1. What example did Jesus set for his disciples, and what did they do? (See cover image).
WHEN Jesus was on earth, he was always positive in his ministry, and he wants his disciples to have that same attitude (John 4:35, 36). While Jesus was with his disciples, they preached with enthusiasm (Luke 10: 1, 5-11, 17). But they lost the desire to preach for a time when their teacher was arrested and killed (John 16:32). After being resurrected, Jesus encouraged them to focus on preaching. And, when he was in heaven, they preached with such enthusiasm that their enemies complained, saying, "They have filled Jerusalem with their teachings" (Acts 5:28).
2. How has Jehovah blessed preaching?
Jesus led the preaching of first-century Christians, and with Jehovah's blessing many people accepted his message. For example, on Pentecost in the year 33, some 3,000 were baptized (Acts 2:41). And the number of disciples kept increasing tremendously (Acts 6: 7). Now, Jesus predicted that more people would accept the good news in the last days (John 14:12; Acts 1: 8).
3, 4. a) Why can preaching be difficult in some places? b) What will we analyze in this article?
We all strive to be positive in ministry. In some places this is easy, as there are many people who want to study the Bible. In fact, there are so many that siblings have to make waiting lists! But in other parts of the world, publishers do not have it so easy, finding few people in their homes, and those they do find may have little interest in the Bible.
If we live in a place where preaching is difficult, the suggestions that we are going to see in this article can help us. We will analyze what some brothers have done to be able to talk to more people and why we can continue to be positive in the ministry even if people do not respond well.
LET'S KEEP POSITIVE IF WE CANNOT FIND PEOPLE
5. What difficulties do many Witnesses have?
Many Witnesses find it increasingly difficult to talk to people in their homes. Some live in areas where there are many high-security apartment buildings or gated communities. There may be a doorman or a security guard who will not let anyone in who has not been invited by one of the residents. In other places, siblings can go from house to house without much problem, but they find few people. There are also publishers who preach in rural or isolated areas, where few people live. They may have to travel long distances to talk to someone, and when they arrive, it turns out that they are not at home. If we find ourselves in any of these situations, what can we do not to give up and get to talk to more people?
6. How is preaching like fishing?
Jesus compared preaching to fishing (Mark 1:17). A fisherman can go days without catching a single fish, but he does not give up, he adapts. Change the times, places, or methods. We can do the same in ministry. Let's look at some suggestions.
ILLUSTRATION:
In areas where it is difficult for us to find people in their homes, let's try preaching at different times, in different places, or with different methods. (See paragraphs 7-10). *
7. What can happen if we preach at different times?
Let's change the hours. We will speak to more people if we preach at the times when they are most likely to be home. After all, everyone goes home sooner or later. Many brothers preach in the afternoon or evening because they find more people. Also, at such times, people may be more relaxed and want to talk more. Or we can try to do the same as an old man named David. When he has been preaching in a territory for a little while, he and his partner knock again on doors where no one opened the first time. He says, "I'm amazed at how many people are at home when we call the second time."
ILLUSTRATION:
A marriage preaching. At the first door, they do not find the man who lives there because he is at work. Later, they manage to talk to him by visiting him again at dusk.
In areas where it is difficult for us to find people in their homes, let's try preaching at different times. (See paragraphs 7 and 8).
8. How can we apply Ecclesiastes 11: 6 in ministry?
The thematic text of this article reminds us not to give up (read Ecclesiastes 11: 6). David, mentioned in the previous paragraph, did not give up. After many attempts, he finally managed to find someone in a certain house. It was about a man who was interested in talking about the Bible and he said: "I have lived here for about eight years, and this is the first time I have seen a Jehovah's Witness at my door." David explains: "I have learned that when you finally find people in their homes, many of them hear the message."
ILLUSTRATION:
The same couple cannot find a woman at home because she is on a medical appointment at the hospital. Later, they manage to talk to her by preaching with the carts near the hospital.
In areas where it is difficult for us to find people in their homes, let's try preaching in different places. (See paragraph 9.)
9. What do some brothers do to talk to people they cannot find at home?
Let's change the places. Some publishers have tried preaching in different places to talk to people they cannot find at home. For example, in areas where there are large buildings where you cannot preach from house to house, preaching on the streets and with carts has paid off. Thanks to this, the brothers can talk face to face with people who were previously impossible to reach. Many publishers have also noted that people are more willing to speak or accept publications in parks, markets, and business areas. Floiran, a circuit overseer from Bolivia, says: “We go to the markets and stores between one and three in the afternoon, when the vendors are least busy. We usually have good conversations and we even start Bible courses. "
ILLUSTRATION:
The same couple cannot find a woman at home because she is in the supermarket. Later, they manage to talk to her on the phone.
In areas where it is difficult for us to find people in their homes, let's try preaching with different methods. (See paragraph 10).
10. What methods can we use to talk to everyone?
Let's change the methods. Let's imagine that we have tried again and again to talk to someone from the territory. We have gone to his house at different times, but we cannot find him. What other methods can we use? A sister named Katarína says: “I write letters to those who I cannot find at home and I tell them what I would have told them in person”. What does this teach us? That we must try different methods in order to reach all the people in the territory.
LET'S KEEP POSITIVE IF PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO LISTEN TO US
11. Why don't some people want to hear our message?
Some people don't want to hear our message. They think they don't need to learn about God or the Bible. They may not believe in God because of all the suffering in the world and they may reject the Bible because they see that religious leaders do not practice what they preach. Others are so focused on their work, their family, or their problems that they don't realize that the Bible can help them. How can we stay positive when so many people don't see the importance of our message?
12. How can we apply Philippians 2: 4 in ministry?
Let's show interest in people. Many people who at first did not want to hear our message later accepted it because they saw that the witness showed sincere interest in them (read Philippians 2: 4). For example, David, mentioned earlier, says, "If someone says they are not interested, we put away the Bible or the publications and try to find out why they think that way." People notice when someone cares about them. They may forget what we said, but they will surely remember how we made them feel. Even if the person does not allow us to speak, we can show with our attitude and our gestures that we are interested in them.
13. How can we make our message more practical for people?
One way to show that we care about people is by tailoring our message to make it more practical and engaging for them. For example, do we see anything to indicate that the person has children? Parents may be interested in advice from the Bible for raising children or for a happier family. What if we see that there are several locks on a door? We can talk to the person about crime and insecurity in the world, and explain that these problems will disappear forever. In any case, every time someone listens to us, let's try to make them understand how the Bible can help them. Katarína, mentioned in paragraph 10, says: "I think about how the truth has helped me." In that way, he expresses himself with conviction, and people notice it.
14. According to what Proverbs 27:17 says, how does accompanying preach benefit us?
Let's take advantage of the help of others. In the first century, Paul taught Timothy his methods of preaching and teaching, and encouraged him to use those methods to help others (1 Cor. 4:17). Like Timothy, we can learn much from the experience of the brothers in the congregation (read Proverbs 27:17). Take the example of a brother named Shawn, who pioneered for a time in a rural area where most of the people were happy with their religion. What helped you not to lose heart? He says: “Whenever possible, I would preach accompanied. We used the time it took us to travel from one house to another to talk about how we could improve our way of teaching. For example, we would review the conversation we had had with a person,
15. Why is it so important that we pray when we go to preach?
Let us ask Jehovah for help. Every time we go to preach, let us pray for Jehovah to guide us. Without the help of his powerful holy spirit, we could do nothing (Ps. 127: 1; Luke 11:13). When we ask Jehovah for help, let's be specific. For example, let's ask him to help us find anyone who has the right attitude and wants to listen. Then let's do our part and preach to as many people as we can.
16. Why is personal study so necessary to be successful in ministry?
Let's take time for personal study. God's Word says, "See for yourselves what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12: 2). The more convinced we are of the truth about God, the more confidently we talk about it in ministry. Katarína says: “Some time ago, I realized that I needed to strengthen my faith in some basic teachings of the Bible. So I thoroughly studied the evidence that confirms that there is a Creator, that the Bible is the Word of God, and that God has an organization that represents Him today. " Katarína says her personal study helped her strengthen her faith and enjoy preaching more.
WHY WE CONTINUE TO BE POSITIVE IN THE MINISTRY
17. Why did Jesus maintain a positive attitude in his ministry?
Jesus kept a positive attitude and continued to preach even though some people did not want to hear it. Why did he do it? He knew that people needed to know the truth and he wanted to help as many people as possible. He also knew that some people who had not initially wanted to hear the Kingdom message would eventually accept it. That was the case with his own family. During the three and a half years that Jesus was preaching, none of his brothers became his disciple (John 7: 5). But, after his resurrection, they became Christians (Acts 1:14).
18. Why do we keep preaching?
We don't know who will end up accepting the biblical truths that we teach. Some people take longer to respond positively. Even those who don't want to listen to us notice our good behavior and positive attitude, and in time they may “bring glory to God” (1 Pet. 2:12).
19. According to 1 Corinthians 3: 6, 7, what should we recognize?
Although we plant and water, we must recognize that it is God who “makes it grow” (read 1 Corinthians 3: 6, 7). A brother from Ethiopia named Getahun says: “For more than 20 years, I was the only Witness in a territory where people rarely preach. But now there are 14 publishers. 13 have already been baptized, including my wife and our 3 children. The meetings are attended by an average of 32 people ”. Getahun is glad that he did not tire of preaching, but waited patiently for Jehovah to bring sincere people into his organization. --John 6:44.
20. In what way are we like a rescue team?
For Jehovah, the lives of all people are valuable. He gives us the honor of collaborating with his Son in gathering people from all nations into his village before the end of this system (Haggai 2: 7). When we preach, we are like members of a rescue team sent to free a group of people who have been trapped in a mine. Even if only a few rescuers find people alive, everyone's work is important. The same is true in preaching: we do not know how many people can still be rescued from Satan's world, but Jehovah can use any of us to help them. Andreas, who lives in Bolivia, says: "I know that when someone knows the truth and is baptized, it is thanks to the work of many people." So let's strive to remain positive in ministry. If we do it,
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
What can we do to talk to people who are hard to find in their homes?
We can try at another time, change places, for example we can go to places where if there are people, there are people like parks, streets, or we could even change the method, write them letters telling them what we would say if we talked to her face to face, you can have a very good result.
How can we help people who at first seem unwilling to hear biblical truths?
We can help them by showing interest. Adapting our message, talking about topics that might interest you. We can use our partner to tell us how to improve, we can pray to Jehovah to tell us how to improve, we can pray to Jehovah to give us his holy spirit and we must also take time for our personal study because that will allow us to speak with more conviction.
Why do we continue to be positive in ministry?
Because we don't know who will end up accepting the Biblical truths that we teach. Some people take longer to respond positively. Furthermore, we remember that it is God who makes that seed grow. And finally, because this is a lifesaving work, Jehovah can use any of us to help someone.
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