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On the beach at Las Terrenas, a special pioneer uses

the Bible to share the good news with a man who has
harvested coconuts

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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WEEK OF AUGUST 29SEPTEMBER 4

Seek the Kingdom, Not Things

Jesus taught us to seek rst the Kingdom, not
things. How can we avoid materialism and live a
simple life so that we can give our best to Jehovah?
We will consider Matthew 6:25-34 and learn from
Jesus encouraging words in this part of his Sermon
on the Mount.

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16

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 12-18

22

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 19-25

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 5-11

Why Must We Keep on the Watch?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We must pay attention to Jesus warning to keep

on the watch in these last days. (Matthew 24:42)
That is why we need to avoid inuences that could
prevent us from staying alert. This article explains
how we can do so.

This publication is not

for sale. It is provided
as part of a worldwide
Bible educational work
supported by voluntary
donations.
To make a donation,
please visit www.jw.org.

28 Do Not Be Afraid. I Will Help You

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31

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Unless otherwise
indicated, Scripture
quotations are from
the modern-language
New World Translation
of the Holy Scriptures.

Spread the Good News

of Undeserved Kindness
These two articles describe many of the ways that
we benet from Jehovahs undeserved kindness.
They also encourage us to show our gratitude to
Jehovah by telling others how they too can benet
from his generous gift of undeserved kindness.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10

Grateful Recipients of
Gods Undeserved Kindness

QUESTIONS FROM READERS

July 2016
Vol. 137, No. 11 ENGLISH

The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087) Issue 11 July 2016 is published monthly with an additional
issue published in January, March, May, July, September, and November by Watchtower Bible
and Tract Society of New York, Inc.; L. Weaver, Jr., President; G. F. Simonis, SecretaryTreasurer; 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299, and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract
Society of Canada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. Periodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, NY, and at additional mailing oces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Watchtower,
1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. 5 2016 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of
Pennsylvania. Printed in Canada.

Seek the Kingdom, Not Things

Keep seeking [Gods] Kingdom, and these things will be
added to you.LUKE 12:31.
THERE are only a few things we need in order to stay
alive. For example, we need food, clothing, and a place to
live. But there is no end to the things that we may want.
And many people do not realize that they do not really
need all the things they want.
2 Someone who lives in a poor country may want something totally dierent from what a person who lives in a
wealthy country may want. In some parts of the world,
people would like to have a mobile phone, a motorbike,
or a small piece of land. In other places, people want to
have lots of expensive clothes, a bigger house, or a more
expensive vehicle. But no matter where we live or how
much money we have, we could begin to want more and
more things that we do not need or cannot aord.

SONGS: 40, 98

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What dierence is there

between what we need
and what we want?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why should we control our

desire to want more material
things?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why are you convinced

that Jehovah can provide
your daily needs?

1. What dierence is there between what we need and what we want?

2. What are some things that people want?

desire of the eyes to try to make us

always want to have more. (1 John
2:15-17; Genesis 3:6; Proverbs 27:20)
We constantly see and hear advertisements that try to convince us to buy
new products. Have you ever bought
something just because it looked appealing in the store or because you saw
it in an advertisement? If so, maybe
you later realized that you did not really need it. When we keep buying things
that we do not need, we complicate
our life. Those things can distract us

from serving Jehovah. For example,

we may not have enough time left to
study the Bible, prepare for and attend
meetings, and go out in the ministry
regularly. Remember, the apostle John
warned: The world is passing away
and so is its desire.
5 Satan wants us to use our energy to
get more money and things instead of
using it for Jehovah. (Matthew 6:24)
But if we are interested only in getting
more things for ourselves, our life will
have no meaning. We could become
frustrated or get into nancial diculties. Or worse, we could lose our faith
in Jehovah and his Kingdom. (1 Timothy 6:9, 10; Revelation 3:17) Jesus
said that the desires for everything
else are like thorns that can stop
a seed from growing and producing
fruit.Mark 4:14, 18, 19.
6 Think for a moment about Baruch,
the secretary of the prophet Jeremiah. When Baruch began seeking great
things for himself, Jehovah reminded
him that soon Jerusalem would be destroyed. But he promised Baruch that
he would save his life. (Jeremiah 45:
1-5) Baruch should not have expected
anything more. Jehovah was not going
to save the things that people owned.
(Jeremiah 20:5) Today, we are living
close to the end of Satans world. So
now is not the time to keep getting
more and more things for ourselves.
And we should not expect that after

3. What is materialism?
4. How does Satan use the desire of the
eyes?

5. What can happen to those who use most of

their energy to get more things?
6. What lesson do we learn from Baruch?

MATERIALISM CAN AFFECT US

What is materialism? It is the attitude of a person who cares more about

things than about his relationship with
God. He is not satised with having
just what he needs, but instead he always wants more. Even those who do
not have a lot of money or who do not
buy expensive things could become
materialistic. They may stop putting
the Kingdom rst in their lives.Hebrews 13:5.
4 Satan wants us to believe that we
can enjoy life only if we have a lot of
things. So he uses his world and the
3

Now is not the time

to keep getting more and
more things for ourselves

SIMPLIFIED EDITION

the great tribulation, we will still have

the things we own now, even if they are
precious to us.Proverbs 11:4; Matthew 24:21, 22; Luke 12:15.
7 So how can we look after ourselves
and our family and still stay focused on
what is most important in life? How
can we avoid materialism? And what
can help us stop worrying too much
about getting what we need? Jesus
gave us the best advice on this in his
Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 6:1921) Let us read and discuss Matthew 6:
25-34. This will convince us that we
must keep seeking the Kingdom, not
things.Luke 12:31.
JEHOVAH PROVIDES WHAT WE NEED

Read Matthew 6:25. Jesus knew

that his disciples were worried about
what they would eat, drink, and wear,
so in his Sermon on the Mount, he told
them: Stop being anxious about your
lives. Jesus wanted to help them understand why they should not worry
about all these things. He knew that if
they worried too much, even about
things that they really needed, they
could forget what is more important in
life. Jesus cared about his disciples so
much that he warned them four more
times about this danger in his sermon.
Matthew 6:27, 28, 31, 34.
9 But why did Jesus tell us not to worry about what we will eat, or drink, or
wear? Do we not need food and cloth8

7. What will we consider next, and why?

8, 9. (a) Why should we not worry too much
about the things we need? (b) What did Jesus
know about humans and their needs?

ing? Of course we do! And if we do

not have enough money to get these
things, it is normal to worry. Jesus
knew that. He knew what people needed. And he knew that in the last
days, his disciples would be living in
very dicult times. (2 Timothy 3:1) In
fact, many people today cannot nd a

Jesus said that a persons

life is more important
than food and the body
than clothing
job, and things keep getting more expensive. In many places, people are
very poor and have little or nothing to
eat. But Jesus also knew that a persons life is more important than food
and the body than clothing.
10 Earlier, Jesus had taught his disciples that when they prayed, they
should ask their Father in heaven to
give them what they needed. They
could pray: Give us today our bread
for this day. (Matthew 6:11) Another
time, he told them to pray: Give us
each day our bread according to our
daily needs. (Luke 11:3) But that does
not mean that we should constantly
think about getting the things we need.
In fact, Jesus told his followers that
praying for Gods Kingdom to come is
10. When Jesus taught his followers how to
pray, what did he say should be most important
in their life?
JULY 2016

more important than praying for their

own needs. (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2)
To help the disciples stop worrying, Jesus then comforted them by reminding
them of how Jehovah cares for all his
creation.
11 Read Matthew 6:26. We should
observe intently the birds of heaven. Even though birds are small creatures, they eat a lot. In fact, if a bird
were as big as a human, it would eat
more food than a human does. Birds
eat fruit, seeds, insects, and worms.
But they do not need to sow seeds
and grow their own food. Jehovah
provides everything they need. (Psalm
147:9) Of course, he does not put the
food in their beaks! They have to go
and nd it, but it is there for them to
nd.
12 Jesus had no doubt that if his Father takes care of the birds, he will also
take care of people.[1] (See endnote.)
(1 Peter 5:6, 7) Of course, like the
birds, we should not be lazy. We must
work either to grow our food or to
earn money to buy it. Jehovah can
bless our eorts. And when we do not
have enough money or food, he can
still provide what we need. For example, others may share what they have
with us. Jehovah also provides birds a
place to live. He has given them the
ability to build nests, and he has made
the things that the birds use to build
these nests. Jehovah can likewise help
11, 12. What do we learn from the way Jehovah
cares for the birds of heaven? (See opening picture.)

SIMPLIFIED EDITION

us nd a suitable place for our family

to live.
13 After Jesus reminded his disciples
that Jehovah feeds the birds, he asked
them: Are you not worth more than
they are? (Compare Luke 12:6, 7.)
When he said this, Jesus likely thought
about how he would soon give his life
for all humans. Yes, Jesus did not die
for the birds or for any other animal.
He died for us so that we may live forever.Matthew 20:28.
14 Read Matthew 6:27. What did Jesus mean when he said that we cannot
add one cubit to our life by being anxious? He meant that we cannot make
our life any longer by worrying about
the things we need. In fact, if we have
too much stress, we could get sick and
even die.
15 Read Matthew 6:28-30. We are
happy when we have something nice to
wear, especially when we go out in the
ministry or to our meetings and assemblies. But do we need to be anxious
about clothing? Once again, Jesus
reminded his disciples how Jehovah
takes care of his creation. Jesus used
the example of the lilies of the eld.
The lilies might refer to owers such
as gladiolus, hyacinths, irises, and tulips. None of these have to sew clothes
for themselves. But they are so beauti13. What proves that we are worth more than
the birds of heaven?
14. What can an anxious person never do?
15, 16. (a) What do we learn from the way Jehovah cares for the lilies of the eld? (See opening picture.) (b) What questions might we need
to ask ourselves, and why?

ful that Jesus said that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as
one of these!
16 Think about what Jesus said next:
If this is how God clothes the vegetation of the eld . . . , will he not
much rather clothe you, you with little
faith? Of course he will! But Jesus
disciples needed more faith. (Matthew
8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20) They needed
to trust that Jehovah wanted to look
after them and that he really would do
so. What about us? Do we believe that
Jehovah will take care of us?
17 Read Matthew 6:31, 32. Many
who do not know Jehovah focus their
life on having more money and things.
But if we did the same, we would
damage our relationship with him. We
know that Jehovah is our Father and
that he loves us. And we are condent
that if we do what he asks and put his
Kingdom rst in our life, he will give us
everything we need and much more.
We also realize that a good relationship with Jehovah is what will make us
truly happy, and this helps us to be satised with having just the food and
clothing that we need.1 Timothy 6:
6-8.

plained why we can be sure of that

promise. He said: Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these
things. Jehovah knows what you need
even before you realize that you need
it. (Philippians 4:19) He knows what
clothes we will need next. He also
knows what food you will need. And
he knows that you and your family
need a place to live. Jehovah will make
sure that you have what you really
need.

IS GODS KINGDOM FIRST

IN YOUR LIFE?

SEEK THE KINGDOM FIRST, AND

JEHOVAH WILL LOOK AFTER YOU

Read Matthew 6:33. If we put the

Kingdom rst in our life, then Jehovah
will provide all that we need. Jesus ex-

How sad it would be if we did not

have enough energy to serve Jehovah

17. What might damage our relationship with

Jehovah?
18. What does Jehovah know about us personally, and what will he do for us?

19. Why should we not worry about what might

happen in the future?
20. (a) What is a goal you may set in Jehovahs
service? (b) What can you do to simplify your
life?

18

Do we believe
that Jehovah will
take care of us?
Read Matthew 6:34. Once again
Jesus told his disciples: Never be anxious. Jehovah will provide what we
need each day. So we do not have
to worry too much about what might
happen in the future. If we do, we may
start to rely on ourselves, which would
damage our relationship with Jehovah. Instead, we must fully trust in
him.Proverbs 3:5, 6; Philippians 4:
6, 7.
19

20

JULY 2016

How to Simplify
Your Life
1. Make a list of the things you need
2. Do not spend money on things you do
not really need
3. Decide what you need to buy every week
or month and how much you can aord
to spend1 (See footnote)
4. Sell, give away, or throw out things
you do not use
5. Pay back any money you owe as soon
as you can
6. Think of how you can spend less time
at your secular job
7. Plan how you can do more in the ministry

Can you simplify your life

to focus more on the Kingdom?
(See paragraph 20)

fully because we were trying to get

more and more things! Instead, we
should give Jehovah our best. For example, can you move to help a congregation that needs more publishers?
Can you pioneer? Or if you are already pioneering, have you thought
about applying for the School for
Kingdom Evangelizers? Could you perhaps spend a few days a week helping
at Bethel or at a translation oce?
8

SIMPLIFIED EDITION

1See the box How to Develop a Budget

in the July 2010 Awake!, page 8.

Or maybe you could become a Local Design/Construction volunteer and

use some of your time to help build
Kingdom Halls. Think about what you
might do to make your lifestyle simpler
so that you can have more time and energy for Kingdom activities. The box
How to Simplify Your Life gives some
suggestions. Pray to Jehovah to help
you decide what you need to do. Then
start making the necessary changes.

Jesus taught us to seek the Kingdom rst. When we do so, we avoid

worrying too much about the things we
need. We draw closer to Jehovah because we trust that he will look after us.
We learn to control ourselves and not
to buy everything we desire or everything that the world oers, even if we
can aord it. If we simplify our life
21

21. What will help you to draw closer to Jehovah?

now, it will help us to stay faithful to

Jehovah and to get a rm hold on the
real life he has promised us.1 Timothy 6:19.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ENDNOTE:
[1] (paragraph 12) Some servants of Jehovah do not
have enough food to eat at times. To understand why Jehovah might allow this to happen, see Questions From
Readers in the September 15, 2014, standard edition of
The Watchtower, page 22.
JULY 2016

Why Must We
Keep on the Watch?
You do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
MATTHEW 24:42.

SONGS: 136, 129

HOW CAN WE KEEP

ON THE WATCH
DESPITE . . .
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

the inuence of the Devil?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

the spirit of the world?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

our own weaknesses?

THE convention was about to start. The chairman walked

onto the platform and welcomed everybody. The music
was about to begin. The audience knew that it was time
to sit down. They wanted to listen to the beautiful music,
and they looked forward to the talks to come. But perhaps there were some who did not pay attention to the
chairman or notice that the music was playing. So they
did not realize that the convention was starting, and they
were still walking around or talking to their friends. This
situation shows what can happen if we are not aware of
what time it is or of what is happening around us. This is
an important lesson for us because very soon a much
greater event will begin, and we must be prepared for it.
What event is that?
2 Jesus Christ warned his disciples about the need to
1. Illustrate why it is important to be aware of what time it is and what
is happening around us. (See opening picture.)
2. Why did Jesus tell his disciples to keep on the watch?

10

stay alert and be prepared for the

conclusion of the system of things.
He told them: Keep looking, keep
awake, for you do not know when
the appointed time is. After that,
he said to them several times: Keep
on the watch. (Matthew 24:3; read
Mark 13:32-37.) Matthews account
also shows that Jesus warned his disciples about this. He told them: Keep
on the watch, therefore, because you
do not know on what day your Lord is
coming. And again he warned them:
Prove yourselves ready, because the
Son of man is coming at an hour that
you do not think to be it. Then he repeated: Keep on the watch, therefore, because you know neither the
day nor the hour.Matthew 24:4244; 25:13.
3 Jehovahs Witnesses pay attention
to the warning that Jesus gave. We
know that we are living in the time of
the end and that the great tribulation will begin very soon! (Daniel
12:4; Matthew 24:21) Just as Jesus
foretold, Jehovahs people are preaching the good news about the Kingdom
in all the earth. At the same time, we
see wars, disease, earthquakes, and
hunger in many places. There is religious confusion and more crime and
violence than ever before. (Matthew
24:7, 11, 12, 14; Luke 21:11) We are now
eagerly waiting for the time when Jesus will come and fulll his Fathers
purpose.Mark 13:26, 27.
3. Why do we pay attention to Jesus warning?

THE DAY IS GETTING CLOSER!

When we go to a convention, we
know what time each session will begin. However, it is impossible for us to
know exactly when the great tribulation will begin. When on earth, Jesus
said: Concerning that day and hour
nobody knows, neither the angels of
the heavens nor the Son, but only the
Father. (Matthew 24:36) Of course,
4

Jehovah has decided

exactly when the great
tribulation will begin
since Jesus is the one who will lead the
war of Armageddon, most likely he
now knows when that war will be. (Revelation 19:11-16) But we still do not
know the date or time when the end
will come. That is why it is very important for us to keep on the watch. Jehovah has decided exactly when the great
tribulation will begin, and each day it is
getting closer and closer. It will not be
late! (Read Habakkuk 2:1-3.) Why
can we be so sure of this?
5 Jehovahs prophecies have always
been fullled right on time! For example, think about the day he freed
his people from Egypt. That was on
4. (a) Why can we believe that Jesus now
knows when Armageddon will occur? (b) Although we do not know when the great tribulation will begin, what can we be sure of?
5. Give an example to show that Jehovahs
prophecies are always fullled right on time.
JULY 2016

11

Nisan 14 in the year 1513 before

Christ. Moses later wrote about that
day: At the end of the 430 years, on
this very day, all the multitudes of Jehovah went out of the land of Egypt.
(Exodus 12:40-42) On Nisan 14 in the
year 1943 before Christ, exactly 430
years before the Israelites were freed,
Jehovahs promise that he would bless
Abrahams ospring went into eect.
(Galatians 3:17, 18) Sometime later,
Jehovah told Abraham: Know for
certain that your ospring will be foreigners in a land not theirs and that the
people there will enslave them and afict them for 400 years. (Genesis 15:
13; Acts 7:6) The 400 years began in
the year 1913 before Christ when Ishmael began to treat Isaac badly. They
ended on the day that Jehovah freed
the Israelites from Egypt. (Genesis
21:8-10; Galatians 4:22-29) Yes, hundreds of years in advance, Jehovah set
the exact day when he would free his
people!
6 Joshua was one of the Israelites
who were freed from Egypt. Many
years later, he reminded the people:
You well know with all your heart and
with all your soul that not one word
out of all the good promises that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has
failed. They have all come true for you.
Not one word of them has failed.
(Joshua 23:2, 14) Jehovah has promised to deliver his people through the
great tribulation and to give them ever6. Why can we be sure that Jehovah will save
his people?

12

SIMPLIFIED EDITION

lasting life in the new world. And we

can be sure that his promise will come
true. So if we want to be in that new
world, we must keep on the watch.
KEEP ON THE WATCH IN
ORDER TO SURVIVE

We can learn a lesson from the

watchmen who guarded cities in ancient times. Many of these cities, including Jerusalem, were surrounded
by high walls so that enemies would
not be able to get inside. Watchmen
stood on these walls, and from there
they could see the land all around
the city. Other watchmen stood at the
gates of the city. Those men had to
keep on the watch night and day, and if
they saw enemies coming, they had to
warn the people in the city. (Isaiah
62:6) They knew how important it was
to stay awake and carefully watch what
was going on. If they did not, many
people could die.Ezekiel 33:6.
8 Josephus, who wrote about Jewish history, explained how the Romans
were able to enter Jerusalem in the
year 70 after Christ. The watchmen
who were guarding part of the city had
fallen asleep. As a result, the Roman
soldiers were able to enter the city.
They went to the temple, set it on re,
and destroyed the rest of Jerusalem.
That was the nal part of the greatest
tribulation that the Jewish nation had
ever experienced.
7

7, 8. (a) What was the role of a watchman in

ancient times, and what lesson does that teach
us? (b) Give an example of what could happen
when watchmen fell asleep on the job.

Are you doing

everything you can
to keep on the watch?
(See paragraphs 11-16)

Most governments today guard

their borders with soldiers and with security systems that use the latest technology. These governments watch for
anyone or anything that could threaten the security of their country. But
they do not realize that there is an
even more powerful government in
heaven that is ruled by Christ Jesus.
That government will soon go to war
against all governments on earth. (Isaiah 9:6, 7, footnote; 56:10; Daniel 2:
44) We wait eagerly for that day to arrive and want to be ready for it. So
we pay attention to Bible prophecy
and keep serving Jehovah faithfully.
Psalm 130:6.
9

DO NOT BE DISTRACTED

Imagine a watchman who has been

awake all night. During the last few
hours of his watch, it is much harder
10

9. What are most people today not aware of?

10, 11. (a) Of what must we be careful, and
why? (b) What convinces you that the Devil has
inuenced people to ignore Bible prophecy?

for him to stay awake because he is

very tired. In a similar way, we are living in the last days of this world. And
the closer we get to the end, the more
dicult it will be for us to stay awake.
How sad it would be if we did not keep
on the watch! Let us discuss three
things that could stop us from staying
awake.
11 The Devil deceives people. He is
the ruler of this world. Shortly before Jesus died, he reminded his disciples of this fact three times. (John 12:
31; 14:30; 16:11) The Devil has used
false religion to deceive people. That
is why many today ignore Bible prophecies that clearly show that the end of
this world is very near. (Zephaniah 1:
14) Clearly, Satan has blinded the
minds of the unbelievers. (2 Corinthians 4:3-6) As a result, when we try to
tell people that the end of this world is
near and that Christ is now ruling,
many of them do not want to listen.
They often say, Im not interested.
JULY 2016

13

Although many are not interested

in Bible prophecies, we must not let
their attitude discourage us. We know
why it is important to keep on the
watch. Paul said to his brothers: You
yourselves know very well that Jehovahs day is coming. He added: Exactly as a thief in the night. (Read
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6.) Jesus warned
us: Keep ready, because at an hour
that you do not think likely, the Son
of man is coming. (Luke 12:39, 40)
Soon, Satan will deceive people by
making them think that there is peace
12

We want Gods spirit,

not the spirit of
the world, to inuence
the way we think
and security in the world. Then, Jehovahs day will suddenly come, and they
will be shocked. What about us? If we
want to be ready for that day and
not be deceived like everyone else, we
must stay awake and keep our senses. That is why we need to read Gods
Word every day and meditate on what
Jehovah tells us.
13 The spirit of the world influences the way people think. Many
today feel that they do not need to
12. Why must we not let the Devil deceive us?
13. How is the spirit of the world aecting mankind, and how can we avoid that dangerous inuence?

14

SIMPLIFIED EDITION

know God. (Matthew 5:3) Instead,

they use most of their time and energy
to get many of the things that the
world oers. (1 John 2:16) Also, more
than ever before, there is a wide variety of entertainment that attracts people and encourages them to love pleasure and satisfy any desire they have.
(2 Timothy 3:4) These things distract
people from what is more important,
and they do not think about their relationship with God. That is why Paul
reminded Christians that they should
awake from sleep by not focusing
their lives on satisfying their desires.
Romans 13:11-14.
14 We want Gods spirit, not the spirit
of the world, to inuence the way we
think. By means of his spirit, Jehovah
has helped us to understand clearly
what is about to happen. (1 Corinthians 2:12)[1] (See endnote.) But we need
to be careful. Even ordinary things in
life could distract us from serving Jehovah. (Read Luke 21:34, 35.) Others
may tell us that we are foolish to believe that we are living in the last days
of this world. (2 Peter 3:3-7) But we
must not let them discourage us. We
have clear proof that the end is coming
soon. If we want Gods spirit to inuence us, we must regularly attend
meetings with our brothers.
15 Our weaknesses make it harder
for us to stay alert. Jesus understood
that humans are imperfect and have
14. What warning do we nd at Luke 21:34, 35?
15. What happened to Peter, James, and John,
and how might that happen to us too?

weaknesses. Think about what happened the night before he died. Although Jesus was perfect, he knew
that to remain faithful, he needed to
pray to his Father to help him. Jesus
asked the apostles Peter, James, and
John to stay awake while he prayed.
But the apostles did not realize how
important it was for them to stay
awake. They were tired, and they
went to sleep. Jesus too was tired,
but he stayed awake and prayed to
his Father. The apostles should have
been praying at that time as well.
Mark 14:32-41.
16 What will help us to keep awake
and be prepared for Jehovahs day? We
need a strong desire to keep doing
what is right. But that is not enough. A
few days before Jesus died, he told
his disciples that they needed to keep
praying to Jehovah for help. (Read
Luke 21:36.) To stay alert in this time

of the end, we too must pray to Jehovah constantly.1 Peter 4:7.

KEEP ON THE WATCH

Jesus said that the end will come

at an hour that you do not think to
be it. (Matthew 24:44) So we must be
ready at all times. Now is not the time
to try to have the lifestyle that Satans
world says will bring happiness. That is
just a dream. Instead, by means of the
Bible, Jehovah and Jesus have told us
how we can keep on the watch. So let
us pay attention to Bible prophecies
and to how these are being fullled.
And may we keep drawing closer to Jehovah and put his Kingdom rst in our
lives. We will then be ready when the
end comes. (Revelation 22:20) Our
lives depend on it!
17

17. How can we make sure that we are ready for

what is coming in the near future?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ENDNOTE:

16. According to Luke 21:36, how did Jesus instruct us to keep awake?

SOME
EXPRESSIONS
EXPLAINED

[1] (paragraph 14) See chapter 21 of the book Gods

Kingdom Rules!

To keep on the watch:

To pay attention to Bible
prophecies, especially those
that help us to know what
would happen in the last
days. We realize that we are
very close to the end and
that to survive, we need to
stay close to Jehovah and
be focused on serving him

The spirit of the world:

The powerful force that
inuences people to think
and behave like Satan
and his demons. It causes
people to be selsh and to
do the exact opposite of
what God wants them to do

Grateful Recipients of
Gods Undeserved Kindness
We all received . . . undeserved kindness
upon undeserved kindness.JOHN 1:16.
SONGS: 95, 13

HOW WOULD YOU

ANSWER?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is the greatest

expression of Jehovahs
undeserved kindness
toward mankind?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How can we show that we are

no longer ruled by sin but by
undeserved kindness?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What blessings come to

us as a result of Jehovahs
undeserved kindness?

16

EARLY one morning, the owner of a vineyard went to a

marketplace to hire men to work for him. He oered
them a certain amount of money, and the men accepted
the oer. But because the owner needed more workers,
he went back to the market several times during the day
to hire more men. He oered to pay all the men an
amount of money that was fair. At the end of the day, the
owner gathered the workers in order to pay them. And
whether they had worked all day or just one hour, he gave
them the same amount of money. However, when the
men who had worked all day began to complain, the owner said: Did you not agree to the payment I oered? Do
I not have the right to give all my workers whatever I
want? Are you envious because I am generous?Matthew 20:1-15, footnote.
1, 2. (a) Describe Jesus illustration of the owner of the vineyard.
(b) How does the story illustrate the qualities of generosity and undeserved kindness?

Jesus story teaches us an important lesson about Jehovahs undeserved kindness.[1] (See endnote.)
(Read 2 Corinthians 6:1.) How?
Some may think that the men who
worked all day deserved more money
than the others. But the owner showed
undeserved kindness to the workers
who worked only part of the day. One
expert said the following about the
word for undeserved kindness used
in the Bible: The whole basic idea of
the word is that of a free and undeserved gift, of something given to a
man unearned and unmerited.
The Bible tells us that Gods undeserved kindness is a free gift.
(Ephesians 3:7) Because we cannot
obey Jehovah perfectly, we do not deserve to receive any kindness from
God. In fact, we deserve to die.
King Solomon said: There is no righteous man on earth who always does
good and never sins. (Ecclesiastes 7:
20) Later, the apostle Paul said: All
have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God, and the wages sin pays is
death.Romans 3:23; 6:23a.
4 Because Jehovah loves humans so
much, he sent his only-begotten Son
to die for us. That was the greatest
act of undeserved kindness possible.
(John 3:16) Paul said that Jesus is
now crowned with glory and honor for having suered death, so that

by Gods undeserved kindness he

might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:9) Yes, the gift God gives is
everlasting life by Christ Jesus our
Lord.Romans 6:23b.
5 Why do we sin and die? The Bible
says that by the trespass of the one
man death ruled as king. So because
we are Adams descendants, we are imperfect and we die. (Romans 5:12, 14,
17) However, we can still choose not to
be ruled, or controlled, by sin. How is
that possible? When we show faith in
Christs ransom sacrice, we benet
from Jehovahs undeserved kindness.
The Bible says: Where sin abounded,
undeserved kindness abounded still
more. To what end? So that just as sin
ruled as king with death, so also undeserved kindness might rule as king
through righteousness leading to everlasting life through Jesus Christ.Romans 5:20, 21.
6 Even though we are still sinners, we
do not have to let sin rule over us. So
when we do something wrong, we ask
Jehovah for forgiveness. Paul warned
us: Sin must not be master over you,
seeing that you are not under law
but under undeserved kindness. (Romans 6:14) How, then, can we benet from Gods undeserved kindness?
Paul said: The undeserved kindness
of God . . . trains us to reject ungodliness and worldly desires and to live
with soundness of mind and righteousness and godly devotion amid

3, 4. Why and how has Jehovah shown undeserved kindness toward all mankind?

5, 6. What are the results when we are ruled

(a) by sin? (b) by undeserved kindness?

JEHOVAHS GENEROUS GIFT

3

JULY 2016

17

this present system of things.Titus

2:11, 12.
UNDESERVED KINDNESS
EXPRESSED IN VARIOUS WAYS

The apostle Peter wrote: To the

extent that each one has received a
gift, use it in ministering to one another as ne stewards of Gods undeserved kindness that is expressed
in various ways. (1 Peter 4:10)
What does it mean that Jehovahs
undeserved kindness is expressed in
7

Whatever trials
or diculties we may
have in life, Jehovah
will always give us
exactly what we need
to overcome them
various ways? It means that whatever
diculties we may have in life, Jehovah will give us what we need in order
to endure. (1 Peter 1:6) He will always
give us exactly what we need so that
we can overcome each trial.
8 The apostle John wrote: We all
received from his fullness, even undeserved kindness upon undeserved
kindness. (John 1:16) Because Jehovah shows his undeserved kindness in
7, 8. What does it mean that Jehovahs undeserved kindness is expressed in various
ways? (See opening pictures.)

18

SIMPLIFIED EDITION

many ways, we receive many blessings.

What are some of these blessings?
9 Jehovah forgives our sins.
Thanks to his undeserved kindness,
Jehovah forgives our sins. But he
does so only if we repent and continue to ght against our sinful desires.
(Read 1 John 1:8, 9.) Paul explained
to anointed Christians of his time how
Jehovah forgives sins. He said: [God]
rescued us from the authority of the
darkness and transferred us into the
kingdom of his beloved Son, by means
of whom we have our release by ransom, the forgiveness of our sins. (Colossians 1:13, 14) We are so grateful for
Gods mercy that we want to praise
him. And because Jehovah forgives
our sins, we can also receive many other wonderful blessings.
10 We can have a peaceful relationship with God. We are imperfect,
so from the time we are born, we
are enemies of God. Yet Paul said:
When we were enemies we became
reconciled to God through the death
of his Son. (Romans 5:10) Because
of the ransom, we can become reconciled to God, that is, we can be
at peace with him and become his
friends. Paul explained this and how it
relates to Jehovahs undeserved kindness when he said to his anointed
brothers: Now that we have been de9. How do we benet from Jehovahs undeserved kindness, and how can we show our
gratitude for it?
10. What do we enjoy because of Gods undeserved kindness?

clared righteous as a result of faith,

let us enjoy peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom
we also have obtained access by faith
into this undeserved kindness in which
we now stand. (Romans 5:1, 2) How
grateful we are to enjoy a peaceful
friendship with Jehovah!
11 We can become righteous before God. The prophet Daniel wrote
that during the time of the end, those
having insight, that is, the anointed, would bring many to righteousness. (Read Daniel 12:3.) How do
the anointed do that? They preach the
good news and teach millions of other sheep Jehovahs laws. (John 10:16)
They help them to be considered righ-

teous before God, which is only possible because of Jehovahs undeserved

kindness. Paul explained: It is as a
free gift that they are being declared
righteous by his [Gods] undeserved
kindness through the release by the
ransom paid by Christ Jesus.Romans 3:23, 24.
12 We can draw close to God
through prayer. Because of his undeserved kindness, we can pray to
Jehovah. Paul calls Jehovahs throne
the throne of undeserved kindness,
and he invites us to approach it with
freeness of speech. (Hebrews 4:
16a) We can pray to Jehovah anytime through Jesus. This is truly a
great honor! Paul said: We have this

11. How do the anointed bring the other

sheep to righteousness?

12. How is prayer related to Gods undeserved

kindness?

Expressions of Gods undeserved kindness:

The privilege of hearing the good news

The blessing of prayer

Help at the right time

(See paragraph 11)

(See paragraph 12)

(See paragraph 13)

20

freeness of speech and free access

with condence through our faith in
him.Ephesians 3:12.
13 We can find help at the right
time. Paul encouraged us to pray to
Jehovah whenever there is a need, so
that we may receive mercy and nd
undeserved kindness to help us at the
right time. (Hebrews 4:16b) Whenever we have trials or diculties in
our lives, we can beg Jehovah for
help. And he answers our prayers even
though he does not have to do so. He
often uses our brothers and sisters to
help us. Jehovah answers our prayers
so that we may be of good courage
and say: Jehovah is my helper; I will
not be afraid. What can man do to
me? Hebrews 13:6.
14 We can receive comfort for our
hearts. It is a great blessing that
Jehovah comforts us whenever we
are under emotional stress. (Psalm 51:
17) When Christians in Thessalonica were suering persecution, Paul
wrote: May our Lord Jesus Christ
himself and God our Father, who
loved us and gave everlasting comfort and good hope by means of
undeserved kindness, comfort your
hearts and strengthen you. (2 Thessalonians 2:16, 17, footnote.) How
comforting it is to know that out of his
undeserved kindness, Jehovah loves
and cares for us!

We have the hope of everlasting life. Because we are sinners, we

have no hope without Jehovahs help.
(Read Psalm 49:7, 8.) But Jehovah
has given us a wonderful hope. What is
it? Jesus said: This is the will of my
Father, that everyone who recognizes
the Son and exercises faith in him
should have everlasting life. (John 6:
40) So we have the hope of living forever because of Jehovahs undeserved
kindness. Paul said: The undeserved
kindness of God has been manifested,
bringing salvation to all sorts of people.Titus 2:11.

13. How can undeserved kindness help us at

the right time?
14. How does Jehovahs undeserved kindness
benet our hearts?

15. Thanks to Gods undeserved kindness, what

hope do we have?
16. How did some early Christians abuse Gods
undeserved kindness?

SIMPLIFIED EDITION

15

DO NOT TURN GODS

UNDESERVED KINDNESS INTO
AN EXCUSE TO SIN

We receive many blessings because of Jehovahs undeserved kindness. However, we should not abuse
his kindness, that is, turn it into
an excuse to sin. Among the early Christians, there were some who
tried to turn the undeserved kindness
of . . . God into an excuse for brazen conduct. (Jude 4) These unfaithful Christians apparently thought that
they could sin and that Jehovah would
always forgive them. They even tried
to make their brothers join them in
their sins. Today also, anyone doing
that has outraged the spirit of undeserved kindness.Hebrews 10:29.
16

Satan has tricked some Christians

today into thinking that they can commit sins and that Jehovah will automatically forgive them. It is true that
Jehovah is willing to forgive sinners
who repent; however, he does expect
us to ght against our sinful desires.
Jehovah inspired Peter to write: You,
therefore, beloved ones, having this
advance knowledge, be on your guard
so that you may not be led astray with
them by the error of the lawless people
and fall from your own steadfastness.
No, but go on growing in the undeserved kindness and knowledge of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 3:17, 18.
17

UNDESERVED KINDNESS BRINGS

RESPONSIBILITIES

We are very grateful for Jehovahs

undeserved kindness. Therefore, we
should use our gifts to honor Jehovah
and to help others. We owe it to them.
How can we use those gifts? Paul says:
Since, then, we have gifts that dier
18

17. What strong counsel did Peter give?

18. Because of Jehovahs undeserved kindness,
what responsibilities do we have?

SOME
EXPRESSIONS
EXPLAINED

according to the undeserved kindness

given to us . . . if it is a ministry, let us
be at this ministry; or the one who
teaches, let him be at his teaching;
or the one who encourages, let him
give encouragement; . . . the one who
shows mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
(Romans 12:6-8) So because of Jehovahs undeserved kindness, we have
the responsibility to work hard in the
ministry, to teach the Bible to others,
to encourage our brothers and sisters,
and to forgive any who may oend us.
19 As those who have been blessed
with Jehovahs undeserved kindness,
we should be moved to do our best to
bear thorough witness to the good
news of the undeserved kindness of
God. (Acts 20:24) We will examine
this responsibility in the following article.
19. What responsibility of ours will be examined
in the next article?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ENDNOTE:
[1] (paragraph 2) See Undeserved kindness in the
Glossary of Bible Terms in the revised New World
Translation.

We can be righteous before

God, or be Gods friends,
when we show our faith
in him and in Jesus ransom.
We help others to be Gods
friends when we preach
the good news and teach
people about Jehovahs
undeserved kindness

We would abuse Jehovahs

undeserved kindness
if we committed a sin
and assumed that Jehovah
would automatically
forgive us

Spread the Good News

of Undeserved Kindness
Bear thorough witness to the good news
of the undeserved kindness of God.ACTS
SONGS: 101, 84

HOW WOULD YOU

ANSWER?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What should Jehovahs

undeserved kindness
motivate us to do?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How does the good news of

the Kingdom highlight Gods
undeserved kindness?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How will Jehovah show his

undeserved kindness in the
new world?

20:24.

THE apostle Paul could honestly say: [Gods] undeserved kindness to me was not in vain. (Read 1 Corinthians 15:9, 10.) Paul clearly knew that he had not
earned or deserved Gods great mercy. He had been a
persecutor of Christians.
2 Toward the end of his life, Paul wrote to Timothy: I
am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who imparted power to me, because he considered me faithful by assigning
me to a ministry. (1 Timothy 1:12-14) What ministry was
that? Paul told the elders of the congregation in Ephesus:
I do not consider my own life of any importance to me,
if only I may nish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear thorough witness
to the good news of the undeserved kindness of
God.Acts 20:24.
1, 2. How did the apostle Paul show that he was grateful for Gods undeserved kindness?

22

What good news did Paul preach,

and how did it show Jehovahs undeserved kindness? Paul said to the
Christians in Ephesus: You have
heard about the stewardship of Gods
undeserved kindness that was given to
me for your sakes. (Ephesians 3:1, 2)
Jesus had told Paul to preach the good
news to those who were not Jews. Now
it was possible for people from the nations to be part of the Kingdom government ruled by the Messiah. (Read
Ephesians 3:5-8.) Paul preached with
zeal and set a good example for Christians today. He showed that Gods undeserved kindness was not in vain,
or wasted on him.
3

DOES GODS UNDESERVED

KINDNESS MOTIVATE YOU?

In this time of the end, Jehovahs

people have the assignment to preach
the good news of the Kingdom . . . in
all the inhabited earth for a witness to
all the nations. (Matthew 24:14) The
good news of the Kingdom is also the
good news of the undeserved kindness
of God. How is that so? All the blessings we will receive from Gods Kingdom will be the result of Jehovahs
kindness. (Ephesians 1:3) Paul showed
gratitude for Jehovahs undeserved
kindness by zealously preaching. Are
we imitating Pauls example?Read
Romans 1:14-16.
4

3. What special ministry was Paul given? (See

opening picture.)
4, 5. Why can we say that the good news of
the Kingdom is the same as the good news of
the undeserved kindness of God?

In the previous article, we learned

how we as sinners benet from Jehovahs undeserved kindness in many
ways. Because we have beneted so
much, we have the responsibility to
teach others how Jehovah is showing
his love and how they can benet from
it. In what ways can we help others to
be grateful for Gods undeserved kindness?
5

SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS

OF THE RANSOM SACRIFICE

Today, many people do not feel

guilty when they sin, so they do not
understand why humans need the ransom. At the same time, more and
more people realize that their lifestyle
does not make them happy. And until they talk to Jehovahs Witnesses,
many people do not know what sin is,
how it aects us, and what we need
to do to be freed from slavery to
sin. Once they understand what sin is,
sincere people are grateful to learn
that Jehovah sent his Son to the earth
to free us from sin and death. Jehovah
did that because of his great love and
undeserved kindness.1 John 4:9, 10.
7 Notice what Paul said about Jehovahs beloved Son: By means of
him we have the release by ransom
through the blood of that one, yes,
the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his [Jehovahs] undeserved kindness. (Ephesians 1:7) Christs ransom sacrice is
6

6, 7. When we explain the ransom to people,

how are we spreading the good news of Gods
undeserved kindness?
JULY 2016

23

the greatest proof of Gods love for us

and shows how great His undeserved
kindness is. It is such a relief to learn
that if we show faith in Jesus sacrice, our sins will be forgiven and we
will have a clean conscience! (Hebrews
9:14) This is certainly good news to
share with others!
HELP PEOPLE TO BECOME
FRIENDS OF GOD

If people do not show faith in Jesus sacrice, God views them as enemies. Therefore, we have the responsibility to tell them that they can
8

We have the
responsibility to
tell people that
they can become
friends of God
become friends of God. The apostle
John wrote: The one who exercises
faith in the Son has everlasting life; the
one who disobeys the Son will not see
life, but the wrath of God remains
upon him. (John 3:36) We can be
happy that Christs sacrice makes
it possible for us to become Gods
friends. Paul described it this way:
You who were once alienated and enemies because your minds were on
the works that were wicked, he has
8. Why do sinful humans need to be reconciled
to God?

24

SIMPLIFIED EDITION

now reconciled by means of that ones

eshly body through his death.Colossians 1:21, 22.
9 Christ has given his anointed
brothers on earth the ministry of the
reconciliation. Paul told them: All
things are from God, who reconciled
us to himself through Christ and gave
us the ministry of the reconciliation,
namely, that God was by means of
Christ reconciling a world to himself,
not counting their oenses against
them, and he entrusted to us the message of the reconciliation. Therefore,
we are ambassadors substituting for
Christ, as though God were making an
appeal through us. As substitutes for
Christ, we beg: Become reconciled to
God. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20.
10 It is a privilege for the other
sheep to help the anointed in this
ministry. (John 10:16) As Christs
envoys, or messengers, the other
sheep are doing the biggest part of
the preaching work, teaching people
the truth and helping them to have a
close relationship with Jehovah. This
is an important part of preaching the
good news of the undeserved kindness
of God.
TEACH PEOPLE THAT GOD
HEARS PRAYERS

Many people pray because it

makes them feel good, but they do not
11

9, 10. (a) What responsibility did Christ give to

his anointed brothers? (b) How do the other
sheep help the anointed?
11, 12. Why is it good news for people to learn
that they can pray to Jehovah?

really believe that God hears their

prayers. They need to know that Jehovah is the Hearer of prayer. The
psalmist David wrote: O Hearer of
prayer, to you people of all sorts will
come. My errors have overwhelmed
me, but you cover over our transgressions.Psalm 65:2, 3.
12 Jesus told his disciples: If you ask
anything in my name, I will do it.
(John 14:14) This means that we can
pray for anything that is in harmony
with Jehovahs will. John wrote: This
is the condence that we have toward him, that no matter what we ask
according to his will, he hears us.
(1 John 5:14) How good it is to help
people understand that prayer is not
just something that makes them feel
good but is a way to approach Jehovahs throne of undeserved kindness! (Hebrews 4:16) When we teach
people how to pray in the right way, to
the right Person, and for the right
things, we help them to become Jehovahs friends and to nd comfort when
they suer.Psalm 4:1; 145:18.
UNDESERVED KINDNESS
IN THE NEW SYSTEM OF THINGS

Jehovah will show his undeserved

kindness even more in the coming
systems of things. How so? God will
give the 144,000 who will rule with
Christ in heaven an amazing privilege. Paul explained what that privilege will be when he wrote: God, be13

13, 14. (a) What marvelous privileges will the

anointed have in the future? (b) What wonderful work will the anointed do for mankind?

ing rich in mercy, because of his great

love with which he loved us, made us
alive together with the Christ, even
when we were dead in trespassesby
undeserved kindness you have been
saved. Moreover, he raised us up together and seated us together in the
heavenly places in union with Christ
Jesus, so that in the coming systems
of things he might demonstrate the

When we teach people

how to pray, we
help them to become
Jehovahs friends
surpassing riches of his undeserved
kindness in his graciousness toward us
in union with Christ Jesus.Ephesians 2:4-7.
14 It is dicult to imagine the wonderful things that Jehovah has prepared for anointed Christians when
they rule with Christ in heaven. (Luke
22:28-30; Philippians 3:20, 21; 1 John
3:2) Jehovah will demonstrate the
surpassing riches of his undeserved
kindness toward them in a special
way. They will be the New Jerusalem, the bride of Christ. (Revelation
3:12; 17:14; 21:2, 9, 10) They will work
with Jesus in the healing of the nations. They will help humans to become free from the burden of sin and
death and will help them to become
perfect.Read Revelation 22:1, 2, 17.
JULY 2016

25

Serve zealously
as ne stewards
of Gods undeserved
kindness.1 Peter 4:10
(See paragraphs 17-19)

Ephesians 2:7 says that God will

show undeserved kindness in the
coming systems of things. At that
time, everyone on earth will certainly experience the surpassing riches
of his undeserved kindness. (Luke
18:29, 30) One of the greatest ways
that Jehovah will show his undeserved
kindness on earth will be the resurrection of humans from the Grave.
(Job 14:13-15; John 5:28, 29) Who
will be resurrected? Faithful men and
women who died before Christs death
and those of the other sheep who die
faithful to Jehovah during the last
15

15, 16. How will Jehovah show his undeserved

kindness toward the other sheep in the future?

26

SIMPLIFIED EDITION

days. All these faithful ones will be

brought back to life to continue serving Jehovah.
16 Millions of humans who died without knowing God will also be
resurrected. John wrote: I saw the
dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls
were opened. But another scroll was
opened; it is the scroll of life. The dead
were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their
deeds. And the sea gave up the dead
in it, and death and the Grave gave
up the dead in them, and they were
judged individually according to their
deeds. (Revelation 20:12, 13) The resurrected ones will have an opportuni-

ty to learn about Jehovah and to accept his rule. They will have to learn
and apply Bible principles and new
instructions found in the scrolls.
Those new instructions will be another way Jehovah will show his undeserved kindness.
KEEP PREACHING THE GOOD NEWS

It is more important than ever before that we preach the good news of
the Kingdom, because the end is near!
(Mark 13:10) We need to remember
that our goal when we preach is to
honor Jehovah. How can we do this?
We need to tell people that all the
blessings we will enjoy in the new
world are possible only because of Jehovahs wonderful kindness.
18 When we preach to people, we can
explain that when Christs Kingdom
17

17. What should we keep in mind when sharing

in our witnessing work?
18, 19. How do we glorify Jehovahs undeserved kindness?

SOME
EXPRESSIONS
EXPLAINED

rules, humans will receive all the benets of the ransom and will gradually
become perfect. The Bible says: The
creation itself will also be set free from
enslavement to corruption and have
the glorious freedom of the children
of God. (Romans 8:21) This will be
possible only through Jehovahs undeserved kindness.
19 We have the privilege of telling
all people about the thrilling promise that is found at Revelation 21:
4, 5: [God] will wipe out every tear
from their eyes, and death will be no
more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former
things have passed away. And Jehovah, the one seated on the throne,
says: Look! I am making all things
new. He also says: Write, for these
words are faithful and true. When we
zealously preach this good news to
others, we truly glorify Jehovahs undeserved kindness!

As sinful people, we need

to be reconciled to God,
that is, to have our sins forgiven so that we can have
Gods approval and friendship. Only because of Jehovahs undeserved kindness
and Jesus sacrice can we
have our sins forgiven

The ministry of the

reconciliation that Christ
has given the anointed is
the preaching work. This
work teaches people the
truth and helps them to
have a close relationship
with Jehovah

Do Not
Be Afraid.
I Will Help You

IMAGINE that you are walking on the street late

at night. Suddenly you realize that someone is
following you. When you stop walking, the person behind you also stops. When you walk faster, so does he. You start to run to a friends
house nearby. When your friend opens the door
and welcomes you in, you are relieved because
now you know you are safe.
Perhaps you have not had the experience mentioned above. But likely you have other anxieties
in life that cause you to worry. For example, are
you struggling with a weakness that you would
like to overcome but you keep making the same
mistake? Have you been unemployed for a long
time and unable to nd a job despite all the efforts you make to nd one? Are you worried
about getting older and facing health issues in
the future? Or is there something else that concerns you?
Whatever problem you may have, it is good to
have a friend to whom you can tell your worries
and who is willing to help you. Do you have such
a close friend? Yes, you do! Jehovah is such a
friend to you, just as he was to the faithful man
Abraham, as noted at Isaiah 41:8-13. In verses 10 and 13, Jehovah promises each one of us:
Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be
28

SIMPLIFIED EDITION

anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you,

yes, I will help you, I will really hold on to you
with my right hand of righteousness. For I, Jehovah your God, am grasping your right hand,
the One saying to you, Do not be afraid. I will
help you.
I WILL REALLY HOLD ON TO YOU

Jehovahs words are very comforting. Try to

imagine what Jehovah is actually promising us.
The verse does not say that you are walking next
to Jehovah holding his hand. If you were walking next to him, Jehovahs right hand would be
holding your left hand. Instead, Jehovah holds
out his right hand of righteousness and grabs
your right hand, as if he were pulling you out
of a dicult situation. When Jehovah grabs
your right hand, he strengthens you by saying:
Do not be afraid. I will help you.
Do you see Jehovah as your loving Father and
Friend? Do you believe that he will help you
when you experience diculties? Jehovah really cares for you and wants to help you. When you
have problems and diculties, Jehovah wants
you to feel safe. Why? Because he loves you very
much. He is truly a help that is readily found in
times of distress.Psalm 46:1.

WHEN WE FEEL GUILTY ABOUT PAST MISTAKES

Some keep remembering their past mistakes

and wonder whether God has forgiven them. If
you feel that way, think of the faithful man Job.
He admitted that he sinned when he was young.
(Job 13:26) The psalmist David also felt that way
and begged Jehovah: Do not remember the sins
of my youth and my transgressions. (Psalm
25:7) Because we are imperfect, all of us have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God.Romans 3:23.
The comforting words in Isaiah chapter 41
were written for the Israelites. Their sins were so
serious that Jehovah said he would punish them
by having them exiled to Babylon. (Isaiah 39:
6, 7) At the same time, God promised that he
would free those who would repent and return to
him! (Isaiah 41:8, 9; 49:8) Jehovah shows the
same love and mercy today toward those who
sincerely repent and want to please him.Psalm
51:1.
Consider the experience of Takuya,1 who was
trying to overcome the unclean habits of watching pornography and practicing masturbation.
Many times, he gave in to his habit. How did he
feel? I felt that I was totally unworthy, but when
I approached Jehovah in prayer to beg for his
forgiveness, he would pick me up from my fallen
state. How did Jehovah do that? Elders in Takuyas congregation told him to call them on the
phone whenever he gave in to his habit. He admits: It was not easy to call them, but whenever
I did, I was strengthened. Then the elders arranged for the circuit overseer to visit Takuya.
The circuit overseer told him: I am not here by
coincidence. I am here because the elders wanted me to be here. They chose you to receive this
shepherding visit. Takuya says: I was the one
sinning, yet Jehovah, through the elders, extended help to me. Eventually, Takuya stopped
his bad habits, became a regular pioneer, and is
1 Some names have been changed.

now serving at a branch oce. Just as God

helped this brother, he will help you when you
make mistakes.
WHEN WE ARE ANXIOUS ABOUT WORK

Some feel anxious because they have lost their

job and cannot nd another one. Imagine how
dicult it is to be rejected by one employer after
another. When some experience this dicult situation, they feel worthless. How might Jehovah
help you? He may not immediately give you an
ideal job, but he can help you to remember
Davids words: I was once young and now I
am old, but I have not seen anyone righteous
abandoned, nor his children looking for food.
(Psalm 37:25, footnote.) Jehovah views you as
precious, and he gives you his right hand of
righteousness so that you will have what you
need to keep on serving him.
Sara, who lives in Colombia, saw how Jehovah
was able to help her. She made a lot of money
working full-time for a well-known and respected company. But she wanted to do more in
How might Jehovah help you if you lose your job?

Jehovahs service, so she quit her job and started to pioneer. However, it was dicult for her to
nd the part-time job she needed. She set up a
small ice-cream shop but gradually ran out of
money and had to close the business. She says,
Three long years passed, but thanks to Jehovah, I was able to endure. She learned what
things she really needed and how to avoid being
anxious about the next day. (Matthew 6:33, 34)
Eventually, her former boss called and oered
her the same job that she had before. She said
that she would accept work only if it was parttime and only if she was allowed to take time o
for meetings, assemblies, and conventions. Today, Sara does not earn as much money as she
used to, but she is able to continue pioneering.
She says that during that dicult time, she felt
the loving hand of Jehovah.
WHEN WE ARE ANXIOUS ABOUT GETTING OLD

Many feel anxious because they are getting old

and will soon retire. They wonder if they will
have enough money to live comfortably. They
Jos and Rose with Tony and Wendy

also worry about health issues that may arise in

the future. It was probably King David who
begged Jehovah: Do not cast me o in my old
age; do not abandon me when my strength fails.
Psalm 71:9, 18.
How can older ones feel condent about the
future? They need to keep strengthening their
faith in God and to trust that he will give them
everything they need. However, some enjoyed
luxuries when they had more money, so they
may need to learn to live a simpler life and be
satised with having less. They may even realize
that eating a dish of vegetables instead of a
fattened bull may be better for their health!
(Proverbs 15:17) If you are focused on serving
Jehovah, he will make sure that you have everything you need when you are old.
Think about Jos and Rose, who have served
Jehovah full-time for more than 65 years. During that time, they have had many challenges.
They cared for Roses father, who needed help
night and day. Also, Jos had to endure cancer
surgery and chemotherapy. How did Jehovah
give his right hand to this faithful couple? He
used another Christian couple, Tony and Wendy.
They had an apartment that they wanted to oer
to full-time pioneers free of charge. Tony remembered that when he was in high school, he
would look out the window and see Jos and
Rose regularly preaching in the ministry. Tony
loved the zeal they showed, and it made a big impression on him. Because Jos and Rose had
spent their whole lives serving Jehovah, Tony
and Wendy oered the apartment to them. For
the past 15 years, they have helped Jos and
Rose, who are now about 85 years old. Jos and
Rose feel that Tony and Wendy are a gift from Jehovah.
Jehovah promises you: Do not be afraid. I
will help you. He is oering his right hand of
righteousness to you too. Will you hold out
your hand to him?

QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Ezekiel chapter 37 describes two sticks that became one stick.

What does this mean?
Through his prophet Ezekiel, Jehovah foretold that his people would return to the Promised Land and that they would
be united as one nation again. That prophecy also foretold
that those who worship God during the last days would be
united as one people.
Jehovah told his prophet Ezekiel to write on two sticks. He
was to write on one stick, For Judah and for the people of Israel who are with him, and on the other one, For Joseph, the
stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel who are with
him. The two sticks were to become just one stick in Ezekiels hand.Ezekiel 37:15-17.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

THE JOINING OF THE TWO STICKS

ANCIENT TIMES
__________________________________________________________________________

THE LAST DAYS

The stick for Judah

The two-tribe
kingdom of Judah

__________________________________________________________________________

The anointed
From 1919 after Christ

Joined in 537 before Christ

Gods people were

gradually reorganized
and reunited to serve
as one flock

when representatives of both

Judah and Israel returned to
rebuild the temple

__________________________________________________________________________

The ten-tribe kingdom

of Israel

__________________________________________________________________________

The other sheep

The stick of Ephraim

31

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worship him to become one. (Ezekiel 37:18, 19)

Has this promise come true in recent times? Yes.
The prophecy began to be fullled in 1919. Before
that, Satan had tried to divide Gods people permanently. But in 1919, they were gradually reorganized and reunited.
At that time, most of Gods people had the hope
of becoming kings and priests in heaven with Jesus. (Revelation 20:6) They were like the stick for
Judah. There were a few, however, who had the
hope of living forever on earth. And as time went
on, those with this hope increased in number.
(Zechariah 8:23) They were like the stick for Joseph.
Today, both groups serve Jehovah together.
And they have one King, Jesus Christ. In Ezekiels
prophecy, he is spoken of as my servant David.
(Ezekiel 37:24, 25) Jesus prayed to his Father
about his followers: May all [of them] be one, just
as you, Father, are in union with me and I am in
union with you.1 (See footnote.) (John 17:20,
21) Jesus also foretold that his little ock of
anointed disciples would become one ock with
his other sheep. All of them would follow one
shepherd. (John 10:16) Just as Jesus described,
all of Gods people today are united, whether they
look forward to living forever in heaven or on
earth!
1 When Jesus spoke about the sign of the last days, he gave
his disciples several illustrations. It is interesting to note that
he rst referred to the faithful and discreet slave, the small
group of anointed brothers who would take the lead among
Gods people. (Matthew 24:45-47) Then he gave illustrations
that referred to all the anointed ones. (Matthew 25:1-30) Finally he spoke about those who would support Christs brothers
and live forever on earth. (Matthew 25:31-46) Similarly, when
Ezekiels prophecy began to be fullled in our time, it applied
rst to those who had the hope of living in heaven. And although the ten tribes of Israel do not usually represent those
who will live forever on earth, the unity described in this prophecy reminds us of the unity that exists between these ones and
the anointed.

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New World Translation
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or scan code

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160311

What does the term Ephraim mean? The tribe

of Ephraim was the most prominent of the ten
tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel. In fact,
the rst king who ruled over that kingdom, Jeroboam, was from the tribe of Ephraim. (Deuteronomy 33:13, 17; 1 Kings 11:26) That tribe descended from Ephraim, a son of Joseph. (Numbers 1:32,
33) Joseph had received a special blessing from
his father, Jacob. So it was appropriate that the
stick of Ephraim represented the ten tribes of the
northern kingdom. In the year 740 before Christ,
long before Ezekiel prophesied, the Assyrians
conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and
took the people captive. (2 Kings 17:6) Years later, the Babylonians defeated the Assyrians. So
when Ezekiel wrote the prophecy about the two
sticks, most of those Israelites were scattered
throughout the Babylonian Empire.
In the year 607 before Christ, the Babylonians
conquered the southern two-tribe kingdom of Judah and took the people to Babylon. They may also
have taken any who remained from the northern
kingdom of Israel. The kings of the southern kingdom were from the tribe of Judah. The priests also
lived in Judah because they served at the temple
in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 11:13, 14; 34:30) So it
was tting that the stick that was for Judah represented the two tribes of the southern kingdom.
When were the two sticks joined together? This
happened in the year 537 before Christ, when
representatives of both the southern kingdom
and the northern kingdom returned to Jerusalem
from exile to rebuild the temple. The nation of Israel was no longer divided. Once again, the Israelites worshipped Jehovah together. (Ezekiel 37:21,
22) This unity had also been foretold by the
prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah.Isaiah 11:12, 13;
Jeremiah 31:1, 6, 31.
What did Ezekiels prophecy foretell about pure
worship? That Jehovah will cause all those who