Attend the 1981 “Kingdom Loyalty” District Conventions
TRULY unique among the blessings Jehovah’s Witnesses enjoy are their annual district conventions. What fine reports we received at headquarters regarding the benefits obtained by those who attended last year’s “Divine Love” District Conventions! How greatly our brothers enjoyed a rich spiritual feast consisting of discourses, demonstrations, experiences, dramas and releases, as well as the opportunity to share in volunteer service and in the house-to-house ministry! As a result, all returned home with a keener appreciation of Jehovah God’s great love and with an increased determination to show love to their brothers and to those on the outside. Up to the present time we have received reports regarding these district conventions from 85 lands, where a total of 3,696,191 were in attendance and where all together 40,996 were baptized.
This year’s “Kingdom Loyalty” District Conventions promise to be just as interesting and upbuilding as were those “Divine Love” District Conventions. What a sterling quality loyalty is! How timely to have that as our convention theme this year! Loyalty goes beyond faithfulness, which has the thought primarily of dependability. Loyalty implies steadfast attachment in spite of temptations or pressures, for which reason the term cannot be applied to the brute creation, or to inanimate things, as can ‘faithfulness.’—Ps. 89:37.
Most fittingly we read of Jehovah as being preeminently the loyal One. “Who will not really fear you, Jehovah, and glorify your name, because you alone are loyal?” He is “loyal in all his works.” (Rev. 15:4; Ps. 145:17) Most fittingly God’s firstborn Son is repeatedly referred to as “your loyal one.” (Ps. 16:10; Acts 2:27) Similarly, God’s faithful servants are many times referred to as “loyal ones,” especially in the book of Psalms.—1 Sam. 2:9; Ps. 30:4; 50:5; 85:8; 145:10.
Today, our Kingdom loyalty is under attack as never before. Satan, knowing that his time is short, rages in great anger against the loyal servants of Jehovah God. By means of his visible and invisible organization, Satan is bringing to bear on God’s people the pressures of nationalism and fear of man, with temptations toward materialism, sexual and other kinds of immorality, apostasy, bitterness, apathy and rebellion. Truly these are difficult times, hard to deal with.—Rev. 12:12; 2 Tim. 3:1-5.
By our attending the “Kingdom Loyalty” Conventions, we will receive instruction, admonition, encouragement and exhortation on all the various ways we can and must show loyalty—to Jehovah, to his organization, to our brothers, to our families. Let us show loyalty by our very attendance at this convention, being present right from the opening song, if at all possible, to the concluding prayer each day. Concentrate on what is said from the platform, “paying more than the usual attention,” and join in heartfelt singing of our Kingdom songs, for most of us the only active part in formal worship, as far as the program is concerned.—Heb. 2:1; Eph. 5:18, 19.
Loyalty to our brothers would include not being greedy as to the saving of seats. Loyal ones will also share in field service, will they not? And, of course, should we have a part on the program, let us do our very best, to Jehovah’s praise and to the blessing of others and ourselves.