Greek - speaking Jews com@@ pla@@ ined that their wi@@ do@@ ws were not being tre@@ ated fa@@ ir@@ ly .
Whether we realize it or not , we are all deeply influ@@ en@@ ced by our culture .
( Read 1 Peter 1 : 22 . )
Be patient with those who are adju@@ sting to a new country .
At first , we may not fully understand their way of thinking or re@@ ac@@ ting .
What example of respect and gra@@ titude can im@@ mi@@ gran@@ ts imitate today ?
First , she showed respect for the cu@@ sto@@ ms of her new country by asking per@@ mission to g@@ le@@ an .
[ 1 ] ( paragraph 1 ) Na@@ me has been changed .
Are you among those who are learning another language ?
( Read Nehemiah 13 : 23 , 24 . )
( b ) How can we reach our goal ?
We must recognize that when we prepare for the ministry , for the meetings , or for a talk , we may not necess@@ ar@@ ily apply what we read to ourselves .
Since my mind is main@@ ly involved in an in@@ tel@@ le@@ c@@ tu@@ al exercise , my heart is not necess@@ ar@@ ily tou@@ ched by the spiritual thoughts I am reading .
That is why I regularly set a@@ side time to study the Bible and other publications in my mother t@@ ong@@ ue . ”
“ It an@@ no@@ yed him to go out in the ministry in another language , wh@@ er@@ e@@ as before he loved preaching in his na@@ tive language , F@@ ren@@ ch , ” says M@@ u@@ ri@@ el .
“ When we realized that this situation had h@@ in@@ dered our son from making spiritual advan@@ ce@@ ment , ” explains Ser@@ ge , “ we decided to move back to our former congregation . ”
Make sure that the truth re@@ ach@@ es the hearts of your children ( See paragraphs 14 , 15 )
But we also include practice se@@ ssions and g@@ ames in L@@ ing@@ al@@ a so that they can learn this language while having fu@@ n . ”
Make an effort to learn the local language and to parti@@ ci@@ p@@ ate in the meetings ( See paragraphs 16 , 17 )
We also set the goal of attending a meeting in F@@ ren@@ ch once a month , and we take advanta@@ ge of our va@@ cations to visit conven@@ tions held in our na@@ tive language . ”
( Read Romans 15 : 1 , 2 . )
How can we show our love for God’s Word ?
Brothers working business territory witness to a me@@ ch@@ ani@@ c in an au@@ to re@@ pair gar@@ age .
“ Faith is the as@@ sured expe@@ c@@ tation of what is ho@@ p@@ ed for . ” ​ — HE@@ B .
( Read Revelation 21 : 3 - 6 . )
How did Abraham and his family keep their faith strong ?
( Read 1 John 5 : 14 , 15 . )
What trials did some of the prophe@@ ts endure because of their faith ?
Others , like Elijah , “ wan@@ dered about in de@@ ser@@ ts and moun@@ tain@@ s and ca@@ ves and den@@ s of the earth . ”
How does No@@ ah’s example help us to understand what it means to have faith ?
In what ways must we exercise our faith ?
( b ) What questions will we now consider ?
In what two ways does Hebrews 11 : 1 descri@@ be faith ?
You see that his faith was ac@@ tive along with his works and his faith was perfe@@ cted by his works . ”
For example , John explained : “ The one who exerci@@ ses faith in the Son has everlasting life ; the one who diso@@ be@@ ys the Son will not see life , but the wr@@ ath of God re@@ main@@ s upon him . ”
Com@@ pared with love , how important is faith ?
James asked his anointed brothers : “ Did not God choose those who are poor from the worl@@ d’s stand@@ point to be rich in faith and he@@ ir@@ s of the Kingdom , which he promised to those who love him ? ”
While men were sle@@ e@@ ping , his enemy came and over@@ so@@ wed wee@@ ds in among the wh@@ eat and left .
When the st@@ al@@ k sp@@ rou@@ ted and produced fruit , then the wee@@ ds also appe@@ a@@ red . ”
In@@ clu@@ de a letter st@@ ating that the don@@ ation is con@@ di@@ tional .
Since legal requi@@ re@@ ments and tax laws v@@ ary , it is important to con@@ sul@@ t quali@@ fied tax and legal ad@@ vis@@ ers before choo@@ sing the best way to don@@ ate .
W@@ ill@@ s and Tru@@ sts : Pro@@ per@@ ty or money may be be@@ qu@@ ea@@ th@@ ed to an enti@@ ty used by Jehovah’s Witnesses by means of a le@@ g@@ ally execu@@ ted will or by speci@@ fying the enti@@ ty as the bene@@ fi@@ ci@@ ary of a trust a@@ gre@@ ement .
As the ter@@ m “ char@@ it@@ able plan@@ ning ” imp@@ lies , these ty@@ pes of don@@ ations ty@@ pic@@ ally re@@ quire some plan@@ ning on the part of the don@@ or .
What hope did Jehovah give his people , and why was this promise re@@ mark@@ able ?
Would the Israelites ever again be able to worship God in a completely accep@@ table way ?
So it does not really seem that Jehovah’s people enter@@ ed into cap@@ ti@@ vity to Babylon the Great in 19@@ 18 .
( Read 1 Peter 2 : 9 , 10 . )
( Read Matthew 13 : 24 , 25 , 37 - 39 . )
Would true Christians ever be free to worship God op@@ enly and accep@@ t@@ ably ?
When were the anointed fre@@ ed from Babyl@@ oni@@ an cap@@ ti@@ vity ?
Brother Rutherford reque@@ sted that we arrange conven@@ tions in several cities in the we@@ st@@ ern United States and send spea@@ kers to try to encourage the friends as much as possible . ”
“ If you have any word of encouragement for the people , tell it . ” ​ — A@@ C@@ T@@ S 13 : 15 .
So I cry often and pre@@ f@@ er not to talk to them .
He list@@ ened with sy@@ m@@ pa@@ thy as I expressed my feelings .
Then he re@@ minded me of the good I was accomp@@ li@@ shing .
He also re@@ minded me of Jesus ’ words ​ — that each of us is worth more than many sp@@ ar@@ ro@@ ws .
I often re@@ call that s@@ crip@@ ture , and it still tou@@ ches my heart .
( b ) What will we consider in this article ?
What can we learn from the way Jehovah , Jesus , and Paul encouraged others ?
( Read Ec@@ cle@@ si@@ a@@ st@@ es 4 : 9 , 10 . )
What can we learn from the way Jesus tre@@ ated his apostles ?
After going through those regi@@ ons and giving many words of encouragement to the ones there , he arrived in Gree@@ ce . ”
( Read Hebrews 10 : 24 , 25 . )
( Read 1 The@@ ss@@ al@@ oni@@ ans 5 : 12 , 13 . )
They are a real source of encouragement . ”
An@@ dre@@ as , who has two children , says : “ En@@ coura@@ gement helps children to grow up spiritually and emo@@ tion@@ ally .
Even though our ki@@ ds know what is right , doing the right thing be@@ comes their way of life through our con@@ st@@ ant encouragement . ”
( Read Luke 21 : 1 - 4 ; 2 Corinthians 8 : 12 . )
( Read Revelation 2 : 18 , 19 . )
I want you to know that when you spoke in such a kind way , both from the pl@@ at@@ form and in person , I felt that it was a gift from Jehovah . ”
[ 1 ] ( paragraph 1 ) Some n@@ ames have been changed .
( b ) What will we discuss in this article ?
How did the congregations benefit from following the direction of the governing body ?
( Read 3 John 9 , 10 . )
( Read Matthew 5 : 23 , 24 ; 18 : 15 - 17 . )
( b ) What will be discu@@ ssed in the next article ?
( Read 1 The@@ ss@@ al@@ oni@@ ans 2 : 13 . )
The Bible di@@ re@@ cts us to attend meetings regularly .
Have you been using jw.org in your ministry and in your family worship ?
and the brochure Who Are Do@@ ing Jehovah’s Will Today ?
What are some reasons why we should be than@@ k@@ ful to Jehovah ?
There are many reasons why we should be than@@ k@@ ful to Jehovah !
It also shows how the hope of a reward benefits us .
I was only eight years old at the time .
My father did not want my mother to talk to me about what she was learning .
However , I was cu@@ ri@@ ous and asked questions , so she studied with me when my father was out of the house .
As a result , I too decided that I wanted to dedi@@ cate my life to Jehovah .
My mother said that I should first speak to the servant to the bre@@ thre@@ n ( now called a circuit overseer ) .
He said , “ Go for it ! ”
After four months , I sele@@ cted a brother as my pioneer partner .
My mother pione@@ ered with a sister in another congregation .
In 195@@ 1 , I filled out an app@@ li@@ cation to attend the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead .
While there , I received my invitation to the 2@@ 2@@ nd class of Gilead .
I then traveled by train to South L@@ ans@@ ing , New York , where the school was lo@@ cated .
With Jan@@ et on one of the many is@@ lands in the Philippines
We still serve at the branch office in Que@@ z@@ on City
How can you experience “ the peace of God ” ?
How can the congregation help you to re@@ duce anxiety ?
( See opening picture . ) ( b ) What will we consider in this article ?
How , though , can you do that ?
The psalmist David beg@@ ged Jehovah : “ L@@ ist@@ en to my prayer , O God . ”
When we are anxious , why is prayer so important ?
( Read Matthew 11 : 28 - 30 . )
What did Jesus mean when he said : “ N@@ ever be anxious ” ?
( See the box “ Some P@@ r@@ acti@@ cal W@@ a@@ ys to Re@@ duce An@@ x@@ iety . ” )
How can the meaning of God’s name strengthen your faith ?
His very name is understood to mean “ He Ca@@ uses to Be@@ come . ”
“ An@@ x@@ iety in a man@@ ’s heart we@@ igh@@ s it down , but a good word che@@ ers it up . ”
Why can you be confident that your relationship with God will strengthen you ?
( a ) How can we th@@ row our anxiety on God ?
How can we be sure that Jehovah rewar@@ ds his servants ?
How did Jehovah bless his servants in the past ?
1 , 2 . ( a ) How are love and faith conne@@ cted ?
( b ) What questions will we consider ?
How , though , does the hope of a reward benefit us ?
Jesus showed that his disciples would be rewar@@ ded for their sacrifices ( See paragraph 5 )
The apostle Peter once asked Jesus : “ We have left all things and followed you ; what , then , will there be for us ? ”
In the Ser@@ mon on the M@@ ount , Jesus said : “ Re@@ jo@@ ice and be over@@ jo@@ yed , since your reward is great in the heaven@@ s , for in that way they persecu@@ ted the prophe@@ ts pri@@ or to you . ”
Moses told the nation of Israel : “ Jehovah will surely bless you in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you to posse@@ ss as an inher@@ it@@ ance , but only if you stri@@ c@@ tly obey the voice of Jehovah your God and care@@ fully observe all this command@@ ment that I am giving you today .
For Jehovah your God will bless you just as he has promised you . ”
And he named the second one Eph@@ ra@@ im , for he said , ‘ God has made me fruit@@ ful in the land of my a@@ ff@@ li@@ ction . ’ ”
God’s Word explains : “ For the joy that was set before him he en@@ du@@ red a tor@@ ture st@@ ake , de@@ sp@@ is@@ ing shame . ”
Jesus certainly found joy in being able to sancti@@ fy God’s name .
How does Jehovah feel about what we do for him ?
“ The one showing favor to the low@@ ly is l@@ ending to Jehovah , and He will rep@@ ay him for what he does . ”
What comfort do we find at 1 John 3 : 19 , 20 ?
( Read 1 John 3 : 19 , 20 . )
What are some of the rewar@@ ds that we enjoy now ?
How do Jehovah’s servants feel about the rewar@@ ds they receive ?
For example , Bi@@ an@@ ca from Germany says : “ I cannot thank Jehovah enough for helping me with my wor@@ ries and for being at my side each day .
The world out there is cha@@ o@@ tic and ble@@ ak .
But as I work clo@@ sely with Jehovah , I feel se@@ cure in his ar@@ ms .
Wh@@ en@@ ever I make personal sacrifices for him , he gives me back a hundre@@ d@@ fo@@ ld in blessings . ”
For my own encouragement , I keep a no@@ te@@ book with scriptures and thoughts from our publications that I can con@@ sul@@ t from time to time .
I call it ‘ My S@@ ur@@ vi@@ val No@@ te@@ book . ’
D@@ is@@ coura@@ gement is tem@@ por@@ ary if we focus on Jehovah’s promises .
Jehovah is always there to help us , reg@@ ar@@ d@@ less of our circumstances . ”
Yet , you can likely think of ways in which Jehovah has rewar@@ ded you and those around you .
How were Paul and others set free from sin and death ?
( Read Romans 6 : 1 , 2 . )
What choice does each of us have to make ?
He wrote : “ I am fleshly , so@@ ld under sin .
( Read Romans 7 : 21 - 23 . )
( Read Proverbs 14 : 5 ; Ephesians 4 : 25 . )
They receive “ the spirit ” as ones “ waiting for a@@ do@@ p@@ tion as sons , the release from [ their fleshly ] bo@@ dies . ”
( Read Romans 4 : 20 - 22 . )
( Read Acts 18 : 2 - 4 ; 20 : 20 , 21 , 34 , 35 . )
Many tou@@ ri@@ sts come to the city of A@@ ve@@ ir@@ o in nor@@ thern Por@@ tu@@ gal to see the interest@@ ing sal@@ t e@@ va@@ por@@ ation p@@ on@@ ds .
Lo@@ cal Witnesses make sure to offer the good news to those who sell the lo@@ cally produced sal@@ t
In this article , we will learn how to treasure God’s gift of free will by using it in a way that pleas@@ es the Gi@@ ver of that gift .
The first article explains what modesty is and what it is not .
How does Jehovah expect us to use our abilities ?
Clearly , Jehovah wants us to do what we can to benefit ourselves and others .
Noah lived in a world that was “ filled with violence ” and immorality .
O@@ pp@@ o@@ sition to our preaching ( See paragraphs 6 - 9 )
6 , 7 . ( a ) What could Noah not do ?
( b ) How are we in a situation similar to No@@ ah’s ?
We too live in a world filled with wi@@ c@@ kedness , which we know Jehovah has promised to destroy .
In the mean@@ time , we cannot force people to accept the “ good news of the Kingdom . ”
What Noah could do : Instead of giving up because of what he could not do , Noah focused on what he could do .
When that happened , how did David react ?
Pa@@ st sins ( See paragraphs 11 - 14 )
11 , 12 . ( a ) After he sin@@ ned , what could David not do ?
What David could not do : David could not un@@ do what he had done .
He had to trust that when he truly rep@@ en@@ ted , Jehovah would forgive him and help him endure the consequences of his actions .
( Read James 5 : 14 - 16 . )
He had to leave the matter in Jehovah’s hands .
( Read Luke 21 : 1 - 4 . )
Consider a brother named Mal@@ col@@ m , who remained faithful until his death in 2015 .
F@@ oc@@ us on what you can do , not on what you cannot do . ”
( b ) How will you apply the 20@@ 17 y@@ ear@@ t@@ ext in your life ?
Our y@@ ear@@ t@@ ext for 20@@ 17 : “ Tru@@ st in Jehovah and do what is good . ” ​ — Psalm 37 : 3
How can we show respect for the decisions of others ?
I will love them of my own free will . ”
4 , 5 . ( a ) Who was the first to receive God’s gift of free will , and how did he use it ?
( b ) What question must each of us ask ?
The answer to that question can determine our everlasting future .
God “ began bringing them to the man to see what he would call each one . ”
What must we never do with our gift of free will ?
Imagine that you gave a valuable gift to a friend .
What is one way we can avoid mi@@ su@@ sing our Christian freedom ?
( Read 1 Peter 2 : 16 . )
It does not bel@@ ong to man who is walking even to direct his st@@ ep . ”
What do we learn from the principle found at G@@ al@@ a@@ ti@@ ans 6 : 5 ?
Remember the principle found at G@@ al@@ a@@ ti@@ ans 6 : 5 .
How will you show that you treasure your gift of free will ?
( a ) What do many people think about modesty ?
What is modesty , and what is it not ?
Why should we avoid jud@@ ging other pe@@ op@@ le@@ ’s mo@@ tives ?
What can we learn from Jesus ’ example when we receive a change of assignment ?
( Read G@@ al@@ a@@ ti@@ ans 6 : 4 , 5 . )
( Read Proverbs 3 : 5 , 6 . )
( Read Ec@@ cle@@ si@@ a@@ st@@ es 11 : 4 - 6 . )
What will help us to remain modest forever ?
Why is it difficult for some to d@@ ele@@ g@@ ate authority ?
He told Nathan to tell David : “ You are not the one who will build the house for me to d@@ well in . ”
( Read N@@ u@@ mb@@ ers 11 : 24 - 29 . )
No , I wish that all of Jehovah’s people were prophe@@ ts and that Jehovah would put his spirit on them ! ”
( Read Philippians 2 : 20 - 22 . )
The branch office sent us 8@@ 00 magaz@@ ines to use in the ministry .
I taught cla@@ sses in M@@ an@@ a@@ us , B@@ el@@ é@@ m , F@@ or@@ tal@@ e@@ z@@ a , Re@@ ci@@ fe , and S@@ al@@ va@@ d@@ or .
We arrived in Li@@ s@@ b@@ on , Por@@ tu@@ gal , in Au@@ g@@ ust of 196@@ 4 .
It is the only one doing the work Jesus comman@@ ded his disciples to do ​ — preach the good news of God’s Kingdom ! ”
While this article was being prepared for publi@@ cation , D@@ ou@@ gl@@ as Gu@@ est died faithful to Jehovah on O@@ c@@ to@@ ber 25 , 2015 .
( Read Isaiah 6@@ 3 : 11 - 14 . )
And “ the spirit of Jehovah began to em@@ power David . ”
Why did God want his people to respect the leaders in Israel ?
( Read Hebrews 1 : 7 , 14 . )
The Bible ref@@ ers to the Law given to Israel as “ the Law of Moses . ”
11 , 12 . ( a ) What were Joshua and the kings who ru@@ led God’s people required to do ?
“ As soon as the king heard the words of the book of the Law , he ri@@ pped his gar@@ ments a@@ part . ”
Why did Jehovah discipline some of the leaders of his people ?
In some cases , Jehovah discipl@@ ined or re@@ placed those leaders .
What proved that Jesus was em@@ power@@ ed by holy spirit ?
S@@ hor@@ tly after Jesus was baptized , “ angels came and began to minist@@ er to him . ”
H@@ ours before his death , “ an angel from heaven appe@@ a@@ red to him and strengthened him . ”
How did God’s Word guide Jesus ’ life and teaching ?
It is in va@@ in that they keep worshipp@@ ing me , for they teach comm@@ ands of men as do@@ ct@@ r@@ ines . ”
No@@ body is good ex@@ ce@@ pt one , God . ”
“ In@@ stan@@ tly the angel of Jehovah stru@@ ck him , because he did not give the glory to God , and he was e@@ at@@ en up with wor@@ ms and died . ”
What will we discuss in the next article ?
The next article will consider the answers to those questions .
This may have been the original do@@ cu@@ ment written by Moses .
Why was this sele@@ ction so important to them and to Jehovah ?
As a governing body , they gave direction to all the congregations . ​ — Acts 15 : 2 .
5 , 6 . ( a ) How did holy spirit em@@ power the governing body ?
( c ) How did God’s Word guide the governing body ?
First , holy spirit em@@ power@@ ed the governing body .
Th@@ ird , God’s Word gui@@ ded the governing body .
Why can we say that Jesus led the early Christians ?
( a ) When did Jesus app@@ oin@@ t “ the faithful and dis@@ cre@@ et slave ” ?
In 1919 , three years after Brother Rus@@ sel@@ l@@ ’s death , Jesus appointed “ the faithful and dis@@ cre@@ et slave . ”
The July 15 , 20@@ 13 , issue of The Watchtower explained that “ the faithful and dis@@ cre@@ et slave ” is a small group of anointed brothers who make up the Governing Body .
So how can we answer Jesus ’ question : “ Who really is the faithful and dis@@ cre@@ et slave ? ”
How has holy spirit helped the Governing Body ?
( Read 1 Corinthians 2 : 10 . )
( Read Revelation 14 : 6 , 7 . )
What is one way to remember the Governing Body ?
Why are you determined to follow our Lea@@ der , Jesus ?
When Jesus returned to heaven , he did not ab@@ an@@ don his followers .
So@@ on , he will lead us to everlasting life .
Since 195@@ 5 , that cor@@ por@@ ation has been known as the Watch Tower Bible and T@@ r@@ act Society of Pen@@ n@@ s@@ yl@@ v@@ ani@@ a .
Jehovah “ com@@ forts us in all our trials ”
“ I have spoken , and I will bring it about .
1 , 2 . ( a ) What has Jehovah reve@@ aled to us ?
THE very first words of the Bible make this simple but pro@@ found stat@@ ement : “ In the beginning God created the heaven@@ s and the earth . ”
( c ) What questions will we consider ?
And why is Jesus ’ ransom sacrifice the key that un@@ lo@@ c@@ ks the door for God’s purpose to be accomp@@ lished ?
What are some gifts that Jehovah gave Adam and Eve ?
But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad , you must not eat from it , for in the day you eat from it you will certainly die . ”
It was as if he were saying : ‘ You mean you cannot do what you want ? ’
But Jehovah is faithful to his own standards ; he never viol@@ ates them .
( Read Deuteronomy 32 : 4 , 5 . )
Why is the ransom such a precious gift ?
Jehovah provided the ransom at great cost to himself .
When will Jehovah become “ all things to everyone ” ?
Let your will take place , as in heaven , also on earth . ”
( Read Psalm 40 : 8 - 10 . )
How can we show that we love Jehovah’s name ?
( Read 1 Peter 1 : 15 , 16 . )
Why can Jehovah view us as righteous , even though we are imperfect ?
He accep@@ ts as his worshippers those who dedi@@ cate themselves to him .
What did Jesus mean when he next said : “ Let your will take place ” ?
How does the ransom benefit humans who have died ?
What is God’s will for the “ great crow@@ d ” ?
( a ) What blessings do we now receive from Jehovah ?
( Read Acts 3 : 19 - 21 . )
“ We have come to know and believe the love that God has for us .
And should we at times change a decision that we have made ?
This article will help us to answer those questions .
Yet , Jehovah viewed those kings as having a complete heart .
Will God view us as having a complete heart , despite mistakes we make ?
We lived on a small farm in ea@@ st@@ ern South Da@@ k@@ o@@ t@@ a .
F@@ ar@@ ming was an important part of our fam@@ il@@ y’s life , but it was not the most important part .
My parents got baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses in 19@@ 34 .
My d@@ ad , C@@ la@@ ren@@ ce , and later my un@@ c@@ le Al@@ fre@@ d , served as comp@@ any servant ( now called co@@ ord@@ in@@ ator of the body of elders ) in our small congregation in Con@@ de , South Da@@ k@@ o@@ t@@ a .
My sister , D@@ or@@ o@@ thy , and I became Kingdom publishers when we were six .
Con@@ ven@@ tions and as@@ semb@@ lies were an important part of our lives .
The Bible says : “ The one walking with the wise will become wise , ” and there were many wise ones in my family who suppor@@ ted my decision to pioneer .
When they were serving congregations ne@@ ar@@ by , they sometimes invited me to go with them in the ministry .
As a new Be@@ thel@@ ite , with a farm tru@@ ck
The farm on St@@ at@@ en Is@@ land included the ra@@ di@@ o st@@ ation W@@ B@@ B@@ R .
On@@ ly 15 to 20 members of the Bethel family were assigned to the farm .
Most of us were young and quite in@@ experienced .
Brother Peter@@ son did his work at Bethel well but never ne@@ g@@ le@@ cted the field ministry .
With Ang@@ el@@ a in 197@@ 5 , before a tel@@ evi@@ sion inter@@ view
Th@@ re@@ e years later , we were invited to Bethel .
Why do Jehovah and Christ de@@ serve to be hon@@ o@@ red ?
H@@ u@@ mans were created “ in God’s i@@ mage . ”
8 , 9 . ( a ) How do Jehovah’s Witnesses view government offici@@ als ?
( Read 1 Timothy 5 : 17 . )
Moreover , do not call anyone your father on earth , for one is your Father , the heavenly One .
Ne@@ ither be called leaders , for your Lea@@ der is one , the Christ .
But the greatest one among you must be your minist@@ er .
W@@ ho@@ ever ex@@ al@@ ts himself will be humb@@ led , and who@@ ever humb@@ les himself will be ex@@ al@@ ted . ”
( Read Hebrews 13 : 7 , 17 . )
Why should others not make decisions for us ?
( a ) To make wise decisions , we should have faith in what ?
What will help us to make wise decisions ?
( Read James 1 : 5 - 8 . )
( Read 2 Corinthians 1 : 24 . )
Lo@@ ving elders help others learn to make their own decisions ( See paragraph 11 )
Elders too should take time to do research .
Will it bring joy and peace to my family ?
And will it show that I am patient and kind ? ’
Why does Jehovah expect us to make our own decisions ?
What does it mean to serve Jehovah with a complete heart ?
Which of the four kings would you like to imitate , and why ?
( Read 2 Chr@@ on@@ ic@@ les 14 : 11 . )
What would your heart move you to do ?
A@@ sa@@ ’s son Jehoshaphat “ kept walking in the way of his father Asa . ”
( Read 2 Chr@@ on@@ ic@@ les 20 : 2 - 4 . )
( Read Isaiah 37 : 15 - 20 . )
( Read 2 K@@ ings 20 : 1 - 3 . )
( Read 2 Chr@@ on@@ ic@@ les 34 : 1 - 3 . )
( Read 2 Chr@@ on@@ ic@@ les 34 : 18 , 19 . )
( b ) What will we discuss in the next article ?
Why will we consider the examples of four kings of Judah ?
( Read 2 Chr@@ on@@ ic@@ les 16 : 7 - 9 . )
( Read 2 Chr@@ on@@ ic@@ les 32 : 31 . )
Many praise him for what he has done .
( Read 2 Chr@@ on@@ ic@@ les 35 : 20 - 22 . )
The Bible says that Ne@@ cho@@ ’s words were “ from the mouth of God . ”
Let us meditate on these Bible accounts and be than@@ k@@ ful that Jehovah has provided them for us !
How many vo@@ ws have you made to Jehovah ?
What about your dedication vow or your marriage vow ?
When we believe that we have personally experienced or observed an injustice , our faith , humility , and loyalty may be te@@ sted .
“ The world is pa@@ ssing away and so is its desire , but the one who does the will of God re@@ main@@ s forever . ” ​ — 1 J@@ O@@ H@@ N 2 : 17 .
What will Jehovah do about wicked people and corru@@ pt organiz@@ ations ?
The Bible says : “ The world is pa@@ ssing away . ”
There is no d@@ ar@@ k@@ ness or deep sha@@ do@@ w where wrong@@ do@@ ers can con@@ c@@ eal themselves . ”
Later in the same p@@ salm , we read : “ The righteous will posse@@ ss the earth , and they will live forever on it . ”
Who are “ the mee@@ k ” and “ the righteous ” ?
Why can we be sure that the new earth will be well - organized ?
After Armageddon , will there be any organization on earth ?
So the “ new earth ” will be organized .
What kind of wrong activities are common where you live , and how are you and your family affected ?
What do we learn from Jehovah’s judgment of S@@ od@@ om and Go@@ mor@@ ra@@ h ?
( Read 2 Peter 2 : 6 - 8 . )
( Read Psalm 46 : 8 , 9 . )
What are some things that will be g@@ one forever after Armageddon ?
I@@ l@@ lu@@ strate . ( b ) How can we be sure that we will remain after this old world is g@@ one ?
“ W@@ I@@ L@@ L the Jud@@ ge of all the earth not do what is right ? ”
Because Jehovah is the greatest example of justice and righteousness .
Christians expect to experience some injustice outside the Christian congregation .
In 194@@ 6 , he atten@@ ded the e@@ igh@@ th class of Gilead School in New York , U.@@ S@@ .@@ A .
After gradu@@ ation , he was eventually assigned to the circuit work in S@@ wit@@ z@@ er@@ land .
What examples will we consider in this article and in the next ?
In this article , we will consider Ab@@ raha@@ m@@ ’s great - grand@@ son Joseph and his experience with his brothers .
10 , 11 . ( a ) What in@@ justi@@ ces did Joseph experience ?
( Read Matthew 5 : 23 , 24 ; 18 : 15 . )
Lo@@ y@@ alty to Jehovah and to our brothers will protect us from making such a mistake .
Most important , he did not allow the im@@ perfe@@ ctions and wrong actions of others to separate him from Jehovah .
Why should we draw even closer to Jehovah if we experience injustice in the congregation ?
How can we show that we have confidence in “ the Jud@@ ge of all the earth ” ?
What will we consider in the next article ?
See W@@ ill@@ i D@@ ie@@ h@@ l@@ ’s life story , “ Jehovah Is My God , in W@@ ho@@ m I Will Tru@@ st , ” in the November 1 , 199@@ 1 , issue of The Watchtower .
( See opening pic@@ tu@@ res . ) ( b ) What questions will be answered in this article ?
They are exc@@ el@@ l@@ ent examples for men and women today who choose to make vo@@ ws to Jehovah .
How serious is it to make a vow to God ?
What lessons can we learn from Jephthah and Hannah ?
2 , 3 . ( a ) What is a vow ?
( b ) What do the Scriptures say about making vo@@ ws to God ?
He should do everything he vo@@ wed he would do . ”
( a ) How serious is it to make a vow to God ?
( b ) What do we want to learn about Jephthah and Hannah ?
( a ) How easy was it for Jephthah and his daughter to pay his vow to God ?
Jephthah said : “ I have opened my mouth to Jehovah , and I am un@@ able to turn back . ”
( b ) What did H@@ an@@ na@@ h’s vow mean for Samuel ?
She took Samuel to High Pri@@ est El@@ i at the tabernacle in S@@ hi@@ lo@@ h and said : “ It was for this boy that I prayed , and Jehovah gran@@ ted my pe@@ ti@@ tion that I asked of him .
The second most important vow that a person can make is the marriage vow .
What does the Bible say about div@@ or@@ ce and separ@@ ation ?
( Read 1 Corinthians 7 : 10 , 11 . )
One couple said : “ Since we have been stud@@ ying this brochure , our marriage has been happ@@ i@@ er than ever . ”
We are doing much better now as a couple . ”
18 , 19 . ( a ) What have many Christian parents done ?
( b ) What can be said about those who are in special full - time service ?
S@@ pe@@ cial full - time service vow ( See paragraph 19 )
It is not the people but their assign@@ ments that are viewed as special .
See the App@@ en@@ di@@ x article “ The Bi@@ ble@@ ʼ@@ s V@@ i@@ ew on Di@@ v@@ or@@ ce and Se@@ par@@ ation ” in the book “ Keep Y@@ ourselves in God@@ ʼ@@ s Love . ”
Does the Al@@ mighty care that you are righteous , or does he gain anything because you follow the course of integrity ? ”
( b ) How did Israel de@@ fe@@ at J@@ ab@@ in@@ ’s army ?
( Read Judges 4 : 14 - 16 . )
The tor@@ ren@@ t of K@@ i@@ sho@@ n wa@@ shed them away . ”
See the article “ An@@ x@@ iety About M@@ on@@ ey ” in the July 1 , 2015 , issue of The Watchtower .
1 , 2 . ( a ) What injustice did Naboth and his sons experience ?
( b ) What two qualities will we consider in this article ?
What kind of man was Naboth , and why did he ref@@ use to sell his v@@ in@@ ey@@ ard to King Ahab ?
Naboth was faithful to Jehovah at a time when most Israelites were following the bad example of King Ahab and his wife , wicked Que@@ en Je@@ ze@@ bel .
Read 1 K@@ ings 21 : 1 - 3 .
He respect@@ fully explained : “ It is un@@ th@@ in@@ k@@ able , from Jehovah’s stand@@ point , for me to give you the inher@@ it@@ ance of my fore@@ fa@@ thers . ”
Why would humility have been a protection to Nabo@@ th@@ ’s family and friends ?
( Read Deuteronomy 32 : 3 , 4 . )
( b ) In what ways will humility protect us ?
How will you respond if the elders ann@@ oun@@ ce a decision that you do not agree with ?
What account will we now consider , and why ?
How was Peter cor@@ rected , and what questions arise ?
In fact , he was later inspired to write two letters that became part of the Bible .
3 Hel@@ ping “ F@@ o@@ re@@ ign Re@@ si@@ dents ” to “ Ser@@ ve Jehovah With Re@@ jo@@ ic@@ ing ”
The second article consi@@ ders how app@@ lying Bible principles will help im@@ mi@@ gr@@ ant parents to make decisions that will benefit their children .
“ We could see people ru@@ n@@ ning , sho@@ o@@ ting .
My parents and 11 of us si@@ bl@@ ings f@@ led for our lives with only the clo@@ th@@ es on our bac@@ ks .
How did Jesus and many of his disciples become refugees ?
He said : “ When they persecu@@ te you in one city , fle@@ e to another . ”
( b ) are living in a camp ?
My fe@@ et were so s@@ wo@@ l@@ l@@ en that I told my family to go on without me .
My father ​ — not about to ab@@ an@@ don me to the re@@ bel for@@ ces — ​ car@@ ried me .
They go@@ ssi@@ p@@ ed , d@@ ran@@ k , g@@ am@@ b@@ led , sto@@ le , and were immor@@ al . ”
( Read 1 John 3 : 17 , 18 . )
( b ) Why do they need our patient help ?
They need to see that we care about them .
( b ) How can refugees show gra@@ titude ?
How can we help our brothers and sisters who are refugees ?
( a ) What temp@@ tation do refugees need to re@@ sist ?
Fin@@ ally , he held up the emp@@ ty ba@@ g and said with a smile : ‘ You see ?
This is all you need ! ’ ” ​ — Read 1 Timothy 6 : 8 .
They need to sense Jehovah’s love and compassion among their fellow Christians .
Many of t@@ od@@ a@@ y’s refugees come from countries where our preaching work is re@@ stri@@ cted .
( b ) What will we consider in the following article ?
She said : “ The brothers there tre@@ ated them like close relatives , provi@@ ding food , clo@@ th@@ es , s@@ hel@@ ter , and tran@@ sp@@ or@@ tation .
Who else would welcome strangers into their home just because they worship the same God ?
On@@ ly Jehovah’s Witnesses ! ” ​ — Read John 13 : 35 .
As soon as possible after a refugee arri@@ ves , elders should follow the direction in O@@ r@@ ganiz@@ ed to Do Jehovah’s Will , chapter 8 , paragraph 30 .
In the mean@@ time , they can ask dis@@ cre@@ et questions about a refu@@ ge@@ e@@ ’s congregation and ministry to discer@@ n his spiritual condition .
“ No greater joy do I have than this : that I should hear that my children go on walking in the truth . ” ​ — 3 J@@ O@@ H@@ N 4 .
How can parents set a good example for their children ?
How can family hea@@ ds decide which language congregation the family will attend ?
How can others help im@@ mi@@ gr@@ ant parents and their children ?
1 , 2 . ( a ) What problem do many im@@ mi@@ gr@@ ant children experience ?
( b ) What questions will this article discuss ?
“ But after I started school , I began to pre@@ f@@ er the local language .
Wi@@ th@@ in a few years , the shi@@ ft was complete .
I cou@@ l@@ d@@ n@@ ’t understand the meetings , and I di@@ d@@ n@@ ’t identi@@ fy with my parents ’ culture . ”
3 , 4 . ( a ) How can parents set a good example for their children ?
( b ) What should parents not expect of their children ?
When your children see you “ seeking first the Kingdom , ” they learn to dep@@ end on Jehovah for their daily needs .
N@@ ever get so bus@@ y that you do not have time for your children .
How may your children benefit from learning your language ?
Pa@@ ren@@ ts , if that descri@@ bes your children , can you learn at least some of the local language ?
A child who comm@@ uni@@ ca@@ tes best in another spoken language de@@ serves the same concern , would you not agree ?
If that is your situation , you can still help your children to come to know and love Jehovah .
“ But when we saw her stud@@ ying , praying , and doing her best to conduct family worship every week , we understood that getting to know Jehovah was very important . ”
How can parents help children who may need to study in two languages ?
( a ) Who must decide which language congregation to attend ?
That may not be the case when children do not fully understand the language .
( Read 1 Corinthians 14 : 9 , 11 . )
The answer was not what we personally found conven@@ i@@ ent .
But when we saw that they were getting little benefit from the meetings in our language , we decided to move to the local - language congregation .
To@@ gether , we regularly atten@@ ded meetings and sha@@ red in the ministry .
We also invited local friends to join us for me@@ als and ex@@ cur@@ sions .
All of this helped our children to get to know the brothers and to get to know Jehovah , not only as their God but also as their Father and Fri@@ end .
We considered this to be much more important than their ma@@ st@@ ering our language . ”
Samuel ad@@ ds : “ To keep ourselves spiritually strong , my wife and I also atten@@ ded meetings in our language .
Life was very bus@@ y , and we were ti@@ red .
But we thank Jehovah for blessing our efforts and sacrifices .
Our three children are all serving Jehovah in the full - time ministry . ”
“ I knew the ba@@ si@@ cs of my parents ’ language , but the language spoken at the meetings was over my head , ” rec@@ alls K@@ ri@@ st@@ ina .
“ When I was 12 , I atten@@ ded a convention in my school language .
For the first time , I understood that what I was hear@@ ing was the truth !
Another tur@@ ning point came when I began to pray in my school language .
I could speak to Jehovah from my heart ! ”
Young people , do you think that you would pre@@ f@@ er being part of a local - language congregation ?
“ When my si@@ bl@@ ings and I got into our te@@ ens , we wanted to s@@ wit@@ ch to the local - language congregation , ” says Na@@ dia , who now serves at Bethel .
“ Now we@@ ’@@ re grateful that our parents worked hard to teach us their language and kept us in the foreign - language congregation .
It has en@@ ri@@ ched our lives and bro@@ a@@ den@@ ed our opportunities to help others get to know Jehovah . ”
( b ) How can parents get help in teaching their children the truth ?
( Read Proverbs 1 : 8 ; 31 : 10 , 27 , 28 . )
Still , parents who do not know the local language may need help to reach their chil@@ dre@@ n’s heart .
Bo@@ th children and parents benefit from association with the congregation ( See paragraphs 18 , 19 )
( b ) What must parents continue to do ?
“ When they helped me with student talk assign@@ ments for the meeting , I always learned more .
And I enjoyed the le@@ i@@ sure activities we sha@@ red in as a group . ”
Pa@@ ren@@ ts , pray to Jehovah for help , and try your best .
( Read 2 Chr@@ on@@ ic@@ les 15 : 7 . )
P@@ ut your chil@@ d’s friendship with Jehovah ahead of your own interests .
But it w@@ as@@ n@@ ’t until 194@@ 6 that I really understood Bible truth .
E@@ ven@@ tually , I learned sign language and had fu@@ n pla@@ ying with the other children .
She accepted a magazine sub@@ s@@ crip@@ tion and wanted me to meet her husband , G@@ ary .
E@@ ven@@ tually , five from their class became Jehovah’s Witnesses .
At that time , she gave me a pi@@ e@@ ce of can@@ dy and asked if we could be friends .
When she wanted to get baptized , her parents told her , “ Be@@ come one of Jehovah’s Witnesses , and you will have to leave our home ! ”
She continued her study and later got baptized .
When we got married in 19@@ 60 , her parents did not come to our we@@ d@@ ding .
My son Ni@@ cho@@ l@@ as and his wife , De@@ bor@@ ah , serve at L@@ on@@ don Bethel
Fa@@ y@@ e and James , Jer@@ ry and E@@ vel@@ y@@ n , S@@ han@@ n@@ an and St@@ even
We are now part of the C@@ al@@ g@@ ary S@@ ign - L@@ angu@@ age Congrega@@ tion , where I continue to serve as an elder .
© 20@@ 17 Watch Tower Bible and T@@ r@@ act Society of Pen@@ n@@ s@@ yl@@ v@@ ani@@ a
How can we keep our love for Jehovah strong ?
How can we deep@@ en our love for Bible truth ?
Why is it important to have affection for our brothers ?
What may have ca@@ used the love of some Christians to grow cold ?
People today have less and less love for God .
This is the greatest and first command@@ ment . ”
S@@ how love for Jehovah ( See paragraph 10 )
( Read Psalm 119 : 9@@ 7 - 100 . )
S@@ how love for Bible truth ( See paragraph 14 )
On his last night on earth , Jesus said to his disciples : “ I am giving you a new command@@ ment , that you love one another ; just as I have loved you , you also love one another .
By this all will know that you are my disciples ​ — if you have love among y@@ ourselves . ” ​ — John 13 : 34 , 35 .
The apostle John wrote : “ The one who does not love his brother , whom he has seen , cannot love God , whom he has not seen . ”
S@@ how love for the brothers and sisters ( See paragraph 17 )
What are some ways in which we can show love ?
Read 1 The@@ ss@@ al@@ oni@@ ans 4 : 9 , 10 .
“ Sim@@ on son of John , do you love me more than these ? ” ​ — J@@ O@@ H@@ N 21 : 15 .
Then he said to them : “ ‘ Ca@@ st the n@@ et on the right side of the boat and you will find some . ’
So they ca@@ st it , but they were not able to ha@@ ul it in because of the large number of fish . ” ​ — John 21 : 1 - 6 .
( b ) What valuable lesson did a brother in T@@ ha@@ il@@ and learn about his work ?
As a result , it left me almost no time for spiritual matters .
I finally realized that in order to put Kingdom interests first , I needed to change my line of work . ”
“ After plan@@ ning for about a year , ” he explained , “ I decided to become a stre@@ et ven@@ d@@ or and sell ice cre@@ am .
In the beginning , I strugg@@ led fin@@ anci@@ ally and got discoura@@ ged .
When I met my former wor@@ k@@ mates , they would lau@@ gh at me and ask why I thought sel@@ ling ice cre@@ am was better than working with com@@ pu@@ ters in an a@@ ir - con@@ di@@ tioned en@@ vir@@ on@@ ment .
I prayed to Jehovah , asking him to help me to cope and to reach my goal of having more time for spiritual activities .
I got better ac@@ qu@@ a@@ in@@ ted with my cu@@ sto@@ m@@ ers ’ ta@@ st@@ es and became more sk@@ ill@@ ful in making ice cre@@ am .
So@@ on , I was sel@@ ling all my ice cre@@ am every day .
Ac@@ tually , I was better - off fin@@ anci@@ ally than when I worked with com@@ pu@@ ters .
It has made me happ@@ i@@ er because I do not have the stre@@ ss and worry that I had with my former job .
And most important , I now feel closer to Jehovah . ” ​ — Read Matthew 5 : 3 , 6 .
After his baptism , he said : “ The only regret I have is that I lost so much time before I realized that serving Jehovah brings far more happiness than pursu@@ ing the entertainment offered by this world . ”
Jesus said : “ Where your treasure is , there your heart will be also . ”
Jesus stated that “ no one can slave for two ma@@ st@@ ers . ”
He added : “ You cannot slave for God and for Ri@@ ches . ”
( Read 1 Corinthians 2 : 14 . )
See the article “ Is Your Re@@ creation B@@ ene@@ fi@@ cial ? ”
We also sha@@ red regularly in the field ministry . ”
We were so sa@@ d to leave our Bible students behind . ”
But then , a month later , they received thri@@ l@@ ling news .
Mi@@ ri@@ am says : “ We were invited to serve as special pioneers .
What a joy to be able to stay in our assignment ! ”
They trusted in the promise found at Psalm 37 : 5 : “ Com@@ mit your way to Jehovah ; rely on him , and he will act in your behalf . ”
Today we do , and we lack nothing of real importance . ”
Why can we expect that marriage and family life will invol@@ ve some trials ?
We can be sure that he wants the best for us , as he did for his servants in the past . ​ — Read Jeremiah 29 : 11 , 12 .
( Read 1 Samuel 1 : 4 - 7 . )
“ Even though An@@ n was not related to me , I found her loving concern to be such a help , ” Paul@@ a explains .
“ It helped me to keep serving Jehovah . ”
( Read Psalm 14@@ 5 : 18 , 19 . )
“ Where your treasure is , there your hearts will be also . ” ​ — L@@ U@@ K@@ E 12 : 34 .
As we do so , meditate on how you personally can deep@@ en your love for these spiritual trea@@ sures .
Can you imagine how precious that pe@@ ar@@ l was to him ?
( Read Mark 10 : 28 - 30 . )
( a ) Why did the apostle Paul descri@@ be our ministry as a “ treasure in ear@@ then ve@@ s@@ sel@@ s ” ?
( Read Romans 1 : 14 , 15 ; 2 Timothy 4 : 2 . )
Some of them serve as Be@@ thel@@ ites , pioneers , and elders .
I@@ ren@@ e says , “ When I think of other goals I could have pursu@@ ed , I can@@ ’t imagine one that would have brought me more joy . ”
What is the “ treasure st@@ ore ” that Jesus refer@@ red to at Matthew 13 : 52 , and how do we fill it ?
( Read Proverbs 2 : 4 - 7 . )
Consider the experience of a brother named Peter .
To test Peter , the ra@@ b@@ b@@ i asked , “ So , my boy , what language was the book of Daniel written in ? ”
When I went home and che@@ cked the Watchtower and Awake !
magaz@@ ines from the pre@@ vi@@ ous months , I found an article expla@@ ining that Daniel was written in A@@ ra@@ ma@@ ic . ”
As you do this , you will build up “ treasure in the heaven@@ s , where no thief ge@@ ts near and no mo@@ th con@@ su@@ mes .
For where your treasure is , there your hearts will be also . ” ​ — Luke 12 : 33 , 34 .
“ I had trouble getting along with a brother who worked with me .
On@@ ce when we were y@@ el@@ ling at each other , two people came in and witne@@ ssed our b@@ low@@ up . ” ​ — C@@ H@@ R@@ I@@ S .
“ A sister with whom I often preached su@@ d@@ den@@ ly ended our arrang@@ e@@ ments for the ministry .
I had no i@@ dea why . ” ​ — J@@ A@@ N@@ E@@ T .
“ I was on a three - person phone call .
One of the others said good - b@@ y@@ e , and I thought he was off the line .
I then said un@@ kind things about him to the other person on the phone , but the first person had not hun@@ g up . ” ​ — M@@ I@@ C@@ H@@ A@@ E@@ L .
“ In our congregation , two pioneers began having problems .
Their b@@ ic@@ k@@ ering was discoura@@ ging to others . ” ​ — G@@ A@@ R@@ Y .
“ Do not become up@@ set with one another on the way . ”
“ Pl@@ ans fail when there is no con@@ sul@@ tation . ”
Mic@@ hael says , “ My brother genu@@ in@@ ely for@@ gave me . ”
“ Con@@ tin@@ ue putting up with one another and for@@ giving one another freely even if anyone has a cause for com@@ pla@@ int against another . ”
Now they get along well as they preach the good news .
That differ@@ ence may seem un@@ important ; yet , it can lead to serious problems . ”
As my ir@@ rit@@ ation grew , I started being cur@@ t with her .
I thought , ‘ She does not show me the respect I de@@ serve , so I am not going to show her respect . ’ ”
“ I began seeing my own personality f@@ laws , and I was very disapp@@ ointed in myself .
I realized that I had to ad@@ just my thinking .
After praying to Jehovah about the matter , I b@@ ou@@ ght the sister a small gift and wrote her a c@@ ard to a@@ po@@ lo@@ gi@@ ze for my bad attitude .
We hu@@ g@@ ged each other and a@@ gre@@ ed to put the matter behind us .
We have not had any more problems . ”
F@@ OR many people today , money is the big issue .
Why must the issue of sovereignty be sett@@ led ?
How important is the v@@ indi@@ cation of Jehovah’s sovereignty ?
Why , from the day our fore@@ fa@@ thers f@@ ell as@@ le@@ ep in death , all things are continu@@ ing ex@@ ac@@ tly as they were from c@@ rea@@ tion@@ ’s beginning . ”
( Read Isaiah 55 : 10 , 11 . )
( Read Job 1 : 7 - 12 . )
( Read Job 38 : 18 - 21 . )
( Read Romans 5 : 3 - 5 . )
One reason is that he ru@@ les with love .
He ca@@ res for us better than we can care for ourselves .
How can elders and family hea@@ ds imitate Jehovah ?
Publi@@ shed by Jehovah’s Witnesses but now out of print .
Psalm 147 repe@@ ate@@ dly encoura@@ ges God’s people to praise Jehovah .
What was it about Jehovah that impre@@ ssed the psalmist so much that he wanted God to be pra@@ is@@ ed ?
Many young brothers and sisters are ze@@ al@@ ously enter@@ ing the full - time service .
“ Make friends for y@@ ourselves by means of the un@@ righteous riches . ” ​ — L@@ U@@ K@@ E 16 : 9 .
How can we avoid becoming sla@@ ves of t@@ od@@ a@@ y’s comm@@ erci@@ al world ?
In this system of things , why will there always be some poor people ?
What can we learn from Jesus ’ counsel ?
How do we know that t@@ od@@ a@@ y’s comm@@ erci@@ al system was not part of God’s purpose ?
Give examples of how some are showing faith@@ fulness in their use of un@@ righteous riches .
I am more gener@@ ous in being for@@ giving , in being patient with others , and in being able to accept disapp@@ oin@@ t@@ ments and counsel . ”
( Read 2 Corinthians 8 : 13 - 15 . )
How did Abraham show that he trusted in God ?
( b ) How can we apply Paul’s counsel today ?
After c@@ all@@ ing Timothy “ a fine soldier of Christ Jesus , ” Paul told him : “ No man serving as a soldier involves himself in the comm@@ erci@@ al bus@@ in@@ e@@ sses of life , in order to gain the approval of the one who en@@ ro@@ lled him as a soldier . ”
Jehovah ble@@ sses those who are “ rich in fine works . ”
( Read 1 Timothy 6 : 17 - 19 . )
High - quality materi@@ als of wo@@ od , stone , and me@@ tal will be freely available to build beautiful homes .
To don@@ ate on@@ line , go to jw.org and c@@ li@@ ck the “ Make a D@@ on@@ ation to Our Wor@@ l@@ dwide Work ” l@@ ink near the bo@@ t@@ to@@ m of any pa@@ ge .
“ F@@ OR almost a year after the death of our son , we felt deep and exc@@ ru@@ ci@@ ating pain , ” said S@@ us@@ i .
( Read 2 Corinthians 1 : 3 , 4 . )
Every single time , the peace of God truly gu@@ ar@@ ded our hearts and minds . ” ​ — Read Philippians 4 : 6 , 7 .
How did Jesus show em@@ pa@@ thy when La@@ zar@@ us died ?
If you are gri@@ ev@@ ing , you too can find so@@ o@@ thing comfort from such scriptures as the following :
( Read 1 The@@ ss@@ al@@ oni@@ ans 5 : 11 . )
What do we need to remember about gri@@ ef ?
Even when someone does express how he fe@@ els , it is not always easy for others to understand what he is trying to say .
At that mo@@ ment , I don@@ ’t feel quite so alone in my gri@@ ef . ”
“ Re@@ cei@@ ving a short encouraging message or an invitation to spend time with a fellow Christian helps me more than I can say , ” says J@@ uni@@ a .
“ Those expre@@ ssions make me feel loved and ca@@ red for . ”
“ Sometimes when sisters have come to comfort me , ” rec@@ alls D@@ al@@ en@@ e , “ I have asked them if they are willing to say a prayer .
They start praying , often batt@@ ling to speak at first , but every time , within a few sen@@ ten@@ ces , their voice ge@@ ts str@@ ong@@ er and they say the most heartfelt prayer .
Their strong faith , their love , and their concern have been very faith - strength@@ ening . ”
“ A true friend shows love at all times , and is a brother who is born for times of distre@@ ss . ”
“ I expected my first we@@ d@@ ding ann@@ i@@ ver@@ s@@ ary to be very tra@@ u@@ ma@@ tic , ” relates one brother , “ and it was not easy .
But a few brothers and sisters plan@@ ned a small ga@@ ther@@ ing of my clo@@ se@@ st friends so that I w@@ ou@@ l@@ d@@ n@@ ’t be on my own . ”
“ O@@ f@@ ten the help and compani@@ on@@ ship offered when there is no special ann@@ i@@ ver@@ s@@ ary can be very bene@@ fi@@ cial , ” explains J@@ uni@@ a .
“ Those spon@@ t@@ an@@ e@@ ous mo@@ ments are so valuable and bring much comfort . ”
They have truly made me feel Jehovah’s loving ar@@ ms around me . ”
Why are Jehovah’s promises a source of great comfort ?
God promises that “ he will do away with death forever , and the So@@ vere@@ ign Lord Jehovah will wi@@ pe away the t@@ ears from all fac@@ es . ”
Other scriptures that many have found comfor@@ ting are Psalm 20 : 1 , 2 ; 31 : 7 ; 38 : 8 , 9 , 15 ; 55 : 22 ; 1@@ 21 : 1 , 2 ; Isaiah 5@@ 7 : 15 ; 6@@ 6 : 13 ; Philippians 4 : 13 ; and 1 Peter 5 : 7 .
See also the article “ Com@@ fort the B@@ er@@ ea@@ ved , as Jesus Did ” in the November 1 , 20@@ 10 , issue of The Watchtower .
“ We don@@ ’t know what to say ex@@ ce@@ pt that we love you .
We can@@ ’t understand ex@@ ac@@ tly how you feel , but Jehovah does and will keep rais@@ ing you up .
We hope that our prayers will help a little . ”
“ May Jehovah su@@ sta@@ in you at this time of such great lo@@ ss . ”
“ May you find comfort in knowing that your de@@ ar one is sa@@ fe in the me@@ mor@@ y of God , who will remember every deta@@ il about him and bring him back again . ”
“ Your loved one will never have to face the last enemy , death , ever again .
In the mean@@ time , his acts of faith live on until he stan@@ ds up alive and whole in the Paradise . ”
“ While words fail to cap@@ ture the pain of lo@@ sing a loved one , we look forward to the time when words will fail to cap@@ ture the joy of having our heavenly Father return your de@@ ar one to you . ”
During the great tribulation , Christians will rely on Jehovah and not try to def@@ end themselves
In an ap@@ ple or@@ ch@@ ard in G@@ r@@ ó@@ je@@ c , a publisher sha@@ res the Bible’s message with one of the wor@@ kers
( b ) What can we learn from stud@@ ying Psalm 147 ?
And there may be tri@@ l@@ lions of g@@ al@@ a@@ x@@ ies in the universe !
I want you to enjoy your life as one of my Witnesses ! ”
( Read Psalm 147 : 8 , 9 . )
M@@ u@@ t@@ su@@ o says : “ I felt that Jehovah was right next to each one of us and car@@ ing for us .
12 , 13 . ( a ) To benefit from God’s help , what should we avoid ?
On the other hand , God “ hur@@ ls the wicked to the ground . ”
“ Jehovah fin@@ ds plea@@ sure in those who fear him , in those waiting for his loyal love . ”
15 - 17 . ( a ) How might we at times feel about our trials , but how does Jehovah use his Word to help us ?
Today , Jehovah gui@@ des us with his Word , the Bible .
( Read Psalm 147 : 19 , 20 . )
What pl@@ ans can lead to a happy future for you ?
What could a life in the pioneer service lead to ?
Y@@ O@@ U young ones will pro@@ b@@ ably agree that before star@@ ting a jour@@ ney , it is wise to plan where you will go .
Life is like a jour@@ ney , and the time to plan where you want to go is when you are young .
How do you know that Jehovah wants you to plan for a happy future ?
Your Creator is “ the God of love , ” “ the happy God , ” who made humans “ in his i@@ mage . ”
You will be happy when you imitate our loving God .
Jesus Christ set the perfect example for you young ones .
Jesus also dre@@ w close to Jehovah by stud@@ ying the Scriptures .
“ Pl@@ ans fail when there is no con@@ sul@@ tation , but there is accomp@@ li@@ shment through many ad@@ vis@@ ers . ”
As with any care@@ er , you need time to become sk@@ illed .
At first , I cou@@ l@@ d@@ n@@ ’t start any Bible stu@@ dies , but later I moved to another territory , and within a month I started several stu@@ dies .
One student began coming to the Kingdom Hall .
For example , Jacob , from N@@ or@@ th A@@ mer@@ ic@@ a , wr@@ ites : “ When I was seven , many of my cla@@ ss@@ mates were V@@ ie@@ t@@ nam@@ ese .
I wanted to tell them about Jehovah , so after a while I made pl@@ ans to learn their language .
For the most part , I learned by com@@ par@@ ing the English and V@@ ie@@ t@@ nam@@ ese e@@ ditions of The Watchtower .
I also made friends in a ne@@ ar@@ by V@@ ie@@ t@@ nam@@ ese - language congregation .
When I was 18 , I started pioneering .
Later , I atten@@ ded the Bible School for S@@ ing@@ le Brothers .
This helped me with my present pioneer assignment , where I am the only elder in a V@@ ie@@ t@@ nam@@ ese - language group .
Many V@@ ie@@ t@@ nam@@ ese people are a@@ ma@@ zed that I have learned their language .
They invite me in , and often I can study the Bible with them .
Some have progre@@ ssed to baptism . ” ​ — Co@@ mp@@ are Acts 2 : 7 , 8 .
I enjoy encouraging the young brothers in our congregation and seeing their spiritual progress .
After I atten@@ ded the Bible School for S@@ ing@@ le Brothers , I received a new pioneer assignment .
I@@ t@@ ’s true that I have never found anyone in the territory who progre@@ ssed to baptism , but others have .
How may pioneer service lead to other opportunities ?
A brother named K@@ ev@@ in says : “ E@@ ver since I was a little boy , I have wanted to serve Jehovah full - time some@@ day .
Fin@@ ally , I started pioneering when I was 19 .
I suppor@@ ted myself working part - time for a brother who was a buil@@ der .
I learned to inst@@ all ro@@ o@@ f@@ s , w@@ in@@ do@@ ws , and do@@ ors .
Later , I spent two years with a hur@@ ri@@ can@@ e reli@@ ef te@@ am , re@@ building Kingdom H@@ alls and homes for the brothers .
When I heard about the construction needs in South Africa , I applied and was invited to go .
H@@ ere in Africa , I move from one Kingdom Hall pro@@ ject to another every few weeks .
We live together , study the Bible together , and work together .
I also enjoy preaching with the local brothers each week .
The pl@@ ans I made as a boy have made me happy in ways I did not fore@@ see . ”
Bethel service is a happy way of life because everything you do there is for Jehovah .
After a year and a half , I was invited to Bethel , where I learned to oper@@ ate prin@@ ting pre@@ sses and later to do com@@ pu@@ ter progra@@ m@@ ming .
At Bethel , I enjoy hear@@ ing fir@@ s@@ th@@ and about the progress of the disciple - making activity worldwide .
I love serving here because what we do helps people to draw close to Jehovah . ”
You can be sure that Jehovah wants you to “ get a firm hold ” on a happy future .
( Read 1 Timothy 6 : 18 , 19 . )
Then plan to do what is pleas@@ ing to him .
He has studied human beha@@ vior since man was created .
I@@ t@@ ’s something you have to find out for yourself . ”
and “ Do not let them lead you into disa@@ ster ! ”
Jesus said : “ Do not fear those who kill the body and after this are not able to do anything more . ”
Do not be stru@@ ck with ter@@ r@@ or or fear , for Jehovah your God is with you wh@@ er@@ ever you go . ”
L@@ ist@@ en to Jehovah and trust in him in all that you do .
The second article high@@ li@@ ghts how Jehovah can do the u@@ nex@@ pe@@ cted by accomp@@ li@@ shing things we could never imagine .
Like the far@@ mer , we need to wait patiently .
What can we learn from the example of the prophet Mi@@ ca@@ h ?
( Read Mi@@ ca@@ h 7 : 1 - 3 . )
If we have faith like that of Mi@@ ca@@ h , we will be willing to wait for Jehovah .
So we “ endure fully with patience and joy . ”
Abraham had to wait many years before his grand@@ sons E@@ sa@@ u and Jacob were born ( See paragraphs 9 , 10 )
( Read Hebrews 11 : 8 - 12 . )
But just imagine Ab@@ raha@@ m@@ ’s joy when he is resur@@ rected back to a paradise earth .
Although you me@@ ant to har@@ m me , God inten@@ ded it to turn out well and to pre@@ serve many people alive , as he is doing today . ”
( b ) What helped David to wait patiently ?
I will sing to Jehovah , for he has ri@@ ch@@ ly rewar@@ ded me . ”
( Read 2 Peter 3 : 9 . )
What will help us to be willing to wait patiently ?
What lessons do we learn from what happened to the apostle Paul in Philippi ?
( Read Acts 16 : 8 - 10 . )
So@@ on after he arrived in M@@ ace@@ don@@ ia , he ended up in prison !
Why did Jehovah allow this to happen to Paul ?
Bo@@ th he and Silas started “ praying and pra@@ is@@ ing God with song . ”
4 , 5 . ( a ) How could our situation be similar to that of Paul ?
( b ) How did Paul’s situation change u@@ nex@@ pe@@ c@@ te@@ dly ?
What will we now discuss and re@@ view together ?
( Read 1 Peter 5 : 6 , 7 . )
We need to act in harmony with our prayers .
Sometimes he surpri@@ ses us by doing the u@@ nex@@ pe@@ cted .
Jehovah sent an angel to destroy 18@@ 5@@ ,000 of S@@ en@@ n@@ ach@@ er@@ i@@ b@@ ’s soldiers in one night .
( a ) What lesson do we learn from what happened to Joseph ?
No doubt Jehovah’s actions ex@@ ce@@ e@@ ded all of Jose@@ p@@ h’s expe@@ c@@ ta@@ tions .
Think , too , about Jose@@ p@@ h’s great - grand@@ mother Sarah .
( Read Isaiah 43 : 10 - 13 . )
We know that Jehovah ca@@ res for us and wants us to succeed .
How can we stri@@ p off and keep off the old personality ?
By 19@@ 39 there were 6@@ ,000 of them in the [ con@@ cen@@ tra@@ tion ca@@ mp@@ s ] . ”
And you people have clean@@ ed the sta@@ di@@ um so n@@ ic@@ ely .
But most of all , you are truly m@@ ul@@ ti@@ rac@@ ial . ”
What will be considered in this article , and why ?
But the more I had sexual rela@@ tions , the more in@@ se@@ cure I felt . ”
This way of life continued until Sa@@ k@@ ur@@ a was 23 years old .
It got so bad that I could not wait for the woman I was living with to leave the house so that I could watch por@@ no@@ gra@@ ph@@ ic vide@@ o@@ s . ”
What helped Steph@@ en to put away anger and ab@@ u@@ sive speech ?
He says : “ Our family life im@@ proved dra@@ ma@@ tic@@ ally .
Today , Steph@@ en serves as a ministerial servant , and his wife has been a regular pioneer for several years .
Bible t@@ ex@@ ts that encouraged me were Isaiah 55 : 7 , which says : ‘ Let the wicked man leave his way , ’ and 1 Corinthians 6 : 11 , which says about those who had ab@@ and@@ oned sinful ways : ‘ And yet that is what some of you were . ’
For many years , Jehovah patiently helped me by means of his holy spirit to put on the new personality . ”
We also benefit from God’s Word and his holy spirit when we prepare for and attend congregation meetings .
What will be discu@@ ssed in the next article ?
Some of the n@@ ames in this article have been changed .
See chapter 25 in the book Questions Young People Ask ​ — An@@ s@@ wers That Work , V@@ o@@ lu@@ me 1 .
( Read Colossians 3 : 10 - 14 . )
He stated : “ There is neither Greek nor Jew , circum@@ ci@@ sion nor un@@ circum@@ ci@@ sion , fore@@ ign@@ er , S@@ c@@ y@@ thi@@ an , slave , or fre@@ e@@ man . ”
( a ) How do servants of Jehovah need to treat others ?
( See opening picture . ) ( b ) What have been the results ?
Then he atten@@ ded a meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses .
You get to experience our worldwide bro@@ ther@@ hood and see its mir@@ ac@@ ul@@ ous unity fir@@ s@@ th@@ and . ”
When we showed them scriptures from their Por@@ tu@@ gu@@ ese Bible , such as Revelation 21 : 3 , 4 or Psalm 37 : 10 , 11 , 29 , they pa@@ id attention and sometimes even shed t@@ ears . ”
We are so than@@ k@@ ful to Jehovah . ” ​ — Read Acts 10 : 34 , 35 .
What example did Jesus set in showing mildness and patience ?
Then he added : “ If you continue showing fav@@ ori@@ ti@@ sm , you are commit@@ ting sin . ”
Why is it important that we clo@@ the ourselves with love ?
Love is also “ patient and kind ” and “ does not get pu@@ ff@@ ed up . ”
Paul said that without love , he was “ nothing . ”
The love is in this respect , not that we have loved God , but that he loved us and sent his Son as a pro@@ pi@@ ti@@ at@@ ory sacrifice for our sins . ”
Jesus said : “ No one has love greater than this , that someone should sur@@ ren@@ der his life in behalf of his friends . ”
Let us consider how we can do so .
John wrote : “ L@@ it@@ tle children , we should love , not in word or with the t@@ ong@@ ue , but in deed and truth . ”
But then I asked myself , ‘ How can I imitate Jesus in deal@@ ing with this person ? ’
After refle@@ cting on what Jesus would have done , I decided to let the matter go and not make an issue of it .
Later , I learned that my co@@ worker had been cop@@ ing with a serious health problem and was under a lot of stre@@ ss .
I conclu@@ ded that she pro@@ b@@ ably did not really mean what she wrote .
Re@@ fle@@ cting on Jesus ’ example of showing love even when pro@@ vo@@ ked helped me to show similar love to my co@@ worker . ”
By lea@@ ving heaven , “ he emp@@ ti@@ ed himself ” in our behalf , even “ to the point of death . ”
P@@ E@@ A@@ C@@ E : “ Pu@@ tting up with one another in love ” al@@ lo@@ ws us to enjoy “ the un@@ iting b@@ ond of peace . ”
Would you not agree that such a peace@@ ful spirit is truly uni@@ qu@@ e in t@@ od@@ a@@ y’s divi@@ ded world ?
Paul wrote : “ Love buil@@ ds up . ”
The following day , they had out@@ gro@@ wn the ven@@ ue . ”
B@@ el@@ o@@ w the picture was the cap@@ tion : “ In@@ va@@ sion of the stre@@ e@@ ts . ”
One congregation wrote , “ The only line that pa@@ sses near this place is a tel@@ e@@ gra@@ ph line . ”
In Mexico , 2@@ ,@@ 2@@ 6@@ 2@@ ,@@ 6@@ 46 people atten@@ ded the Memorial in 20@@ 16 .
Matthe@@ w@@ ’s account foc@@ uses on events that involved Joseph .
1 , 2 . ( a ) What can result from a lack of self - control ?
Pra@@ y for wisdom to say or do the right thing .
How can you prepare yourself to re@@ sist temp@@ ta@@ tions ?
What experience did one brother have , and why are our re@@ actions in similar situations important ?
In what ways can parents help their children to develop self - control ?
How can you help your children to develop self - control ?
( Read Ex@@ od@@ us 34 : 5 - 7 . )
( b ) Why should you be interested in what the Bible says about compassion ?
( a ) Why did Jehovah send angels to S@@ od@@ om ?
( Read Ex@@ od@@ us 22 : 26 , 27 . )
We read : “ Jehovah the God of their fore@@ fa@@ thers kept warning them by means of his me@@ ss@@ eng@@ ers , warning them again and again , because he felt compassion for his people and for his d@@ wel@@ ling place . ”
“ He started to teach them many things . ”
Instead , we need to do all we can now to help people .
One meaning of compassion is “ to suffer together . ”
“ Be courageous and strong and go to work .
How can young ones and their parents show courage ?
1 , 2 . ( a ) What important assignment did Solomon receive ?
To succeed , Solomon would need to be courageous and go to work .
What could Solomon learn about courage from his father ?
( Read 1 Chr@@ on@@ ic@@ les 28 : 20 . )
How did Jesus ’ courage affect the apostles ?
( Read 2 Timothy 1 : 7 . )
Let us consider two areas of life where we need courage : in our family and in the congregation .
( b ) How can young ones imitate Moses ’ example ?
He will help them provide for the needs of their families .
She wr@@ ites : “ G@@ ro@@ wing up , I was really sh@@ y .
I could b@@ are@@ ly talk to people at the Kingdom Hall , much less kno@@ ck on the do@@ ors of complete strangers . ”
With the help of her parents and others in the congregation , this young Christian ach@@ i@@ ev@@ ed her goal of becoming a regular pioneer .
How can Psalm 37 : 25 and Hebrews 13 : 5 help parents ?
( Read Psalm 37 : 25 ; Hebrews 13 : 5 . )
A brother who has two children wrote : “ Many parents exp@@ end much effort and re@@ sour@@ ces helping their children reach goals in such areas as sp@@ or@@ ts , re@@ creation , and education .
It makes so much more sense to exp@@ end effort and re@@ sour@@ ces in helping our children reach goals that will help them to maintain a good standing with Jehovah .
It has been a great source of satisfaction not only to see our children reach spiritual goals but to share the jour@@ ney with them . ”
Give examples of courage in the Christian congregation .
( Read Titus 2 : 3 - 5 . )
( a ) How can baptized brothers be courageous ?
( Read Philippians 2 : 13 ; 4 : 13 . )
We ur@@ ge all baptized brothers to be courageous and work hard for the congregation !
Therefore , “ be courageous . . . and go to work . ”
1 , 2 . ( a ) What would life be like without the Bible ?
The apostle Peter quo@@ ted Isaiah 40 : 8 .
( Read 1 Peter 1 : 24 , 25 . )
( a ) How do languages change over time ?
( Read Revelation 14 : 6 , fo@@ o@@ t@@ note . )
Later prin@@ tings also used the word “ L@@ O@@ R@@ D ” in cap@@ ital letters in some ver@@ ses in the Christian Greek Scriptures .
Why are we grateful for the New World T@@ ran@@ slation ?
( b ) What is the Greek Sep@@ tu@@ ag@@ int ?
( Read Psalm 119 : 1@@ 6@@ 2 - 1@@ 65 . )
( Read Isaiah 48 : 17 , 18 . )
What will we consider in the following article ?
See the article “ Do You Ne@@ ed to L@@ earn Hebrew and Greek ? ”
in the November 1 , 200@@ 9 , issue of The Watchtower .
On April 3 , 20@@ 17 , a Bible mu@@ se@@ um opened at our world head@@ quar@@ ters in W@@ ar@@ wi@@ ck , New York , U.@@ S@@ .@@ A .
The per@@ man@@ ent g@@ all@@ er@@ y of this mu@@ se@@ um is enti@@ t@@ led “ The Bible and the Di@@ v@@ ine Na@@ me . ”
We invite you to visit the Bible mu@@ se@@ um and the other mu@@ se@@ u@@ ms lo@@ cated at head@@ quar@@ ters .
P@@ lease go to w@@ w@@ w.@@ jw.org to make a re@@ ser@@ vation for your visit .
Lo@@ ok under A@@ B@@ O@@ U@@ T U@@ S > O@@ F@@ F@@ I@@ C@@ E@@ S & T@@ O@@ U@@ R@@ S .
“ The word of God is alive and ex@@ er@@ ts power . ” ​ — HE@@ B .
( Read 1 Corinthians 6 : 9 - 11 . )
( Read Ephesians 5 : 15 , 16 . )
He read 2 Corinthians 1 : 3 , 4 , which says : “ The Father of ten@@ der mer@@ ci@@ es and the God of all comfort . . . com@@ forts us in all our trials . ”
What responsibility do brothers who teach from the pl@@ at@@ form have ?
Are we not grateful to Jehovah for his written Word , the Bible ?
See the box “ A Tur@@ ning P@@ oin@@ t . ”
Take time to explain , illu@@ strate , and apply ver@@ ses that you read
“ A tur@@ ning point came about 15 years after I was baptized .
During a talk at the Kingdom Hall . . . , the spea@@ ker refer@@ red to James 1 : 23 , 24 .
Those ver@@ ses lik@@ en God’s Word to a mir@@ r@@ or in which we can see ourselves the way Jehovah sees us .
I began to wonder if what I saw in myself was different from what Jehovah saw .
At first , I re@@ sist@@ ed this new i@@ dea .
I still felt that loving me was too much to expect of Jehovah .
“ A few days later , I read a s@@ crip@@ ture that changed my life .
The verse was Isaiah 1 : 18 , where Jehovah is quo@@ ted as saying : ‘ Co@@ me , now , you people , and let us set matters stra@@ ight between us . . . .
Though the sins of you people should prove to be as s@@ car@@ let , they will be made white just like s@@ now . ’
I felt as if Jehovah were speaking to me , saying : ‘ Co@@ me on , V@@ ic@@ k@@ y , le@@ t@@ ’s set matters stra@@ ight between us .
I know you , I know your sins , I know your heart ​ — and I love you . ’
“ I was un@@ able to sleep that night .
I still doub@@ ted that Jehovah could love me , but I began thinking about Jesus ’ ransom sacrifice .
All of a su@@ d@@ den , it da@@ w@@ ned on me that Jehovah had been patient with me for so long , showing me that he loved me in so many ways .
Yet , I was , in effect , saying to him : ‘ Your love is not great enough to reach me .
Your S@@ on@@ ’s sacrifice is not enough to cover me . ’
It was as if I had been thro@@ wing the ransom back at Jehovah .
But now , at last , by meditating on this gift of the ransom , I began to feel loved by Jehovah . ”
These articles discuss Zechar@@ iah’s si@@ x@@ th , se@@ ven@@ th , and e@@ igh@@ th vi@@ sions .
First , let me tell you about my back@@ ground .
I W@@ A@@ S born in 19@@ 23 in He@@ m@@ s@@ worth , a town in Y@@ or@@ k@@ sh@@ ire , England .
The following year , I was appointed as a special pioneer , along with Mary H@@ en@@ sh@@ all .
We were sent to un@@ assigned territory in the coun@@ ty of Ch@@ e@@ sh@@ ire .
It is a great joy to know that there are now many Witnesses in that area .
My brother and his wife , Lo@@ t@@ ti@@ e , were already serving as special pioneers in N@@ or@@ thern Ireland , and in 195@@ 2 the four of us atten@@ ded a distri@@ ct convention in B@@ el@@ fast .
That night the four of us sle@@ pt in the car .
A@@ ma@@ z@@ ingly , we had no problem par@@ king the tra@@ il@@ er on the property of friend@@ ly far@@ m@@ ers .
We really enjoyed our assignment in the circuit work .
The first inter@@ national convention in Ireland was held in D@@ u@@ bl@@ in in 196@@ 5 .
A to@@ tal of 3@@ ,@@ 9@@ 48 atten@@ ded , and 65 got baptized .
Arthur greeting Nathan K@@ nor@@ r on his arri@@ val for the 196@@ 5 convention
Arthur rele@@ as@@ es My Book of Bible St@@ ories in Ga@@ eli@@ c in 198@@ 3
In 20@@ 11 our lives changed completely when the Britain and Ireland b@@ ran@@ ches were mer@@ ged and we were assigned to L@@ on@@ don Bethel .
In the last few years , I have felt heart@@ break , de@@ pre@@ ssion , and gri@@ ef .
In the past , Arthur had always been there for me .
But when you go through these kin@@ ds of situations , you draw closer to Jehovah .
“ We should love , not in word or with the t@@ ong@@ ue , but in deed and truth . ” ​ — 1 J@@ O@@ H@@ N 3 : 18 .
What is “ love free from hy@@ po@@ cri@@ sy ” ?
How has Jehovah shown un@@ selfish love for humans ?
Jehovah showed love for humans even before he created Adam and Eve .
In what ways can we show genuine love ?
6 , 7 . ( a ) What is “ love free from hy@@ po@@ cri@@ sy ” ?
( Read Matthew 6 : 1 - 4 . )
How can we show genuine love when we offer hospitality ?
( Read 1 John 3 : 17 . )
( Read Romans 12 : 17 , 18 . )
How can we show that our forgiveness is genuine ?
What is the “ sword ” that Jesus said he would bring ?
How can you maintain your loyalty to Jehovah if your relatives opp@@ ose true worship ?
3 , 4 . ( a ) What effect do Jesus ’ teachings have ?
Jesus said : “ Do not think I came to bring peace to the earth ; I came to bring , not peace , but a sword .
For I came to cause di@@ vision , with a man against his father , and a daughter against her mother , and a daughter - in - law against her mother - in - law .
How can Christians teach their children to honor an un@@ believing parent ?
Instead , explain to them that each person must choose whether to serve Jehovah .
“ Let your words always be gr@@ ac@@ ious , ” says the Bible .
( Read 1 Peter 3 : 1 , 2 , 16 . )
How can you overcome feelings of guil@@ t about disp@@ le@@ as@@ ing your relatives ?
One of the many me@@ tro@@ po@@ lit@@ an witne@@ ssing stan@@ ds in La@@ go@@ s , the most po@@ p@@ ul@@ ous city in Africa .
What was the situation of the Israelites at that time ?
( Read Zechariah 1 : 3 , 4 . )
C@@ ha@@ p@@ ter 5 of Zechariah beg@@ ins with an un@@ usu@@ al vision .
( Read Zechariah 5 : 1 , 2 . )
8 - 10 . ( a ) What is an o@@ ath ?
What can we learn from Zechar@@ iah’s si@@ x@@ th vision ?
( Read Zechariah 5 : 5 - 8 . )
( Read Zechariah 5 : 9 - 11 . )
How do you feel about the greatest building work going on today ?
( Read Zechariah 6 : 1 - 3 . )
Jehovah still uses his angels to protect and strengthen his people
7 , 8 . ( a ) What do the two moun@@ tain@@ s re@@ present ?
( b ) Why are the moun@@ tain@@ s made of co@@ pper ?
In the Bible , moun@@ tain@@ s can re@@ present k@@ ing@@ do@@ ms , or governments .
Who are the ri@@ ders of the chari@@ ots , and what is their assignment ?
( Read Zechariah 6 : 5 - 8 . )
( Read Zechariah 6 : 9 - 12 . )
Fin@@ ally , true worship will be fully re@@ sto@@ red !
Jehovah will never forget the love that we show for him !
I@@ N A small town in Gu@@ j@@ ar@@ at , In@@ dia , Joh@@ n’s father was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the late 195@@ 0 ’ s .
She no@@ tic@@ ed Joh@@ n’s in@@ ju@@ red f@@ ing@@ er and offered to help .
He went to his priest and asked him the same two questions .
S@@ how me where the Bible says that Jesus is not God .
S@@ how me where it says that you should not worship Mary .
We can learn valuable lessons from the arrangement of the cities of refuge in ancient Israel .
What role does singing play in true worship ?
But a song makes you feel a thought . ”
( b ) How should we sing pra@@ i@@ ses to Jehovah , and who should take the lead ?
Read the l@@ yri@@ cs out lou@@ d in a strong , confident voice .
( a ) How can opening our mouth wi@@ der help our singing ?
P@@ r@@ acti@@ ce the songs during family worship ( See paragraph 18 )
( Read N@@ u@@ mb@@ ers 35 : 24 , 25 . )
Lo@@ o@@ king back , he says : “ S@@ ure , I was sca@@ red to approach them .
He wrote : “ What a great earne@@ st@@ ness your being sa@@ d@@ den@@ ed in a godly way produced in you , y@@ es , c@@ lear@@ ing of y@@ ourselves , y@@ es , indi@@ gn@@ ation , y@@ es , fear , y@@ es , earne@@ st desire , y@@ es , z@@ eal , y@@ es , righ@@ ting of the wrong ! ”
On@@ ce the sin is g@@ one , it@@ ’s g@@ one .
As Jehovah said , he takes your bur@@ den@@ s away and pu@@ ts them far away from you .
You will never have to see them again . ”
Why do you want to take refuge in Jehovah ?
How may we imitate Jehovah’s mercy when others need our forgiveness ?
1 , 2 . ( a ) How did Jesus feel about God’s Law ?
( b ) What does this teach us about Jehovah ?
( Read Acts 20 : 26 , 27 . )
( Read N@@ u@@ mb@@ ers 35 : 20 - 24 . )
Go , then , and learn what this means : ‘ I want mercy , and not sacrifice . ’
For I came to call , not righteous people , but sin@@ ners . ”
They were not at Matthe@@ w@@ ’s home simply to eat .
He will judge the low@@ ly with fa@@ ir@@ ness , and with u@@ pri@@ gh@@ t@@ ness he will give re@@ pro@@ of in behalf of the mee@@ k ones of the earth . ”
What lesson from the cities of refuge do you plan to apply ?
Two Christian sisters share the Bible’s message with a mer@@ ch@@ ant in the town of Ti@@ p@@ it@@ ap@@ a
R@@ eal E@@ st@@ ate : S@@ al@@ able real est@@ ate don@@ ated to an enti@@ ty used by Jehovah’s Witnesses , e@@ ither by making an ou@@ tri@@ ght gift or , in the case of re@@ si@@ denti@@ al property , by re@@ serving a life est@@ ate to the don@@ or , who can continue to live in the re@@ si@@ dence during his or her lif@@ eti@@ me .
What loving counsel did the apostle Paul give about worl@@ dly thinking ?
What is an example of worl@@ dly thinking , and how can we reject it ?
Lo@@ ok out that no one takes you cap@@ tive by means of the ph@@ i@@ lo@@ so@@ ph@@ y and emp@@ ty de@@ cep@@ tion according to human tra@@ dition , according to the ele@@ men@@ tary things of the world and not according to Christ . ”
“ I can be a good person without believing in God . ”
“ You can be happy without religion . ”
Jehovah has the right to make laws for us because he created us .
If , now , your right eye is making you stu@@ mble , t@@ ear it out and th@@ row it away from you . ”
Jesus said : “ No one can slave for two ma@@ st@@ ers ; for e@@ ither he will hate the one and love the other , or he will stick to the one and de@@ sp@@ ise the other .
You cannot slave for God and for Ri@@ ches . ”
( Read 1 The@@ ss@@ al@@ oni@@ ans 2 : 13 , 19 , 20 . )
“ H@@ u@@ mans can solve their own problems . ”
How can we win the prize as a family ?
( b ) What helps us to keep our eyes on the prize ?
How can we protect ourselves in d@@ ang@@ er@@ ous situations ?
To dea@@ den immor@@ al desires , we need to reject immor@@ al entertainment .
Con@@ tin@@ ue putting up with one another and for@@ giving one another freely even if anyone has a cause for com@@ pla@@ int against another .
Just as Jehovah freely for@@ gave you , you must also do the same .
( Read Ec@@ cle@@ si@@ a@@ st@@ es 7 : 21 , 22 . )
10 , 11 . ( a ) Why is je@@ alou@@ sy d@@ ang@@ er@@ ous ?
God’s Word says : “ Love is patient and kind .
Could we be as kind and loving as J@@ on@@ a@@ than ?
You husb@@ ands , keep on loving your wives and do not be b@@ it@@ ter@@ ly ang@@ ry with them .
You children , be obedi@@ ent to your parents in everything , for this is well - pleas@@ ing to the Lord .
You fa@@ thers , do not be ex@@ as@@ per@@ ating your children , so that they do not become do@@ w@@ n@@ hear@@ ted . ”
What should a Christian husband do if his un@@ believing wife does not respect him ?
God’s Word says : “ A man of knowledge re@@ stra@@ ins his words , and a discer@@ ning man will remain cal@@ m . ”
These articles should strengthen your belie@@ f in the resurrection .
“ Our friend has f@@ all@@ en as@@ le@@ ep , but I am traveling there to a@@ wa@@ ken him . ” ​ — J@@ O@@ H@@ N 11 : 11 .
What Bible accounts gave Martha confidence in the resurrection ?
Like Martha , what joy@@ ful ev@@ ent are you loo@@ king forward to ?
She said : “ I know he will ri@@ se . ”
Later , her son got sick and died .
( Read 1 K@@ ings 17 : 17 - 24 . )
( Read 2 K@@ ings 4 : 32 - 37 . )
How did Peter help a Christian sister who had died ?
One time , the apostle Paul was at a meeting in an u@@ pper room in T@@ ro@@ as , in what is now nor@@ th@@ we@@ st Turkey .
A young man named Eu@@ ty@@ ch@@ us was list@@ ening , se@@ ated at a w@@ in@@ do@@ w .
Also , Jehovah said that the blessing would come “ through Isaac . ”
( Read Hebrews 11 : 17 - 19 . )
Of course , that did not mean that God could not resurrect a person .
( Read Job 14 : 13 - 15 . )
( b ) Why is the resurrection so important ?
But would you mention the resurrection as one of your most ch@@ er@@ i@@ shed beliefs ?
( Read 1 Corinthians 15 : 12 - 19 . )
However , we know that Jesus was resur@@ rected .
How was Jesus involved in the fulfillment of Psalm 1@@ 18 ?
“ The buil@@ ders re@@ jected ” the Messiah ( See paragraph 7 )
How could Jesus become “ the chief cor@@ n@@ er@@ stone ” ?
If Jesus was re@@ jected and k@@ illed , how could he become “ the chief cor@@ n@@ er@@ stone ” ?
( a ) What did Psalm 16 : 10 fore@@ tell ?
You will not allow your loyal one to see the p@@ it . ”
( Read Acts 2 : 29 - 32 . )
( Read Acts 2 : 33 - 36 . )
( Read Acts 13 : 32 - 37 , 42 . )
There are deta@@ ils about “ the times or se@@ as@@ ons that the Father has placed in his own ju@@ ri@@ s@@ di@@ ction . ”
Paul wrote that “ Christ has been raised from the dead , the first@@ fru@@ its of those who have f@@ all@@ en as@@ le@@ ep in death . ”
What will happen to some anointed ones during Christ’s pres@@ ence ?
For if we have faith that Jesus died and ro@@ se again , so too God will bring with him those who have f@@ all@@ en as@@ le@@ ep in death . . .
We the living who survive to the pres@@ ence of the Lord will in no way pre@@ ce@@ de those who have f@@ all@@ en as@@ le@@ ep in death ; because the Lord himself will des@@ c@@ end from heaven with a comman@@ ding call , . . . and those who are dead in uni@@ on with Christ will ri@@ se first .
Ano@@ in@@ ted ones who are alive during the great tribulation will be “ ca@@ ught away in cl@@ ou@@ ds . ”
If you come back , I will break your le@@ g@@ s . ”
I was born on July 29 , 19@@ 29 , and grew up in a village in the pro@@ v@@ ince of B@@ ul@@ ac@@ an in the Philippines .
I enjoyed reading the Bible , especially the four Go@@ sp@@ els .
Do@@ ing so made me want to follow Jesus ’ example . ​ — John 10 : 27 .
About that time , my parents asked me to come back home .
One older Witness came to our house and explained what the Bible says about “ the last days . ”
He invited us to attend a Bible study in a ne@@ ar@@ by village .
We spent most of that night discu@@ ssing the Bible .
I rep@@ lied , “ Yes , I do . ”
I knew that I wanted to “ slave for the Ma@@ ster , Christ . ”
We went to a ne@@ ar@@ by ri@@ ver , and two of us got baptized on Fe@@ b@@ ru@@ ary 15 , 194@@ 6 .
The C@@ ru@@ z family invited me to live with them in Ang@@ at .
He spoke in English , and af@@ ter@@ ward I gave a su@@ m@@ mar@@ y of his talk in T@@ ag@@ al@@ o@@ g .
In the early morning , I helped in the k@@ it@@ ch@@ en .
After I gradu@@ ated , I was tem@@ por@@ ar@@ ily assigned as a special pioneer in the B@@ ron@@ x in New York City .
We spent the first week after our we@@ d@@ ding vis@@ iting a congregation on R@@ ap@@ u R@@ ap@@ u Is@@ land .
We were even able to buy the property from the man who had said that “ Ch@@ in@@ ese do not sell . ”
The new@@ ly fer@@ ti@@ li@@ zed e@@ g@@ g might grow in a F@@ al@@ lo@@ pi@@ an tu@@ be ( an e@@ c@@ topic pre@@ gn@@ an@@ cy ) or might travel into the wo@@ mb .
That would end the pre@@ gn@@ an@@ cy at an early st@@ age .
A guide from En@@ gl@@ and@@ ’s Na@@ tional He@@ al@@ th Ser@@ vice repor@@ ts : “ IU@@ D@@ s with more co@@ pper are more than 9@@ 9 % effective .
This means that fe@@ wer than one in 100 women who use an IUD will get pre@@ gn@@ ant in one year .
IU@@ D@@ s with less co@@ pper will be less effective . ”
( a ) What does “ per@@ su@@ a@@ ded to believe ” mean ?
( b ) How do we know that Timothy was per@@ su@@ a@@ ded to believe the good news about Jesus ?
Fran@@ kly , I would worry if she accepted something without asking questions . ”
Does the Bible’s ex@@ plan@@ ation make sense to them ?
What should be an important part of your teaching ?
Steph@@ ani@@ e , the mother of three daugh@@ ters , says : “ E@@ ver since my children were very young , I have had to ask myself , ‘ Do I talk to my children about why I am convinced of Jehovah’s exist@@ ence , his love , and the righ@@ t@@ ness of his ways ?
Can my children clearly see that I really love Jehovah ? ’
I can@@ ’t expect my children to be per@@ su@@ a@@ ded un@@ less I am . ”
The Bible says that “ fo@@ oli@@ sh@@ ness is b@@ ound up in the heart of a child . ”
That kind of wisdom is necessary for salvation .
How can parents help their children to become “ wise for salvation ” ?
Lo@@ ok under B@@ I@@ B@@ L@@ E T@@ E@@ A@@ C@@ H@@ IN@@ G@@ S > B@@ I@@ B@@ L@@ E S@@ T@@ U@@ D@@ Y T@@ O@@ O@@ L@@ S .
How can you work out your own salvation ?
They may have been raised in the truth .
If so , you are to be commen@@ ded .
But in a few years when the ur@@ ge to have sex be@@ comes str@@ ong@@ er , he or she needs to be th@@ or@@ ou@@ gh@@ ly convinced that obe@@ ying Jehovah’s laws is always the best choice . ”
( b ) What can you learn from Philippians 4 : 11 - 13 ?
What does it mean to work out your own salvation “ with fear and tre@@ mb@@ ling ” ?
What to@@ ol@@ s have helped you in your personal study ?
Jesus said : “ No man can come to me un@@ less the Father , who sent me , dra@@ ws him . ”
So I@@ ’@@ ll mention something in pa@@ ssing , such as , ‘ I was teaching the Bible the other day , and . . . ’
Then I continue with the point of my story .
Although the im@@ medi@@ ate point is not in it@@ self about the Bible , often others are cu@@ ri@@ ous about what I do when teaching the Bible .
The more I use this approach , the easier it ge@@ ts .
And af@@ ter@@ ward , I always feel great ! ”
We are the only Witnesses they are ex@@ posed to .
So the way we act can determine how they will respond .
What if we are sh@@ y or ti@@ mi@@ d or have a hard time speaking up about our faith , or what if we c@@ r@@ ing@@ e when we do speak up ?
Then they may look at us as if we a@@ ren@@ ’t proud of who we are .
They may even respond un@@ kindly because of our lack of confidence .
However , if we talk with ea@@ se and as@@ surance about what we believe , making it a normal part of conversation , it@@ ’s more likely that they will respect us . ”
Jesus said : “ If anyone wants to come after me , let him diso@@ wn himself and pi@@ ck up his tor@@ ture st@@ ake and keep following me . ”
For more sugge@@ stions , see “ Young People Ask ​ — Why Sh@@ ould I Pra@@ y ? ”
What lesson can we learn from Isaiah 40 : 26 ?
No one has been able to coun@@ t all the stars in the universe .
How can we be sure that Jehovah is able to strengthen us ?
And he added : “ You will find re@@ fre@@ shment for y@@ ourselves .
For my y@@ o@@ ke is kindly , and my load is light . ”
But how do we feel when we return ?
The information was presen@@ ted in such an em@@ pa@@ th@@ eti@@ c and concerned way that I was moved to t@@ ears .
I was re@@ minded that the meetings are where I need to be . ”
What did the apostle Paul mean when he wrote : “ When I am weak , then I am powerful ” ?
He san@@ g : “ With your help I can char@@ ge against a mar@@ au@@ der b@@ and ; by God’s power I can sca@@ le a w@@ all . ”
Or will we follow the Bible’s wise advice to settle matters quickly ?
You might begin the conversation by saying something like this , “ Perhaps I am being over@@ ly sen@@ si@@ tive , but when you spoke to me y@@ est@@ er@@ day , I felt . . . ”
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me . ”
“ Fin@@ ally I con@@ fe@@ ssed my sin to you , ” he wrote , “ and you par@@ don@@ ed the er@@ r@@ or of my sins . ”
( 4 ) Will there ever be a final Memorial ?
( Read 2 Corinthians 13 : 5 . )
( Read John 3 : 16 ; 17 : 3 . )
( a ) What did Jesus pray for on the night of the first Lor@@ d’s E@@ ven@@ ing M@@ eal ?
( b ) What shows that Jehovah has answered Jesus ’ prayer ?
( Read John 17 : 20 , 21 . )
( Read Ezekiel 37 : 15 - 17 . )
How can we promote unity among God’s people ?
How can we show that we are “ putting up with one another in love ” ?
How do we know that there will be a final Memorial ?
At Ri@@ ber@@ al@@ t@@ a , B@@ en@@ i , two pioneer cou@@ ples load literature on@@ to an a@@ ir@@ plan@@ e .
Why does Jehovah expect us to use our valuable things to give back to him ?
How does the organization use the money that is don@@ ated today ?
What do we show Jehovah when we support his work ?
( Read 2 Corinthians 8 : 18 - 21 . )
Your don@@ ations help our worldwide work ( See paragraphs 14 - 16 )
As a result , we sometimes feel i@@ sol@@ ated , and we easi@@ ly forget the s@@ cope of Jehovah’s work .
But as soon as we watch the various progra@@ ms on JW Bro@@ ad@@ ca@@ sting , we remember that we are part of an inter@@ national bro@@ ther@@ hood .
Our de@@ ar local brothers and sisters are very exc@@ ited about JW Bro@@ ad@@ ca@@ sting .
We often hear them say that after watch@@ ing the mon@@ th@@ ly progra@@ ms , they feel close to the members of the Governing Body .
Now they are prou@@ der than ever to be part of God’s organization . ”
( Read Proverbs 11 : 24 , 25 . )
“ Happ@@ y is the people whose God is Jehovah ! ” ​ — P@@ S .
Jesus said : “ You must love your neighbor as yourself . ”
A man who loves his wife loves himself , for no man ever ha@@ ted his own body , but he fe@@ e@@ ds and ch@@ er@@ i@@ sh@@ es it . ”
How can we avoid becoming lov@@ ers of ourselves ?
Paul wrote that people would be “ lov@@ ers of money . ”
Some years a@@ go , a pioneer in Ireland spoke to a man about God .
What does the Bible say about riches and po@@ ver@@ ty ?
He wrote : “ So that I do not become satis@@ fied and den@@ y you and say , ‘ Who is Jehovah ? ’ ”
She would say , ‘ I have the greatest bo@@ ss ever ! ’
Now that I too am pioneering , we both work for the same Person , Jehovah . ”
How can we avoid becoming lov@@ ers of money ?
It means that they do not love God at all . ”
How can we avoid becoming lov@@ ers of plea@@ sures ?
( Read 2 Timothy 3 : 1 - 5 , 13 . )
We also know that love “ does not b@@ ra@@ g , does not get pu@@ ff@@ ed up . ”
I could see that they ca@@ red for me , and that made me want to please them . ”
( Read John 13 : 34 , 35 . )
He cu@@ red the bl@@ ind , the la@@ me , the le@@ p@@ ers , and the deaf .
( Read Isaiah 11 : 6 , 7 . )
You can read some of their experiences in the ser@@ ies “ The Bible Ch@@ ang@@ es Li@@ ves , ” found on jw.org .
We should let others know that we are Jehovah’s Witnesses .
3 I@@ m@@ itate the Faith and O@@ be@@ dience of Noah , Daniel , and Job
28 Jo@@ y ​ — A Qu@@ ality We Ac@@ quire From God
Noah wal@@ ked with the true God . ” ​ — Gen .
9 , 10 . ( a ) How can we imitate No@@ ah’s faith and obe@@ dience ?
( Read Mal@@ ach@@ i 3 : 17 , 18 . )
( b ) How did Jehovah view Daniel ?
( b ) What can parents today learn from Dani@@ el@@ ’s parents ?
( Read Job 1 : 9 , 10 . )
19 , 20 . ( a ) How can we imitate Jo@@ b@@ ’s faith and obe@@ dience ?
1 - 3 . ( a ) What will help us to remain faithful to God during these last days ?
( Read Daniel 6 : 7 - 10 . )
( Read Job 31 : 24 - 28 . )
( Read Psalm 11 : 5 ; 26 : 4 . )
So ask yourself , ‘ Do I know Jehovah as well as Noah , Daniel , and Job did ? ’
No@@ ah’s great - grand@@ father E@@ no@@ ch also “ kept walking with the true God . ”
Jesus said : “ Abraham your father rejo@@ ic@@ ed great@@ ly at the prospect of seeing my day . ”
I@@ t@@ ’s hard for me to express the joy we feel . ”
For it is to us God has reve@@ aled them through his spirit . ”
Jesus said : “ These things I have spoken to you , so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be made full . ”
( 3 ) How will our effort to have “ the mind of Christ ” help us to be spiritual people ?
( Read 1 Corinthians 2 : 14 - 16 . )
What does the Bible say about spiritually - minded people ?
What can we learn from the example of Jacob ?
What can we learn from the example of Mary ?
( Read Luke 1 : 46 - 55 . )
( Read Isaiah 6@@ 3 : 9 ; Mark 6 : 34 . )
Rachel , a sister in B@@ ra@@ z@@ il , says : “ I loved to follow the worl@@ d’s fa@@ shi@@ ons .
As a result , I did not dress very mo@@ dest@@ ly .
But learning the truth moved me to make the needed effort to be a spiritual person .
Ma@@ king changes was not easy , but I became happ@@ i@@ er and found real purpose in life . ”
So being like Jesus makes us more like Jehovah .
They said : “ We are wit@@ nesses of all the things he did . ”
How will having the mind of Christ affect your daily life ?
He says : “ I never did anything wrong , but I was just going through the mo@@ tions .
I loo@@ ked spiritually strong , being at all the meetings and serving as an au@@ x@@ ili@@ ary pioneer a few times a year .
He says : “ It was as if I knew nothing .
I thought to myself , ‘ If I am going to be my wi@@ fe@@ ’s spiritual head , I have to do something . ’ ”
He says : “ I studied the Bible and studied and studied some more , and the pi@@ e@@ ces started to fit together .
I got understanding and , most important , develop@@ ed a close relationship with Jehovah . ”
( 3 ) How can strong spirituality help us in our daily life ?
( b ) What is our goal when we study and meditate ?
( b ) What Bible example can we imitate ?
12 , 13 . ( a ) What will help us to apply Romans 15 : 5 ?
( Read 2 Peter 1 : 5 - 8 . )
How will being spiritually - minded affect our life ?
What are the “ dead works ” that we should avoid ?
Will my decisions help me to set spiritual goals ?
Why do you want to move forward spiritually ?
The apostle Peter urged Christians in the first century : “ Be hospit@@ able to one another . ”
R@@ ise , get baptized . ” ​ — A@@ C@@ T@@ S 22 : 16 .
What do Christian parents want to be sure of before their children get baptized ?
“ F@@ OR months I kept telling D@@ ad and Mo@@ m that I wanted to be baptized , and they often tal@@ ked to me about it .
They wanted to make sure I knew how serious my decision was .
On December 31 , 19@@ 34 , the day came for this mo@@ men@@ t@@ ous ev@@ ent in my life . ”
5 , 6 . ( a ) The Bible’s des@@ crip@@ tion of Timothy lead@@ s us to what conclu@@ sion about his baptism ?
( Read Colossians 1 : 9 , 10 . )
He told Jehovah that he was so happy about his little gir@@ l@@ ’s decision to dedi@@ cate her life to H@@ im . ”
( Read 1 Peter 3 : 20 , 21 . )
Why do we not pressure anyone to get baptized ?
What questions will we consider in the next article ?
If you are a parent , you may have asked yourself : ‘ Is my child really ready to get baptized ?
The first question is , “ On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ , have you rep@@ en@@ ted of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will ? ”
How can we be hospit@@ able at our Christian meetings ?
( Read 3 John 5 - 8 . )
He wr@@ ites : “ I he@@ sit@@ ated initi@@ ally because we were new@@ ly married and living in a small house .
But having students stay with us was truly a joy@@ ous experience .
As new@@ ly@@ we@@ ds , we were able to see how happy a couple can be when they serve Jehovah and pursue spiritual goals together . ”
Why may those who are new to your congregation need hospitality ?
( Read Luke 10 : 41 , 42 . )
One evening my wife was par@@ tic@@ ularly ho@@ me@@ sick , and my efforts to help were not working .
Then , about 7 : 30 p@@ .@@ m . , we heard a kno@@ ck on the door .
There stood a Bible student who brought us three or@@ ang@@ es .
She had come to welcome the new missionaries .
We invited her in and gave her a gla@@ ss of water .
If you feel anxious about having gu@@ ests , you are not alone .
An elder in Britain ad@@ m@@ its : “ There can be a measure of n@@ er@@ v@@ ousness in pre@@ par@@ ing for gu@@ ests .
But as with anything in rela@@ tion to serving Jehovah , the benefits and satisfaction that result far ou@@ twe@@ igh any anxiety .
I have enjoyed simply sit@@ ting down with gu@@ ests over co@@ ffe@@ e and tal@@ king . ”
Another elder wr@@ ites : “ Ha@@ ving friends from the congregation to my home helps me to understand them better and gives me time to get to know them , especially how they came into the truth . ”
The wife of one of the instru@@ ctors really put me at ea@@ se .
She said that when she and her husband are serving in the traveling work , their best weeks are those spent sta@@ ying with a spiritual person who may not have much materi@@ ally but who has the same focus as they have ​ — serving Jehovah and keeping life simple .
This re@@ minded me of what my m@@ um used to say to us as children : ‘ Better a dis@@ h of ve@@ ge@@ tab@@ les where ther@@ e@@ ’s love . ’ ”
( Read Proverbs 25 : 21 , 22 . )
Ho@@ sts usu@@ ally prepare well for their gu@@ ests ( See paragraph 20 )
The psalmist David asked : “ O Jehovah , who may be a gu@@ est in your t@@ ent ? ”
It is also important to respect local cu@@ sto@@ ms .
Why is it so important to “ be hospit@@ able to one another ” ?
Two brothers offer a tr@@ act to a pa@@ in@@ ter on the bri@@ d@@ ge in front of K@@ a@@ š@@ ti@@ la@@ c , a for@@ tre@@ ss buil@@ t in the 1@@ 6@@ th century , near the city of Sp@@ li@@ t
( Read Titus 2 : 11 - 14 . )
The elder re@@ called : “ G@@ raham had a problem with pride .
He was cri@@ tical of the elders who had been involved in his disfellow@@ shipp@@ ing .
So for the next few stu@@ dies , we discu@@ ssed scriptures on pride and its effe@@ cts .
G@@ raham began to see himself clearly in the mir@@ r@@ or of God’s Word , and he did not like what he saw !
After ac@@ knowled@@ ging that he had been bl@@ in@@ ded by a ‘ ra@@ fter ’ of pride and that his cri@@ tical attitude was his problem , he began to change quickly for the better .
He started to attend Christian meetings regularly , to study God’s Word earne@@ stly , and to make daily prayer a hab@@ it .
‘ I@@ ’@@ ve known the truth for years , ’ he said , ‘ and I@@ ’@@ ve even served as a pioneer .
The apostle Peter wrote : “ She@@ pher@@ d the flo@@ ck of God under your care , serving as overseers , not under comp@@ ul@@ sion , but will@@ ingly before God ; not for love of di@@ sh@@ one@@ st gain , but ea@@ g@@ er@@ ly ; not l@@ or@@ ding it over those who are God’s inher@@ it@@ ance , but becoming examples to the flo@@ ck . ”
( b ) What will we consider in the next article ?
How can parents raise their children in the discipline of Jehovah ?
( Read Hebrews 12 : 5 - 11 . )
How does a child develop self - discipline ?
4 , 5 . ( a ) Why is self - discipline an important part of “ the new personality ” ?
How can we become better students of God’s Word ?
One brother wrote : “ I am filled with gra@@ titude for the way my parents raised me .
( b ) How did one family benefit from the parents ’ obe@@ dience to Jehovah ?
Some years later , the daughter was re@@ in@@ stated .
( b ) How can we make the elders ’ work more pleas@@ ant for them ?
They did not ber@@ ate me or cri@@ tici@@ ze me , but they encouraged me and strengthened me .
After every congregation meeting , no matter how bus@@ y they were , at least one of them would ask how I was .
Because of my past , I found it difficult to feel worthy of God’s love .
Ti@@ me and time again , however , Jehovah has used the congregation and the elders to con@@ firm his love for me .
I pray that I will never let him go . ”
If you turn to doing good , will you not be re@@ sto@@ red to favor ?
But if you do not turn to doing good , sin is c@@ rou@@ ch@@ ing at the door , and its cra@@ ving is to do@@ min@@ ate you ; but will you get the ma@@ st@@ er@@ y over it ? ”
So let us “ listen to discipline and become wise . ”
People around the world are de@@ man@@ ding more freedom .
15 I@@ mit@@ ating Jehovah ​ — A God Who Gi@@ ves En@@ coura@@ gement
“ If the Son se@@ ts you free , you will be truly free . ” ​ — J@@ O@@ H@@ N 8 : 36 .
( Read 1 Chr@@ on@@ ic@@ les 29 : 11 , 12 . )
To enjoy the ‘ good , ’ hu@@ mankind must trust God and obey him .
If they diso@@ b@@ ey , they will be left to decide for themselves what is good . . . and what is not good . ”
Like that pi@@ lot , Adam and Eve wanted to do things their own way .
He said : “ If you remain in my word , you are really my disciples , and you will know the truth , and the truth will set you free . ”
Why can the freedom that Jesus promised make us “ truly free ” ?
( Read Romans 7 : 21 - 25 . )
( Read Romans 8 : 1 , 2 , 20 , 21 . )
( c ) What questions do we need to answer ?
( Lo@@ ok under IN@@ T@@ E@@ R@@ V@@ I@@ E@@ W@@ S A@@ N@@ D E@@ X@@ P@@ E@@ R@@ I@@ E@@ N@@ C@@ E@@ S > E@@ N@@ D@@ U@@ R@@ IN@@ G T@@ R@@ I@@ A@@ L@@ S . )
All things are la@@ w@@ ful , but not all things build up . ”
What example did Noah and his family set for us ?
They lived in a viol@@ ent and immor@@ al world .
“ Noah did according to all that God had comman@@ ded him .
What has Jehovah comman@@ ded us to do today ?
( Read Luke 4 : 18 , 19 . )
Now I understood better what James 4 : 8 means : ‘ D@@ ra@@ w close to God , and he will draw close to you . ’
I knew I had found what I was loo@@ king for , a satis@@ fying purpose in life . ”
A special pioneer couple preach in a re@@ mo@@ te area near the city of B@@ aly@@ k@@ ch@@ y
( b ) How did Jehovah encourage his Son ?
I will for@@ ti@@ fy you , y@@ es , I will help you , I will really hold on to you with my right hand of righteousness . ”
En@@ ter into the joy of your ma@@ ster . ”
How did Hezekiah encourage the military ch@@ ie@@ fs and the people of Judah ?
How did Peter ‘ strengthen his brothers ’ ?
But I have made supp@@ li@@ cation for you that your faith may not give out ; and you , once you have returned , strengthen your brothers . ” ​ — Luke 22 : 31 , 32 .
W@@ ho@@ m can we encourage today , and why ?
How can the elders give counsel in an encouraging way ?
Pa@@ ren@@ ts , are you training your children to encourage others ?
She also sha@@ red with me her own experience with the kind of test I was going through , and I felt less alone . ”
King Solomon wrote : “ A word spoken at the right time ​ — how good it is !
A che@@ er@@ ful gl@@ ance makes the heart rejoice ; a good rep@@ ort in@@ vi@@ g@@ or@@ ates the b@@ ones . ”
For you have made me rejoice , O Jehovah , because of your dee@@ ds ; because of the works of your hands I shout joy@@ fully . ”
The apostle Paul promised : “ God is not un@@ righteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name . ”
You are never too young to set goals .
Proverbs 21 : 5 says : “ The pl@@ ans of the di@@ li@@ gent surely lead to succe@@ ss . ”
The earlier you make pl@@ ans by setting good goals , the so@@ on@@ er you will have succe@@ ss .
With a uni@@ ver@@ sity de@@ gree in law , I could have ear@@ ned a lot of money , but I would have had little chance of fin@@ ding part - time work . ”
17 , 18 . ( a ) What does Jehovah want for young people today ?
I was born in a one - room lo@@ g ca@@ b@@ in in a very small town called Li@@ ber@@ ty , In@@ di@@ ana , U.@@ S@@ .@@ A .
Later , my mother gave birth to my two younger brothers and my younger sister .
D@@ U@@ R@@ IN@@ G my school years , not much changed .
The town of Li@@ ber@@ ty was sur@@ r@@ oun@@ ded by small far@@ ms , and the basic cro@@ p was cor@@ n .
She took us to the B@@ apti@@ st church every S@@ un@@ day .
They wanted me to make the military my care@@ er .
This time , however , they invited me to come to a Congrega@@ tion Book St@@ ud@@ y , a small meeting for Bible study and dis@@ c@@ us@@ sion that was held in their home .
I told them I would think about it .
I cou@@ l@@ d@@ n@@ ’t believe how much they knew about the Bible !
Y@@ ears before , when I asked my mother about Jehovah’s Witnesses , she simply said , “ O@@ h , they worship some old man named Jehovah . ”
But I now felt that my eyes were being opened !
I started pioneering the next year , in 195@@ 8 .
G@@ lori@@ a was a je@@ w@@ el then , and she is a je@@ w@@ el today .
G@@ lori@@ a and I got married in Fe@@ b@@ ru@@ ary of 195@@ 9 .
A de@@ ar brother , Sim@@ on K@@ ra@@ ker , inter@@ viewed us .
He told us that Bethel was not accep@@ ting married cou@@ ples at that time .
Most of our jo@@ bs pa@@ id three dol@@ lar@@ s a day .
Each week , G@@ lori@@ a did ir@@ on@@ ing for one family .
I remember one time when we sto@@ pped at a g@@ as st@@ ation .
On the other hand , we had wonderful times with the brothers , and we loved our ministry !
Me@@ an@@ while , I started a study with the cou@@ ple@@ ’s daughter and her husband .
M@@ other and daughter both decided to serve Jehovah and got baptized .
We had de@@ ar friends in the white congregation .
The K@@ u K@@ lu@@ x K@@ l@@ an ( K@@ K@@ K ) , an organization that promo@@ tes rac@@ is@@ m and violence , was very ac@@ tive then .
In 196@@ 2 , I was invited to attend the Kingdom Minist@@ ry School at South L@@ ans@@ ing , New York .
However , a tel@@ e@@ phone comp@@ any in P@@ ine B@@ lu@@ f@@ f had inter@@ viewed me for a job .
If they hi@@ red me , I would be the first black man to work for that comp@@ any .
I had no money to travel to New York .
She said , “ Go to school and learn as much as you can , and come back and teach us ! ”
H@@ ere is how G@@ lori@@ a re@@ members our time in P@@ ine B@@ lu@@ f@@ f : “ I f@@ ell in love with the territory !
So we would go in the house - to - house work in the morning and then conduct Bible stu@@ dies the rest of the day , sometimes until 11 o@@ ’@@ clo@@ ck at night .
While we were pioneering in P@@ ine B@@ lu@@ f@@ f , we applied to become special pioneers .
Brother Le@@ on W@@ ea@@ ver , now the co@@ ord@@ in@@ ator of the United States B@@ ranch Com@@ mit@@ tee , was appointed to serve as a circuit overseer at the same time .
I was n@@ er@@ v@@ ous about becoming a circuit overseer .
After I was appointed , Brother Tho@@ mp@@ son was the first distri@@ ct overseer I served with .
In those days , a circuit overseer received little training .
I remember saying to G@@ lori@@ a , “ Does he really have to leave now ? ”
One time , the K@@ K@@ K held a mar@@ ch in a town we were vis@@ iting in T@@ en@@ ne@@ s@@ see .
The following month , we began our Bethel service .
G@@ lori@@ a was a je@@ w@@ el when I married her , and she still is
Then in 199@@ 9 , I was appointed to be a member of the Governing Body .
Isaiah 32 : 17 says : “ The result of true righteousness will be peace , and the fruitage of true righteousness will be lasting tran@@ qu@@ ill@@ ity and se@@ cur@@ ity . ”
Second , we must pray for God’s holy spirit .
If the house is de@@ serving , let the peace you wish it come upon it ; but if it is not de@@ serving , let the peace from you return upon you . ”
So I gree@@ ted her in her own t@@ ong@@ ue .
T@@ a@@ ken by surprise , she asked me , ‘ What is the reason for your visit ? ’
I po@@ lit@@ ely told her that I wi@@ shed to see the High Com@@ mission@@ er .
She tel@@ e@@ ph@@ oned the offici@@ al , who came out to meet me and gree@@ ted me in the local language .
After that , he care@@ fully list@@ ened to me as I explained to him the peace@@ ful activities of the Witnesses . ”
“ As for that on the fine so@@ il , these are the ones who . . . bear fruit with endurance . ” ​ — L@@ U@@ K@@ E 8 : 15 .
What will help us to keep bearing fruit with endurance ?
( See opening picture . ) ( b ) What did Jesus say about preaching in his “ home territory ” ?
“ Their faith@@ fulness encoura@@ ges me to per@@ se@@ v@@ ere and to be courageous in my own ministry . ”
What three questions will we consider , and why ?
Still , there is no other work I would rather do . ”
Read John 15 : 1 - 5 , 8 .
The preaching of the good news of God’s Kingdom .
Read Luke 8 : 5 - 8 , 11 - 15 .
How do we “ bear fruit with endurance ” ?
For I bear them witness that they have a z@@ eal for God , but not according to accurate knowledge . ”
When we returned , pa@@ s@@ ser@@ s@@ by asked , ‘ What happened ?
Why are you determined to “ bear fruit with endurance ” ?
“ My Father is gl@@ ori@@ fied in this , that you keep bearing much fruit and prove y@@ ourselves my disciples . ” ​ — J@@ O@@ H@@ N 15 : 8 .
( Read John 15 : 1 , 8 . )
Jesus told his apostles : “ My Father is gl@@ ori@@ fied in this , that you keep bearing much fruit . ”
( b ) How do you feel about having the privilege to sancti@@ fy God’s name ?
It gives me the desire to keep on preaching . ”
( a ) What reason for preaching is mentioned at John 15 : 9 , 10 ?
How do we show that we want to remain in Christ’s love ?
In the Bible , Noah is described as “ a pre@@ ach@@ er . ”
( Read 2 Peter 2 : 5 . )
( a ) What reason for preaching is mentioned at Matthew 22 : 39 ?
They need a chance to hear the good news . ”
13 , 14 . ( a ) What gift is mentioned at John 15 : 11 ?
( a ) What gift is mentioned at John 14 : 27 ?
( a ) What gift is mentioned at John 15 : 15 ?
( b ) How could the apostles remain Jesus ’ friends ?
( Read John 15 : 14 - 16 . )
We can be sure that Jehovah answers our prayers for help ( See paragraph 18 )
© 20@@ 18 Watch Tower Bible and T@@ r@@ act Society of Pen@@ n@@ s@@ yl@@ v@@ ani@@ a
The apostle Peter descri@@ bes Satan the Devil as “ a ro@@ aring lion , ” and John c@@ alls him a “ ser@@ p@@ ent ” and a “ dra@@ g@@ on . ”
With their help , we can re@@ sist our enemy .
Those who believe this lie spend their lives serving “ Ri@@ ches ” rather than God .
We need to know our enemy , but we do not need to be ter@@ rifi@@ ed by him .
If we opp@@ ose him , he will fle@@ e from us .
What are the pi@@ e@@ ces of the spiritual ar@@ m@@ or ?
And my parents and my friends know that they can trust me . ”
But you always get outstanding benefits : You gain confidence , you feel closer to Jehovah , and you earn the respect of those who love you . ”
The bel@@ t of truth ( See paragraphs 3 - 5 )
For a while , I lost my confidence and felt de@@ pre@@ ssed . ”
Some of my ‘ friends ’ began taking d@@ ru@@ g@@ s ; others dro@@ pped out of school .
It was sa@@ d to see how their lives turned out .
“ I re@@ mind myself that I bear Jehovah’s name and that temp@@ tation is just Satan’s way of sho@@ o@@ ting at me .
When I win a struggle , I feel better about myself . ”
The brea@@ st@@ pl@@ ate of righteousness ( See paragraphs 6 - 8 )
Now I@@ ’@@ m happy to witness to my pe@@ ers . ”
Then I@@ ’@@ m able to think of what will help them .
When I am prepared , I can talk to them about what will specifi@@ cally benefit them . ”
I make sure that I@@ ’@@ ve read all the material publish@@ ed for young people .
That way I can direct my pe@@ ers to something in the Bible or on jw.org that will help them . ”
Fe@@ et sho@@ d in read@@ iness ( See paragraphs 9 - 11 )
What are some of Satan’s “ bur@@ ning ar@@ ro@@ ws ” ?
Now , though , I prepare for the meetings and try to answer two or three times .
I@@ t@@ ’s difficult , but I feel much better when I do .
And the brothers and sisters are so encouraging .
I always come away from the meetings knowing that Jehovah loves me . ”
The large shi@@ eld of faith ( See paragraphs 12 - 14 )
The hel@@ met of salvation ( See paragraphs 15 - 18 )
I@@ ’@@ ve found that people respond well when they see that you are pa@@ ssi@@ on@@ ate about the Bible and are doing your best to help them . ”
The sword of the spirit ( See paragraphs 19 - 20 )
With Jehovah’s help , we can stand firm against him !
It also explains the work that endurance must complete in each of us .
How can the example of Jephthah and his daughter help us re@@ sist worl@@ dly influ@@ ences ?
What Bible principles do you find help@@ ful in re@@ sol@@ ving personal confli@@ cts ?
How has this article encouraged you to make sacrifices for the Kingdom ?
What challenge did Jephthah and his daughter face ?
Why can the example of Jephthah and his daughter be help@@ ful for us today ?
4 , 5 . ( a ) What command did Jehovah give the Israelites when they enter@@ ed the Promi@@ sed L@@ and ?
( b ) According to Psalm 10@@ 6 , what happened to the Israelites because of their diso@@ be@@ dience ?
What worl@@ dly influ@@ ences ex@@ i@@ st today , and what must we do ?
( a ) What did Jephth@@ ah’s own people do to him ?
8 , 9 . ( a ) What principles in the Mo@@ sa@@ ic Law may have helped Jephthah ?
( b ) What was of greatest importance to Jephthah ?
How can we allow divine principles to help us act as Christians today ?
What vow did Jephthah make , and what did this invol@@ ve ?
What do Jephth@@ ah’s words recorded at Judges 11 : 35 re@@ v@@ eal about his faith ?
What vow have many of us made , and how can we prove faithful ?
How did Jephth@@ ah’s daughter react to her fa@@ ther’s promise ?
( a ) How can we imitate the faith of Jephthah and his daughter ?
( b ) How do the words at Hebrews 6 : 10 - 12 encourage you to be self - sacrifi@@ cing ?
( Read Hebrews 6 : 10 - 12 . )
What have we learned from the Bible account about Jephthah and his daughter , and how can we imitate them ?
What does it mean to “ let endurance complete its work ” ?
1 , 2 . ( a ) What can we learn from the endurance of Gideon and his 3@@ 00 men ?
( See opening picture . ) ( b ) According to Luke 21 : 19 , why is endurance so important ?
Our enemies include Satan , his world , and our own im@@ perfe@@ ctions .
What can we learn from those who have en@@ du@@ red ?
Why can we say that endurance is motiva@@ ted by love ?
( Read 1 Corinthians 13 : 4 , 7 . )
Love for our brothers helps us to endure their im@@ perfe@@ ctions .
Why is Jehovah the best one to help us endure ?
Jehovah is “ the God who supp@@ lies endurance and comfort . ”
As promised in the Bible , how may Jehovah “ make the way out ” of trials for us ?
( Read 1 Corinthians 10 : 13 . )
I@@ l@@ lu@@ strate why we need spiritual food to endure .
8 , 9 . ( a ) According to Job 2 : 4 , 5 , what is involved when we face trials ?
( b ) When you face trials , what in@@ vi@@ sible s@@ cen@@ e might you imagine ?
H@@ as Satan changed since he made that claim ?
Why should we consider the experiences of “ those who have en@@ du@@ red ” ?
What do we learn from the example of the ch@@ er@@ u@@ bs post@@ ed at Eden ?
How was Job able to endure his trials ?
Job lived “ a long and satis@@ fying life . ” ​ — Job 42 : 10 , 17 .
According to 2 Corinthians 1 : 6 , how did the endurance of Paul help others ?
( Read 2 Corinthians 1 : 6 . )
15 , 16 . ( a ) What “ work ” must endurance complete ?
( b ) Give examples of how we can “ let endurance complete its work . ”
When we endure trials , our Christian personality be@@ comes more complete ( See paragraphs 15 , 16 )
17 , 18 . ( a ) I@@ l@@ lu@@ strate the importance of end@@ uring to the end . ( b ) As we get closer to the end , what confidence can we have ?
For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor po@@ wers nor he@@ ight nor dep@@ th nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord . ”
[ 1 ] ( paragraph 11 ) You will also find it encouraging to re@@ view the endurance of God’s people in modern times .
[ 2 ] ( paragraph 12 ) The Bible does not say how many ch@@ er@@ u@@ bs were assigned to this ta@@ sk .
“ They continued devo@@ ting themselves . . . to associ@@ ating together . ” ​ — A@@ C@@ T@@ S 2 : 42 .
how we help others when we attend meetings .
1 - 3 . ( a ) How have Christians shown that they are ea@@ ger to meet together ?
( See opening picture . ) ( b ) What will we discuss in this article ?
It was a very up@@ building and faith - strength@@ ening experience for us . ”
How does meeting together help us to learn about Jehovah ?
How have meetings helped you to use what you learned from the Bible and to improve the way you preach ?
How do our meetings encourage us and help us to keep strong ?
( Read Acts 15 : 30 - 32 . )
Why is it so important to be at our meetings ?
When our brothers see us at the meetings and hear us com@@ ment and sing , how does this help them ?
( See also the box “ He Al@@ ways Lea@@ ves Fe@@ el@@ ing Better . ” )
9 , 10 . ( a ) Ex@@ plain how Jesus ’ words found at John 10 : 16 help us to understand why it is important to meet with our brothers . ( b ) If we are at the meetings regularly , how can we help someone who has been re@@ jected by his family ?
“ L@@ A@@ T@@ E@@ L@@ Y , I have been bur@@ den@@ ed with health problems that make it difficult to get to the meetings .
But once I@@ ’@@ m there , I can enjoy the wonderful spiritual mea@@ l that Jehovah has prepared .
Even though I come with se@@ v@@ ere k@@ ne@@ e pain , heart problems , and comp@@ li@@ cations from di@@ a@@ be@@ tes , I always leave the meeting feeling better than when I arrived .
“ When I first heard song number 6@@ 8 , ‘ A Pra@@ yer of the Lo@@ w@@ ly One , ’ sun@@ g by our congregation , I was moved to t@@ ears .
My hear@@ ing a@@ i@@ ds pi@@ cked up every@@ one’s voice , and I san@@ g along .
How does attending meetings help us to give Jehovah what he de@@ serves ?
How does Jehovah feel when we obey his command to attend meetings ?
How do we draw close to Jehovah and Jesus at meetings ?
How does going to meetings show God that we want to obey him ?
16 , 17 . ( a ) How do we know that meetings were very important to Christians in the first century ?
( b ) How did Brother Geor@@ ge G@@ ang@@ as feel about Christian meetings ?
I love to be at the Kingdom Hall among the first , and leave among the last , if possible .
I feel an in@@ ward joy when tal@@ king with God’s people .
When I am among them I feel at home with my family , in a spiritual paradise . ”
How do you feel about our meetings , and what are you determined to do ?
[ 2 ] ( paragraph 3 ) See the box “ Rea@@ sons to A@@ tt@@ end M@@ ee@@ tings . ”
There they hear the good news through public witne@@ ssing
Le@@ ft : The conv@@ ent in Z@@ ar@@ a@@ go@@ z@@ a , S@@ pain ; right : N@@ á@@ car - C@@ ol@@ un@@ ga Bible translation
I did not know whether I was doing the right thing .
I remember praying , “ Th@@ ank you , Jehovah , for not giving up on me and for giving me so many opportunities to find what I was loo@@ king for ​ — the true knowledge of the Bible . ”
What would my par@@ i@@ shi@@ on@@ ers and my family say ? ”
I rep@@ lied : “ And what will God say ? ”
He died two months before the day he was going to get baptized .
What should we do when it be@@ comes difficult to stay neutral ?
What can we learn from faithful servants of Jehovah who sta@@ yed neutral ?
How can we obey both God and human governments ?
How do we show that we do not take sides in the worl@@ d’s politics ?
( a ) How do we know that it will become more difficult to remain neutral ?
( b ) Why should we prepare now to remain neutral ?
How should we treat those who have authority in the government ?
When it is difficult to remain neutral , how can we be “ ca@@ u@@ ti@@ ous ” yet “ in@@ no@@ cent ” ?
( Read Matthew 10 : 16 , 17 . )
What must we be careful of when tal@@ king to others ?
How can we make sure that we remain neutral when we watch or read anything in the medi@@ a ?
12 , 13 . ( a ) What does Jehovah think about humans ?
( b ) How can we tell if we are becoming too proud of our country ?
How can prayer help us , and what Bible example pro@@ ves this ?
How can the Bible help us to remain neutral ?
( See also the box “ God’s Word St@@ reng@@ th@@ ened Their Con@@ viction . ” )
What can we learn from the examples of God’s faithful servants who remained neutral ?
( Read Daniel 3 : 16 - 18 . )
18 , 19 . ( a ) How can the members of your congregation help you to remain neutral ?
( b ) What are you determined to do ?
“ Me@@ d@@ itating on Proverbs 27 : 11 , Matthew 26 : 52 , and John 13 : 35 strengthened my conviction to ref@@ use military service .
These ver@@ ses also helped me to remain cal@@ m during my trial . ” ​ — An@@ dri@@ y , from U@@ k@@ ra@@ ine .
“ Isaiah 2 : 4 helped me to remain neutral under test .
I pic@@ tu@@ red in my mind the qui@@ e@@ t@@ ness of life in the new world , when no one will carry a wea@@ p@@ on to har@@ m his neighbor . ” ​ — Wil@@ mer , from Colo@@ mb@@ ia .