Study of the Watchtower, "In this way everyone will know that you are my disciples", Week of May 29 to June 4, 2023, Comments and Practical Answers.

Watchtower Study, “In this way everyone will know that you are my disciples”, 29-May-4-June 2023, Comments and Answers. 

"In this way everyone will know that you are my disciples: if you have love for one another" (JOHN 13:35).

1. What strikes many when they first attend a meeting? (See also photo).

When they first attend a meeting at the Kingdom hall, many people are positively impressed by the friendly way in which they are received by the brothers, as well as by the love with which they treat each other.

We see this very often, when we have attended a first meeting for the first time, we can perceive the love that we receive, the love that exists and that the brothers show, and this is what a married couple says when the Wife attends for the first time. tells the husband I have seen something special that I like to attend.

And maybe the first time, because they haven't found out much about what has been said, but the only thing that sticks with them is how they have been received, how they have behaved with them and the interest they have shown.

We can see that this love has no borders, regardless of nationality or age, a brother in a wheelchair may be seen in the background, perhaps with a disability, this does not prevent us from showing love and affection, and it is seen how they are receiving this marriage that is coming. for the first time with that affection and respect, and this is impressing them.

ILLUSTRATION

The Illustration shows a married couple attending a meeting in the kingdom hall for the first time. In their faces you can see how impressed they are by the kindness with which they are received by the brothers and by the love they show each other. So much so that back at her home, her wife comments to her husband: "Jehovah's Witnesses have something special, and I like it."

Brothers and sisters of different ages and cultures enjoy conversing before a congregation meeting. A brother welcomes a non-Witness couple. What do many people think when they see the love that is breathed in Jehovah's people? (See paragraph 1).

2. Why have some stopped serving Jehovah?

Although no one can deny that the love that exists in the Christian congregation is really special, Jehovah's Witnesses are imperfect. For this reason, as we get to know each other better, our defects also come to light. And sadly some have allowed the imperfections of others to stop them from serving Jehovah.

Well, because we are not perfect and the more we get to know people and deal with them, the more likely we are to see their defects and sadly, many have abandoned Jehovah, because they have focused on that.

In Romans 3:23 it says that we have all sinned and do not reach the glory of God, meaning that it is clear that we all have defects within the congregation.

3. What identifies true Christians? (John 13:34, 35).

Jesus, in John 13: 34,35 said that it would be love and not perfection that would identify his disciples. He specified that everyone would come to know who they were by the sincere love they would show one another. And when Jesus referred to everyone, he was encompassing both the brothers in the congregation and all the people outside of it. Which means that this love would be a hallmark easy for anyone to observe and distinguish.

Well, as we have read in the text, love is what we have talked about, that we are not perfect, so we cannot expect perfection, but Jesus Christ said that it is love that would characterize us as his disciples.

And it would not be a feigned love, but rather a sincere love, a love that springs from the heart and it would be seen that we show both those who are closest or more related to us, and others who are not so much.

The paragraph mentions there are two things that are mentioned that are completely different, not that we know that we are or that we will be the true Christians, it is the people who have to see that we are the true Christians. Why, because of our actions, because of what we say and we make.

4. What might some ask?

Some non-witness people may wonder, why is it love that identifies true Christians? How did Jesus show love to his apostles? and how to imitate Jesus? In the same way, those of us who are already witnesses must also ask ourselves these questions, because that will help us to show more love, especially when others make mistakes.

Yes, it also affects us because asking ourselves these questions will also help us to show more love among ourselves, especially when we see that others make mistakes or we make them.

The words of Ephesians 5:2 in this very one, well, making us see that this is a long journey, it is not that we have started and it is over, but that it has a direction and in that we all have to be very well excellent.

WHY IS LOVE WHAT IDENTIFIES TRUE CHRISTIANS?

5. What kind of love is Jesus talking about in John 15:12, 13?

Jesus was talking about a greater love that should drive us to give our lives for other people. That is why Jesus himself clarified it when he said that no one has greater love than to give his soul in favor of his friends. In other words, this new commandment consists in loving your neighbor more than yourself. Jesus set us the example with his life and death. Hence, this kind of love identifies the true Christian.

Here we see a very special love, the commandment he gave them was clear, as we have read it says to love one another just as I have loved you, and we know that just like Jesus gave his life for us, we must also to love our brothers in the same way with that same kind of love, if we have to give up even in this life for them, then do it in the same way.

If in the information that comes you say that you quote the text Love your neighbor not as yourself, but rather your neighbor as yourself, that is not the kind of love that identifies us, the kind of love that gives us identifies is, one who may want to give his life for our brothers. So in this love we have to work and know that we have to be willing to give our lives and that when they see that kind of love they will identify that we are true Followers of Christ.

Yes, the text said, as Jesus Christ said, not that we had to love each other as he had loved us, he suffered with his disciples, he had to rectify them many times, he had many defects like us, and even so, he gave his life for us, if we look only at the defects of our brothers, it will be very difficult for us to give our lives for them, that is why we must see more of their good qualities and not their defects.

If in the note of this paragraph of the book Come be my follower, a very good illustration is given, which is when we wear our name as the emblem that we wear in the Regional Assembly and our congregation identifies us as Jehovah's Witnesses and delegates of that assembly, because this love is what has to identify the Authentic Christians.

6. How does God's Word highlight the importance of love?

The Bible stresses the importance of love by teaching us that God is love. Which consists of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. That is why it is emphasized that love covers a multitude of sins and shows that true love never fails. There are many biblical verses that highlight the importance of love and also teach that we must cultivate this quality.

We do see how in first Corinthians 13:8 it mentions many gifts that would disappear, but it says that love would never fail.

And also another very important text is the first of Peter 48 that love covers a multitude of sins and many things can be let go just because we love others.

It is true that there are texts and many more that appear in the Holy Bible, but perhaps we can have a natural love for someone, for something, for a newborn baby, perhaps for a pet, but sometimes for people it can cost us more, then something we have to work for it and show this true love.

7. Why can't Satan get people to come together and show love to each other?

Satan, throughout the history of humanity, has managed to create many false religions, but he will never be able to create a global family united by love. And this is because love comes from Jehovah and only those who have his spirit and his blessing can truly love each other. From there, Jesus emphasized that love would be a hallmark of his true disciples.

Satan has created many religions, but he has never been able to create a united family. And why? Because they lack the love and support of Jehovah, which is the most important thing.

We do know that many people wonder every day how they can know which is the true religion. All religions claim to be true, but in reality they explain and teach different things about God, and Satan has created many false religions to confuse people.

How important are the words of 1 John 4:7 where it says that we, beloved, continue to love one another because love is from God. If we love Jehovah for ourselves, it is clear that we are going to demonstrate it, because it is a quality that only Jehovah can give, if we accept it.

If Satan also knows that love that is based on feelings can be displayed by people, it is easy to make them display it, but Jehovah goes further. What Jehovah wants is a love based on principles and those principles, which is what he instills in us, is what Satan cannot imitate, cannot do.

8, 9. How has the love Jehovah's Witnesses have had on many people?

It has had a positive effect. For example, Ian remembers a convention that was held near his house. He says that he does not remember any of the speeches, but the behavior of the Jehovah's Witnesses was engraved in his memory forever, how kind they were and how well behaved his children were. That example led him to be baptized later, and become a True Christian.

For his part, John says that when he went to a Kingdom Hall for the first time, he was so struck by everyone's kindness and their impeccable conduct, that he said that the love shown by Jehovah's Witnesses was what convinced him that they had the true religion. Now John, like Ian, is also a Jehovah's Witness.

Brother Ian says he was disappointed and felt that his life was meaningless. His father was an alcoholic and violent, so he had little affection for him. He had no personal goals and just wanted to drink and listen to music. But when the Jehovah's Witnesses held a convention in the stadium near his home, he was so amazed at the way everyone behaved that that very night he decided he had to find out why the Jehovah's Witnesses were different. So he began to study the Bible and was later baptized.

Brother John also says that he felt the need to thank God for the life he led, so he visited the Anglican church but discarded it because not much of the scriptures were taught there. Then he visited the Mormon church, but was disappointed because they didn't care about the Bible. But when he talked to Jehovah's Witnesses, he saw that they based their teachings on scriptures AND placed importance on accurate knowledge. And when he attended one of their congregational meetings, he was impressed by the kindness, high principles, and sincere love that were shown. demonstrated to each other. This convinced him that Jehovah's Witnesses had the true religion which made him later decide to get baptized.

10. What occasions will test our love? (See also note.)

Since we are imperfect, sooner or later one of our brothers will say or do something that offends us. On those occasions our love will be put to the test. And even if they are not serious sins, perhaps even the elders should attend to these cases to help us react in the right way.

Knowing that we are not perfect and that, as Santiago mentions, we all stumble, many times it will be put to the test when our brothers may do or say something that offends us.

In the footnote he emphasizes that this article is not talking about serious sins, as mentioned in first Corinthians 6:9,10, such as sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, covetousness, drunkenness, he says that These types of sins are the elders who must address them.

We must look at the example that Jesus gave us, in order to better follow him.

HOW DID JESUS ​​SHOW THAT HE LOVED HIS APOSTLES?

11. What did James and John demonstrate on a certain occasion? (See also pictures).

James and John exposed their imperfection by showing pride and ambition, when they made their mother ask Jesus to give them important positions in the Kingdom. This was clearly a mistake but as we see in the image, Jesus helped them to correct their defects with love so that they could have Jehovah's approval.

On a certain occasion, James and John made their mother ask Jesus to give their children important positions when he was in his Kingdom, and of course with this they were showing a lot of pride and ambition.

And you can see how affectionately Jesus corrects them, it's true to put his hand on the shoulder of one of them, there they are gathered. And if you look at Jesus' face, it's very kind, so Jesus didn't pay attention to the imperfections, because he knew that they were imperfect. In fact, what Jehovah is looking for is not perfection, Jesus was not looking for perfection either, but he was looking for the love and affection that can develop.

As for his companions, they were offended, because they said who were they to have more privileges, but nevertheless, Jesus gave them an excellent lesson about even being perfect without committing any of these mistakes, he saw that they really needed help and they left. He gave.

Of course, and Jesus knew what Proverbs 16:18 said that pride comes before crashing and arrogance before falling, and he did not want that to happen to his disciples.

12. Why do we know that Santiago and Juan were not the only ones who had a bad attitude?

We know this because Matthew 20:24 shows that when the other 10 Apostles found out what happened to James and John they were outraged. Perhaps they thought that Santiago and Juan thought they were more important than the rest of them or that it detracted from their hard work. In short, what Santiago and Juan did was a trigger for the rest of the apostles to also adopt a bad attitude and stop treating him with affection.

From their reaction the text says that when they heard what happened to them, it was evident that love did not cover that lack of their companions, but perhaps also fueled the desire and they also wanted to have that responsibility, that position. It has already been mentioned in previous paragraphs that love covers a multitude of sins and they did not demonstrate that love.

But in addition, it has also recently been commented that pride is before a resounding crash, and they showed pride, and possibly wondered, because we also deserve it. How sad, no one deserved anything.

And in the image you can see that one of the Apostles has his arms on his hips as if to say good and I also deserve that privilege. This helps us to have a clear vision of the scene and the effect this reaction had on the peace that was in him in the group of disciples.

13. How did Jesus treat the apostles despite their imperfections? (Matthew 20:25-28).

Matthew 20 25-28, shows that Jesus patiently reasoned with his apostles because he knew that despite their imperfections they had a good heart. Jesus taught them a lesson in humility by contrasting the desire for domination that people of nations have with the desire to serve that his followers should have. In addition, he reminded them that he had set an example for them by coming to earth to serve others and not for them to serve him, despite being a child of God.

We see that he continued to treat him with love, he was not indignant with them, but what he did, according to what we have read, was reason with them, and set an example for them to realize that they had to be different from the people of the Nations How they reacted is how the people of the Nations would react. But they were followers of Jesus and they had to show love.

Yes, he also did not lose patience, he said I am going to look for another because this is not Humble, Jesus knew perfectly who his Apostles were, his upbringing and knew his heart. So he was patient with them and showed them love.

And it is seen that it was a weakness that the apostles had because there were more occasions in which they argued, Mark 9:34 and Luke 22 24 are quoted where he speaks of strong discussions that they had to know who was the most important, so they suffered from that pride and arrogance.

On different occasions it is quoted in Lucas in which we can see that many times they began to question this matter.

Jesus was going to die soon, so that was a moment of weakness, since throughout their lives and in a situation like that, they began to argue and withhold affection from each other, it was a serious matter, but Jesus still hadn't them. He gave up, without a doubt, how much we appreciate that he did not throw in the towel with them.

ILLUSTRATION

Jesus speaks lovingly to his disciples. In a circle appear Santiago, Juan and their mother talking with Jesus. Jesus showed his apostles love even when they made mistakes. (See paragraphs 11 to 13).

14. What was the environment like in which the apostles of Jesus grew up?

The apostles grew up in a time when religious leaders placed great importance on social position and positions of authority. In fact, these leaders believed themselves to be superior to others. Jesus knew that this environment could influence how his apostles viewed themselves and how they viewed others. Therefore, he was patient with them and lovingly helped them replace pride and ambition with humility and love.

In most cases, the attitudes we have as people are due to our upbringing or what we have experienced around us. And mentioning a little Well, in relation to the video that is mentioned here with the biblical quotations, we can come to think that the apostles were used to giving great importance to places of prominence, places of privilege, that is why they would say sit me down the right and the left in your Kingdom. We can come to understand that Jesus knew this background and treated it that way.

If it was what was mentioned in the video, seats in front of the synagogue, he says that the distribution of how it was did not indicate how the seats were, it indicated that the people with the highest status sat there, the topic that the same disciples were discussing. And the most important people sat in the rows of seats that were leaning against the wall, while the others had to sit on the mats, then Jesus understood that they and the disciples were influenced by these customs and that is why he treated them with much love and consideration.

Jesus did not expect perfection from them, nor did he get upset when they made various mistakes, so what Jesus did saw the good heart of his Apostles and what he did precisely was help them cultivate patience in order to remove that pride and ambition, to change that, for humility and love.

And there is a note that gives us a lot of light, that environment is said long after a religious Jew, the world has no less than 30 men as just as Abraham, if there are 30 my son and I are two of them if there are 10 me He said I are two of them, if there are five, my son and I are two of them, if there are two it is my son and I, and if there is only one it is me. This was seen, what the Pharisees thought and of course this, this environment, influenced the disciples of Jesus, and Jesus knew it, that is why he had so much patience with them and so much affection and corrected them with great delicacy.

HOW CAN WE IMITATE JESUS?

15. What do we learn from what happened with Santiago and Juan?

We learn that it's not just about the mistakes others make, but how we react when they do. In the same way, we learn that whenever we treat others with love, we are showing that we are true Christians.

We can also learn that when we are offended, we need to ask ourselves: Why did what he did bother me so much? Could it be that I have to improve on something? Is the brother going through some difficult time? Isn't it better to show love and let go even if it seems that I have reasons to feel that way? In this way, we will be imitating Jesus in his loving patience and way of treating others despite his imperfections.

Well, although it was not right for them to do this, the way how the other apostles reacted was not right either, then we learn that the important thing is not what mistakes others make, but how we react to those mistakes.

For this reason we must ask ourselves when this happens to us, why what he did bothered me so much, could it be that I have to improve something, or is the brother going through a difficult time, and similar questions.

Yes, these questions are already interesting, from the mistakes of our brothers we can also draw valuable lessons for ourselves, so in this way we can improve and also be more loving with the Brothers.

It is clear that we will not be able to control the mistakes that others make, but we can control how we react.

And if we combine these questions a little with the objective of The Watchtower, to analyze why some decide to leave Jehovah when others make mistakes, it can help us because this question, what does it say about whether I am the one who has to improve something, because it makes us To think that sometimes it is true, we may have reasons to be offended, but if we are not easily offended, we also demonstrate Christian qualities, we demonstrate how our spirituality is. And that will make us not abandon Jehovah, so we realize what is at stake in how we act. If we are true Christians that is something that should be evident to everyone.

16. What else can we learn from Jesus' example?

We learn that we must strive to understand our brothers, and although we cannot read their hearts as Jehovah and Jesus do, we can be patient when they make mistakes.

Well, we have to make an effort to understand our brothers and although it is true that we cannot read hearts like Jesus, what we can do is be patient when they make mistakes, since as First Peter 3:8 says we have to show tender compassion and humility.

And here at the end of the paragraph he tells us that something that will help us is to get to know the brothers better.

We are going to be able to get to know our brothers better, by sharing time with them and some of these ways could be going out to preach with them or inviting them to our house to spend some leisure time.

If the text of Proverbs 20:5 also appears in the paragraph where it says that the discerning man knows how to bring out the deep thoughts of man, and many times we have to use that discernment in order to understand our brothers because they have acted in a certain way. And so always treat them with love.

17. What happened when a circuit overseer tried to get to know a brother better?

As the overseer tried to get to know a brother who seemed to have a difficult personality, he learned that the things the brother had experienced influenced his character. And once he understood how intense his struggle to overcome the past had been and how far he had progressed, he couldn't help but admire him and become his friend.

Well, what happened is that the way in which he began to see him changed a lot, because from seeing him as a difficult person, now by making an effort to get to know him, he was able to learn things about his life that made him think, not because he reacted so even seeing all that he had progressed that perhaps at first was not evident, all of that surely made him love him more, understand him, and so when perhaps this brother somehow stumbled or failed, well now love made things things continue well and that even then they will become good friends.

Yes, sometimes the first impression can be very shocking and sometimes it is not a first impression, but a way of being of a brother or a sister, a character that clashes with ours, but what is the idea, meeting that brother that much better sister because for everything there is a reason, perhaps her upbringing her personality, but that makes her have value for Jehovah, he is with us and we must get the good things out of that brother or that sister.

So this paragraph for the second time tells us to make an effort to get to know each other better, because that way we will understand the problems that our brothers have, and it will be easier for us to treat each other with love.

Well, perhaps what he could have done is to avoid him so as not to have problems, but it wasn't quite the opposite, he made an effort to get to know him better.

18. What questions can we ask ourselves if a brother has offended us? (Proverbs 26:20).

When a brother offends us, we must do a self-examination and ask ourselves: Do I have all the facts? Could it be that he did not accidentally? Have I done something similar in the past? If I talk to the brother, will I create a bigger problem than the one I am trying to solve? Reflecting on these points, we may decide that it is better to show love and forget about it.

For example Proverbs 18:13 says answering a matter before hearing the facts is silly and humiliating, it encourages us to ask ourselves if we have all the facts.

Proverbs 26 20, teaches us that sometimes the best way to put out a fire is to make a firewall so that the fire does not advance. In the same way, when a brother offends us, it is best to talk to him and try to reach an agreement before a dispute breaks out.

If I also have all the facts, it will be that he did it accidentally or I did something similar in the past.

Yes, another question based on Proverbs 26:20, if I talk to my brother I will create a bigger problem than the one I am trying to solve and this point is very important, very interesting, because Jesus in Matthew 18:15 says if your brother commits a sin against you, leave. to talk to him alone and make him see his fault, but here he tells us that better not than if the remedy is going to be worse than the disease, then better not.

We come to the conclusion as the paragraph says that it is better to show love and forget the matter.

And another question was if I have done something similar in the past. We know very well that we ourselves have done evil to others on other occasions, so remembering that we may have done the same thing before, means that now we do not take into account what our brother has done against us.

The idea that Proverbs presents in the text that we have read is not if there is fire, never add firewood, on the contrary, add water, so how important it is that we think first of Jehovah and of love for the entire organization.

Well, here he invites us to analyze the situation, to think before taking the step, whether to speak or not to speak, analyze the facts, see if we are capable of forgiving or forgetting and then leave the matter.

19. What are we determined to do?

As a group, Jehovah's Witnesses are determined to demonstrate that we are the true disciples of Christ, that the worship we give to Jehovah is pure and that this is the true religion. Individually, we want to show sincere love not only to our brothers, but to our neighbor in general despite his imperfections so that every day more people feel the desire to worship Jehovah with us.

On a personal level, as an individual, I am that kind of person who identifies me as a true Christian because of the love that I show to others, because as a group we are known but personally we should question it.

Of course it is worth it because other people will also realize what the true religion is and we will also add the heart of Jehovah.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

Why is love what identifies true Christians?

Love is what identifies true Christians, because Jesus made it clear that the love they show one another would prove that they would be his true disciples. Furthermore, love is a very important quality for God, and the Bible teaches that God is love. Therefore, if we want to be true Christians, we must cultivate and show sincere Love to our brothers, even despite their imperfections. Love is what unites us as brothers and helps us overcome differences and conflicts that may arise.

True Christians imitate the love of Jesus because it is a love that goes beyond, it is a self-sacrificing love and they can also imitate it by the help of Jehovah, by his spirit.

How did Jesus show that he loved his apostles?

Jesus showed love to his Apostles even when they made mistakes. He did not expect perfection from them, but lovingly helped them correct their shortcomings so that they could have Jehovah's approval.

Well, Jesus demonstrated this because despite their imperfections he was never indignant with them, nor did he threaten to replace them with other more humble people, but rather what he did was reason with them with much love and affection.

How can we imitate Jesus?

We can imitate Jesus by treating others with love and patience, even when they make mistakes. Jesus did not expect perfection from his followers, but lovingly helped them correct his shortcomings so that they could have Jehovah's approval.

Well, being understanding with our brothers, being patient, being empathetic when our brothers make mistakes or offend us, ignoring it is a way of imitating Jesus.

Jesus could read hearts and we, but that's not why we have to make an effort to understand our brothers, and also be patient when they make mistakes.