Watchtower Study, Week of November 7-13, 2022, We Can Trust Our Brothers, Answers Underlined.

Watchtower Study, November 7-13, 2022, We Can Trust Our Brothers, Answers Underlined.

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

Yellow: Direct Response.

Dark Yellow: Additional Response.

Celeste: Additional Points.

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

IN Satan's world, many do not know whom to trust. Time and time again they feel let down by what big business, politicians, and religious leaders do. And they feel that the same thing happens with their friends and neighbors, and even with their relatives. This should not surprise us. The Bible foretold that “in the last days” people would be disloyal, slanderous, and treacherous. It would reflect the personality of the god of this system, who deserves no trust (2 Tim. 3:1-4; 2 Cor. 4:4).

2. (a) Whom can we trust completely? b) What question might someone ask?

2 Instead, a) true Christians know that we can put all our trust in Jehovah (Jer. 17:7, 8). We are convinced that he loves us and that he will never abandon his friends (Ps. 9:10). We can also trust Jesus Christ because he gave his life for us (1 Pet. 3:18). And we know from our own experience that the guidance the Bible gives us is trustworthy (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). b). We are sure that we can trust Jehovah, Jesus and the Bible. But perhaps someone wonders if he can always trust the brothers in the congregation. If the answer is yes, let's see why.

WE NEED OUR BROTHERS

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

3 Jehovah has given us the great honor of being part of his worldwide family of servants. Because of that, we enjoy many blessings (read Mark 10:29, 30). All over the planet we have brothers and sisters who, like us, love Jehovah and strive to respect his standards. Perhaps our language, our culture and the way we dress are different, but we feel love for them from the first moment we meet them. And most of all we love to praise and worship our loving heavenly Father together (Ps. 133:1).

ILLUSTRATION

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?

4 Today more than ever, we must be united. Sometimes the brothers help us carry our burdens (Rom. 15:1; Gal. 6:2). They also encourage us to stay active in our service to Jehovah and to be spiritually strong (1 Thess. 5:11; Heb. 10:23-25). How sad it would be if we did not have the support of the congregation to face our enemies: Satan and his evil world. Very soon, he and all those under his control will attack God's servants. At that time we will be very grateful to have the brothers by our side.

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

5 However, some may find it hard to trust siblings. Why? Perhaps they confided in a private matter to a fellow Christian and then he told others about it. Or maybe someone made them a promise and didn't keep it. Or maybe a brother said or did something that hurt them. So what will help us trust the brothers more?

LOVE HELPS US TO TRUST OTHERS MORE

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

6 Trust is based on love. Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians mentions many characteristics of love that will help us trust others more or regain lost trust   (read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8). For example, verse 4 says that "love is patient and kind . " Jehovah is patient with us even when we sin against him. So we too must be patient with our siblings if they say or do things that upset or hurt us. Verse 5 adds that love is "not easily irritated" and that it "keeps no account of injury."We do not want to keep a "count of the damage", that is, to keep a mental record of all the offenses of our brothers. Ecclesiastes 7:9 says that we should not be easily angered. It is much better to follow the advice of Ephesians 4:26: "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry."

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

7 Another thing that will help us trust our brothers more is to see them as Jehovah sees them. He loves them and does not keep a record of their sins from him. So neither should we (Ps. 130:3). Instead of focusing on their flaws, we should try to focus on their beautiful qualities and try to see their potential for good (read Matthew 7:1-5). We give them the benefit of the doubt because love "believes all things" (1 Cor. 13:7). This does not mean that Jehovah asks us to trust others blindly. Rather, he expects us to trust them because they have proven that they are worthy of that trust.

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

8 Confidence does not happen overnight. What can you do to grow your trust in others? Get to know them well. Talk to them at meetings. Spend time together in the preaching work. Be patient with them and give them a chance to prove themselves trustworthy. If you don't know someone well, you may not talk much about personal things at first. But as you get to know that person better, you may feel more comfortable talking about how you feel (Luke 16:10).Now, what can you do if a brother betrays your trust? Instead of writing it off right away, let time pass. And don't let what a few do stop you from trusting everyone else. One thing that will help us is to analyze the example of faithful servants of Jehovah who continued to trust others despite some disappointments.

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

9 Have you been disappointed by what a brother with responsibilities did? If so, Ana's example may help you. In his day, the highest spiritual authority in Israel was the high priest Eli. But his family left a lot to be desired. His sons, who were priests, engaged in immoral sexual relations, but he did little to correct his brazen behavior. However, Jehovah did not immediately remove Eli from his position. What did Anne do? a)  Although Eli was still the high priest, she did not stop going to worship Jehovah in the tabernacle.When she was praying very distressed, Eli rushed to the conclusion that she was drunk, and even spoke harshly to her (1 Sam. 1:12-16). Hannah had promised Jehovah that if she had a son she would take him to serve in the tabernacle. She was willing to fulfill her vow even though the child would be in Eli's care (1 Sam. 1:11). Was it necessary to b) correct the situation of Eli's sons? Of course she did, and Jehovah did it in due time From her (1 Sam. 4:17). Meanwhile, he rewarded Hannah with a son, Samuel (1 Sam. 1:17-20).

ILLUSTRATION

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?

10 Have you suffered the betrayal of a friend? In that case, think of the example of King David. When his son Absalom tried to take the kingdom from him, Ahithophel, who was David's friend, supported the rebellion. What a blow it must have been for David to lose the support of his son and someone he considered a friend. But this betrayal did not make David suspicious. He continued to trust Hushai, a loyal friend who did not join the rebels. And he was not wrong to trust Hushai, for this faithful friend even risked his life to help him (2 Sam. 17: 1-16).

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

11 Consider also the example of one of Nabal's servants, a very wealthy Israelite. David and his men were very good to Nabal's servants and protected them. Sometime later, David asked him for food for his men, whatever he could give them. When Nabal refused, David became so angry that he said that he would kill all the men in his house. One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal's wife, what had happened. She knew that her life depended on what she did. And she didn't run away. Rather, she trusted Abigail to fix the situation because she had a reputation for being a sensible woman.And his confidence paid off. Abigail plucked up courage and convinced David not to go through with his plan (1 Sam. 25:2-35). And she, in turn, trusted David to be reasonable.

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

12 Jesus trusted his disciples despite their failures (John 15:15, 16). When James and John asked him for a position of honor in the Kingdom, Jesus did not question why they were serving Jehovah or tell them that they would no longer be his apostles (Mark 10:35-40). And, on the night he was arrested, all his disciples deserted him (Matt. 26:56). But Jesus never lost faith in them. Although he knew their faults, he “loved them to the end” (John 13:1). And, after he was resurrected, he even charged his 11 faithful apostles with the great responsibility of directing the work of making disciples and caring for his precious sheep (Matt. 28:19, 20; John 21:15-17).And he was not wrong to trust these imperfect men. All were faithful until the end of their life on Earth. As we have seen, Anna, David, Nabal's servant, Abigail, and Jesus trusted imperfect human beings. His good example encourages us to do the same.

HOW TO RECOVER LOST CONFIDENCE

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

13 Have we discussed something confidential with a brother and later found out that he has told others ? The truth is that it is terrible when someone betrays our trust. On one occasion, a sister told something private to an old man. It turns out that the next day the old man's wife called her to cheer her up, obviously because her husband talked too much. As usual, the sister's trust in that old man suffered. But the sister acted well and asked for help. She talked to another elder, and he helped her regain her trust in the elders.

14. What helped a brother regain lost confidence?

14 For a long time, a brother was very upset with two elders who were not trustworthy to him. But then he remembered a short but powerful phrase said by a brother whom he respected very much: "Our enemy is Satan, not our brothers." The brother thought about those words, and prayed about the matter. Over time, he managed to make amends with the two elders.

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

15 Have you ever lost a responsibility in the congregation? It can be a very painful thing. Consider the case of Grete and her mother, two sisters who were loyal to Jehovah during the 1930s. They lived in Germany, where the Nazi government had banned our work. Grete had been commissioned to help make copies of The Watchtower for the brothers. But then the brothers learned that Grete's father was opposed to the truth. They were so afraid that he might rat out the congregation that they took that responsibility away from Grete. But Grete had to face other tests. During World War II, out of mistrust, they didn't even give her and her mother copies of the magazines or greet them when they saw them on the street. How painful!That deeply hurt Grete's feelings , and it took her a long time to forgive those brothers and trust them again. Over the years, she came to the conclusion that Jehovah had forgiven them, so she understood that she had to do it too. 

“Our enemy is Satan, not our brothers”

16. Why should we strive to overcome mistrust?

16 If you have had a painful experience similar to the ones we have mentioned, strive to trust the brothers again. It may take time, but your effort will be worth it. Let's think of an example. If we get intoxicated with a food, we will be more careful with what we eat, but that does not mean we will stop eating. Similarly, let's not let a bad experience make us distrust all our brothers, who as we know are imperfect. If we regain trust in them, we will be happier and we will focus on what we can do so that there is an atmosphere of trust in the congregation.

17. a) Why is trust so important? b) What will we see in the next article?

17 In Satan's world, trust is conspicuous by its absence. But in our global family of brothers there is trust because we love each other. a)  Thanks to this trust, we feel happy and we are united now. And, in the difficult times ahead, it will serve as our protection.But what if we are hurt because someone betrayed our trust? We can recover it by striving to see things as Jehovah sees them, applying Bible principles, cultivating a deep love for our brothers, and analyzing Bible examples. If we do, we will be blessed with many friends who stick "more closely than a brother" (Prov. 18:24). But it is not enough that we trust others; our brothers also need to know that they can trust us. b)  In the next article we will see how we can earn that trust.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

Why is it so important that we trust the brothers?

It is important because today more than ever, we must be united. Sometimes the brothers help us carry our loads. Also because they encourage us to stay active in our service to Jehovah and to be spiritually strong.

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

Hannah when she was praying very distressed, Eli rushed to the conclusion that she was drunk, and even spoke harshly to Hannah Although Eli was still the high priest, she did not stop going to worship Jehovah in the tabernacle. 

In David's example we see that when his son Absalom tried to take the kingdom from him, Ahithophel, who was David's friend, supported the rebellion. But this betrayal did not make David suspicious. He continued to trust Hushai, a loyal friend who did not join the rebels. And he was not wrong to trust Husai, because this faithful friend even risked his life to help him.

Nabal refused when David asked for food for his men. David got so angry that he said he would kill all the men in his house. One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal's wife, what had happened. Abigail plucked up her courage and convinced David not to go ahead with her plan.

When James and John asked him for a position of honor in the Kingdom, Jesus did not question why they were serving Jehovah or tell them that they would no longer be his apostles. Jesus never lost faith in them. Although he knew their faults, he "loved them to the end." Proof of this after his resurrection, he even entrusted his 11 faithful apostles with the great responsibility of directing the work of making disciples and caring for his valuable sheep.

What can you do if a brother betrays your trust?

We must strive to trust the brothers again. It may take time, but the effort will be worth it. Let's think of an example. If we get intoxicated with a food, we will be more careful with what we eat, but that does not mean we will stop eating. Similarly, let's not let a bad experience make us distrust all our brothers, who as we know are imperfect.