Watchtower Study, We Can Trust Our Brothers, Week of November 7-13, 2022, Practical Comments and Responses.

Watchtower Study, November 7-13, 2022, We Can Trust Our Brothers, Comments and Responses.

“Love […] believes all things, hopes all things” (1 COR. 13:4, 7).

1. Why is it no wonder that people in this world don't know whom to trust?

It does not surprise us because there are many people who have been disappointed in their trust by politicians, religious leaders, friends, neighbors and even family members. Nor should we be surprised because the Bible predicted that in the last days people would be disloyal, slanderous and treacherous How is mentioned in second Timothy verse 3 from 1 to 4.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, it is not surprising because the Bible predicted in Second Timothy 3 from 1 onwards that in the last days people would be disloyal, slanderous, treacherous because they would reflect the personality of the God of this system who is Satan and who does not deserve any trust.

And it is that more and more people feel cheated either by businessmen or politicians, by their own friends or by family and that is why they no longer know who to trust. 

2 Corinthians 4:4 gives us another reason why the people of this world don't know whom to trust, and that is because most people reflect the personality of the god of this system, satan. And it is well known that this evil traitor does not deserve any trust nor those who follow him, since he has blinded their minds so that the light of the glorious Good News about Christ who is the image of God does not shine in them.

And also they cannot have confidence in anyone because Satan has already taken care that they do not have that confidence because as Corinthians 4:4 says Satan has blinded their mind so that they cannot be different people they cannot be people that please God then Well, it is another reason why these people do not trust.

2. (a) Whom can we trust completely? 

We can absolutely trust in Jehovah, because he never abandons his faithful servants, in Jesus Christ because he showed us that we can trust him by giving his life in sacrifice for all of us, and also in the Bible because we have already verified that his guide is trustworthy.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

We have, for example, the text of 2 Timothy 3:16 where we are told that all writing is inspired by Jehovah, therefore if it comes from Jehovah, it is also worthy of trust in it.

Trust in Jehovah is not blind trust because he has shown each one of us that we can trust him as the words of Psalm 9:10 say where he says that he never abandons us and those who seek him can find Jehovah. 

2. b) What question might someone ask?

Someone may have wondered if the brothers in the congregation can always be trusted.

OPTIONAL ANSWER

If we know that Jehovah and Jesus are perfect and how can we not trust them but the question could be how can we also trust the brothers of the congregation who are imperfect.

WE NEED OUR BROTHERS

3. What great honor do we have? (Mark 10:29, 30).

We have the great honor of being part of the worldwide family of Jehovah's servants. A family, where the difference of languages, cultures, or the way of dressing does not matter. Because we are united by brotherly love and by adoring and praising our dear heavenly father Jehovah.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

And as Mark 10:29,30 indicates, we also have the honor of being rewarded in this time and in the future a paradise with eternal life, for our work in the work of the Kingdom. 

It is wonderful to see how the promise of Jesus recorded and Mark 10:29,30, is being fulfilled to a greater degree in our day, as many Christians including Bethelites, Missionaries and international servants have willingly left their previous livelihood , to support Kingdom activities in different countries while others have simplified their lives in order to serve more in the work, because for them this represents a great honor and Jehovah cares for and protects them so that they feel happy serving him. 

ILLUSTRATION

We have a picture possibly it is a picture taken of an international assembly, and it says all over the planet we have trustworthy brothers and sisters who like us love Jehovah, which is a beautiful demonstration of the unity we enjoy.

In the image we can see one of the great blessings that we have, which is that we can have brothers around the world and considered part of our family, so it is something that this world lacks and we have a great blessing for having it.

A happy group of brothers and sisters from different cultures take a selfie at an assembly.

All over the planet we have trustworthy brothers and sisters who, like us, love Jehovah. (See paragraph 3).

4. Why do we need brothers?

Today more than ever we need our brothers, because we must be very united to help carry each other's burdens and to encourage us to stay active in our service to Jehovah and strong in a spiritual sense, and because when the attack against the servants of Jehovah we will not need them by our side.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Romans 15:1 we read for us who are strong must bear the weaknesses of those who are not strong, and it may be that today is a day when I am strong and can help others but maybe tomorrow I am weak and need the help of my brothers, then all of us need the help of our brothers and it is a great gift from Jehovah that we have that family.

Satan as our enemy wants to divide us and very soon when he and all those who support him attack us we will need our brothers and to be united.

Yes, because it encourages us to stay active in our service to Jehovah and also to be spiritually strong.

5. Why is it difficult for some to trust the brothers?

This could happen to them because perhaps on some occasion a brother betrayed the trust placed in them by disclosing some intimate confidence, because they did not keep a promise or offended him with something they did or said. And of course under these circumstances it is difficult to trust these people even if they are brothers in faith.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Maybe a fellow Christian was trusted with a private matter and then told others about it, or maybe they made a promise and didn't keep it, or maybe a brother did or said something that hurt us.

Sometimes we expect our brothers to be perfect but the truth is that we all stumble, so many times those stumbles are what cause distrust, so we have to see how to overcome that.

Entrust a private matter to a colleague and then tell about it, because it is good to keep in mind the one who receives the information because someone tells you that sometimes it is not necessary for me to tell you, look at this, it is confidential, do not tell it, one has to have the perception to knowing that the matter should not be disclosed, it is not necessary for one to say don't tell it because one has to perceive it in order to also stay within those limits.

LOVE HELPS US TO TRUST OTHERS MORE

6. How does love help us to trust our brothers more? (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

1 Corinthians 13:48 shows us that when we apply the characteristics of love to our brothers, it is easier for us to trust them more. For example, verse 4 says that "Love is patient and kind" and we see that Jehovah applies it by being kind and patient with us, even when we sin against him. So if we apply it to our siblings when they say or do something that hurts and offends us, it will be much easier for us to forgive them and continue to trust them. 6 Trust is based on love.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Somehow verse 6 can help us in this sense, because it says that love is not easily irritated and that it takes us to account for the damage. So when we apply these characteristics of love in our brothers, we do not keep a mental record of their offenses or get angry easily, on the contrary we are letting love help us to trust them more.

We have read first that love is patient and kind, so keeping in mind that we sin against Jehovah and he is always patient with us, how much more so are we with our own brothers.

Verse 5 says that love is not easily irritated and that it does not keep track of damage, so when we apply these characteristics to our brothers we do not keep a mental record of their offenses.

The more we love our brothers, that is, we work for it, the more confidence we will have in them.

It is said that love never fails if we use this ingredient, it will certainly never make a situation worse, on the contrary, it will improve it.

7. How do the principles found at Matthew 7:1-5 help us to trust our brothers more?

These principles teach us that we should not judge or focus only on the faults or defects of our brothers, and they also encourage us to examine ourselves, because when a conflict arises, both parties almost always have a share of guilt or responsibility, therefore, apply the principles of Matthew 7:1,5 helps us confirm our brothers. Another thing that will help us to trust our brothers more is to see them as Jehovah sees them.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, it will help us to see them as Jehovah sees them, and instead of focusing on their flaws we should strive to focus on their beautiful qualities and try to see their potential to do good.

Jehovah expects us not to be too quick to distrust one another, but rather to apply principles such as those at Matthew 7:15 and 1 Corinthians 13:7. Although that in no way implies that we should blindly trust others, since in this regard Jude 4 warns us that in the congregation he could see some people who are not trustworthy and Acts 20:30 tells us that there could even be fake brothers.

We have to think that if we look for defects we are going to find them because even the best brother in the world is going to have his defects, so that is why we must focus on the qualities. Even the paragraph says in the potential, that is, in what it can become , because that is Jehovah if he were to look at our defects because none of us would be up to the task, however he always looks at the best and at what we can become. 

8. What can you do to increase your trust in others?

To trust a person, the first thing to do is to get to know them well. In the case of our brothers, we must spend time with them and give them the opportunity to show us that they are trustworthy people. Another thing we can do is not allow the bad things that a few brothers have done to lead us to distrust all the others. In the same way we cannot give up any brother for lost, another thing that helps us is to analyze examples of being faithful servants of the past who continued to trust others despite having suffered disappointments.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, we have to know our brothers well, we have many opportunities to do so, either in meetings through conversations or in preaching, so that we can spend more time together and give them the opportunity to show that they are trustworthy.

Since we have to try to get to know people better, in this case our brothers and sisters, and we have to spend time with them, it is a process that begins at the beginning by not talking too much about our personal things, but if we gain each other's trust, then we get to know more in depth and that allows each one of us to finally come out what we really have in our hearts.

Luke 16:10 | Yes, as the paragraph said, when we spend more time with a person is when we begin to know them, then we could see what Luke 16:10 says when, for example, we see what this brother is like, how he spends his time, what kind of entertainment he uses, perhaps if he is faithful in the little, then we are going to know what is faithful in the great and if we see that maybe he has attitudes that are not entirely how a Christian should be, then perhaps later in more important things he also has that lack.

LET US LEARN FROM THOSE WHO DID NOT LOSE THEIR TRUST IN OTHERS

9. (a) What did Hannah do despite the sins of those who represented Jehovah? 

Even though the high priest Eli did not correct the immoral and brazen behavior of his sons who were also priests. Ana did not stop going to abandon Jehovah in the tabernacle and when he spoke harshly to her thinking that she was drunk. Ana defended herself, but respectfully and in no way allowed these things to deter them from fulfilling her promise to take her son to serve in the tabernacle, even though the child would be in Eli's care.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, she did not stop worshiping Jehovah in the tabernacle, she focused on serving him and praying to him and let him go to Jehovah who in due time would correct the situation.

Even when Eli treats her very unfairly and was fairer to her than to her own children, she was willing to fulfill her vow to Jehovah and leave her own son in Eli's hands. 

9. b) What do you learn from Ana's example? (See drawing).

I learn that if it were the case that a brother does something wrong and those who have a position of authority in the congregation do not Discipline him or if an elder comes to speak to me or treat me harshly, that should not discourage me or make me want to leave the congregation. On the contrary, like Ana, I must trust in Jehovah since he will take care of fixing matters in due time, because nothing goes unnoticed in his eyes.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

And sometimes when we suffer some disappointment from our brothers, the first thing we think is to distance ourselves from the organization, but Ana's example was not like that, despite the fact that it was something unfair, she continued to trust in Jehovah, surely it never crossed her mind to stop trusting in the people named in the organization and if we happen to go through similar situations, never leave the organization and always respect that in due time Jehovah will take care of it, but always respecting the brothers in the congregation.

When he delivered his son precisely to the high priest there is no indication that he said well how are you going to take care of my son if you have done what you have done with your children and you have them as you have with my son how are you going to take care of him in what my son is going to convert, I trust in Jehovah knowing that he was going to be serving in the temple he honored the promise he had made and left the matter in Jehovah's hands.

Ana showed that she was a deeply spiritual woman, she did not let herself be led astray by what men did, even though she had a lot of authority or even worried about the future about how her son was going to be educated, she knew why she did things, she did them for Jehovah and the rest was secondary, and that contains an important lesson for us, we have to examine ourselves and think about why we do things if for us the most important thing is our relationship with Jehovah, that will help us so that when disappointments come we will be very more prepared to stand firm and trust Jehovah and others.

Jehovah is not oblivious to what happens in the congregation, Ana knew it and we must also take it into account, at the appropriate moment Jehovah put a solution to what was happening at that moment, he gave the necessary punishment to the children of Eli and Ana that did not make her think that she was taking a long time and put a solution to that circumstance, she did not continue with her worship of Jehovah in the best way that she believed and that she lived the truth, that in the end rewarded Ana and will also do it to we do so in the future.

ILLUSTRATION

Here we have in the drawing, because that demonstration in the first part as Eli is seeing Ana for him gave the impression that she was drunk talking to herself but she clarified the point of what the Jehovah was asking for, and then when Samuel fulfilled already At a certain age she took him to the tabernacle and put him in charge, even knowing that his family was not doing well and that he was allowing inappropriate things. Excellent example of a woman who fully trusted Jehovah. 

Series of images: 1. Eli looks suspiciously at Ana while she prays. 2. Ana takes her little son, Samuel, from her to Elí.

Although Eli treated Hannah harshly at first, she continued to trust Jehovah and did not stop going to the tabernacle. (See paragraph 9).

10. How did David show that he did not become distrustful despite the betrayals he suffered?

Although his friend Ahithophel supported the rebellion when Absalom tried to take the kingdom from him. David showed that he did not become a suspicious man, because he continued to trust Hushai and a loyal friend who did not join the rebels. And David was not wrong as Hushai and even risked his life to help him.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Yes, David could be seen turning suspicious when his son Absalon took the kingdom from him and also when Ahithophel, who was one of his friends, supported the rebellion instead of supporting David, however he did not, he continued to trust Huasai, for example. a loyal friend who did not join the rebels and this eventually brought him blessings as Hushai became so faithful to David that he even risked his life to help him.

Well, do not allow the bad things that a few brothers have done to lead us to distrust all the others. 

11. How did a servant of Nabal show that he trusted others?

The Servant demonstrated this by trusting Abigail, his master's wife, the account in 1 Samuel 25:2-35 shows that when Nabal refused to give David food for his men he was enraged and said he would kill all the men in the house. Nabal's house, this servant, knowing that his life was at risk, was able to flee, but instead he trusted that Abigail could fix the situation and his trust was not disappointed since Abigail managed to convince David not to go ahead with his evil plan.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Many times things do not depend on us, we do not have the capacity or the possibility of solving them and that we have to trust others and it is important that we know who to trust within the congregation.

As the paragraph says, this man could have fled and saved his life simply without reaching any conclusion, but he preferred to talk to Abigail to save himself and also to save everything else, which shows the great trust he had in this woman.

The Servant demonstrated this by trusting Abigail, his master's wife, the account in 1 Samuel 25:2-35 shows that when Nabal refused to give David food for his men he was enraged and said he would kill all the men in the house. Nabal's house, this servant, knowing that his life was at risk, was able to flee, but instead he trusted that Abigail could fix the situation and his trust was not disappointed since Abigail managed to convince David not to go ahead with his evil plan.

12. How did Jesus show that he trusted his disciples despite their failures?

Jesus demonstrated it on many occasions. For example, when James and John asked him for a position of honor in the Kingdom, Jesus did not question them or threaten them with the fact that they would no longer be his Apostles. In the same way, he did not lose faith in them when they abandoned him the night he was arrested, on the contrary, he entrusted them with the responsibility of directing the work of making disciples and taking care of his valuable little sheep and he was not wrong, because his apostles were faithful to him until death.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Even though the disciples made mistakes like arguing about who was the most important or abandoning Jesus on the day of his arrest, Jesus never lost faith in them, he loved them to the end and even gave them the important task of directing the work of making disciples. .

It is a great example for us if we put ourselves in the shoes of Jesus Christ how easy it would have been to stop trusting his disciples the first or second or third time they were wrong and they were not the only ones there were many more but still Jesus valued the efforts they made and I fully trust them.

If Jehovah's servants of the past, including Jesus who was a perfect human being, trusted imperfect beings, we can do the same. 

HOW TO RECOVER LOST CONFIDENCE

13. Why might it be difficult for us to trust others?

It could be difficult for us if on occasion someone we thought very trustworthy betrayed our trust. This was the case of the sister mentioned in the paragraph, who confidentially told something to an elder of the congregation and this brother in turn disclosed it to his wife, thus making the sister lose confidence in him. 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Fortunately, although this sister lost trust in the elder, she did not distrust all the brothers. We see that she turned to another elder for help and this brother helped her to regain confidence, but in these cases, not all of us act in the same way. , some of us can stay with a resentment and that is why then it can be very difficult for us to trust others again.

Well, because when we feel that our trust has been betrayed, one feels cheated because they give others something that you consider confidential and that can make us lose the desire to trust someone again, that is why the case of this sister is mentioned, who Well, he told something private to an old man and he did not take into account that privacy of the conversation they had had, this sister made him completely lose confidence in that brother but nevertheless he acted well because what she did was ask for help.

Fortunately, although this sister lost trust in the elder, she did not distrust all the brothers. We see that she turned to another elder for help and this brother helped her to regain confidence, but in these cases, not all of us act in the same way. , some of us can stay with a resentment and that is why then it can be very difficult for us to trust others again. 

14. What helped a brother regain lost confidence?

It helped him a lot to listen carefully to a shocking phrase said by a brother whom he greatly respected: "Our enemy satan and not our brothers", secondly, it helped him to meditate on the depth of that biblical truth and to pray about it. . Thanks to this he eventually managed to make amends with the two elders whom he had resented and deemed unworthy of his trust. 14 For a long time, a brother was very upset with two elders who were not trustworthy to him.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

And also very importantly, that phrase that had such an impact on him was something that he kept meditating on it and then he did very well to pray about it to Jehovah.

The Watchtower says that regaining trust is not something overnight, we saw it in a previous paragraph, it is not something that is earned overnight and as this same paragraph says over time, this brother managed to make peace with two other elderly people, so sometimes trust is that, you have to spend a little time to recover it little by little.

Yes, it is also interesting to see how the brother makes a prayer, meditates on a few words and this makes us think that the brother did not give up on the brother who perhaps disappointed him at first, that is something that makes us meditate and think if we have perhaps to a brother that we lost trust with him, perhaps it is time to meditate on thinking about praying to Jehovah to recover it again and not thinking about what a brother is that we are never going to trust him again. 

15. Why can it take time to regain trust? Tell the example of Grete.

It can take a long time because it is a painful process. An example of this was the case of Sister Grete, who, along with her mother, loyally served Jehovah in Nazi Germany during World War II, as at that time the work was forbidden to her she had been given the responsibility of making copies of The Watchtower for the brothers. But when they found out that her father was an opponent due to mistrust and fear of being reported, they took that responsibility away from him, they no longer gave them and their mother their respective magazines, and they even stopped greeting us, of course, this deeply wounded and caused a great deal of pain. pain.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, just as this sister says that in her biography she realized that over time one of them was serving at Bethel and she realized that Jehovah had forgiven him so she also had to do it, that teaches us that when we can be hurt but if we realize that Jehovah has forgiven us then we are nobody to not do it.

That all of us at one time or another in our lives can suffer what in our eyes is an injustice but how Jehovah has been mentioned is aware of all this and he will correct it in due time. 

“Our enemy is Satan, not our brothers”

16. Why should we strive to overcome mistrust?

We must make an effort because if we do nothing to overcome distrust, it will intoxicate us to the point of not trusting anyone else, and we must remember that if our brothers and sisters are imperfect, so are we, and that if we want to be trustworthy people, we must also know how to trust others. Furthermore, if we make this effort we will be happier and we will improve the climate of trust in the congregation.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

The Illustration of intoxication is very graphic because we get intoxicated with a food and we no longer say no more in life, we continue eating other foods even if that one harms us in particular and over time we eat it again, so with confidence The same thing happens with our brothers, we are going to feel hurt many times, yes, but we have to regain trust with our brothers.

If we have suffered a disappointment and it is recommended that we regain trust in others, we may mistakenly think that we are doing others a favor that we are being magnanimous, however here the word we are emphasized because in this way if we do that what we are doing It is collaborating in an environment of peace and it is everyone's responsibility, that is why it is something that we have to do, we cannot think that we are doing a favor to anyone, but rather that we are also collaborating if we do so that there is peace in the people of Jehovah . 

17. a) Why is trust so important? 

It is very important because it is a trait of love that must exist in our spiritual family. It is also important because it makes us happy because it fosters unity, and because when the difficult times come, it will not serve as protection, so if someone feels resentful of their trust, they must apply Biblical principles, strive to see the matter as Jehovah sees it , cultivate love towards the victim of their resentment and analyze by meditating the Biblical examples of faithful servants who did not lose trust although sometimes they will treat them badly and offend them, because in this way they will be able to overcome their painful process and trust again and be happy.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT

We all know that in the world of Satan, the environment that surrounds us, trust is conspicuous by its absence, but nevertheless, our world family that we do have confidence because in fact we love our brothers.

b) What will we see in the next article?

In the following article we will see how we can earn the trust of others 

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

Why is it so important that we trust the brothers?

It is important why the brothers are of great help when we have to carry heavy loads. It also encourages us to be active in our service to Jehovah, since in the time of the end we will be happy that we have the support of all our brothers.

Because we need other brothers, they will encourage us if we are down if we don't have any problems, the strongest will help the weakest and many times we will be the ones who need the help of our brothers now and in the future. 

What examples from the Bible help us continue to trust others?

The example of Ana who trusted Jehovah even when one of her representatives had bad attitudes. The other example is from David who taught us that even when there were people who betrayed his trust, there were also people who were willing to give their lives for him. In addition, the example of an Israelite who was Nabal's worker and did not qualify everyone for Nabal's actions, rather I look for someone to trust. And finally the example of Jesus when James and John asked him for a position of honor in the kingdom, Jesus did not get angry and did not take away their responsibility, since Jesus never lost faith in them although he knew their defects, loved them and I trust them to the end. 

What can you do if a brother betrays your trust?

Do not qualify all the brothers by the action of a single brother and separate ourselves from the congregation, rather look for brothers who can be trusted.

We have to ask other brothers for help, always keep in mind that our enemy is Satan, not our brothers, and then leave things in the hands of Jehovah, who will solve it.

For our part, we also have to try to make an effort to recover that trust, see things as Jehovah sees them, apply the principles of the Bible and cultivate a deep love for the brothers, what is he going to do to us, then, leave everything aside and regain that trust.