The Study Watchtower, «Article 8», Week of April 17 to 23, 2023, “Keep your senses and be vigilant!”, Answers.

The Watchtower Study, “Article 8”, April 17-23, 2023, “Keep your senses and be vigilant!”, Answers.

"Keep your senses and be vigilant!"

1. What did Jesus tell his disciples about when the end would come, and what advice did he give them?

In Mark 13:32 we see that Jesus told them: no one knows the day and the hour, neither the angels in heaven nor the son, only the father. And for this very reason in verses 33 to 37 he advised them to stay awake and always vigilant. 

2. Why did Christians living in the Jewish system have to be vigilant?

They had to be aware because their life depended on it, since the end of the Jewish system was near. Hence, Jesus told them that things should be fixed to know when they should flee before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem.

3. What will we analyze in this article?

We are going to discuss what we can do to not lose our balance when we closely follow world events, since we are living in time for the end of this evil system. We will also see how we can keep an eye on ourselves and how to make the best use of the time that this system has left.

LET'S LOOK AT WORLD EVENTS WITH BALANCE

4. Why should we be interested in world events?

In Matthew 24:3-14 we see that Jesus mentioned several events that help us know that the end of satan's system is very close. Therefore, we must be very attentive to world events that fulfill Biblical prophecies. Similarly, in 2 Peter 2:19-21 we are encouraged to pay attention to the fulfillment of Bible prophecies so that our faith remains strong. 

5. What should we watch out for when talking about Bible prophecies, and what should we do? (See also pictures).

We must be careful not to express personal ideas that could divide the congregation. Rather, everything we say should be based on what the Jehovah's Organization has explained, since in this way we will contribute to the congregation staying united in the way of thinking as 1 Corinthians 1:10 says.

ILLUSTRATION

Images of two married couples who react differently to world events. 1. A couple sees on the news that some world leaders sign a peace treaty. Later, at the Kingdom Hall, the same couple enthusiastically tell two sisters their opinion. 2. Another couple views a report from the Governing Body. Later, they preach to a man who has approached the cart. What should we watch out for when talking about Bible prophecies, and what should we do? (See paragraph 5). 

6. What do we learn from 2 Peter 3:11-13?

Este texto nos enseña a mantener una visión equilibrada de las profecías Bíblicas y nos anima a estar muy pendientes de la presencia del día de Jehová, ya que queremos utilizar el tiempo que queda para comportarnos de la mejor manera y asegurarnos de que todo lo que hacemos por Jehová este motivado por el amor que sentimos por el.

¿QUÉ SIGNIFICA VIGILARNOS A NOSOTROS MISMOS?

7. ¿Qué tenemos que hacer para vigilarnos a nosotros mismos? (Lucas 21:34).

Vigilarnos a nosotros mismos implica estar atentos a todas las cosas que puedan dañar nuestra amistad con Jehová. También incluye hacer todo lo posible por evitarlas, ya que de esta manera nos mantendremos en el amor de Dios.

8. ¿Qué consejo les dio Pablo a los cristianos?

Pablo les dijo que debían vigilarse a sí mismos. Efesios 5:15,16 dice «Tengan mucho cuidado de no comportarse como tontos, sino como sabios» Pablo dijo esto porque sabía que satanás intenta por todos los medios acabar con nuestra espiritualidad. De allí que para poder resistir cualquier ataque, la Biblia nos aconseja que comprendamos cuál es la voluntad de Jehová.

Llama la atención que el texto de Efesios no dice «Tengan cuidado», sino, «Tengan muchísimo cuidado», Pablo sabía que satanás es muy astuto y hace todo lo posible para que nos apartemos del lado de Jehová, por eso nos aconsejo que tuviéramos muchísimo cuidado.

9. ¿Cómo comprendemos cuál es la voluntad de Jehová para nosotros?

Lo hacemos estudiando la Biblia con regularidad y meditando en todo lo que leemos, ya que cuanto mejor entendamos la voluntad de Jehová y más nos esforcemos por tener la mente de Cristo, más fácil nos será comportarnos como sabios. Incluso cuando no haya una norma específica que nos diga lo que debemos hacer, sabremos cual es la voluntad de Jehová sobre ese asunto y en consecuencia, sabemos como actuar.

10. ¿Cuáles son algunos de los peligros que debemos evitar?

Debemos evitar peligros como coquetear, beber o comer en exceso, usar palabras hirientes. Y como dice el Salmo 101:3, no pondremos delante de nuestros ojos nada despreciable como entretenimiento violento o pornografía. Por otro lado, como satanás siempre está intentando dañar nuestra amistad con Jehová, debemos tener cuidado para que no plante en nuestra mente y corazón semillas de envidia, falta de honradez, codicia, odio, orgullo o rencor.

11. ¿Cuál es un peligro sutil, y por qué debemos evitarlo?

El peligro más sutil son las malas compañías, ya que quizás pensemos que no hay nada de malo en pasar tiempo con ellos, pero como dice 2 Corintios 6:15, ¿Qué tienen en común un creyente con un no creyente?. Ahora bien, debemos evitarlo porque puede que al principio nos incomoden ciertas cosas que hagan o digan, pero con el tiempo estaremos tan acostumbrados que ni nos importará, y al final acabaremos pensando igual que ellos. así que debemos vigilarnos a nosotros mismos para no pasar más tiempo del necesario con quienes no respetan las normas de Jehová.

APROVECHEMOS EL TIEMPO DE LA MEJOR MANERA

12. ¿Qué tenían que hacer los discípulos de Jesús hasta que llegara la conclusión del sistema?

Jesus entrusted them with the enormous mission of preaching the good news in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria and to the most distant part of the earth. Hence, there is no better way to take advantage of time than to dedicate yourself completely to this mission.

13. Why should we make the best use of time? (Colossians 4:5).

Because as Ecclesiastes 9:11 says, some unforeseen event can happen to all of us at any moment, we could even lose our lives unexpectedly and we do not want to have invested most of our time and energy in things that do not give us any benefit.

14, 15. What is the best way to use our time? (Hebrews 6:11, 12; see also image.)

The best way to take advantage of our time is as 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, always being very busy in the work of the Lord. That is, doing the will of Jehovah and strengthening our friendship with him. We also take advantage of it when we preach and teach diligently, and when we remain vigilant as we wait for Jehovah to destroy this system.

ILLUSTRATION

The sister who was watching the news and the sister who was watching a report from the Governing Body give Bible classes to a woman. She is shown the video “How are our meetings?” What is the best way to use our time? (See paragraphs 14 and 15).

16. What are we determined to do?

Perhaps sometimes it seems to us that the end of this system is long in coming, even so, we are determined to do what Micah 7:7 says, always be attentive to Jehovah and wait patiently for the God of our Salvation.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What can we do to not lose balance when we see world events?

We can analyze Biblical prophecies and be very aware of the presence of the day of Jehovah.

What does it mean to watch ourselves?

It means being attentive to all things that can harm our friendship with Jehovah. It also means doing everything possible to avoid them.

How can we make the best use of time?

We can take advantage of our time by always being very busy in the work of the Lord. That is, doing the will of Jehovah and strengthening our friendship with him.