DAILY TEXT, Today's Friday June 2, 2023,  They have filled Jerusalem with their teachings (Acts 5:28).

Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2023

Friday June 2

They have filled Jerusalem with their teachings (Acts 5:28).

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 enthusiastically (Luke 10:1, 5-11, 17). But they lost the desire to preach for a while when their teacher was arrested and killed (John 16:32). After being resurrected, Jesus encouraged them to focus on preaching. And, when he was already in heaven, they preached with such enthusiasm that their enemies complained, as seen in today's text. Jesus led the preaching of first-century Christians, and with Jehovah's blessing many people accepted his message. For example, on Pentecost of the year 33, about 3,000 were baptized (Acts 2:41). And the number of disciples continued to increase greatly (Acts 6:7). However, Jesus predicted that more people would accept the good news in the last days (John 14:12; Acts 1:8). w21.05 14 pars. 1, 2.

LET'S REMAIN POSITIVE IF WE DON'T FIND THE PEOPLE

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 controlled-access developments. There may be a doorman or security guard who won't let anyone in unless invited by one of the residents. In other places, the brothers can go from house to house without much problem, but they find few people. There are also publishers who work 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 to not give up and get to talk to more people?

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 doesn't give up, he adapts. He changes the times, places, or methods. We can do the same in the ministry. Let's look at some suggestions.

What can happen if we preach at different times?

Let's change the hours. We will talk to more people if we preach at 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 more willing to talk. Or we can try to do the same as an old man named David. When he has been preaching in a territory for a while, he and his companion knock again on the doors that no one opened the first time. He says, "I'm amazed at how many people are home when we call a second time."

How can we apply Ecclesiastes 11:6 in the ministry?

The theme 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 a man who was interested in talking about the Bible and told him: “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've learned that when you finally find people in their homes, many of them listen to the message.”

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