Evangelism​—Its Place in True Worship

“Your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.”​—1 CORINTHIANS 2:5, THE JERUSALEM BIBLE.

1. (a) For what activity are Jehovah’s Witnesses known worldwide? (b) How important is this activity?

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES are known internationally as evangelizers, that is, messengers of good news. English sociologist J. A. Beckford noted this in Social Compass of January 1977: “The Witnesses are among the most assiduous and energetic evangelisers and proselytisers in the modern world.” He added: “This is an obvious, albeit often neglected, reason for the Watchtower movement’s growth-rate.” But is the Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making work pleasing to Jehovah? History and present-day facts answer Yes! Evangelism, preaching of the good news of God’s Kingdom, is the underpinning of Christianity. It is the mark, past and present, of God’s people.

2. What does Kingdom preaching accomplish?

² What does Kingdom preaching accomplish? For one thing, it enables a person visibly to display love and appreciation for the Almighty God and His human creation. (Matthew 22:37-39) And most importantly, through evangelism Jehovah’s unmatched wisdom and remarkable power are made known to others.​—Acts 1:8; 4:33; Ephesians 3:10.

Jehovah Sponsors the Good News

3. (a) Why can Jehovah be described as an evangelizer? (b) In whom does the good news center, and what was his commission?

³ Jehovah was the first Evangelizer, or bringer of good news. His first prophecy declared good news of deliverance for imperfect mankind by means of a promised “seed.” (Genesis 3:15) Later, with Isaiah as his prophetic spokesman, God foretold that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, as the principal One of the “seed,” would “tell good news to the meek ones.” (Isaiah 61:1) So Jehovah purposed Christ to be a preacher of good news​—an evangelizer.

4, 5. How have angels acted as evangelizers?

⁴ Jehovah has commissioned others to tell the good news. Mighty spirit creatures, angels, have shared in this divinely approved work. Interestingly, in both Hebrew and Greek the word “angel” literally means “messenger,” and the word “evangelist” is derived from two Greek words that mean “good” and “angel” (or, “messenger”). For instance, God’s angel “declared the good news beforehand to Abraham.” (Galatians 3:8; Genesis 22:15-18) That good news was to the effect that Abraham’s lineage would produce the promised “seed,” and that all the nations would certainly bless themselves by that “seed.” (Genesis 12:2, 3) Twenty centuries later the angel Gabriel, serving as an evangelist, announced to Zechariah the coming birth of John the Baptizer, saying: “I was sent forth to speak with you and declare the good news of these things to you.” John the Baptizer prepared the way for the principal one of Abraham’s “seed,” Jesus Christ.​—Luke 1:19.

⁵ Acting further as an evangelist, Gabriel appeared to Mary to bring her the glad tidings of the coming birth of Jesus. (Luke 1:26-38) Months later, shepherds were startled by an angelic evangelist announcing: “Have no fear, for, look! I am declaring to you good news of a great joy that all the people will have.” Then this angel was joined by a multitude of spirit creatures confirming this message of good news. (Luke 2:8-14) The extraordinary evidence of God’s power of sponsoring the good news through angels did not stop with the birth of his Son but continued through the first-century history of the Christian congregation. An angel released the imprisoned apostles and commanded: “Keep on speaking to the people.” (Acts 5:20) Angelic direction was given to locate interested ones and help God’s servants. (Acts 8:26; 10:3; 12:7-11) And the apostle John, who by inspiration described events “in the Lord’s day,” envisioned ‘an angel flying in midheaven having everlasting good news to declare’​—in effect, overseeing the global spread of the Kingdom message by Jehovah’s earthly servants.​—Revelation 1:10; 14:6.

Christ’s Assignment: Evangelize!

6. (a) What foundation did Jesus lay for the proclamation of the good news? (b) How did Jesus ensure that the evangelizing work would continue after his death?

⁶ Why was the early Christian congregation so bold and dynamic in its witnessing? Because Christ, as Founder, used God’s wisdom and power to build upon himself a sturdy organization of evangelizers. Christ did this in two ways. First, he fulfilled his own assignment “to tell good news to the meek ones.” (Isaiah 61:1) And secondly, he personally trained his 12 close associates to preach and then he trained 70 others. Thus Christ established a solid core of preachers to carry on the evangelizing work after his death.​—Matthew 10:5-42; Luke 10:1-16.

7. In bringing the good news to people, how has God’s wisdom differed from human wisdom?

⁷ Jesus was a man of action in Kingdom preaching. He got busy evangelizing because he knew people needed to hear the good news of God’s Kingdom​—the new heavenly government that will bring lasting peace to earth and remove all causes of distress. So after completing an evangelizing tour of cities and villages and observing the pitiful spiritual state of the populace, he said to his disciples: “Yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few. Therefore, beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37, 38) Quickly Jesus began fulfilling such a request. One of his first orders to his apostles was: “As you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.’” Preach to people, was his cry. To soothe troubled mankind, human wisdom might have dictated the setting up of a bureaucratic social program or an underground revolutionary council to accomplish this work; but Christ expressed God’s wisdom. It was simply: “Go, preach.”​—Matthew 10:7.

8. What was Christ’s reaction when his disciples returned from their preaching, and why?

⁸ After giving those instructions, Jesus spoke to others and told them to evangelize too. When these preachers returned with a report of success, Jesus was overjoyed and said: “I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have carefully hidden these things from wise and intellectual ones, and have revealed them to babes.” (Luke 10:21) Those “babes” were Christ’s grown disciples, and evangelism was their tool to uncover the truth of God to others. Therefore, it was not human philosophy or might that firmly established true Christianity, but it was divine wisdom and power as expressed through Kingdom preaching.

All Disciples Evangelized

9. Give examples of how historians show that the foundation of early Christianity was Kingdom preaching.

⁹ If preaching of Kingdom good news is the groundwork of Christianity, then all early Christians should have been evangelizers. Were they? Yes! answers history. Note what these reference books state about first-century Christians:

“Any and all Christians were, in those days, ‘missionaries.’”​—History of Western Civilization.

“This first mission activity shows that the early mission force was by no means limited to the Apostles. Rather, the whole Christian community was collectively involved.”​—New Catholic Encyclopedia.

“A desire to bear testimony to his faith and a way of life is an expected characteristic of each Christian.”​—Encyclopedia Americana.

10. (a) When did the Christian congregation become an evangelistic organization? (b) What miraculous gift did God provide early Christians, and for what purpose?

¹⁰ Right from the moment that the Christian congregation came into existence in 33 C.E., it was an evangelistic organization. Its first membership of about 120 disciples wasted no time in becoming Kingdom preachers. Divine history records that “they all became filled with holy spirit and started to speak.” Please note that all, not just some, started to speak “about the magnificent things of God.” (Acts 2:4, 11) Here was evidence of God’s power and wisdom infusing those receptive worshipers with the amazing ability to witness in languages they had never learned in school. A miracle established the Christian congregation on the foundation of proclaiming the good news.

11. How did Peter emphasize that all Christians must be preachers?

¹¹ Later that day Peter applied Joel’s prophecy to the newly established Christian congregation: “‘And in the last days,’ God says, ‘I shall pour out some of my spirit upon every sort of flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy and your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams; and even upon my men slaves and upon my women slaves I will pour out some of my spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.’” (Acts 2:17, 18; Joel 2:28, 29) Any and all Christians were to be evangelizers. Men, women and even youths would have an active share in prophesying or proclaiming, speaking, bubbling up with God’s message of good news.

Evangelizing Includes Warning

12. Why is the message of God’s Kingdom not good news for everyone?

¹² The message of God’s Kingdom is not good news for everyone, for it includes a warning of destruction. The present corrupt system and all its supporters must go if the good news is to have any lasting benefit. (Proverbs 21:18) Honest-hearted worshipers of Jehovah cannot transform this earth into a paradise if streaks of wickedness remain to stain its beauty. The Sponsor of the good news gave the command not only “to proclaim the year of goodwill” but also to declare “the day of vengeance on the part of our God.” (Isaiah 61:2) Similarly, the message of one of the angels mentioned in Revelation includes these words: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of the judgment by him has arrived.”​—Revelation 14:7.

13. (a) What attitude toward evangelizing did the early Christians have? (b) Using a scripture, show how early Christians had a sense of urgency.

¹³ With a sense of urgency, the first-century Christians spread the good news in the fastest possible manner. This feature of the good news identified the early Christians too. “The Christian expectation of the end time never consisted simply of a passive yearning for the coming Kingdom of God” but “was expressed instead in an incredible activation and acceleration of efforts to prepare the world for the return of Christ and the coming Kingdom,” comments the Encyclopædia Britannica. Regularly congregations were exhorted about the nearness of the end and their need to be ready. The apostles perceived that evangelizing with dispatch was a necessary part of Christianity if all the people were to be reached before God’s day of vengeance arrived. As a result, Christianity mushroomed.​—Romans 10:13, 14; 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 6; 2 Peter 3:11-14.

14, 15. How has the thrust of evangelism influenced history?

¹⁴ Even though the clear ring of the Kingdom message was muffled and distorted after the first century, the expectation of the end remained a strong force. For example, according to some historians, the 15th-century Columbus expedition to the western hemisphere was partly influenced by the belief that India had to be reached quickly with the good news before Christ could return. Later population movements, such as the 17th-century Puritan emigration, the 18th-century movement of the Baptists, the Quakers and the Methodists to America, and the 18th- and 19th-century German emigration to Russia and Palestine were prompted by similar views.

¹⁵ Therefore, can it be said that the evangelistic work started by Jesus Christ has had far-reaching and long-standing effects? History answers Yes. Although the evangelistic thrust was not always directed as Christ instructed, still its impression on the world was major. The Encyclopædia Britannica concludes its summary on “Christianity” with this statement: “Christianity is the spiritual power that has influenced human history more strongly and may have changed it more deeply than any other factor.”

Modern-Day Evangelism

16. (a) What conclusion can be reached about first-century Christians? (b) What question could be asked concerning modern-day witnessing?

¹⁶ Examination of these divine and secular historical records produces one important conclusion: All first-century Christians were evangelizers. To be and remain a Christian, one had to preach regularly. Today, then, has this become an unsophisticated, distasteful way of worship, lacking modern appeal? Perhaps according to man’s thinking but not according to God’s.​—Proverbs 16:25; Jeremiah 8:9.

17. How have Jehovah’s Witnesses restored the true mark of evangelism?

¹⁷ The modern history of Jehovah’s Witnesses shows that they have fully restored the true, clear ring of the message of Kingdom good news. In obedience to Christ’s command they are busy in the most extensive evangelizing work ever. Global witnessing must be done before the end of this system comes. (Matthew 24:14) For the past 100 years this has been the main focus of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The first issue of The Watchtower, then called Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence, stated its purpose as follows:

“This is the first number of the first volume of ‘Zion’s Watch Tower,’ and it may not be amiss to state the object of its publication. That we are living ‘in the last days’ . . . and we are desirous that the ‘household of faith’ be fully awake to the fact.”​—July 1879.

Later, in 1884, Jehovah’s Witnesses as a society of evangelizers organized a corporation. Its purpose was outlined in article two of its charter in these words:

“The purpose for which the corporation is formed is, the dissemination of Bible truths in various languages by means of the publication of tracts, pamphlets, papers and other religious documents, and by all other lawful means.”

Have these instruments been fulfilling their declared purpose? History answers Yes.

18. How has the evangelizing work of Jehovah’s people caught the world’s attention?

¹⁸ The evangelizing work of Jehovah’s Witnesses has caught the attention of the world. It has been taken note of and recorded in the news media, the highest judicial courts and history books. From the first issue of The Watchtower in one language, when 6,000 copies were printed monthly, to the present issue of 10,050,000 copies printed in 102 languages, its circulation has become the largest of any religious journal. From a few thousand hours spent each year in the evangelizing work in the 19th century, the growth has been remarkable. In 1982 more than 384 million hours were devoted to the preaching work, 286 million pieces of literature were placed, and more than one and a half million households received free Bible instruction in 205 countries and territories. All of this has been accomplished by a relatively small number of people​—2,477,608 in 1982.

19. (a) To whom do Jehovah’s Witnesses attribute the success of their worldwide evangelizing work? (b) If you are an evangelizer, what should you do, according to Matthew 10:7?

¹⁹ Do Jehovah’s Witnesses attribute this amazing record to their own intellectual skills and strength? No. All credit belongs to our wise and powerful God, Jehovah, the first Evangelizer. So what will you do? If you see evangelism’s place in true worship and sincerely desire to please Jehovah, then regularly, week by week, evangelize, or as Jesus said: “GO, PREACH”!​—Matthew 10:7.

Are You One That God Would Choose?

“God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put the wise men to shame.”​—1 CORINTHIANS 1:27.

1. Why have many chosen to become fools in the world’s eyes?

WOULD you dismiss as insignificant what you knew was an important task simply because others deemed it mere folly and a sign of weakness? No one, of course, likes to be labeled a fool or a weakling​—not even a child. But suppose the assignment to perform this important task came from a highly intelligent dignitary. Would you not be willing to swallow your pride and accept the assignment? Millions of persons throughout history have done just that. What task have these people accepted, and from whom has the assignment come? The answer is found in Paul’s first letter to Christians in ancient Corinth.

2. What activity is considered foolishness by the world?

² In warning Christians there not to base their worship simply on what was popular, Paul wrote: “For the speech about the torture stake is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is God’s power. For it is written: ‘I will make the wisdom of the wise men perish, and the intelligence of the intellectual men I will shove aside.’ Where is the wise man? Where the scribe? Where the debater of this system of things? Did not God make the wisdom of the world foolish? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not get to know God, God saw good through the foolishness of what is preached to save those believing.”​—1 Corinthians 1:18-21.

3. What message, considered foolishness by the world, does God purpose to have preached worldwide?

³ To the so-called wise and intellectual ones of the world the speech about Christ pouring out his lifeblood on a torture stake is foolishness. They scoff at the idea that by exercising faith in Christ’s sacrifice everlasting life in a righteous new system can be enjoyed. That Christ rose from the dead and is now the powerful King of God’s heavenly Kingdom is pure fantasy as far as they are concerned. Yet Almighty God purposes to have this heartwarming message made known worldwide. So to anyone who would become his servant he gives the assignment to preach this good news of his Kingdom. Since this message amounts to foolishness to the wise and intellectual ones of the world, whom does God use to preach it? Listen to the inspired answer from God’s own Word:

4. (a) Whom does God use to preach his message? (b) What effect does his choosing of such persons have on the wise ones of the world?

⁴ “For you behold his calling of you, brothers, that not many wise in a fleshly way were called, not many powerful, not many of noble birth; but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put the wise men to shame; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put the strong things to shame; and God chose the ignoble things of the world and the things looked down upon, the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are, in order that no flesh might boast in the sight of God.”​—1 Corinthians 1:26-29.

5. What determines whether you are one that Jehovah will choose to use?

⁵ Are you the type of person that God would choose to do the work he wants done in the earth today? If so, it means that you must be prepared to be viewed as a fool by the world. “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God,” the Bible says. (1 Corinthians 3:19) So to be a successful servant of Jehovah God you must be willing to proceed in a way that will make you seem foolish from the world’s standpoint. Are there historical examples to show that not only were God’s servants viewed as foolish by people of the world but the wisdom of the world was also foolishness to God?

Examples From the Past

6. How was it that Noah’s activity appeared foolish to the world, yet displayed God’s wisdom?

⁶ Noah took on a foolish task from man’s viewpoint but not from God’s. Imagine building on dry land a colossal boxlike structure, 1,300,000 cubic feet (36,800 cu m) in volume, for floating on water. A seemingly speculative endeavor, sure to bring ridicule! That Jehovah God would bring an end to the world seemed absurd to the people. As far as they were concerned, Noah was a fool to preach such a message. (2 Peter 2:5) Yet, the fact is that it was their way of life, their way of doing things, that amounted to foolishness to God. They were ruining the earth, making God feel incensed. (Genesis 6:5) So Noah was willing to be viewed as a fool in connection with God’s displaying His wisdom and power.

7. Why did Moses’ course appear foolish, but what did the outcome show?

⁷ Would you, in order to please God, give up wealth and nobility, accepting instead ill-treatment? Moses did. Although he “was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,” he willingly forsook that way of life and accepted the stigma that rests on God’s anointed. (Acts 7:22; Hebrews 11:24-26) Surely Moses’ course of action seemed to be foolish to the Egyptian world, but the world’s wisdom was shown up to be foolishness when Egypt’s wise men were humiliated by 10 plagues and the military might of the nation was destroyed by God in the Red Sea. Such examples show that the wisdom of men is, in fact, foolishness to God. It is no match for the wisdom and power of the Almighty.

8. (a) From what level of society did the majority of early Christians come? (b) Yet what effect did their preaching have on the worldly-wise?

⁸ What about early Christians? A professor of history wrote: “Most of the early Christians were persons of humble origin, coming from the lower levels of the artisan-merchant class of the large cities.” (The Ancient World, by Joseph W. Swain) Christ’s first-century followers were indeed ordinary persons, a fact that their enemies called attention to. (Acts 4:13; John 7:48) Yet the wisdom spoken by Christ’s followers put the worldly-wise to shame. They could not fathom the sacred secret of God concerning Christ and the Kingdom; to them such talk was foolishness. As the Bible says: “This wisdom not one of the rulers of this system of things came to know, for if they had known it they would not have impaled the glorious Lord.”​—1 Corinthians 2:7, 8.

God’s Work of Evangelizing

9. (a) Who really was the source of the instructions provided by Jesus? (b) In order to preach the Kingdom message to deserving persons, what did Jesus’ disciples have to do?

⁹ Jesus Christ displayed God’s wisdom by both the example he set and the instructions he gave on how to do the evangelizing work. As he said: “I do nothing of my own initiative; but just as the Father taught me I speak these things.” (John 8:28) Jesus went right to the people with the Kingdom message. He taught them publicly and in their homes. Consider for a few moments his instructions to his disciples, the 12 and the 70 that he sent out to share in the evangelizing work. You can read these instructions in Matthew 10:1-14 and Luke 10:1-12. Jesus there told his disciples to locate people. “Into whatever city or village you enter, search out who in it is deserving,” he said. Yes, find those who desire to listen. And what were the disciples to tell them? “Preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near,’” Jesus instructed.​—Matthew 10:7.

10. (a) What guidance did Jesus give on how to approach a householder? (b) What were his disciples to do if no interest was shown? (c) What can be said about the wisdom of Christ’s instructions?

¹⁰ Jesus even provided guidance on how to approach a householder. He said: “Wherever you enter into a house say first, ‘May this house have peace.’ And if a friend of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if there is not, it will turn back to you.” (Luke 10:5, 6) They were to stay with the people who responded to the Kingdom message that they were preaching. But if the householder was not interested, then they were to move on. Really, what simple, uncomplicated instructions, yet specific enough to show evangelizers down to this present day what to say and how to say it! Is this not what you would expect of God’s wisdom?

11. (a) What did Jesus show should be the theme of his disciples’ message? (b) In order for our Kingdom preaching to be effective, what do we need to do? (c) How can you use scriptures to show that the Kingdom will solve the problems listed in this paragraph?

¹¹ As noted earlier, the kernel of the message of those doing the evangelizing work is the Kingdom. “Go on telling them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you,’” Jesus instructed. (Luke 10:9) You should have this theme in mind, for your responsibility as an evangelizer is to help your listeners understand how the Kingdom really can be good news for them. So you should try to tailor-make, or personalize, the Kingdom message to fit their needs. Depending on your listeners’ needs or interests, why not emphasize what the Kingdom will do that will be most appealing to them? For example, you may show them how the Kingdom will carry out God’s purpose to make this earth a Paradise in which people will live forever, using such scriptures as Isaiah 45:18 and Psalm 37:29. Then, by using the scriptures provided, you might show them how the Kingdom will solve the problems listed below.

Sickness: Isaiah 35:5, 6; Revelation 21:3, 4.

Death: Isaiah 25:8; 26:19; John 5:28, 29; 1 Corinthians 15:26.

Food shortage: Isaiah 25:6; Psalm 67:6; 72:16.

Housing: Isaiah 65:21-23.

War: Psalm 46:8, 9; 72:7, 8.

Crime and violence: Psalm 37:9, 10; Proverbs 2:22.

Pollution: Revelation 11:18.

12. (a) How can an evangelizer determine a person’s needs? (b) What is the key to being an effective evangelizer?

¹² How can you determine the listeners’ needs? First, be a good listener, willing to hear what they have to say. Ask questions and attentively listen to their replies, not being defensive if the responses are not what you expect. One Witness, active in the evangelizing work for more than 25 years, noted: “I try to involve the householder immediately in the conversation. In this way I get to know what interests him, rather than just going on with what I came to say.” As another experienced evangelizer noted: “A recited sermon might reach just their ears or blow away on the wind.” Actually, the key to being an effective evangelizer is being genuinely interested in people, even as Jesus was. (Matthew 9:36-38) Let the people see that you are interested in them as persons, and that you really believe the good news you are bringing to them. As one Witness said: “They will draw one conclusion if you talk mechanically​—no conviction.”

A Vital Method of Evangelizing

13. How does the Bible show that early Christians obeyed Christ’s directions about preaching?

¹³ As we have seen, Jesus Christ encouraged his followers to take the Kingdom message right to the homes of the people. Following his directions, the apostles also demonstrated God’s wisdom by using this vital method of evangelizing. The Bible record says: “Every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus.” (Acts 5:42) Later the apostle Paul reviewed his evangelizing work with fellow Christians, saying: “I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house. But I thoroughly bore witness both to Jews and to Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.”​—Acts 20:20, 21.

14. What shows the effectiveness of the house-to-house method of evangelizing?

¹⁴ Although God’s servants commonly have been ridiculed and viewed as fools for using this apostolic method of Kingdom preaching, its tremendous success shows that it has God’s approval. For example, British sociologist Bryan Wilson analyzed the growth of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Japan and reported: “The majority [58.3 percent] of those who have become Witnesses declare that they first had their interest awakened by receiving a house-call from a publisher.” Also, years ago Catholic priest John A. O’Brien told some 200 priests at St. Joseph’s Seminary in New York: “The secret of the phenomenal success of St. Paul was his tireless use of the house-to-house method of recruiting converts. It is ironic that this apostolic method is now used by non-Catholic sects, especially Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Why Schedule Evangelizing

15. Why is it important to schedule time for our house-to-house preaching activity?

¹⁵ Is it not true that a schedule is vital if important matters are to be cared for? You probably have a scheduled time for eating and sleeping, as well as for your schooling or work. If you are going to get things done, a schedule is important. The same can be said regarding our house-to-house preaching. Since Satan the Devil is fighting to keep the good news of God’s Kingdom from reaching the people, we need to have a schedule if we are to have a regular share in Kingdom preaching. Otherwise, it may well be that ‘we just cannot find time’ to do this work. (1 Corinthians 9:16) It is Satan’s aim to see that this occurs.

16. What examples show the value of having a schedule for our preaching activity?

¹⁶ Thus a medical doctor, a Witness for over 25 years, says that he finds a schedule for evangelizing necessary. The owner of a large cattle ranch in the United States says: “Around 1944 I realized that the only way I would get in service was to schedule a certain day for it.” He adds: “To this day I still take off a day during the week for service.” A Christian elder, who also is a lawyer, finds that having a definite schedule for witnessing enables him to average 15 hours a month in the preaching activity. If he has any legal business on Saturday he schedules it for the afternoon, after his morning field service.​—Compare Colossians 4:5.

Represent God in a Dignified Way

17. While in the evangelizing work, what care should we exercise as to dress?

¹⁷ Although the world may consider us fools because of the life-giving message we bear, we should exercise care that our appearance does not in any way detract from that vital message. Extremes in dress, either too fashionable or too unkempt, can do that. In more affluent territory we may need to be extra conscious of appearance and decorum. Does this mean that it is necessary to have an expensive wardrobe? No. One successful evangelizer, who has traveled extensively with her husband, carefully observes how people in the territory dress. Then she chooses a moderate style reflecting local practice. Our present wardrobe, no matter how humble, will suffice if our clothing is clean, pressed and orderly. If you are wearing a jacket, have missing buttons been replaced? If you are wearing a tie, have all spots been removed? If you are wearing business-type shoes, have they been polished? Remember, your neat, dignified appearance will command respect for your message.​—Titus 2:10.

18. (a) Illustrate the value of dressing in a way that reflects good local practice. (b) Why is overdressing to be avoided?

¹⁸ Because one Witness gave more attention to her appearance she reports that a lady who previously denied her even a conversation invited her into the home. After an enjoyable Bible discussion, the householder asked, “By the way, what church do you represent?” The answer, “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” surprised the householder. She had never allowed Jehovah’s Witnesses into her house before. When the Witness asked why she had let her in, the householder replied that it was because the Witness looked “so well put together.” The woman felt compelled to listen to what she had to say. A regular Bible study resulted. On the other hand, in more humble neighborhoods, overdressing may give the impression that you think ‘I am better than you are.’ So no matter what territory we work, or to whom we preach, our dress and decorum should be such that it attracts people to the Kingdom message rather than turning them away.​—1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

19. (a) What is the key to being a person whom God chooses? (b) What example did Christ set in this regard? (c) By being willing to let the world look on you as foolish, for what privileges do you put yourself in line?

¹⁹ Really, it is up to you to answer the question: Am I one whom God would choose? His choice is not based on intellectual ability or worldly position. The key, rather, is willingness to do God’s work in his way, even when by so doing you are considered foolish or weak by the world. Jesus Christ set the example. He was willing to be considered a fool by his contemporaries in order to become to those whom he discipled “wisdom from God.” (1 Corinthians 1:30) If you are willing to proclaim the Kingdom message, considered foolishness by the world, you are putting yourself in line to be used by Jehovah God as one of his Witnesses and to enjoy the blessed gift of everlasting life in his righteous new system.