Watchtower Study, Week 22 to July 28, 2024, Let's continue preaching for love Underlined Answers.

Watchtower Study, July 22-28, 2024, Let us continue preaching for love (MAR. 13:10)., Underlined Answers.

Yellow: Direct Response

Light Yellow: Additional Response

Light Blue: Additional Points

“First the good news must be preached to all nations” (MAR. 13:10).

1. What did we learn at the 2023 annual meeting?

HOW exciting the 2023 annual meeting was ! In it, some clarifications of beliefs and some announcements related to preaching were made . For example, it was explained to us that some people may have the opportunity to take Jehovah’s side even after the destruction of Babylon the Great. We were also told that starting in November 2023, we would no longer have to report all of our preaching activity. Do these changes mean that preaching is no longer as important or urgent as it once was? Of course not!

2. Why is preaching more urgent with each passing day? (Mark 13:10).

2 With each passing day, the preaching becomes more urgent. Because? Because time is running out. Let's think about what Jesus predicted about preaching in the last days, according to Mark 13:10 (read it). In Matthew's parallel account, Jesus said that the good news would be preached throughout the inhabited Earth before “the end” came (Matt. 24:14). This expression refers to the definitive end of Satan's evil system. Jehovah has decided “the day and the hour” in which the things he has predicted will happen (Matt. 24:36; 25:13; Acts 1:7). And with each passing day there is one day less (Rom. 13:11). Until the end comes, we have to continue preaching.

3. Why do we preach?

3 There is something very important that we must all ask ourselves: why do we preach the good news? In short, for love. When we preach, we show that we love good news, that we love people, and above all that we love Jehovah and his name. Let's analyze these points one by one.

WE PREACH BECAUSE WE LOVE GOOD NEWS

4. What do we usually do when we receive good news?

4 Try to think about the last time someone gave you good news. Maybe they told her that a family member had had a baby or they offered her a job she had been looking for for a long time. How did she feel? Surely she was so happy that she really wanted to tell her relatives and friends. Didn't something similar happen to her when she heard the best news anyone can hear: the good news of the Kingdom of God?

5. How did you feel when you were studying the Bible? (See also images).

5 Think also about how you felt when you were studying the Bible. Among other things, he learned that Jehovah loves him, that he wants him to be part of his family of worshipers, that he has promised to end pain and suffering, and that in the new world he will resurrect his loved ones who have died (Mar . 10:29, 30; John 5:28, 29; All those truths touched his heart (Luke 24:32). He came to love the valuable teachings he was learning and was eager to tell them to everyone (compare Jeremiah 20:9).

ILLUSTRATION

A brother uses the book Enjoy Life Forever in a Bible course. Images of the student talking with others about what he is learning. 1. With a co-worker. 2. With family. 3. With a friend. When we learned the truths of the Bible, we were so excited that we wanted to tell them to everyone. (See paragraph 5).

6. What does Ernest and Rose's experience teach you?

6 Let's look at the case of a brother named Ernest . He says that, when he was 10 years old, his father died . And he adds: “I wondered: 'Has he gone to heaven, or has he ceased to exist forever?' He envied children who still had their parents alive.” He went to the cemetery almost daily, knelt in front of his father's grave and prayed, “Please, God, I need to know where Dad is.” When he was about 27 years old, they offered him a Bible study, and he immediately accepted. He was thrilled to discover that the dead are unconscious, as if fast asleep, and that the Bible promises that there will be a resurrection (Eccl. 9:5, 10; Acts 24:15). He had finally found the answer to the questions that had tormented him for so long! He was very very happy about the biblical truths he was learning. His wife, Rose, began studying with him and she too was delighted with what she was learning. Some time later, in 1978, the two were baptized. Full of enthusiasm, they spoke about their beliefs to their relatives, their friends, and anyone who would listen . Over the years, Ernest and Rose have helped more than 70 people come to know Jehovah and be baptized.

7. What will happen if our hearts overflow with love for the teachings of the Bible? (Luke 6:45).

7 Surely, if our hearts overflow with love for the Bible's teachings, our mouths will want to talk about them (read Luke 6:45). We feel like the first-century disciples who said, “We cannot help but speak of the things we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). We have come to love the truth so much that we want to tell it to as many people as possible.

WE PREACH BECAUSE WE LOVE PEOPLE

8. What drives us to bring good news to people? (See sidebar “Making Disciples: A Labor of Love”; also see image.)

8 Like Jehovah and Jesus, we love people (Prov. 8:31; John 3:16). We sympathize with those who are hopeless and “without God” (Eph. 2:12). So to speak, they are drowning in the problems of life and we have the lifeline they need: the good news of the Kingdom of God. Love and compassion drive us to do everything in our power to make the message heard. It is a treasure that can fill you with hope, help you be happy even now, and give you the opportunity to have “the life that really is life,” eternal life in the new world (1 Tim. 6:19).

ILLUSTRATION

A sister uses a tract to witness to a woman in a cafe. Love and compassion drive us to do everything we can to make people hear the message. (See paragraph 8).

Making Disciples: A Labor of Love

This new booklet highlights 12 qualities we all need to show love in preaching and to make disciples. Each lesson helps us focus on what people are interested in, and not so much on what we want to tell them. Ask yourself: “What things are they worried about? What do you need?". As explained in the introduction, love “is far more important than any technique or method” and “will help you achieve your goal: making disciples.”

9. What do we warn people about, and why? (Ezekiel 33:7, 8).

9 Love also prompts us to warn people that the end of this evil world is near. (Read Ezekiel 33:7, 8.) It saddens us to see that the people of the territory and our non-Witness relatives live their lives without realizing what is coming. Matthew 24:21 says that “there will be great tribulation” and that, “from the beginning of the world until now, there has not been such a tribulation, and there never will be again.” We want you to know what will happen during that period of judgment: first all false religions will disappear and then, at Armageddon, this entire evil system will be destroyed (Rev. 16:14, 16; 17:16, 17; 19:11, 19, 20). We ask Jehovah that as many people as possible will listen to us and agree to serve him along with us now. But what will happen to those who for the moment do not heed our warnings, among them our dear family members?

10. Why is it urgent that we continue to warn people?

10 As we saw in the previous article, Jehovah may decide to save those who change their minds after seeing the destruction of Babylon the Great. This possibility helps us better understand how urgent it is that we continue to warn people. Because? Let's think about this: what we tell them now will be what they may remember in the future (compare Ezekiel 33:33). Our warnings may come back to their minds and they will decide to serve Jehovah with us before it is too late. Just as the Philippian jailer only accepted the truth when there was a very large earthquake, there may be people who will not accept it now but will when the “earthquake” of the destruction of Babylon the Great shakes the world (Acts 16:25). -3. 4).

WE PREACH BECAUSE WE LOVE JEHOVAH AND HIS NAME

11. How do we give Jehovah “glory, honor, and power”? (Revelation 4:11; see also images).

11 The most important reason we preach the good news is because of our love for Jehovah and his holy name. We see preaching as a way to praise the God we love. We fully agree that Jehovah deserves “glory, honor, and power.”​—Read Revelation 4:11. How do we give Him glory and honor? Explaining to people the compelling evidence that Jehovah created all things and gave us life. And how do we give it power, that is, our power ? Using our time, energies and resources to participate in the preaching work as much as our circumstances allow (Matt. 6:33; Luke 13:24; Col. 3:23). Simply put, we love to talk about the God we love. But we also want to talk about his name and what it means. Because?

ILLUSTRATION

Images of ways to preach to people. 1. In Africa, a couple preaches to a woman and her children at the door of her house. 2. A sister preaches to a woman at the bus stop. 3. When he is on vacation, a brother talks to a man sitting next to him. We give Jehovah our power when we use our time, energy, and resources to participate in the preaching work as much as our circumstances allow. (See paragraph 11).

12. How do we sanctify Jehovah's name when preaching?

12 Because we love Jehovah, we want to sanctify his name (Matt. 6:9). Put another way: we want to participate in clearing his name of all the lies that Satan has launched against him (Gen. 3:1-5; Job 2:4; John 8:44). Therefore, in preaching we are eager to defend Jehovah and tell the truth about him to everyone who will listen. We want everyone to know that his primary quality is love, that he is a just ruler, and that his kingdom will soon end suffering and bring peace and happiness to mankind (Ps. 37:10, 11, 29). ; 1 John 4:8). When we do all these things, we are sanctifying Jehovah's name. On the other hand, we have the satisfaction of knowing that we are fulfilling our role as your witnesses. Why do we say this?

13. Why are we proud to call ourselves Jehovah's Witnesses? (Isaiah 43:10-12).

13 Jehovah has chosen us to be his witnesses (read Isaiah 43:10-12). A few years ago, the Governing Body said in a letter: “There is no greater honor than to be called Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Let's take an example. Suppose we are in court because someone has accused us of doing something wrong, and we need someone to testify on our behalf. We would certainly choose a person we know well, who is trustworthy and who has a good reputation so that his testimony carries weight. Well, Jehovah has chosen us to bear witness that he is the only true God because he knows us well and trusts us. It is such an honor and pride for us to be his Witnesses that we take advantage of every opportunity to make his name known and to deny the false accusations that have been said about him. This is how we fulfill our role: being Jehovah's witnesses (Ps. 83:18; Rom. 10:13-15).

WE WILL CONTINUE PREACHING UNTIL THE END

14. What exciting times await us?

14 Very exciting times ahead! We hope that, with Jehovah's blessing, there will still be many people who accept the truth before the great tribulation begins. But we are also excited about the possibility that even during the Great Tribulation—the darkest period in human history—there will be people who will leave Satan's old world and praise Jehovah with us.​—Acts 13:48.

15, 16. What will we continue doing, and until when?

15 Meanwhile, we have a job to do. We have the privilege of participating in a unique work in history, that of preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God throughout the Earth. And at the same time, we have to continue to warn people that the end of this evil system is fast approaching. When the time of judgment comes, they will realize that the message we preached to them came from Jehovah (Ezek. 38:23).

16 So what are we determined to do? Because we have so much love for the good news, for people, and above all for Jehovah and his name, we will continue to preach with urgency and enthusiasm until Jehovah says: “Enough is enough!”

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

Why does it drive us to preach the love of good news?

It drives us to preach the love of the Good News, because just as when we receive personal good news we want to share the best news about the kingdom of God with everyone. 

Why does it drive us to preach love to people?

Love for people drives us to preach, because we feel sorry for those who have no hope and are without God. For this reason we want to offer you the Savior message of the Kingdom of Jehovah. 

Why does it drive us to preach love for Jehovah and his name?

Love for Jehovah and his name drives us to preach, because we want to sanctify his name, cleansing it from Satan's lies, and because we want to give it the glory, honor and power it deserves.