OUR MINISTRYFIRSTPLACE

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

CBS AND TMS

"WEEK STARTING DECEMBER 14
Song 41

Congregation Bible Study:
lv chap.14 ¶1-9

*** lv chap. 14 pp. 160-163 Be Honest in All Things ***
Chapter 14
Be Honest in All Things
“We wish to conduct ourselves honestly in all things.”—HEBREWS 13:18.
A MOTHER and her little boy leave a store together. Suddenly, the child stops, a look of shock on his face. In his hand he is holding a small toy that he picked up in the store. He forgot to put it back or to ask his mother if she would buy it. He cries out to her, distressed. She reassures him and takes him back into the store so that he can return the item and apologize. As he does so, the mother’s heart swells with joy and pride. Why?
2 Few things delight parents more than seeing that their children are learning the importance of honesty. And so it is with our heavenly Father, “the God of truth.” (Psalm 31:5) As he watches us grow to spiritual maturity, he is pleased to see us striving to be honest. Because we want to please him and remain in his love, we echo the sentiments expressed by the apostle Paul: “We wish to conduct ourselves honestly in all things.” (Hebrews 13:18) Let us focus on four main areas of life in which we may at times find it a special challenge to be honest. Then we will consider some of the blessings that come as a result.
HONESTY WITH OURSELVES
3 Our first challenge is to learn to be honest with ourselves. It is very easy for us as imperfect humans to succumb to self-deception. For instance, Jesus told the Christians in Laodicea that they had fooled themselves into thinking that they were rich when, in fact, they were “poor and blind and naked” spiritually—a truly pitiable state. (Revelation 3:17) Their self-deception only made their situation more dangerous.
4 You may recall, too, that the disciple James warned: “If any man seems to himself to be a formal worshiper and yet does not bridle his tongue, but goes on deceiving his own heart, this man’s form of worship is futile.” (James 1:26) If we were to reason that we could misuse our tongue and still worship Jehovah acceptably, we would succeed only in deceiving our own heart. Our worship of Jehovah would be futile, an utter waste. What can keep us from such a sad course?
5 In that same passage, James likens the truth of God’s word to a mirror. He advises us to peer into God’s perfect law and make adjustments accordingly. (James 1:23-25) The Bible can help us to be honest with ourselves and to see what we need to do to improve. (Lamentations 3:40; Haggai 1:5) We may also pray to Jehovah and ask him to examine us, helping us to see and to address any serious flaws. (Psalm 139:23, 24) Dishonesty is an insidious weakness, and we need to view it as our heavenly Father does. Proverbs 3:32 says: “The devious person is a detestable thing to Jehovah, but His intimacy is with the upright ones.” Jehovah can help us to feel as he does and to see ourselves as he sees us. Remember that Paul said: “We wish to conduct ourselves honestly.” We cannot be perfect now, but we sincerely desire and earnestly seek to be honest.
HONESTY IN THE FAMILY
6 Honesty should be a hallmark of the Christian family. Husband and wife, then, must be open and honest with each other. There is no room in a Christian marriage for such hurtful, unclean practices as flirting with those outside the marriage, cultivating clandestine relationships via the Internet, or using pornography in any form. Some married Christians have taken up such wrong conduct while concealing it from an innocent mate. Doing so is dishonest. Notice the words of faithful King David: “I have not sat with men of untruth; and with those who hide what they are I do not come in.” (Psalm 26:4) If you are married, never engage in conduct that might tempt you to hide what you are from your mate!
7 In teaching their children the value of honesty, parents are wise to make use of Bible examples. On the negative side, there are such accounts as that of Achan, who stole and attempted to cover his theft; Gehazi, who lied for the sake of financial gain; and Judas, who stole and lied spitefully to harm Jesus.—Joshua 6:17-19; 7:11-25; 2 Kings 5:14-16, 20-27; Matthew 26:14, 15; John 12:6.
8 On the positive side, there are such accounts as that of Jacob, who urged his sons to return money they found in their bags because he felt that it might have been put there by mistake; that of Jephthah and his daughter, who honored her father’s vow at great personal sacrifice; and that of Jesus, who bravely identified himself before a vicious mob in order to fulfill prophecy and protect his friends. (Genesis 43:12; Judges 11:30-40; John 18:3-11) This partial list may give parents a taste of the riches found in God’s Word that can help them teach their children to love and value honesty.
9 Such teaching places an important obligation on parents. The apostle Paul asked: “Do you, however, the one teaching someone else, not teach yourself? You, the one preaching ‘Do not steal,’ do you steal?” (Romans 2:21) Some parents confuse their children by teaching about honesty while acting dishonestly themselves. They may justify petty theft and deceptive words with such excuses as “Oh, they expect people to take these things” or “That was just a little white lie, a fib.” In reality, stealing is stealing, regardless of the value of the item stolen, and lying is lying, regardless of the subject matter or the scope of the untruth. (Luke 16:10) Children are quick to detect hypocrisy and may be seriously damaged by it. (Ephesians 6:4) However, when they learn honesty from their parents’ examples, they may well grow up to glorify Jehovah in this dishonest world.—Proverbs 22:6.

Theocratic Ministry School:

Bible reading: Joshua 6-8 http://www.watchtower.org/e/bible/index.htm
No.1: Joshua 8:1-17

No. 2: Water Destroys a World—Will It Happen Again? (lr chap. 46)

*** lr chap. 46 pp. 238-243 Water Destroys a World—Will It Happen Again? ***
Chapter 46
Water Destroys a World—Will It Happen Again?
HAVE you ever heard anyone talk about the end of the world?— Today many do talk about it. Some people think the world will end in a war in which men use nuclear bombs. Do you think God will let people destroy our beautiful earth and our lovely heavens and its shining stars?—
As we have learned, the Bible tells about the end of the world. “The world is passing away,” the Bible says. (1 John 2:17) Do you think the end of the world will mean the end of the earth?— No, the Bible says that God made the earth “to be inhabited,” yes, for people to live on it and to enjoy it. (Isaiah 45:18) Psalm 37:29 says: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.” For this reason the Bible also says that the earth will last forever.—Psalm 104:5; Ecclesiastes 1:4.
So if the end of the world does not mean the end of the earth, what does it mean?— We can find out if we look carefully at what happened in the days of Noah. The Bible explains: “The world of that time suffered destruction when it was deluged [or, flooded] with water.”—2 Peter 3:6.
Did anybody live through the end of the world during that Deluge, or great Flood, in Noah’s day?— The Bible says that God “kept Noah, a preacher of righteousness, safe with seven others when he brought a deluge upon a world of ungodly people.”—2 Peter 2:5.
So, then, what was the world that ended? Was it the earth, or was it the bad people?— The Bible says that it was the “world of ungodly people.” And notice, Noah is called “a preacher.” What do you think he was preaching about?— Noah was warning people about the end of “the world of that time.”
When Jesus spoke about the great Flood, he told his disciples about what the people had been doing just before the end came. This is what he said to them: “In those days before the flood, [people were] eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away.” Then Jesus said that people would be acting just like that before this world ends.—Matthew 24:37-39.
Jesus’ words show us that we can learn lessons from what the people were doing before the Flood. From reading Chapter 10 of this book, do you remember what those people did?— Some men were bullies and did violent things. But many others, Jesus said, just did not listen when God sent Noah to preach to them.
So the day came when Jehovah told Noah that He was going to destroy the bad people by a flood. The water would cover the whole earth, even the mountains. Jehovah told Noah to build a big ark. It was like a big, long box, or chest, as you can see if you turn back to the picture on page 238.
God told Noah to build the ark big enough to hold him and his family and many of the animals safe inside of it. Noah and his family worked very hard. They cut down large trees, and using the wood they began putting the ark together. This took many, many years because the ark was so large.
Do you remember what else Noah was doing during all the years that he was building the ark?— He was preaching, warning the people about the coming Flood. Did any of them listen? None of them did except Noah’s family. The rest were just too busy doing other things. Do you remember what Jesus said they were doing?— They were busy eating and drinking and getting married. They did not think that they were so bad, and they did not take time to listen to Noah. So let’s see what happened to them.
After Noah and his family went inside the ark, Jehovah shut the door. People outside still did not believe that the Flood would come. But all of a sudden, water began to fall from the sky! It was not just a regular rain. It was a downpour! Soon the water was like big rivers, making a lot of noise. It pushed over big trees and rolled big stones as if they were little pebbles. And what about the people outside the ark?— Jesus says: “The flood came and swept them all away.” All the people outside the ark died. Why?— As Jesus said, “they took no note.” They did not listen!—Matthew 24:39; Genesis 6:5-7.
Now, remember, Jesus said that what happened to those people is a lesson for us today. What lesson can we learn?— Well, people were destroyed not only because they were bad but because many were just too busy to take the time to learn about God and about what he was going to do. We need to be careful that we are not like them, don’t we?—
Do you think that God will again destroy the world by a flood?— No, God promised that he wouldn’t. He said: “My rainbow I do give in the cloud, and it must serve as a sign.” Jehovah said that the rainbow would be a sign that “no more will the waters become a deluge to bring all flesh to ruin.”—Genesis 9:11-17.
So we can be sure that God will never again destroy the world by a flood. Yet, as we have seen, the Bible does tell about the end of the world. When God brings the destruction of this world, whom will he keep alive?— Will it be people who were so interested in other things that they never wanted to learn about God? Will it be those who were always too busy to study the Bible? What do you think?—
We want to be among those whom God will keep alive, don’t we?— Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our family could be like Noah’s so that God would save all of us?— If we are to survive the end of the world, we need to understand how God will destroy it and bring about his righteous new world. Let’s see how he does this.
The Bible gives us the answer at Daniel chapter 2, verse 44. This scripture is speaking about our own day when it says: “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom [or, government] that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.”
Do you understand that?— The Bible says that God’s government is going to destroy all earthly governments. Why?— Because they don’t obey the One whom God has made King. And who is that?— Yes, Jesus Christ!
Jehovah God has the right to decide what kind of government should rule, and he has chosen his Son, Jesus, to be King. Soon God’s Ruler, Jesus Christ, will take the lead in destroying all the governments of this world. The Bible, at Revelation chapter 19, verses 11 to 16, describes him as he does so, even as this picture shows. In the Bible, God’s war to destroy all the governments of the world is called Har–Magedon, or Armageddon.
Now, God says that his Kingdom will destroy the governments of men. But does he tell us to do that?— No, in the Bible, Armageddon is called “the war of the great day of God the Almighty.” (Revelation 16:14, 16) Yes, Armageddon is God’s war, and he uses Jesus Christ to lead the heavenly armies in the fight. Is the war of Armageddon near? Let’s see how we can find out.
Let’s read together about when God gets rid of all the wicked and saves those who serve him, at Proverbs 2:21, 22; Isaiah 26:20, 21; Jeremiah 25:31-33; and Matthew 24:21, 22.

No. 3: Why Is Ecclesiastes 7:21, 22 Practical Counsel?"

*** g01 10/22 pp. 14-15 What’s Wrong With Getting Even? ***
Consider the Bible’s words at Ecclesiastes 7:21, 22: “Do not give your heart to all the words that people may speak, that you may not hear your servant calling down evil upon you. For your own heart well knows even many times that you, even you, have called down evil upon others.” Yes, it is unpleasant to have people say bad things about you. But the Bible acknowledges that it is a fact of life. Is it not true that you have probably said things about others that would better have been left unsaid? So why should you overreact when someone says something unkind about you? Oftentimes, the best way to handle teasing is simply to ignore it.
Along the same lines, it is unwise to overreact when you feel that you have been mistreated. A teenager named David recalls what took place when he played basketball with some fellow Christians. “Someone from the other team hit me with the ball,” says David. Quickly concluding that this was a malicious act, David retaliated, throwing the ball back at the other player. “I was real mad,” admits David. But before matters deteriorated further, David prayed to Jehovah. He said to himself, ‘What am I doing, wanting to fight a Christian brother?’ Later, they apologized to each other.
In such situations it is good to remember the example of Jesus Christ. “When he was being reviled, he did not go reviling in return. When he was suffering, he did not go threatening.” (1 Peter 2:23) Yes, when under stress, instead of reacting, pray to God and ask him to help you to maintain self-control. He will generously “give holy spirit to those asking him.” (Luke 11:13) Instead of retaliating when someone has offended you, perhaps the thing to do is approach that person and talk about it. (Matthew 5:23, 24) Or if you are the victim of some ongoing form of serious harassment, perhaps from a school bully, do not seek an ugly confrontation. Instead, you need to take practical steps to protect yourself.

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THIS IS THE CONGREGATION BIBLE STUDY SUBJECT FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 14,2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dcz55gjv_59fh7mm9dm

Christmas Customs—Are They Christian?

Thursday, December 10, 2009

A Very Special Talk- PAY A VERY CAREFUL ATTENTION

Br.Tony Morris (he's a member of the Governing Body) Wasn’t raised in the truth. In fact discussed his experiences in Vietnam. Raised two sons. In other words, he understands real life. But, very pointed counsel. Word for word, “Brothers and sisters if you are not doing family worship night, you will not be ready for survival at Armageddon. The GB has worked hard to convey the seriousness of this arrangement. It cannot be underestimated. Now you have a choice whether or not you will listen to the counsel….but remember, you’ve been warned.” Then another part of the talk he asked, “Time and unforeseen occurrence befall us all. You could die this afternoon. As you sit there are you certain that your course of life would guarantee that you are in Jehovah’s memory and you would receive a resurrection?” Then he talked a lot about materialism too….hitting it hard. He said it’s not wrong to have a house…but are you caught up in the American dream that you have to have a house? Then he went in and talked about the bursting of the housing bubble and the govn’t giving houses to people who shouldn’t have had them….no verification of income….not adequate income, etc….and he said many brothers and sisters got caught up in that (…..but you know, two years before the bottom fell out….we had a Circuit Assembly about keeping your life simple….those that followed Jehovah's counsel have survived so much heartache. So what about today’s counsel…..the “Time Left is Reduced”…is our theme…will you follow the counsel today. The way you live your life in these hard economic times, does it show you are trusting in Jehovah for your necessities or does it show you are trusting in yourself and your material things and taking matters into your own hands.
Then he gave an experience of a sister he met when they were still doing circuit work. Middle age sister…very faithful. Had them over for lunch to her small and simple apartment. Now he said he knew the sister had a nerve problem….somewhat of a mental condition….like an anxiety disorder…but he never knew why and didn’t ask. Well through the course of conversation, she opens up to them and tells them that she used to have a house. And she was bent on having the perfect house. Perfect decorating…perfect furniture…everything just so. She came home one night and her entire house was engulfed in flames. She lost everything. As a result, she had a nervous breakdown and has never fully recovered. She said after that it taught her a lesson and she vowed NEVER to be that attached to material things because she realized how fleeting these things are. Then he said to the audience, bros. and sis. How attached to material things are you? How would you feel right now if you lost everything?
Then he discussed the importance of daily Bible reading. He said he and sister Morris, no matter where they are in the world, every morning have their cup of coffee and read their Bible. Not together. He said Bible reading is a personal thing. He then asked the audience how many have a cup of coffee every morning? Almost the whole audience raised their hand. Then he said, bros. and sis. If you can have a cup of coffee every morning, then you can read your Bible every morning.
Also in talking about materialism, he talked about debt and credit cards. He pulled out his credit card. He said now we have to have a credit card today. Even I have one. You can’t even rent a car without one. But you know what credit cards are? Plastic anesthesia. Why is that? Well, let’s say you need some clothes. So you go to the store to buy them knowing how much you want to spend. But you get there and the retailers, because it’s their job, have signs all over…”Two for One” “50% off”…suddenly you think, well….I don’t need two…but if they’re 50% off..then I should probably get two for when I need them later…oh wait…I’ll get one for my husband…and the kids of course…walk up to the cash register…..the cashier swipes the card…and guess what…pain free. The card swipes…you feel nothing…and you leave….until the bill comes. Now imagine when you go to the store you counting out the actual cash you are spending….little more painful isn’t it…suddenly the reality of how much you’re spending is real…and you’re feeling it. Be careful of credit cards. If you don’t have the cash to back up the credit card swipe, don’t spend it.
Let’s see what else…
Oh yeah…he talked about being in the truth for a long time….we’re always getting counsel. We always need to be making adjustments. He said often times I hear well Br. Morris…”this is just the way I am!” Well you know what, Jehovah may not like the way you are. (the audience started laughing) He said this is not a union. Seniority doesn’t mean salvation.
He repeatedly said with all his counsel….this is not the GB saying this…this is Jehovah speaking to you. He also kept saying after each point of counsel, “remember…it’s YOUR choice whether or not you will listen….but just know….you’ve been warned.”
He also emphasized remembering that the day of Armageddon has been set. Nothing about our life is going to change that day. If we preach more…it’s not going to change that day. That day has been set. So, when we’re going through hardships, be careful that you don’t say, “if only Armageddon would come I wouldn’t be going through this.” Remember, it’s not about you. Remember the big picture. It’s about Jehovah’s universal sovereignty. And don’t say, “I hope that Jehovah holds out a little longer so that uncle John will make it through.” Jehovah said when the anointed are sealed, the angels will release the four winds. Nothing about when Armageddon comes depends on us or our lives. We just need to obey and keep preaching. He gave the example of the huge project that’s being done in Waikill. He said that they just showed the Bethel family a 15 minute video the other night about the renovation and new building project that will be done over the next 4 years. He said after the video was shown he overheard a dear old sister who’s been there forever say, “well, I guess that means Armageddon won’t be coming in the next four years.” He said, now I didn’t say anything to her and embarrass her in front of everyone, but I thought to myself, “oh my goodness we approved the showing of that video and I don’t remember that being part of the dialogue.” So, he said that night he went back and re watched it. He said, brother and sisters……we are going to be in the midst of Kingdom activity when the end comes. We will be building, we will be preaching, we will be planning conventions, building Kingdom Halls……there’s not going to be a pause when the end comes. We need to keep going….keep carrying out Jehovah’s will. And I’m pretty sure when the end comes no one is going to say, “oh no…...we didn’t get to attend that convention. I was so looking forward to it.” Keep putting Kingdom interests first.
Then at the end he talked about how ready are we for the end. Are we really ready? Is our faith really strong? We need to make adjustments now. He said, I was in Vietnam. I have seen mass death....human casualties. I have smelled burning human flesh after a helicopter crash. I saw only a glimpse of what it will probably be like at Armageddon. We must be prepared.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009