00:00 Thank you for joining us,
00:03 and welcome to the program!
00:05 It’s our privilege to spend the next hour
00:07 with you dear brothers and sisters.
00:09 Please join us on a field trip to Ethiopia
00:13 where we will meet Brother Stephanos Demsas.
00:15 Brother Demsas and his wife served faithfully for many years
00:20 while the preaching work was under ban.
00:22 You will enjoy their experiences.
00:25 Have you ever participated in a preaching campaign?
00:29 Our team was present when one was arranged in Armenia.
00:32 A preaching campaign is uplifting and encouraging
00:35 to everyone involved as this segment will show.
00:38 How would you react if one of your loved ones decides
00:42 to leave the truth?
00:44 It truly is heartbreaking, to say the least,
00:47 but what Bible principles can help us endure
00:51 such a challenge?
00:52 This dramatization will help us.
00:55 This is the November program
00:58 of JW Broadcasting!
01:17 We have selected the theme
01:20 “Be a Champion of Truth!”
01:23 You may have heard of the word “champion”
01:25 used in the context of sports.
01:28 What is a champion?
01:30 The word can have different meanings.
01:32 The word is related to the French word champ,
01:35 meaning “field.”
01:37 That word has its origin in the Latin word campus,
01:40 also meaning “field” or “battlefield.”
01:44 The Bible speaks of a champion on a battlefield
01:47 in 1 Samuel 17:4:
01:53 “Then a champion came out from the camps of the Philistines;
01:57 his name was Goliath.”
02:01 Goliath was a champion for a wrong cause,
02:04 namely, to take the lead in defeating
02:06 the ancient Israelites in battle.
02:08 In our modern time, according to one definition,
02:12 a champion is “an ardent defender
02:15 “or supporter of a cause
02:17 or another person.”
02:19 Christians today are ardent defenders
02:22 and supporters of the truth.
02:25 The Watchtower of January 15, 2012,
02:28 said on page 8: “Other champions
02:32 of Bible truth rose up in the centuries that followed.”
02:37 Years before, The Watchtower said:
02:39 “This magazine will never shrink in fear
02:42 from championing the truth!”
02:45 “The Watchtower has been championing
02:47 ‘the cause of Kingdom truth.’”
02:50 So, are you a champion?
02:54 In a sports competition,
02:56 only one individual gets to be the champion.
02:59 But in the case of true Christians,
03:01 all can be champions of the truth.
03:04 All Christians are to defend the truth
03:07 and become conquerors —winners.
03:10 It’s necessary to defend the truth
03:13 because in today’s world
03:15 truth is being attacked and distorted.
03:18 We are surrounded by a sea of lies
03:21 and misrepresentations.
03:23 How did such lies get started?
03:26 They started in the garden of Eden
03:28 when Satan told Eve lies.
03:31 Satan, through his deceptive statements,
03:34 became “the father of the lie.”
03:37 All the problems in the world
03:39 —all calamities (also your personal calamities),
03:44 all wars, all diseases, all crimes,
03:47 all unhappiness, sorrow, and death
03:50 —started with the original lies
03:53 in the garden of Eden.
03:55 Satan is “the father of the lie.”
03:58 But today there are many “children” of the lie.
04:02 Every one of us is affected.
04:04 We are surrounded by a sea of lies.
04:07 A lie is “a false statement
04:10 “deliberately presented as being true;
04:12 a falsehood.”
04:14 A lie is the opposite of the truth.
04:17 Lying involves saying something incorrect
04:20 to a person who is entitled to know the truth about a matter.
04:24 But there is also something that is called a half-truth.
04:28 The Bible tells Christians to be honest with each other.
04:32 “Now that you have put away deceit,
04:35 . . . speak truth,” wrote the apostle Paul
04:38 at Ephesians 4:25.
04:41 Lies and half-truths undermine trust.
04:44 A German proverb says,
04:47 “Who lies once is not believed,
04:49 even if he says the truth.”
04:51 So we need to speak openly
04:53 and honestly with each other,
04:55 not withholding bits of information
04:58 that could change the perception of the listener
05:00 or mislead him.
05:02 As to lies, there are different types.
05:06 Some politicians have lied about matters
05:08 they wanted to keep secret.
05:10 Companies sometimes lie in advertisements
05:13 regarding their products.
05:16 What about the news media?
05:18 Many try to report events truthfully.
05:21 But we should not be gullible
05:23 and believe everything newspapers write
05:26 or everything we hear on radio
05:28 or see on television.
05:31 Then there are religious lies.
05:33 If Satan is called “the father of the lie,”
05:36 then Babylon the Great, the global empire of false religion,
05:39 can be called the “mother” of the lie.
05:42 Individual false religions
05:44 could be called “daughters” of the lie.
05:47 Some lie by saying that sinners
05:50 will get tormented in hell forever.
05:53 Others lie by saying,
05:55 “Once saved, always saved.”
05:57 Again, others lie by saying that the earth
06:01 will be burned up on Judgment Day
06:03 and all good people will go to heaven.
06:06 Some worship idols.
06:08 Paul wrote at Romans 1:25:
06:14 “They exchanged the truth of God for the lie
06:17 “and venerated and rendered sacred service
06:20 to the creation rather than the Creator.”
06:24 Then there are many lies of a personal nature
06:27 that people express in everyday life.
06:29 A businessman may get a phone call
06:32 but tell his secretary to answer the caller
06:35 by saying he is not in.
06:37 This may be considered a small lie.
06:40 There are small lies, big lies,
06:44 and malicious lies.
06:47 A child may have broken something but when asked initially,
06:50 out of fear of punishment, denies having done it.
06:54 This does not make the child a malicious liar.
06:57 In contrast, what if an entrepreneur
07:01 tells his bookkeeper to falsify the entries
07:03 in the books in order to save on taxes?
07:07 This lying to the tax office
07:09 is certainly a serious lie.
07:11 It is a deliberate attempt to mislead somebody
07:15 that has the right to know.
07:17 It also robs the government of what they have established
07:20 as legal income.
07:22 We can see that not all lies are the same;
07:26 there are small lies, big lies,
07:28 and malicious lies.
07:31 Satan is a malicious liar.
07:33 He is the champion of the lie.
07:36 Since Jehovah hates liars,
07:38 we should avoid all lies,
07:41 not just big or malicious lies.
07:45 But can we find the truth?
07:48 Some say, “Truth is relative.”
07:50 It is like saying, “This is truth for you,
07:53 and this is truth for me.”
07:56 This claim is not logical
07:58 when it comes to religious truth.
08:00 Either God is a Trinity or he’s not.
08:03 Either the soul is mortal or it is not.
08:07 Either there is a future paradise on earth or there is not.
08:11 Either homosexuality is acceptable to God or it is not.
08:17 Either participating in wars is permissible or it is not.
08:23 Truth is definite, not relative,
08:25 because Jehovah conveyed the truth to his servants.
08:29 Psalm 43:3 says:
08:32 “Send out your light and your truth.”
08:35 Jehovah is a Revealer of truth.
08:40 One of several reasons why Jesus came into the world
08:43 was to “witness to the truth.”
08:45 At John 18:37b,
08:49 he said: “For this I have been born,
08:52 “and for this I have come into the world,
08:54 “that I should bear witness to the truth.
08:57 Everyone who is on the side of the truth listens to my voice.”
09:03 So if we listen to Jesus, or read in the Bible
09:06 what he taught, we can learn the truth.
09:09 Jesus was the personification of the truth.
09:12 He said: “I am the way
09:15 and the truth and the life.”
09:18 We can find out what the truth is
09:20 by diligently studying the Bible.
09:23 Truth is that which is a fact.
09:26 For true Christians, the entire text
09:29 of the Hebrew and Christian Greek Scriptures
09:31 constitutes the truth.
09:33 Psalm 119:160
09:36 says of Jehovah:
09:38 ‘The essence of your word is truth.’
09:42 That is why it is good to do
09:44 daily Bible reading with meditation
09:47 and weekly family worship.
09:50 At Matthew 24:45-47, we read
09:54 that for the time of the end, Jesus would appoint
09:57 a “faithful and discreet slave,” or Governing Body,
10:01 to explain the Bible to His followers
10:03 and help them to grow in understanding of the truth.
10:08 Whereas Jesus’ teachings
10:10 and the written Word of God are inspired,
10:13 “the faithful and discreet slave” is not inspired,
10:16 although it champions the truth.
10:20 Nevertheless, the faithful slave
10:22 provides spiritual food.
10:24 Whereas in the first century
10:26 there was supernatural knowledge
10:28 available for apostles and Bible writers,
10:31 in the time of the end, Jehovah does not bestow
10:34 this miraculous gift anymore, as explained
10:38 at 1 Corinthians 13:8.
10:41 Although there is no divine inspiration today,
10:45 still Jesus leads his people progressively
10:48 through the services of the faithful slave.
10:51 Jesus trusts that the imperfect faithful slave
10:54 will do its best to convey spiritual food.
10:58 Do you also trust the slave?
11:03 Whereas the truth of God’s Word does not change,
11:06 our understanding of the truth does change
11:10 because we are not perfect yet.
11:12 We understand more about the truth today
11:15 than Christians in the first century.
11:18 Do we keep up with the progressive understanding of truth?
11:23 Daniel was told: “Many will rove about,
11:26 and the true knowledge will become abundant.”
11:31 This is a gradual process.
11:33 We are still roving about.
11:35 During the Millennium, Jehovah will reveal
11:38 additional truths to mankind.
11:41 At Revelation 20:12,
11:44 it mentions scrolls that will be opened.
11:47 The apostle John reports that the dead are to be “judged
11:50 “out of those things written in the scrolls
11:53 according to their deeds.”
11:56 Evidently, then, these scrolls will contain
11:59 additional information for mankind during the thousand years.
12:03 It stands to reason that after the end of the Millennium,
12:07 there will be additional truths to learn.
12:10 Still, according to Ecclesiastes
12:14 chapter 3, verse 11:
12:17 “Mankind will never find out
12:19 the work that the true God has made.”
12:22 But how do we know we have the truth?
12:26 At Pentecost 33 of our Common Era,
12:29 true Christians numbered only about 3,000.
12:33 Today, we are millions.
12:35 And on average, every weekend
12:38 more than 5,000 are getting baptized.
12:41 But this in itself
12:43 is not proof that we have the truth.
12:46 Truth is not measured in numbers.
12:49 Why do we know we have the truth?
12:52 For one, because we remain
12:55 in Jesus’ teaching, John 8:31.
12:58 Second, we know we have the truth
13:01 because of the deep bond of love
13:03 for each other, John 13:35.
13:07 Third, we know we have the truth because our conduct
13:11 adheres to the high moral standards of truth,
13:15 John 15:10.
13:17 Fourth, we know we have the truth
13:19 because we remain neutral in the controversies of the world,
13:23 as Jesus advised at John 17:14.
13:28 Fifth, we know we have the truth
13:30 because we are God’s name people.
13:33 Acts 15:14 speaks
13:35 of “a people for his name.”
13:38 Jesus said: “The truth will set you free.”
13:42 It sets us free from fears —like the fear of death,
13:46 fear of the future, and an exaggerated fear of man.
13:50 It also sets us free from false teachings,
13:53 from spiritism, and from astrology and magic.
13:57 It frees us from immorality and its consequences.
14:01 There are no other people on earth
14:04 that are as spiritually free as we are.
14:07 Do we appreciate that freedom?
14:12 Truth leads to freedom.
14:13 Second Corinthians 3:17 says:
14:16 “Where the spirit of Jehovah is,
14:18 there is freedom.”
14:20 The truth penetrates schools. How so?
14:25 By means of our children who preach the truth
14:27 to classmates and to teachers.
14:30 Do you go to school?
14:32 Do you champion the truth at school?
14:35 How can you do this?
14:37 You do this not only by preaching but also by your conduct,
14:40 by your dress and grooming,
14:43 and by taking a stand for the truth when others want you
14:45 to participate in unchristian practices.
14:49 You also champion the truth by remaining honest
14:52 and not cheating on your exams.
14:55 And Jehovah will love you for that.
14:58 The truth also penetrates prisons.
15:02 Reports have come in from many countries
15:04 telling of the good work brothers are doing
15:06 in contacting prisoners in various prisons,
15:09 helping some to rehabilitate their lives spiritually.
15:13 In a number of such institutions,
15:15 regular meetings are being held
15:17 and several prisoners have studied to the point
15:20 of dedication and baptism.
15:24 The truth penetrates even walls of monasteries.
15:28 In Mexico, in 2009,
15:31 a nun was baptized who, because of the truth,
15:34 had left her monastery and order,
15:36 although she was the mother superior.
15:40 The world is in utter confusion.
15:43 What a blessing to know the truth!
15:46 We rejoice in it!
15:48 We have the truth on our lips.
15:50 We have the truth around our hips.
15:53 Ephesians chapter 6 says that “the belt of truth”
15:56 is fastened around our waists.
15:59 We are ready to teach it.
16:02 We talk the truth, and we walk in the truth.
16:05 Those who continue to walk
16:07 in the truth will walk in it forever.
16:10 Help your students to love the truth
16:13 and to live the truth but, if necessary,
16:15 to be willing to die for the truth and for Jehovah.
16:20 The truth is invincible
16:22 and will conquer this wicked world.
16:25 In some countries, we may have many enemies
16:28 who may want to silence us.
16:30 But the apostle Paul said
16:32 at 2 Corinthians 13:8:
16:38 “For we can do nothing against the truth.”
16:43 Neither can our enemies suppress the truth.
16:47 Do we appreciate that we have the truth
16:49 —the only truth?
16:51 Is this arrogant to say? By no means!
16:55 It would be a sin if we would not say so.
16:58 Jesus was not arrogant when he said:
17:00 ‘I am the truth.’
17:03 To know the truth is not enough.
17:05 We need to champion it.
17:08 There are still many lovers of truth out there;
17:11 search for them.
17:13 Who will help you in the search?
17:15 According to John 4:23,
17:17 Jesus said that Jehovah is searching for ones
17:20 that want to worship in truth.
17:23 The majority will not listen to the truth
17:26 because ‘they love the darkness rather than the light.’
17:29 The truth may expose their sinful conduct,
17:33 and they may not have the humility
17:35 to want to repent and change.
17:38 We still have to preach to them —to warn them.
17:42 Ezekiel was told:
17:44 “You must warn them from me.”
17:46 The principle applies to us as well.
17:51 Paul speaks of “the sword of . . . God’s word.”
17:54 Use it well to champion the truth.
17:58 Train your students to be good defenders of it as well.
18:03 The time will come in Paradise after the final test
18:07 when it will not be necessary
18:09 to champion, or defend, the truth,
18:11 because nobody will attack it anymore.
18:15 Right now, whether we are adults,
18:18 teenagers, or children, let us follow and imitate Jesus
18:22 —the greatest Champion of truth!
18:25 To that end, keep studying the truth.
18:28 Keep spreading the truth.
18:30 Keep loving the truth and Jehovah, the God of truth.
18:34 Hold fast to the truth as to a lifeline
18:38 —as this is what it is!
18:40 By staying faithful, whether you survive Armageddon
18:44 or are resurrected in Paradise,
18:46 you will be a victorious champion of the truth!
18:51 Let’s now look at some examples of how our brothers and sisters
18:55 around the world faithfully champion the truth.
18:58 Chris?
18:59 Thank you, Brother Lösch.
19:01 When a dear friend or perhaps
19:02 even a family member leaves the truth,
19:05 it can be a very challenging situation.
19:08 It can truly be a test of our faith
19:11 when we see something like that take place.
19:13 While watching this dramatization,
19:16 pay attention to how the mother was able to champion the truth
19:20 by remaining loyal to Jehovah.
19:36 My name is Gabriella.
19:39 Ben and I have always enjoyed
19:41 attending the meetings.
19:43 But lately,
19:45 it’s been difficult.
19:47 Something was missing
19:51 —our son.
20:05 It was like watching a movie of someone else’s family.
20:17 I couldn’t believe this was happening to us.
20:49 Our son, Levi,
20:51 was no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
20:58 The elders and friends in the congregation
21:02 were so supportive and understanding.
21:05 Many of them watched Levi grow up,
21:09 give his first talk,
21:11 get baptized.
21:34 I was so torn.
21:36 I was disappointed in Levi for leaving Jehovah,
21:41 but I was more disappointed in myself.
21:45 I felt like we failed him somehow.
21:53 I kept wondering how he was doing.
21:56 Was he OK?
22:07 Then, as hard as the past few weeks had been,
22:11 it just got harder.
22:14 I knew what the Bible said
22:16 about “quit mixing in company with anyone”
22:20 who is not living according to Christian standards.
22:23 But I never thought that scripture would one day apply to me.
22:29 Later that evening, a brother was talking
22:32 about the example of Korah’s sons.
22:46 Jehovah confirmed that He was using Moses
22:49 to lead His people, not Korah.
22:53 When the people were told to move away
22:55 from the rebels’ tents, what would Korah’s sons do?
22:59 Would they put loyalty to family ahead of loyalty to Jehovah?
23:10 The Bible tells us that his sons remained loyal
23:12 to Jehovah and were blessed for it.
23:18 That night, after the meeting,
23:20 I told Ben about the text I received from Levi.
23:24 I told him everything
23:27 —how I missed Levi so much,
23:30 but that I also wanted to be loyal to Jehovah like Korah’s sons.
23:35 Ben admitted that he too
23:37 had been struggling with feelings like mine.
23:41 But then he said something
23:43 that I hadn’t thought of.
23:45 If we were to stand between Levi
23:48 and the discipline he needs,
23:51 we would, in effect, be blocking
23:53 an expression of Jehovah’s love
23:55 from reaching him.
23:57 In fact, it’s our very loyalty
24:00 to Jehovah that could save his life.
24:04 We agreed to continue to put our trust
24:06 in Jehovah and stay loyal to him.
24:30 It’s been five years now,
24:32 and while Levi still hasn’t returned to Jehovah,
24:36 I haven’t given up hope on him.
24:39 Until that day,
24:41 I’m staying busy as a regular pioneer and focusing my energies
24:46 on helping others learn about Jehovah.
24:50 I’ve come to experience firsthand
24:53 the truth of Psalm 97:10.
24:56 Jehovah really does guard his loyal ones.
25:11 What helped Gabriella overcome this difficult challenge?
25:15 For example,
25:16 when she received a text message from her son,
25:19 she applied Scriptural counsel
25:21 to her personal circumstances.
25:23 The good example of Korah’s sons
25:26 gave her added motivation so as not to allow
25:29 her feelings for her son to dictate her actions.
25:32 Instead, she was firm in her loyalty to Jehovah.
25:37 Also, her husband, Ben, had found an article
25:40 that helped the two of them appreciate
25:42 that they should make sure not to stand
25:45 between Jehovah and their son, Levi.
25:48 Instead, they wanted Jehovah’s expression of love
25:51 to reach Levi.
25:53 Whenever we are faced with a trial,
25:56 we need to remember to pray constantly
25:59 to Jehovah for guidance and to look for Jehovah’s counsel
26:02 in our literature and during our meetings.
26:06 The apostle Paul faced many challenges in his ministry.
26:10 In 2 Corinthians chapter 11, starting in verse 23,
26:14 he enumerates over 20 hardships
26:16 that he experienced in his ministry.
26:19 What helped Paul to keep his motivation strong
26:23 despite everything he faced?
26:25 In this morning worship from Bethel,
26:28 Brother John Ekrann highlights
26:30 what Paul himself said kept him going.
26:33 When you look at the words in the way
26:35 that the apostle Paul worded things,
26:38 he said: “I live by faith in the Son of God,
26:42 who loved me and handed himself over for me.”
26:45 And we can really see the very personal nature
26:48 of the ransom to the apostle Paul.
26:50 And it’s important for us to do
26:52 —as our commenters pointed out nicely—
26:55 it is important for us to personalize the ransom.
26:58 The apostle Paul, in Hebrews 6:5,
27:02 showed the very personal nature;
27:05 he understood the personal nature
27:07 of the Bible and the ransom.
27:10 In Hebrews 6:5,
27:12 he uses this expression:
27:14 “And who have tasted the fine word of God
27:18 and powers of the coming system of things.”
27:21 Well, it’s interesting he used the word “taste.”
27:23 Taste is something very personal.
27:25 Somebody can’t taste something for you.
27:27 You have to put it in your mouth in order
27:29 to really know what it’s going to taste like.
27:31 So, too, with the ransom.
27:33 And what practical ways can we “taste,”
27:36 or personalize, the ransom for us?
27:38 Let’s just consider a couple this morning.
27:41 One is personal fears.
27:43 ‘Does God really love me?
27:45 Am I worthy of love?’
27:48 Sometimes the “what-ifs” and their cousins, the “could-bes,”
27:51 they come to live and never leave.
27:54 You know, if bad things or trials or difficulties happen to us,
27:58 we begin to reason, ‘Well, Jehovah God maybe doesn’t love me.’
28:02 There’s really strong reason for us
28:04 to somehow believe in cause and effect.
28:06 We see the cause of things and effect, and so after a while,
28:09 everything that happens to us, we begin to look at some cause
28:12 and even begin to think that maybe Jehovah
28:15 doesn’t love us.
28:17 Even if we’re a good person
28:20 and bad things happen to us, we begin to wonder,
28:23 ‘Others my age are healthy.’
28:25 Some leaving or changing assignments,
28:28 you hear everything falls into place
28:31 for them within a few weeks.
28:33 ‘I’m still looking for a job. I’m still looking for work.’
28:36 In other words, do not try to reason
28:39 that just because things don’t work out perfectly
28:41 that Jehovah doesn’t love us.
28:43 It’s not true.
28:45 We can still be doing very, very good things,
28:47 and yet some difficulties can face us.
28:50 For example, you’re driving down the road,
28:52 obeying all the traffic laws.
28:54 You pull up to a red light, you stop,
28:57 it turns green, you go through it, and you get broadsided
29:00 by some knucklehead who went through the red light on the other side.
29:04 Well, that’s not your fault.
29:07 Are you going to say: “Well, you know what?
29:09 I’m not going to obey traffic laws anymore. See, it doesn’t pay!”
29:12 Well, no!
29:13 It was his fault for running through the traffic light.
29:18 And sometimes bad, or difficult, things can happen to us.
29:21 It’s not our fault
29:23 or it’s not any sign that Jehovah doesn’t love us.
29:26 So how can reflecting on the ransom help us
29:28 when we have these kinds of personal fears?
29:31 Well, we could start with, Why do we have the ransom?
29:34 Well, because some very bad things
29:37 were happening to some good people
29:39 —us— Adam and Eve’s descendants.
29:42 I mean, Adam sinned and Eve sinned,
29:44 yet we suffer.
29:47 The ransom is Jehovah’s solution
29:49 for those who appreciate it.
29:51 It’s his way of telling us,
29:53 ‘I know bad things are happening,
29:55 and I’m working to fix it.’
29:57 Yes, when we reflect on the reason
30:00 why Jehovah God gave us the ransom,
30:03 it helps us to know that Jehovah knows we suffer
30:05 from cancer and old age and the sins and mistakes of others
30:08 and even our own imperfections.
30:11 See, tasting of the ransom in this way
30:14 means we’ll not get the feeling
30:17 that Jehovah doesn’t love us when trials befall us.
30:20 To the contrary, the ransom
30:22 is the greatest expression of Jehovah’s and Jesus’ love for us
30:26 and their desire to fix the current mess we live in now.
30:30 How about, let’s consider a second way
30:32 that we could reflect on the ransom,
30:35 and that is the death of someone close to us.
30:38 Anyone who’s had someone very close to them die
30:41 knows the very helpless feeling that you have,
30:44 knowing that there’s really nothing you can do.
30:48 In that instant when they die, your hope
30:51 —your faith in the resurrection based on the ransom—
30:55 becomes more real to you than any time in your entire life.
31:00 In Acts 17:31,
31:03 in a beautiful speech that the apostle Paul gave,
31:06 he highlights
31:08 that Jesus’ death
31:11 and resurrection and the ransom was really a guarantee
31:14 that we have.
31:16 Here in Acts 17:31,
31:20 he says: “Because he has set a day on which he purposes
31:23 “to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness
31:26 “by a man whom he has appointed,
31:28 “and he has provided a guarantee
31:31 “to all men by resurrecting him
31:35 from the dead.”
31:37 So personalizing the ransom
31:39 and all that it makes possible
31:41 helps us to know that the resurrection is, not just possible,
31:45 but that Jehovah and Jesus want to resurrect
31:48 our mother, our father,
31:50 our beloved husband or a wife.
31:53 They care about each person
31:56 that has ever lived or died
31:59 and know them so intimately and so completely
32:02 that they can resurrect them completely with all their memories
32:05 and personality completely as we knew them.
32:08 I mean, how much more personal
32:10 could God’s love for us become than that?
32:14 You know, to bring our loved ones back from the dead
32:17 is the ultimate statement
32:20 of Jehovah’s personal interest
32:23 in each and every human being.
32:26 We are not just collateral damage
32:30 in Satan’s war on Jehovah.
32:33 The ransom is the way
32:35 that Jehovah plans to undo all the harm
32:38 that Satan has caused
32:40 since the death of Adam and Eve.
32:43 In fact, the resurrection is really Jehovah’s way
32:46 of proving all of Satan’s lies
32:49 completely false.
32:51 When you think about it today, Satan can perpetrate
32:54 all kinds of lies about what happens to people after they die.
32:56 ‘They’re going to go here, they’re going to go there,
32:58 ‘they’re going to go to some afterlife, they’re going to go to some paradise,
33:00 they’re going to come back as some animal.’
33:03 But in the new world,
33:05 when the vast majority of people
33:07 have been resurrected,
33:11 that lie isn’t going to be sold anymore.
33:14 Each one can tell everyone
33:16 what happened to them when they died
33:18 —nothing,
33:21 no afterlife.
33:23 Everyone will know that it’s nonexistence.
33:27 That lie won’t work.
33:29 See, Jehovah knew
33:31 that we would hurt terribly
33:34 at the death of loved ones,
33:36 so he gave us the ransom
33:39 as his way of telling us,
33:41 ‘I know it hurts, but please know
33:45 that I have the perfect solution in mind.’
33:49 Now, we’ve just considered two ways
33:51 to reflect and meditate on the ransom,
33:53 like the apostle Paul did, to really personalize it.
33:56 We just talked about personal fears
33:59 and the resurrection,
34:02 the death of someone close to us.
34:04 Imagine how many more ways
34:07 we can benefit today
34:09 from meditating on the ransom
34:11 and how it affects us personally.
34:16 As ministers of Jehovah,
34:18 we take part in preaching the good news.
34:20 That good news includes the wonderful provision
34:23 of the ransom Brother Ekrann highlighted.
34:26 Have you ever participated in a preaching campaign?
34:30 I’m sure you have enjoyed campaigns
34:32 such as inviting our neighbors to the Memorial
34:35 or the regional convention.
34:37 On occasion, other campaigns are approved
34:40 by the Service Committee of the Governing Body
34:42 when there is a specific need in an area or language group.
34:46 We bring you a report
34:49 on a special campaign in Armenia.
34:55 Armenia is an ancient country with rich history,
34:59 situated in the lands of Mount Ararat.
35:04 In the Caucasus region, Lake Sevan
35:06 is considered to be a prized jewel.
35:13 Diversity of its flora and fauna
35:15 contribute to the unique and beautiful countryside.
35:21 Yerevan, the capital,
35:23 is a modern metropolis with picturesque views
35:27 that remind many of Paris with its trees, cafés,
35:30 and beautiful water fountains.
35:38 Recently, a special three-week preaching campaign took place.
35:44 Groups of Armenian-speaking Jehovah’s Witnesses
35:47 from six different countries
35:48 wholeheartedly responded to the invitation.
35:58 The main purpose of the campaign was to cover as many
36:01 of the 512 unassigned territories as possible
36:04 with the Kingdom good news.
36:06 Thus, an opportunity
36:08 for an interchange of encouragement was created
36:12 for both the local friends and the campaign participants.
36:17 They were warmly greeted at the airport
36:20 by local brothers and sisters.
36:28 The Witnesses made good use of their tablets and smartphones to show
36:32 videos from the jw.org website.
36:36 Armenia is also currently home
36:39 to over 11,000 Western-Armenian refugees.
36:43 A special effort was made to share with these individuals
36:46 the positive message of hope and peace from the Bible
36:49 in their native tongue, West Armenian.
36:52 Metropolitan witnessing served as an effective way
36:56 to reach these ones.
36:58 It was the first time in my life
37:00 that I participated in public witnessing,
37:03 and it was very encouraging.
37:05 When individuals would approach us and show interest,
37:07 I could explain to them the truth in their own language.
37:10 It was amazing.
37:12 It’s been very heartwarming.
37:14 People have really responded well.
37:17 They were in need of comfort
37:19 and the good news, especially those that
37:20 we came for, the Western Armenians.
37:22 Pretty much every door invited us in,
37:25 and they were very hospitable and receptive.
37:27 After we heard the announcement about the special campaign
37:30 in the Western language that’s going to take place in Armenia,
37:34 we said: “We cannot miss this.
37:36 “We have to be there and bring our share
37:38 in this very joyful preaching campaign.”
37:41 During the three-week campaign,
37:43 over 15,000 pieces
37:45 of Bible-based literature were left with interested ones,
37:49 and over 200 Bible studies were started.
37:54 We were very happy to see
37:56 how many brothers and sisters were ready to come
37:59 for the campaign in Armenia
38:01 from different countries around the world.
38:04 That response showed
38:06 that Jehovah has blessed our efforts.
38:09 Those who came from far and wide
38:12 greatly appreciated the share
38:14 they had in this special event.
38:16 Everyone was so happy to see us.
38:18 And when we were giving them a Bible,
38:21 they were so excited to find answers from their own Bible.
38:24 I’m so blessed to be here.
38:27 This has been the best vacation
38:29 that we have had as a family.
38:31 The first time I came to Armenia,
38:34 it was in 1982.
38:36 And I looked for the Witnesses,
38:38 and I hardly found just a few.
38:42 But now that I came for this campaign,
38:45 we have 11,000 Witnesses!
38:48 I’m really so happy! I really want to come back!
38:53 It is our hope that Jehovah God continues to help
38:57 all sorts of people to be saved
38:59 and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.
39:07 While we enjoy relative freedom
39:09 in many countries around the world,
39:11 at times governments impose bans
39:14 or restrictions on the preaching work.
39:16 Brother Stephanos Demsas
39:18 serves as a special pioneer in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
39:22 along with his wife, Leteberhan.
39:25 Their faith was tested during many years of adversity.
39:29 What helped them champion the truth?
39:32 Their story began in what is today Eritrea.
39:43 I come from a family of nine children.
39:45 I joined the navy in 1956.
39:48 That was during the time
39:49 when Eritrea was part of Ethiopia.
39:52 My brother Gebrehiwot
39:54 asked me to come to Asmara.
39:56 He was studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
39:59 I was so impressed with what he shared with me
40:02 that for the rest of my vacation,
40:04 Bible study became my priority.
40:07 In time, I was discharged from the navy
40:09 and started working in Addis Ababa,
40:11 so I was able to continue studying
40:13 the Bible and get baptized.
40:17 Leti was also doing the same.
40:23 In 1960, I was attending a nursing college.
40:27 There, a nurse shared some interesting thoughts
40:30 with me from the Bible.
40:32 Ten other student nurses also showed interest.
40:36 But the college threatened us with dismissal
40:40 because there was a ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses.
40:44 When we were shown from the Bible
40:46 why true Christians are persecuted,
40:49 we renewed our determination.
40:53 Eventually, five of us were baptized.
40:57 In time, I met Stephanos,
40:59 and we were married in 1964.
41:03 Because of the ban,
41:05 the brothers were meeting in small groups.
41:08 Our trust was in Jehovah, and we made the preaching work
41:11 a matter of prayer, confident that he would help us.
41:14 We saw evidence of this
41:16 with the underground production of The Watchtower.
41:19 Our brothers were of modest means,
41:22 but they used what they had to buy a hand-operated duplicating machine
41:25 which was used in our home.
41:27 After returning from our secular work,
41:30 Leti and I would get busy making copies of The Watchtower.
41:33 We would play music so our neighbors
41:35 wouldn’t hear the sound of the duplicator.
41:39 In 1974,
41:41 Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed.
41:45 This Communist government quickly began
41:47 a campaign called “Red Terror”
41:50 against any supposed political opposer.
41:53 Now, just having a typewriter or a duplicating machine
41:57 could put you in prison or even have you killed.
42:02 Picking up a paper from the street
42:04 with something printed on it against the government
42:06 could put one’s life in danger.
42:09 It was common for people to disappear.
42:12 Sadly, my youngest brother,
42:15 Eyob, was a victim.
42:17 He disappeared on his way home
42:20 and was never seen again.
42:27 With the situation being very dangerous,
42:29 we were quite concerned
42:31 raising our daughter, Janet.
42:34 But as we fully trusted in Jehovah,
42:37 we felt his loving protection.
42:40 From time to time, sections of the city
42:42 were suddenly blockaded.
42:44 This happened one morning as a translator
42:47 was heading to our home to deliver stencils for printing.
42:51 Urgently, he telephoned
42:54 informing us that a house-to-house search
42:56 was under way.
42:58 Our house was full of publications
43:01 along with a duplicator and typewriters!
43:04 Just after the phone call,
43:06 three soldiers entered our compound to search.
43:11 At that moment,
43:13 I prayed silently that Jehovah would blind them.
43:17 Entering the room where the duplicator
43:20 and stacks of freshly printed literature were,
43:22 one soldier asked, “What is all this?”
43:26 “Oh, this is a duplicator that we use
43:29 to print these Bible materials.”
43:31 Completing his search,
43:33 he went outside to the commander,
43:35 who asked him, “What did you find?”
43:38 To our utter amazement,
43:40 after seeing everything, he answered:
43:43 “Nothing! We won’t find anything here.”
43:46 In the late 1970’s and into the early 80’s,
43:50 another wave of vicious persecution occurred.
43:53 A number of faithful brothers were imprisoned,
43:56 tortured, and murdered.
43:59 I was taken from my work place because of my neutral stand
44:02 and put in prison.
44:05 When I think about living through those difficult times,
44:09 I am reminded of Isaiah 54:17
44:12 where Jehovah promised us:
44:14 “No weapon formed against you will have any success.”
44:20 Finally, in 1991,
44:22 a liberal government came to power.
44:25 They gave us legal recognition
44:27 and freedom of worship.
44:31 With these difficult, dangerous years
44:33 now behind us, we were assigned to the circuit work
44:37 in Eritrea and Ethiopia.
44:41 By now, Eritrea was becoming
44:43 an independent country, and this brought about
44:46 new challenges for the brothers.
44:48 Some young brothers were arrested and imprisoned
44:50 because of their Christian stand.
44:52 Paul wrote at Hebrews 13:3:
44:56 “Keep in mind those in prison,
44:58 as though you were imprisoned with them.”
45:01 After enjoying the circuit work
45:03 for 15 years, we faced another change.
45:07 We were invited to serve at Bethel
45:09 as full-time commuters.
45:12 What has helped us to endure through the ban years
45:15 and to adjust to the many changes
45:18 is our spiritual study program.
45:21 We’re in full agreement
45:23 with Jeremiah 17:7:
45:26 “Blessed is the man
45:28 who puts his trust in Jehovah.”
45:31 It also brings us much happiness
45:34 to know that our daughter, Janet, has been serving
45:37 as a regular pioneer for 20 years now.
45:41 Each assignment has had its challenges
45:43 but many rewards and blessings.
45:46 I’m not young anymore;
45:48 I’m 77 years old.
45:50 And I’m 74 years old.
45:52 We are now serving as special pioneers.
45:56 When we think about all the changes that we’ve been through,
45:59 we realize that the words at Isaiah 6:8:
46:02 “Here I am! Send me!”
46:04 are, not just for young people, but for all of us.
46:10 It is very encouraging to see
46:12 Stephanos and Leteberhan’s determination
46:15 to stay faithful to Jehovah, come what may.
46:18 We know that Jehovah looks with delight
46:20 on their many years of service.
46:23 Some of our brothers in Canada
46:25 underwent similar persecution.
46:28 How did Jehovah help them?
46:30 Pay special attention to the numerous acts of courage
46:33 displayed by these champions of truth.
46:38 Preaching in the province of Quebec was a real challenge.
46:42 The Catholic Church
46:43 was present in every sphere of public life.
46:48 In the early ’40s, the persecution
46:52 took on quite a bit
46:54 of emphasis.
46:56 Many Witnesses were being arrested.
46:58 Any excuse was used.
47:00 Peddling without a license
47:03 —this was a favorite excuse.
47:05 Jehovah’s Witnesses were put in prison
47:07 whenever they were seen with religious literature.
47:11 It had got so bad in Quebec
47:14 that it was decided to circulate a petition,
47:18 and this petition was circulated throughout Canada.
47:21 And it called on the government of Quebec
47:24 to put an end to this persecution.
47:27 And interestingly,
47:29 some 600,000 people signed the petition.
47:33 The Witnesses distributed
47:36 a very fiery tract
47:39 called the Burning Hate of Quebec.
47:41 And in this tract,
47:42 they showed what was really happening
47:45 —the actions of the policemen,
47:48 the illegal arrests, the mob action.
47:51 Within four months,
47:53 there were 800 new court cases.
47:56 So here, for 400 Jehovah’s Witnesses,
48:00 you had 1,600 court cases.
48:03 The seriousness
48:05 of the court cases increased, in that now
48:09 they were accusing the brothers of sedition.
48:13 If convicted, it was more than 10
48:15 —maybe 12 or 15— years in prison.
48:17 We had one brother, Aimé Boucher,
48:20 who was arrested and charged with sedition.
48:23 Aimé Boucher was a very poor brother,
48:27 who lived in a rural part of Quebec.
48:29 And he actually
48:31 went to court with his ox and buggy.
48:35 And on the way to court,
48:37 he was preaching, so he was arrested again.
48:40 They had the court hearing, and he was condemned.
48:44 He was found guilty of sedition.
48:47 And his case went up to the Court of Appeal
48:49 —and at that time, the Court of Appeal of Quebec was very hostile—
48:53 and he lost on appeal,
48:56 so it went up to the Supreme Court of Canada.
48:59 And by this time,
49:01 there were several other brothers and sisters
49:04 also charged on sedition,
49:06 which meant that if he lost his case,
49:09 we had several going to prison
49:11 for very lengthy prison terms.
49:14 When Brother Boucher’s case
49:16 came before the Supreme Court,
49:19 he lost by a majority of one.
49:22 The Catholic judges all ruled against him,
49:26 and they found that the tract
49:28 the Burning Hate of Quebec was seditious.
49:31 Our lawyers looked at the situation,
49:34 prayed about it, and thought:
49:37 ‘What can we do? We can’t lose this battle.’
49:39 And they realized that in Canada
49:41 there was a very rarely used provision
49:44 of asking the Supreme Court for a rehearing.
49:47 At the rehearing, one of the Catholic judges
49:50 was willing to discuss further
49:52 the issue of sedition.
49:55 And to be guilty of sedition,
49:58 you have to incite to violence.
50:01 So our attorney asked them:
50:04 “Please, look at the record.
50:06 “Show the court where Jehovah’s Witnesses
50:09 incited to violence.”
50:11 And finally, they were able to convince a court they were wrong.
50:15 And so they overturned their initial decision,
50:17 and Brother Boucher’s case
50:21 was victorious.
50:23 This dealt with all the accusations of sedition
50:27 and really brought to an end the vicious opposition,
50:31 because that case was the one the government
50:34 was hoping would work out for them.
50:38 There is one case that’s quite noteworthy in Quebec.
50:41 And it’s a case of the priest
50:44 calling up the federal police
50:47 to come and interrupt
50:50 a meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses
50:53 and expel the speaker from the province of Quebec.
50:58 The police obeyed the priest.
51:00 They went to the meeting, they took the brother,
51:03 and they escorted him out of the province into Ontario.
51:07 And to disrupt a religious meeting was a criminal act.
51:11 For the first time —and it’s at the level of the Supreme Court—
51:15 they found that the three policemen
51:17 had to pay moral damages to the brothers
51:21 for intercepting, or interrupting, the meeting.
51:24 This has never happened before.
51:26 And when it came up to the Supreme Court,
51:28 they unanimously ruled
51:31 against the province of Quebec.
51:33 The section on religious freedom
51:35 is the result of these court cases.
51:39 Every lawyer in Canada (whether in Quebec or in English Canada),
51:44 when he studies law, must review these cases.
51:46 They are the fundamentals of religious freedom.
51:51 And they represent the different areas
51:53 —police action, government action, criminal action—
51:58 and they lay a very nice basis
52:02 for our freedoms today.
52:05 Our purpose is to be able to preach the good news
52:09 and to direct people’s attention toward the Bible.
52:12 But our court cases have helped governments,
52:16 courts, judges,
52:19 and officials to have the right point of view
52:23 on the issue of religious freedom.
52:28 The endurance and hard work of our brothers in Quebec
52:31 truly resulted in a witness to the nations.
52:34 While the hope for a positive outcome
52:37 can at times provide us with needed motivation,
52:40 we can’t always expect support
52:42 from the authorities in this system of things.
52:45 The same applies in many areas of life,
52:47 whatever trials we may face.
52:50 Perhaps you have lost a loved one in death.
52:52 Looking forward to a time just around the corner
52:55 can help us endure.
52:57 That’s also the title of this month’s music video,
53:00 Just Around the Corner.
53:14 You can hear the songbirds singing, And you watch the clouds roll by.
53:22 Then you’re walking in the valley As the sun shines in a clear blue sky.
53:30 You’re welcoming your loved ones, And you can’t believe your eyes.
53:37 Yes, this earthly Paradise Was just around the corner.
53:50 There’s a house down in the valley And a house high on the hill.
53:57 There is singing by the river As the water flows and turns the mill.
54:06 The golden fields are waiting. Let the harvesting begin.
54:14 Once the world we’re living in Was just around the corner.
54:22 It’s great to share with friends who care The things that we looked forward to.
54:30 Now every tear has disappeared. The world is young, and life is new.
54:38 There’s the sound of happy voices And the scent of new mown hay.
54:45 Now you’re calling to your loved ones As you start another perfect day.
54:54 Then we thank our God, Jehovah, For his tender loving care.
55:01 Yes, the blessings we all share Were just around the corner.
55:10 And evʹry day I smile and say, “How good to see your happy face!”
55:18 ʹCause once, it seemed, I only dreamed That you’d be in my warm embrace.
55:26 Waiting ʹround the corner Is a world I long to see.
55:34 It’s a promise from Jehovah. It’s a guaranteed reality.
55:42 And it’s hard to get downhearted When I think of what’s in store.
55:50 It’s the day I’m waiting for, And it’s just around the corner.
56:09 What a beautiful song!
56:12 Personally, I lost my father
56:14 when I was two years old.
56:16 He was a soldier in World War II and was killed in battle.
56:20 I never had an opportunity to get to know him.
56:24 Growing up, I missed having a father
56:27 because I saw everyone else had one.
56:29 So I look forward to observing the earthly resurrection
56:33 and seeing my physical father,
56:35 and I hope that both he and my mother
56:38 will want to worship Jehovah in Paradise.
56:41 Thank you for sharing that, Brother Lösch.
56:44 When my father comes back in the resurrection,
56:47 I look forward to welcoming him with open arms.
56:51 He was a keen student of history and the Bible,
56:54 and so he will want to know all about what took place
56:57 during this time of the end.
56:59 So my family and I will have a good time
57:01 filling him in on what took place.
57:03 This music video and some of the videos we’ve seen
57:06 the past few years at regional conventions
57:09 have painted such a clear picture
57:11 of the hope we have for the future.
57:13 And if we work hard as champions of the truth,
57:16 that hope will become a reality very soon.
57:20 Well said.
57:22 And speaking of champions of the truth,
57:24 we would like to conclude this program
57:26 with greetings from our brothers and sisters in Romania,
57:31 a country situated in the southeast of Europe.
57:33 Some of you may know Romania
57:36 for its traditional instrument
57:38 called the nai, or pan flute.
57:40 It’s made of wood and has around 20 pipes,
57:43 arranged in a curved array.
57:46 The pitch is adjusted with beeswax,
57:49 which is introduced in the pipes.
57:51 The brothers and sisters
57:53 in the Certeze North Congregation,
57:55 in the north of Romania, send us their love.
57:58 The congregation is located near the Ukrainian border,
58:02 an area known for its brightly colored folk costumes.
58:07 The congregation is made up of families
58:09 with many generations of Witnesses,
58:12 so they have been champions of truth
58:14 for a long time.
58:16 The truth reached this area
58:18 about 80 years ago, and now the congregation
58:20 is made up of 126 publishers.
58:24 They conduct about 90 Bible studies,
58:27 of which many attend the meetings.
58:29 Because there is a large concentration
58:32 of Witnesses in the area, the congregation territory
58:35 is only five kilometers,
58:37 or a little over three miles, from the one end to the other.
58:42 Each territory card has only about five houses.
58:45 Because of that, the congregation
58:47 regularly assists with working territory
58:49 up to 200 kilometers,
58:52 or about 124 miles away.
58:54 The brothers and sisters
58:56 of the Certeze North Congregation
58:59 send all of you champions of the truth
59:02 their love and greetings
59:04 and so do all of us at world headquarters.
59:07 This is JW Broadcasting in Brooklyn, New York.
