00:01 Welcome, brothers and sisters!
00:04 As Jesus’ followers, we’re happy to be related in the faith.
00:08 This month’s program is full of faithful examples and ways
00:13 you and I can act in faith to make things happen.
00:17 We’ll visit with the Lachmuth sisters
00:20 at the Canada branch.
00:22 How did their faith help them adjust to leaving their home in Canada
00:25 to serve in a missionary assignment
00:28 in India?
00:31 For decades, the apartheid laws in South Africa
00:34 separated our brothers from one another.
00:37 How were their neutrality, brotherly love, and faith in Jehovah
00:41 put to the test?
00:44 And our music video depicts how a person’s faith grows
00:47 from when they first study the Bible
00:50 to when they face trials as a dedicated Witness of Jehovah.
00:54 This is the April 2017 edition
00:58 of JW Broadcasting!
01:20 Has fear of failure
01:22 ever held you back from doing something good,
01:25 even something for Jehovah?
01:27 Some have hesitated to dedicate themselves to God
01:31 and get baptized, for fear of breaking God’s laws.
01:35 In other cases, we might not reach out for a form of service
01:39 because we feel we cannot do a good job.
01:43 In this dramatization,
01:45 a Bible student faces his fear of failure.
01:49 It’s based on lessons found in chapter 1 of the book
01:53 “Keep Yourselves in God’s Love.”
01:56 Look for what helps him overcome his fear
01:58 and move ahead in faith.
02:08 When is your turn, Dad?
02:15 Our family was contacted by Jehovah’s Witnesses
02:18 a few years ago.
02:20 Rachel started studying first.
02:22 Soon, we all joined in.
02:24 For the first time, we were all learning
02:27 what the Bible really teaches.
02:30 It wasn’t long
02:32 before we were sharing the truth with others.
02:35 Well, most of us were.
02:39 I knew it was the truth,
02:41 but I didn’t know if I could live up to
02:43 everything Jehovah asks.
02:48 Get away.
02:52 What if I let everyone down?
02:56 What if I let Jehovah down?
03:14 You know, can you just give me one second?
03:16 Yeah, no problem.
03:17 All right. Yeah.
03:19 A kind elder named Ben noticed I was struggling.
03:23 You OK?
03:25 He took the initiative to help.
03:27 He asked, “What drew you to Jehovah
03:30 in the first place?”
03:33 I guess it was learning that Jehovah isn’t harsh and demanding,
03:37 but that he’s a loving Father.
03:40 Ben agreed and said,
03:42 “When we do our best to serve Jehovah,
03:45 he does the rest.”
03:47 He explained that Jehovah knows our limitations
03:50 and doesn’t expect perfection.
03:52 And he’s always there to help
03:54 because he wants us to succeed.
03:57 Then he read Isaiah 41:10:
04:01 “Do not be afraid,
04:03 “for I am with you.
04:05 “Do not be anxious,
04:07 “for I am your God.
04:14 I will fortify you, yes, I will help you,”
04:17 Help!
04:18 “I will really hold on to you
04:20 with my right hand of righteousness.”
04:28 I don’t need to be perfect to serve Jehovah.
04:31 I just need to love him and trust him.
04:36 And he’ll do the rest.
04:45 Our brother learned what the love of God means.
04:48 As 1 John 5:3 tells us,
04:50 it means “that we observe his commandments;
04:53 and yet his commandments are not burdensome.”
04:56 Jehovah is a loving Father who wants us to succeed.
05:00 As our brother concluded, we need to trust Jehovah,
05:04 knowing He’ll do the rest.
05:08 That lesson provides an excellent introduction
05:10 to our discussion for this month.
05:13 The theme is “Faith in Jehovah Makes It Happen.”
05:18 During his earthly ministry,
05:20 Jesus miraculously healed
05:22 many sick or disabled persons.
05:25 At times, he would say to such ones
05:27 the expression we find at Matthew 9:29:
05:31 “According to your faith let it happen to you.”
05:36 The principle of what Jesus stated
05:38 applies in every aspect of our Christian life and ministry.
05:43 But today we will discuss how this principle
05:46 that faith in Jehovah makes things happen
05:49 can work for us in three areas.
05:51 We will see:
05:53 1) how our faith has made positive things happen in our personal life,
05:58 2) how we can accomplish things in God’s service
06:02 that would not be possible without faith in Jehovah God,
06:07 and 3) how faith moves us to step out of our comfort zone
06:12 to do more in Jehovah’s service.
06:16 The principle that faith in Jehovah makes things happen
06:19 is well illustrated in one of the miracles Jesus performed.
06:24 Please open your Bible to Mark chapter 5,
06:28 and let’s read verses 25-29:
06:32 “Now there was a woman
06:34 “who had had a flow of blood for 12 years.
06:38 “She had suffered much at the hands of many physicians
06:41 “and had spent all her resources,
06:44 “and she was no better but, rather, had become worse.
06:48 “When she heard the reports about Jesus,
06:51 “she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his outer garment,
06:56 “for she kept saying:
06:59 “‘If I touch just his outer garments, I will get well.’
07:03 “And immediately her flow of blood dried up,
07:08 “and she sensed in her body
07:10 that she had been healed of the grievous sickness.”
07:14 In the following verses, Jesus asked who had touched him.
07:18 The woman then revealed before the crowd
07:20 what she had done and how she’d been cured.
07:24 Now notice Jesus’ response in verse 34:
07:28 “He said to her:
07:31 “‘Daughter, your faith has made you well.
07:35 “‘Go in peace, and be healed
07:37 from your grievous sickness.’”
07:39 What comforting words
07:41 Jesus spoke to this trembling woman:
07:44 “Your faith has made you well.”
07:47 What did Jesus mean?
07:49 Let’s examine the account more closely.
07:52 It says that the woman heard “reports about Jesus.”
07:56 Many others heard the same reports,
07:59 but not all put faith in Jesus.
08:01 And think of the circumstances
08:03 that could have prevented her from even coming to Jesus.
08:07 She had been disappointed many times
08:10 over the past 12 years.
08:12 She might well have thought:
08:14 ‘What’s the use?
08:16 ‘I’m tired and weak and poor.
08:19 I’m staying home.’
08:21 Or ‘I would like for Jesus to see me,
08:24 ‘but there is such a crowd.
08:26 ‘How will I ever get through to him?
08:28 ‘And after all, I’m in an unclean state,
08:32 ‘and if the people discover this,
08:34 perhaps they will punish me.’
08:36 No, she did not allow these negative thoughts
08:39 or doubts to fill her mind.
08:42 She left her home.
08:44 She found Jesus despite the large crowd.
08:47 And what was she saying?
08:49 Did she say,
08:51 “If I touch just his outer garments,
08:53 maybe I will get well”?
08:56 No, she said,
08:58 “I will get well.”
09:00 Now, it was not the case
09:02 that her faith healed her.
09:05 No, but her faith moved her to come to Jesus,
09:09 and she was healed by the power from Jehovah
09:12 that flowed through his Son.
09:14 Faith to approach Jesus
09:16 made it happen for her.
09:20 If you are a dedicated, baptized Christian,
09:23 don’t you agree that your faith has already made
09:26 positive things happen in your personal life?
09:29 No, you were not miraculously healed
09:32 of your physical sicknesses.
09:34 We look forward to physical healing of our ills
09:37 during the Thousand Year Reign of Christ.
09:39 But today Jesus Christ directs a program
09:43 of spiritual healing.
09:45 When we were a part of this godless world,
09:48 many of us were sick spiritually, morally, and emotionally.
09:53 No one could cure us.
09:55 Perhaps we desperately tried material things or pleasures
09:59 to fill our spiritual need,
10:01 but our condition only got worse.
10:04 We were helpless and hopeless.
10:07 But then we heard “reports”
10:10 —the good news of God’s Kingdom under Christ!
10:14 We studied the Bible.
10:16 Our faith moved us to make positive changes in our life
10:20 and to associate with the Christian congregation.
10:24 Today, we enjoy good spiritual health and happiness.
10:28 Our faith has made it happen.
10:33 Faith has also made it possible
10:35 to accomplish things in God’s service
10:38 that perhaps we never thought we could do.
10:41 Please open your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 11.
10:46 In this portion of Paul’s letter to the Hebrews,
10:49 he focuses on faith.
10:52 He begins with a definition of faith.
10:55 But then, starting in verse 4,
10:58 Paul acts as a sort of tour guide,
11:01 walking us through the corridor
11:03 of thousands of years of Bible history.
11:06 He stops along the way
11:08 to point out the extraordinary things
11:10 that men and women of the past did
11:13 by means of faith in Jehovah God.
11:16 Just glance down the columns in this chapter
11:21 and notice how Paul introduces each paragraph
11:24 with the words “by faith.”
11:28 This expression “by faith”
11:31 appears 18 times in this one chapter.
11:36 Now, when we look at the names
11:39 Paul lists in this chapter,
11:41 we may think,
11:42 ‘Well, these were spiritual “giants.”’
11:46 But in reality, they were ordinary humans
11:49 with weaknesses like all of us have today.
11:53 The thing they all had in common
11:56 was faith,
11:58 and faith in Jehovah
12:00 made it possible for them to do amazing things.
12:03 Let’s look at some of them and compare what they did
12:07 with what many of you are doing today
12:10 by faith.
12:12 Let’s read verse 5:
12:14 “By faith Enoch was transferred
12:18 “so as not to see death,
12:20 “and he was nowhere to be found
12:22 “because God had transferred him;
12:25 “for before he was transferred
12:27 “he received the witness
12:29 that he had pleased God well.”
12:32 The book of Jude, verses 14 and 15,
12:35 informs us that Enoch boldly proclaimed
12:39 that Jehovah was going to destroy
12:41 that ungodly world.
12:43 It appears that wicked, violent men
12:46 were going to take Enoch’s life
12:48 because of his bold witness.
12:50 So God chose to take him
12:53 —that is, gently cutting short his life,
12:56 sparing him the pangs of a violent death.
13:00 In modern times, like Enoch,
13:03 many brothers and sisters
13:05 have boldly declared God’s judgments
13:07 even when faced with death.
13:10 One brother, after receiving a death sentence
13:13 at Nazi hands during World War II,
13:16 wrote these words shortly before his execution:
13:20 “I have such peace, such tranquillity,
13:24 that you can’t possibly imagine!”
13:28 Faith made such boldness
13:30 and calmness possible.
13:33 In many ways, you very likely
13:35 have shown the same faith as Enoch.
13:39 By faith, you stand up to an ungodly world
13:43 by not adopting its corrupt ways.
13:46 By faith, you boldly declare God’s Word
13:50 from house to house and in public places.
13:53 Before you became a baptized Witness,
13:55 you may have thought you would never do this preaching work!
13:59 But you are doing it,
14:01 sometimes even in the face
14:03 of verbal abuse and opposition.
14:05 Faith has made it happen.
14:08 Let’s read verse 7:
14:11 “By faith Noah,
14:13 “after receiving divine warning of things not yet seen,
14:17 “showed godly fear and constructed an ark
14:21 “for the saving of his household;
14:23 “and through this faith he condemned the world,
14:26 “and he became an heir of the righteousness
14:29 that results from faith.”
14:31 Nothing in the Bible indicates
14:33 that Jehovah chose Noah to construct an ark
14:36 because he was an experienced builder.
14:39 Certainly, he never had built such a gigantic vessel
14:43 as what Jehovah had asked him to construct.
14:46 Noah likely pondered many questions:
14:50 ‘How will I get all the building materials?
14:53 ‘Do I have the right tools to do the job?
14:56 ‘How will I gather all the animals?
14:59 ‘What food will they need, and how much?
15:02 ‘When, exactly, will the Deluge begin?
15:06 ‘How long will it last?
15:08 Where will the ark land after the Flood subsides?’
15:12 Nothing in the record indicates
15:14 that Jehovah gave Noah all the details in advance.
15:18 What Noah did have was faith.
15:21 Faith moved him to begin building.
15:24 His faith saved him and his family.
15:27 Faith in Jehovah made it happen.
15:31 Like Noah, during this time of the end,
15:35 Jehovah’s people have taken on
15:37 challenging theocratic building projects.
15:40 Certainly, constructing the new world headquarters
15:43 at Warwick, New York,
15:45 was one of these projects that required much faith.
15:48 A committee of brothers was assigned
15:51 to complete this vast project
15:53 in less than four years.
15:55 To do so, they knew they had to begin
15:58 by July 2013.
16:01 They moved ahead in faith.
16:03 Though the town had not yet approved the site permits,
16:07 they began inviting workers to the site
16:10 with that date in mind.
16:13 Time was passing quickly.
16:15 The invited volunteers were buying plane tickets.
16:18 Bethel was arranging rooming and other details.
16:22 Yet, the committee still did not have site permits.
16:26 Would they cancel these invitations?
16:29 They state:
16:31 “We spent a lot of time praying about it.
16:34 “We decided we needed to act in faith.
16:37 “And we were just convinced
16:40 Jehovah was going to make it happen.”
16:43 As the deadline approached,
16:45 the brothers had done everything possible
16:48 to obtain the permits.
16:50 The town planning board was holding a public hearing.
16:54 And to the brothers’ great surprise,
16:56 within 15 minutes of the start of the meeting,
17:00 the town board voted to approve the project.
17:03 These overseers commented,
17:06 “When the approval came through,
17:09 “we knew it was only by Jehovah’s spirit
17:12 that that happened.”
17:14 True, but it was also the brothers’ faith
17:18 to act that made it happen.
17:20 Those experiences are found in the video
17:24 World Headquarters —History Is Being Written.
17:27 You can find it in the “Our Activities” section
17:31 under the “Construction” category.
17:35 Now let’s read Hebrews 11:8:
17:39 “By faith Abraham, when he was called,
17:43 “obeyed by going out to a place
17:45 “he was to receive as an inheritance;
17:48 “he went out, although not knowing
17:51 where he was going.”
17:52 What faith it took
17:54 for Abraham and his submissive wife, Sarah,
17:57 to leave the prosperous city of Ur
18:00 and to go wherever Jehovah would lead them!
18:03 It meant leaving the security of a pleasant home
18:07 and moving to some strange and potentially hostile land
18:11 some 1,000 miles, or 1,609 kilometers, away.
18:17 Do we see such faith today?
18:19 Absolutely!
18:21 Since 2014,
18:23 thousands of brothers and sisters
18:26 have attended the School for Kingdom Evangelizers,
18:29 agreeing to be assigned to wherever
18:31 there is a need by the organization.
18:34 Faith has made it happen.
18:38 When a call goes out for skilled volunteers
18:41 to help build or expand branch facilities,
18:44 faith moves brothers and sisters to simplify their lives
18:49 and to leave their comfort zone in order to assist.
18:52 For example, in 2009,
18:56 the congregations in the United States were informed
18:59 that an expansion project at Wallkill, New York,
19:03 was being planned.
19:05 One couple moved out of their newly built
19:08 2,200-square-foot, or 200-square-meter, dream home
19:13 and into a 270-square-foot, or 25-square-meter, apartment
19:18 so that they could make themselves available.
19:21 What happened?
19:23 They explain:
19:25 “One month after we moved into our small apartment,
19:28 “we received an invitation to serve
19:31 “as temporary volunteers at Wallkill.
19:34 “It was clear to us that by simplifying our life,
19:38 we had given Jehovah something to bless.”
19:41 Faith made it happen for them.
19:45 So, what have we learned today?
19:49 Faith in Jehovah God is a powerful motivating force
19:54 that impels us to act in harmony with his will.
19:57 Jehovah rewards such faith.
20:00 Remember, the very meaning of the name of our God, Jehovah,
20:05 is “He Causes to Become.”
20:08 Truly, he is a God who makes things happen!
20:12 Brothers and sisters, let us continue to act in faith.
20:17 Jehovah will continue to make wonderful things
20:19 happen in our personal life.
20:22 We will accomplish things we never could do
20:25 through our own personal efforts.
20:27 We will be able to do more in Jehovah’s service.
20:30 May it happen to you “according to your faith.”
20:36 We met two examples of faith at the Canada branch.
20:40 Tillie and Leona Lachmuth
20:43 showed faith like Abraham’s
20:45 when they stepped out of their comfort zone
20:47 to preach in a faraway land.
20:49 But that wasn’t the only big adjustment they would make
20:53 in their long theocratic history.
20:55 In their interview, look for the challenge that came
20:59 after nearly 50 years in their assignment.
21:03 We were brought up in a small town in Saskatchewan.
21:06 It was friendly.
21:08 I don’t think they moved to other places.
21:12 They stayed right there.
21:15 One time, our father said:
21:18 “Why do you have to go so far as India?
21:20 Why can’t you preach in Canada?”
21:25 Dad was very strict.
21:26 Very strict.
21:27 When we were out playing and he came out and called us,
21:30 we had to come immediately.
21:31 They were strict.
21:33 Don’t question; just do what you’re told.
21:36 Yeah, do what you’re told.
21:36 Yeah. That’s right.
21:39 Strict.
21:41 My father was the one that was interested,
21:44 but he never came into the truth.
21:46 He enjoyed having Witnesses come to our home,
21:49 but he never ever thought
21:51 of himself as being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
21:54 Coming into the truth, I think, changed our life,
21:58 and we had a different purpose.
22:01 So that was when we decided,
22:03 “Well, I guess we should pioneer now too.”
22:06 And we only pioneered two years,
22:09 and we were called to Gilead.
22:11 So then we graduated in 1953.
22:15 On your application for Gilead, one question is:
22:18 Are you willing to go any place in the world?
22:21 Brother Knorr always would say, “A one-way ticket.”
22:24 So that was on your mind.
22:28 We were happy to go.
22:29 And if we didn’t get back, that was OK.
22:34 And then the 13 of us, for one month,
22:37 we all went together back to India
22:39 on a ship.
22:41 Well, we were a bit nervous because we didn’t know
22:43 just what kind of people we would be meeting
22:46 or what kind of atmosphere we’d be experiencing.
22:50 That was why it was a shock when we landed in Bombay
22:53 because all we could see
22:56 was people, people everywhere and noise.
23:01 And then they gave us such hot food.
23:03 We were burning all the way down.
23:07 And then when we arrived there, the missionary home had no furniture
23:10 and we had to sleep on the floor for quite a few months
23:13 before the furniture was made.
23:15 We boiled our water; we filtered our water.
23:18 When we went to the market, we’d bring all our vegetables and fruit home
23:22 and we washed them with a solution.
23:24 And we were very careful in that respect.
23:26 It was all a shock to us in many things.
23:28 Yes.
23:30 We made up our mind, I guess,
23:32 that it’s not going to be the same as Canada, we know.
23:34 We didn’t worry about the things we had to put up with
23:37 because we had the joy in the ministry.
23:40 The Society wanted us to get the Joy booklet out,
23:44 and we had to just stand on the street with this carton of literature
23:47 and just keep calling out to the people,
23:50 and everybody would take it.
23:52 And they were so appreciative, really appreciative.
23:54 Yeah, they were. Yeah.
23:55 In those days, we had to put in 150 hours.
23:59 And in South India, after 4:00 p.m.,
24:02 women were not out.
24:04 So we had to get all our time in
24:06 early in the morning and work right through until four o’clock.
24:10 We sure did.
24:14 We were using the Malayalam language,
24:17 and the children repeated what we said.
24:19 They’d run ahead and tell people
24:22 what we were talking about.
24:24 And they’d all yell, “Ma’damma, ma’damma.”
24:26 “White woman, white woman.”
24:28 Yeah, and we had many studies then.
24:31 We enjoyed the ministry, and we enjoyed the hospitality.
24:34 Be with the brothers and go to their homes
24:37 and eat their food and do things the way they do things.
24:42 So we had to make India our home.
24:44 We lived in India about 50 years.
24:48 And then the news came that we had to leave.
24:51 So that was why the Governing Body said,
24:53 “Well, you go to the Canada branch then.”
24:56 Well, it was like a culture shock too after being so many years in India.
25:00 Yes.
25:01 A lot of things we had to sort of adjust to here now.
25:07 I’m working down in the laundry, folding.
25:10 Same.
25:11 Folding and folding until we fold in.
25:18 Well, we always tell the younger ones
25:20 to be in the full-time service serving Jehovah.
25:22 This, we think, is a wonderful life to choose.
25:27 It’s good for the young people to learn when they’re young like that.
25:30 And, no doubt, they’ll make progress in the truth too.
25:35 We’re glad we started pioneering and moved about.
25:38 Yeah. We lacked nothing, really.
25:40 We have nothing to complain about.
25:46 It wasn’t easy, but Tillie and Leona
25:49 adapted to a culture in India
25:52 that was very different from what they knew.
25:54 It was interesting, however, that they felt a similar culture shock
25:58 when returning home to Canada.
26:01 But through all of it, Jehovah rewarded their faith.
26:04 After more than 67 years of full-time service,
26:08 they can say with confidence that they lacked nothing.
26:13 Young ones, why not imitate the faith
26:16 of ones like Tillie and Leona
26:18 and set a goal for a form of service that’s new to you?
26:22 And, older ones,
26:25 if an assignment you treasured for many years comes to an end,
26:29 know that Jehovah remembers the love you showed for his name
26:33 and wants you to find joy in your new assignment.
26:37 No matter our circumstances, Jehovah wants us all to do
26:41 what was recently discussed at a Bethel morning worship:
26:45 Seek first the Kingdom.
26:48 Our text for discussion today,
26:50 here at Matthew 6:33,
26:53 contains two parts.
26:56 The first part is what we have to do;
26:59 it says: “Keep on, then, seeking first the Kingdom
27:03 and his righteousness.”
27:05 The second part is what Jehovah will do:
27:09 “And all these other things will be added to you.”
27:13 We think carefully about these words.
27:16 Jesus actually was educating his disciples
27:21 to make a dramatic change in their lifestyle.
27:24 What do we mean by that?
27:26 Well, look at verse 31.
27:29 He says: “So never be anxious and say,
27:34 “‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’
27:37 or, ‘What are we to wear?’”
27:39 Did Jesus say never?
27:42 Yes!
27:44 But those are the things we normally do.
27:47 We are anxious about our existence,
27:50 and Jesus recognizes that most people are that way.
27:55 He says in verse 32:
27:57 “For all these are the things
27:59 the nations are eagerly pursuing.”
28:02 But then he says:
28:05 “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”
28:10 Here in this chapter,
28:12 Jesus outlines a number of very important principles
28:17 that actually change the way we look at life
28:22 and the way we see our existence
28:24 in relationship to Jehovah God.
28:27 He puts service to Jehovah
28:30 in the first place,
28:32 regardless of our circumstances.
28:35 Let us have a look at two of these principles.
28:38 The one that’s here at Matthew 6:24,
28:41 he says:
28:43 “No one can slave for two masters;
28:48 “for either he will hate the one and love the other,
28:51 “or he will stick to the one and despise the other.
28:55 “You cannot slave
28:58 for God and for Riches.”
29:00 It is just not possible.
29:03 Some have tried, but they’ve failed.
29:06 Satan approached Jesus and said to him: ‘I will give you riches.
29:11 I’ll give you all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.’
29:14 Of course, Jesus refused. Why?
29:17 Because he knew there was a price attached to it.
29:21 What is the price?
29:23 Worship
29:25 —divided worship— which is impossible.
29:28 He knew that it is impossible
29:30 to worship both Jehovah and Riches.
29:33 In verse 21, Jesus says:
29:36 “For where your treasure is,
29:38 there your heart will be also.”
29:46 The second principle is in verse 25:
29:51 “On this account I say to you:
29:54 “Stop being anxious about your lives
29:58 “as to what you will eat or what you will drink,
30:01 or about your bodies as to what you will wear.”
30:04 And here is the principle:
30:06 “Does not life mean more than food
30:10 and the body [more] than clothing?”
30:14 You can have a storehouse full of food;
30:17 if you don’t have life, you cannot eat it.
30:20 You can have a warehouse full of clothes;
30:24 but if there’s no body, you cannot wear it.
30:28 Jesus illustrated this principle beautifully in Luke.
30:32 Turn to Luke
30:35 chapter 12
30:38 and from verse 16:
30:41 “With that he told them an illustration, saying:
30:44 “‘The land of a rich man produced well.
30:47 “‘So he began reasoning within himself,
30:50 “‘“What should I do now that I have nowhere to gather my crops?”
30:54 “‘Then he said, “I will do this:
30:56 “‘“I will tear down my storehouses and build bigger ones,
31:00 “‘“and there I will gather all my grain and all my goods,
31:04 “‘“and I will say to myself:
31:06 “‘“‘You have many good things stored up for many years;
31:09 “‘“‘take it easy, eat, drink, enjoy yourself.’”
31:13 “‘But God said to him,
31:16 “‘“Unreasonable one,
31:18 “‘“this night they are demanding your life from you.
31:22 “‘“Who, then, is to have the things you stored up?”
31:26 “‘So it goes with the man who stores up treasure for himself
31:30 but is not rich toward God.’”
31:35 Jesus didn’t say this man was dishonest
31:38 or that he’d never thought about God.
31:42 The mistake the man made was
31:45 that his priorities were wrong.
31:47 He focused primarily on amassing wealth.
31:52 He did not do what it says in verse 21.
31:55 He did not store up treasure for himself—
31:58 He ‘stored up treasure for himself,’
32:01 but did not store up treasure with God in heaven.
32:04 He was “not rich toward God.”
32:07 And that is the key element, isn’t it?
32:10 Our service to Jehovah God,
32:12 our life for Jehovah,
32:15 that is the key element.
32:17 And as Jesus says in verse 15,
32:19 the second part of verse 15:
32:22 “Because even when a person has an abundance,
32:26 “his life does not result
32:29 from the things he possesses.”
32:31 So these are
32:33 the two very important principles we’ve covered.
32:36 First of all,
32:38 make our service to God a priority
32:41 and not amassing wealth.
32:43 And the second one:
32:45 “Keep on, then, seeking first the Kingdom
32:49 “and [God’s] righteousness,
32:51 and all these other things will be added to you.”
32:54 We do not know precisely when the end will come,
32:57 but we want to keep on seeking first the Kingdom.
33:02 Rather than putting our trust in the securities of this world,
33:06 we want to put our trust in our heavenly Father.
33:10 Jehovah gives everything;
33:14 he gives more than what we need.
33:17 In Ecclesiastes 5:19,
33:20 it summarizes this whole principle.
33:24 It establishes the truth —the reality of the matter.
33:29 It says, Ecclesiastes 5:19:
33:33 “Also, when the true God gives a man riches
33:38 “and material possessions
33:40 “along with the ability to enjoy them,
33:44 “he should take his reward
33:47 “and rejoice in his hard work.
33:50 This is the gift of God.”
33:54 Did you note two things
33:56 that Brother Marais said could prevent us
33:59 from seeking the Kingdom first in our lives?
34:02 One was being divided —trying to serve Jehovah
34:06 while seeking riches or other things in the world.
34:09 The second was anxiety
34:12 over what we need to survive.
34:14 We can avoid both of these distractions
34:18 by building up our faith that Jehovah cares for us.
34:22 We’re assured that he will provide
34:25 for our needs in this system.
34:27 And in the new world, we know he’ll satisfy
34:30 any wholesome desires
34:32 that we choose to sacrifice for now.
34:36 It may help to recall
34:38 what Jehovah has already done for us.
34:42 Can you remember your faith growing
34:44 when you first studied the Bible?
34:46 when you began your ministry, sharing the Kingdom good news?
34:50 when you dedicated your life to God?
34:53 or when he helped you through a serious trial?
34:56 If so, you can say with conviction
34:59 that faith makes things happen
35:03 and you can appreciate the experiences depicted
35:06 in this encouraging music video.
35:19 A heart full of questions, a life so unsure,
35:25 I heard what you told me; I wanted more.
35:30 What you told me, I wanted more.
35:41 Unanswered questions were answered that day.
35:46 The worry I was feeling melted away.
35:51 All my worries faded away.
36:02 It’s a long road we’re going down, But faith can make things happen.
36:13 When there’s no way through and no way round,
36:19 Faith can make things happen, Make things happen.
36:37 I love what I’m learning and share what I know.
36:42 I’m ready and waiting, so here I go.
36:47 Yes, I’m ready To share what I know.
36:58 My faith is like a fire that burns within my heart.
37:04 I’ve got to keep it burning and do my part.
37:09 Keep it burning deep in my heart.
37:19 It’s a long road we’re going down, But this I’ve not forgotten:
37:30 When there’s no way through and no way round,
37:36 Faith can make things happen, Make things happen.
37:48 Seeing sad days, bad days, bring stormy weather.
37:59 Praying over and over, staying close to Jehovah.
38:09 He said, “If you put your trust in me, I’ll give you strength, and then you’ll see
38:16 The trials that came to be, We faced them together.”
38:21 It’s a long road we’re going down, But this I’ve not forgotten:
38:31 When there’s no way through and no way round,
38:37 Faith can make things happen.
38:42 Now I’m so sure, I have no doubt, Faith can make things happen.
38:52 When there’s no way through and no way round,
38:58 Faith can make things happen, Make things happen.
39:13 Nothing we experience is too difficult for Jehovah.
39:17 That may be easy to remember when things are going well.
39:20 But when anxiety or trials come,
39:23 can we remember to trust Jehovah?
39:27 What was one thing our sister did to build her faith?
39:30 She prayed!
39:32 Even Jesus’ apostles begged him:
39:35 “Give us more faith.”
39:37 We can ask Jehovah for more faith
39:39 and then act with the courage and strength that he provides.
39:45 Jehovah gives us his holy spirit,
39:48 both individually and as a group.
39:51 To see evidence of that, we need only go to a part of the world
39:55 where Jehovah’s people were put under intense pressure.
39:59 In South Africa, for example,
40:02 the government’s policy of racial segregation, called apartheid,
40:07 lasted for 46 years, until 1994.
40:11 Our brothers were pressured to take sides in armed conflict.
40:15 Their freedom to worship together was limited.
40:18 And the prevailing attitudes towards people of different races
40:23 threatened their unity.
40:25 In this report, we learn how our South African brothers
40:28 remained united and neutral and in support of God’s Kingdom.
40:43 One afternoon when we came to the station,
40:47 there were men who were directing things and we were directed
40:50 to a coach for whites only.
40:53 That was the first time
40:55 that we saw apartheid being law enforced.
41:01 You could not leave the black areas
41:04 where your home was without getting a permit.
41:08 We were even given a permit that stipulated which area we were allowed
41:12 to do the preaching work in.
41:17 People would always ask us:
41:20 “What are you doing to fight apartheid?”
41:22 We had to boldly tell them:
41:24 “God’s Kingdom is the only solution.
41:27 “God will help the whole earth to live in peace one day,
41:30 so we cannot take sides on political issues now.”
41:37 Here at home in Soweto, we heard the sound
41:39 of children running in the streets.
41:43 We heard the sound of gunshots;
41:46 tear gas was everywhere.
41:49 When my husband came home that day,
41:51 we sat with the children and took out the book
41:54 Your Youth—Getting the Best out of It
41:56 and we studied the topic “How Do You View Your Parents?”
42:02 This was appropriate
42:04 because children had the spirit of rebelling
42:06 against their own parents.
42:09 They went as far as burning people.
42:15 They came shouting my son’s name:
42:17 “Aquila, Mathiba, come out, come out!”
42:22 And one of them defended him and said:
42:24 “No, no, no, not Aquila!
42:29 “Aquila does not do these things.
42:32 He will never protest.”
42:36 Ahh, I saw Jehovah’s hand in this.
42:41 Even under those circumstances,
42:43 Jehovah helped our children
42:45 not to dwell on the madness in the streets,
42:48 and we focused on spiritual things.
42:53 In 1968, when I was 19 years old,
42:56 I was sentenced to jail
42:58 for refusing to do military service.
43:00 Over a period of 20 years,
43:03 close to 1,000 young white Witness men
43:06 similarly took their stand for neutrality in this country.
43:10 We used to pray for our white brothers in prison.
43:14 People in the black townships respected us
43:18 for the stand these brothers were taking.
43:26 In 1974,
43:27 over 30,000 black and white brothers met
43:31 for the afternoon session of the “Divine Victory” Assembly.
43:37 When we first arrived,
43:39 there were policemen everywhere.
43:45 But after half an hour,
43:47 they saw how peaceful it was
43:49 and so they left.
43:53 For those few hours
43:55 in the dark era of apartheid,
43:59 we felt
44:01 the glorious brotherly love as we praised Jehovah
44:05 together.
44:15 Brother Moses Nyamussua was asked
44:18 by a group on their way to a political rally
44:21 to weld weapons for them.
44:23 He refused to do so.
44:26 After their rally, they went back to him and said:
44:29 “You refused to weld our weapons,
44:32 “and some of our comrades were killed in a fight at the rally.
44:36 Now you will die.”
44:39 Brother Nyamussua maintained his neutrality
44:42 all the way to death,
44:44 and Jehovah will remember him.
44:51 In 1993, I was amazed
44:54 when a white person came preaching house to house.
44:56 They came with another white man
44:58 who could speak Venda fluently.
45:01 That excited me a lot, and as time went by,
45:04 I came to realize
45:06 that this is the true religion because they were faithful friends
45:09 and they spoke to me like we were family.
45:13 In the late 1980’s, the government granted us permission
45:16 to come in and build Kingdom Halls
45:19 in the black townships.
45:21 The local community was absolutely amazed
45:23 to see all these whites
45:25 pouring in and working hard
45:27 along with their black brothers
45:29 to build these beautiful Kingdom Halls.
45:31 It was a wonderful privilege to get to know other young people
45:34 of different races.
45:36 Everyone in the congregation feels like family
45:39 as long as they serve Jehovah.
45:41 Just see yourself.
45:44 Just see me too.
45:47 Just see us all. . .
45:49 . . . in a world that is new.
45:54 Today, in South Africa,
45:56 there are more than 100,000 Witnesses
45:59 worshipping together in spirit and truth.
46:03 South Africa has 11 official languages.
46:06 Yet, across that cultural variety,
46:09 our brothers and sisters are all speaking the “pure language”
46:13 —the truth about Jehovah God and his purposes.
46:18 When we build strong faith in times of peace,
46:21 we can find courage during times of testing and persecution.
46:25 Brother Rocky Webb from the United States
46:29 learned to be a fighter as a young man.
46:32 But as his faith grew, he learned that Jehovah is there
46:36 “to help us and to fight our battles.”
46:57 All of us are going to be tested one way or the other
47:00 before we make it into the new world.
47:05 And if we can endure those tests faithfully,
47:09 faithfully, then we’ll make it.
47:15 My dad and my mother taught me the truth.
47:18 What drove me to be baptized
47:22 was the convention in Washington, D.C.
47:25 Brother Rutherford gave the talk on “the meek shall inherit the earth.”
47:30 It touched my heart in a way that it’s never left
47:34 from that minute on, right on up to now.
47:38 It gave me faith to stay
47:39 with Jehovah all the way.
47:45 The bullies would come and jump onto me,
47:48 and I would come home pretty well beat up.
47:50 So that’s when I started training for boxing.
47:55 I was offered $40,000 for a fight —win or lose.
48:00 And if I won the second fight, they would double the amount.
48:06 Brother Macmillan was like a second dad to me and my brother.
48:11 And he asked me, and he said, “Would you do me a favor?”
48:14 He said, “Don’t put the gloves on no more.”
48:17 And so I didn’t put them on anymore.
48:21 I think he knew that it wouldn’t be very long
48:25 before there’d be an article on it.
48:27 It came out and told that boxing wasn’t for Christians.
48:32 I was drafted during this time,
48:34 and I refused to serve and was sent to prison.
48:38 All the time,
48:40 I never, never, ever slowed down
48:44 on my theocratic deals,
48:46 never.
48:48 I kept right on on it.
48:49 The jail warden overheard me
48:52 witnessing to another inmate.
48:54 He told me,
48:56 “Don’t do anymore of that.”
48:58 He said, “We don’t allow it here.”
49:00 Three days had passed by, and he’d seen me talking to him again.
49:06 And they put me in a car that was shaded
49:10 —you couldn’t see out.
49:14 I didn’t know where I was going.
49:15 It was an old, old prison,
49:18 just dark as could be in there.
49:22 It was three feet (1 m) around.
49:25 And they called it “the Sweat Box.”
49:30 All the time I was in there, I’d just sweat, sweat, sweat.
49:33 And I went in weighing 213 pounds (97 kg),
49:39 and I came out weighing 133 pounds (60 kg).
49:45 Psalm 144 says:
49:48 “May Jehovah, my Rock, be praised,
49:52 “who trains my hands for battle,
49:55 my fingers for warfare.”
49:58 I gave my life
50:01 to give Jehovah my faith.
50:05 I lived in Wewoka.
50:08 Several congregations would come together to work.
50:11 We were confronted by mobs.
50:14 There were a lot of them that were injured.
50:17 I had 80 stitches up here,
50:22 and I had 13 in the side there,
50:27 on each stab.
50:29 I was really, really beat up.
50:34 But I couldn’t have stood up if it hadn’t been for Jehovah.
50:37 I knew he was with me some way or another.
50:42 So we sued the town and won $20,000.
50:48 The Society called us and said:
50:52 “You did very good in what all you’ve done”
50:56 but said, “Remember, we’re not out for money.
51:01 Make sure that that’s made known to them.”
51:06 When we walked up to the desk,
51:08 they slid the papers out to us
51:11 and said, “Sign them up.”
51:13 And we just took them and slid them back.
51:17 It came out in the papers,
51:19 ‘Tell them to come back and do all they want to do
51:23 in the way of their witnessing.’
51:26 It said, ‘We won’t touch them.’
51:28 They really highly respected us for what we did,
51:34 and so that opened it up.
51:37 And we had a real good congregation there
51:42 that got started and everything.
51:53 My first wife was a blessing for me,
51:56 but when she died,
51:59 Jehovah stepped in and gave me another good one.
52:02 We mow the lawns together.
52:06 No, no, we do most everything together.
52:10 We study to where we can feel it in our hearts.
52:14 When you give your faith to Jehovah,
52:17 you’re giving your life to him.
52:19 He’s permitted these things to come upon me;
52:22 I knew that.
52:24 But he protected me.
52:29 Brother Webb is now 94 years old.
52:33 But as we saw, he and his wife, Charlene,
52:37 keep themselves spiritually active.
52:40 What lessons did you see in Rocky’s experience?
52:44 For one, we heard that Rocky learned to be a boxer
52:48 to protect himself from bullies;
52:51 yet he responded in faith to loving counsel to quit
52:55 —even before God’s people
52:57 had a clear understanding of violent sports.
53:00 Making that change
53:02 helped Rocky to continue cultivating
53:05 a Christlike personality.
53:07 That prepared him to stand firm
53:10 when imprisoned for his faith,
53:12 and it helped him to not return evil for evil
53:16 when persecuted for his ministry.
53:18 He had faith that although Jehovah
53:21 permitted these things to happen,
53:23 He was also there to protect him.
53:26 Examples like those of Rocky and the others we’ve considered
53:31 warm our hearts and let us know
53:34 we’re never alone in our fight for the faith.
53:38 Like you,
53:40 our brothers around the world are standing firm
53:43 and earnestly seeking out people
53:46 to show them what the Bible teaches.
53:48 Later this month,
53:50 you’ll enjoy hearing a report from the Central America branch.
53:53 Preaching campaigns organized by the branch are reaching people
53:57 in seldom-worked territories across several countries,
54:01 such as Mexico, El Salvador,
54:04 Costa Rica, Panama,
54:06 Nicaragua, and Guatemala.
54:09 Later, when it is posted,
54:11 you’ll find it in the “Video on Demand” section
54:14 under “Our Meetings and Ministry.”
54:17 We’d like to conclude our program
54:20 with a visit to the Catania Fleming English Congregation
54:24 on the beautiful island of Sicily.
54:27 The small congregation has 46 publishers
54:30 and 16 pioneers,
54:32 but they’re conducting on average
54:34 more than 60 Bible studies.
54:37 Critical times in this system of things
54:40 are also giving them special opportunities
54:42 in the ministry.
54:44 Their territory includes
54:46 one of the largest refugee camps in Europe.
54:48 It provides shelter to people coming from countries
54:51 such as Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana,
54:55 Eritrea, and Somalia.
54:57 Each week, a group of publishers drives an hour to the camp
55:01 to give a witness and conduct studies.
55:04 Residents from the camp also come by bus to attend the weekend meeting.
55:09 The brothers and sisters
55:11 of the Catania Fleming English Congregation
55:14 send you their love and greetings.
55:17 We thank Jehovah for their willing spirit
55:20 to bring comfort to others with the good news.
55:23 Thank you for being with us this month.
55:26 From the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
55:29 this is JW Broadcasting!
