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Kingdom Proclaimers Report

The Word of God Exerts Power

“THE word of God is alive and exerts power.” (Hebrews 4:12) These words have proved true many times over when people who have been deceived by false religion are exposed to Bible truths. As shown in the following experience from the Dominican Republic, the power of the Bible can change people’s lives and give hope.

Jehovah’s Witnesses visited a prominent Catholic woman who had recently lost two small children in death. She was grief-stricken and lamented her tragedy every day. The Witnesses showed her what the Bible says at John 5:28, 29 about the resurrection hope. After further discussions with the Witnesses, not only did she find comfort in the resurrection hope but she realized that her Catholic religious leaders were deceiving her.

She lost no time in resigning from the Catholic Church, and she accepted a regular Bible study with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Her husband, however, did not agree with her views. Since he too was a very prominent Catholic, he arranged for well-known political and religious friends to visit his wife in an attempt to dissuade her from her course and bring her back into Catholicism. Later he threatened her with divorce, at one point even notifying his relatives and fellow church members that they were getting divorced.

But his strategy did not work. On the contrary, she became all the more determined to continue her Bible studies. Because of her spiritual growth and her developing fine Christian qualities, the husband decided to remain with her rather than seek a divorce. One day he even agreed to examine the Bible literature she was studying​—but on one condition. He wanted to use his own Catholic version of the Bible.

To his amazement, with the help of the literature from Jehovah’s Witnesses, he began to learn new things straight from his own Bible. He realized that his wife had chosen the right course, and soon he was ready to follow her example. Indeed, he saw the need to make changes in his own life. One difficult challenge was to quit his cigarette habit. After reading the July 8, 1989, issue of Awake! magazine with the cover title “Death for Sale​—Ten Ways to Stop Smoking,” he was determined to give up this unscriptural habit. In place of the customary pack of cigarettes often found in his pocket, he began to carry that issue of Awake! Each time he had the urge to smoke, he read the articles on smoking. The method worked! After reading the articles many times, he was able to stop smoking.

Today both husband and wife serve Jehovah as baptized ministers. When circumstances allow, he serves as a full-time minister, dedicating much of his time to the preaching of the good news of God’s Kingdom, and he serves as a ministerial servant in the local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He and his wife look forward to the resurrection when they can welcome their children back to life in a new world. Yes, God’s Word, the Bible, is alive and exerts power!