good things of this old world can become snares to us in our New World activity. Instead, by taking our God-given commission to heart and storing up heavenly treasure by helping others into the New World society, we practice the Scriptural advice to God’s ministers: “You, though, keep your balance in all things, suffer evil, do missionary work, thoroughly accomplish your ministry.”—2 Tim. 4:5, NW.

ITS IMPORTANCE IN ALL OUR RELATIONS

¹⁴ Integrity enters into every feature of the Christian’s life. Loyalty and obedience are required of us in all things. Obedience often has been a hard lesson for former children of disobedience to learn. How important, then, to have a good conscience and to follow the leading of God’s spirit and not the inclination of the flesh! Peter admonished: “Hold a good conscience, so that in the particular in which you are spoken against they may get ashamed who are speaking slightingly of your good conduct in connection with Christ. For it is better to suffer because you are doing good, if the will of God wishes it, than because you are doing evil.” (1 Pet. 3:16, 17, NW) Remember, keeping integrity never was easy; and the Devil and his hordes will make it even harder because he has but a short time. “Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.”—Rom. 12:21, NW.

¹⁵ “Put on the complete suit of armor from God that you may be able to stand firm against the machinations of the Devil; because we have a fight, not against blood and flesh, but against the governments, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:11, 12, NW) Our fight is not against human creatures or human governments. By now the rulers in every land should know that Jehovah’s witnesses are not interested in seizing political power that other humans have, or replacing it by another. Jehovah’s Christ is already the King of his New World, and in due time the political rulers in all this earth will become keenly conscious of that also. (Rev. 11:15-18, NW) Our work is to announce Jehovah’s kingdom under Christ and to liberate people of good will from Satan’s snare and his wicked spirits, even as we ourselves have been made free by Jehovah’s truth. (Ps. 117, AS; John 8:31, 32, NW) Only in this way can God-fearing persons, as well as we, keep integrity.

16, 17. (a) How are invisible but very powerful foes of Jehovah’s people continually conquered now? (b) Within Jehovah’s New World society how does maintaining integrity concern us?

¹⁶ Having agreed, from the time of our dedication onward, to follow the Lamb, Jehovah’s enthroned King of the new world, we can, under his leadership, conquer the old world and the wicked one. By faithfulness, by keeping integrity, we place in Jehovah’s hand the answer to Satan’s malicious challenge—the answer that Satan cannot refute, the answer that proves him to be a false accuser. “For this purpose the Son of God was made manifest, namely, to break up the works of the Devil.” “And they conquered him [Satan, the false accuser of Christ’s brothers] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their witnessing, and they did not love their souls even despite the danger of death.” “And this is the conquest that has conquered the world, our faith.”—1 John 3:8; Rev. 12:11; 1 John 5:4, NW.

¹⁷ But how does integrity influence our relation to our brothers? Jehovah now gives special privileges and responsibilities to servants in a congregation who willingly take the lead in labor and in care for Jehovah’s sheep. (Acts 20:28, NW) Mature publishers can aid others in the house-to-house ministry, taking them along, showing them how to preach and training them to become fellow witnesses. Husbands too will remain true to their wives, and wives to their husbands. (Eph. 5:33, NW) Integrity-keeping parents will similarly teach and train their children. “Children, be obedient to your parents in union with the Lord, for this is righteous: ‘Honor your father and mother’; which is the first command with a promise.”—Eph. 6:1, 2, NW.

18, 19. As integrity-keepers, what are our daily responsibilities and privileges toward so-called outsiders, whether unfriendly or friendly?

¹⁸ And how will integrity affect our relation to the worldly? Our commission is to do good to all, to injure none. (1 Thess. 5:15, NW) As far as possible our preaching and teaching work should be intensified as the world’s end draws near. This means to read from the Bible to the people in their homes, at their doors, wherever possible—outside and inside prison walls. Integrity maintained in camps of hard labor proves that now also Jehovah protects his people in the lions’ den. There they are happy because persecuted for righteousness’ sake. They do not complain, because the spirit of glory, even the spirit of God, is resting upon them. (1 Pet. 4:13-17, NW) Neither repetition of lies nor any propaganda flood of falsehoods can erase the word of God from their minds and hearts. No brainwashing can quench their burning faith, for they will be ready to punish all disobedience when their own obedience is fulfilled. (2 Cor. 10:3-6, NW) We are not double-minded. With firmness and discretion we resist Satan’s browbeating methods. (1 Pet. 5:6-11, NW) But strange as it may seem, we who have our physical freedom stand in greater danger than our thousands of imprisoned brothers. (Heb. 13:3, NW) Can we let trifling things interfere? Do we slack the hand? Do we make excuses? There is ingathering work to be done, a battle to be won! (Eccl. 11:4, AS) So daily give praise to Jehovah. Let us daily buy out the opportune time for ourselves, because the days are wicked.—Eph. 5:16, NW.

¹⁹ The integrity-keeper has clean hands and a pure heart because as a faithful watchman he continues to give the warning. (Ezek. 3:17-19, AS) With faithful David of old he can say: “I have not sat with men of falsehood; neither will I go in with dissemblers. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked. I will wash my hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Jehovah; that I may make the voice of thanksgiving to be heard, and tell of all thy wondrous works. Jehovah, I love the habitation of thy house, and the place where thy glory dwelleth.” (Ps. 26:4-8, AS) The upright find the way of Jehovah a stronghold to them. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity. It guides and preserves them to everlasting life. (Prov. 10:29; 2:7; 11:3; Ps. 25:21) Satan and his crumbling organization alone will try to keep us from going on to maturity and pressing on to victory. Jehovah’s prophets of old endured and were faithful. With them Christ Jesus, his apostles and other faithful early Christians jubilantly joined in saying ‘Keep integrity!’ And now our present-day brothers, enduring great persecution, constantly add their voices in urging us to keep integrity! Jehovah’s mighty organization invisible and visible stands ready to help us maintain integrity.

Churchgoers Seldom Disappointed

The Louisville Times of January 10, 1956, in its column entitled “Names in the News” had the following item: “The Rev. Roy O. McClain of Atlanta, Georgia, told the Texas Evangelistic Conference that the average person today goes to church expecting little and is seldom disappointed.”