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00:01 To set the stage for the experiences in our program, 00:04 I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes on the theme 00:07 “Invigorate Your Ministry—How?” 00:11 You dear brothers and sisters are having 00:14 a regular share in the preaching work, 00:16 and just think of the results. 00:18 Each year, 00:19 about two billion hours are spent in the ministry. 00:23 Millions of Bible studies are conducted, 00:26 and those being baptized number into the hundreds of thousands. 00:31 If you are a Kingdom publisher, 00:33 you have had a share in those thrilling statistics. 00:37 But there’s a potential danger. 00:40 With so much to do in our life 00:42 —not just in the ministry but also with secular work, 00:46 family responsibilities, for some, even health issues— 00:50 we can get into a rut. 00:53 It’s not always easy to detect at first, 00:56 because in this age of technology 00:58 we always feel busy. 01:01 But what consumes our day? 01:04 Watch this one-minute video, 01:06 and try to detect what’s going on in the life of one brother. 01:10 His life is in a rut. 01:13 Try to figure out why. 02:29 Would you say that this brother’s life is in a rut? 02:32 Oh, he’s active all day 02:34 —he always has something to do. 02:37 But it’s as if his mind has been kidnapped by his devices. 02:42 Have you ever had the experience of reading an e-mail 02:46 while someone is trying to tell you something? 02:48 It can be embarrassing 02:50 when you realize that they’ve asked you a question, 02:53 and they’re waiting for an answer, 02:55 but you have no idea what they asked. 02:57 It’s embarrassing, right? 02:59 But what if the person who is trying to speak to you is Jehovah? 03:05 Even though we aren’t doing anything wrong, 03:08 our daily routine can occupy our attention so much 03:12 that we are not able to hear the refreshing words of Jehovah. 03:17 That can happen to any one of us. 03:20 Even our spiritual activity can get into a rut. 03:24 One Christian sister described it this way: 03:27 “I would go out in service, 03:30 “go to meetings, study, pray 03:33 “—but I did it all on automatic control, 03:36 never feeling anything.” 03:40 Have you ever felt that way? 03:42 Do you see all the happy servants of Jehovah 03:45 whose experiences appear on JW Broadcasting, 03:48 and you say to yourself: 03:50 ‘Why can’t I find that joy? 03:52 Why is my ministry in a rut?’ 03:55 Perhaps you feel like a remote-control train 03:58 that goes around and around on a track, 04:01 working the same territory, with the same partner, 04:05 saying the same thing at each door. 04:07 Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being in a good routine. 04:12 But being in a rut can sap our energy 04:16 and take the joy out of our service. 04:18 We could even come to view our ministry as boring. 04:23 Of course, we feel invigorated when we get good results: 04:27 We meet an interested person when going from door to door 04:30 —we’re invigorated! 04:32 An inactive person approaches the cart 04:34 and wants to get in touch with the local congregation 04:37 —we’re even more invigorated! 04:39 We start a Bible study —we’re on top of the world! 04:42 I’m sure you’ll agree, 04:44 all those outcomes are good reasons for joy. 04:48 The problem is that we’re not always in control 04:51 of getting those outcomes. 04:54 In real life, we may spend an entire morning 04:57 in the door-to-door work without meeting an interested person. 05:00 We may spend months 05:02 making return visits without starting a study. 05:06 And once again, our ministry can get into a rut. 05:10 Now, don’t misunderstand. 05:12 It’s not that we’re doing anything wrong, 05:15 but we’re not getting the full joy out of doing what’s right. 05:20 Of course, Satan would love it 05:22 if our service to Jehovah were to fall into a rut. 05:25 He would love it if we lost our joy. 05:28 If we lose our joy, we lose hope, 05:32 we lose strength, 05:34 and we might even begin to feel like giving up. 05:38 The point is this, brothers and sisters: 05:41 If you feel that your ministry has fallen into a rut, 05:45 don’t be discouraged and don’t give up. 05:48 There are ways that we can invigorate our ministry 05:51 and serve Jehovah with renewed joy. 05:54 To illustrate that: 05:56 Maybe you’ve had 05:57 the frustrating experience of locking yourself 06:00 out of your house or apartment. 06:04 Of course, with a key, opening the door is simple. 06:07 A locked door might seem like an obstacle, 06:10 but it isn’t if you have the key. 06:14 And the same is true with invigorating our ministry. 06:17 If we’ve fallen into a rut 06:19 and if we’ve lost that feeling of joy in our service, 06:23 there are a number of keys that can help us unlock the door. 06:28 Let’s look at one. 06:30 Open your Bible to 1 Corinthians 16:8, 9. 06:36 Now, in these verses, 06:38 the apostle Paul was presented with a key of opportunity, 06:42 and he used it to open a door. 06:45 First Corinthians 16:8, 9 says: 06:49 “But I am remaining in Ephesus 06:52 “until the Festival of Pentecost, 06:55 “because a large door that leads to activity 06:58 has been opened to me.” 07:01 Here, the apostle Paul found a key, 07:04 and it didn’t require moving to another location. 07:07 In this case, the key was to stay where he was 07:11 and to take full advantage of an opportunity right before him. 07:17 Sometimes, the key to getting out of a rut in our ministry 07:21 is to take advantage of opportunities we have right where we are. 07:26 For example, have you considered auxiliary pioneering 07:30 or regular pioneering? 07:32 What about learning a foreign language 07:34 with the goal of helping a nearby group or congregation? 07:39 Opening one door often leads to other doors of opportunity. 07:44 For example, a brother named Jacob wrote this: 07:48 “When I was seven, many of my classmates were Vietnamese. 07:53 “I wanted to tell them about Jehovah, 07:55 “so after a while I made plans to learn their language. 07:59 “For the most part, 08:01 “I learned by comparing the English and Vietnamese editions 08:04 “of The Watchtower. 08:06 “I also made friends in a nearby Vietnamese-language congregation. 08:10 “When I was 18, I started pioneering. 08:14 “Later, I attended the Bible School for Single Brothers. 08:17 “This helped me with my present pioneer assignment, 08:20 “where I am the only elder in a Vietnamese-language group. 08:25 “Many Vietnamese people are amazed that I have learned their language. 08:29 “They invite me in, and often I can study the Bible with them. 08:34 Some have progressed to baptism.” 08:37 The point is, our ministry is what we make it. 08:42 If we allow ourselves to remain in a rut, 08:45 it will be boring. 08:47 If we use our keys and if we take advantage 08:50 of opportunities that present themselves, 08:52 we will invigorate our ministry and give it new meaning. 08:57 This doesn’t always involve putting in more time in the ministry. 09:01 It could mean that we simply ‘make the best use of our time’ 09:05 as Ephesians 5:16 says. 09:09 In fact, there’s a saying: 09:11 “Don’t work harder; work smarter.” 09:15 The key to working smarter 09:17 could be as simple as switching things up a bit. 09:20 For example: 09:22 Could we work with different publishers instead of the same one all the time? 09:26 Could we try a different approach to our presentation, 09:29 perhaps making better use of the Bible or our videos? 09:34 Could we engage in other aspects of the ministry, 09:37 such as cart witnessing or phone witnessing? 09:41 Could we use our time more effectively to reach people 09:44 when they’re most likely to be home? 09:47 Here’s something else we could do to unlock a door 09:50 and invigorate our ministry. 09:52 Open your Bible to Acts 16:9, 10. 10:00 Now, here the apostle Paul found 10:02 a unique way to unlock a door to greater joy. 10:06 Acts 16:9, 10 says: 10:09 “And during the night a vision appeared to Paul 10:13 “—a Macedonian man was standing there urging him and saying: 10:17 “‘Step over into Macedonia and help us.’ 10:21 “As soon as he had seen the vision, 10:24 “we tried to go into Macedonia, 10:26 “drawing the conclusion that God had summoned us 10:29 to declare the good news to them.” 10:33 Notice, Paul didn’t think of all the reasons 10:37 he couldn’t step into Macedonia. 10:39 No, he took action 10:41 as soon as he was presented with the opportunity. 10:44 Paul unlocked the door to invigorate his ministry. 10:49 Sometimes we think that only those who are young 10:53 can reach out to pioneer or to serve where the need is greater. 10:57 But that’s not always the case. 11:01 You parents may be able to unlock a door of opportunity for yourselves, 11:06 and think of the example you set for your children when you do so. 11:11 That’s what a mother named Tara discovered: 11:16 “I started pioneering when my youngest daughter 11:19 was in elementary school,” she says. 11:22 “It was important to me 11:24 “that my children see me serving Jehovah 11:27 to the best of my ability as I encouraged them to reach out.” 11:33 Tara’s husband, Anthony, 11:35 saw the effect that his wife’s pioneering had 11:38 and, in time, he too joined the ranks. 11:41 This is what he said: 11:43 “When Tara became a pioneer, 11:45 “it made an immediate impact 11:47 “on daughters number one and number two, 11:50 “and they became pioneers. 11:53 “When I became a pioneer, 11:55 “daughters number three and number four followed. 11:57 “I wish I had pursued full-time service sooner, 12:01 as it made a huge impact on the spirituality of the family.” 12:07 I can relate to this experience 12:09 because of the good example of my parents. 12:13 My mother was baptized in Canada 12:16 in 1940 when she was 16. 12:19 Jehovah’s Witnesses had just been banned in Canada. 12:23 Her father had already died, 12:25 and her mother was opposed at that time. 12:28 The brothers had very little money, 12:31 but they encouraged my mother to pursue spiritual goals. 12:35 With that encouragement, 12:37 she started pioneering in 1942 12:39 while the ban was still on in Canada. 12:43 In 1947, she was invited to become a special pioneer 12:47 in the province of Quebec. 12:50 At that time, special pioneers were required 12:53 to spend 200 hours each month in the ministry. 12:57 With basically no money and no family support, 13:01 she accepted that assignment. 13:03 This picture was taken when she and her pioneer partner 13:07 were boarding the train to Quebec. 13:10 Whenever I see this picture, 13:12 it reminds me of the intrepid spirit that my mother had 13:16 —not being afraid to take on a challenging assignment, 13:20 but putting complete trust in Jehovah. 13:24 That spirit encourages me even to this day. 13:28 My father has that same spirit. 13:31 In the summer of 1976, when I was 11 years old, 13:35 a new arrangement was announced at our district convention 13:39 —auxiliary pioneering. 13:41 You could be an auxiliary pioneer 13:44 if you could devote 60 hours in one month to the ministry. 13:48 The month of October 1976 had five weekends. 13:52 My father encouraged our whole congregation 13:56 to try auxiliary pioneering that month. 13:58 So many brothers and sisters, including me, 14:02 decided to get a taste of pioneering. 14:05 It was a wonderful experience 14:07 that I will never forget. 14:10 Parents, your good example will help your children 14:14 to have a living ministry of their own that they will love. 14:19 Brothers and sisters, if you find yourself in a rut, 14:23 there is no reason to stay there. 14:26 We’ve discussed several ways to reinvigorate our ministry, 14:30 and with Jehovah’s help we will be successful.
00:01 To set the stage for the experiences in our program, 00:04 I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes on the theme 00:07 “Invigorate Your Ministry—How?” 00:11 You dear brothers and sisters are having 00:14 a regular share in the preaching work, 00:16 and just think of the results. 00:18 Each year, 00:19 about two billion hours are spent in the ministry. 00:23 Millions of Bible studies are conducted, 00:26 and those being baptized number into the hundreds of thousands. 00:31 If you are a Kingdom publisher, 00:33 you have had a share in those thrilling statistics. 00:37 But there’s a potential danger. 00:40 With so much to do in our life 00:42 —not just in the ministry but also with secular work, 00:46 family responsibilities, for some, even health issues— 00:50 we can get into a rut. 00:53 It’s not always easy to detect at first, 00:56 because in this age of technology 00:58 we always feel busy. 01:01 But what consumes our day? 01:04 Watch this one-minute video, 01:06 and try to detect what’s going on in the life of one brother. 01:10 His life is in a rut. 01:13 Try to figure out why. 02:29 Would you say that this brother’s life is in a rut? 02:32 Oh, he’s active all day 02:34 —he always has something to do. 02:37 But it’s as if his mind has been kidnapped by his devices. 02:42 Have you ever had the experience of reading an e-mail 02:46 while someone is trying to tell you something? 02:48 It can be embarrassing 02:50 when you realize that they’ve asked you a question, 02:53 and they’re waiting for an answer, 02:55 but you have no idea what they asked. 02:57 It’s embarrassing, right? 02:59 But what if the person who is trying to speak to you is Jehovah? 03:05 Even though we aren’t doing anything wrong, 03:08 our daily routine can occupy our attention so much 03:12 that we are not able to hear the refreshing words of Jehovah. 03:17 That can happen to any one of us. 03:20 Even our spiritual activity can get into a rut. 03:24 One Christian sister described it this way: 03:27 “I would go out in service, 03:30 “go to meetings, study, pray 03:33 “—but I did it all on automatic control, 03:36 never feeling anything.” 03:40 Have you ever felt that way? 03:42 Do you see all the happy servants of Jehovah 03:45 whose experiences appear on JW Broadcasting, 03:48 and you say to yourself: 03:50 ‘Why can’t I find that joy? 03:52 Why is my ministry in a rut?’ 03:55 Perhaps you feel like a remote-control train 03:58 that goes around and around on a track, 04:01 working the same territory, with the same partner, 04:05 saying the same thing at each door. 04:07 Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being in a good routine. 04:12 But being in a rut can sap our energy 04:16 and take the joy out of our service. 04:18 We could even come to view our ministry as boring. 04:23 Of course, we feel invigorated when we get good results: 04:27 We meet an interested person when going from door to door 04:30 —we’re invigorated! 04:32 An inactive person approaches the cart 04:34 and wants to get in touch with the local congregation 04:37 —we’re even more invigorated! 04:39 We start a Bible study —we’re on top of the world! 04:42 I’m sure you’ll agree, 04:44 all those outcomes are good reasons for joy. 04:48 The problem is that we’re not always in control 04:51 of getting those outcomes. 04:54 In real life, we may spend an entire morning 04:57 in the door-to-door work without meeting an interested person. 05:00 We may spend months 05:02 making return visits without starting a study. 05:06 And once again, our ministry can get into a rut. 05:10 Now, don’t misunderstand. 05:12 It’s not that we’re doing anything wrong, 05:15 but we’re not getting the full joy out of doing what’s right. 05:20 Of course, Satan would love it 05:22 if our service to Jehovah were to fall into a rut. 05:25 He would love it if we lost our joy. 05:28 If we lose our joy, we lose hope, 05:32 we lose strength, 05:34 and we might even begin to feel like giving up. 05:38 The point is this, brothers and sisters: 05:41 If you feel that your ministry has fallen into a rut, 05:45 don’t be discouraged and don’t give up. 05:48 There are ways that we can invigorate our ministry 05:51 and serve Jehovah with renewed joy. 05:54 To illustrate that: 05:56 Maybe you’ve had 05:57 the frustrating experience of locking yourself 06:00 out of your house or apartment. 06:04 Of course, with a key, opening the door is simple. 06:07 A locked door might seem like an obstacle, 06:10 but it isn’t if you have the key. 06:14 And the same is true with invigorating our ministry. 06:17 If we’ve fallen into a rut 06:19 and if we’ve lost that feeling of joy in our service, 06:23 there are a number of keys that can help us unlock the door. 06:28 Let’s look at one. 06:30 Open your Bible to 1 Corinthians 16:8, 9. 06:36 Now, in these verses, 06:38 the apostle Paul was presented with a key of opportunity, 06:42 and he used it to open a door. 06:45 First Corinthians 16:8, 9 says: 06:49 “But I am remaining in Ephesus 06:52 “until the Festival of Pentecost, 06:55 “because a large door that leads to activity 06:58 has been opened to me.” 07:01 Here, the apostle Paul found a key, 07:04 and it didn’t require moving to another location. 07:07 In this case, the key was to stay where he was 07:11 and to take full advantage of an opportunity right before him. 07:17 Sometimes, the key to getting out of a rut in our ministry 07:21 is to take advantage of opportunities we have right where we are. 07:26 For example, have you considered auxiliary pioneering 07:30 or regular pioneering? 07:32 What about learning a foreign language 07:34 with the goal of helping a nearby group or congregation? 07:39 Opening one door often leads to other doors of opportunity. 07:44 For example, a brother named Jacob wrote this: 07:48 “When I was seven, many of my classmates were Vietnamese. 07:53 “I wanted to tell them about Jehovah, 07:55 “so after a while I made plans to learn their language. 07:59 “For the most part, 08:01 “I learned by comparing the English and Vietnamese editions 08:04 “of The Watchtower. 08:06 “I also made friends in a nearby Vietnamese-language congregation. 08:10 “When I was 18, I started pioneering. 08:14 “Later, I attended the Bible School for Single Brothers. 08:17 “This helped me with my present pioneer assignment, 08:20 “where I am the only elder in a Vietnamese-language group. 08:25 “Many Vietnamese people are amazed that I have learned their language. 08:29 “They invite me in, and often I can study the Bible with them. 08:34 Some have progressed to baptism.” 08:37 The point is, our ministry is what we make it. 08:42 If we allow ourselves to remain in a rut, 08:45 it will be boring. 08:47 If we use our keys and if we take advantage 08:50 of opportunities that present themselves, 08:52 we will invigorate our ministry and give it new meaning. 08:57 This doesn’t always involve putting in more time in the ministry. 09:01 It could mean that we simply ‘make the best use of our time’ 09:05 as Ephesians 5:16 says. 09:09 In fact, there’s a saying: 09:11 “Don’t work harder; work smarter.” 09:15 The key to working smarter 09:17 could be as simple as switching things up a bit. 09:20 For example: 09:22 Could we work with different publishers instead of the same one all the time? 09:26 Could we try a different approach to our presentation, 09:29 perhaps making better use of the Bible or our videos? 09:34 Could we engage in other aspects of the ministry, 09:37 such as cart witnessing or phone witnessing? 09:41 Could we use our time more effectively to reach people 09:44 when they’re most likely to be home? 09:47 Here’s something else we could do to unlock a door 09:50 and invigorate our ministry. 09:52 Open your Bible to Acts 16:9, 10. 10:00 Now, here the apostle Paul found 10:02 a unique way to unlock a door to greater joy. 10:06 Acts 16:9, 10 says: 10:09 “And during the night a vision appeared to Paul 10:13 “—a Macedonian man was standing there urging him and saying: 10:17 “‘Step over into Macedonia and help us.’ 10:21 “As soon as he had seen the vision, 10:24 “we tried to go into Macedonia, 10:26 “drawing the conclusion that God had summoned us 10:29 to declare the good news to them.” 10:33 Notice, Paul didn’t think of all the reasons 10:37 he couldn’t step into Macedonia. 10:39 No, he took action 10:41 as soon as he was presented with the opportunity. 10:44 Paul unlocked the door to invigorate his ministry. 10:49 Sometimes we think that only those who are young 10:53 can reach out to pioneer or to serve where the need is greater. 10:57 But that’s not always the case. 11:01 You parents may be able to unlock a door of opportunity for yourselves, 11:06 and think of the example you set for your children when you do so. 11:11 That’s what a mother named Tara discovered: 11:16 “I started pioneering when my youngest daughter 11:19 was in elementary school,” she says. 11:22 “It was important to me 11:24 “that my children see me serving Jehovah 11:27 to the best of my ability as I encouraged them to reach out.” 11:33 Tara’s husband, Anthony, 11:35 saw the effect that his wife’s pioneering had 11:38 and, in time, he too joined the ranks. 11:41 This is what he said: 11:43 “When Tara became a pioneer, 11:45 “it made an immediate impact 11:47 “on daughters number one and number two, 11:50 “and they became pioneers. 11:53 “When I became a pioneer, 11:55 “daughters number three and number four followed. 11:57 “I wish I had pursued full-time service sooner, 12:01 as it made a huge impact on the spirituality of the family.” 12:07 I can relate to this experience 12:09 because of the good example of my parents. 12:13 My mother was baptized in Canada 12:16 in 1940 when she was 16. 12:19 Jehovah’s Witnesses had just been banned in Canada. 12:23 Her father had already died, 12:25 and her mother was opposed at that time. 12:28 The brothers had very little money, 12:31 but they encouraged my mother to pursue spiritual goals. 12:35 With that encouragement, 12:37 she started pioneering in 1942 12:39 while the ban was still on in Canada. 12:43 In 1947, she was invited to become a special pioneer 12:47 in the province of Quebec. 12:50 At that time, special pioneers were required 12:53 to spend 200 hours each month in the ministry. 12:57 With basically no money and no family support, 13:01 she accepted that assignment. 13:03 This picture was taken when she and her pioneer partner 13:07 were boarding the train to Quebec. 13:10 Whenever I see this picture, 13:12 it reminds me of the intrepid spirit that my mother had 13:16 —not being afraid to take on a challenging assignment, 13:20 but putting complete trust in Jehovah. 13:24 That spirit encourages me even to this day. 13:28 My father has that same spirit. 13:31 In the summer of 1976, when I was 11 years old, 13:35 a new arrangement was announced at our district convention 13:39 —auxiliary pioneering. 13:41 You could be an auxiliary pioneer 13:44 if you could devote 60 hours in one month to the ministry. 13:48 The month of October 1976 had five weekends. 13:52 My father encouraged our whole congregation 13:56 to try auxiliary pioneering that month. 13:58 So many brothers and sisters, including me, 14:02 decided to get a taste of pioneering. 14:05 It was a wonderful experience 14:07 that I will never forget. 14:10 Parents, your good example will help your children 14:14 to have a living ministry of their own that they will love. 14:19 Brothers and sisters, if you find yourself in a rut, 14:23 there is no reason to stay there. 14:26 We’ve discussed several ways to reinvigorate our ministry, 14:30 and with Jehovah’s help we will be successful.
