Watchtower Study, October 24-30, 2022, Keep “Building Up One Another”, Answers Underlined.
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Yellow : Direct Response.
Dark Yellow : Additional Response.
Celeste : Additional Points.
1. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:11, in what work do we all participate?
HAS your congregation PARTICIPATED in the construction or renovation of a Kingdom Hall? If so, surely you remember the first meeting. His heart was filled with gratitude to Jehovah. Perhaps he was so excited that he even had a hard time singing the first song. Without a doubt, our beautiful Kingdom Halls bring glory to Jehovah. But there is another kind of construction that produces more valuable results than any building and that brings even more glory to Jehovah: the edification of the people who gather in those places. The apostle Paul referred to this spiritual edification when he wrote the words of the theme text , 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (read it).
2. What will we see in this article?
2 To learn how to build up our brothers, we can look at the excellent example of the apostle Paul. He knew how to put himself in the place of others. In this article we will see how he helped his fellow Christians endure trials, be at peace with one another, and strengthen his faith in Jehovah. Let's see how we can follow his example (1 Cor. 11:1).
PAUL HELPED HIS BROTHERS TAKE THE TRIALS
3. What balanced viewpoint did Paul have?
3 Paul loved his brothers very much. And, having been through many difficult situations himself, he was able to treat those facing trials with compassion and empathy. On one occasion, he ran out of money and had to go to work to get what he and his companions needed (Acts 20:34). His trade was making tents. When he arrived in Corinth he worked with Aquila and Priscilla, who had the same trade. But "every Saturday" he preached to Jews and Greeks. And, when Silas and Timothy arrived, "Paul devoted himself entirely to preaching the word" (Acts 18:2-5). So the apostle was always clear that the main thing in his life was to serve Jehovah. He was a hardworking man whoHe had the moral authority to encourage the brethren and advise them not to let the pressures of life and the need to provide for the family cause them to neglect what is most important, everything related to our worship (Phil. 1:10).
4. How did Paul and Timothy help their brothers endure persecution?
4 Shortly after the Thessalonian congregation was formed, strong opposition arose against these new Christians. When a mob of wicked people failed to find Paul and Silas, they “dragged before the rulers of the city” some brothers. He shouted: "These men act contrary to the decrees of Caesar" (Acts 17: 6, 7). Can we imagine how scared those new Christians must have felt when they saw that the people of their city had turned against them? That could cool his enthusiasm for serving Jehovah. But Paul didn't want that to happen. Although he and Silas had to leave, they made sure the new congregation was well cared for. Later,the apostle reminded the Thessalonians: “We sent Timothy to you … to strengthen you and comfort you for the sake of your faith, so that no one might falter because of these difficulties” (1 Thess. 3:2 , 3). It is very likely that Timothy suffered persecution himself while he was living in Lystra. He had seen how Paul strengthened the Christians in that city and the support that Jehovah gave them. So he could convey to his new brothers the assurance that everything would be fine (Acts 14: 8, 19-22; Heb. 12: 2).
5. What good effect did the help he received from an elder have on Bryant?
5 What else did Paul do to strengthen his brothers? When he and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, they "appointed elders in every congregation" (Acts 14:21-23). Undoubtedly, those named men greatly encouraged the congregations, just like the elders of today. Consider what a brother named Bryant says: “When I turned 15, my dad left home and my mom was kicked out. He felt abandoned and depressed”. What helped you through this difficult time? He says, “An old man named Tony used to talk to me at meetings and at other times as well. He told me experiences of brothers who had gone through trials without losing happiness. He would read Psalm 27:10 to me and often tell me about Hezekiah, who faithfully served Jehovah even though his father was not a good example.” What effect did the support he received have on Bryant? He says:“Thanks to the encouragement that Tony gave me, I later began to serve full time , and that has given me great joy.” Elders, be on the lookout for brethren who, like Bryant, need “a good word” of encouragement (Prov. 12:25).
6. How did Paul use the stories of God's servants of the past to encourage others?
6 Paul reminded his brothers that a great “cloud of witnesses” had been able to withstand all kinds of difficult situations thanks to the strength that Jehovah gave them.—Heb. 12:1. He knew that the stories of those faithful servants of the past would help them be courageous and focused on the “city of the living God” (Heb. 12:22). And they can help us too. Who has not been encouraged by reading how Jehovah helped Gideon, Barak, David, Samuel, and many others? (Hebrews 11:32-35). And the same thing happens to us with the examples of faith of our days. Many letters are received at world headquarters from brothers and sisters who feel that their faith has been strengthened by reading the biography of a faithful servant of Jehovah today.
PAUL SHOWED HIS BROTHERS HOW TO BE AT PEACE WITH EACH OTHER
7. What does Paul's counsel in Romans 14:19-21 teach us?
7 Another way to build up our brothers is by fostering peace in the congregation. We do not allow differences of opinion to divide us or insist on our rights when a biblical principle is not violated. Let's see something that happened in the congregation of Rome, where there were Jewish Christians and other nations. Since the Law of Moses had been annulled, it was no longer forbidden to eat certain foods (Mark 7:19). Some Jewish Christians were comfortable eating all kinds of foods. But for other Jewish Christians that was something unthinkable. And this issue divided the congregation. Stressing the importance of keeping the peace, Paul told them, “It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that will cause your brother to stumble” (read Romans 14:19-21). With his words he helped his brothers to see that these conflicts could do great harm to them personally and to the congregation. He himself was willing to change his way of acting so as not to stumble others (1 Cor. 9: 19-22). Like Paul, we can build others up and keep the peace if we don't fight over matters of personal taste.
8. What did Paul do when an important matter threatened the peace of the congregation?
8 Now, what if there are differences of opinion on important issues? To keep the peace, we can look to the good example of Paul. In the first-century congregation there were those who insisted that non-Jewish men who became Christians should be circumcised, perhaps so that people would not criticize them (Gal. 6:12). Although Paul did not agree with that way of thinking at all, he did not want to impose his opinion, but humbly brought the matter before the apostles and the elders of Jerusalem (Acts 15: 1, 2). By his handling of the situation, he helped keep the congregation happy and peaceful (Acts 15:30, 31).
9. What can we do to follow Paul's example?
9 If a serious disagreement arises, we can foster peace by seeking guidance from the brothers Jehovah has appointed to care for the congregation. Generally, we will find Bible-based guidance in our publications and organization guidelines. If we focus on following those instructions instead of promoting our personal opinions, we will contribute to peace in the congregation.
10. How else did Paul foster peace in the congregation?
10 Paul fostered peace in another way. Instead of highlighting the brothers' faults, he focused on their good qualities. For example, before finishing his Letter to the Romans, he mentioned many Christian men and women, and in most cases he added a positive comment or some personal detail about them. How can we imitate his example? Talking openly about the good qualities we see in others. In this way, we help siblings love each other more and become better friends.
11. How can we restore peace when disagreements arise?
11 Sometimes even mature Christians may have a disagreement or even an argument with others. That happened to Paul and Barnabas, who were good friends. The reason for their disagreement was whether or not they should take Marcos on his next mission trip. How did the discussion end? The Bible says, “This caused a great outburst of anger, and each one went his way” (Acts 15:37-39). But Pablo, Bernabé and Marcos fixed things. Thus they showed that the peace and unity of the congregation were very important to them. Later, Paul spoke well of Barnabas and Mark (1 Cor. 9:6; Col. 4:10). We too should resolve any differences we have with other brothers in the congregation and focus on their good qualities.In this way, we will foster peace and unity (Eph. 4:3).
PAUL STRENGTHENED THE FAITH OF HIS BROTHERS
12. What are some of the difficulties that our brothers face?
12 We also build up our brothers when we strengthen their faith in Jehovah. Some have to put up with ridicule from non-Witness family members or from colleagues at work or school. Others are very sick or dealing with hurt feelings. And others may have been baptized for many years and are still waiting for the end to come. All of these situations can test a Christian's faith. Members of the first-century congregation experienced similar difficulties. What did Paul do to strengthen them?
13. How did Paul help those who were mocked for being Christians?
13 Paul used the Scriptures to build the faith of his brothers. For example, Jewish Christians may not have known how to respond when their relatives told them that Judaism was above Christianity. Surely the letter that Paul wrote to the Hebrews strengthened them greatly (Heb. 1:5, 6; 2:2, 3; 9:24, 25). Those Christians could use Paul's powerful reasoning to render their critics speechless.And we? How can we help the brothers who suffer the ridicule of other people? Teaching them to use our publications well to defend their beliefs. For example, with the brochures Is Life the Work of a Creator? and The Origin of Life. Five questions worthy of analysis we can help young people to find arguments with which to explain why they believe that life was created.
ILLUSTRATION
A father discusses a jw.org article with his young daughter. The girl holds a Christmas postcard in her hands.
How can we imitate the apostle Paul and edify others? (See paragraph 13). *
14. What did Paul do even though he was very busy preaching and teaching?
14 Paul encouraged his brothers to show love by doing “good works” (Heb. 10:24). He not only helped them with his words, but also with his actions. For example, when the Christians in Judea went through a time of famine, Paul was one of those in charge of bringing them help (Acts 11:27-30). In fact, even though he was very busy preaching and teaching, he was always looking for ways to help Christians who were poor (Gal. 2:10). In this way he strengthened the confidence of the brothers that Jehovah would take care of them.Today, we also build the faith of our brothers when we spend our time, energy and skills in relief efforts and when we regularly donate to the global work. In these and other ways, we help the brothers to trust that Jehovah will never abandon them.
ILLUSTRATION
A married couple helps a sister and her little daughter after a devastating fire. How can we imitate the apostle Paul and edify others? (See paragraph 14). *
15, 16. How should we treat those who have become spiritually weak?
15 Paul did not write off those who had become spiritually weak. He showed them compassion and spoke positively and lovingly to them (Heb. 6:9; 10:39). For example, in his Letter to the Hebrews, he often spoke of "us" to them, not "you," to indicate that he too had to apply the advice he gave (Heb. 2:1, 3 ). Like Paul, we do not write off those who have weakened spiritually. On the contrary, we show them our interest to build them up and thus confirm our love for them. Let us remember that the words we say to them are important, but so are the tenderness and affection with which we speak.
16 Paul confirmed to his brothers that Jehovah had not forgotten their good deeds (Heb. 10:32-34). We can do something similar when trying to help a brother who has weakened spiritually. We can ask him to tell us how he learned the truth or help him remember times when he saw the hand of Jehovah. Let us take advantage of these opportunities to assure him that Jehovah has not forgotten the love he has shown in the past and that he will not abandon him in the future.—Heb. 6:10; 13:5, 6. These conversations can stir up in our dear brothers the desire to continue serving Jehovah.
ILLUSTRATION
How can we imitate the apostle Paul and edify others? (See paragraphs 15 and 16). *
“KEEP ENCOURAGING EACH OTHER”
17. How can we become more efficient in the work of building others?
17 Over time, a construction worker becomes more skilled. We can also become more efficient in the work of building others. Let us strengthen our brothers so that they can endure trials by telling them about the example of endurance of other servants of Jehovah . Let us promote peace by saying the good things we see in others, protect it when it is in danger, and restore it when disagreements arise. And let us continue to build the faith of our brothers by talking to them about important Bible truths, giving them practical help, and supporting those who are spiritually weak.
18. What are you determined to do?
18 Those who participate in the construction of places of worship feel satisfied and happy. We can feel the same way when we collaborate with the spiritual edification of our brothers. Unlike a building, which deteriorates over time , the results of our work can last forever. So let us do our best to put into practice the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Keep encouraging one another and building one another up.”
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
How can you help others endure trials?
We help them when we treat those facing trials with compassion and empathy.
We can tell you experiences of brothers who have gone through trials without losing happiness.
Many letters are received at world headquarters from brothers and sisters who feel that their faith has been strengthened by reading the biography of a faithful servant of Jehovah today. Then we can encourage them to read these biographies, which will surely help them withstand the tests.
How can you promote peace?
We can foster peace by seeking guidance from the brothers Jehovah has appointed to care for the congregation.
Seeking Bible-based guidance in our publications and organization guidelines.
We will be able to promote peace if we follow the instructions of the Organization instead of promoting our personal opinions, in this way we will contribute to peace in the congregation.
How can you strengthen those who have weakened spiritually?
Today, we also build the faith of our brothers when we spend our time, energy and skills in relief efforts and when we regularly donate to the global work.
We can ask him to tell us how he learned the truth or help him remember times when he saw the hand of Jehovah.
Let us remember that the words we say to them are important, but so are the tenderness and affection with which we speak.
Let us strengthen our brothers so that they can endure trials, telling them about the example of endurance of other servants of Jehovah .
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