The Watchtower, January 1, 1970

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The Watchtower — January 1, 1970

Source: jw.org

Contents

What Reasons for Believing the Bible?

Keen Interest in the Bible

Get to Know the God of Truth

The Implanting of the Word

Some Men Became Believers

Acquainting Ourselves with God by His Revelations

Jehovah Provides Plenty in the Midst of Famine

Do You Remember?

Questions From Readers

Announcements

What Reasons for Believing the Bible?

What Reasons for Believing the Bible?

HAVE you ever asked, How can I be certain that the Bible is not merely another good book written by wise men of ancient times? How can I benefit from something that was written thousands of years ago? How practical is the Bible for people who need to spend their time working hard to feed and clothe their families? If the Bible’s influence really is for good, why have the nations of Christendom wreaked such havoc in lives and property in two world wars?

If you have such questions you are not alone. Nor are you to be censured for asking them. Ever so many persons are asking these very questions and many related ones. Persons who ask such questions in all sincerity are likely to be conscious of their spiritual need, and Jesus Christ said, “Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need.” You may be happy to know that the Christian witnesses of Jehovah have prepared a series of lectures that will carefully consider such questions.​—Matt. 5:3.

There will be six of these lectures, two each month for January, February and March in the United States. They will be given at the local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in many lands in the months to come. You are welcome to attend, seats are free and no collection will be taken. If you do not know the location of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses nearest you, feel free to write the publishers of this journal. (See page 2.)

The first of these lectures is entitled “Bible Accounts of Creation and Flood​—Fact or Fiction?” This lecture deals directly with attacks that critics have made on the Bible accounts of creation and the Deluge. It carefully weighs these objections. This lecture will help you to distinguish between what is mythical or theory and what is fact. It will produce evidence that shows what is true regarding creation and the Flood.

The second talk is entitled “Is the Bible Record Really Historical Fact?” It goes into such questions as, Do reliable secular history and the Bible, where they touch each other or overlap, harmonize with each other? What factors must one take into account when considering ancient secular history?

The next lecture in the series is entitled “The Bible​—Contradictory or Consistent?” What about the charges that the Bible repeatedly contradicts itself? that it is not consistent? Can the seeming inconsistencies and apparent contradictions be satisfactorily explained? These questions you will want to have answered.

You may also be among the many persons today who are interested in the future. In their desire to know it, some turn to astrology and other methods of divination, only to experience frequent failures. But did you know that the Bible claims to foretell the future many, many centuries in advance? Does the Bible actually do this? Is it consistently accurate? How important to you are the answers? The fourth lecture, “Bible Prophecies Involve Your Life,” fully considers these and other questions. Here is further information you will not want to miss if you would have your spiritual need satisfied.

Do you also feel the need of sound counsel for dealing with the everyday problems of life? If so, then you will surely want to hear the fifth talk in this series: “Practical Counsel Provided by God for Man.” Just what is right and what is wrong? Are ethics matters for each individual to determine for himself? Among other things, this lecture will show how sound Bible principles are; that following them is conducive to both mental and physical health as well as to happiness in your family.

And finally, calling for a decision on your part if you would take the truly wise course is the last lecture of this series: “The Churches or the Bible​—Which Do You Choose?” This question may sound rather strange to your ears, especially if you are a churchgoer whose pastor professes to have great regard for the Bible as the Word of God. But after hearing all the evidence as to whether the churches of Christendom really stand foursquare upon the Bible or prefer their creeds and have their own gospel, it may well be that you will appreciate the need of making a choice in favor of the Bible.

So, if you are interested in reasons for believing the Bible; if you are conscious of your spiritual need; if you would take the truly wise course, then be sure to attend these lectures, all of them. Do not miss a one.

Learn the answers to the questions that may have been puzzling you, such as, How can we be certain that the Bible is not the work of mere men? How practical is the Bible for our day? You will find a warm welcome and friendly greeting awaiting you at the local Kingdom Hall. And remember, such knowledge is of the greatest value to you, for as Jesus Christ said, taking in knowledge of Jehovah God and of his Son, Jesus Christ, means everlasting life.​—John 17:3.

Keen Interest in the Bible

Keen Interest in the Bible

On November 16, an enthusiastic crowd of 15,443 overflowed the facilities of the Honolulu International Center to hear the stirring Bible discourse “The Road Back to Peace in Paradise.” This was the high point of the twenty-fourth in a series of international assemblies of Jehovah’s witnesses during 1969, which have now recorded a total attendance of 986,926.

Many Filipinos came to the “Peace on Earth” assembly at Manila, October 22-26, at great personal sacrifice. A program of Bible dramas and lectures was the attraction. Several sold tracts of land, one sold his house, another his jeep, so as to pay for the trip. Some even sold their water buffaloes, a real necessity among poor farmers. Bible understanding was more precious to them.

At Tokyo, Japan, delegates to the assembly there heard that many are grasping and appreciating the Bible’s message of peace, and as a result there have been remarkable increases in the number of active witnesses of Jehovah in that land.

Get to Know the God of Truth

Get to Know the God of Truth

Who is God? Why is it urgent to know him now?

THERE is an urgent need to know the truth about God. Today, confusion in the churches mounts. Godlessness increases. Crime and violence grow. Nuclear weapons threaten all life.

As a result, many persons, likely you too, ask such questions as: Who is God? Does he care what happens to us here on earth? Will he ever intervene in human affairs to set matters straight? What does the future hold?

To each of these questions, and many more, there is an answer, a basic truth. There are not several conflicting answers all of which are correct.

A GOD OF TRUTH

God has given man the ability to learn certain basic truths about His physical creation. For example, we know that the earth is a sphere. We know that the atom contains tremendous energy. We know that air, water and food are needed to sustain human life.

Now, is it reasonable to think that God gave man the ability to find out truths about creation, but not about the Creator? A loving human father wants his children to know him, to bear his name, to learn the vital things of life. Since “God is love,” would He be any less interested in teaching His children about himself?​—1 John 4:8.

Actually, our eternal destiny depends upon our getting to know the truth about God. Jesus Christ himself said: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.”​—John 17:3.

“The only true God” is a God of truth. Indeed, the Bible assures us that “God is not a man that he should tell lies,” and that “it is impossible for God to lie.” So the truth-seeker can confidently approach God, knowing that there are fundamental truths about Him that he can learn.​—Num. 23:19; Heb. 6:18.

Since God is always truthful, it is reasonable that our worship must also be in harmony with the truth if it is to be acceptable to God. We cannot believe and support falsehood and still please God “God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.”​—John 4:24.

A LOVING CREATOR

This God of truth is the loving Creator of heaven and earth. His written Word informs us that he ‘created all things, and because of his will they existed and were created.’ (Rev. 4:11) “He himself gives to all persons life and breath.”​—Acts 17:25

So it is God who designed our marvelous body and mind. It is He who made the vegetation, trees and flowers that provide food and are a delight to man. He made available the water and air that sustain life. Obviously, God has shown great love for humankind by giving us life as well as the things needed to sustain and enjoy it.

Yet, people logically ask: If God is such a loving Creator, why has he not stopped wickedness and suffering? Only the Bible provides the truthful answers. (2 Tim. 3:16, 17) It tells us of the various issues that were raised after man’s creation, including man’s desire to be like God, that is, independent, determining for himself what was right or wrong. (Gen. 3:1-7) Lovingly, God did not at once destroy the first man Adam for his violation of divine law, thus destroying us as his unborn offspring. Rather, He has allowed us, the offspring of Adam, an opportunity to live and even to gain eternal life by means of Jesus Christ. (2 Pet. 3:9) At the same time, the events of history during this time of divine patience have answered the issue raised as to rulership, proving that no government that tries to be independent from God can bring true happiness to its subjects.​—Jer. 10:23, 24.

But God’s permission of wickedness will not continue forever. We are now nearing the time long ago foretold in God’s Word when He will use his awesome power to end wickedness! (2 Tim. 3:1-5; Matt. 24:34) For this we can rejoice!

Not only will God soon bring wickedness to an end, but he has made loving provisions to turn this entire earth into a Paradise. No doubt you yourself have prayed for the time when God’s will would be done “in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10, AV; Luke 23:43) In that new order, sickness, sorrow, war, injustice, poverty, suffering and even death will become things of the past. Of the many Bible prophecies concerning these conditions in God’s new order, the one at Revelation chapter 21, verse 4, clearly states that “death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be any more.”

This new order is a certainty, for it is true of all God’s promises: “I have even spoken it; I shall also bring it in.” (Isa. 46:11) To demonstrate what would take place in that new order, God gave Jesus Christ, when he was a man on earth, the power to perform some of the miracles that he would perform earth wide in God’s new order. Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, cured the maimed, even raised the dead! This was visible proof of what God would accomplish by means of his Son in His new order. (Matt. 15:30, 31; Luke 7:11-17; 8:49-56) Were you familiar with these marvelous truths about the Creator’s loving purpose for man?

Of course, for you personally to be among those who will gain life in God’s new order you must meet his requirements. These requirements include knowing and believing what God says about himself in his Word the Bible. How well do you know God? For example: Does God have a name? If so, what is it?

DOES GOD HAVE A NAME?

Jesus often referred to God as “Father,” life-giver. (Matt. 5:16) Does your earthly father have a name? Since man is created in God’s image, is it unusual that God also would have a name?

Does he? Jesus said to his Father in prayer: “I have made your name known to them and will make it known.” (John 17:26) He taught his followers to pray: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.” (Matt. 6:9) God himself says: “I shall certainly sanctify my great name.” (Ezek. 36:23) Yes, God has a name.

What is the name? Is it “God” or “Lord” or “Eternal,” as some claim? No, for these are not personal names, but are titles. “God” means “mighty one,” “Lord” means “master,” and “Eternal” means “everlasting.”

If someone asked you what the name of the President or King or Ruler of your country is, would you answer “President,” “King,” “Ruler,” or perhaps “Commander in Chief,” or “Chief Executive”? No, for these are not personal names, but titles. He still has his own personal name in addition to those titles.

What, then, is God’s personal name? He himself answers plainly: “I am Jehovah. That is my name.” (Isa. 42:8) And Psalm 83:18, in the King James Version, states: “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.”

True, various Bible versions do not use the name “Jehovah.” But this is not because the name is missing in the original languages of the Bible text. Actually, the name appears about 7,000 times in the Bible! The fault lies with translators who substituted words such as “God” and “Lord” when they came to the name in the text.

HOW IS IT PRONOUNCED?

In Hebrew, God’s name comes from the four letters יהוה, which are all consonants, since ancient written Hebrew had no vowels. The reader had to supply the vowel sounds. However, over the centuries, the correct pronunciation became uncertain.

Some clergymen contend that we should stop using God’s name because we do no know the exact Hebrew pronunciation today. But these same persons will use the word “Jesus” without hesitation. Yet, that is not the way Jesus’ name was pronounced in Hebrew. It was more like Yeshuʹa, or Ye–hoʹshu·a. Today, in Spanish, it is pronounced Hay–soosʹ; in Italian, Jeh–zooʹ; in German, Yeaʹzoos. Should we stop using the name Jesus because it was not pronounced that way in Hebrew or because it is pronounced differently in other languages today?

So too with God’s name. In English it is Jehovah. In Spanish it is pronounced Hay–oh–vahʹ; in Italian, Jeh–ohʹvah; in German, Yeh–hoʹvah. Which is correct? All are usable. What is wrong is to suppress the name of God by failing or refusing to use it.

Acts 2:21 says: “Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” Do you ‘call on the name of Jehovah’? Do you regularly use that name in prayer to God and talk about him to others? What about your church? Does it officially highlight God’s name, Jehovah? Does it encourage you to call on God by his own name? If not, is the church really leading you in the way of the truth?

JESUS CHRIST​—WAS HE GOD?

Another basic truth has to do with Jesus. Was he Jehovah God who came to earth in human form?

If Jesus was God, then the Creator of the entire universe was in a woman’s womb for nine months. It means that the Almighty crawled on his hands and knees as an infant. Do you really believe this to be the case?

When Jesus prayed, to whom was he praying​—himself? Would he teach his followers to pray to someone else and thus deceive them? (Matt. 6:9, 10) Also, when Jesus died, did God Almighty die?

The truthful answers are in God’s own Word. It says of Jehovah that he is “King of eternity,” without beginning or end. (1 Tim. 1:17; Ps. 90:2) But Jesus is called “the beginning of the creation by God.” (Rev. 3:14) That is why Jesus said: “The Father is greater than I am.” (John 14:28) Repeatedly Jesus called God his Father, his life-giver. Was he lying? Also, Jesus often declared: “I seek, not my own will, but the will of him that sent me.” (John 5:30) About whom was he talking, if not about another superior personality?

What does your church teach? Does it teach that Jesus was God, part of a Trinity? Why not get a copy of the Athanasian Creed, which sets out the Trinity doctrine, and read for yourself what the Trinity doctrine is. Then ask your minister if your church uses that creed. Compare it with what your own Bible says. If what any church teaches is not in harmony with God’s Word of truth, then as long as a person is a member of that church he is not worshiping God “with spirit and truth.”​—John 4:24.

While Jesus was not Jehovah, neither was he merely a “good man.” He was much more: “Jesus is the Christ the Son of God.” (John 20:31) Yes, it was Jehovah who implanted the life force of Jesus in Mary’s womb so that she as a virgin could give birth.​—Isa. 7:14; Luke 1:26-35.

Also, Jesus plays a vital and loving role in God’s purpose. After his death, he was resurrected to heavenly life as a powerful immortal spirit creature. (1 Pet. 3:18; Rom. 6:4, 9) He is the King of God’s heavenly kingdom, the government for which Christians are taught to pray. (Matt. 6:9, 10) That heavenly government, with Christ as its chief administrator, will be the instrument God uses to crush out of existence this wicked system of things.​—Dan. 2:44; Rev. 19:11-21.

That destruction will usher in God’s new order here on earth. Then peace, justice, health and eternal life will become the rule.

GET TO KNOW GOD NOW

To survive the end of this wicked system into God’s new order, we need to know and advocate the truth about God now. (1 John 2:17; Zeph. 2:3) It does not please Jehovah for a person to remain part of any religious system that misrepresents God.​—Rev. 18:4.

What is the best way to get to know God? By a systematic search of his Word, the Bible. So why not begin immediately to take in this knowledge that leads to eternal life? (John 17:3) Jehovah’s witnesses will be glad to help you, free of charge.

Write to the publishers of this magazine, or contact Jehovah’s witnesses near your home, and a qualified minister will call. For one hour a week, at a time mutually convenient and in the privacy of your own home, he will show you what your own Bible says about God.

In a matter of weeks you will find that a large number of your questions have been answered. You will learn such things as where the dead are and what hope there is for them. You will find out what is required in order for one’s prayers to be answered. You will examine evidence proving that the end of this wicked system is very near. You will also learn what God requires of you.

Already, this six-month free home Bible-study course is being held in well over a million homes, in over 200 lands throughout the entire world. This is by far the largest Bible-study program in existence. You can share with this growing multitude of persons who are learning the truth that comes from God. As you get to know the loving Creator, you will come to appreciate that wisdom from God “is a tree of life to those taking hold of it, and those keeping fast hold of it are to be called happy.”​—Prov. 3:18.

The Implanting of the Word

The Implanting of the Word

“Accept with mildness the implanting of the word which is able to save your souls.”​—Jas. 1:21.

1. How has the “new morality” caused many to lose confidence in the Bible?

A FEW decades ago mankind in general gave good attention to religion. But times are changing! Most people in Christendom seem quite pleased with the new sophisticated attitude that the clergy have taken toward the changing world. The “new morality” idea is generally accepted as old standards become passé, and many religious leaders support the “God is dead” theory. Logically this raises in the minds of the parishioners of Christendom’s churches the question: If God is dead, God’s law is null and void too, is it not? So why follow the counsel set forth in the Bible? “Live the way YOU want to live,” is the thinking of most people in the world today.

2. Yet how do others feel about the Bible, and how is their attitude like that of Jesus Christ?

2 On the other hand, there are great crowds of people from many nations who are very much interested in the Bible and in the God it tells us about. Such ones still want to cling to Bible teachings, though their faith may have been shaken by their religious teachers. They know things are bad because of the way people are conducting themselves today, in adultery, fornication, homosexuality, thievery, extortion and almost every other wicked act. These things are looked upon by many persons as not out of line with the normal procedure of life. “If you can get away with it, who cares?” is the attitude of the majority. However, Jehovah’s witnesses hold that the Bible is the Word of God and that the moral code set out in the Holy Scriptures is the proper and right one to follow. Nineteen centuries ago Jesus Christ lived according to God’s perfect law, and his teachings and actions showed that there was the implanting of Jehovah’s written word in his heart and mind.

3. (a) How do Jehovah’s witnesses feel about Jesus Christ and his reason for coming to earth? (b) What is the hope Jehovah’s witnesses have as to the future?

3 Jehovah’s witnesses believe that Jesus is the Son of God as the Bible says, and is therefore the One that God, his Father, sent into this world “in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Jehovah’s witnesses believe that Christ Jesus will take away the sin of the world during his peaceful reign of one thousand years. Worldly-wise men will say that Christians with such faith are naive or that Jehovah’s witnesses are strange people. However, it did not sound strange to the followers of Christ Jesus who lived at the time when Jesus was walking in the flesh here upon the earth. His faithful followers preached his message through much opposition. For some of these it even meant losing their lives for the sake of Christ. Nor has it seemed strange to millions of persons who have lived during the nineteen hundred years since the days of Christ Jesus’ earthly sojourn. But in these days in which we now live, and which are described in the Bible as the “last days” or the “critical times” of this system of things, there are relatively few people who truly accept the teachings of the Bible and who have the hope of living eternally because of the redeeming value of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for mankind. This is a strange teaching indeed to some, but it is nevertheless true. Jesus said: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.”​—2 Tim. 3:1; John 17:3.

4. How only can one who wants to teach others the truth of God’s Word conduct himself in regard to the counsel of James 1:21?

4 Due to believing that “all Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching,” Jehovah’s witnesses follow the advice of James 1:21, where it says: “Put away all filthiness and that superfluous thing, moral badness, and accept with mildness the implanting of the word which is able to save your souls.” (2 Tim. 3:16) There is much said in the Bible about moral badness. The Bible writer James, the half brother of Jesus, was fully convinced that, if a teacher expects to sound down the truth successfully into the heart and the mind of an individual, then there must be a putting away of that which is bad, wrong, contrary to God’s Word; the individual must take the time and accept with mildness the implanting of the Word of God. When God’s Word is really implanted in one’s heart and mind it is able to save one’s soul or very life. As Jesus said to the Tempter: “Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.” (Matt. 4:4; Prov. 3:13-18) Can you accept that saying?

5, 6. (a) How did Jesus show that it is what comes out of a man’s mouth that defiles him? (b) Show how Proverbs 18:7 and 5:1, 2 corroborate Jesus’ words.

5 Jesus had some comments on the real food on which man must live. One day after talking with the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said of them: “Let them be. Blind guides is what they are. If, then, a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Continuing, in conversation with Peter, Jesus next said: “Are you not aware that everything entering into the mouth passes along into the intestines and is discharged into the sewer? However, the things proceeding out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those things defile a man. For example, out of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, fornications, thieveries, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things defiling a man; but to take a meal with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”​—Matt. 15:14-20.

6 If a man’s heart is not right, but is filled with moral badness, then his reasoning will be wholly out of line with that which is decent, upright and righteous. Therefore his thinking ability will be of no benefit to him or to his fellowman. Due to his moral badness his reasoning will be absolutely contrary to the laws of Jehovah. Accordingly, the wise man, in Proverbs 18:7, said: “The mouth of the stupid one is the ruin of him, and his lips are a snare for his soul.” Just as Jesus said, it is not what goes into the mouth that is important, for that is disposed of easily through the digestive organs, but it is what comes out of the mouth, what one says, that shows what the individual really is! Usually one says what one is going to do. So Proverbs 6:12 records: “A good-for-nothing man, a man of hurtfulness, is walking with crookedness of speech.” When men discard God’s Word and think that they can work out life’s problems without God’s help, they are all wrong. Listen to the wise man, Solomon: “My son, to my wisdom O do pay attention. To my discernment incline your ears, so as to guard thinking abilities; and may your own lips safeguard knowledge itself.”​—Prov. 5:1, 2.

7. How does an individual safeguard his thinking ability?

7 The best thing any individual can do is to go to the highest authority so as to get a proper understanding of a matter. Therefore we should listen to the One who has all wisdom, namely, Jehovah God. Pay attention to what this one has to say and enjoy the benefits of adherence to such counsel. What God wants us to know now He has had recorded in his written Word. A reasonable person will incline his ear toward Jehovah’s expressions and try to discern exactly what God wants him to do. That is the way to guard one’s thinking abilities. Knowing the right course and thinking about it is a fine safeguard to protect one from letting one’s thinking abilities turn toward wicked reasonings, fornication, adultery, thievery and other wrong things. A wise person will keep his heart and mind on the high principles of truth and righteousness. When one’s thinking ability is correctly directed then one’s lips will say the right things, the things that are upbuilding, righteous and pure.

NEED FOR MENTAL CLEANSING

8. In order to think properly, what must a person put away from himself?

8 It is evident, therefore, that there must be a cleaning out of the mind if there is to be an implanting of right thinking. There must be a putting away of all filthiness of the flesh, and that superfluous thing, moral badness, so one can give one’s time and energies to accepting the implanting of the Word of God in one’s mind. One just cannot do both things at the same time. Sweet water and bitter water cannot come out of the same spring. (Jas. 3:11) It is absolutely necessary for one to change one’s ways of thinking and doing things if the truth of God’s Word is going to be implanted in one and grow.

9. What illustration of Jesus are we now concerned with, and who could best explain this illustration?

9 Some nineteen hundred years ago when Jesus was sitting by the Sea of Galilee, great crowds came to hear his words of wisdom. He spoke differently from the way anyone else had ever spoken. As the crowd grew in numbers, Jesus went aboard a boat and rowed offshore. Then, using the surface of the water as a sounding board, he addressed a great crowd of people on the seashore. Very often Jesus used illustrations to make his points, and it is recorded in Matthew, chapter thirteen, that this was the method he used on this occasion. One of several illustrations that Jesus presented to the crowd concerned a sower of seed. In quite some detail he told of the sower dropping some seed along the roadside, also in rocky places and among thorns. He went on to say that other seed fell on some fine soil and began to yield much fruit. The persons listening to this parable, of course, could draw conclusions as to its meaning if they wanted to use their thinking ability. But if Jesus would explain the illustration, telling what he had in mind, the true meaning could be grasped by his hearers.

10. How were the disciples of Jesus different from the Jewish people in general in their desire for knowledge of Jesus’ teachings?

10 The disciples of Jesus were curious as to just what he meant, and so they questioned him: “Why is it you speak to them by the use of illustrations?” In reply Jesus said: “To you it is granted to understand the sacred secrets of the kingdom of the heavens, but to those people it is not granted. For whoever has, more will be given him and he will be made to abound; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Matt. 13:10-12) The twelve disciples of Jesus had already gained much good information, but they wanted more. They used their thinking abilities to get the understanding of “the sacred secrets of the kingdom of the heavens.” The apostles already had knowledge, and ‘more would be given so as to make them abound’ in knowledge. But as for the rest of the Jewish race, the indifferent ones, the unappreciative ones, even what they had as to knowledge about God and his Word would be taken away from them. By the year 70 C.E. they even lost their holy city Jerusalem, their temple, and any favor they thought they had with Jehovah God. How true that “whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

11. What similarity exists today among people when it comes to using thinking ability?

11 Similar to the people in Christendom today, probably the greater number of those who were on the seashore listening to Jesus did not have great respect for his words even though they were in a covenant relationship with God. That is why Jesus went on to say: “For the heart of this people has grown thick, and with their ears they have heard with annoyance, and they have shut their eyes; that they might never see with their eyes and hear with their ears and get the sense of it with their hearts and turn back, and I heal them.” (Matt. 13:15) It certainly was not the fault of Christ Jesus that the people’s hearts had grown thick so that they would not listen. People today do not want to listen to God’s word either. They do not want to get the sense of it in their hearts. However, in Jesus’ day his disciples wanted to get the sense of Jesus’ words. Do you want to? Then listen to what he said: “Happy are your eyes because they behold, and your ears because they hear. For I truly say to you, Many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things you are beholding and did not see them, and to hear the things you are hearing and did not hear them. You, then, listen to the illustration of the man that sowed.”​—Matt. 13:16-18.

JESUS EXPLAINS

12. What is required of us if we are to get the sense of Jesus’ illustration?

12 How kind and merciful it was of Jesus Christ to go into detail and explain to his disciples just what this illustration of the sower meant. You, too, if you are truly interested in the Word of God, can open your Bible and read it and get the sense of it. If you have discernment you will be able to see just what Jesus meant by the parable. Today we are in a very favored position, just as favored as Jesus’ first disciples were, because we can read, not only the illustration, but also Jesus’ explanation of it. We must take the time, though, to study the Word of God, using our thinking abilities. Let us see how Jesus explained the parable.

13. (a) With what theme was Jesus’ illustration of the sower concerned? (b) Why do so many not get the sense of the illustrations of Jesus?

13 Persons who have taken the time to read the Christian Greek Scriptures, commonly called the “New Testament,” know that Jesus continually proclaimed the message concerning God’s kingdom. So this parable of the sower had something to do with the Kingdom. That is why in the 19th verse of Matthew 13 Jesus said: “Where anyone hears the word of the kingdom but does not get the sense of it, the wicked one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart; this is the one sown alongside the road.” Millions upon millions of people throughout the world, both inside and outside of Christendom, have heard the proclamation of God’s kingdom, but they did not get the sense of it. The reason is quite simple. “The wicked one comes and snatches away what has been sown.” Who is that wicked one? The Bible clearly points out that Satan is the god of this wicked system of things, and that he “has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through.” (2 Cor. 4:4) So the wicked one, Satan the Devil, the god of this system of things, is going to keep in darkness everyone that he possibly can. Are you going to let Satan do that to you? If you never read and study your Bible, Satan will keep you in his darkness. He is not going to let this good word of the Kingdom sink down into a person’s heart if he has a chance to stop it. Satan is at work snatching away what has been sown. He is determined to keep the peoples of all nations in darkness. Even in Christendom he has his clergy and priests degrading God’s Word. They say it is a myth, just a story written by men, not by God.

14. For what reasons is the Devil extremely active in these days?

14 There is no question about the Devil and his demons as being very active at this time during the “last days” of this system of things. He does not want to have anyone getting the sense of the Kingdom message. Therefore, as the “god of this system of things,” he promotes nationalism. He does not want mankind to appreciate what God’s kingdom is. He tries to keep all peoples busy glorifying and worshiping the rulers and nations, being involved in the “establishment,” rather than looking to the Supreme One of all the universe, Jehovah God. It can be clearly seen that people are kept busy on the broad road leading to destruction with little time to get the sense or meaning of God’s Word. Even though Jehovah’s witnesses call often each year at the homes of the people, the people do not want to get the sense of the message being brought to them. Have you listened and gotten the sense of what Jehovah’s witnesses are saying?

15. Explain what happens to seed sown on rocky soil.

15 Jesus went on to explain about the seed “sown upon the rocky places.” He says: “This is the one hearing the word and at once accepting it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself but continues for a time, and after tribulation or persecution has arisen on account of the word he is at once stumbled.” (Matt. 13:20, 21) How often have you as a Christian witness of Jehovah found individuals who hear the word, get the sense of it, and at once accept it with joy? They say, “Here is the answer to all of the world’s problems,’ and they start telling everyone they know about what they have learned. The truth from God’s Word brings light and understanding to them, and it appears that they will be learners and become disciples. But there was no place for the seed to take root in the rocky places. It is just as Jesus said: “After tribulation or persecution has arisen on account of the word he is at once stumbled.” Many have encountered the burning heat of opposition over the truth, just as Jesus foretold. In his prophecy about the time of the end, at Luke 21:16, 17, he declared: “Moreover, you will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death; and you will be objects of hatred by all people because of my name.” It is this intense opposition to the truth even from relatives and friends that stumbles some.

16. In what ways are those stumbled who are like seed sown on rocky soil?

16 As the Bible shows, the one hearing the word is full of joy, but he has no root in himself due to being sown on rocky places. He tells his relatives, friends and neighbors​—everyone he can, about his newly found hope. Then the persecution and tribulation begin, and they do not stop until he gives up his belief in the truth from God’s Word. Every possible obstacle is put in his way. Even if he goes to a clergyman and tells him what joy he has found in the Word of God, he most likely will find that he will be discouraged from studying the Bible. He may be told, “You had better be very careful with those Jehovah’s witnesses. They will lead you astray.” So from relatives, friends and religious sources the opposition grows. The hard underlying self-interest will not let the seed of truth take root. At once the individual is stumbled, with no deep implanting of the Word. The rocky places are much too rough and hard for roots and for growth.

17. Explain what happens to seed sown among thorns.

17 Then Jesus went on to say: “As for the one sown among the thorns, this is the one hearing the word, but the anxiety of this system of things and the deceptive power of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” (Matt. 13:22) Even though the seed took root and sprouted, there were just too many thorns around to allow for its maturing. Perhaps for a short period of time in the individual’s life he was able to hear the word and get the sense of it, but he keeps himself so involved with this system of things and its anxieties, and in particular with the deceptive power of riches, which seem to be the things that everyone is taught to reach out for, that these things, like thorns, just choke out the word, and the individual never produces fruit. Remember, we are in a system of things today that is wicked, selfish and unloving. It is true that each man’s hand is against his neighbor, and the love of the greater number of professed Christian persons has grown cold. So it does not take long to choke out the words of truth in one when the anxiety of this system of things and the deceptive power of riches get a stranglehold on a person. So this one too is unproductive. There was no room in the person’s life for the real “implanting of the word”; he is choked to death spiritually.

THE ONES LIKE FINE SOIL

18. (a) Explain the results of seed sown on fine soil. (b) How have many been aided to get the sense of God’s Word during the past year?

18 However, Jesus went on to say: “A for the one sown upon the fine soil, this is the one hearing the word and getting the sense of it, who really does bear fruit and produces, this one a hundredfold, that one sixty, the other thirty.” (Matt. 13:23) It is quite evident that there must be a ‘hearing of the word and getting the sense of it.’ There must be personal study in order for one to get the sense of God’s Word. In order to promote personal study Jehovah’s witnesses did conduct 1,097,237 home Bible studies every week during 1969, where it appeared that they had found fine soil. A great number of these private home Bible studies brought results. Jehovah’s witnesses help people to hear the word of the Kingdom. They spent 239,769,076 hours talking to people of all nations and started tens of thousands of home Bible studies with interested persons. Not all persons continue with weekly Bible studies, but the 1969 field service report shows that over one million Bible studies were conducted regularly every week. These studies in God’s Word are necessary because they help to clean out the wicked reasonings of the heart. This will allow the truth to grow. One certainly cannot grow, figuratively speaking, on the busy roadside or on rocky places or in among thorns. There has to be good soil for fine growth. What kind of soil are you? We hope you are an individual who will accept with mildness the implanting of the Word and “put away all filthiness and that superfluous thing, moral badness.” If the seed of truth is going to sprout, there has to be good soil, something for the roots of the plant to go down into.

19. (a) How can one prove oneself to be like good soil? (b) What proof have we that many have been like good soil during the 1969 service year? (c) How do baptism figures for the past four years compare?

19 You can prove yourself good soil by getting rid of the wicked reasonings in the heart, like murders, adulteries, fornications, thievery, and so forth. (Matt. 15:19) God’s Word implanted in one will send up a strong plant, there to bear fruit. Are you growing as a Christian? Is the truth, the word of the Kingdom, deep down in you? Are the roots taking hold and sending up a plant that will bear fruit? In encouragement of all this, Jesus finished his illustration by saying: “This is the one hearing the word and getting the sense of it, who really does bear fruit and produces, this one a hundredfold, that one sixty, the other thirty.” (Matt. 13:23) Many of the interested people that Jehovah’s witnesses talked to and then studied with proved themselves to be fine soil. They dedicated their lives to Jehovah and in 1969 alone 120,905 persons were baptized and became Jehovah’s Christian witnesses. Can we say the dedicated, baptized persons known as Jehovah’s witnesses are bearing fruit, this one a hundredfold, that one sixty and the other thirty? Admittedly someone is producing fruit! Just look back over the past few years: in 1966 there were 58,904 baptized; 1967 produced 74,981 baptized; in 1968 the number was 82,842; and now in 1969 the fruitage came to be 120,905 dedicated, baptized Christians taking up the preaching of “the word of the kingdom.” Marvelous! And we thank Jehovah for his rich blessing.

20. (a) What is meant by the word “implant”? (b) How can we apply this to our teaching work?

20 To implant something, whether a seed or the Word of God, means, first of all, to plant or set securely or deeply. The word “implant” literally means to plant in the soil so that the seed will take root and grow. Similarly, teaching is what makes for one’s performance of that which is learned. When the truth is implanted in good soil the learner is going to produce something, and this product is due to learning. Centuries ago when the Jews were so well protected by Jehovah and they were his chosen people, he gave the parents of all Israelite children instruction, namely, that they should inculcate the truth of God’s Word into their children’s minds. Jehovah wanted them to have knowledge and understanding. His command to parents was: “And these words that I am commanding you today must prove to be on your heart; and you must inculcate them in your son and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up.”​—Deut. 6:6, 7.

21. (a) What failure on the part of the Jewish nation of Jesus’ day is noted in Christendom today? (b) Can the claim be made in Christendom today that it has not had the opportunity to hear?

21 However, the Jews as a nation failed to accept the sound counsel that was given to them by their fathers, and so they went astray, and the anxieties of the nations and the deceptive power of riches choked out the word and they lost their relationship with God. In that respect there is no difference today with Christendom. Her church members do not accept God’s Word either. Most people do not want to be real Christians. The apostle Paul was cognizant of this matter in his day when he wrote: “For we have had the good news declared to us also, even as they also had; but the word which was heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who did hear.” (Heb. 4:2) From what Paul says it is evident that many Hebrews had the word of God declared to them; in fact, he describes two kinds of people, those who heard and did nothing about the good news, and others who heard and were united by faith with those who were declaring the good news. Today in Christendom, Jehovah’s witnesses keep going from house to house declaring good news, but most of the people have hearts that have “grown thick, and with their ears they have heard with annoyance.” (Matt. 13:15) It is not as though the people of the earth have not been given the opportunity of hearing the truth. They have! Why, for the past fifty years the good news of God’s kingdom has been preached, and with greater intensity world wide, especially in the last twenty-five years. But relatively few have responded. Yet, what must those persons do that do hear and get the sense of the word of the Kingdom?

“WITH MILDNESS”

22. (a) What fruitage of the spirit is needed in order for God’s Word to be implanted in an individual? (b) What type of persons does this thus eliminate?

22 Jesus’ half brother James very likely was well acquainted with Jesus’ parable of the sower, and as he commented on this matter of planting he may have had in mind that which Jesus spoke about. He really epitomizes the entire illustration by saying: “Put away all filthiness and that superfluous thing, moral badness, and accept with mildness the implanting of the word which is able to save your souls.” We want to keep in mind that the implanting of the word must be accepted with mildness. It is not going to be sounded down orally by Christian teachers into the minds of haughty and high-minded individuals. A person who has a know-it-all attitude cannot show humility. The soil must not be so hard that it is like a rock, impenetrable. When the Bible truth enters a mind that is searching for knowledge and understanding and it settles into the heart and mind of a person that has deep respect for the great Creator, then the seed will sprout and grow, and there will in due season be a coming to maturity. As Jesus said: ‘It will really bear fruit.’ Some persons produce a hundredfold, others sixty and still others thirty. How very true this is! When we see the accomplishments of individuals who have the truth and spend time preaching from door to door and conducting Bible studies we know that these persons are doing just what they should do. Did not Jesus say: “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them”? (Matt. 28:19) In their lifetime Jehovah’s witnesses individually may bring as many as thirty persons to a knowledge of the truth, others sixty and still others a hundred. If “the word of the kingdom” is sown in good soil it will bring forth good fruit in time. Have you tried to be a Bible teacher? Have you responded to Jesus’ command, “Go . . . make disciples . . . baptizing them”?

23, 24. As regards personality changes, what have over one million Christian witnesses of Jehovah done?

23 There are more than a million Christian witnesses of Jehovah today that have taken the proper steps to save their lives by putting away the superfluous thing, moral badness, and all filthiness of the flesh. They believe Paul when he said: “You should put away the old personality which conforms to your former course of conduct and which is being corrupted according to his deceptive desires; but . . . you should be made new in the force actuating your mind, and should put on the new personality which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty.” (Eph. 4:22-24) The only way that one could put on this new personality, “which was created according to God’s will,” would be by first getting rid of the old personality. Then a change can begin to take place. That new force actuating your mind would result from your accepting “with mildness the implanting of the word which is able to save your souls.” Paul was very interested in putting on this new personality, and that was why he said at 1 Corinthians 9:27: “I browbeat my body and lead it as a slave, that, after I have preached to others, I myself should not become disapproved somehow.”

24 The “word of the kingdom” was planted in this Saul of Tarsus, who became the apostle Paul. He proved himself to be good soil. He wanted to bear much fruit. He went​—he preached—​he baptized. In all this he was a good example for us today.

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The preaching of God’s word is like the sowing of seed

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The wicked one snatches it away from some

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Others give way under the heat of persecution

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Some allow the anxieties of life to choke its growth

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Those who get the sense of it bear much fruit

Some Men Became Believers

Some Men Became Believers

1. What was the apostle Paul’s attitude toward declaring the good news?

THE apostle Paul was a great evangelizer! He was willing to go to the ends of the earth to declare the good news of God’s kingdom. When he was in Athens he got into quite a few discussions with the more learned men, the Epicureans and the Stoic philosophers. Quite a controversy was stirred up. “Some would say [of Paul]: ‘What is it this chatterer would like to tell?’ Others: ‘He seems to be a publisher of foreign deities.’ This was because he was declaring the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.” (Acts 17:18) It was not long before these men hurried Paul off to the judicial hill, the Areopagus, so that they could learn more about what he had to say. While Paul was standing in the midst of the Areopagus he said: “Men of Athens, I behold that in all things you seem to be more given to the fear of the deities than others are.”​—Acts 17:22.

2. How did Paul give testimony about the true God?

2 As we read on through the 17th chapter of Acts, from Ac 17 verses 22 to 34, we learn much of what Paul had to say about God. Paul told the Athenians that they had an altar on which were inscribed the words “To an Unknown God.” Paul seized upon the situation to make his point, for he told the crowd that was surrounding him that they were unknowingly giving godly devotion to the “God that made the world and all the things in it.” This was the very One that Paul was now going to publish to them. This “Unknown God” that Paul worshiped does not need anything, “because he himself gives to all persons life and breath and all things.” Paul continues and says: This God “made out of one man every nation of men, to dwell upon the entire surface of the earth.” These people could find God, for he was not far off so that he could not be reached. Paul pointed out to these Athenians that by Jehovah God we have life and move and exist, even as certain ones of the poets among them had said: “For we are also his progeny.”

3. How did Paul really stir up the people’s minds when talking about a judgment of the earth?

3 Paul really stirred up the people when he told them that the God of the universe had set a “day in which he purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and he has furnished a guarantee to all men in that he has resurrected him from the dead.” (Acts 17:22-31) That was something new! The men and women present to hear Paul’s discourse in the Areopagus certainly had something to think about. ‘In fact, all Athenians and foreigners sojourning there would spend their leisure time at doing nothing but telling something or listening to something new.’ Well, Paul certainly had something new to tell them, and some of them reacted favorably and became believers. But others, “when they heard of a resurrection of the dead, . . . began to mock, while others said: ‘We will hear you about this even another time.’”​—Acts 17:21, 32.

4. What were the results of Paul’s preaching activity in Athens and in Corinth?

4 One never knows what impression the “word of the kingdom” will make on another’s mind, or on what kind of soil the seed of truth may have fallen. Will it fall along the roadside, on rocky places or in among thorns? On the other hand, the seed can fall on good soil and produce fruitage. The apostle Paul was made very happy. He saw fruitage. The Bible account tells us that, when Paul went out from among their midst, “some men joined themselves to him and became believers, among whom also were Dionysius, a judge of the court of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris, and others besides them.” (Acts 17:33, 34) So the seed that Paul sowed brought forth fruitage; in this instance, a judge, a woman and others. Paul himself had earlier proved to be fine soil, for, when the “word of the kingdom” was sounded down into his own heart and mind, he became a real preacher, a producer of a hundredfold. Remember, he established the Corinthian congregation and he wrote to them: “You yourselves are our letter, inscribed on our hearts and known and being read by all mankind. For you are shown to be a letter of Christ written by us as ministers, inscribed not with ink but with spirit of a living God, not on stone tablets, but on fleshly tablets, on hearts.”​—2 Cor. 3:2, 3.

5. How do true Christians today show themselves to be like Paul?

5 True Christians keep in mind the command of Jesus: “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them.” (Matt. 28:19, 20) Paul certainly tried to do this in his ministry, and he had fine success. That is what all people who have come to know Jehovah and his beloved Son, Christ Jesus, are required to do now. Real Christians today, like the apostles, must help people to whom they preach so that such ones can understand God’s Word. They must be teachers and help each disciple or learner to get the sense of the “word of the kingdom.” Jesus said: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” (Matt. 24:14) This, Jehovah’s witnesses are really trying to do. When they do make disciples it is necessary for these to dedicate their lives and be baptized in water so as to make a full expression before Jehovah and Christ Jesus and their brothers that they are going to do the will of God henceforth as that will is set forth in his written Word.

6. Does the discipling work stop after one makes his dedication and is baptized? Why?

6 But the discipling work does not stop there. Each one of Jehovah’s baptized witnesses must continue to be a learner. He keeps on studying God’s Word, the Holy Bible. He wants to observe all the things that Jesus commanded of his followers. This, of course, takes time. But we do not have to wait until we know all things before we ourselves begin the discipling work. Once we have learned of the wonderful things that Jehovah has done for mankind in providing his Son as our redeemer, and what he is doing through his kingdom, then certainly we should want others to hear the “word of the kingdom” too. We should want to implant the Word of God in the hearts and minds of others because we know the word is able to save one’s life. Remember what Paul told the disciple Timothy: “Pay constant attention to yourself and to your teaching. Stay by these things, for by doing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.”​—1 Tim. 4:16.

7. What is required of baptized believers, as shown at Pentecost and thereafter?

7 Thus the baptized believers who engage in the discipling work must go on bringing forth fruitage, some a hundredfold, some sixty and some thirty. Is that asking too much of a real Christian? When Jesus ascended into the heavens there were 120 baptized Jews dedicated to Jehovah who were ready to do the work Jesus started, and anxious to know what they should do. On the day of Pentecost all 120 of them were anointed by holy spirit to preach the Kingdom. There were thousands of others that had heard about Jesus and his message but had not taken a stand, and these had to make a decision. When Peter stood up before them and said, “Get saved from this crooked generation,” then “those who embraced his word heartily were baptized, and on that day about three thousand souls were added.” (Acts 2:40, 41) Think of the work that Jesus did in his day and of the fruitage that he brought forth! Think, too, of the apostles Peter, John, Paul and the others in the early church, and think of the fruitage they produced! When we think, too, of the fruitage being brought forth now, it is very evident that many are becoming believers. What share have you had in all this?

A GREAT CROWD BECOME BELIEVERS

8, 9. How do Jehovah’s people display their faithfulness, and as a result, how have others been affected?

8 During the service year of 1969 Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the entire world in 203 lands and islands of the sea have been very active, as shown on the chart on pages 22 to 25. All those who have dedicated their lives to Jehovah and were baptized in symbol of that dedication must display their faithfulness. This is evidence that the Word of God has truly been implanted in them. They are determined to put away all filthiness and that superfluous thing, moral badness, and they are accepting with mildness the implanting of the word, which they know is able to save them. The good that has already been done for them they now want to do for others. So Jehovah’s witnesses continue faithfully preaching the good news world wide.​—Matt. 24:14.

9 As one reads the annual report that has been compiled by the Society from its branches around the world one sees a marvelous thing that has happened. Jesus told his disciples to make disciples of others and Jehovah’s witnesses have done that very thing during the past year. (Matt. 28:19, 20) Just consider the number of persons baptized (none infants) during the past service year of 1969 and you will realize that Jehovah’s witnesses have been preaching and teaching at all times, seeking to do the will of Jehovah God. In twelve months 120,905 persons made a fine decision and were baptized. They wanted the Word of God implanted in their hearts and minds just as it is implanted in the minds and hearts of all of God’s dedicated people. They have taken a decisive stand on Jehovah’s side. Henceforth they will do Jehovah’s will as set forth in his written Word.

10, 11. In what ways was the 1969 service year a blessing to Jehovah’s people?

10 This has been a most joyful year for Jehovah’s witnesses because Jehovah God has blessed their efforts so much in preaching this good news in all parts of the earth. One of the outstanding events of the year was the “Peace on Earth” International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses held in North America and Europe in July and August at which 840,572 persons were in attendance. These, along with others who were not able to get to one of the assemblies, are determined to keep on with the preaching of this Kingdom good news. All are lovers of peace because they worship the God of peace. (2 Cor. 13:11) We still have work to do, and we find that, in the midst of their doing that work, Jehovah has blessed the efforts of his people so that a new peak in publishers of 1,336,112 was reached in the 1969 service year. Throughout the year there were on the average 1,256,784 ministers who could be counted on to spend time in the field ministry every month. Of course, these publishers of the Kingdom good news cannot all be in the work of spreading the message full time, but the dedicated, baptized disciples certainly are all ordained ministers. Out of all of these persons, however, there were 76,515 baptized ministers preaching full time as missionaries, special, regular and vacation pioneers. These spent anywhere from 100 to 150 hours per month spreading the good news of the Kingdom. The remaining number of persons, constituting a great congregation world wide, averaged each from ten to fifteen hours each month in the preaching of God’s kingdom and implanting the word of truth in the hearts and minds of other people.

11 In order to do this successfully it took a lot of time, and it is amazing to think that all of these 1,336,112 publishers together spent 239,769,076 hours in the preaching of the Kingdom good news. In what features of the ministry did they spend this time? Mainly in the house-to-house ministry, back-call and Bible-study activity, along with magazine distribution and public talks. What a joy it has been for these publishers of the Kingdom! They have indeed been striving to implant the word of the Kingdom in the minds of others. What a blessing for the people who have listened!

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