out of false religion, 82,842 of them, and have now become ministers of God, and they feel like the apostle Paul, who said: “Really, woe is me if I did not declare the good news!” (1 Cor. 9:16) These newly ordained ministers have associated with the more than one million others of Jehovah’s witnesses around the world, and together they find great joy in preaching to others and teaching them to know the Bible.

18. Give evidence to show there was worldwide interest in the celebration of the Lord’s evening meal.

¹⁸ Interesting, too, is the fact that 2,493,519 assembled at the Lord’s evening meal, Friday evening, April 12, 1968, to keep in memory the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. They all knew that the death of Jesus Christ was the means of their salvation because Jesus paid the full ransom in behalf of dying mankind, and it meant redemption for the believing ones. It was observed that only 10,619 individuals partook of the Memorial emblems of wine and unleavened bread, indicating that they were of the anointed class, the remnant of the bride of Christ yet on earth. This number of partakers continues to get smaller and smaller each year.

19. What confidence do Jehovah’s witnesses have about many who are associating with them, and what words of Jesus will ring in their ears during 1969 as they continue declaring the Kingdom good news?

¹⁹ Jehovah’s witnesses have great confidence that many among the nearly two and one-half million people who associated with them at the Memorial of Christ’s death, and are studying with them in God’s Word the Bible, will soon share with them in declaring the good news of God’s kingdom. Jehovah’s witnesses have not forgotten their responsibilities, and they want to help others see theirs. They believe Jesus when he said, “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations.” (Matt. 28:19) They have made 1968 their busiest year of service in behalf of Jehovah’s name and Word. Everyone who has dedicated his life to the doing of Jehovah’s will wants to be, not a forgetful hearer, but rather “a doer of the work,” and wants to be happy in doing it. (Jas. 1:25) Jehovah’s witnesses are; and as they look around and see the troubles, distress of nations and perplexity rampant in the earth, and the work they still have to do, they are glad for Jesus’ words: “Raise yourselves erect and lift your heads up, because your deliverance is getting near.” (Luke 21:28) So, on with the work of declaring the “good news” far and wide!

Zeal Distinguished Early Christians

● In the book 20 Centuries of Christianity the writers comment on the early Christians and Rome’s attitude toward them: “If Rome was willing to make an exception in the case of the Jews why was it not willing likewise to exempt Christians from spilling incense on the altars of the divine emperors? The Christians raised the problem of tolerance in a form more exasperating than the Jews ever had. The Jews were a sort of closed corporation and did no active proselyting. The Christians on the other hand were ceaseless proselyters. They were avowedly out to make Christians of the entire population.” Jehovah’s Christian witnesses today, too, put forth earnest effort to help all honest-hearted ones to learn and practice the principles of true Christian worship.