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00:00:01 We welcome all of you 00:00:03 to the June 2020 edition of JW Broadcasting®! 00:00:26 The 148th class 00:00:27 of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead 00:00:29 graduated on March 14, 2020. 00:00:32 This was the exciting culmination 00:00:35 of five months of intensive Bible instruction 00:00:37 for the students. 00:00:39 What parting words of encouragement would they receive 00:00:42 from the Governing Body and other brothers? 00:00:44 We’re very happy to share with you 00:00:46 the first part of that graduation program. 00:00:49 Enjoy! 00:00:53 The theme of my opening talk to you dear Gilead students, 00:00:58 and really for all of us, 00:01:00 is “Imitate Jesus’ Modesty.” 00:01:05 Now, first we ask, What is modesty? 00:01:08 Well, a common definition found in our publications is 00:01:12 ‘being aware of our own limitations.’ 00:01:16 And Jesus, of course, set a perfect example 00:01:19 in always being aware 00:01:22 of his own limitations. 00:01:25 Undoubtedly, Jesus was very familiar 00:01:28 with Jehovah’s thinking on this quality, 00:01:32 such as is expressed at Micah 6:8, 00:01:36 which was written about 700 years before Jesus came to the earth. 00:01:39 So he certainly would have been familiar with this. 00:01:41 But, if you recall, the question is asked, 00:01:44 “What is Jehovah requiring of you?” 00:01:48 And then part of the answer is 00:01:50 “to walk in modesty with your God!” 00:01:55 And there’s an exclamation point after that expression. 00:01:59 Jehovah would not just like to see it in us; 00:02:03 he’s requiring it. 00:02:05 What is Jehovah requiring of you? 00:02:07 Jesus knew it was not optional, 00:02:09 but a requirement, that we be modest in walking with our God. 00:02:13 Now, since Jesus is our perfect role model, 00:02:18 let’s discuss four areas 00:02:21 in which we can imitate his modesty. 00:02:24 And we know that’ll be helpful to you dear students 00:02:27 —really, for all of us. 00:02:29 Number one, Jesus was always aware 00:02:32 that he had authority limitations. 00:02:36 Now, you remember the account in Matthew chapter 20, 00:02:41 when James and John tried to use their mother 00:02:44 to get some special positions in the Kingdom for them. 00:02:49 And remember, they had her say to Jesus: 00:02:53 “Give the word that these two sons of mine may sit down, 00:02:58 “one at your right hand and one at your left, 00:03:02 in your Kingdom.” 00:03:04 Remember that? 00:03:05 But what was Jesus’ answer? 00:03:07 “To sit down at my right hand and my left 00:03:11 “is not mine to give, 00:03:15 “but it belongs to those 00:03:17 for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 00:03:21 Now, that’s interesting. 00:03:22 Jesus gave many gifts, didn’t he? 00:03:24 He gave a lot of wine 00:03:26 to a newly married couple at their wedding feast. 00:03:28 He gave the gift of healing to thousands, probably. 00:03:33 He fed thousands; he gave them food. 00:03:36 He gave a widow her son back after he died. 00:03:40 But Jesus knew to give away 00:03:43 the second and third highest positions in the Kingdom 00:03:47 was beyond the scope of his authority. 00:03:50 And he acknowledged that very clearly, didn’t he? 00:03:53 Well, that’s a fine lesson for us, isn’t it? 00:03:55 There are many things that are within the scope of our authority, 00:03:59 and we can go ahead and take the initiative and do those things. 00:04:03 But there are many other things that are outside the scope of our authority. 00:04:06 For example, you wives, 00:04:08 you know there are many things in the family 00:04:11 that have to be decided by the husband 00:04:14 —not within your authority. 00:04:16 You brothers know there are many decisions 00:04:20 that are made in the congregation that can’t be made by you; 00:04:24 it must be made by the body of elders. 00:04:26 We all know that in our Bethel department 00:04:29 there are many things that require permission from our overseer. 00:04:33 If some of you brothers here in the class 00:04:36 end up later serving on Branch Committees, 00:04:39 then you’ll need to clearly learn the parameters of your authority 00:04:44 —what you can handle and what really needs to be handled by the Branch Committee 00:04:49 or maybe even taken to the Governing Body. 00:04:53 In areas such as the foregoing, 00:04:55 all of us need to carefully learn what falls within our authority 00:05:00 and what falls outside of our authority. 00:05:03 And if we’re in doubt, 00:05:05 it’s better to check, isn’t it? 00:05:07 It’s better to check if we’re in doubt. 00:05:09 We don’t have the attitude 00:05:11 that it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission. 00:05:14 That’s not a good attitude, is it? 00:05:18 Now, another aspect of Jesus having authority limitations— 00:05:23 Open up to John chapter 12, 00:05:26 and here’s an interesting thought that Jesus made. 00:05:30 John 12:49 —he said: 00:05:35 “For I have not spoken 00:05:39 “of my own initiative, 00:05:41 “but the Father who sent me 00:05:44 “has himself given me a commandment 00:05:47 about what to say and what to speak.” 00:05:51 Now, you could say according to that 00:05:53 that Jesus had speaking-authority limitations, didn’t he? 00:05:57 He had no authority to go 00:05:59 beyond what his Father had taught him. 00:06:03 He had no authority to teach others things 00:06:05 that originated in his own mind and heart. 00:06:09 He wouldn’t go beyond that. 00:06:11 He had authority limitations. 00:06:13 Well, even more so, shouldn’t that be true of us? 00:06:15 We have no authority to give our opinions on matters, 00:06:20 but we have to make sure when we speak 00:06:23 that what we say is solidly based on the Scriptures 00:06:27 and what’s been provided by the faithful slave. 00:06:30 But now let’s go to our second area where we can learn modesty from Jesus: 00:06:35 He always remembered his lesser importance 00:06:40 compared to Jehovah’s much greater importance. 00:06:45 How unlike Satan the Devil! 00:06:49 Now, you could say he has not one modest bone in his spirit body, 00:06:54 figuratively speaking, of course 00:06:57 —no modesty in Satan the Devil. 00:07:00 Jesus refused to accept titles that belonged to Jehovah. 00:07:05 “Why do you call me good? 00:07:07 Nobody is good except one, God.” 00:07:12 He always gave the credit —the glory—to Jehovah. 00:07:16 He said: “The Son cannot do a single thing of his own initiative, 00:07:20 but only what he sees the Father doing.” 00:07:23 He never boasted. 00:07:25 He was always willing to put Jehovah’s will ahead of his own will. 00:07:29 He made the comment: 00:07:31 “Father, if it is not possible 00:07:35 “for this to pass away unless I drink it, 00:07:38 let your will take place.” 00:07:41 And think about this: 00:07:43 He never tried to draw attention to himself 00:07:46 by means of high-sounding vocabulary 00:07:49 or even by means of his dress and grooming. 00:07:52 See, if he would have had some unusual dress or grooming, 00:07:56 would Judas have needed to kiss him to identify which one he was? 00:08:00 He could’ve said, 00:08:01 “The one you’re looking for is the only one in the group 00:08:04 wearing a bright purple robe,” 00:08:07 or “He’s the only one in the group that has a handlebar mustache.” 00:08:12 He wouldn’t have had to kiss him to identify him. 00:08:14 And if you look at the pictures in our publications 00:08:16 with Jesus and the Twelve, 00:08:18 it would be hard to describe which one he was. 00:08:22 He modestly blended in with all of the others. 00:08:27 Now, what a fine example for us! 00:08:29 When others try to praise us, including our Bible students, 00:08:33 we should modestly redirect that praise 00:08:37 to where it belongs. 00:08:39 We should always give credit to Jehovah for what we accomplish. 00:08:44 I mean, we accomplish it, but we give Jehovah the credit. 00:08:47 First Corinthians 4:7: 00:08:50 “What do you have that you did not receive? 00:08:54 “If, in fact, you did receive it, 00:08:57 why do you boast as though you did not receive it?” 00:09:01 And in harmony (or in the same vein) with that scripture, 00:09:06 we try hard not to boast, 00:09:08 remembering Proverbs 27:2: 00:09:11 “Let someone else praise you, 00:09:14 and not your own mouth.” 00:09:17 We do our best to put Jehovah’s preferences 00:09:20 ahead of our own preferences. 00:09:22 We endeavor not to draw attention to ourselves 00:09:25 by high-sounding vocabulary 00:09:28 or even immodest dress and grooming. 00:09:32 But now let’s go to a third area where we can learn modesty from Jesus: 00:09:36 He knew there were some things 00:09:38 he was not entitled to know, 00:09:42 at least not at the time. 00:09:44 Open up to Matthew chapter 24, please. 00:09:48 And we’re familiar with this scripture, 00:09:50 but at Matthew 24:36, notice Jesus’ words: 00:09:54 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, 00:09:59 “neither the angels of the heavens 00:10:02 “nor the Son, 00:10:04 but only the Father.” 00:10:07 Now, think about it, if Jesus was content 00:10:11 with having knowledge limitations concerning confidential things, 00:10:16 then even more so shouldn’t that be the case with us? 00:10:20 We should strive very hard not to ever try to get to know 00:10:25 confidential things we’re not entitled to know. 00:10:28 And we certainly shouldn’t reveal confidential things. 00:10:32 And what a protection it is! 00:10:34 I was thinking, for you dear wives of elders, 00:10:37 if someone asked you about a certain confidential matter, 00:10:39 “Do you know anything about this?” 00:10:41 Now, if you know, which you shouldn’t, it’s very awkward, isn’t it? 00:10:45 You either have to be untruthful 00:10:47 or you have to reveal that your husband didn’t keep confidentiality. 00:10:51 But if you don’t know, as should be the case, 00:10:56 now with a clear conscience 00:10:58 you can answer that question with a resounding no. 00:11:01 “No, I do not know anything about that.” 00:11:05 You dear elders would not try to obtain 00:11:09 confidential information in the congregation 00:11:11 or at Bethel you’re not entitled to know. 00:11:15 Like Jesus, all of us should be content 00:11:19 to wait for information 00:11:21 to be revealed to us at the proper time. 00:11:24 And if you think about it, in some cases, 00:11:26 it may mean that we will have to be content 00:11:29 to never know certain things. 00:11:31 Now, let’s get to our last area, 00:11:34 this fourth area we can learn modesty from Jesus, 00:11:37 and that is: 00:11:39 He was always aware 00:11:41 of his need to fully rely on Jehovah. 00:11:46 Even though he was perfect, 00:11:49 he did not rely on his own strength. 00:11:52 Open, please, to Hebrews chapter 5. 00:11:55 This is a beautiful scripture about this perfect Son of God 00:11:59 —what is said about him. 00:12:01 Hebrews 5:7: 00:12:05 “During his life on earth, 00:12:08 “Christ offered up supplications 00:12:11 “and also petitions, 00:12:14 “[and notice] with strong outcries 00:12:17 “and tears, 00:12:19 “to the One who was able to save him out of death, 00:12:23 and he was favorably heard for his godly fear.” 00:12:28 Now, isn’t that interesting? 00:12:30 “During his life on earth” 00:12:32 (and it didn’t say just a few times or one or two times) 00:12:35 —during his life, he petitioned, and it’s plural. 00:12:38 And he gave supplication, again plural. 00:12:41 And what were the intensities 00:12:44 of those supplications and petitions? 00:12:47 “With strong outcries and tears” 00:12:51 he called for help from Jehovah, and Jehovah heard him. 00:12:55 I mean, if you think of the word “outcry,” 00:12:58 that means “a cry out loud” —doesn’t it?— 00:13:01 a strong outcry, 00:13:04 a very loud cry out loud. 00:13:07 And then you add tears to that. 00:13:09 It really indicates the intensity 00:13:12 —how he really called on Jehovah to help him. 00:13:16 That’s an interesting thought, isn’t it? 00:13:18 Additionally, 00:13:20 when Jehovah sent Jesus’ younger angelic brothers 00:13:24 to come and help him in times of need, 00:13:26 he didn’t say: “Well, I don’t need help. 00:13:29 [pridefully] I’m OK. I’ve got this.” 00:13:34 No, he knew he needed help. 00:13:36 And he graciously accepted it and appreciated that help. 00:13:41 Think about this: 00:13:42 Even with Jehovah’s help, 00:13:45 he was modestly realistic of what he expected of himself. 00:13:49 Have you ever thought about that? 00:13:50 With Jehovah’s help, he was still modestly realistic 00:13:54 that he could only accomplish so much. 00:13:56 As an example, during his three-and-a-half-year ministry, 00:13:58 he knew there were only so many he could reach—only so many people. 00:14:02 So, wisely, what did he do? 00:14:04 He modestly trained and entrusted others to do the preaching work 00:14:08 and even said about them as recorded at John 14:12 00:14:12 that they would ‘do works greater than his works.’ 00:14:17 They would reach a greater number of people, 00:14:19 a greater area, a greater period of time. 00:14:23 Now, think about this, if the perfect Son of God 00:14:28 feared to rely on his own strength, 00:14:31 we should be scared to death to do that. 00:14:34 We do not rely on our own strength. 00:14:36 Never should we pridefully hold back 00:14:39 from supplicating and petitioning Jehovah 00:14:43 with strong outcries and tears. 00:14:47 May we modestly accept the help Jehovah provides 00:14:51 through our brothers and sisters. 00:14:53 May we be modestly realistic 00:14:56 of even what we expect of ourselves. 00:14:59 If we imitate Jesus’ modesty, 00:15:02 these four areas we’ve discussed, 00:15:05 what a protection it will be! 00:15:07 It will protect us from many snares of the Devil. 00:15:26 But now we’ll turn our attention 00:15:28 to Brother Geoffrey Jackson of the Governing Body, 00:15:31 and he will develop an intriguing theme. 00:15:35 His theme is 00:15:37 “Accept the Unexpected.” —Brother Jackson. 00:15:49 Expect the unexpected. 00:15:53 Well, the unexpected has arrived, hasn’t it? 00:15:56 None of us expected that this graduation program 00:16:00 would need to be modified and changed as it is. 00:16:04 And yet, what have you had to do? 00:16:07 You’ve had to accept the unexpected. 00:16:12 There’s not much you can do. 00:16:14 And we’d like to commend you students, 00:16:16 soon-to-be graduates of this class of Gilead, 00:16:20 because you have accepted these changes 00:16:22 in a fine, positive attitude. 00:16:25 But it does highlight to us —doesn’t it?— 00:16:27 that sometimes it can be disappointing 00:16:30 when unexpected things occur. 00:16:34 Now soon, you’ll be going to your assignments, 00:16:37 whether back home or to a new assignment. 00:16:40 And, no doubt, you are going to face 00:16:43 some unexpected things as well. 00:16:46 And we’d just like to discuss one aspect of this theme. 00:16:50 If you’d like to take your Bibles 00:16:52 and turn with me to Ecclesiastes chapter 10, 00:16:57 Ecclesiastes 10:7, 00:17:02 and here it describes something that is unexpected: 00:17:08 “I have seen servants on horseback 00:17:12 but princes walking on foot just like servants.” 00:17:16 Well, you wouldn’t expect to see that, would you? 00:17:20 Now, how are you going to see that? 00:17:23 Well, The Watchtower made a very interesting comment 00:17:26 about this verse that said: 00:17:28 “Those who have great ability 00:17:31 “do not always receive the recognition. 00:17:35 “And those with less ability 00:17:38 sometimes receive more honor.” 00:17:42 So when you arrive back full of enthusiasm 00:17:45 —you’ve enjoyed your Gilead training, 00:17:48 and no doubt you’re thinking: 00:17:51 ‘I’m a different person. I’ve changed.’ 00:17:54 And we hope you have. 00:17:56 Maybe you might expect 00:17:59 that there will be certain privileges granted to you. 00:18:03 And yet, at the same time, 00:18:05 you may see that someone you don’t expect 00:18:09 is given those privileges. 00:18:11 They may even come up to you and say: “I’m so surprised! 00:18:16 I’m shocked they’ve given me this privilege!” 00:18:19 And outwardly you say, “Hmm,” 00:18:21 but inwardly you’re saying: “I’m shocked too, 00:18:24 “because I’m the one who is trained at Gilead. 00:18:27 Surely I should get this privilege.” 00:18:31 But when you think about it, 00:18:33 remember that Jehovah is the one 00:18:36 who is backing the work, and at times, 00:18:39 he does the unexpected and, in this case, 00:18:42 gives someone we don’t expect a privilege. 00:18:46 Think about it for a few moments. 00:18:48 When you first came here, we know and remember your introductions, 00:18:52 and quite a number of you made the comment: 00:18:55 “When we received that invitation to Gilead, we were shocked! 00:18:59 “We were humbled. 00:19:01 “We were amazed, numb all over, 00:19:04 thinking why we were selected.” 00:19:07 And maybe some of the people in your congregation and branch 00:19:10 were also saying, “Why were they accepted?” 00:19:13 You see, maybe that was an unexpected invitation. 00:19:18 But now, here you are about to graduate. 00:19:21 But it’s good to remember that sometimes others are surprised 00:19:26 about privileges that we’re given. 00:19:28 So, what can help us to accept the unexpected 00:19:33 when it comes to others getting privileges? 00:19:36 Well, let’s look at two principles in the Scriptures. 00:19:39 The first one is at Ecclesiastes 6:9, 00:19:45 Ecclesiastes 6:9: 00:19:50 “Better to enjoy what the eyes see 00:19:53 “than to wander after one’s desires. 00:19:57 This too is futility, a chasing after the wind.” 00:20:02 So, in other words, be satisfied with the privileges you do have. 00:20:07 Don’t be looking for other privileges, 00:20:11 just not satisfied with what you’ve already been given. 00:20:14 Treasure the privileges you already have. 00:20:17 Included in that is the privilege 00:20:19 of coming here to Gilead and being trained. 00:20:22 Now, the second principle we’d like to highlight 00:20:25 is found in the book of Psalms, 00:20:28 Psalm 119:31, 32: 00:20:35 “I cling to your reminders. 00:20:37 “O Jehovah, do not let me be disappointed. 00:20:42 “I will eagerly pursue the way of your commandments 00:20:45 because you make room for it in my heart.” 00:20:49 What’s the point? 00:20:51 Don’t be disappointed. 00:20:53 Trust in Jehovah. 00:20:55 Trust in his arrangement. 00:20:57 It could be that Jehovah is saying to you: 00:21:01 ‘Look, you’ve already had enough privileges. 00:21:05 ‘You went to Gilead, remember? 00:21:07 ‘Now be happy that I’m letting someone else 00:21:11 have an unexpected privilege.’ 00:21:14 Well, that can be a test. 00:21:16 Another thing that will help us in a situation like that 00:21:20 is to remember many of the accounts in the Scriptures. 00:21:23 And one of those we like to refer to briefly 00:21:26 is that of David killing Goliath. 00:21:30 Let’s think for a few moments. 00:21:33 If you were an Israelite soldier 00:21:36 just before David offered himself to do this assignment, 00:21:40 who would you have expected 00:21:43 to take down this giant, Goliath? 00:21:47 Well, probably, first of all, you would have thought about King Saul 00:21:51 because, after all, he was head and shoulders taller 00:21:54 than the average person and he was a man experienced in warfare. 00:21:59 So you might have expected, 00:22:01 ‘I think King Saul is the one who will take this on.’ 00:22:04 Or maybe if you weren’t thinking of King Saul, 00:22:08 you might be thinking of his son Jonathan. 00:22:11 Why? 00:22:12 Well, remember Jonathan was a national hero by this time. 00:22:16 There was the case there at Michmash, 00:22:18 where he and his attendant climbed up 00:22:21 and boldly and bravely appeared before the Philistines. 00:22:26 They killed about 20 of them, and that was the turning point in the battle. 00:22:31 So if anyone is going to take on Goliath, probably you would expect 00:22:36 that Jonathan would be able to do that. 00:22:38 Now, let’s just assume that you were thinking, 00:22:43 ‘Maybe the best way to do this would be with a sling and a stone.’ 00:22:48 So now, who would you expect to actually do this? 00:22:53 Probably Saul and Jonathan. 00:22:56 Why? 00:22:57 They were from the tribe of Benjamin. 00:23:00 And what do you remember about the people from Benjamin? 00:23:03 They were experts with using the sling. 00:23:06 In fact, we’re told they could sling a stone 00:23:09 to a hairbreadth and would not miss. 00:23:12 And in fact, at 1 Chronicles 12:2, 00:23:15 it says that the brothers of Saul were experts with the sling. 00:23:21 So not knowing what Jehovah was going to do, 00:23:24 probably each one of us, if we were there back then, 00:23:27 would have thought that surely it would be King Saul or maybe Jonathan. 00:23:31 They were the most qualified. 00:23:34 But why wouldn’t you have expected David? 00:23:37 Well, for a start, David was just a boy. 00:23:40 He wasn’t a soldier. 00:23:41 He didn’t have experience in warfare. 00:23:44 Yes, he’d killed a lion and a bear, 00:23:46 but he really didn’t know about fighting people in a war. 00:23:50 Second, he wasn’t impressive in appearance. 00:23:54 In fact, Goliath was shocked 00:23:56 when he saw this young man coming toward him. 00:24:00 And third, he wasn’t from the tribe of Benjamin. 00:24:05 You see, he wasn’t one of these famous persons who could use the sling. 00:24:09 The Watchtower made the comment 00:24:11 that perhaps because David lived near where the tribe of Benjamin was, 00:24:16 maybe that’s where he learned how to use the sling. 00:24:19 But the bottom line is 00:24:21 none of us would have expected 00:24:23 that this young man David would have been used. 00:24:26 It was an unexpected event. 00:24:30 But now, let’s think for a moment about how others reacted. 00:24:35 How did King Saul react? 00:24:37 Well, initially, King Saul was very happy 00:24:41 with the fact that David killed Goliath. 00:24:43 But what happened later? 00:24:45 That turned into jealousy —didn’t it?— 00:24:48 even into a murderous desire to kill David. 00:24:53 But, on the other hand, what about Jonathan? 00:24:56 You see, Jonathan perhaps could have been jealous, but he wasn’t. 00:25:00 He built a strong relationship and friendship with David. 00:25:05 So, what can we learn from this account? 00:25:09 You see, if you come across someone 00:25:12 who gets that ideal privilege 00:25:15 —that assignment that you always secretly have wanted 00:25:19 and that you actually modestly think you deserve— 00:25:24 what will you be? 00:25:26 a Saul or a Jonathan? 00:25:30 Yes, brothers and sisters, 00:25:32 let’s always remember that Jehovah does the unexpected, 00:25:36 and sometimes the unexpected is giving someone else you don’t expect 00:25:41 a certain privilege. 00:25:43 Don’t stand in the way of Jehovah 00:25:46 when he uses someone else to glorify his name. 00:25:49 Yes, rejoice in the fact that others are used, 00:25:53 just like you are being used, in an unexpected way. 00:26:02 Well, thank you very much, Brother Jackson, 00:26:05 for living up to our expectations. 00:26:09 You gave, again, an excellent talk. 00:26:12 We really appreciate it. 00:26:14 But now we’re going to get to turn our attention to Brother James Mantz, 00:26:18 who serves as a helper to the Writing Committee, 00:26:21 and he has an interesting theme, 00:26:24 “Do Privileges Make You Privileged?” 00:26:29 Let me say that again. 00:26:30 “Do Privileges Make You Privileged?” —Brother Mantz. 00:26:34 Before coming to Gilead, 00:26:36 all of you students enjoyed many privileges of service. 00:26:41 Maybe you served as a regular pioneer, 00:26:44 as a special pioneer, as a construction worker, 00:26:47 or as a field missionary. 00:26:49 You may have served in the circuit work or at Bethel, 00:26:52 and now you’ve enjoyed the additional privilege 00:26:55 of having five months of intensive training 00:26:59 here at Gilead School. 00:27:01 And no doubt all of you have appreciated 00:27:05 the fine direction you’ve received. 00:27:08 Proverbs 28:20 says 00:27:11 that “a faithful man will receive many blessings.” 00:27:15 And no doubt all of you students 00:27:18 feel richly blessed here on your graduation day. 00:27:23 We’re very happy for you, 00:27:25 and we’re certainly confident that there are many more blessings 00:27:28 and privileges that await you as you go on to your assignments. 00:27:33 But before you go, 00:27:35 I’d just like to ask one question: 00:27:38 Do privileges make you privileged? 00:27:42 We ask this question because the answer will help you 00:27:46 to have a proper view of your Gilead training 00:27:48 and also whatever privileges you may receive 00:27:52 as you go on to your assignment. 00:27:54 And the answer will also help all of us 00:27:57 to show modesty and humility 00:28:00 in whatever assignment Jehovah sees fit to give us. 00:28:04 So do privileges make us privileged? 00:28:08 The simple answer is no. 00:28:11 But in some languages, 00:28:13 the word “privilege” can carry the wrong idea. 00:28:16 For example, in English, 00:28:19 “privilege” carries the meaning of entitlement. 00:28:23 We may speak of a privileged class 00:28:25 —people who because of their birth or because of their wealth 00:28:29 have a higher place in society than others. 00:28:33 A privilege that we receive in Jehovah’s organization 00:28:37 could even be misunderstood 00:28:40 as something given to us because we’re special 00:28:43 or even better than others. 00:28:46 The possibility of misunderstanding 00:28:49 what is meant by the word “privilege” 00:28:52 is even more pronounced in other languages. 00:28:55 For example, in Japanese, for many years, 00:28:59 we used the word tokken to translate the word “privilege.” 00:29:04 And if you look in the dictionary, that’s the word that you should use. 00:29:08 But many of us in the Japanese field 00:29:11 felt a little bit uncomfortable using tokken 00:29:14 because that word is formed by combining two Chinese characters: 00:29:19 toku means “special,” 00:29:22 and ken means “right.” 00:29:26 So literally that would mean 00:29:29 you have a special right to attend Gilead School. 00:29:32 I have a special right to serve at Bethel. 00:29:37 But we know that is not the case. 00:29:41 So you can imagine our delight 00:29:44 when we received study article 35 00:29:48 in the September 2019 issue of The Watchtower. 00:29:51 It was entitled “Jehovah Values His Humble Servants.” 00:29:55 And in a section that was discussing the need 00:29:58 for humility when others receive privileges of service, 00:30:03 the Japanese translators applied the principle 00:30:07 of meaning-based translation. 00:30:10 Instead of using the dictionary meaning 00:30:13 and calling the privileges special rights, 00:30:16 they call them hoshinokikai 00:30:19 —opportunities to serve. 00:30:23 We were elated. 00:30:25 Privileges are not given as a special right. 00:30:29 Rather, they give us additional opportunities 00:30:32 to be of service to Jehovah and to our brothers. 00:30:37 So does that mean we should stop using the word “privilege”? 00:30:40 Not necessarily. 00:30:42 But we do need to have a correct understanding 00:30:45 of its meaning in the spiritual setting. 00:30:50 One way to gain a proper understanding 00:30:52 is to examine how the word “privilege” 00:30:55 is used in the New World Translation. 00:30:57 For example, at Luke 1:43, 00:31:01 Elizabeth described a visit from Mary, 00:31:04 the mother of her Lord, as a “privilege.” 00:31:08 Now, did Elizabeth mean that she had a special right 00:31:11 to have Mary enter her home? 00:31:14 No. 00:31:16 Rather, she viewed the visit 00:31:19 as a blessing from Jehovah. 00:31:22 Acts 7:46 speaks of David 00:31:26 asking God “for the privilege of providing 00:31:29 a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.” 00:31:31 And at 2 Corinthians 8:4, 00:31:34 Paul spoke of Christians who ‘kept earnestly begging us 00:31:39 ‘for the privilege of having a share 00:31:42 in the relief ministry for the holy ones.’ 00:31:45 David and Paul were not talking about any special right. 00:31:50 Rather, they were describing an opportunity 00:31:53 to work in service to Jehovah and to their brothers. 00:31:57 So let’s not be misled by the meaning 00:32:00 that the world generally attaches to the word “privilege.” 00:32:05 The direction found at Luke 17:10 will help us. 00:32:10 Please open to that verse. 00:32:12 And whenever we receive a privilege, 00:32:15 or an opportunity to serve, 00:32:18 let’s remember these words 00:32:21 and this counsel of Jesus 00:32:23 —Luke 17:10. 00:32:28 He said: “Likewise, when you have done all the things assigned to you, 00:32:33 “say: ‘We are good-for-nothing slaves. 00:32:36 What we have done is what we ought to have done.’” 00:32:40 Now, of course, this doesn’t mean 00:32:42 that we should view ourselves as useless, or worthless. 00:32:47 A note in the Study Bible explains that ‘according to the context, 00:32:51 ‘“good-for-nothing” conveys the idea 00:32:54 ‘that the slave would view himself modestly, 00:32:58 not as deserving of some special credit or praise.’ 00:33:03 And that is how we view ourselves 00:33:06 when we receive privileges of service. 00:33:09 Now let’s consider another aspect of privileges. 00:33:13 The English dictionary defines privilege 00:33:15 as “a right attached specifically 00:33:19 to a position or office.” 00:33:22 However, not all privileges of service 00:33:26 involve a specific assignment or a position. 00:33:31 The number of positions in Jehovah’s organization is limited. 00:33:36 The opportunities to serve are endless. 00:33:41 Please open to Matthew chapter 20; 00:33:44 we’ll read verses 25 to 27 00:33:48 because here Jesus clarified the importance 00:33:51 of serving over position. 00:33:54 Now, Brother Lett already explained the setting: 00:33:56 It’s when the mother of James and John 00:33:58 asked Jesus to give her sons special positions in the Kingdom. 00:34:03 In verses 25 to 27, 00:34:07 this is what Jesus said: 00:34:10 “But Jesus called them to him and said: 00:34:13 “‘You know that the rulers of the nations 00:34:16 “‘lord it over them and the great men wield authority over them. 00:34:20 “‘This must not be the way among you; 00:34:23 “‘but whoever wants to become great among you must be your minister, 00:34:27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave.’” 00:34:32 Yes, instead of seeking a high position of authority, 00:34:36 Christians reach out to minister to the needs of others 00:34:41 —to serve as humble slaves. 00:34:45 Interestingly, 1 Timothy 3:1 00:34:49 used to describe a man 00:34:51 who “is reaching out for an office of overseer.” 00:34:55 But the revised edition of The New World Translation reads: 00:34:59 “If a man is reaching out to be an overseer, 00:35:04 he is desirous of a fine work.” 00:35:07 This puts the emphasis not on the office or position 00:35:11 but on the qualifications that are needed by one 00:35:14 who exerts himself to be of service to others. 00:35:19 There are many opportunities of service 00:35:22 that do not involve a special appointment or position. 00:35:26 Think of Bible examples of hardworking Christian men and women. 00:35:32 Dorcas “abounded in good deeds and gifts of mercy”; 00:35:37 Joanna, Susanna, and many other women 00:35:40 ministered to Jesus from their belongings; 00:35:43 and while Paul was in prison, 00:35:46 Tychicus served as his personal messenger; 00:35:49 Mark helped Paul in practical ways, 00:35:52 perhaps delivering food to him. 00:35:54 So as you go on to your assignment, 00:35:56 remember, 00:35:58 privileges do not make you privileged 00:36:02 and whether your privileges come with an official assignment or not, 00:36:07 humbly carry them out 00:36:09 as opportunities to “slave for Jehovah” 00:36:12 and to serve our brothers more fully. 00:36:21 I’m going to bring all these Gilead students on my speaking assignments. 00:36:24 They really know how to applaud. 00:36:28 Well, thank you very much, Brother Mantz, 00:36:30 for the “privilege” of hearing that talk. 00:36:34 But please be assured we’re not going to let that privilege 00:36:38 make us feel privileged in the sense you discussed. 00:36:43 Really, these privileges, as you mentioned, 00:36:45 are undeserved kindnesses from Jehovah. 00:36:49 But now we turn our attention 00:36:51 to Brother James Cauthon, one of our Gilead instructors. 00:36:56 And he spent a lot of time with you dear ones during the last five months. 00:37:00 You’ve gotten to know each other quite well, 00:37:02 but he’ll only have one more chance to talk to you. 00:37:05 And he’s going to speak on the intriguing theme 00:37:10 “In the Shadows.” 00:37:13 We’ll be interested to see how he develops that. 00:37:19 He wasn’t the most extraordinary among the apostles. 00:37:23 For example, he didn’t walk on water. 00:37:27 He didn’t receive “the keys of the Kingdom.” 00:37:29 He wasn’t one of the “Sons of Thunder.” 00:37:32 He didn’t see the transfiguration. 00:37:35 He didn’t write a Bible book. 00:37:38 In fact, all together 00:37:40 he’s only mentioned 12 times in the Scriptures, 00:37:43 and that’s mostly when the list of all the apostles is given. 00:37:48 Who are we talking about? 00:37:51 That would be Andrew. 00:37:53 See, Andrew was best known 00:37:57 as the brother of Peter. 00:38:00 That’s what he was famous for primarily. 00:38:04 Peter is mentioned some 150 times in the Scriptures. 00:38:08 And it seems that Peter was always in the limelight, 00:38:13 whereas Andrew always seemed to be in the shadows. 00:38:17 Peter was extraordinary; Andrew was ordinary. 00:38:23 Like Andrew, most of us view ourselves 00:38:27 as just ordinary. 00:38:30 We’re not the valedictorian. 00:38:33 We’re not the greatest speaker. 00:38:35 We’re not “Miss Congeniality.” 00:38:39 We’re just in the shadows. 00:38:42 But is that how Jehovah sees us? 00:38:45 Is that how he saw Andrew? 00:38:49 Let’s look at Andrew the person for just a minute. 00:38:52 Open your Bibles, if you would, to John chapter 1, please, 00:38:57 John chapter 1. 00:38:59 And if you begin just following along with me in verse 35, 00:39:04 we see that Andrew 00:39:06 was a disciple of John the Baptizer. 00:39:09 And one day when he was with John the Baptizer 00:39:14 and John said: “See, the Lamb of God!” 00:39:19 what is it that Andrew did immediately? 00:39:22 He immediately left following John 00:39:27 to follow Jesus. 00:39:29 Now, we don’t have a lot of time for this talk, 00:39:32 but what is it—? 00:39:34 What did Jehovah see in Andrew at that point? 00:39:38 He must have seen that Andrew wanted to draw close to God 00:39:43 and that he would be adaptable and that he would be willing to change 00:39:48 in order to be able to draw closer to Jehovah and do his will. 00:39:53 Jehovah must have loved Andrew for that attitude. 00:40:00 If you follow along in verses 38 and 39, 00:40:04 notice that it says: 00:40:07 ‘Then Jesus turned, and saw them following him.’ 00:40:12 And do you notice what Jesus said? 00:40:14 He said: “What are you looking for?” 00:40:17 Now, how did Andrew respond to that? 00:40:20 Did Andrew say: ‘Well, you know, Lord, 00:40:24 ‘I’d like to have a better assignment, 00:40:27 ‘something that brings a little prestige, maybe some accolades. 00:40:31 ‘And along with that, if I had a bigger room, 00:40:35 one with a view . . . ’? 00:40:38 But he didn’t. 00:40:40 What he said was: ‘Lord, where are you staying?’ 00:40:43 And the Bible shows us that Andrew then went with Jesus 00:40:47 and stayed with him till about four o’clock in the afternoon. 00:40:50 Now, that was interesting because he was really showing 00:40:55 that he valued spiritual things over the mundane things. 00:41:00 But then after that time, 00:41:03 verses 40 and 41 say 00:41:06 that Andrew ran to find his brother Peter. 00:41:09 And he said five words 00:41:11 —five words that would change their lives forever: 00:41:15 “We have found the Messiah.” 00:41:18 “We have found the Messiah.” 00:41:20 Now, how did Andrew know that? 00:41:22 Well, Andrew must have been a man who loved God’s Word. 00:41:26 He must have been familiar with it. 00:41:28 And so in that time that he was with Jesus, 00:41:33 he could take what he’d read in the Scriptures 00:41:36 and compare them with the man in front of him, 00:41:39 and he came to that conclusion. 00:41:41 He was a spiritual man. 00:41:43 He loved God’s Word. 00:41:46 And as a result of his zeal, 00:41:48 he brought his brother Peter to Jesus. 00:41:52 Well, now, that’s a little bit about what we know about Andrew the person. 00:41:57 What about Andrew the apostle? 00:41:59 Well, let’s go over to John chapter 6 now, 00:42:04 John chapter 6, 00:42:07 and we’ll look at verses 40 and 41. 00:42:14 Oh, excuse me, John 6:5-9, 00:42:18 and here we see a large crowd of people now 00:42:21 that are gathering to see Jesus, and Jesus wants to feed them. 00:42:25 You remember the account. 00:42:26 And so he says to Philip: 00:42:31 ‘You know, I want to feed these people.’ 00:42:33 Philip says: ‘Lord, that’s impossible. 00:42:36 Two hundred denarii wouldn’t feed them all.’ 00:42:39 So there were probably over 5,000 people there. 00:42:42 But now, while he, Philip, is talking to Jesus, 00:42:46 trying to reason with him, what is Andrew doing? 00:42:49 Andrew goes through the crowd, 00:42:51 he finds a little boy that has some fish and some bread, 00:42:54 and he brings that little child to Jesus. 00:42:57 Now, did Andrew have any idea what Jesus was going to do? 00:43:01 He couldn’t have known. There’s no way he could have known. 00:43:06 But he must have thought— He must have seen enough 00:43:09 to know that Jesus could do something, 00:43:13 and, of course, he did. 00:43:16 But what was the lesson? 00:43:18 Well, while Philip saw the problem, Andrew was looking for a solution. 00:43:23 And you may notice again that as usual 00:43:26 Andrew is bringing people to Jesus. 00:43:31 Just as a side point, 00:43:33 what do you think that little boy would be talking about 00:43:37 when he became my age, 00:43:39 yeah, after that miracle he saw? 00:43:42 It must have really been an impactful one. 00:43:45 Now, let’s go to John chapter 12, 00:43:50 John chapter 12, 00:43:53 and look down at verses 20 through 22 00:43:56 because now we have a group of Greeks 00:44:00 who come to worship at the festival. 00:44:02 And they approach Philip, and what do they want to do? 00:44:05 They want to see Jesus. 00:44:07 What does Philip do? 00:44:09 Philip goes to Andrew. 00:44:11 What does Andrew do? 00:44:13 Andrew takes Philip, and they go to Jesus. 00:44:16 Now, two things. 00:44:19 Number one: 00:44:21 Andrew recognized the channel. 00:44:25 He didn’t try to circumvent it. 00:44:27 He didn’t try to make the decision. 00:44:29 He recognized the channel. 00:44:31 And second, 00:44:33 Andrew was a friend 00:44:35 because now he would be a mentor to Philip 00:44:40 and teach him to go to the channel as well. 00:44:45 Well, the Bible doesn’t say much 00:44:49 about Andrew, 00:44:52 but we can see that Andrew didn’t think it was all about him. 00:44:56 He always had the desire to help others. 00:44:59 So in this brief discussion, 00:45:03 is there anything really ordinary about Andrew? 00:45:09 Not in Jehovah’s eyes. 00:45:11 So while it’s true that Andrew never walked on water, 00:45:16 he never wrote a Bible book, 00:45:18 he also never denied Christ, 00:45:21 he never got his mom to ask for special favors, 00:45:24 he was never known for being a “doubting Andrew,” 00:45:27 and he never ever was called Satan, 00:45:35 he was a force for good for those around him. 00:45:38 Now, the lessons for the class: 00:45:42 Be adaptable. 00:45:45 Be adaptable to the leanings of Jehovah’s organization, 00:45:48 even if you don’t fully understand them. 00:45:51 Number two: 00:45:53 Don’t get tripped up by the desire for the mundane things. 00:45:57 Remember the question that Jesus asked Andrew: 00:46:01 “What are you looking for?” 00:46:03 That’s a good reset question for all of us from time to time. 00:46:07 What are we looking for? 00:46:09 Number three: 00:46:11 Remember that Jehovah is not limited in how he can work out problems. 00:46:16 Give him the chance to show what he can do for you, 00:46:20 and you may find the answer comes in some very unexpected ways. 00:46:26 And finally, in your assignment, 00:46:29 don’t be quick to pass over the seemingly ordinary people. 00:46:35 Look for the “Andrews.” 00:46:37 They’re in all the congregations. 00:46:39 They’re in all the Bethels. 00:46:41 They’re like the hidden gems that are all around us. 00:46:45 Acknowledge them; encourage them; 00:46:50 see what they’re contributing, and say something about it. 00:46:55 And those hidden gems will begin to come out of the shadows, 00:46:59 and they will shine in the light of appreciation. 00:47:03 So in the days to come, 00:47:05 be a steadying force for good. 00:47:08 Show loving kindness to all. 00:47:11 Give Jehovah your best, and give the friends your best, 00:47:16 and give it with love. 00:47:18 And you will never ever be in the shadow 00:47:22 in Jehovah’s eyes. 00:47:29 Well, thank you very much. 00:47:31 We really appreciate that talk, Brother Cauthon, 00:47:35 helping us all to be like Andrew. 00:47:38 We’re very happy to serve quietly in the background 00:47:42 not striving to be in the limelight. 00:47:45 We really appreciate it —very practical. 00:47:47 But now we’re going to turn our attention to Brother Mark Noumair. 00:47:52 He’s a helper to the Teaching Committee 00:47:55 but also one of our Gilead instructors. 00:47:57 You spent a lot of time with him also. 00:47:59 But he has a booming theme, 00:48:02 “Will You Thunder for Jehovah?” 00:48:07 And now from Andrew to John 00:48:11 —the apostle John; 00:48:13 he was living at a most critical time 00:48:16 —the last surviving apostle. 00:48:19 He was helping to hold back a tidal wave of worldly influence 00:48:22 and apostate thinking that was already eroding 00:48:25 the Christian congregation. 00:48:29 Under divine inspiration, 00:48:32 John wrote a most vigorous letter to his brothers. 00:48:35 We can still sense in him that fiery enthusiasm 00:48:40 that earned him his name, “Son of Thunder.” 00:48:45 And that letter, the letter that we’re going to look at right now, 00:48:49 will show you 00:48:51 how you like John can thunder for Jehovah. 00:48:55 Well, how can you do that? Let’s find out. 00:48:58 We’re going to open up now to 1 John chapter 1. 00:49:01 We’re going to read verses 1 and 3, 00:49:04 and watch how John makes very clear his objective right from the outset. 00:49:10 First John 1:1: 00:49:13 “That which was from the beginning, 00:49:16 “[now, the beginning was Christ Jesus in his prehuman existence; 00:49:21 “he was the firstborn of all creation] 00:49:23 “which we have heard, 00:49:26 “which we have seen with our eyes, 00:49:30 which we have observed and our hands have felt [him].” 00:49:34 And notice that John right away wants to grab the attention of the brothers 00:49:39 and to say: ‘Look! We heard him. 00:49:42 ‘We’ve seen him with our eyes. We’ve observed him. 00:49:45 ‘I’ve felt him. I touched him. 00:49:46 I laid my head in his chest.’ 00:49:49 Did John even hear his heartbeat? 00:49:53 Well, the fact is that these messages were so clear to John, 00:49:58 and he wanted to make it known. 00:50:00 Notice verse 3: 00:50:02 “That which we have seen and heard,” again John repeats this. 00:50:06 ‘His teachings, I saw them—I heard them. 00:50:08 I’m so convinced that God’s powers are operating through him,’ 00:50:12 that there in verse 3, John says: 00:50:15 “We are reporting also to you.” 00:50:19 ‘I’m reporting this to you,’ John said. 00:50:22 John had such good reason to thunder. 00:50:25 He was a living link to Christ. 00:50:28 The brothers alive at that time did not have the privilege that John had 00:50:32 to walk and to touch and to be taught by Jesus personally. 00:50:37 But John did, and he was so moved by these experiences 00:50:41 that he wanted to report these real-life experiences about Christ. 00:50:46 But why? 00:50:48 To protect his brothers 00:50:50 —to protect his beloved brothers from the false teachers at that time 00:50:54 who were trying to draw them away from the truth. 00:50:58 You see, John spoke up against lies 00:51:00 that the apostates and the other false teachers 00:51:03 were spreading in his day. 00:51:06 They were telling disgusting lies about God and Jesus. 00:51:11 They craftily constructed speeches designed to corrupt the teachings of Christ. 00:51:16 John knew that. He felt it. 00:51:19 They even claimed to have secret revelations and superior knowledge. 00:51:23 And they boasted that they were the correctors of the apostles. 00:51:27 Liars! 00:51:29 And John could not stomach liars. 00:51:32 And it is of interest: 00:51:34 Out of the 15 times the Bible used the word “liar,” 00:51:38 he used the word eight times. 00:51:41 You see, John continued to thunder, defend, and speak out for the truth 00:51:47 because he loved the truth, he loved Christ Jesus, 00:51:51 and he loved the Father, Jehovah. 00:51:56 Similarly today, 00:51:59 lies and false reports against the truth abound. 00:52:04 And enemies of the truth use any means 00:52:06 to try to smear the reputation of Christ’s brothers. 00:52:10 But, now, what’s the point? 00:52:12 Your time here at world headquarters, 00:52:16 your time with the Governing Body, 00:52:18 your time with the responsible brothers from world headquarters 00:52:22 convinces you firsthand 00:52:25 that any negative reports that you hear about the organization are lies. 00:52:31 And now you can thunder for Jehovah 00:52:33 by defending the truth about those whom Christ appointed 00:52:36 to take the lead in his organization. 00:52:39 And look what you’ve been able to do. 00:52:41 You can say just like John: 00:52:43 ‘Look, I’ve heard. I’ve seen. 00:52:45 ‘I’ve observed. I’ve felt. 00:52:46 That is me. I’ve had a close-up view.’ 00:52:50 This is an even closer look than you can have on JW Broadcasting. 00:52:54 This is one-on-one in the flesh. 00:52:58 And you can say: 00:53:00 ‘I’ve had a close-up view of God’s spirit-directed organization. 00:53:05 ‘And now I am reporting to you, 00:53:09 my beloved brothers and sisters,’ in the assignments that you have. 00:53:13 That’s what you can do now —‘what I’ve seen and I’ve heard.’ 00:53:17 And, in this way, imagine what you can do 00:53:20 to strengthen, stabilize, and build confidence in your brothers! 00:53:25 This is your responsibility now. 00:53:27 This wasn’t coming here to school just to have a good time. 00:53:30 I know you did have a good time, but that wasn’t the objective. 00:53:34 The objective is now that you go out and you serve your brothers 00:53:37 —all of you, each and every one of you, brother, sister, 00:53:40 single, married; it doesn’t matter. 00:53:42 Your brothers and sisters now deserve a Gilead graduate’s reward. 00:53:47 And you’re going to give it to them. 00:53:49 And you thunder in doing that. 00:53:55 Now let’s go back to the apostle John. 00:54:00 John’s thunder never diminished to a low rumble. 00:54:03 Think about it. 00:54:05 What did John do when he was released from prison 00:54:08 on the island of Patmos at nearly 100 years old? 00:54:11 What did he do? 00:54:13 I mean, did he say: ‘I’m a weak, old man. 00:54:15 There’s nothing I can do anymore’? 00:54:17 No, no, no. 00:54:19 You see, he knew the apostasy was coming 00:54:22 and that oppressive wolves were already misleading the brothers. 00:54:25 But John said, ‘Not on my watch.’ 00:54:31 And he would continue to thunder for Jehovah 00:54:34 by using every fiber of his being 00:54:38 to help his brothers right down to his dying breath. 00:54:42 How did he do that? 00:54:44 He wrote four Bible books, 00:54:48 including the portion that we just read here 00:54:51 in 1 John chapter 1. 00:54:54 He didn’t retire. 00:54:56 He was still full of fiery enthusiasm, 00:55:00 wanting to help his brothers because he loved the truth. 00:55:04 But what helped John to keep the thunder rolling? 00:55:08 What helped him? 00:55:10 He knew the final outcome. 00:55:15 You see, in 96 C.E. before his release, 00:55:20 he received that unexpected flash of light —the Revelation, 00:55:25 a vision 00:55:27 of 144,000 Kingdom conquerors 00:55:31 who will rule with Jesus in heaven. 00:55:33 He got that. 00:55:35 Then he was told about an integrity-keeping “great crowd 00:55:39 . . . out of all [the] nations” that would worship God in truth. 00:55:42 He got that. 00:55:44 Can you imagine how that strengthened his conviction? 00:55:47 In spite of the apostasy, 00:55:49 he said true worship would not be extinguished. 00:55:56 So think about it. 00:55:58 If a prophetic vision of the great crowd 00:56:02 encouraged John to continue to fight and defend the truth, 00:56:07 what about you 00:56:09 —you who see not a vision but the reality of its fulfillment? 00:56:15 Now, John is seeing the reality from heaven —true— 00:56:18 but you have a front-row seat right here on earth 00:56:22 as you witness the greatest preaching effort in history 00:56:26 and you watch Jehovah perform a modern-day miracle 00:56:29 by gathering ‘a great crowd from all the nations.’ 00:56:33 No matter what we face now 00:56:36 or in the future, 00:56:38 keep the thunder rolling. 00:56:41 Why? 00:56:43 Because you know the final outcome. 00:56:47 You see it already developing. 00:56:52 John continued to thunder for Jehovah, 00:56:56 but he mellowed through the years of faithful service. 00:57:01 His fiery enthusiasm is now on display in perfect balance. 00:57:07 A man who once wanted to call down fire from heaven to get results 00:57:12 now uses a force much stronger 00:57:16 and more effective. 00:57:18 What is it? 00:57:20 Love. 00:57:22 In fact, at 1 John 2:14, 00:57:25 notice what he says here. 00:57:27 And just sense the love that he has 00:57:31 when he writes verse 14: 00:57:34 “I write you, fathers, 00:57:37 “because you have come to know him who is from the beginning. 00:57:41 “I write you, young men, because you are strong 00:57:45 “and the word of God remains in you 00:57:49 and you have conquered the wicked one.” 00:57:51 Can you sense the love? 00:57:53 John is saying, ‘Look, the word of God remains in you.’ 00:57:57 He used the powerful force of love to commend his readers 00:58:01 because they never lost their heartfelt appreciation for the truth. 00:58:05 Can you see yourself doing that? 00:58:08 You see, thunder without love is just noise. 00:58:12 But be determined to lovingly commend your brothers 00:58:15 for their endurance. 00:58:18 Thank them for their integrity. 00:58:20 Commend them for their unselfish love. 00:58:24 Touch their hearts when you speak with them. 00:58:27 Our brothers need encouragement, not criticism. 00:58:34 Well, as I look at each one of you, 00:58:38 I have a lot of thoughts going through my mind. 00:58:41 I do. I mean, here you are— 00:58:43 I mean, all the memories 00:58:45 are flooding through my mind, flooding through my heart. 00:58:47 It’s amazing as I look at you! 00:58:52 I can still hear your comments. 00:58:54 But you know what else I can hear? 00:58:56 I can hear each day (when you came to class) 00:58:59 how you thundered into that classroom. 00:59:01 You did. We have never seen such a thunderous class. 00:59:06 There you were each morning hugging each other, 00:59:09 clapping for the morning worship comments, commending each other. 00:59:12 It’s as if you hadn’t seen each other in three months; 00:59:15 it was just last night you saw each other. 00:59:17 But, oh no, 00:59:19 you thundered in appreciation for divine truth 00:59:24 and for the privilege to be here at school 00:59:26 and for each other’s integrity-keeping course. 00:59:29 Now, as you leave, what do we want you to remember? 00:59:34 We want you to remember how you can keep the thunder rolling. 00:59:38 How can you do that? 00:59:40 I’m going to give you three ways. 00:59:42 One, defend the truth. 00:59:47 Don’t allow false reports and lies about the organization that you love 00:59:52 —the organization that you love and cherish, 00:59:54 the very organization that brought you to these seats. 00:59:58 Never allow lies and false reports to stop you 01:00:02 from reporting what you have seen and heard firsthand. 01:00:07 Two, remember the final outcome. 01:00:10 True worship will prevail. 01:00:12 You already see it doing so. 01:00:16 And three, use the powerful force of love. 01:00:20 Use love to commend and fortify your brothers. 01:00:23 Encourage them. Build them up. 01:00:25 Use love. 01:00:27 And like John, with all your might, 01:00:30 with all your ability, 01:00:32 thunder for Jehovah. 01:00:41 That was thunderous applause. 01:00:44 You followed his theme right on through. 01:00:46 Very good. 01:00:48 And we really did appreciate that talk 01:00:50 helping us to be like the apostle John 01:00:53 and seeing how he never lost his enthusiasm 01:00:57 but he balanced it even more so in later years with love. 01:01:02 So we want to never lose our enthusiasm 01:01:05 —our love— for Jehovah, Jesus, 01:01:08 the Kingdom, and spiritual things. 01:01:12 What an inspiring program! 01:01:14 And there’s more to come! 01:01:16 Look for Parts 2 and 3 on jw.org®. 01:01:19 They’ll be released in the coming weeks. 01:01:22 From the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 01:01:26 this is JW Broadcasting.