Make Time for ‘the More Important

Things’ JW Broadcasting Feb 2018

Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................... 1

2. Public Witnessing in National Parks ...................................... 2

3. Time ...................................................................................... 4

3.1 what are the more important things of life ....................... 6

3.2 How to make time ............................................................ 8

3.3 Setting aside time .......................................................... 10

4. Music Video – The Important Things ................................... 12

5. Logan and Aiden Interview .................................................. 14

5.1 Rock Experiment ........................................................... 17

6. Schiller Family ..................................................................... 21

7. Pioneer Service School ....................................................... 25

8. Morning Worship – How we can maintain a faithful life course like that of Abraham ................................................................ 29

8.1 Abraham ........................................................................ 31

8.2 Solomon ........................................................................ 34

8.3 Judah Iscariot ................................................................ 34

9. Grayson ............................................................................... 35

9.1 Peter .............................................................................. 38

10. Hungary ............................................................................. 39

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 1 / 40

1. Introduction

Robert Ciranko – Helper to the writing committee

Welcome to this month’s broadcast. Here are just a few highlights of what we will enjoy: Has anyone ever angrily confronted you about your beliefs and you found yourself struggling to respond? You are not alone. In this dramatization, we will learn how Grayson faces this same challenge. With the right circumstances, some have enjoyed full-time service while successfully raising a family. What did they do to make that possible? The Schiller’s life story will help answer that question. We will see the excitement and benefits that come from attending pioneer school. But these students are not pioneers; they are all in Bethel service. And we will learn ways to manage our time so that we can do “the more important things.” All this and more on this edition of JW Broadcasting!

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 2 / 40

2. Public Witnessing in National Parks

Many have found public witnessing to be an incredibly productive way to share the good news in their territory. Often, when we think of this kind of ministry, we might imagine being on a busy street or in some other urban area. Let’s see what it’s like when public witnessing is done in a very different location. In the book of Romans, the first chapter, verse 20, it talks about how you can perceive Jehovah’s creative power by what we see in creation around us. When you’re in a national park and you see the beauty of these parks, you immediately think of that scripture. We have individuals driving from an hour and a half to over three hours one-way to share in this form of witnessing. National parks generally have what is called a freeness of speech area. So that allows us to be able to get permission to go into the parks to set up our carts there. It’s just a nice place to come and relax, and when people are relaxed, they’re wanting to talk. They already kind of have a sense of closeness with God; it kind of gets them thinking about their spirituality, and then when they see our cart displayed so nicely about that, it kind of draws them toward that. You will find visitors from all parts of the world. Many cultures are represented.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 3 / 40

And quite often, we will have literature in their language. There are many that benefit from our work at the carts. But especially noteworthy are those who do not have access to Bible literature. A Chinese couple came up, and they said, “Thank you for giving us the Bible in our language.” That made our day. It was fabulous! They may not stop. They may not talk to us. But they see it, and that registers in their mind —that they’ve seen this at an airport or in their city. And now they’re going to look into it or go to the website and wonder: ‘What was that all about? What were those people doing there?’ We sit here sometimes thinking we need to pinch ourselves because it’s so beautiful that we’ve been given the privilege of doing the cart work in a location like this. Very soon, these national parks will not just be isolated places that we have to travel to —the entire world will be that national park. And what a joy it will be when every single person alive can enjoy that beautiful painting that our Creator has made for us!

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 4 / 40

Jehovah’s qualities can certainly be perceived just by taking the time to study creation. So we can see the power of giving a witness in a beautiful location that naturally draws attention to what Jehovah has made. Of course, permission from park authorities is often needed in advance, but this idea of buying out time to appreciate something takes us nicely into our discussion for this month.

3. Time

I would like to talk about a valuable asset that every one of us possesses —time. It certainly is something that is on our minds as we go about our day’s activities. Just think of how often you look at a clock, your watch, or your cell phone to check the time. Why do we do that? Probably to see if we are ahead of time, on time, behind time, or out of time! But what exactly is time? One dictionary says it is “a nonspatial continuum.” Another says it is “the thing that is measured as seconds, minutes, hours, days, and years.” To explain exactly what time is in simple terms is nearly impossible, and the Bible does not define it, which may suggest that Jehovah knows it is beyond our ability to understand fully.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 5 / 40

But the Bible does discuss time. It shows that Jehovah is very time conscious. It speaks of time as something that we should use wisely. And it gives us the amazing hope of living into infinity —that is, endless time. We do know this about time: Every human has exactly the same number of hours and minutes in each day. Rich people cannot buy more hours, and scientists cannot invent new minutes. We can never recoup the time we have wasted; neither can we save it to spend on another day. Just think, we have exactly the same number of hours to use each day that Jesus Christ had when he was on the earth! And we can be sure that no human used his time more wisely than did God’s Son. It has been said that time is the most valuable thing a human can spend. And so it is up to us how we will use the time that is at our disposal. In this regard, there is a Bible principle that gives us good direction, a principle that was shared with us by the apostle Paul at Philippians 1:9, 10. He wrote in verse 9: “And this is what I continue praying,” and in verse 10, “that you may make sure of the more important things.”

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 6 / 40

Therefore, the theme of this month’s program is “Make Time for ‘the More Important Things.’ ” This presents us with a two-fold challenge.

3.1 what are the more important things of life

First, we have to determine what are the more important things of life. In the scripture we just read, some Bible translations say “have a sense of what is vital.” So we must distinguish between activities that are merely trivial and those that really matter. In addition to the obligation to work to support one’s family, to care for necessary household chores, and to look after one’s children or aging parents, we have many important things of a spiritual nature that deserve our full attention: reading and meditating on God’s Word, studying the Bible personally and in family worship, preparing for and attending congregation meetings, caring for any responsibilities that we have in the congregation, and participating in the Christian ministry. Besides all of that, who does not want some time to rest, to exercise, to work in the garden, to enjoy some recreation, or to visit with family and friends? Have you ever felt that you did not have enough time to do all those things —that you have difficulty fitting all the spiritual activities into your busy life? As much as we might like to, we cannot add an extra hour to our day or another day to our week to accomplish more things. So we have to be selective about how we spend the time that we have.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 7 / 40

We will get the most accomplished if we prioritize the things that really matter. And what does that mean? To prioritize means to decide which tasks are more important and to do them first. In other words, decide what must be given attention prior to other things. There is a Bible proverb that nicely illustrates the importance of prioritizing life’s activities. Proverbs 12:11 states: “The one who cultivates his land “will be satisfied with food, “but the one pursuing worthless things is lacking good sense.” What a clear warning that is for a farmer not to fill up his day with worthless endeavors and waste the precious time that he should be spending working in his field! Likewise, a Christian who diligently cultivates his spirituality can be confident of Jehovah’s blessing, whereas a person who is distracted by worthless activities puts his relationship with God in danger. How can we avoid that? By not taking valuable time away from spiritual pursuits to spend on the things that distract us from serving Jehovah whole-souled. For example, when it comes to communicating with others, what should take priority?

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 8 / 40

Starting our day by giving Jehovah praise and thanks in prayer for another day of life or telephoning an old friend to catch up on the latest news in his or her life? There’s nothing wrong with talking to a friend. But we need to make sure we take the time to talk to our very best Friend, Jehovah. Obviously, it is more important to communicate with our heavenly Father, so praying to him should be a priority. The apostle Paul had more to say about time management. At Ephesians 5:15-17, he wrote: “So keep strict watch that how you walk “is not as unwise but as wise persons, “making the best use of your time, “because the days are wicked. “On this account stop being unreasonable, “but keep perceiving what the will of Jehovah is.”

3.2 How to make time

Now we can address the second part of our challenge: to make ample time to care for the more important things of life. What does Paul’s counsel to ‘make the best use of your time’ actually mean? Literally, in Greek, it means to ‘buy out the appointed time.’ That implies buying time at the expense of something else. So it helps to analyze how our time is actually being spent and to see what adjustments are needed so that we can buy out, or make, time for the more important things.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 9 / 40

If we ‘perceive what the will of Jehovah is,’ then we certainly will want to use as much time as possible to forge an ever stronger relationship with him and to share fully in sacred service. Do you have definite periods set aside for the spiritual activities of life? For congregation meetings, the schedule is set for us. We know exactly when our congregation meets for its midweek and weekend meetings. We just have to be sure that we do not let anything else get in the way of our attending because the meetings are a priority. Hebrews 10:25 says ‘not to forsake’ them. For everything else —reading the Bible, preparing for meetings, family worship, field service activity— we have to set our own schedule and stick to it as part of a good spiritual routine. As an example, what does your family do most Saturday mornings? Many families have the routine of going in field service every Saturday. Rarely is anything allowed to get in the way of that routine. For them, Saturday morning is not the time for music lessons, dance classes, cooking courses, working out at the gym, or anything else —it is their time for field service. Having a routine like that makes life easier for everyone in the family. No one has to wonder Friday night what is going to happen Saturday morning.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 10 / 40

The decision has already been made to go out in the ministry that day. Otherwise, if we leave it up to chance every week, then it means that 52 times during the year we have to decide whether to go in service on Saturday. How much simpler it is to make the decision once and for all that we will use that time slot for the ministry, barring any serious, unforeseen circumstances. Of course, given your family’s situation, another day of the week may work better. But you get the point. Sharing regularly in the Christian ministry cannot be left up to chance. At Mark 13:10, Jesus prioritized the ministry when he said: “The good news has to be preached first.” So if spiritual matters are going to take precedence in our lives, we first have to make them priorities, and second, make ample time to care for those priorities.

3.3 Setting aside time

That means setting aside definite periods of time to build up our spirituality and to stay fully involved in our worship and service. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reinforces this thought. It states: “There is an appointed time for everything, a time for every activity under the heavens.”

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 11 / 40

We have to decide when that “appointed time” is for each of our spiritual activities. If we are having difficulty with this, can we shorten the time we spend on hobbies, recreation, sports, social networking and devote that time to our Bible reading, family worship, meeting preparation, or field ministry? If we can, we will find it to be spiritually refreshing and invigorating. This was the experience of a family man that I know who began preparing better so as to participate each week in the “Digging for Spiritual Gems” portion of the midweek meeting. He made time on Sunday evenings for this. All in his family and congregation have benefited from the excellent points he has learned as he does research on the assigned Bible reading, and he feels good because of it. One married couple decided to eliminate some of their hobbies and personal projects. They even packed them up and put them out of sight. Why? So as not to be distracted by those things. They were nonessential activities that they decided they could do without. Likely, we could all benefit from taking inventory of our lives and limiting any unnecessary activities that may be interfering with our spiritual routine. Imagine how rewarding that would be!

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 12 / 40

Just think, if we could buy out 30 minutes each day from doing something that is not essential, that is about how much time it would take to read the entire Bible in one year. Or if we could buy out an extra hour or two each week for the field ministry, think of how much more we could accomplish and how happy that would make God and Christ, as they see us making time for the more important things! Now, why have we felt the need to spend this time discussing how to manage time? It is because of something else that the Bible tells us. First Corinthians 7:29 says that “the time left is reduced.” That certainly is true of the time that is left between now and the great tribulation! This is not the time to neglect the most important activity of all —our worship of Jehovah. Making time for what matters most in life is something we all need to do —even our young ones.

4. Music Video – The Important Things

And that’s the focus of this month’s music video about the important things. Ev’ry day brings decisions, and we must choose How will we spend our time and live for the truth. Now, there’s a time to laugh and be with our friends, But it can’t be all we’re living for in the end.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 13 / 40

We need to set time aside for what’s most important— Prayer, study, and godly devotion. Make Jehovah real, ’cause that’s really what matters. Throw off those things pulling us down. Think about the future and where we are now. Let nothing take the place of more important things. Life sure can weigh us down with bills to pay. It can make us lose sight and misplace our faith. But our fam’ly needs us back at home. And if we want to be there to help and watch them grow— We need to set time aside for what’s most important— Prayer, study, and godly devotion. Make Jehovah real, ’cause that’s really what matters. Throw off those things pulling us down. Think about the future and where we are now. Let nothing take the place of more important things. We need to set time aside for what’s most important— Prayer, study, and godly devotion. Make Jehovah real, ’cause that’s really what matters. Throw off those things pulling us down. Think about the future and where we are now.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 14 / 40

Let nothing take the place of more important things. What a delightful song, and what precious children we saw in that music video!

5. Logan and Aiden Interview

Well, today we invited two young people to join us in our studio. This is Logan, and this is Aiden. Thank you for coming. Thanks for inviting us. What did you think of that video? I liked it and that it showed a lot of families doing stuff that involves Jehovah. Good. The one thing I noticed was that they were all in a relaxed setting. It was not like in a busy city. They were at, like, the shore where they were talking about the Bible, and it was nice family time that they were having. Good observations, Fellas. Now, three times in the chorus it said: ‘We need to set time aside for the most important things.’ Then it mentioned three important things. What were they?

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 15 / 40

Prayer. Study. Godly— —devotion. That’s it, very good. Good things for all of us to remember, wouldn’t you say? Well now, my wife and I are in the same congregation with Logan and Aiden and their families. So I know what excellent meeting attenders they are. And what I really appreciate is that you participate in the meetings and you comment in your own words. That’s very good and sets a nice example. Keep it up. Speaking of the meetings, how do you like the midweek meetings with all the videos that we see? It gives a diversity. It’s not always talks. It gives, like, a break in the meeting. Yes. The videos are always great, and they go with every talk that the videos are for.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 16 / 40

And you know, sometimes we even show Caleb and Sophia videos from the Become Jehovah’s Friend series. Now, I’ve got to ask you, Do you have an idea for a new Caleb video? I think I have one. Caleb is at school; he gets asked to go to a birthday party at someone’s house. He goes home and shows his parents the card, and they discuss what he should do about it, and then he preaches at school. But before he does that, Sophia gives him a couple of pointers on preaching at school and on boldness. Good. How about you Aiden, do you have an idea? Yes, I think a good idea would be: A new kid comes to Caleb’s class, and it is his birthday, and he passes out the treats. But Caleb says, “No, thank you.” And then he bullies him that he doesn’t get to have fun; he doesn’t get treats at school. And I think he should discuss it with the family, and then maybe he could tell the boy why he doesn’t celebrate birthdays. Very nice. Well, I’m sure the Teaching Committee of the Governing Body will give some thought to your recommendations.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 17 / 40

5.1 Rock Experiment

We brought you to the studio because we want you to help me with a little experiment. And this is an experiment that some of our viewers have seen before. And you’ve probably seen it, too, because it’s mentioned in Volume 2 of the book Questions Young People Ask —Answers That Work. And the idea is to help us appreciate how we can make time for “the more important things.” Now, let me explain what we have on the table. The two pails represent one week in a Christian’s life. The large rocks represent the most important things that we need to accomplish during the week, and all these little pebbles represent the nonessential things of life —recreation, playing games, playing sports, going on the Internet, working with social media, our hobbies, taking music lessons. They’re all fun things to do, but, really, they’re not essential. Now, our challenge is to try to get all the big rocks into the pail with the little pebbles. So as I hand you each rock, Logan, I want you to put it in the pail. Now, this first one represents the important things that your father might have to do. He works to support the family. Maybe your mother is a pioneer or has to work secularly.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 18 / 40

Your mothers certainly have a lot of work to do around the home caring for the family. And you boys go to school and have homework to do, so that’s a big part of your time, isn’t it? Now, this rock represents all the chores that everyone in the family has to do at home: cleaning, washing clothes, cooking, caring for the yard, the automobile, and so on. That takes a lot of time. This rock represents a third of your life —sleeping. Now, here are the most important things —our spiritual activities. For instance, when we read the Bible and meditate on what we read and when we do personal study and family worship. This one represents all the time it takes for us to prepare for, dress for, travel to, and attend our congregation meetings —midweek and on the weekend. And this represents the time we spend in the field service on the weekend. Now, I didn’t tell you that we can’t go above the top of the pail. They don’t fit, do they? No. OK. And when that happens in a person’s life, some brothers and sisters are tempted to decide: ‘Well, maybe I’ll skip field service

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 19 / 40

this week,’ or ‘Maybe I’ll stay home from the meetings,’ or ‘Maybe I just won’t get my Bible reading and studying and family worship done this week.’ But that’s a big mistake, isn’t it? These are the most important things of life —our spiritual activities. So is there some way that we can get all of this into our week’s schedule? Here’s what we’re going to do now. We’re going to put the rocks in the empty pail. So, Logan, see if you can get them all in there. Very good! They all fit. Isn’t that nice? We can get the more important things done. But you know, we also want a little time for recreation, don’t we? So, Aiden, let’s have you pour the little pebbles into that bucket and see how much of that you can get in there. You can put a lot more in. Very good! Look how much you got in there! Now, you didn’t get them all in, did you? But that’s OK because the Bible tells us we have to ‘buy out the time’ for the more important things.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 20 / 40

So, no, we can’t spend all the time that we may want to on recreation. We want to get the more important things done. So, what have we learned from this little demonstration? Why weren’t we able to get the big rocks in the pail the first time? Aiden? Because there was too much recreation. That’s right. Now, Logan, why were we able to get all the rocks in the second time? Because we put in the nonessential things —like watching TV, playing video games— in second. We put that in last, didn’t we? Good. So that teaches us: Put the more important things first. And it all depends on what we fill our pail up with, or our life with, first. Thank you very much for your help. I appreciate that. And keep up your good work as Kingdom publishers, and I’ll see you at the Kingdom Hall at the next meeting.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 21 / 40

6. Schiller Family

With this illustration in mind— Let’s turn our attention to the Schiller family. Is it possible to balance raising a family with a busy spiritual routine? And if circumstances allow, can parents reach out for spiritual goals —even full-time service? Let’s listen to their answers to those questions. Sometimes people say: “Well, you know, what was your secret? How did you raise six kids?” We got married September 16, 1972. Two things started coming quickly —spiritual privileges came along and the children came along— together. I was made an elder shortly after the elder arrangement came into effect. The kids were just part of all that, and you might think that sometimes they didn’t know it. We were doing substitute work with five children, and I don’t think they even knew what we were doing. In 1989, we were pioneering, and then we had the opportunity to help out at Bethel, maybe a week or two at a time. About that time, Patterson was starting up.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 22 / 40

And we kind of recognized that maybe we were getting too comfortable. We went one time to Bethel and said: “Hey, if you need a doctor out at Patterson, why, we’d be available. Or we could make ourselves available, maybe.” And wouldn’t you know it, shortly after, we got a call, “How quickly could you sell your place and be up here?” So we went to Bethel with six kids, sold our house at a loss so we could do that, and started a new life there. So we learned pretty quickly: Don’t turn down any privileges —and especially not because we had kids. When we went to Bethel, the oldest one was 17. Having children kept my husband and me very humble because as soon as you thought you had something figured out, each child needed to be disciplined in a different way. And as soon as you thought, ‘Boy, you know, I’ve got this figured out,’ you’re thrown a curve. A challenge was to keep doing the basic things. You’d come home tired. It would be so easy not to have the family study maybe one Monday. It’s those basic, simple things that I think kept us on an even keel.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 23 / 40

I often think of the illustration that Jesus gave at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, what he said about this foundation that was washed away. And Jesus never blamed the storm; he blamed the foundation. And so we recognize that any child anywhere — in fact, even adults — can get their faith tested. So we tried to really make sure they had a good foundation that didn’t get washed away. Prepare them, let them learn how to deal with people while they’re under your care, and get them ready for life. We got to thinking, ‘Other parents require their kids to go to college,’ so we just required them to pioneer for a year. Any kind of education — Any kind of secular education can teach you how to have a skill so that you have a job. But the Bible teaches you how to live, and it teaches you principles that you can live your life by. And all of them kept pioneering. You know, they did various jobs to support themselves. They cleaned; they worked at lumberyards; they worked on roofing. And none of them have a complicated life that holds them down. I wanted everlasting life for my children, and I knew I would have to give them back to Jehovah. We have to realize we don’t own our children —Jehovah does.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 24 / 40

And we have to respect that. We’re not telling them what to do anymore. We appreciate and we’re very, very thankful when our children, as far away as they are and as busy as they are, take the time to communicate with us. And I know you won’t remember this, but I remember one time, before you fell asleep at night, I said, “With all that you have done for Jehovah, what would you like in return?” Do you remember what you said? You said three words, “All my children.” In Deuteronomy it says: “I have put life and death before you, . . . and you must choose.” So we can do what we can as parents —some things good, some things not so good. In the end, each one had to make his or her own decision. And that’s why, again, it was not any secret we had. We’re so proud of what the kids decided and how they turned out because it was their decision. I think that’s the thing that we’ve learned: Don’t turn down opportunities. Isn’t it wonderful to hear of ones like Brother and Sister Schiller who have offered their gifts to Jehovah? Brother Schiller said that it was doing the basic things that kept his family focused spiritually.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 25 / 40

So when opportunities came along, he was able to do more, which included pioneering, substitute circuit work, and using the medical training he had already acquired to volunteer at the Patterson Educational Center. Proverbs 10:22 says: “It is the blessing of Jehovah that makes one rich, and He adds no hardship with it.” (Ftn.) That certainly has proved true for Brother Schiller and his family. We can all agree that one of the ways Jehovah provides spiritual riches is through the training we receive at meetings, assemblies, conventions, and even special schools. Such training helps us to prioritize and to do “the more important things.”

7. Pioneer Service School

Over the past few years, members of the Bethel family have attended the Pioneer Service School. Let’s see how the school has helped them in their Bethel service and in their ministry. It was a really great privilege for us as Bethelites to be able to study for six days. The Governing Body giving us time to study more about Jehovah’s qualities was tremendous to help build our spirituality. For many Bethelites, this was like a gift from Jehovah because they had never attended before.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 26 / 40

In fact, one couple who had been 50 years in full-time service had never attended the pioneer school before. I’d been invited twice before, but unfortunately, both times I wasn’t able to go. I felt like Jehovah was giving me a third chance, and this time I wouldn’t miss it. At first, you feel a little like, this is strange; you’re at Bethel; you’re not out pioneering. But then, when you’ve gone to the school and you’ve seen what the school actually does for your ministry, it was really— You can see why the Governing Body— It was such a kind gift for them to give us this privilege of coming. You’re surrounded by people who have been pioneers for years; some have been to Gilead; some have been in the traveling work; some have conducted pioneer schools themselves. It’s the best. Even though they’re in this spiritual environment, they need to be upbuilt. As Bethelites, we go out in service not as much as we did when we were pioneering. So being able to have an effective use of our time in the ministry makes a big difference. You learn a lot about the field ministry in pioneer school. So in a month when 30 hours was an option, I applied to auxiliary pioneer and I also tried to participate a lot in the ministry on weekends.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 27 / 40

This way I was able to prepare for the school. I think that every Christian needs to have goals, and even for us serving in Bethel, we need goals. So the main thing I learned from the school is that even while working in Bethel, I can do more for the congregation and make a bigger effort in the ministry. After the pioneer school, I realized I needed to cultivate more humility in my Bethel service and the field ministry. Because there’s so much spiritual food available at Bethel, it can become easy to neglect personal study. Listening to the deeply meditated comments from the students and the instructors really stimulated me to also meditate more deeply. During the school, I had to study more than usual, so I had to set aside more time for reading so as to be well-prepared for class. It was really practical for me to improve my ministry, and it was really nice because with this new school, we had a demonstration of what we have to avoid and what is good to do. There was a demonstration about what not to do on a Bible study, and I saw myself doing some of those things. So I realized that I really needed to get better at conducting Bible studies. I remember one demonstration that taught us how we can witness informally in a supermarket line, for example.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 28 / 40

That demonstration gave me more confidence to witness informally. In the school, we learned a lot about Jesus —how he was hardworking, zealous, and showed genuine interest in the people around him. That example helped me to be more hardworking and zealous, as well as to be more approachable to those whom I work with. That’s why we’re here in Bethel —it’s to support the preaching work. So it doesn’t matter what assignment we have. In a way, it’s connected to that. The fruitage of the spirit is good not just for the ministry but it’s good for everything in everyday life toward our brothers and sisters. Love is such an important quality for Bethelites. I work in the Computer Department, but I don’t treat computers with love. But the school strengthened my determination to treat my brothers and sisters with love. Out of all the other schools I’ve attended, this school had the most impact on my life. In just one week, it strengthens our faith, widens our view of things, trains our conscience, and deepens our love. It definitely stimulated the pioneer spirit.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 29 / 40

Even though we’re not pioneers, it helped us to understand the importance of the pioneer service and how it contributes to our overall joy in serving Jehovah. So that’s something that we would never want to neglect. We really appreciated the emphasis that was placed on that and how it also helps to keep our close relationship with Jehovah. Certainly, we can see the blessings that have come from making time for that additional spiritual training. Spiritual training at Bethel also includes morning worship. Many of you have expressed appreciation for the morning worship programs posted on JW Broadcasting.

8. Morning Worship – How we can maintain a faithful life course like that of Abraham

Let’s listen to Brother Geoffrey Jackson of the Governing Body as he shows us how we can maintain a faithful life course like that of Abraham. This morning I’d like you to imagine for a few moments that you’ve been asked to write your life story for The Watchtower. Well, once you get over the shock, how would you go about doing that? You’ve probably noticed with many of the life experiences in The Watchtower, usually the first paragraph, have a defining moment in that person’s life. For example, Brother Eric Beveridge, who serves with us here in the United States, he started off this way: “‘I hereby sentence

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 30 / 40

you to six months in prison.’ “With those words ringing in my ears, I was taken off to . . . “[p]rison in Manchester, England. . . . “I had just faced one of the toughest tests of my young life —I had refused to be conscripted for military service.” Or another brother, Brother Harley Harris, who served as a missionary in Ecuador for many years, he referred to the date September 2, 1950. He said: “We were at a circuit assembly, surrounded by a mob. “The mayor brought in the National Guard to protect us from the unruly crowd. “Soldiers with drawn rifles and bayonets lined the street. “Amid insults, we walked to our cars and drove to . . . “the remaining sessions of the assembly. It was there that I was baptized at the age of 14.” Or another brother, Brother Don MacLean —who serves on the Branch Committee in Australasia, a brother originally from Canada— made this comment. He started his life experience: “There I sat, hour after hour, “with one of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police by my side. “I was his prisoner. “We were headed for the prison camp at . . . Ontario, Canada, “and it seemed [that] the 1,500-mile train trip would never end.” Well, those certainly were defining moments in the lives of those brothers. What about you? What is your defining moment? Well, you might be thinking, ‘No one put a gun to my head and said, “Decide now whether you’ll serve Jehovah or not.” ’

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 31 / 40

But for many of us, there have been defining moments in our lives. Perhaps it’s the moment you decided to serve Jehovah or the moment you decided to become a full-time servant. Perhaps it involved some decisions, such as selling a home, selling a business, deciding to move to Bethel, or perhaps leaving your country and going somewhere else. Or it may have involved certain tests or trials, perhaps giving up opportunities for education or for lucrative job opportunities. Well, whatever the case, I’m sure most of us have had some defining moments in our lives that we remember —the decisions that were made that resulted in much good. Let’s think for a moment about the faithful man Abraham. What was the defining moment in his life? Well, if you take your Bibles and turn with me to Hebrews chapter 11, of course, here we see the apostle Paul giving us an outline or history of many of the defining moments in the lives of faithful ones.

8.1 Abraham

At Hebrews 11:8, it says of Abraham: “By faith Abraham, when he was called, “obeyed by going out to a place “he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, although not knowing where he was going.” Yes, that was a defining moment in the life of Abraham, wasn’t it? He decided to obey Jehovah, to leave Ur, and to travel to a distant country that he didn’t really know about.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 32 / 40

But was that all that was involved with Abraham receiving the reward? No. Let’s read on a little further in verse 9. There it says: “By faith he lived as a foreigner “in the land of the promise as in a foreign land, “living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the very same promise.” Now, this is not a defining moment, is it? This is a course of faithfulness, day in, day out. So, what’s the point? Well, in the case of Abraham, we remember that eventually he and his family crossed the Euphrates River and into the Promised Land in the year 1943 B.C.E. But he had to wait 25 years before his son Isaac was born and then another 60 years before his grandsons Esau and Jacob were born. And eventually, he died after being in the Promised Land as a foreigner for about 100 years. So, what’s the point? Although there was a definite decision he made —a defining moment in his life— that was backed up as verse 9 says, by his faithfulness — day in, day out — serving Jehovah. So the lesson we learn from that is that it’s not just the defining moments that define who we are.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 33 / 40

Rather, those moments and those decisions need to be backed up by faithful service. Let’s be quite frank. Many of the life experiences that we read in The Watchtower may have a very exciting first paragraph. “Yes, they put a gun to my head. “Make your decision. “Will you die? Would you be willing to die for Jehovah?” But then, when you read the rest of the article, nothing really exciting happened in that person’s life. I’m sorry to say it. That includes my life experience as well. Why? Because the majority of our lives are not involved with defining moments —exciting things that are happening. Rather, they involve our faithfulness to Jehovah. So we can’t just rely upon these defining moments and say, “Well, I made this decision to serve Jehovah; I passed this test, so everything is good.” No, we need to continue to back up those defining moments with faithful service.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 34 / 40

Remember that in the Scriptures, there were many who had defining moments in their lives.

8.2 Solomon

Take, for example, Solomon. He had a defining moment, didn’t he, when he prayed to Jehovah and he was praised for the fact that he asked for wisdom rather than wealth? But that wasn’t backed up by faithfulness. Eventually, that defining moment in his life really wasn’t as valuable as it could’ve been because of his lack of faithfulness.

8.3 Judah Iscariot

And what about Judas Iscariot? Were there some defining moments in his life? Obviously, he decided to follow Jesus at one point. And during that time, when he faithfully followed Jesus, no doubt, there were very exciting, interesting things that happened. But again, those defining moments in his life proved to be of little value because of the lack of faithfulness on his part. So that helps us to understand why the apostle Paul said some very interesting points just before he started this list that he gives us in Hebrews chapter 11. Let’s turn to Hebrews chapter 10, Hebrews 10:35-39.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 35 / 40

Notice, this is the point that we should gain from this lesson. Paul says starting in verse 35: “Therefore, do not throw away your boldness, “which will be richly rewarded. For you need endurance,” now, that reminds us of what Jesus said about ‘the one who endures to the end will be saved,’ “so that after you have done the will of God, “you may receive the fulfillment of the promise. “For yet ‘a very little while,’ “and ‘the one who is coming will arrive and will not delay.’ “‘But my righteous one will live by reason of faith,’ “and ‘if he shrinks back, I have no pleasure in him.’ “Now we are not the sort who shrink back to destruction, but the sort who have faith for the preserving of our lives.” What a very positive comment that is. So when we think of our life experience, don’t be disappointed if you don’t have some spectacular things that you can mention as defining moments. Remember, the important thing is not just the decisions that we make along the way but the fact that we remain faithful to Jehovah day in, day out. As Brother Jackson mentioned, we might experience a “defining moment” in our spiritual lives, but real faithfulness is shown in how we handle smaller challenges day to day.

9. Grayson

One example might be if someone were to attack our beliefs in front of others. Have you ever experienced that? Were you nervous?

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 36 / 40

Did you find it challenging to find the right words to make a defense? In the next video, notice how the character of Grayson deals with a similar situation. It was one of those mornings when everything seemed to be going right. In fact, this whole year was going right ever since I got baptized. My family is closer than ever. I’ve made some good friends in the congregation. I even started a Bible study. It felt good to let go of my fears and serve Jehovah with everything I have. But things can change very quickly. Uh, I’m sorry. You know what? I think I saw Grayson over the weekend on Saturday. I think he might be one of those people that tells you about the Bible. One of those, uh— You’re saying Grayson is a Jehovah’s Witness? Yeah.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 37 / 40

Let me go ask him. Hey, Grayson? Hey, how’s it going, Ron? Did I see you on Saturday morning over on Main Street? Yeah. You know, I’m one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. And what we do, we go out and talk to people about— I’m sorry. I just don’t get it. You’ll go knocking on strangers’ doors to support your own religion, yet you won’t stand and support this country. Why don’t you people get involved and make a real difference for once? I was really disappointed in myself. I guess I hadn’t moved past all my fears like I thought. Later that night, for family worship, we sat down and discussed our brothers who were in prison for their faith. Mom, why are they in prison? They don’t want to fight; they don’t want to kill people. It really touched Aiden. He was moved to pray for them that night.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 38 / 40

His prayer touched my heart. And with so much on my mind, I couldn’t sleep. So I decided to get up and do some research.

9.1 Peter

I found some information on the apostle Peter. Despite his zeal, he also struggled at times with fear of man like when he denied Jesus three times. But eventually, he overcame that fear. We strictly ordered you not to keep teaching on the basis of this name, and yet look! you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are determined to bring the blood of this man upon us. We must obey God as ruler rather than men. The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, hanging him on a stake. “Always ready to make a defense “before everyone who demands of you a reason for the hope you have” —Peter focused on his hope, not his fear. Just like these faithful brothers have been doing, I want to be like them and make Jehovah proud of me. The next day I woke up, and I was thinking about the apostle Peter and our brothers who were in prison for their faith. And even though I was still a little nervous, I felt ready to talk to Eric.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 39 / 40

Hey, Ron, Eric. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to explain the other day, but if you have a moment now, I’d love to be able to talk to you. I don’t want to hear it. Sorry, Grayson. And I thought that was it. But it wasn’t. Ron said he wanted to know more. Maybe I’ll never completely get rid of my fears. But my love for Jehovah and the example of his courageous servants helps me to be ready to meet the challenge. The other day I wanted to show you something. What a practical example of how taking time to meditate on Biblical or modern integrity-keepers can help us have the courage to defend our faith! This is just another example of how making time for “the more important things” —such as prayer, study, and godly devotion— can help us remain faithful.

10. Hungary

Before we conclude our program, let’s take a moment and travel to the country of Hungary. Situated in the center of Europe, visitors to Hungary can enjoy delicious food and wine and see the beautiful great plain known as the Puszta.

Feb 2018 Broadcast

Page 40 / 40

Water also plays a vital role throughout the country, with its abundant rivers, lakes, and thermal springs. There are more than 21,000 publishers and close to 300 congregations. They’re offering waters of truth to others, often in spite of severe economic challenges. In fact, during the last ten years, the number of regular pioneers has nearly doubled. In 2016, a pregroup in the Lovari language was formed. This language is spoken by many Roma people in Hungary. While none in the group is a native Lovari speaker, they’re willing to learn this language to help these thirsty ones. Additionally, this year, nearly 30,000 foreign students enrolled at various universities in Hungary, providing a very diverse territory for those serving in a foreign-language congregation or group. Our brothers and sisters from Hungary are overjoyed to send their love and greetings to all of you. We send them our Christian love in return. From the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses, this is JW Broadcasting.