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00:00:01 When we think about it, 00:00:02 eight and a half million Jehovah’s Witnesses, 00:00:06 like you and me, 00:00:07 are in the process of fulfilling 00:00:09 our text for today. 00:00:11 And that is taken from Psalm 133:1. 00:00:14 It says: 00:00:15 “Look! How good and how pleasant it is 00:00:19 for brothers to dwell together in unity!” 00:00:21 So we are so privileged and proud to be part of this organization. 00:00:26 Jehovah has drawn each one of us 00:00:28 to be part of this unified organization. 00:00:31 Now, in contrast, what do we see in the world? 00:00:35 Their governments and their religions are all divided. 00:00:39 It’s disunited. 00:00:41 So maybe rephrasing the scripture, 00:00:44 this is what they’re experiencing now: 00:00:46 ‘Look! How bad and how unpleasant it is 00:00:49 to dwell together in disunity!’ 00:00:53 It’s a sad reality, 00:00:55 but our hope that we share with them 00:00:57 could change that very quickly. 00:01:00 So, what is it that makes Jehovah’s organization (our organization) 00:01:04 so different, so special? 00:01:07 Two things: 00:01:08 It’s the language we speak 00:01:10 as well as the clothes we wear. 00:01:13 What do we mean by that? 00:01:15 Well, let’s go to Zephaniah 3:9 00:01:18 to see the language that we have and are unified with. 00:01:23 At Zephaniah 3:9, it reads: 00:01:27 “[And] I will change the language of the peoples 00:01:29 “to a pure language [and we know that is a Scriptural truth], 00:01:34 “so that all of them may call on the name of Jehovah, 00:01:37 to serve him shoulder to shoulder” 00:01:40 —or, as the footnote says, “worship him in unity.” 00:01:44 So the privilege for us to work shoulder to shoulder 00:01:47 with all those on earth is amazing! 00:01:50 And we see how we’re growing and how much more united we are becoming. 00:01:55 But, really, if we’re just looking at the earthly part, 00:01:58 we’re short-sighted. 00:01:59 We need to look at the heavenly part as well 00:02:02 and how we’re united with Jehovah’s heavenly organization 00:02:07 shoulder to shoulder. 00:02:09 In fact, just to illustrate this, 00:02:11 we know that Jehovah’s hand of applied power 00:02:14 is steering his heavenly organization, right? 00:02:16 So we have this magnet here that could be the celestial chariot. 00:02:20 Jehovah’s spirit directly has that chariot move 00:02:24 based on what he wants and what he directs with his holy spirit. 00:02:28 And connected to that is 00:02:31 the earthly part of his organization. 00:02:34 And as Jehovah moves the heavenly part, 00:02:36 the earthly part is directly connected with it. 00:02:40 Well, where do we fit in? 00:02:42 Well, we can be likened to these 00:02:47 paper clips. 00:02:49 So as Jehovah moves his organization, 00:02:51 what happens from heaven down to the earth? 00:02:54 We are following right along with it. 00:02:56 But sometimes —isn’t it true?— 00:02:58 as Jehovah moves his organization, 00:03:00 there’s a little bit of a whiplash happening with all of us. 00:03:03 So we appreciate when Ezekiel 00:03:06 in his vision heard, “Wheelwork!” 00:03:10 That’s when the wheels went to work, 00:03:12 and that’s when Jehovah’s heavenly organization was on the move. 00:03:16 But we appreciate that we need to be on the move as well. 00:03:20 And by means of “the faithful and discreet slave,” 00:03:23 we are getting from Jehovah everything we need 00:03:26 to be unified, to be strong, 00:03:29 to worship Jehovah in pure worship 00:03:32 in harmony with his heavenly organization. 00:03:36 So we feed on the same spiritual food, 00:03:39 we hold to the same Scriptural standards of conduct, 00:03:42 and we share in the same vital work of preaching 00:03:46 and disciple-making work. 00:03:48 All of this unites Jehovah’s people 00:03:51 shoulder to shoulder. 00:03:53 Now, through Jehovah’s organization, 00:03:55 we have been fed so well by the Governing Body 00:03:58 through our Watchtower, through conventions, 00:04:02 assemblies, midweek meetings, through JW Broadcasting®. 00:04:06 All of these have served to unite us as a people. 00:04:10 In fact, you might remember, just talking about JW Broadcasting, 00:04:14 that it was October of 2014 00:04:17 when the first broadcast aired, and that was with Brother Lett. 00:04:20 And we know that was only in one language. 00:04:24 And now what do we have? 00:04:26 With the approval of the Governing Body, 00:04:28 they have increased the languages starting first in English. 00:04:32 Now, we know that the Gilead graduation has been added 00:04:35 and the annual meeting has been added 00:04:37 to the broadcast throughout the year. 00:04:40 Well, originally, the translators around the world 00:04:43 were doing their best to keep up with all 00:04:45 the other translation that was needed, 00:04:47 and they were not able to do the Gilead graduation or the annual meeting. 00:04:52 But interestingly, the Governing Body now has put those on as monthly broadcasts. 00:04:57 What has that done for the organization? 00:05:00 It has united us. 00:05:02 In 2016, there were only 34 languages 00:05:05 able to translate the Gilead graduation. 00:05:08 Now 162 languages 00:05:12 have that deep spiritual truth. 00:05:14 And the same is true with the annual meeting. 00:05:16 Now thousands of our brothers and sisters have that same spiritual food, 00:05:21 that feeding program that we have been enjoying for many years. 00:05:25 So Jehovah’s organization is on the move. 00:05:29 It is united. 00:05:30 But the question is: 00:05:33 What about me? 00:05:35 Where do I fit in 00:05:36 to this unification of heaven and earth? 00:05:41 It really comes down to, again, 00:05:43 the language that we speak —the “pure language”— 00:05:45 as well as the clothing that we wear. 00:05:49 What do I mean by that? 00:05:50 Let’s go to Colossians chapter 3, 00:05:53 and notice verse 14. 00:05:57 Colossians 3:14 says 00:06:00 that we should “clothe [ourselves] with love.” 00:06:04 That’s the clothing. 00:06:06 And what does that help us with? 00:06:08 “For it is a perfect bond of union.” 00:06:11 Paul goes on to say in verse 12 what this clothing entails. 00:06:15 It’s “tender affections of compassion, kindness, 00:06:19 humility, mildness, and patience.” 00:06:23 What it means, if we’re wearing this, 00:06:25 is that we will continue to “[put] up with one another, 00:06:28 “[forgiving] one another freely 00:06:30 “even if anyone has a cause for complaint against another. 00:06:33 “Just as Jehovah freely forgave you, 00:06:37 you must also do the same.” 00:06:39 So love is the “perfect bond of union.” 00:06:43 Unity is based on love. 00:06:45 We worship Jehovah. 00:06:47 “God is love.” 00:06:49 His Son, Jesus, perfectly represented him, 00:06:52 mirrored every aspect of Him with love. 00:06:54 And Jesus said that his disciples would be identified with love. 00:07:00 So in what ways can we be a unifying factor? 00:07:04 Well, as we just read, we need to cultivate those godly qualities 00:07:08 of compassion, kindness, humility, 00:07:11 mildness, patience, forgiveness. 00:07:14 These are the qualities that hold us together 00:07:16 and keep us together unitedly. 00:07:20 Now, when we think about that little illustration I used there, 00:07:23 working shoulder to shoulder could have its problems. 00:07:27 Sometimes we could be bent out of shape 00:07:31 when we are working shoulder to shoulder. 00:07:33 Well, what do we need to keep in mind? 00:07:36 Again, it’s those qualities 00:07:38 of forgiveness, compassion, being yielding, 00:07:42 and not looking at our organization 00:07:44 as a way to climb some sort of ladder to get more responsibility. 00:07:48 It’s everyone working in their place, working together unitedly. 00:07:54 When we think about paper clips (I did a little research on this), 00:07:58 paper clips come, of course, in different shapes, sizes, and colors. 00:08:03 But what’s the purpose of a paper clip? 00:08:05 Isn’t it to hold pieces of paper together? 00:08:09 Isn’t that the same with you and me? 00:08:11 The purpose that we have as Jehovah’s Witnesses 00:08:14 is to unite, to be a uniting factor, 00:08:17 in our family, in the congregation, 00:08:20 here at Bethel, or in any aspect of our organization. 00:08:24 And it’s interesting that the engineers of paper clips 00:08:28 actually have something that is called “yield stress,” 00:08:31 or “the amount of stress needed to permanently reshape the wire.” 00:08:36 If it has too much stress, 00:08:38 that means it’ll be hard to open and unite the paper. 00:08:41 If it has too low of a yield stress, then it becomes wimpy, 00:08:45 and it won’t hold anything together. 00:08:47 So we can see where you and I 00:08:49 need to have some rigidness in us. 00:08:52 We need to stand firm, 00:08:54 but we need to have those Christian qualities 00:08:56 to be yielding and to be peaceable. 00:08:59 And that’s what Paul was saying at 1 Corinthians 1:10, 00:09:03 if you would turn there with me. 00:09:06 Having this “perfect bond of union” 00:09:08 means having unity but not divisions and disunity. 00:09:12 First Corinthians 1:10 reads: 00:09:14 “Now I urge you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:09:18 “that you should all speak in agreement 00:09:20 “and that there should be no divisions among you, 00:09:24 “but that you may be completely united in the same mind 00:09:27 and in the same line of thought.” 00:09:31 So, again, don’t allow a place for Satan the Devil to cause divisions, 00:09:36 to distance us from Jehovah and from his organization 00:09:40 both in heaven and on earth. 00:09:42 And we never want to be one who will be a disuniting factor 00:09:46 by not putting on that new personality, those Christian qualities. 00:09:51 And if we do get bent out of shape from time to time, 00:09:54 like our little paper clip here, 00:09:56 Paul says at 2 Corinthians 13:11 00:09:58 that we should “continue to . . . be readjusted.” 00:10:01 And we need to have that same lowliness of mind, 00:10:04 ‘considering others as superior to us’ 00:10:07 by being yielding and being patient. 00:10:10 And if we do this, we are aligning ourselves 00:10:14 with Jehovah’s organization, both in heaven and on earth. 00:10:16 Well, there is our theme scripture for today. 00:10:19 We will be happy, 00:10:21 because ‘how good it is and how pleasant it is 00:10:24 to dwell together in unity!’
00:00:01 When we think about it, 00:00:02 eight and a half million Jehovah’s Witnesses, 00:00:06 like you and me, 00:00:07 are in the process of fulfilling 00:00:09 our text for today. 00:00:11 And that is taken from Psalm 133:1. 00:00:14 It says: 00:00:15 “Look! How good and how pleasant it is 00:00:19 for brothers to dwell together in unity!” 00:00:21 So we are so privileged and proud to be part of this organization. 00:00:26 Jehovah has drawn each one of us 00:00:28 to be part of this unified organization. 00:00:31 Now, in contrast, what do we see in the world? 00:00:35 Their governments and their religions are all divided. 00:00:39 It’s disunited. 00:00:41 So maybe rephrasing the scripture, 00:00:44 this is what they’re experiencing now: 00:00:46 ‘Look! How bad and how unpleasant it is 00:00:49 to dwell together in disunity!’ 00:00:53 It’s a sad reality, 00:00:55 but our hope that we share with them 00:00:57 could change that very quickly. 00:01:00 So, what is it that makes Jehovah’s organization (our organization) 00:01:04 so different, so special? 00:01:07 Two things: 00:01:08 It’s the language we speak 00:01:10 as well as the clothes we wear. 00:01:13 What do we mean by that? 00:01:15 Well, let’s go to Zephaniah 3:9 00:01:18 to see the language that we have and are unified with. 00:01:23 At Zephaniah 3:9, it reads: 00:01:27 “[And] I will change the language of the peoples 00:01:29 “to a pure language [and we know that is a Scriptural truth], 00:01:34 “so that all of them may call on the name of Jehovah, 00:01:37 to serve him shoulder to shoulder” 00:01:40 —or, as the footnote says, “worship him in unity.” 00:01:44 So the privilege for us to work shoulder to shoulder 00:01:47 with all those on earth is amazing! 00:01:50 And we see how we’re growing and how much more united we are becoming. 00:01:55 But, really, if we’re just looking at the earthly part, 00:01:58 we’re short-sighted. 00:01:59 We need to look at the heavenly part as well 00:02:02 and how we’re united with Jehovah’s heavenly organization 00:02:07 shoulder to shoulder. 00:02:09 In fact, just to illustrate this, 00:02:11 we know that Jehovah’s hand of applied power 00:02:14 is steering his heavenly organization, right? 00:02:16 So we have this magnet here that could be the celestial chariot. 00:02:20 Jehovah’s spirit directly has that chariot move 00:02:24 based on what he wants and what he directs with his holy spirit. 00:02:28 And connected to that is 00:02:31 the earthly part of his organization. 00:02:34 And as Jehovah moves the heavenly part, 00:02:36 the earthly part is directly connected with it. 00:02:40 Well, where do we fit in? 00:02:42 Well, we can be likened to these 00:02:47 paper clips. 00:02:49 So as Jehovah moves his organization, 00:02:51 what happens from heaven down to the earth? 00:02:54 We are following right along with it. 00:02:56 But sometimes —isn’t it true?— 00:02:58 as Jehovah moves his organization, 00:03:00 there’s a little bit of a whiplash happening with all of us. 00:03:03 So we appreciate when Ezekiel 00:03:06 in his vision heard, “Wheelwork!” 00:03:10 That’s when the wheels went to work, 00:03:12 and that’s when Jehovah’s heavenly organization was on the move. 00:03:16 But we appreciate that we need to be on the move as well. 00:03:20 And by means of “the faithful and discreet slave,” 00:03:23 we are getting from Jehovah everything we need 00:03:26 to be unified, to be strong, 00:03:29 to worship Jehovah in pure worship 00:03:32 in harmony with his heavenly organization. 00:03:36 So we feed on the same spiritual food, 00:03:39 we hold to the same Scriptural standards of conduct, 00:03:42 and we share in the same vital work of preaching 00:03:46 and disciple-making work. 00:03:48 All of this unites Jehovah’s people 00:03:51 shoulder to shoulder. 00:03:53 Now, through Jehovah’s organization, 00:03:55 we have been fed so well by the Governing Body 00:03:58 through our Watchtower, through conventions, 00:04:02 assemblies, midweek meetings, through JW Broadcasting®. 00:04:06 All of these have served to unite us as a people. 00:04:10 In fact, you might remember, just talking about JW Broadcasting, 00:04:14 that it was October of 2014 00:04:17 when the first broadcast aired, and that was with Brother Lett. 00:04:20 And we know that was only in one language. 00:04:24 And now what do we have? 00:04:26 With the approval of the Governing Body, 00:04:28 they have increased the languages starting first in English. 00:04:32 Now, we know that the Gilead graduation has been added 00:04:35 and the annual meeting has been added 00:04:37 to the broadcast throughout the year. 00:04:40 Well, originally, the translators around the world 00:04:43 were doing their best to keep up with all 00:04:45 the other translation that was needed, 00:04:47 and they were not able to do the Gilead graduation or the annual meeting. 00:04:52 But interestingly, the Governing Body now has put those on as monthly broadcasts. 00:04:57 What has that done for the organization? 00:05:00 It has united us. 00:05:02 In 2016, there were only 34 languages 00:05:05 able to translate the Gilead graduation. 00:05:08 Now 162 languages 00:05:12 have that deep spiritual truth. 00:05:14 And the same is true with the annual meeting. 00:05:16 Now thousands of our brothers and sisters have that same spiritual food, 00:05:21 that feeding program that we have been enjoying for many years. 00:05:25 So Jehovah’s organization is on the move. 00:05:29 It is united. 00:05:30 But the question is: 00:05:33 What about me? 00:05:35 Where do I fit in 00:05:36 to this unification of heaven and earth? 00:05:41 It really comes down to, again, 00:05:43 the language that we speak —the “pure language”— 00:05:45 as well as the clothing that we wear. 00:05:49 What do I mean by that? 00:05:50 Let’s go to Colossians chapter 3, 00:05:53 and notice verse 14. 00:05:57 Colossians 3:14 says 00:06:00 that we should “clothe [ourselves] with love.” 00:06:04 That’s the clothing. 00:06:06 And what does that help us with? 00:06:08 “For it is a perfect bond of union.” 00:06:11 Paul goes on to say in verse 12 what this clothing entails. 00:06:15 It’s “tender affections of compassion, kindness, 00:06:19 humility, mildness, and patience.” 00:06:23 What it means, if we’re wearing this, 00:06:25 is that we will continue to “[put] up with one another, 00:06:28 “[forgiving] one another freely 00:06:30 “even if anyone has a cause for complaint against another. 00:06:33 “Just as Jehovah freely forgave you, 00:06:37 you must also do the same.” 00:06:39 So love is the “perfect bond of union.” 00:06:43 Unity is based on love. 00:06:45 We worship Jehovah. 00:06:47 “God is love.” 00:06:49 His Son, Jesus, perfectly represented him, 00:06:52 mirrored every aspect of Him with love. 00:06:54 And Jesus said that his disciples would be identified with love. 00:07:00 So in what ways can we be a unifying factor? 00:07:04 Well, as we just read, we need to cultivate those godly qualities 00:07:08 of compassion, kindness, humility, 00:07:11 mildness, patience, forgiveness. 00:07:14 These are the qualities that hold us together 00:07:16 and keep us together unitedly. 00:07:20 Now, when we think about that little illustration I used there, 00:07:23 working shoulder to shoulder could have its problems. 00:07:27 Sometimes we could be bent out of shape 00:07:31 when we are working shoulder to shoulder. 00:07:33 Well, what do we need to keep in mind? 00:07:36 Again, it’s those qualities 00:07:38 of forgiveness, compassion, being yielding, 00:07:42 and not looking at our organization 00:07:44 as a way to climb some sort of ladder to get more responsibility. 00:07:48 It’s everyone working in their place, working together unitedly. 00:07:54 When we think about paper clips (I did a little research on this), 00:07:58 paper clips come, of course, in different shapes, sizes, and colors. 00:08:03 But what’s the purpose of a paper clip? 00:08:05 Isn’t it to hold pieces of paper together? 00:08:09 Isn’t that the same with you and me? 00:08:11 The purpose that we have as Jehovah’s Witnesses 00:08:14 is to unite, to be a uniting factor, 00:08:17 in our family, in the congregation, 00:08:20 here at Bethel, or in any aspect of our organization. 00:08:24 And it’s interesting that the engineers of paper clips 00:08:28 actually have something that is called “yield stress,” 00:08:31 or “the amount of stress needed to permanently reshape the wire.” 00:08:36 If it has too much stress, 00:08:38 that means it’ll be hard to open and unite the paper. 00:08:41 If it has too low of a yield stress, then it becomes wimpy, 00:08:45 and it won’t hold anything together. 00:08:47 So we can see where you and I 00:08:49 need to have some rigidness in us. 00:08:52 We need to stand firm, 00:08:54 but we need to have those Christian qualities 00:08:56 to be yielding and to be peaceable. 00:08:59 And that’s what Paul was saying at 1 Corinthians 1:10, 00:09:03 if you would turn there with me. 00:09:06 Having this “perfect bond of union” 00:09:08 means having unity but not divisions and disunity. 00:09:12 First Corinthians 1:10 reads: 00:09:14 “Now I urge you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:09:18 “that you should all speak in agreement 00:09:20 “and that there should be no divisions among you, 00:09:24 “but that you may be completely united in the same mind 00:09:27 and in the same line of thought.” 00:09:31 So, again, don’t allow a place for Satan the Devil to cause divisions, 00:09:36 to distance us from Jehovah and from his organization 00:09:40 both in heaven and on earth. 00:09:42 And we never want to be one who will be a disuniting factor 00:09:46 by not putting on that new personality, those Christian qualities. 00:09:51 And if we do get bent out of shape from time to time, 00:09:54 like our little paper clip here, 00:09:56 Paul says at 2 Corinthians 13:11 00:09:58 that we should “continue to . . . be readjusted.” 00:10:01 And we need to have that same lowliness of mind, 00:10:04 ‘considering others as superior to us’ 00:10:07 by being yielding and being patient. 00:10:10 And if we do this, we are aligning ourselves 00:10:14 with Jehovah’s organization, both in heaven and on earth. 00:10:16 Well, there is our theme scripture for today. 00:10:19 We will be happy, 00:10:21 because ‘how good it is and how pleasant it is 00:10:24 to dwell together in unity!’
