1. Why are Jehovah's Witnesses happy and proud?
We are happy and proud because we bear God's name and we have the opportunity to preach to people who have "the right attitude to obtain eternal life" so that they, too, can become Jehovah's servants.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Well, basically for two reasons because we carry the name of Jehovah, on the one hand, something that is a real privilege for all living beings here on earth, and then because we can help other people to know him as well and be his friends.
That is what is also quoted in Acts 13:48 when it says that being able to help someone who has the right attitude to become a servant of Jehovah and can have eternal life causes us great joy.
And that was how Jesus Christ felt, sending his disciples to go preach and when they returned they told him about the good experiences they had had and in Luke 10:21 it is shown how Jesus felt happy and happy for the good work that they had made his disciples so it is an attitude worth emulating.
2. How do we show that preaching is very important to us?
Christians know that preaching is an important life-saving work. So we follow Paul's advice to Timothy to "Pay constant attention to our conduct and teaching." So our conduct always shows that we honor Jehovah and that we believe the good news that we preach. In addition, we pay attention to our teaching, which means that we prepare well for the preaching work and we ask Jehovah to help us when we talk about him to others.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Yes, how Paul advised Timothy in the first letter to Timothy chapter 4 verse 16, one way is by paying constant attention to our conduct and teaching and although it is clear that we have Jehovah's help, the fact that we do not take it for granted and strive By continuing to prepare and giving the best of ourselves, it will allow us to show that you should appreciate participating in this important work.
When we take time to prepare every day and always before preaching to someone, pray to Jehovah so that he will help us to speak to that person.
Because we really care, we want to pay constant attention to our behavior and show that we care and want to conduct ourselves in a way that honors Jehovah and shows that we believe in this good news that we preach.
3. What might people's reaction to the Kingdom message be, and what example shows it?
The reaction of the people is: they show little or no interest in the Kingdom message. An example of this is what happened to Brother Georg Lindal, who preached only throughout Iceland for 18 years but no one became a Witness. He wrote that "most people were totally indifferent." Later, missionaries from Gilead arrived to help him, but the people did not respond either. But he says that nine years later, some people did dedicate themselves to Jehovah and were baptized.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
The reaction may be that the people of our territory show little or no interest in the message of the kingdom.
And we have the example of brother George, the newspaper for about 20 years in Iceland only traveled all of that Island on foot in Pony by boat and in 1936 he said that he had already left between 26,000 and 27,000 books, it is clear that this brother did his best without However, in those years no one listened to his message.
And the reaction of these people that Brother George found as it may be familiar to us, the article quotes the phrase that some people said have turned against the truth but most have remained totally indifferent and the truth is that it is what we can normally find ourselves.
And apart from the efforts of Brother George, he also mentions that missionaries arrived, of course, perhaps we could think now that missionaries are going, a good team is well prepared and now is when it is going to flourish. It was thus that it did not reach the hearts of the people how it was thought until 9 years later what it is when that message began to flourish and increase the number of people who wanted to serve Jehovah.
4. How can we feel when people reject our message?
We feel sad, disappointed, or even guilty because we come to think that Jehovah is not blessing our work or our effort to make disciples.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Well how we love Jehovah and we love the people we preach to when he rejects our Jehovah's message we can feel disappointed if it is something normal in fact the apostle Paul himself felt that way, when he wrote to the Romans he said that like the Jews in Generally they had refused to accept that Jesus was the Messiah he felt sad with a pain in his heart.
On other occasions, perhaps they reject the message as such, but maybe we start to teach the Bible with someone and the person does not progress, we have to suspend the course or perhaps in our entire lives as preachers we do not get anyone to get to baptism. we feel guilty that we think that God is blessing us but if we ever have these feelings, this article will help us.
HOW DO WE KNOW IF OUR MINISTRY IS SUCCESSFUL?
5. Why doesn't what we do for Jehovah always work as expected?
It is because of our imperfection and that of others, and also because of what Job 14: 1 says, that life is "full of problems." In addition, another situation may be the one mentioned by the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:18, where he says that "Satan blocked his way", so that, sometimes, our enemies manage to interrupt our preaching with freedom.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Although we do it with good intention, this has many variants and depends on many things, in Job there in his chapter 14 verse 1 he recognizes that the human being has many limitations and among them is our imperfection and the twists or problems that life can have in this system.
Both what we are going to see now in the following paragraphs is going to do what really measures the success of our ministry, not the number of people we can bring to baptism or how many studies we have, but actually what it is that Jehovah sees and why which he values our work.
6. How does Jehovah measure the success of our ministry?
Jehovah measures the success of our ministry by looking at our efforts, diligence, endurance, and love with which we do our preaching work. In Hebrews 6:10 we are reminded that "Jehovah is not unjust and he does not forget the work and the love that we have shown for his name," even if our efforts have not yielded the desired result.
ADDITIONAL COMMENT
Well, the answer is found in Hebrews 6:10 when Paul by inspiration mentions that Jehovah is not unjust to forget the works and the love that we have shown for his name, then as we have seen how it measures, the effort we make in this work depends on the love that we put into it that is the success we have.
Commercial companies set quotas for their sellers that they have to comply with and if they do not do so, their efforts are of no use when it comes to paying or receiving a bonus, but Jehovah does the opposite, rewards our sincere efforts even if we do not have the results that we wanted and that is very encouraging because it indicates that success is available to everyone regardless of the territory where we preach.
Corinthians 15:58 tells us that our work related to the Lord is not in vain and sometimes it could be that this work was to keep us firm and immovable as this text also says it reminds me of the ship's anchor that when it is in a storm it makes The ship stands firm for Jehovah sees and appreciates our efforts when we stand firm and keep working despite difficulties.
ILLUSTRATION:
Series of images: Brothers and sisters preaching. 1. A brother goes from house to house. 2. A sister writes a letter. 3. A brother calls on the phone.
Jehovah values our efforts, whether we preach in person, by letter or by phone. (See paragraph 6.)
And it is what we can see in the image you see three different ways of preaching from house to house by letter or telephone and it may be that in none of us we succeed in quotes that we do not have good results but that does not matter what really matters is what you think Jehovah and Jehovah thinks that if we try well if we work hard even if we do not have good results that Jehovah values it and that is why we should be happy just like he is.
Surely Jehovah sees us as we are seeing these brothers in the photograph, he sees every word we write, every text we put in every call we make in the return visits, and how happy he has to be when he sees an older sister, an older brother, a young man. to a child to write all this with such love for people.
7. What do we learn from what the Apostle Paul said about his ministry?
Some Corinthian Christians criticized Paul as a teacher, but he did not defend himself by saying that he had led many to baptism, rather he responded by saying that "He had worked harder." We know that he strove to spread the good news, far surpassing his adversaries, so his example teaches us to keep in mind that the most important thing for Jehovah is our effort and endurance that we show as we continue to preach.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
He did not speak of how many people he had led to baptism for example and that he had founded many congregations so surely many people had accepted the truth thanks to his preaching, not what he spoke was the work of how hard he had worked and that is what that Jehovah beholds.
And the work that he carried out without a doubt that deserved much praise although perhaps others would not have called him a successful man, for example in second Corinthians 11:23 he said they are ministers of the Christ I answer like crazy I am more and Now he highlighted what he had done, I have been in prison more times I have received countless blows and I have been about to die many times and not how many congregations they had founded.
These Christians believed they were superior to Paul, for that reason they were accusing him, but Paul with that answer is not that he will feel superior but that he was giving more importance to work than to results, but he also ends the paragraph saying that our effort and endurance are important. and if we continue reading chapter 11 of the second letter to the Corinthians we see all that Paul had to endure, so it is a good example to copy.
8. What should we remember about our ministry?
We must remember the words that Jesus said to 70 of his disciples who had carried the message of the Kingdom, expressing that they should "rejoice because their names had been written in heaven." This means that we should "be happy to know that our efforts in ministry are pleasing to Jehovah."
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Well, it is interesting that when Jesus' disciples returned from preaching, the Bible says to return feeling happy and it is that neither their enemies nor demons had been able to stop them from preaching, but now Jesus reminds them rather rejoice because their names have been written in the Heavens and it is that the preaching is for Jehovah and it is for Jehovah and he is pleased that they do it.
But it is unquestionable to see the effect that the truth produces has to cause a lot of joy, as they manifested it, seeing the power of the truth is impressive, but here the reflection is that it is not the important thing, the important thing is that we are doing something that pleases Jehovah that We do our best and we have no part in the results in any way that depends on the person, but knowing that what we do is pleasing Jehovah must also please us a lot.
Jesus himself being the best teacher in all history did not have the same success in all places in some places he was more successful and in others less, so that is why he could well advise his disciples that the center of their joy or preaching It could not be the results it had to be their effort and in seeing what pleased Jehovah what they were doing.
9. According to Galatians 6: 7-9, what will be the result if we don't stop preaching?
These texts say that what "one sows is what one will reap." So if we sow the seed of truth, Jehovah promises that he will give us eternal life, even if people react indifferently or we fail to help anyone by reaching baptism.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
The result as Galatians shows is that Jehovah promises that he will give us eternal life and even if we fail to help someone to get to baptism, Jehovah will give us eternal life.
If to obtain eternal life the requirement was to take someone to baptism then what would happen that this would become a competition we only wanted to take someone to baptism we could even have problems between us but it is not the case it is not what Jehovah asks of us On the contrary, what he asks is that we do not get tired, that is what eternal life is going to give us, so it does not matter what result we have, as the previous paragraph said, not to stop serving Jehovah, not to stop preaching is what it will really give us eternal life.
WHAT REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS SHOULD WE HAVE?
10. What does people's reaction to our message depend on?
It depends on the heart of the people. Jesus made it clear in the parable of the sower that: we have no control over the fruit of our labor, because the seed falls into different types of soil. But our duty is to continue sowing the seeds of the Kingdom, and only those who fall on good soil or people who have a good heart will bear fruit. Also, the apostle Paul reminds us that, "each of us will receive our reward according to our work," and not for the result of it.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
This is a very interesting idea because if we are allowed to choose the land, then maybe we would have some option but we cannot see hearts so we do our work waiting for some of these seeds to fall where therefore what is valued should fall Well, that is our job and not the results.
One of them mentions that the seed fell on the rock that were people who when they heard the word receive it but do not make deep roots and therefore do not grow.
It is also mentioned those that fall between the thorns and the heart of these people is carried away by the concerns of life the desire to obtain wealth and these things drown the truth and cannot grow either.
11. Why can we say that Noah was successful as a “preacher of righteousness”? (See the drawing on the cover).
Noah was successful because he faithfully did what Jehovah told him to do. When he made the ark for sure the people asked him What was he doing? He preached to them with courage and told them about the flood that was coming. As we know they did not listen, but Noah was successful because he "accomplished all that Jehovah commanded him to do."
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Well, as Genesis 6:22 mentions, it says Noah did everything that God had commanded him, he did it just as he had said that is the success of Noah and that is why he was a preacher of Justice, Jehovah at no time told him apart from his family that more people were going to enter not the specific thing and the measures of the ark it was clear that many more people could not enter so it is clear that Noah was a preacher of justice and he was successful.
And Christ has commanded us to go and make disciples of people of all nations, which implies that we have the possibility of finding disciples, but how was Noah just mentioned, he was told enter the ark with your children, your wife, and your children. daughters-in-law and yet he was a faithful preacher of Justice for decades and it seems that he did not lose hope because as seen in the cover sheet he is entering the ark but looking into the distance towards the town with the hope that someone an uncle a nephew a brother-in-law a neighbor someone I entered the ark with him so he is a good example that we have.
As we saw previously, Jehovah sees works and work and that is what he did all these years because working, working and working for Jehovah, and he would even speak to many people about everything that would happen and that is why he is a great example because work is what Jehovah always does. there will be in us.
ILLUSTRATION:
Noah and his family enter the ark with many animals and provisions.
Noah faithfully preached for years, but the only ones who entered the ark with him were his wife, sons, and daughters-in-law. Even so, he was obedient and successfully carried out the work that God gave him to do. (See paragraph 11)
12. What did Jeremiah do to enjoy the preaching despite the indifference and opposition of the people?
What he did was focus on two important issues: First, he realized that the divine message he carried to people could give them "a future and a hope." And second, he recognized that Jehovah had chosen him to be named after him. So this helped him fight negative thoughts and enjoy the preaching work.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
He first focused on the message that people carried as Jeremiah 29:11 says it was a message that could give them a future and hope, so thinking about it would certainly give him strength to continue despite indifference and opposition. .
In our case, something similar happens, we also have to focus on that message of hope that we bring to people who, as the paragraph says, live in darkness and also in that we bear the name of Jehovah and that is very good for us at first We have commented on it in the watchtower we are happy to bear that name when we focus on this because we enjoy preaching regardless of whether people react well or not.
Jeremiah 15:16 | What is a very beautiful aspect because the human reaction is very good and we feel very identified when the indifference and opposition of the people can make us see ourselves reflected in the prophet but know that Jehovah had chosen him to bear his name and that. It gave him a lot of impetus and satisfaction and that can also be a good incentive for us when we see those reactions in our case.
13. What does the parable of Jesus that we read in Mark 4: 26-29 teach us?
In this parable Jesus says that the sower cannot intervene in the growth of the seed nor can he do anything to make it grow faster. Similarly, the spiritual growth of a person takes time, it is step by step, and in some cases a lot of patience is required, so this makes us see that we cannot force students to progress at the speed that we want. . In the art of "cultivating the truth," patience is the key to not getting discouraged or giving up when we see no immediate results.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
It is taught that the spiritual growth of students is gradual, it goes in stages and has its own rhythm and that each student grows at a different speed is like physical growth, we do not grow faster because someone pulls us by the ears we simply have to wait for 18 to 20 years to reach the final height and then see what others can grow faster than us, so it requires being patient because we cannot accelerate this process.
Sometimes the progress is there although it is not so evident, for example using this simile with plants sometimes a plant may develop parts that are not seen as the roots can be but they are very important so that later they are manifested in the part that does. that we see of that plant, in the same way in the case of the students in their hearts they are already developing that love for Jehovah that later helps him make those changes that we see and that make us so happy, so it is important that we be patient and that they do not drown us.
14. Which example shows that it can take a long time before people start listening to us?
The example is of two regular pioneers who served in a city in Canada. They comment that due to the fear that people had of the priests of the Catholic Church and the opinion of others, they did not listen to them. One of them remembers how difficult the territory was, because they preached for eight hours a day for two years without anyone answering, people saw them through the window and closed them. But they did not give up, and over time, the attitude of the people softened, the territory became productive, and today, there are three congregations in that place.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
We see the example of Gladys and Ruby Allen because they 2 years for 8 hours every day knocking on the doors and there were no, no one answered, I saw them were there but they even closed the blinds, but there the sisters were constant and did not give up in the end because It worked with time today as it says here there are three congregations serving Jehovah in that place.
15. What does 1 Corinthians 3: 6, 7 teach us about the disciple-making work?
It teaches us that all of us who work in "God's field" make a team to help someone get to baptism. It may be that a publisher leaves a tract or magazine to someone who showed interest. But, perhaps due to the circumstances, it is another brother who begins the biblical course and he in turn invites different brothers to accompany him, each one of them encourages the student in some way. So, this participation that we do as a team allows a good spiritual harvest.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
As the first line says, it is a team effort and we should not underestimate our place in that team because perhaps we do not have to direct studies but perhaps we can set the goal of meeting the congregation's studies, taking an interest in them, becoming their friends, perhaps encouraging them in that The team is not up to planting the seed, but if we help it grow, we will help someone else to draw closer to Jehovah and we will show that we are proud to participate in this work.
And many times when we talk with our brothers they explain to us that the person who gave them the Bible course was not the first Jehovah's Witness they met, perhaps there was a co-worker or a very friendly neighbor who was a sister and these attitudes have already planted the seed in his heart that with the passage of time continued to grow.
I really liked what the paragraph says that when different brothers and sisters accompany someone to a study, they can encourage the student a lot.It reminded me of the video example of Rita and Coral when that sister who accompanied her to the study touched her the heart in some way shows us that each one of us does a bit.
16. Even if your strength or health fails, why can you be happy with what you do in the ministry?
They may feel happy because they do a job similar to what David's 200 men did, even though they were too tired to go fight the Amalekites, if they stayed watching your belongings, and after the battle, David said that the spoils would be divided among everyone equally. So, the work that our brothers do, that is, their encouraging words and their good example help the new disciple to enter the path of eternal life.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Well, because what Jehovah asks of us is that we give him the best of our best, this example of David who comes here is very beautiful that shows a principle that Jehovah takes into account that one has to do his part as much as possible in that Leave and you are sure to receive Jehovah's blessing.
In the first Samuel 30: 21-25 account that we have here, David remembers that what they have obtained has gone away, Jehovah has given and that no one should stay longer than the other, it had to be distributed both by the 400 who had gone to war and the 200 who had been resting and this reminds us of what we imagined in the previous paragraph we are a team and how happy we are when someone in the congregation begins to study and progresses even though we neither carry the study nor know it personally, but we are all very happy.
17. Why can we thank Jehovah?
We can thank Jehovah because he values the hard work and love we show in our service to him.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Because as we have said before, Jehovah is the best boss we could have in the most important job that he has given us, which is preaching, and he values us not for the results but for the effort for the love with which we serve and for everything we do. we do for him.
And how we are also consoled by the words of Jesus there in John 14:12 when he gave importance to actually demonstrate faith in him, he even went so far as to say he will do the works that I do, perhaps when we see ourselves reflected there when they insulted him or the indifference of Some treated him that way and now Jesus says there he will do bigger works referring to us that comforts us it encourages us a lot and we will actually get Jehovah's approval if we keep without giving up.
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
How can we feel when people reject our message?
We may feel sad, disappointed, and sometimes even think that Jehovah does not bless our preaching or disciple-making efforts.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Surely we do not feel very well and at ease because our desire is that everything and many people listen and because of this we can feel disappointed.
How do we know if our ministry is successful?
We learned that the success of our ministry depends on three aspects:
1. Jehovah looks at our efforts, diligence, endurance and love in preaching the Kingdom message, regardless of people's reaction.
2. We must remember that our ministry pleases Jehovah.
3. If we don't stop preaching and get tired, Jehovah promises us eternal life.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Not because of the results we get but because of the work we do, one of the ideas we saw is that Jehovah values and looks at our efforts in everything we do for him and on our endurance.
We also saw the importance of letting the holy spirit flow in our lives in that way, we also reflect that power that what we learn in his word has.
So if we analyze ourselves and realize or are sure that we are diligently and lovingly doing work for Jehovah, we can be clear that Jehovah qualifies us as successful publishers.
Why should we not give too much importance to how many people we have personally brought to baptism?
Because the work of being disciples is teamwork. So each member of the congregation participates in some way to help the student enter the path of eternal life.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Basically because that depends on the heart of the seed, we plant but we cannot choose which soil is where it will fall, so we do not worry because that depends on the people.
Thus both the one who has led dozens of people to baptism and the one who has not brought anyone into the eyes of Jehovah are equally successful and both sowers and reapers are simply workers in this work and therefore Jehovah rewards the work and not the number of disciples we make.
It is very beautiful to know that for Jehovah what is not seen has a lot of value, apparently, he sees our efforts, our zeal, the love that we have put into preaching, although sometimes the results do not accompany him, but he does see it.
I will also think about teamwork, sometimes in a team, the one that scores the goal, even if it is 1, gives the team the victory but everyone wins, even the one who has been injured and has done or contributed very little, even that team feels like the winner. He has done, because that is how we feel too. The one who wins is our God Jehovah that is what matters.
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