LIVING AS CHRISTIANS: Week of September 30 to October 6, 2024, Video: Appreciate the riches of God's patience. How Jehovah views time. Analysis and Answers.

LIVING AS CHRISTIANS: September 30-October 6, 2024, Video: Appreciate the riches of God's patience. How Jehovah views time. Analysis and Answers.

Appreciate the Riches of God's Patience. How Jehovah Views Time (5 mins.) Audience discussion.

Play the VIDEO. Then ask:

How can trying to understand Jehovah’s view of time help us wait patiently for the fulfillment of his promises?

The Bible teaches that to Jehovah one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. This means that God is not limited by time as we are—what may seem like a long wait to us, from God’s perspective is just a brief moment in His larger plan. Understanding this allows us to see that the time we wait is not a sign of delay or indifference on God’s part, but part of His perfect purpose.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

God is not quick to act according to human desires because his patience has a loving purpose. He wants to give people time to change and come closer to him.

2 Peter 3:9 mentions that Jehovah is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some think, but is patient, not wanting anyone to be destroyed but everyone to come to repentance. This understanding helps us value the time we have to improve our relationship with God.

Throughout the Bible, we see that God always keeps his promises, but in due time. By remembering this, we can be confident that even though promises may seem slow to come true, they will actually come at the right time. By understanding timing from Jehovah’s perspective, our confidence in his promises is strengthened, allowing us to wait patiently without despairing.

Knowing that Jehovah has a perfect plan that will be fulfilled in due time teaches us to be patient and to trust in his will. This perspective keeps us away from anxiety and allows us to wait calmly, knowing that his plan is for our good.

Understanding how God views time helps us remember that His plan is not focused solely on our individual needs, but on a greater purpose that encompasses all of humanity. This perspective allows us to be more patient, knowing that His plan is perfect and that any delay has a reason beyond what we can see. In practice, this teaches us to trust and not despair when we don't have immediate answers.

Knowing that Jehovah is never late but always acts at the right time helps us to remain calm when things don't happen as quickly as we would like. By remembering that God sees time differently, we avoid falling into frustration or discouragement, which in practice helps us to cultivate a more positive attitude and to move forward with confidence in his direction.

Reflecting on the patience Jehovah shows in giving us time to change and draw closer to him teaches us to be more patient in our own lives. In practice, this means learning to wait without anxiety, trusting that everything will come in its own time, and also being more understanding and patient with others, recognizing that we are all in a process of improvement.

PUBLICATION COMMITTEE REPORT, GROWTH THAT COMES FROM GOD

Organization achievements for the month of September (10 mins.) Play the VIDEO.

Under Jesus' direction, a great harvest is taking place. One important way to support this work is to build facilities that will be used to care for and train the many people who have the right attitude to obtain eternal life.

So as the organization is growing so much, we have had to make some changes. In 2013, the Governing Body saw that the system in place for building facilities was not sufficient because the organization was growing so rapidly, so it was decided that one department would handle all matters, the worldwide design and construction department, which would work under the supervision of the publication committee.

This department was created with several objectives: the first was to build or purchase facilities in the most economical and efficient way possible; second, to find ways to simplify and speed up work so that projects could be completed much more quickly; third, to offer flexible solutions that could be adapted to the needs of the organization and thus save resources, which would allow us to adapt quickly to new circumstances.

In addition to kingdom halls, assembly halls, and branch offices, we also need remote translation offices, recording studios, and more bible school facilities. What has the world department of design and construction or wdc done over the past 10 years to keep pace with the growth of your organization? In all of our work we have put into practice the principle found in colossians 2:19 which says: the whole body is nourished and held together in harmony and grows with the growth that comes from god.

We maintain good communication and work closely together, thanks to which we can harmoniously stay united and follow the direction of Christ our leader, and as a result we clearly see the growth that comes from God. Let's take a look at some recent projects, we will see that being more flexible and working together from beginning to end is essential to have excellent results, it is clear that Jehovah is blessing this project.

The France branch had to rent about 65 houses, but the quality of the houses was not that good and they were very expensive to maintain, so the branch committee came up with the idea of ​​building houses on the Bethel premises instead of renting them. At the Central America branch we are translating in about 80 languages, and because of the need to translate into so many languages ​​we currently have about 66 remote translation offices. However, having these offices requires a lot of work, and at the same time we had to continue supplying the Kingdom Halls which are very urgent. So to attend to both of these things, it seemed like too much work. 

Here in Brazil we need more brothers and sisters who can work hard in the congregations and in the territory, but thanks to Jehovah there are many young brothers and sisters who want to do more and attend the school for Kingdom Evangelizers. Every year we receive between 2,000 and 2,500 applications, it was clear that we needed another building for the Bible schools.

When the worldwide design and construction department receives instructions from the governing body, we pray, investigate and ask advice from the brothers in the area, then we are very attentive to see the hand of Jehovah, to see if he wants us to continue with a project, what the results are, in the end we follow the recommendations of the headquarters and we buy houses from real estate developers, so if we do not need them later we can sell them.

The governing body has approved us to have a dedicated team to provide these remote translation offices. The project development group has to communicate with WDC, the WDC has to communicate with departments at the world headquarters, the service committees, editorial, publishing, and the translation services department. The project group works together with the local production team, the purchasing department, the legal department, the service department, and many other departments here at the branch office.

We see the hand of Jehovah in this, because He allowed us to move forward with the work without neglecting the great need we have in the region for Kingdom Halls. We are very grateful that the WDC has helped us to be flexible. When looking for properties, we no longer only look for properties where we can build new buildings, but we also look for buildings already built that we can remodel.

For example, we found a hotel that was perfect for us both in terms of its location and size. The global design and construction department encouraged us to use biblical principles throughout the process. Since the negotiations were not going well, the brothers stopped them, said a prayer, and came back with the Bible in hand. They taught the owner a biblical principle that says that we want to behave honestly in everything. He was so amazed that from then on, the negotiations went smoothly.

As a result, we were able to complete the purchase at a reasonable price, save money in the end, and invest in building another classroom. Following the instructions of the worldwide design and construction department for housing projects has been the best thing. The branch office has a long history of building buildings for Jehovah, but we have never seen such a large project move forward so quickly before.

The branch committee is delighted with the quality of what has been designed and planned in this new system. It is a blessing that the translation offices are located where the language is spoken, it has many advantages, it is now much easier for the brothers and sisters in the remote translation offices to do their work, because the offices are where they need to be, and they have everything a translator needs.

The remote translation offices are a true gift from Jehovah. More than 250 students from the school for evangelizers will be able to come to these facilities for Bible schools each year. Having a building dedicated only to Bible schools is wonderful. The time and effort dedicated were worth it. All of this has strengthened my faith a lot. I realize that when Jehovah wants something, nothing can stop it from becoming a reality.

We clearly see how Jehovah has blessed this change. Good planning, good communication, and close collaboration help us to decide which projects we will do first and to do them as soon as possible for the advancement of our work. The governing body wants all of you, dear brothers, to know that we love and appreciate you very much. Thank you very much, brothers, for everything you are doing to support the Kingdom in these difficult but exciting times, the final part of the Last Days.

When it comes to building or refurbishing buildings for Jehovah, no two projects are the same. You need to be adaptable, think about the needs and circumstances of the place, listen to the advice of others, and follow the guidance of Jehovah's spirit. In this way, we demonstrate that we follow our leader, Jesus, and that we grow with the growth that comes from God. This is just a preview; very soon we will be participating in much larger construction and education projects in paradise.