LIVING AS CHRISTIANS: Week of November 4-10, 2024, Show Your Love. Video: The Power of Your Giving. Analysis and Answers.

LIVING AS CHRISTIANS:November 4-10, 2024, Show Your Love. Video: The Power of Your Giving. Analysis and Answers.

Show Your Love (15 mins.) Audience discussion.

Play the VIDEO The Power of Your Giving. Then ask:

How do our brothers benefit from donations used to defend religious freedom?

Our brothers benefit from donations because they enable them to defend their religious freedom rights in places where they face opposition. Thanks to the brotherhood's financial support, legal remedies and strong arguments can be presented to the authorities, resulting in protection and the ability to continue practicing their faith without restrictions.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Thanks to donations from our brothers, their rights to religious freedom have been defended in international courts. An example of this is the case in Ecuador, where the court ruled in their favor. Thanks to donations, it is possible to have not only legal but also financial support for these cases.

Thanks to donations, Jehovah's Witnesses in different countries can practice their faith without persecution, as we have read in the articles and seen in the video. This teaches us that we must be generous with our contributions to the extent of our possibilities, because thanks to this support our freedom of worship is protected, the unity of the world brotherhood is strengthened and the generosity and love that should characterize Jehovah's servants is demonstrated.

How does the principle of 2 Corinthians 8:14 help when managing funds donated for the construction of Kingdom Halls?

This principle promotes equitable stewardship of congregational resources, ensuring that resources are used to support congregations with the greatest needs. Funds are thus distributed fairly, allowing all congregations, regardless of their financial situation, to have a suitable place to worship. This approach fosters unity and collaboration among congregations, reflecting the love and mutual concern that characterizes Christian fellowship.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

The principle of sharing for equality recorded in 2 Corinthians 8:14, allows our donations to contribute to the construction or renovation of more Kingdom Halls, throughout the world, but especially in places where there is greater need, and resources are scarce, as is the case in some African countries as we saw in the video.

The Biblical principle of 2 Corinthians 8:14 allows for a fair administration of our resources, which in turn makes it possible for more brothers and sisters around the world to gather and worship Jehovah in worthy places, just as our Kingdom Halls should be. This fosters a spirit of generosity and equity, since this principle promotes equality by ensuring that the abundance of some covers the needs of others.

The Biblical principle applied to the construction of Kingdom Halls means that donations are distributed fairly, so that congregations with fewer resources can benefit just as much as those with more. This fosters unity, justice, and love, since everyone can count on a suitable place to worship Jehovah regardless of the economic circumstances of local publishers or the economic conditions of the country.

What have been the results of using part of the donated funds to translate  the Bible into many languages?

Using donated funds to translate the  Bible has allowed millions of people around the world to have access to the scriptures in their own language. This has strengthened the faith of many as they are able to better understand biblical principles and apply them in their daily lives.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

The results are wonderful. Thanks to donations, we have the necessary resources to develop cutting-edge technologies to translate the Bible into many languages ​​and dialects in a simple and up-to-date language. This benefits the brothers, Bible students and people in general, but especially those who live in very remote areas or where a dialect or language is spoken by very few people.

An example of the excellent results of Bible translation can be found in Quiluba, Africa, where before there was only one Bible that was very difficult to understand. But since 2018, with the New World translation, the number of publishers in the congregation has increased considerably in just one year and their spirituality has been greatly strengthened.

The noble and positive results that have been achieved with the translation of the Bible teach us that we must be generous with our donations, because this is another way of collaborating with Jehovah so that his word is accessible to all kinds of people and reaches the entire inhabited earth.

Having the Bible in one's mother tongue, as has been demonstrated, generates a tremendous spiritual impact that brings people closer to Jehovah, since they not only acquire knowledge, but also a fuller understanding of the Bible's teachings. Hence the importance of our donations and their wise and fair use.

When the Bible is translated into the native language, people feel that their linguistic diversity is taken into account and respected. As a result, this not only helps the work to reach more places, but also helps Jehovah's people to grow and our worldwide brotherhood to be strengthened.

Bible translation has enabled people to access biblical truth in a more personal and direct way regardless of their native language. This has also facilitated the teaching and preaching of the message of the good news of the Kingdom, contributing to the growth of the work worldwide.

ANALYSIS OF OTHER ADDITIONAL POINTS OF THE VIDEO.

Jehovah greatly values ​​all the efforts his servants make every day to show that they love his son Jesus. In fact, Jesus himself, as we read in John 14:23, emphasized this very important idea. He said: If anyone loves me, he will obey my words, and my Father will love him.

Brothers, we are pleased to see how lovingly you are obeying the words of Jesus. You work tirelessly, dedicating your time and energy to continue preaching the Good News of the Kingdom. In addition, it is clear that you are loyal friends of Jehovah and Jesus, because you constantly support the Kingdom through your donations within your means. 

You have been very generous to Jehovah, these donations are very valuable gifts that demonstrate the love you feel for what Jesus is doing. Our brothers of the Governing Body have asked me to convey to you their deep gratitude for all your love and you can be sure that your donations have a lot of power.

Since June 2020, the How We Use Donations series of articles has shown us that power in action. Each article tells us how donations are used to advance the work of the Kingdom. But you know what, the story doesn’t end there. In the video below, you’ll see that the donations you’ve made continue to work with great power.

After an indigenous community opposed the freedom of worship of our brothers in Ecuador, the constitutional court heard a court case on this fundamental issue: "Should indigenous communities respect international human rights?" The court accepted our reasoning and decided that yes, with the loving support of several donations from our brotherhood and also the blessing of Jehovah on this issue, the court ruling is available and has already been used for argumentation in other similar cases and in other parts of the world.

This court decision was a great victory for our brothers and sisters around the world, but if we think about the community where the opposition arose, we could see encouraging progress. The community was surprised by the size of the organization behind this small group of local publishers. 

The more Jehovah's Witnesses got to know the community, the more respected and valued we felt. Now, instead of experiencing opposition, our brothers enjoy peaceful relations with the community. For example, the congregation of 53 publishers enjoyed a commemoration attendance of 106 in 2024.

The work has grown so much that in Africa there are as many Kingdom Halls to be built or renovated as in all the other continents combined, and building in Africa is very expensive. In Tanzania, for example, where some 25 million people live on less than $2 a day, building a Kingdom Hall costs more than $50,000, but thanks to donations from brothers in Tanzania and other parts of the world, we can all have a new and renovated Kingdom Hall.

No matter where we live here in Mafinga, we are happy because the Kingdom Hall has been renovated and is a very worthy place to worship Jehovah. We can even watch the videos well now. This renovation has made people here speak well of Jehovah's Witnesses, and now many more want to come to the meetings. We thank Jehovah from the bottom of our hearts for the support he gives us. Through brothers from all over the world, translating  the Bible takes many years and translators have to dedicate thousands of hours to translate it.

Donations from our brothers have helped the organization develop a computer program that helps us translate the  Bible clearly and simply. In isolated areas it is very difficult to have a Bible of our own. In Tombe, for example, one congregation only had one Bible for all the publishers, and to top it off it was a translation that was difficult to understand. It is good that in 2018 the New World translation will be presented.

In Quiluba, in just one year there was a 20% increase in publishers. It is clear that having the word of God in Quiluba has had a very positive impact on the brothers. We are sure that seeing the powerful effect of your donations has strengthened your faith. But if you do not have much money, perhaps you would like to contribute something more. If you feel this way, remember what the Bible says about the gifts we give to Jehovah. He is very pleased when you give based on what you have and not on what you do not have.

When you give generously of what you have, you are showing Christ how much you love him. You can rest assured that your donations are worth a lot, they are appreciated and very powerful. We ask Jehovah that you never stop seeing everything that is achieved thanks to the great love that you have for Christ. Thank you, thank you for what you have done and for what you will continue to do.