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Teaching Men of Good WillThe Watchtower—1958 | September 1
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and that to really know him we must understand his purposes as set out in the Bible. (Ps. 83:18) Or he may clarify that the Kingdom is a real government operating from heaven that will soon wipe wickedness from the earth, and that now we must conform our lives to God’s requirements if we are to gain life everlasting under it.—Dan. 2:44.
15. As with the early Christians, what makes the teaching done by Jehovah’s witnesses today effective?
15 Church members today have the Bible and many have heard what it says. They are much like the Jews of Jesus’ day; they had the Scriptures and had often heard them read. But they did not get the sense of them. When Jesus and the apostles taught the people, they were amazed at it. They did not teach as the religious clergy did. They were sincere, they knew that they were teaching the truth, and God’s holy spirit backed them up. (Acts 4:13) So today, when Jehovah’s witnesses perform their ministry at the homes of the people, they use the Bible skillfully, reading appropriate Bible texts and then taking time to draw particular attention to the points of instruction contained in those texts and commenting on their application to our day. They do not only preach; they are also teachers of God’s Word.
16, 17. What excellent counsel does the Bible give on how to perform our ministry when we meet persons who are not interested, and what effect does this have on our teaching?
16 When Jesus was not favorably received in a certain Samaritan village, James and John were incensed and said: “Master, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and annihilate them?” (Luke 9:54) Jesus reproved them for it. We do well to take the occurrence to heart. There is no reason to get excited about it when we meet indifference or even open opposition. Paul’s counsel is: “A slave of the Lord does not need to fight, but needs to be tactful toward all, qualified to teach, keeping himself restrained under evil, instructing with mildness those not favorably disposed, as perhaps God may give them repentance leading to an accurate knowledge of truth, and they may come back to their proper senses out from the snare of the Devil, seeing that they have been caught alive by him for the will of that one.”—2 Tim. 2:24-26.
17 We are sent to teach them the truth. A cutting, sharp tongue seldom is a good teacher. “The one that is wise in heart will be called understanding, and he that is sweet in [his] lips adds persuasiveness.” (Prov. 16:21) Our hearts go out to these people who have been “skinned and knocked about like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt. 9:36) Although they may coldly reject the message when we call, we do not hold it against them. ‘Love is long-suffering. It does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury.’ (1 Cor. 13:4, 5) We know that it means life for them if they will embrace the truth. We do not force the message on them, but ‘instruct with mildness those not favorably disposed.’ Because of this loving attitude on the part of Jehovah’s witnesses thousands have learned the truth. “The heart of the wise one causes his mouth to show insight, and to his lips it adds persuasiveness.” (Prov. 16:23) Being wise, his heart, or seat of motive, is stirred by love. That helps him to keep in focus the real situation of the people he serves, to show insight in dealing with them. It causes some to listen to what he has to say, to be persuaded by it, and to “come back to their proper senses out from the snare of the Devil.”
PROGRESS TO MATURITY
18. (a) How do Jehovah’s witnesses demonstrate real love for men of good will? (b) What suggestions are given to enable Christian ministers to be sure that instruction they give will really take hold?
18 When Jehovah’s witnesses find one who responds to the voice of the Right Shepherd, do they feel that the job is done? Not at all. They help him to come into association with the Shepherd’s fold of his sheep and to grow to Christian maturity. Regularly each week they will call back to study the Bible with the responsive one so that he can see what it tells him to do. Great care should be taken by the one who is teaching to be sure the person of good will is really learning, that he understands the points, and is making progress toward maturity. Not all will progress at the same pace, but by careful organization the spiritual development of each one will receive proper attention. Encourage the new one to express himself. “Let anyone who is being orally taught the word share in all good things with the one who gives such oral teaching.” (Gal. 6:6) And when the comment is given, if it is apparently not given with understanding, show yourself to be a real teacher by discussing the point further and drawing out more comments from the student. Teach the student to reason things out, to see their relation to things previously learned, to include in his answers the scriptures that prove them to be right. Repeat specially important points so they will not be forgotten.
19. What besides accurate knowledge should we also endeavor to teach persons of good will?
19 More is needed if this person is truly to become a disciple of Christ Jesus. He should learn to look to Jehovah for guidance and cultivate a keen desire to please him. He should be helped to appreciate the viewpoint of the psalmist David, who said: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Your spirit is good; may it lead me in the land of uprightness.” (Ps. 143:10) More than getting the answers in his head, we should help him to get God’s law on his heart. “And this is what I continue praying, that your love may abound yet more and more with accurate knowledge and full discernment, that you may make sure of the more important things, so that you may be flawless and not be stumbling others up to the day of Christ, and may be filled with righteous fruit which is through Jesus Christ, to God’s glory and praise.” (Phil. 1:9-11) Yes, when the truth takes hold and develops in the heart of the individual, he will begin to bear fruit.—Matt. 13:23.
20. How may newly interested ones be prepared for a part in teaching others the truth?
20 It usually is not long until a person of good will begins to see that Christians have work to do. But with some it takes longer than for others to find it in their heart to do it. It does not happen all at once, but there is much a good teacher can do to prepare for it. Each week spend some time to acquaint them with Jehovah’s organization and how it does its work. Acquaint them with the meetings and how they are conducted. Invite them to attend. As you tell them of your own house-to-house ministry during the week, show them briefly from the Bible why you do it that way. (Acts 20:20) Later you may relate an encouraging experience you have had when calling back on a good-will person. That opportunity could be used to show that Jesus commanded that the sheep be fed. (John 21:15-17) On another occasion you might acquaint them with the training program and the fact that new ones are not sent off on their own but are lovingly assisted step by step until they feel qualified to help others. Do not feel you have to invite them in the service the first time you tell them about it. Prepare them for it. As the entire arrangement takes shape in their mind and from your studies they begin to see the urgent need for others to learn, they will want to have a share. Love based on knowledge will remove any fear of telling others what they have learned and will replace it with a burning desire to show their appreciation to Jehovah by serving him.—1 John 4:18.
21. What work is it urgent to do now?
21 In all parts of the world there is an urgent need for teachers of the good news. Are you as a Christian qualified to teach? Are you taking steps to progress beyond Christian infancy so you can be a teacher? Are you willing to use the truths and the abilities you now have to help others to learn the truth so they can gain life in God’s new world? If so, now is the time to share in this God-given privilege of service. As you do, whether new or experienced in the ministry, follow the advice recorded at 1 Timothy 4:16: “Pay constant attention to yourself and to your teaching.”
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“Manna” Still Being EatenThe Watchtower—1958 | September 1
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“Manna” Still Being Eaten
THE Bible tells how God fed the nation of Israel on manna for the forty years that they were in the wilderness. It resembled white seeds and was sweet, “like that of flat cakes with honey.” (Ex. 16:13-31) In view of this description it is of interest to note what the American National Geographic magazine had to say in its December, 1957, issue about manna, in its article, “Bringing Old Testament Times to Life.”
“Once again we find a Bible story buttressed by solid fact, for the miracle of the manna from heaven recurs annually in Sinai. Every summer without fail, white droplets of a sweet and nourishing substance appear mysteriously on the bushes. At peak season a man can gather more than two pounds of it a day.
“In 1927 a zoologist of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, Professor F. S. Bodenheimer, journeyed to the Sinai peninsula in quest of the secret of manna. His trained eye quickly unraveled the mystery: the little honeydew drops are given off by scale insects.
“These tiny creatures suck up plant saps which, while poor in the nitrogen the insects require to balance their metabolism, are rich in carbohydrates. Using the nitrogen, they excrete the excess sap as sweet drops. Evaporation quickly converts the liquid into a sticky solid.
“To this day, manna is a favorite confection in the Near East. The most famous variety comes from Kurdistan, and venders hawk cakes of it on the streets of Bagdad under the name of man.”
While without doubt a miracle was necessary to supply all the Israelites with enough manna and especially to supply twice as much on each Friday and none on their sabbath or Saturday, yet it truly is of interest that this manna may have a natural basis and may still be found (apparently only) in that part of the world where the Bible records that the Israelites subsisted upon it.
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Material Remedies InadequateThe Watchtower—1958 | September 1
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Material Remedies Inadequate
In The Humanities After the War W. MacNeile Dixon writes: “Pursued though it be through weary days and sleepless nights, the search for material remedies to soothe or cure our spiritual distresses can have only one end—failure. Much more will be needed than to feed the hungry, house the poor, clothe the destitute, however generously contrived and devotedly administered these undertakings may be. The day of acceptance of the great truth approaches, than which a greater was never yet proclaimed, that ‘man does not live by bread alone.’ With its acceptance and not till then will be laid the foundation stone of a civilization worthy the name.”
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