The Watchtower Study, "Article 41", Week of December 4 to December 10, 2023, What lessons do the two letters of Peter teach us?, Answers.

The Watchtower Study, "Article 41", December 4-10, 2023, What lessons do the two letters of Peter teach us?, Answers.

“I intend to always remind you of these things” (2 PET. 1:12).

1. What commission did Jehovah give to the apostle Peter shortly before his death?

Shortly before his death, the Apostle Peter received an assignment from Jehovah, which consisted of writing 2 letters, the Biblical books of 1 and 2 Peter. Which were written under divine inspiration between the years 62 and 64 of our era.

As we know, Peter was a faithful servant of Jehovah, and we say this because he accompanied Jesus during his ministry, began preaching in other fields and was part of the governing body of the first century until the end of his life between the years 62 and 64, Received Inspiration from Jehovah to write two letters. With these two letters, Peter intended for Christians to have a guide after he died.

2 Peter 1:15, Reading these words we understand that the help that Peter left in his letters reaches to this day. For this reason we must take advantage of the help that Jehovah left us through Peter.

2. Why were Peter's letters very timely?

At that time they were very timely because there were evil men who spread false teachings among the brothers and who tried to corrupt the moral purity of the congregation. Without a doubt, the two letters that Peter wrote under Divine inspiration helped the Christians of the time to endure the trials they were going through, and thus prepare for those to come.

In 1 Peter 1:6, we see how Peter warns his Christian brothers that, for a little time, it will be necessary for them to be distressed by various trials. 

In 2 Peter 2:1, 2, and 14, Peter details many of the trials and complications that his fellow Christians would encounter before the end of Jerusalem came. First-century Christians received Peter's letters before the Romans attacked Jerusalem in the year 66. Therefore, Peter's two letters helped first-century Christians endure the trials they still had to go through.

3. Why should we study Peter's letters?

We must study Peter's letters because, in these two letters, Peter teaches us extremely important lessons that will help us stay in anticipation of the day of Jehovah, overcome fear of others, and develop intense love for our brothers.

Christians today can also get help from what Peter wrote in his letters. In Romans 15 4. he says: why all things that were written before were written for our learning, so that through our endurance, And the comfort of the scriptures we might have hope. We can learn very important things in Peter's two letters that will help us stay expectant of the day of Jehovah.

By studying the 2 letters of Peter, they will also help us overcome fear of others and have sincere love towards our brothers. In addition, the elders of the congregation can also obtain help from Peter's letters to attend to the needs of the flock. 

STAY ON EXPECTATION

4. What could weaken our faith? (2 Peter 3:3, 4).

As we well know, we have been announcing the end of this system with great enthusiasm for many years. However, many people, seeing that the end has not yet come, can mock us and can even assure us that the end will never come, and even worse would be if someone in the preaching, a co-worker, or a family member told us something like that. It could happen that our faith weakens due to these comments.

As we have read in the text, in the last days, mockers will appear mocking and saying that all things remain exactly the same as they were from the beginning of creation. For this reason, it is possible that we feel spiritually weak if people around us make these statements to us. 

If this is our case, we must keep this possibility in mind, and be aware of how strong our faith is. Since if we see that for some reason our faith is weakening, let us remember that we have ways to recover that spiritual strength.

5. What will help us wait patiently for the end? (2 Peter 3:8, 9).

We must remember that Jehovah sees time differently than human beings, and we say this because 2 Peter 3:8-9 mentions that for Jehovah 1000 years is like a day, and another thing that will help us wait patiently. The end is, knowing that Jehovah does not bring the end yet because there are people who have not yet had the opportunity to know him, and he is patient with them, because he does not want anyone to be destroyed, but sooner or later his day will come and this system will come to an end.

 In previous Watchtower studies we saw that patience is a virtue that we must cultivate and train. And we find the reason in the text we have read, Jehovah sees time in a different way than we do. What for us human beings means a thousand years, for Jehovah it is only a day. 

Therefore, let us take advantage of the day he wants us to preach to every person who comes across us, knowing that Jehovah does not want anyone to be destroyed, because the day of Jehovah will come, at the time that Jehovah has established for it.

6. How can we be very aware of the day of Jehovah? (2 Peter 3:11, 12).

2 Peter 3:11, 12 gives us the advice to be very attentive to the day of Jehovah, and this is possible by meditating every day on the wonderful life we ​​will have in the new world. Meditating on all of these blessings will help us stay in expectation and remember that we are living in the last days.

Peter, in his letters, encourages us to do acts of devotion to Jehovah and to think about what kind of person we must be to please him while we wait. 

We can also apply what we see in 2 Peter 3:17, which urges us to be vigilant so that we do not go astray and do not fall into the error of the wicked, nor lose our own firmness. Let us remember that we are living in the last days and that there is less and less to enjoy our wonderful hope.

So, let's imagine ourselves in the new world, breathing fresh air, eating healthy foods and welcoming brothers, friends and family who are resurrected. 

OVERCOME THE FEAR OF OTHERS

7. How can fear of others affect us?

The fear of others can perhaps affect us when at times we do not dare to speak about the good news of the Kingdom. However, we should not feel bad, if we have those types of fears we can remember that Peter, now anointed, who is ruling with Jesus in heaven, was afraid. The night Jesus was tried, he did not identify himself as one of his disciples and denied knowing him, but later he was able to overcome his fears. His example confirms that it is possible to overcome fear of others.

Our mission, as Christians, is to preach and make the message of the Kingdom known to other people. But it is very likely that on certain occasions we are afraid of people, and that fear prevents us from speaking. We know that Pedro also had that same fear.

In Matthew, 26:69-75. We see how Peter denied Jesus three times, and did not want to be identified with him. Even so, some time later Jehovah considered him one of his most faithful servants.

This teaches us that even one of the greatest of the Apostles was afraid on some occasion, and was able to overcome it with the help of Jehovah. Which makes us see that we must never forget that with Jehovah's help, we can overcome any obstacle we have.

8. What will help us overcome fear of others? (1 Peter 3:15).

We must meditate on the position and power of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. Let us remember that he received all authority in heaven and on earth and that he will be with us, and will help us overcome the fear of others.

Above all, let us ask Jehovah for courage, and trust that he will help us overcome that fear. A good idea is to meditate on Jesus Christ. In Matthew 28 1820, he assures us that Jesus has all authority in both heaven and earth. He therefore will be with us to help us, in preaching, whatever form of preaching we choose, whether informal, at work or at school. 

When the time comes to talk about our beliefs and defend them, we will probably get nervous and fear will invade us. At that moment we pray and ask for Jehovah's help, because he will surely help us overcome those fears.

“FEEL INTENSE LOVE”

9. On what occasion did Peter not show love? (See also the image).

Peter was aware of Jesus' words when he gave them a new commandment to love one another. However, some time later Peter gave in to pressure and refused to eat with Christians who were not Jewish.

In John 13:34, Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another, Peter was next to Jesus when he mentioned these words, so he knew firsthand what Jesus' command was. Even so, some time later, he allowed himself to be carried away by the opinions of the circumcised group, refusing to eat with Christians who were not Jewish.

Paul later corrected him, telling him that he had acted hypocritically. Pedro reconsidered and accepted the correction, recognized his error and changed. Some time later in his letters he made it clear that it is not only necessary to feel love for others, but that one also has to show it.

ILLUSTRATION

The apostle Peter eating with some Christians of non-Jewish origin. Peter accepted Paul's correction. His two letters teach us to show love to our brothers. (See paragraph 9).

10. What helps us demonstrate “brotherly affection without hypocrisy”? (1 Peter 1:22).

What helps us to demonstrate brotherly affection without hypocrisy is to be obedient to the truth, which means, to be obedient to the teaching that God is not partial, to understand it better, if we only show love to some of our brothers in the congregation. As the paragraph mentions, we will not be obeying what Jesus said about love. 

Hence the importance of understanding that God does not want us to be partial to anyone, only in this way can we demonstrate true brotherly affection without hypocrisy to our dear brothers.

In the first part of 1 Peter 2:17, We are urged to have love for the whole brotherhood and in Acts 10:34, we see that God is not partial. Therefore, neither should we be. We can have more affinity with some brothers than with others. However, Peter reminds us that we must show all our brothers brotherly and sincere affection.

11. What does it mean to love “intensely from the heart”?

Loving intensely from the heart implies, "Expanding our love", in order to demonstrate love to those who naturally would not do so. To understand it better, let's think about a brother who hurt us or has offended us. What comes first? What would we do? Right, the first thing would be to pay him in the same currency. So expanding our love means having the ability to show love to all people regardless of the harm they could have caused us.

In 1 Peter 3:9, he urges us not to return evil for evil or insult for insult, but rather to return a blessing. For this reason, let us be very careful with our reactions to an offense or a slight, do not repay with the same coin, rather let us do as Jesus taught Peter, let us be kind and considerate even with those who insult us. 

12. a) If we feel intense love for our brothers, what else will we do?

If we feel that kind of love for our brothers, we will not only cover a few sins, but as 1 Peter 4:8 says we will cover a multitude of sins.

In one Peter 4:8, Peter uses the expression "Intense love." When using this expression, Peter was surely remembering a conversation he had with Jesus, in which Peter told Jesus that he would be willing to forgive someone up to seven times. Thinking, seven times was enough. But Jesus taught him that he had to forgive up to 77 times, that is, without setting a limit. 

Perhaps it is difficult for us today to apply this command, due to our imperfection, but let us do everything possible to forgive those who offend us, and make peace with that person. 

12. b) What motivates you to make the video Let's take care of our valuable unit?

The video motivates us to forgive our brothers and make peace with them.

In the video, two experiences are shown in which we see two situations of brothers angry over work disagreements. Throughout the two stories, we see how clearing things up and forgiving makes these brothers regret the time they have lost due to a minor dispute. 

The video motivates us not to focus on the bad things, and to talk to whoever hurt us to recover that friendship. 

ELDERS, SHEPHERD THE FLOCK

13. Why can it be difficult for elders to shepherd their brothers?

It can be difficult for elders to shepherd their brothers, because they also have to care for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Furthermore, they have the duty to set an example in preaching and to prepare well to teach at the Meetings and present speeches at the assemblies. Some also work with hospital liaison committees or the local design and construction department. As we can see, our dear elderly people are very busy people. 

For elders, shepherding their brothers can be difficult because it is a command from Jesus. Jesus himself said it to Peter and we see it quoted in John 21:16. Therefore, being a command from Jesus, the elders have to rise to the occasion.

An elderly person is a very busy person, but even so, an elderly person must fulfill this important responsibility well. Among other things, he must set an example in preaching, preparing well for meetings and speeches, and perhaps collaborate, as already mentioned, with liaisons in hospitals or in construction. All this, without forgetting his own family, whom he also has to provide for, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

14. Why do elders want to shepherd the flock, and what can help them? (1 Peter 5:1-4).

Just as Jehovah, out of love, desires to shepherd his flock with the aim of guiding them on their spiritual path. The elders shepherd God's flock, motivated by the love they have for their brothers. Since Jehovah expects elders to love their brothers, shepherd them, and be examples to the flock.

Everyone who decides to be an elder does it out of love for his brothers. As we have read in the text, he does not do it out of obligation, nor does he do it for the love of dishonest gain, nor does he do it acting as if he were the master of the congregation. . 

Seeing that the elder is a loving person and cares about others, there may come a time when he feels tired, lacking strength, or that he is not doing enough for his sheep. In this situation, the elder must be honest with Jehovah and tell him how he feels, and wait, as they say in 1 Peter 4:11, that Jehovah gives him strength to continue loving, shepherding and being an example for his brothers. 

15. What does an elder do to shepherd the flock? (See also the image).

An elder, in order to shepherd the flock in the best way, listens carefully to know exactly what it needs and what concerns it. So that's where he looks for something specific to help him. 

The elder mentioned in the paragraph says that, when the Covid-19 pandemic began, he and the other elders of his congregation considered it very important to contact all the publishers every week. Many of them were alone in their homes and It was very easy for them to start thinking negatively. If it came to that, this old man, he was looking for something specific to help them, for example, usually a video on our website. This example shows us that the elders strive to help people know Jehovah. 

ILLUSTRATION

An elder pays a shepherding visit to a brother via video conference. The elder has the Bible open, and on his tablet he is watching the video “How to Have a Happy Family.” Although the elders are busy, they love God's flock and do everything possible to shepherd it. (See paragraphs 14 and 15).

LET US LET JEHOVAH FINISH OUR TRAINING

16. In what ways could we put into practice what we have learned in Peter's letters?

We could put into practice what we have learned in Peter's letters by meditating more on the wonderful life we ​​will have in the new world, preaching informally at work, school or elsewhere, thinking of other ways to demonstrate our intense love for our brothers. Furthermore, if we are old, we must be determined to shepherd Jehovah's sheep willingly and with determination.

We have learned several lessons during this review, but each of us must do a self-examination of what things we can improve in our lives. Whatever we propose, we must remember how kind Jehovah is and how willing he will be to help us achieve that goal.

As we see in 1 Peter 5:10, Jehovah will finish our training, make us firm, make us strong, and put us on a solid foundation.

17. What reward will we receive if we persevere and let Jehovah train us?

If we persevere like Peter and let Jehovah train us, we too will receive the reward of eternal life. We will achieve our goal of our faith, our salvation.

On one occasion, Peter did not feel worthy to stand before Jesus, but thanks to the support of Jehovah and Jesus, Peter finally managed to enter the eternal Kingdom. Today, that promise that Jehovah makes us also awaits us, if we let Jehovah train us.

WHAT ADVICE DID PETER GIVE ON THE FOLLOWING ISSUES?

Stay in expectation of the day of Jehovah.

We must remain expectant, because bolts appear mocking us and saying, nothing changes since the beginning of creation. These statements can make us weak spiritually. But let us remember that Jehovah will not fail to fulfill his promise.

Overcome fear of others.

We know that Peter was afraid to speak to certain people. He in fact denied Jesus up to three times. Even so, some time later Jehovah considered him one of his most faithful servants. Therefore, Jesus will be with us to help us overcome those fears in preaching.

Show “intense love” to our brothers.

In John 13:34, Jesus gave us a new commandment, which was to love one another, just as he has loved us. In Acts 10:34, we see that God is not partial. Therefore, neither should we be.

We can have more affinity with some brothers than with others. However, Peter reminds us that we must show all our brothers brotherly and sincere affection.