Works of Faith Promote Kingdom Increase
KINGDOM INCREASE is a reality today because Jehovah is blessing his faithful witnesses. Some idea of the works of faith that are promoting this theocratic growth can be gleaned from experiences related at the recent “Kingdom Increase” conventions. Among them were the following:
Outstanding works of faith are being shown in the field ministry. For instance, a recently baptized brother in Korea wanted to share fully in the subscription campaign. So he contacted his business associates and obtained 76 subscriptions to The Watchtower and Awake! in just one month. He was so encouraged that in nine months he placed 656 subscriptions—as many as 164 in a single month!
How fine it is when our young ones take Kingdom preaching very seriously! In Japan a young Kingdom publisher in the third grade heard that his class was going to a Shinto shrine for an art lesson. With his mother’s help, he prepared a letter to his teacher and then telephoned her to explain why he would not be going. Greatly impressed, the teacher told his mother that she had been a publisher while in school but had given up because of family opposition. What resulted from the young boy’s stand? Why, the teacher has become an active Witness once again!
One five-year-old in Kenya told his mother, who is a pioneer, that he wanted to become a special pioneer. She felt that he could not even be a regular pioneer since he was not conducting a Bible study. Her suggestion was that he take My Book of Bible Stories and try to teach other children. So he invited some youngsters to study the Bible with him, and before long ten were doing so regularly. If the young students could not answer the review questions he asked at the end of the study, he would go over the material again. Soon eight of the children were attending congregation meetings. But what about the other two? Well, they were just too small.
Places to meet are essential as Kingdom increase continues. However, when certain Witnesses in Chad decided to build a Kingdom Hall, it so upset the church people who met across the street that several times they broke down what the brothers had put up. Finally, the opposers became so ashamed of their unchristian conduct that they stopped hindering the Witnesses, and the hall was completed. How thrilled that small congregation was when 73 people came to the Memorial!
Other evidence of faith in action also contributes to Kingdom increase. For instance, in Papua New Guinea a group of interested people, including 15 husbands, wives, and children, were determined to attend a district convention to be held 70 miles (110 km) from their homes. To get there they had to go by dugout canoe with an outboard motor to power it. But when the weather turned bad, they faced powerful river currents and rough seas. They had to bail out water furiously, but they finally made it to their destination after ten hours. And just think—the one who organized this expedition is blind! But how their faith was rewarded at that rich spiritual feast!