LIVING AS CHRISTIANS: Week April 29 to May 5, 2024, Three ways to praise Jehovah in our meetings, Video: From the past to the present: Songs that praise Jehovah (part 1), Analysis and Answers.

LIVING AS CHRISTIANS: April 29-May 5, 2024, Video: From the past to the present: Songs that praise Jehovah (part 1), Analysis and Answers.

Three ways to praise Jehovah in our meetings (15 mins.) Analysis with the audience.

In congregation meetings we are invited to express our praise to Jehovah in various ways. For example, we can do so in our conversations. When we arrive at our kingdom hall, we share our experiences that reflect Jehovah's love and generosity.

The Congregation Meetings provide us with valuable opportunities to praise Jehovah and three ways of doing this stand out, first in daily conversations. By mentioning how good Jehovah is and sharing experiences that reflect his goodness toward us.

Secondly, we can highlight that by actively participating in the meetings through our comments, offering brief but significant responses that contribute to the spiritual enrichment of the congregation.

We can also do so by our comments during our meetings we can offer comments, brief reflections and analysis of what we have learned in the information we are analyzing.

We can also do it when we sing in our meetings to sing with enthusiasm the songs of the kingdom, thus demonstrating our love and gratitude towards God. So regardless of our singing abilities, we can praise Jehovah. These are valuable opportunities to strengthen our connection and faith with others. 

Third, enthusiastically give the songs of the Kingdom, if we do this during the meeting we express our love and gratitude towards God regardless of our vocal abilities.

Play the VIDEO From the past to the present: Songs that praise Jehovah (part 1). Then ask:

How have we demonstrated from the beginning of the current organization that we consider it very important to praise Jehovah with our songs?

Since 1869, with the young Charles Russell seeking the truth and discovering the crucial role of music and the duration of Jehovah, We have demonstrated the importance of praising Jehovah with Our songs. Since then, we have edited songbooks, adapted lyrics to better reflect biblical teachings, and created songs composed by brothers and sisters, all with the goal that Our songs are free of questionable religious ideas and reflect the truth we wish to convey. But above all, let them give glory to Jehovah.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Since the early days of the current organization, We have demonstrated the importance of praising Jehovah with Our songs, as already mentioned, Russell, being inspired by a religious song in a basement in 1869, understood the power of music to awaken emotions and teachings. This event marked the beginning because songs became an integral part of our worship.

Over the years, we have adjusted our song lyrics to better reflect Bible teachings and promoted songwriting by brothers and sisters, all with the goal of washing Jehovah truthfully and meaningfully.

Religious ideas have also been eliminated and music has been adapted to the current time. In the Gaalád school, music was adapted again as a means of Praise to Jehovah. 

For example, in the first issue of the magazine we now know as The Watchtower, which was published in July 1879, it was announced that the first of our songbooks, titled Songs of the Bride, which included 144 songs of praise, would soon be available. , because for the brothers of that time it was very important to sing at Meetings and Assemblies.

At the beginning of the 20th century, for meetings, guests were given a sheet of paper upon entering, on which were the songs that would be sung on that occasion. Furthermore, in the video we are shown that over the years our songbooks and their content have had several changes, including their titles. This is because as time has passed, Jehovah has enlightened us so that we understand better what the Bible teaches. So they have been changing because we want what we sing to be the truth.

ANALYSIS OF OTHER ADDITIONAL POINTS OF THE VIDEO.

It was done secretly, hidden inside a coat and then smuggled out of the country. What are we talking about? from a recording of our brothers in Siberia singing praises to Jehovah. She traveled from one end of the earth to the other until she reached New York, where at the international assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1958 she was heard by more than 250,000 people. But why is it so important for us to praise Jehovah with songs? Let's find out in this episode of, from the past to the present.

Jehovah's servants of the past praised Jehovah with songs, but how did songs become part of our worship? It all started more than 150 years ago, we are in Allegheny Pennsylvania, and it is the year 1869. A young man named Charles Russell searches for the truth, one night while walking down the street, he hears something that catches his attention, a religious song, The sound comes from a basement, he enters and what he hears awakens a desire to study the Bible. He had never felt like this.

Some time later, as he rediscovered biblical truths together with his companions, he came to see the important role that music plays in the worship of Jehovah. Charles Russell may come to understand the power of music to awaken emotions, because one of his father's businesses had to do with music. He thought that singing songs about the truth was a good way to engrave it in the minds and hearts of God's servants.

In the first issue of Zion's Watchtower magazine, today the Watchtower Published in July 1879, it was announced that the first of our songbooks entitled: Song of the bride would soon be available. That would include 144 Praise God songs. For the brothers of that time, it was very important to sing in their meetings and assemblies.

Let's take a brief trip through time, we are at the beginning of the 20th century, and someone has invited us to a speech presented by Russell, as soon as we enter they give us a sheet of paper, we look for a seat, but the auditorium is full, so we There is silence and someone announces that the meeting is going to begin with a song and a prayer.

In many churches you would find a book with the songs on your seat, but this is a rented place. Ah then we realize that the little sheet they gave us contains the songs, by the way there is also a space there to put our information, yes. We want to study the Bible. When everyone else starts singing, we join them.

And what were the songs like at that time? Let's listen to a song that we sang for more than 80 years, this recording was made in 1916, it is a little different from how we sing now, if we compare the different versions of this song that were published over the years we will see that there were changes in the letter. This is the version recorded by a Watchtower quartet in 1935.

In our first songbook this song was titled: All hail the power of Jesus Name Or translated it means give Glory to the power of the name of Jesus. As its title indicates, the song praised the power of the name of Jesus, without mentioning Jehovah at all, because of course many of our songs from that time were actually adaptations of those that already existed in Christianity, but let's see what happened with this same song in 1950, instead of giving importance only to the name of Jesus, the song now spoke of giving to know the will of God and mentioned Jehovah by name.

And why was the letter changed? Because as time has passed, Jehovah has enlightened us so that we better understand what the Bible teaches, that is why we have had to adapt the lyrics of our songs so that they reflect what the Bible teaches. Our first songbook already made it clear what our objective was, that Our songs were free of questionable religious ideas, and that is how it has been.

Since then we do not cling to our songs out of pure sentimentality, or tradition, we change them because we want what we sing to be the truth. In fact, in 1928 a very special songbook was published. Many of the songs were composed by brothers and sisters. It gave greater importance to the name of Jehovah, his qualities and his Kingdom. In fact, the name of Jehovah appeared in the title itself. Jehovah and some of the melodies of those songs may not sound familiar like this one.

Young man, are your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents witnesses? If so, they used the same melodies as you in their meetings and assemblies. What a beautiful privilege, but now we are going to the 40s, the world was at war, our brothers had been imprisoned, good news was needed, so we prepared to preach more and be better teachers, it was then, when it was created the school of Gilead and the school of theocratic ministry, and it was also at that time that we returned to singing in our meetings.

That? What do we mean we started singing again or stopped singing at some point in the meetings? When? To find out, don't miss the next video in the series from the past to the present.