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Teaching on Return Visits

¹ As ministers of our God Jehovah, we are faced with a challenge. That challenge is clearly stated at Matthew 28:19, 20, where Jesus commands us to teach and make disciples. While many of us may find teaching a difficult task, it is an art we want to cultivate. (2 Tim. 4:2) How can we meet that challenge and be successful in our ministry?

² To be a skilled teacher requires more than placing literature. Our goal is to make disciples. To aid in achieving this goal, Jehovah’s organization has provided helpful tools in the form of literature and suggested Scriptural presentations. Once we have found a listening ear, or placed magazines or other literature, our desire to make a disciple and to teach the interested person the truth should move us to make return visits and cultivate the interest shown.

³ The month of February can provide us with excellent opportunities to develop our teaching skills. In some areas the colder, more inclement weather may cause more people to stay at home. Where this is the case, making return visits during the month of February could prove to be very successful.

⁴ A good teaching technique of our Exemplar, Jesus Christ, was the use of questions. Questions stimulate thinking, helping the householders to reason and examine themselves in the light of what they have learned. This method can be used when making return visits on people with whom we regularly place magazines. Asking a question and highlighting an article that will answer it is a good way to whet the person’s appetite for reading the magazine. This also lays a foundation for our next visit.

⁵ When we return, we can build our discussion around a scripture found in the article. Encourage the householder to look up scriptures in his own Bible, even if they are quoted in the magazines. By having the householder do this and by asking questions, we will be teaching him to reason on material presented and to get answers for himself. This lays a fine foundation for a Bible study.

CONDUCTING STUDIES

⁶ The use of leading questions is an excellent way to develop the thinking ability of our students. Christ Jesus did this on many occasions. (Matt. 22:41-46) Leading questions help students arrive at proper conclusions, using Scriptural truths they have acquired.

⁷ By our having a brief review at the conclusion of our return visit or Bible study, we will impress on the student’s mind the new things learned. Doing this, we will be building a desire for more Bible truths.​—1 Pet. 2:2.