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TABLE OF CONTENTS
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 WEEK OF JANUARY 29–FEBRUARY 4

15 WEEK OF FEBRUARY 12-18
“I Know He Will Rise” Parents—Help Your Children
Become “Wise for Salvation”
9 WEEK OF FEBRUARY 5-11
“I Have Hope Toward God” 21 WEEK OF FEBRUARY 19-25
Young Ones—“Keep Working
What past events gave Christians good reasons to
Out Your Own Salvation”
be confident that there will be a resurrection? How
should those events and the faith of God’s servants Thousands of people get baptized every year,
in the past affect your hope? These articles should including many who are teenagers or even
strengthen your belief in the resurrection. younger. Baptism brings many blessings as
well as new responsibilities. So how can parents
help their children prepare for baptism? And
how can young ones who are already baptized
or who are thinking about baptism make their
relationship with Jehovah stronger?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

27 LIFE STORY
Leaving Things Behind
to Follow the Master
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

31 QUESTIONS FROM READERS

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“I Know He Will Rise”
“Our friend has fallen asleep, but I am traveling there
to awaken him.”—JOHN 11:11.

MARTHA, a close friend and disciple of Jesus, was griev- SONGS: 142, 129
ing. Her brother, Lazarus, had died. Was there anything
that could comfort her? Yes. Jesus promised her: “Your HOW WOULD YOU
brother will rise.” Of course, those words could not take ANSWER?
away all her sadness. Yet, Martha trusted Jesus’ promise, ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

and she said: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on What Bible accounts gave
Martha confidence in the
the last day.” (John 11:20-24) She was sure that there resurrection?
would be a resurrection in the future. But then, Jesus
performed a miracle. He resurrected Lazarus that very
day. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2 We have no reason to expect that Jesus or his Father How can we be sure
that there will be a future
will resurrect our dead loved ones right now. But are you
resurrection?
just as sure as Martha was that there will be a future res-
urrection for your loved ones? Perhaps you have lost
your husband or wife, your mother, your father, a be- ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

loved grandparent, or even a precious child. You cannot Like Martha, what joyful event
are you looking forward to?
1. What was Martha sure would happen to her brother? (See opening
picture.)
2. Why would you like to have the same conviction that Martha had?

3
 wait to hug, speak with, and laugh with
that dear one. Happily, like Martha,
you have good reasons to say, ‘I know
that my loved one will rise in the res-
urrection.’ Still, it is good for each
Christian to think about the reasons
why we have this conviction.
3 Martha lived near Jerusalem, so
she might not have seen Jesus resur-
rect the son of a widow near Nain in
Galilee. However, she probably heard
about it. And she probably also heard
that Jesus resurrected Jairus’ daugh-
ter. Everyone at the girl’s house “knew
she had died.” Still, Jesus took her
hand and said: “Child, get up!” And
immediately she did. (Luke 7:11-17; 8:
41, 42, 49-55) Both Martha and her sis-
ter, Mary, knew that Jesus could cure
the sick. So they believed that if Jesus
had been there, Lazarus would not
have died. Now that he was dead,
though, what did Martha expect? No-
tice that she said that Lazarus would
come back to life in the future, “on
the last day.” Why was she so sure?
And why can you be sure that in the fu-
ture, there will be a resurrection that
may include your loved ones?
4 There are good reasons to have
faith in the resurrection. We will now
discuss some of them. In fact, you
might find points in God’s Word that
you do not often think about but that
can strengthen your faith that you will
see your loved ones again.
3, 4. What had Jesus recently done, and how
did that strengthen Martha’s confidence?
4 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
EVENTS THAT GIVE US HOPE!
5 Notice that Martha did not say: ‘I
hope my brother will rise.’ She said: “I
know he will rise.” Why was Martha so
confident? Because she knew about
resurrections that had happened in the
past. She probably learned about them
at home and at the synagogue when
she was a child. We will now exam-
ine three of those resurrections men-
tioned in the Scriptures.
6 The first resurrection happened
during a time when God was giving the
prophet Elijah the power to perform
miracles. North of Israel, in a Phoe-
nician town called Zarephath, there
was a poor widow who showed hospi-
tality to the prophet. Then, Jehovah
performed a miracle. He made sure
that her flour and oil did not run out
so that she and her son could stay
alive. (1 Kings 17:8-16) Later, her son
got sick and died. But Elijah helped
her. While touching the boy, Elijah
prayed to Jehovah: “God, please, let
this child’s life come back into him.”
And it happened! God heard Elijah,
and the child came back to life. That
was the first resurrection recorded in
the Bible. (Read 1 Kings 17:17-24.)
Certainly, Martha knew about that re-
markable event.
7 The second resurrection recorded
5. Why was Martha sure that Lazarus would be
resurrected?
6. What miracle had Martha certainly learned
about?
7, 8. (a) How did Elisha comfort a grieving
mother? (b) What does Elisha’s miracle prove
about Jehovah?
in the Bible was performed by the
prophet Elisha. In a city called Shu-
nem, there lived an Israelite woman
who did not have any children. Be-
cause she showed great hospitality to
Elisha, Jehovah blessed this woman
and her elderly husband with a son. A
few years later, though, the boy died.
Imagine how sad this mother felt. Her
grief was so strong that she traveled
30 kilometers (19 miles) to find Elisha
at Mount Carmel. Elisha sent his atten-
dant Gehazi before them to Shunem to
resurrect the boy. But Gehazi was not
able to bring him back to life. Then the
grieving mother arrived home with Eli-
sha.—2 Kings 4:8-31.
8 Elisha went into the house where
the dead boy was, and he prayed. Je-
hovah answered Elisha’s prayer and mi-
raculously brought the boy back to life.
When the mother saw her son alive,
she was overjoyed! (Read 2 Kings 4:
32-37.) Maybe she remembered the
words of Hannah’s prayer. Hannah was
unable to have a child until Jehovah
blessed her with a son, Samuel. Han-
nah then praised Jehovah because he
“brings down to the Grave, and he rais-
es up.” (1 Samuel 2:6) By literally rais-
ing up the boy in Shunem, God proved
that he has the ability to resurrect the
dead.
9 Another amazing event happened
after Elisha’s death. He had served
as a prophet for over 50 years, and
then he “became ill with the sickness
9. Describe the third resurrection recorded in
the Bible.
from which he eventually died.” Time
passed, and all that remained of Elisha
were his bones. One day, some Isra-
elites were burying a man. Sudden-
ly, they saw some enemies coming.
The Israelites tried to escape as quick-
ly as they could, so they threw the
dead man into the grave or tomb of
God proved that
he has the ability
to resurrect the dead
Elisha. The Bible says: “When the man
touched the bones of Elisha, he came
to life and stood on his feet.” (2 Kings
13:14, 20, 21) These accounts proved
to Martha that God has power over
death. They should also convince you
that God’s power is immense, unlim-
ited.
EVENTS DURING
THE APOSTLES’ TIME
10 The Christian Greek Scriptures
also contain accounts of resurrections
performed by God’s faithful servants.
We already mentioned the resurrec-
tions Jesus performed near the city
of Nain and at the home of Jairus.
Some time later, the apostle Peter res-
urrected Dorcas, also called Tabitha.
Peter came to the room where her
body was, prayed, and then said: “Tab-
itha, rise!” She immediately came to
10. How did Peter help a Christian sister who
had died?
DECEMBER 2017 5
 life, and Peter “presented her alive” to
the other Christians who were there.
This event was so convincing that
many in that city “became believers in
the Lord.” These new disciples could
tell others the good news about Jesus
and also tell everyone about Jeho-
vah’s ability to raise the dead.—Acts 9:
36-42.
11 There were eyewitnesses to anoth-
er resurrection. One time, the apostle
Paul was at a meeting in an upper room
in Troas, in what is now northwest
Turkey. Paul spoke until midnight. A
young man named Eutychus was listen-
ing, seated at a window. But he fell
asleep and fell from the third story to
the ground. Perhaps Luke was the first
one to reach Eutychus. As a doctor,
he realized that the young man was
not simply injured and unconscious.
11. What did the doctor Luke report about a
young man, and how did that event affect oth-
ers?
6 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
He was dead! Paul also came down-
stairs. He embraced Eutychus and
then amazed everybody, saying: “He
is alive.” This miracle deeply affect-
ed all those who saw what had hap-
pened. Knowing that the young man
had died and then was resurrected,
they “were comforted beyond mea-
sure.”—Acts 20:7-12.
A RELIABLE HOPE
12 The resurrections we discussed
should give you the same confidence
that Martha had. We can be confident
that our God, the one who has given us
life, can bring a dead person back to
life. It is interesting that a faithful ser-
vant of God, such as Elijah, Jesus, or
Peter, was present at each one of those
resurrections. And they happened dur-
ing a time when Jehovah was perform-
ing miracles. So, what about those who
12, 13. Based on the resurrections we have dis-
cussed, what questions might we ask?
Like Martha,
you can be
confident that
the resurrection
will happen
(See paragraphs 19, 20)
died at other times, when such mira-
cles were not being performed? Could
faithful men and women expect that
God would raise the dead in the fu-
ture? Could they be as confident as
Martha was when she said about her
brother: “I know he will rise in the
resurrection on the last day”? Why
could she believe that there would be a
future resurrection, and why can you?
13 Several accounts in God’s Word
show that his loyal servants knew that
there would be a resurrection in the fu-
ture. Let us consider some of these.
14 Think about what Jehovah asked
Abraham to do with Isaac, the son
he had waited so long for. Jehovah
said: “Take, please, your son, your
only son whom you so love, Isaac,
and travel to the land of Moriah and
offer him up there as a burnt of-
14. What does the account about Abraham
teach us about the resurrection?
fering.” (Genesis 22:2) How do you
think Abraham felt when he heard this
command? Jehovah had promised that
through Abraham’s descendants all na-
tions would be blessed. (Genesis 13:14-
16; 18:18; Romans 4:17, 18) Also, Jeho-
vah said that the blessing would come
“through Isaac.” (Genesis 21:12) But
how could that happen if Abraham sac-
rificed his son? Paul was inspired to ex-
plain that Abraham believed that God
was able to resurrect Isaac. (Read He-
brews 11:17-19.) However, the Bible
does not say that Abraham thought
that Isaac would come back to life
right away, perhaps in a few hours, a
day, or even a week. Abraham could
not know when his son would be resur-
rected. But he trusted that Jehovah
would bring Isaac back to life.
15 The faithful man Job also knew
that there would be a resurrection in
15. What hope did the faithful man Job have?
DECEMBER 2017 7
 the future. He knew that if a tree is cut
down, it can grow again and become
like a new tree. But that cannot happen
with a man. (Job 14:7-12; 19:25-27) If
a man dies, he cannot bring himself
back to life. (2 Samuel 12:23; Psalm 89:
48) Of course, that did not mean that
God could not resurrect a person. In
fact, Job believed that Jehovah would
remember him. (Read Job 14:13-15.)
Job could not know when in the future
this would happen. Still, Job trusted
that the Creator of human life could
and would remember him and resur-
rect him.
16 Think about another faithful man,
Daniel. He was a loyal servant of Jeho-
vah throughout his life, and Jehovah
supported him. At one point, an angel
called Daniel a “very precious man”
and told him to “have peace” and to
“be strong.”—Daniel 9:22, 23; 10:11,
18, 19.
17 When Daniel was almost 100 years
old and near the end of his life, he may
have thought about what would hap-
pen to him. Did Daniel expect to live
again? Absolutely! At the end of the
book of Daniel, we read what God
promised him: “As for you, go on to
the end. You will rest.” (Daniel 12:13)
Daniel knew that the dead are at rest
and that there is no “planning nor
knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave,”
where he would soon be. (Ecclesiastes
9:10) Yet, this would not be the end for
16. What encouragement did an angel give
Daniel?
17, 18. What did Jehovah promise Daniel?
8 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
Daniel. Jehovah gave him a wonderful
promise for the future.
18 Jehovah’s angel said to him: “You
will stand up for your lot at the end of
the days.” Daniel did not know exactly
when that would happen. He under-
stood that he would die and then rest.
But when Daniel heard the promise,
“You will stand up for your lot,” he un-
derstood that he would be resurrected
in the future. That would happen long
after he had died, “at the end of the
days.” Or, according to the Jerusalem
Bible: “You will rise for your share at
the end of time.”
19 Clearly, Martha had good reasons
to be sure that her faithful brother,
Lazarus, would “rise in the resurrec-
tion on the last day.” Jehovah’s prom-
ise to Daniel, as well as Martha’s strong
faith in a future resurrection, should
give us confidence today. There will be
a resurrection.
20 We have learned about actual res-
urrections that were performed in the
past. These prove that the dead can
live again. We have also seen that men
and women who served God faithfully
expected a future resurrection. How-
ever, is there any evidence that a resur-
rection could happen long after it was
promised? If so, that would give us
even more reason to look forward to a
resurrection in the future. But when
would that time be? We will discuss
these points in the next article.
19, 20. (a) What do the events we discussed
have to do with Martha’s statement to Jesus?
(b) What will we consider in the next article?
“I Have Hope Toward God”
“The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”
—1 CORINTHIANS 15:45.

IF SOMEONE asked you what the main teachings of your SONGS: 151, 147
faith are, what would you say? Certainly you would say
that you believe that Jehovah is the Creator and the one HOW WOULD YOU
ANSWER?
who has given us life. You would probably also mention
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
that you believe in Jesus Christ, who died as a ransom.
How does Psalm 118 show
Surely you would talk about the future Paradise on earth, that a resurrection can
where God’s people will live forever. But would you men- happen long after it was
tion the resurrection as one of your most cherished be- foretold?
liefs?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 We have good reasons to include the resurrection as
How was Psalm 16:10
one of our main beliefs, even if we hope to survive the fulfilled?
great tribulation and live on earth forever. The apostle
Paul showed why the resurrection is so important. He ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

said: “If, indeed, there is no resurrection of the dead, Who would be resurrected
then Christ has not been raised up.” If Jesus had not during Christ’s presence,
and how?
1-3. (a) What should we include as one of our main beliefs? (b) Why
is the resurrection so important? (See opening picture.)

9
 been resurrected, he could not be rul-
ing as King in heaven, and our preach-
ing would be useless. (Read 1 Corin-
thians 15:12-19.) However, we know
that Jesus was resurrected. Because
we believe in his resurrection, we are
not like the Jewish Sadducees, who
strongly denied that the dead can live
again. Even when others make fun of
us, our faith that God can resurrect
the dead remains strong.—Mark 12:18;
Acts 4:2, 3; 17:32; 23:6-8.
3 Paul said that the teaching of “the
resurrection of the dead” was part
of “the primary doctrine about the
Christ.” (Hebrews 6:1, 2) He empha-
sized the resurrection as something he
had faith in. (Acts 24:10, 15, 24, 25)
Even though it is a primary doctrine,
one of the basic things we learn from
God’s Word, we still need to study
about the resurrection carefully. (He-
brews 5:12) Why?
4 When people begin to study the Bi-
ble, they usually read the accounts of
past resurrections, such as the resur-
rection of Lazarus. They also learn
that Abraham, Job, and Daniel were
confident that in the future the dead
would live again. Still, what would you
say if someone asked you to prove
from the Bible why we can trust resur-
rection promises that were made hun-
dreds of years ago? And does the Bible
say when in the future the resurrec-
tion will happen? The answers to these
questions will strengthen our faith.
4. What questions might we ask about the res-
urrection?
10 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
A RESURRECTION FORETOLD
HUNDREDS OF YEARS IN ADVANCE
5 It may be easy for us to imagine
someone being brought back to life
soon after his death. (John 11:11; Acts
20:9, 10) But can we trust a prom-
ise that someone will be resurrected
years, even hundreds of years, in the
future? Can we believe it whether it
was made about a person who died a
long time ago or someone who died
just recently? Actually, you already be-
lieve in a resurrection that happened
hundreds of years after it was prom-
ised. Which resurrection is that? And
what does it have to do with your hope
of a future resurrection?
6 Using Psalm 118, which may have
been written by David, let us discuss a
resurrection that was foretold many
years in advance. This Psalm includes
the words: “Jehovah, save us, please,
we beg!” and “Blessed is the one who
comes in the name of Jehovah.” Peo-
ple quoted this prophecy about the
Messiah when Jesus rode into Jerusa-
lem on Nisan 9, a few days before his
death. (Psalm 118:25, 26; Matthew 21:
7-9) But how did Psalm 118 refer to a
resurrection that would happen many
years in the future? Notice what else
this psalm said: “The stone that the
builders rejected has become the chief
cornerstone.”—Psalm 118:22.
7 “The builders” who rejected the
5. What will we discuss first?
6. How was Jesus involved in the fulfillment of
Psalm 118?
7. How did the Jews reject Jesus?
 “The builders rejected” the Messiah
(See paragraph 7)
Messiah were the Jewish leaders. They
did much more than simply ignore Je-
sus or refuse to accept him as the
Christ. Many Jews rejected him by
demanding that Pilate execute him.
(Luke 23:18-23) Yes, they were also re-
sponsible for Jesus’ death.
8 If Jesus was rejected and killed,
how could he become “the chief cor-
nerstone”? That could happen only if
he was resurrected. Jesus made that
clear when he told a story about a
landowner who sent messengers to the
farmers working for him. The farmers
mistreated those messengers. Even-
tually, the owner sent his own son,
hoping that the farmers would lis-
ten to him. But they killed the own-
er’s son. After telling this story, Jesus
quoted the prophecy at Psalm 118:
22. (Luke 20:9-17) The apostle Peter
used the same verse when he spoke
to Jewish “rulers, elders, and scribes
gathered together in Jerusalem.” He
talked about “Jesus Christ the Naza-
rene, whom you executed on a stake
but whom God raised up from the
8. How could Jesus become “the chief corner-
stone”?
God resurrected Jesus to be
“the chief cornerstone”
(See paragraphs 8, 9)
dead.” Then he said: “This is ‘the
stone that was treated by you builders
as of no account that has become the
chief cornerstone.’ ”—Acts 3:15; 4:5-
11; 1 Peter 2:5-7.
9 Clearly, the prophecy at Psalm
118:22 foretold a resurrection that
would occur hundreds of years lat-
er. The Messiah would be rejected
and killed. But he would be raised
to life again and would become the
chief cornerstone. Once resurrected,
Jesus became the only one whose
name was “given among men by which
we must get saved.”—Acts 4:12; Ephe-
sians 1:20.
10 Let us consider another verse that
told about a resurrection. It was ful-
filled more than a thousand years lat-
er. This fact should give us confidence
that a resurrection can happen long
after it was foretold or promised. In
Psalm 16, we read David’s words: “You
will not leave me in the Grave. You
9. What remarkable event was foretold at
Psalm 118:22?
10. (a) What did Psalm 16:10 foretell? (b) Why
can we be sure that Psalm 16:10 did not refer to
David?
DECEMBER 2017 11
 will not allow your loyal one to see
the pit.” (Psalm 16:10) David was not
trying to say that he would never die
and be in the Grave. God’s Word says
very clearly that David grew old and
died and “was laid to rest with his fore-
fathers and was buried in the City of
David.” (1 Kings 2:1, 10) So whom is
this verse referring to?
11 More than a thousand years af-
ter David wrote those words, Peter
explained whom Psalm 16:10 was re-
ferring to. A few weeks after Jesus
died and was resurrected, Peter spoke
to thousands of Jews and proselytes.
(Read Acts 2:29-32.) He reminded
them that David had died and been
buried. And the Bible does not say
that any of them disagreed with Peter
when he added that David “foresaw
and spoke about the resurrection” of
the Messiah.
12 Peter supported his point by quot-
ing David’s words at Psalm 110:1.
(Read Acts 2:33-36.) Peter’s reason-
ing from the Scriptures helped to
convince the large crowd that Je-
sus was “both Lord and Christ.” The
people recognized that Psalm 16:10
was fulfilled when Jesus was resurrect-
ed from the dead. Later, the apostle
Paul used the same evidence when he
spoke to Jews in the city of Antioch
in Pisidia. This evidence really im-
11. When did Peter explain Psalm 16:10?
12. How was Psalm 16:10 fulfilled, and what
does that confirm about the promise of the res-
urrection?
12 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
pressed them, and they wanted to hear
more. (Read Acts 13:32-37, 42.) It
should also convince us that those Bi-
ble prophecies about a future resur-
rection were reliable even though they
were fulfilled hundreds of years later.
WHEN WILL THE
RESURRECTION HAPPEN?
13 It is encouraging to know that a
resurrection can happen many hun-
dreds of years after it was foretold.
Still, some may ask: ‘Does that mean I
will have to wait a long time to see my
loved one? When will the resurrection
happen?’ Well, Jesus told his apostles
that there were things that they did
not know and could not know. There
are details about “the times or seasons
that the Father has placed in his own
jurisdiction.” (Acts 1:6, 7; John 16:12)
However, we do have some informa-
tion about when the resurrection will
happen.
14 The most important resurrection
recorded in the Bible is Jesus’ resur-
rection. If he had not been raised from
the dead, none of us would have any
hope of seeing our dead loved ones
again. People who were resurrected
before Jesus, such as those resurrect-
ed by Elijah and Elisha, did not live on
forever. They died again and became
dust in the grave. But Jesus “has been
raised up from the dead.” He “dies
13. What questions might we ask about the res-
urrection?
14. How was Jesus’ resurrection different from
others before it?
no more; death is no longer master
over him.” In heaven, he lives “forever
and ever.”—Romans 6:9; Revelation 1:
5, 18; Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 3:18.
15 Jesus’ resurrection to heaven as a
spirit person was the first and most
important resurrection of this kind.
(Acts 26:23) However, he is not the
only one to be resurrected to heaven.
Jesus promised that his faithful apos-
tles would rule with him there. (Luke
22:28-30) But they would receive this
reward only after they died. Then, like
Jesus, they would be resurrected with
a spirit body. Paul wrote that “Christ
has been raised from the dead, the
firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep in death.” Paul then said that
there would be others who would be
resurrected and go to heaven: “Each
one in his own proper order: Christ the
firstfruits, afterward those who belong
to the Christ during his presence.”
—1 Corinthians 15:20, 23.
16 Paul’s words give us a clue as
to when the heavenly resurrection
would happen. It would happen during
Christ’s presence. For many years, Je-
hovah’s Witnesses have proved from
the Bible that Christ’s “presence” be-
gan in 1914. We are still living during
his “presence,” and the end of this
wicked system is very near.
17 The Bible explains more about the
15. Why is Jesus called “the firstfruits”?
16. What clue do we have about when the heav-
enly resurrection would happen?
17, 18. What will happen to some anointed
ones during Christ’s presence?
heavenly resurrection: “We do not
want you to be ignorant about those
who are sleeping in death . . . For if we
have faith that Jesus died and rose
again, so too God will bring with him
those who have fallen asleep in death
. . . We the living who survive to the
presence of the Lord will in no way
precede those who have fallen asleep
in death; because the Lord himself
will descend from heaven with a com-
manding call, . . . and those who are
dead in union with Christ will rise first.
Afterward we the living who are sur-
viving will, together with them, be
caught away in clouds to meet the
Lord in the air; and thus we will always
be with the Lord.”—1 Thessalonians 4:
13-17.
18 The first resurrection would oc-
cur sometime after Christ’s presence
began. Anointed ones who are alive
during the great tribulation will be
“caught away in clouds.” (Matthew
24:31) What does that mean? Those
“caught away” will not “fall asleep in
death,” that is, they will not remain
dead for a long time. Instead, when
they die, they “will all be changed, in a
moment, in the blink of an eye, during
the last trumpet.”—1 Corinthians 15:
51, 52.
19 Today, most faithful Christians are
not anointed and are not chosen to
rule with Christ in heaven. Instead,
they are looking forward to “Jehovah’s
day,” when he will end this wicked
19. What is the “better resurrection”?
DECEMBER 2017 13
world. No one knows exactly when this
end will come, but evidence shows
that it is close. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)
When God’s new world comes, there
will be a different type of resurrection.
At that time, people will be resurrect-
ed to life on earth and will have the
hope of becoming perfect and never
dying again. This will be “a better res-
urrection” than that of those in the
past who were resurrected but died
again sometime later.—Hebrews 11:35.
were skilled leaders come back early to
help organize God’s people in the new
world? What will happen to people
who never served Jehovah? When and
where will they be resurrected? There
are so many questions we could ask.
But we do not need to worry about
these things right now. It is better sim-
ply to wait and see. We can trust that
it will be exciting to see how Jehovah
will do things.
21 Until then, we should strengthen

20 The Bible says that those who go
to heaven are resurrected “each one in
his own proper order.” (1 Corinthians
15:23) So we can trust that the resur-
rection on earth will also be orderly,
or organized. That might cause us to
ask: Will those who died recently be
resurrected near the start of Christ’s
Thousand Year Rule and be welcomed
back by loved ones who know them?
Will faithful men from the past who
20. Why can we trust that the resurrection will
be organized?
our faith in Jehovah. He promised
through Jesus that the dead are in His
memory and that they will live again.
(John 5:28, 29; 11:23) As addition-
al proof that Jehovah will resurrect
the dead, Jesus once said that Abra-
ham, Isaac, and Jacob “are all living
to him.” (Luke 20:37, 38) Clearly, we
have plenty of good reasons to say, as
the apostle Paul did: “I have hope to-
ward God . . . that there is going to be
a resurrection.”—Acts 24:15.
21. What is your hope?

SOME Cornerstone: Firstfruits:

A stone placed at the
EXPRESSIONS corner of a building,
EXPLAINED where two walls meet,
to hold the walls firmly
together. When Jesus was
resurrected, he became
“the chief cornerstone” of
the Christian congregation
of anointed ones, which is
compared to a spiritual
temple
The first produce of any
harvest, or the first results
of anything. Jesus is called
“the firstfruits” because he
was the first one who was
resurrected to everlasting
life in heaven as a spirit
person
 PARENTS
Help Your Children
Become “Wise for Salvation”
“From infancy you have known the holy writings, which
are able to make you wise for salvation.”—2 TIMOTHY 3:15.

THOUSANDS of Bible students dedicate themselves to SONGS: 141, 134

Jehovah and get baptized. Many are young people who
have been raised in the truth and have chosen the best WHAT DOES IT
way of life. (Psalm 1:1-3) If you are a Christian parent, MEAN TO . . .
you probably look forward to the day when your son or ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

daughter will get baptized.—Compare 3 John 4. know the holy writings?

2 Still, you might worry. You may have seen some young

ones get baptized but later begin to doubt whether living

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
by God’s standards is really good for them. Some have
be persuaded to believe?
even left the truth. So you might be concerned that your
child will start serving Jehovah but then lose the love he
or she used to have for the truth. Your child might be-
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
come like some Christians in Ephesus in the first century.
become wise for salvation?
Jesus said of them: “You have left the love you had at
1, 2. Why might some parents worry when their children want to ded-
icate themselves to Jehovah and get baptized?

15
 first.” (Revelation 2:4) How can you
help your child keep his love strong
and “grow to salvation”? (1 Peter 2:2)
We can learn from the example of Tim-
othy.
“YOU HAVE KNOWN
THE HOLY WRITINGS”
3
The apostle Paul first visited Lys-
tra in the year 47. This is probably
when Timothy, who may have been a
teenager, learned about Jesus’ teach-
ings. He applied what he learned, and
Even very young
children can learn
about the people and
events of the Bible
two years later he began traveling with
Paul. About 16 years after that, Paul
wrote to Timothy: “Continue in the
things that you learned and were per-
suaded to believe, knowing from whom
you learned them and that from in-
fancy you have known the holy writ-
ings [the Hebrew Scriptures], which
are able to make you wise for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim-
othy 3:14, 15) Notice that Paul said
that Timothy (1) knew the holy writ-
ings, (2) was persuaded to believe
the things he learned, and (3) became
3. (a) How did Timothy become a Christian,
and what did he do with what he learned?
(b) What three aspects of learning did Paul
point out to Timothy?
16 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
wise for salvation through faith in
Christ Jesus.
4 As a Christian parent, you want
your child to know the holy writings,
which today include the Hebrew Scrip-
tures and the Christian Greek Scrip-
tures. Even very young children can
learn about the people and events
of the Bible. Jehovah’s organization
has provided many books, brochures,
and videos that parents can use to
help their children. Which of these are
available in your language? Your child
needs to know what is in the Bible in
order to build a strong relationship
with Jehovah.
“PERSUADED TO BELIEVE”
5 It is not enough to teach children
about the people and events of the
Bible. Remember that Timothy was
also “persuaded to believe.” The Greek
phrase Paul used here means “to be as-
sured of” or “to be convinced and cer-
tain of the truth of something.” Timo-
thy knew the Hebrew Scriptures “from
infancy,” that is, from the time he was
very young. Later, he became con-
vinced that Jesus was the Messiah.
Timothy’s faith was so strong that he
got baptized and worked with Paul as a
missionary.
6 How can you help your children to
4. What have you used to teach your young
children? (See opening picture.)
5. (a) What does “persuaded to believe”
mean? (b) How do we know that Timothy was
persuaded to believe the good news about Je-
sus?
6. How can you help your children to build faith
in God’s Word?
build faith as Timothy did, so that they
too will be “persuaded to believe”?
First, be patient. It takes time to build
strong faith. And the fact that you be-
lieve something does not mean that
your children will automatically be-
lieve it too. Each child needs to use
his or her own “power of reason” to
build faith in the Bible. (Read Ro-
mans 12:1.) As a parent, you can do
much to help your children strength-
en their faith, especially when they
ask questions. Let us see what we
can learn from the example of one fa-
ther.
7 Thomas, whose daughter is 11 years
old, says that she sometimes asks him
questions such as: “Could Jehovah
have used evolution to develop life on
earth?” or “Why don’t we get involved
in the community, with elections for
example, to try to improve things?” At
times, he has to resist the urge simply
to tell her what to believe. Thomas
knows that what convinces a person of
the truth is not one big fact but many
small pieces of evidence.
8 Thomas also knows that he needs
to be patient in order to teach his
daughter. In reality, all Christians need
to be patient. (Colossians 3:12) Thom-
as realizes that it will take time and
many conversations to help his daugh-
ter build her conviction. He needs to
reason with her on what she learns
7, 8. (a) How does one Christian father show
patience when he teaches his daughter?
(b) When have you needed to be patient with
your child?
from the Bible. Thomas says: “Espe-
cially on important points, my wife
and I want to know if our daughter
really believes what she is learning and
if it makes sense to her. If she has ques-
tions, that’s good. Frankly, I would
worry if she accepted something with-
out asking questions.”
You need to be
patient to help
your child to build
faith in God’s Word
9 When parents teach with patience,
in time their children will begin to un-
derstand “the breadth and length and
height and depth” of faith. (Ephesians
3:18) We can teach them in a way
that fits their age and understanding.
As their faith in what they learn be-
comes stronger, it will be easier for
them to defend their beliefs to others,
including schoolmates. (1 Peter 3:15)
For example, can your children use
the Bible to explain what happens at
death? Does the Bible’s explanation
make sense to them?1 (See footnote.)
Remember that you need to be patient
to help your child to build faith in
1 The study guides for the book “What Does the Bible
Really Teach?” are excellent tools that help both young
ones and adults to understand and explain Bible truths.
You can find them on jw.org in many languages. Look
under BIBLE TEACHINGS ˛ BIBLE STUDY TOOLS.
9. How can you help your children to believe
God’s Word?
DECEMBER 2017 17
 God’s Word, but it will be worth it.
—Deuteronomy 6:6, 7.
10 Of course, your own example is
also important to help your children
develop faith. Stephanie, the mother
of three daughters, says: “Ever since
Your own example
is also important
to help your children
develop faith
my children were very young, I have
had to ask myself, ‘Do I talk to my chil-
dren about why I am convinced of Je-
hovah’s existence, his love, and the
rightness of his ways? Can my children
clearly see that I really love Jehovah?’
I can’t expect my children to be per-
suaded unless I am.”
“WISE FOR SALVATION”
11 We have learned that Timothy had
(1) knowledge of the Scriptures and
(2) conviction about his beliefs. But
what did Paul mean when he said that
the holy writings could make Timothy
“wise for salvation”?
12 Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2,
explains that in the Bible, wisdom
includes “the ability to use knowl-
edge and understanding successfully
10. What should be an important part of your
teaching?
11, 12. What is wisdom, and how do we know
that it does not depend on how old a person is?
18 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
to solve problems, avoid or avert dan-
gers, attain certain goals, or counsel
others in doing so. It is the opposite
of foolishness.” The Bible says that
“foolishness is bound up in the heart
of a child.” (Proverbs 22:15, footnote)
Since wisdom is the opposite of fool-
ishness, wisdom is one sign of maturi-
ty. A person becomes spiritually ma-
ture because he fears Jehovah and
wants to obey him, not just because he
grows older.—Read Psalm 111:10.
13 Young ones who are reasonably
mature spiritually are not “tossed
about as by waves and carried here and
there” by their desires or by the influ-
ence of other young people. (Ephe-
sians 4:14) Instead, “their powers of
discernment” are being “trained to dis-
tinguish both right and wrong.” (He-
brews 5:14) So they make wise de-
cisions, even when their parents or
other adults are not watching. (Philip-
pians 2:12) That kind of wisdom is nec-
essary for salvation. (Read Proverbs
24:14.) How can you help your chil-
dren to develop such wisdom? You
need to make sure that they know what
your values are. By what you say and
do, they should see that you are trying
to live according to Bible standards.
—Romans 2:21-23.
14 However, to help your children to
build faith, it is not enough simply to
13. How can young ones show that they are
wise for salvation?
14, 15. (a) What should a young person who
wants to get baptized think about? (b) How can
you help your children to meditate on the bless-
ings that come from obeying God’s laws?
 Why is a parent’s continued effort important?
(See paragraphs 14-18)
tell them what is right and what is
wrong. You also need to help them to
reason on such questions as: ‘Why
does the Bible forbid things that might
seem appealing? How can I be sure that
Bible standards are always good for
me?’—Isaiah 48:17, 18.
15 If your child wants to get baptized,
help him also to think seriously about
the responsibilities that come with
baptism. How does he feel about them?
What are the benefits? What are the
difficulties? Why are the benefits great-
er than the difficulties? (Mark 10:29,
30) It is very important to think about
these things carefully before baptism.
Help your child to meditate on the
blessings of obedience and the bad re-
sults of disobedience. Then he will be
more likely to believe that following Bi-
ble standards will always be good for
him.—Deuteronomy 30:19, 20.
WHEN A BAPTIZED YOUTH
STRUGGLES WITH HIS FAITH
16What can you do if your child be-
gins to express doubts about the truth
after baptism? For example, your son
or daughter may become attracted to
the things of the world. Or your child
16. What should parents do if their baptized
child begins to weaken in his faith?
DECEMBER 2017 19
may begin to doubt whether following
Bible principles is really the best way of
life. (Psalm 73:1-3, 12, 13) The way you
react can affect whether he continues
to serve Jehovah. Try not to fight with
your child about this, no matter if he is
still very young or if he is now a teen-
ager. Instead, make sure he knows that
you love him and want to help him.
17 A young person who is baptized
has made a dedication to Jehovah.
This is a promise to love and serve him
above everything else. (Read Mark
12:30.) Jehovah views dedication as a
serious promise, and so should we.
(Ecclesiastes 5:4, 5) Remind your child
that they should not quickly think that
their teenager has rejected the truth
but should find out what the real prob-
lem is. It could be peer pressure or
loneliness. Or the child may feel that
other young people are doing more
in Jehovah’s service than he is. The
appendix also explains that these is-
sues do not necessarily mean that your
child disagrees with your beliefs. They
are usually a result of some other dif-
ficulty that he is experiencing. The ap-
pendix then gives suggestions about
how a parent can help a child who has
doubts about the truth.
19 As a parent, you have the impor-

of this. But first, read and study the
material Jehovah’s organization has
provided for parents. Then, in a kind
way and at the right time, stress to your
child that his decision to dedicate him-
self to Jehovah and get baptized was
very serious but will bring him many
blessings.
18 For example, you can find good ad-
vice in the appendix “Questions Par-
ents Ask,” at the back of the book
Questions Young People Ask—Answers
That Work, Volume 1. It advises parents
17, 18. If a young person has doubts, how can
his parents help him?
tant responsibility and privilege to
bring up your children in “the dis-
cipline and admonition of Jehovah.”
(Ephesians 6:4) As we have learned,
this means that you must teach your
children what the Bible says and help
them to be convinced about what they
learn. When their faith is strong, they
will be moved to dedicate themselves
to Jehovah and give him their best.
May Jehovah’s Word, his spirit, and
your efforts help your children to be-
come “wise for salvation.”
19. How can parents help their children to be-
come “wise for salvation”?

SOME A spiritually mature person fears Jehovah and

wants to obey him. He tries to make wise decisions
EXPRESSIONS that will please Jehovah. Even someone who is very
EXPLAINED young can be spiritually mature
 YOUNG ONES
“Keep Working Out
Your Own Salvation”
“Just as you have always obeyed, . . . keep working
out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
—PHILIPPIANS 2:12.

EVERY year thousands of Bible students get baptized. SONGS: 133, 135
Many of these are young people, teenagers or even youn-
ger. They may have been raised in the truth. Are you one HOW WOULD YOU
of them? If you are, you have done something very good. ANSWER?
Every Christian must be baptized. And baptism is needed ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

in order to gain salvation and live forever.—Matthew 28: Why should you not be
afraid to get baptized?
19, 20; 1 Peter 3:21.
2 When you got baptized, Jehovah began to bless you
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

in many new ways. But you also had new responsibilities. How can you work out
In what way? On the day of your baptism, the brother your own salvation?
who gave your baptism talk asked: “On the basis of
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of

Why do you feel that
your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his your dedication to Jehovah
is precious?
1. Why is baptism such an important step? (See opening picture.)
2. Why should you not be afraid to make a dedication to Jehovah?

21
 will?” You answered yes. You promised
to love Jehovah and to make serving
him the most important thing in your
life. Should you regret making such a
serious promise? Absolutely not! You
will never regret letting Jehovah guide
your life. Those who do not know Je-
hovah are part of Satan’s world. The
Devil does not care about them or
about you at all. In fact, he would be
happy if you lost your hope of living
forever because you took his side and
rejected Jehovah.
3 Think about how Jehovah has
blessed you because you dedicated
yourself to him and got baptized. You
gave your life to Jehovah, so you can
say with confidence: “Jehovah is on
my side; I will not be afraid. What can
man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6) There is
no greater honor than being on God’s
side and knowing that he is proud of
you.
A PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
4 You cannot view your relationship
with Jehovah like a cell phone ‘family
plan’ that your parents pay for. Even if
you still live with your parents, your
relationship with Jehovah is your per-
sonal responsibility. Why is it impor-
tant to remember that? None of us can
know exactly how our faith will be test-
ed in the future. For example, you may
have got baptized before you became
3. How has Jehovah blessed you because you
dedicated yourself to him?
4, 5. (a) Why can we say that dedication is a
personal responsibility? (b) What challenges do
Christians of all ages have?
22 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
a teenager. But now that you are in
your teens, you have new feelings and
new problems. One teenage girl said:
“A child usually won’t resent being one
of Jehovah’s Witnesses just because of
not having a piece of birthday cake at
school. But in a few years when the
urge to have sex becomes stronger, he
or she needs to be thoroughly con-
vinced that obeying Jehovah’s laws is
always the best choice.”
5 Young people are not the only ones
who will have new challenges. Even
those who get baptized when they
are adults have their faith tested in
ways they do not expect. Their tests
may come from their marriage, their
health, or their job. No matter how old
we are, each of us will need to be faith-
ful to Jehovah in many different situ-
ations.—James 1:12-14.
6 To help you stay faithful, always re-
member that the promise you made to
Jehovah is unconditional. This means
that you promised the Most High to
serve him no matter what happens,
even if your friends or parents stop
doing so. (Psalm 27:10) In all situa-
tions, be sure to ask Jehovah to help
you keep your promise to him.—Read
Philippians 4:11-13.
7 Jehovah wants you to be his friend.
But it takes effort to keep that friend-
ship strong and to work out your own
6. (a) What does it mean that your dedication
to Jehovah is unconditional? (b) What can you
learn from Philippians 4:11-13?
7. What does it mean to work out your own sal-
vation “with fear and trembling”?
 How well do you communicate with Jehovah?
(See paragraphs 8-11)
salvation. Philippians 2:12 says: “Keep
working out your own salvation with
fear and trembling.” This means we
need to think carefully about how we
will stay close to Jehovah and remain
faithful no matter what. We cannot
simply assume that we will do so. Re-
member that even some who served
God for many years have not remained
faithful. What practical things can help
you to work out your own salvation?
BIBLE STUDY IS IMPORTANT
8 To be Jehovah’s friend, we need to
listen to him and we need to talk to
him. The main way we listen to Je-
8. What does personal study include? Why is it
important?
hovah is by studying the Bible. This
includes reading and meditating on
God’s Word and Bible-based publica-
tions. But studying the Bible is not like
memorizing facts as you might do for a
school exam. Rather, it is like an excit-
ing journey on which you explore and
discover new things about Jehovah.
You will draw close to God, and he will
draw close to you too.—James 4:8.
9 Jehovah’s organization provides
many tools that can help you in your
study program. For example, there is a
series called “Bible Study Activities” in
the “Teenagers” section of jw.org to
help you to apply what you learn from
9. What tools have helped you in your personal
study?
DECEMBER 2017 23
 Bible accounts. Also on jw.org, you
can find the study guides “What Does
the Bible Really Teach?” These can
help you build your faith and explain
your beliefs to others. You can find
other ideas for your personal study in
the article “Young People Ask . . .
How Can I Make Bible Reading Enjoy-
able?” in the April 2009 issue of Awake!
Study and meditation are important
for working out your own salvation.
—Read Psalm 119:105.
PRAYER IS VITAL
10 When we study the Bible, we listen
to Jehovah, and when we pray, we
speak to him. We should not think of
prayer as simply a habit or as a ‘good
luck charm’ to bring us success. Prayer
When you feel anxious for
any reason, “throw your
burden on Jehovah”
is real communication with our Cre-
ator. Just think: Jehovah wants to
hear what you have to say! (Read Phi-
lippians 4:6.) So when you feel anx-
ious for any reason, the Bible says
to “throw your burden on Jehovah.”
(Psalm 55:22) Millions of brothers and
sisters can tell you that this advice has
helped them. It can help you too!
11 However, we should not pray only
10. Why does a baptized Christian need to
pray?
11. Why should you always thank Jehovah?
24 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
when we want Jehovah to help us. The
Bible reminds us: “Show yourselves
thankful.” (Colossians 3:15) Some-
times we worry so much about our
problems that we do not notice all the
good things we have. So try this: Every
day, think of at least three things you
are thankful for, and then thank Jeho-
vah for them. A teenager named Abi-
gail, who got baptized when she was 12
years old, says: “I feel that Jehovah
deserves our thanks more than any-
one else in the universe. We should
thank him at every opportunity for
the gifts he has given us.” Sometimes
Abigail asks herself this question she
once heard: “If I woke up tomorrow
with only the things I thanked Jeho-
vah for today, what exactly would I
have?”1 (See footnote.)
THE VALUE OF
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
12 Jehovah helped King David to en-
dure many difficult situations. So Da-
vid spoke from personal experience
when he said: “Taste and see that
Jehovah is good; happy is the man
who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm
34:8) This verse shows us that we
need to experience Jehovah’s good-
ness for ourselves. When you read the
Bible and our publications and attend
our meetings, you learn how God has
helped others to stay faithful. But
1 For more suggestions, see “Young People Ask—Why
Should I Pray?” and its worksheet on jw.org.
12, 13. How have you personally experienced
that Jehovah is good, and why is it important to
think about how Jehovah has helped you?
as your own relationship with Jeho-
vah becomes stronger, you need to
see how Jehovah is helping you. How
have you personally experienced that
Jehovah is good?
13 Every Christian has experienced
Jehovah’s goodness in one special
way. He invited each of us to draw
close to him and his Son. Jesus said:
“No man can come to me unless the
Father, who sent me, draws him.”
(John 6:44) Do you feel that Jehovah
has drawn you to him? Or do you
think, ‘Jehovah drew my parents to
him and I am just following’? Remem-
ber that when you dedicated yourself
to Jehovah and got baptized, you then
had your own special relationship with
him. The Bible tells us: “If anyone
loves God, this one is known by him.”
(1 Corinthians 8:3) Always treasure
the place Jehovah has given you in his
organization.
14 You also experience Jehovah’s
goodness when he gives you the cour-
age to talk about your faith with oth-
ers, either in the field ministry or at
school. It can be difficult to preach to
your schoolmates. You might worry
about how they will react. It can be es-
pecially frightening to explain your be-
liefs in front of a large group. What
can help you?
15 Think about why you believe what
you believe. If the study guides found
on jw.org are available in your lan-
guage, make sure to use them. They
14, 15. How can the ministry help you to have
stronger faith?
can help you to think about what you
believe, why you believe it, and how
you can explain your beliefs to oth-
ers. When you are truly convinced
and have prepared well, you will want
to witness about Jehovah.—Jeremiah
20:8, 9.
Always treasure the place
Jehovah has given you
in his organization
16 Even if you have prepared well,
you might still be nervous about ex-
plaining your beliefs. An 18-year-old
sister, who was baptized when she was
13, says: “I know what I believe, but
sometimes I have trouble putting my
thoughts into words.” So she tries to
speak about the truth in a natural and
relaxed way. She says: “My classmates
talk freely about the things that they
do. I should feel free to do the same.
So I’ll mention something in passing,
such as, ‘I was teaching the Bible the
other day, and . . .’ Then I continue
with the point of my story. Although
the immediate point is not in itself
about the Bible, often others are cu-
rious about what I do when teaching
the Bible. Sometimes they ask ques-
tions about it. The more I use this ap-
proach, the easier it gets. And after-
ward, I always feel great!”
16. What can give you courage to speak about
your beliefs?
DECEMBER 2017 25
 17 When others feel that you really
care about and respect them, it is eas-
ier for them to respect you and your
beliefs. Olivia, who is 17 and got bap-
tized when she was much younger,
says: “I had always been afraid that if
I worked the Bible into a conversation,
people would view me as a fanatic.”
Then she started to view things differ-
ently. Instead of thinking too much
about her fears, she thought: “A lot
of young people don’t know anything
about Jehovah’s Witnesses. We are the
only Witnesses they are exposed to. So
the way we act can determine how
they will respond. What if we are shy
or timid or have a hard time speaking
up about our faith, or what if we
cringe when we do speak up? Then
they may look at us as if we aren’t
proud of who we are. They may even
respond unkindly because of our lack
of confidence. However, if we talk with
ease and assurance about what we be-
lieve, making it a normal part of con-
versation, it’s more likely that they will
respect us.”
17. What else can help you speak to others?
KEEP WORKING OUT
YOUR OWN SALVATION
18We have seen that it is a serious re-
sponsibility to work out your own sal-
vation. To do this, you need to read
and meditate on God’s Word, pray to
Jehovah, and think deeply about all
the ways he has helped you personally.
Doing these things will help you to be
much more confident that Jehovah is
your Friend. This will make you want
to speak to others about your beliefs.
—Read Psalm 73:28.
19 Jesus said: “If anyone wants to
come after me, let him disown himself
and pick up his torture stake and keep
following me.” (Matthew 16:24) Yes,
to follow Jesus, each Christian must
dedicate himself to Jehovah and get
baptized. But this is just the beginning
of a wonderful life now, and it will lead
to eternal life in God’s new world. So
do everything you can to keep working
out your own salvation!
18. What do you need to do to work out your
own salvation?
19. Why is it worth any effort to work out your
salvation?

SOME Work out your own salvation:

When you dedicated yourself to Jehovah and got baptized,
EXPRESSIONS you then had a special relationship with him. He gave you
EXPLAINED the wonderful hope of living forever. Now you need to work
to keep that friendship strong and do your part to make
that hope come true. You can do this by reading the Bible,
praying to Jehovah, meditating on all the good things he
has done for you, and talking about your faith with others
 LIFE STORY
Leaving Things
Behind to Follow
the Master
AS TOLD BY FELIX FAJARDO
When I was 16 years old,
my father said: “If you go
preaching, don’t come back.
If you come back, I will break
your legs.” So I decided to
leave home. This was the first
time I left things behind to
follow Jesus, our Master.
WHY was my father so angry? Let me explain. I
was born on July 29, 1929, and grew up in a vil-
lage in the province of Bulacan in the Philip-
pines. We did not have much money, and our life
was simple. When I was young, the Japanese
army invaded the Philippines and war began.
However, our village was isolated, so the war did
not directly affect us. We did not have radio, tele-
vision, or newspapers, so we only heard about
the war from other people.
I had seven brothers and sisters, and when I
was eight years old, my grandparents took me to
live with them. Although we were Catholic, my
grandfather was willing to discuss religion and
accepted religious literature that his friends gave
him. I remember that he showed me the booklets
Protection, Safety, and Uncovered in the Tagalog
language,1 (see footnote) as well as a Bible. I en-
joyed reading the Bible, especially the four Gos-
pels. Doing so made me want to follow Jesus’ ex-
ample.—John 10:27.
LEARNING TO FOLLOW THE MASTER
The Japanese army left the Philippines in 1945.
About that time, my parents asked me to come
back home. My grandfather encouraged me to
go, and so I went.
In December 1945, Jehovah’s Witnesses from
the town of Angat came to preach in our village.
One older Witness came to our house and ex-
plained what the Bible says about “the last days.”
(2 Timothy 3:1-5) He invited us to attend a Bible
study in a nearby village. I went, even though my
parents did not go. About 20 people were there,
and some asked questions about the Bible.
I did not really understand what they were
talking about, so I decided to leave. But then
they started singing a Kingdom song. I really
liked the song, so I stayed. After the song and
1 Published by Jehovah’s Witnesses but now out of print.
DECEMBER 2017 27
prayer, we were all invited to attend a meeting in
Angat the following Sunday.
That meeting was held in the home of the Cruz
family, and some of us walked about eight kilo-
meters (five miles) to get there. About 50 people
were gathered, and I was impressed that even the
young children answered questions about dif-
ficult Bible subjects. After I had been to several
more meetings, Damian Santos, an elderly pio-
neer brother who used to be a mayor, invited me
to stay overnight at his house. We spent most of
that night discussing the Bible.
Back then, people would get baptized soon af-
ter they learned basic Bible teachings. After I
had gone to just a few meetings, the brothers
asked me and others, “Do you want to get bap-
tized?” I replied, “Yes, I do.” I knew that I want-
ed to “slave for the Master, Christ.” (Colossians
3:24) We went to a nearby river, and two of us
got baptized on February 15, 1946.
I realized that baptized Christians should
preach regularly as Jesus did. My father thought
that I was too young to preach and that simply
being baptized did not make me a preacher. I ex-
plained to him that it is God’s will that we preach
the good news of God’s Kingdom. (Matthew 24:
14) I also said that I needed to keep my promise
Giving a talk at
a convention with a
Cebuano interpreter
With some of my
classmates at Gilead
28
to God. That is when my father made the threat
that I mentioned in the beginning. He was deter-
mined to stop me from preaching. That was the
first time I had to leave things behind, or make
sacrifices, to serve Jehovah.
The Cruz family invited me to live with them in
Angat. They also encouraged me and their youn-
gest daughter, Nora, to start pioneering. Both of
us began to pioneer on November 1, 1947. Nora
pioneered in another town, but I stayed in Angat.
ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY
TO LEAVE THINGS BEHIND
After I had pioneered for two years, Earl Stew-
art, a brother from Bethel, gave a talk to over 500
people in the town square of Angat. He spoke in
English, and afterward I gave a summary of his
talk in Tagalog. This was the first of many talks
that I have interpreted over the years. How was I
able to do this? Although I went to school for only
seven years, my teachers regularly used English.
Also, I studied many of our publications in En-
glish because there were very few Bible publica-
tions in Tagalog. These things helped me under-
stand English well enough to interpret talks.
Brother Stewart told the local congregation
that the missionaries were leaving to attend
the 1950 Theocracy’s Increase Assembly in
Interpreting a talk
for Brother Albert Schroeder
New York, U.S.A. So the branch office wanted one
or two pioneers to help at Bethel. I was one of
the brothers invited. Once again, I left behind
the things I was used to, this time to work at
Bethel.
I arrived at Bethel on June 19, 1950. Bethel was
in a large, old house surrounded by big trees on
a one-hectare (2.5 acre) piece of land. About a
dozen single brothers worked there. In the early
morning, I helped in the kitchen. Then, from
about nine o’clock, I ironed clothes in the laun-
dry. I did the same things in the afternoon. Even
after the missionaries returned from the inter-
national assembly, I stayed at Bethel. I did what-
ever the brothers asked me to do. I wrapped mag-
azines for mailing, worked with subscriptions,
and served as a receptionist.
LEAVING THE PHILIPPINES FOR GILEAD SCHOOL
In 1952, six other brothers from the Philippines
and I were invited to attend the 20th class of Gil-
ead School. I was thrilled! While we were in the
United States, we saw and experienced many
things that were new. Life was very different from
what I was used to in the small village where I
came from.
For example, we had to learn how to use appli-
ances and utensils that we had never seen before.
Happy to continue serving
in the Philippines
Even the weather was different! One morning
when I woke up, everything was white outside.
That was the first time I saw snow. It was beauti-
ful, but I quickly discovered that it was very, very
cold!
I enjoyed the wonderful training at Gilead so
much that those adjustments did not bother
me. The instructors were very good teachers
and showed us how to study and do research.
The training at Gilead definitely helped me to
strengthen my relationship with Jehovah.
After I graduated, I was temporarily assigned
as a special pioneer in the Bronx in New York City.
So in July 1953, I was able to attend the New
World Society Assembly, which was held there in
the Bronx. After the assembly, I was assigned
back to the Philippines.
LEAVING THE COMFORTS OF THE CITY
The brothers at Bethel assigned me to do cir-
cuit work. This gave me more opportunities to
imitate Jesus, who traveled to faraway towns and
cities to help Jehovah’s people. (1 Peter 2:21) My
circuit covered a huge area of central Luzon,
which is the largest island in the Philippines. It
included the provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija,
Tarlac, and Zambales. To visit some towns, I had
to cross the rocky Sierra Madre Mountains. No
buses or trains came to those places, so I had to
ask truck drivers if I could sit on top of the logs
they were transporting. Many times they allowed
me to do so, but this was a very uncomfortable
way to travel.
Most of the congregations were small and new.
So the brothers were grateful when I helped them
to organize meetings and field service better.
Later, I was assigned to a circuit that covered
the entire Bicol region. In that area, there were
many isolated groups where special pioneers
were preaching in places the Witnesses had nev-
er been before. At one home, the toilet was only
a hole in the ground with two logs across the mid-
dle. When I stood on the logs, they fell into the
hole, and I fell with them. It took me a long time
to clean myself up and get ready for breakfast!
When I was serving in that circuit, I began to
think about Nora, who had started pioneering
when I did. By that time, she was a special pio-
neer in Dumaguete City, and I went to visit her.
After that, we wrote letters to each other for a
while, and in 1956, we got married. We spent the
first week after our wedding visiting a congrega-
tion on Rapu Rapu Island. There we had to climb
mountains and walk long distances, but we were
happy to be together and help the brothers in far-
away places.
INVITED TO SERVE AT BETHEL AGAIN
After we had done circuit work for about four
years, the brothers invited us to come to the
branch office. We started working there in Janu-
ary 1960. During the many years we have been
at Bethel, I have learned a lot from working
with brothers who have heavy responsibilities in
Jehovah’s organization. And Nora has enjoyed
many different assignments at Bethel.
It has been a blessing to see more and more
people serving Jehovah in the Philippines. When
I came to Bethel as a young, single brother, there
were about 10,000 publishers in the whole coun-
30 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
try. Now there are more than 200,000 publishers
in the Philippines, and hundreds of brothers and
sisters are working at Bethel to support the
preaching work.
As time passed, we needed more space to do
the work at Bethel. Then the Governing Body
asked us to look for property where we could
build a larger branch office. The printery over-
seer and I went from house to house in the neigh-
borhood of the branch and asked people wheth-
er they wanted to sell their property. No one did.
One person even told us: “Chinese do not sell.
We buy.”
However, one day some unexpected things
started to happen. One of our neighbors was
moving to the United States, so he asked wheth-
er we would like to buy his property. Then anoth-
er neighbor decided to sell his property, and he
encouraged the others around him to do the
same. We were even able to buy the property
from the man who had said that “Chinese do not
sell.” In a short time, the branch property was
three times larger. I am sure that Jehovah want-
ed that to happen.
In 1950, I was the youngest person working at
Bethel. Now my wife and I are the oldest. I
have no regrets about following Jesus no matter
where he directed me. Although my parents
threw me out of their home, Jehovah has given
me a big family of people who love him. I really
believe that Jehovah gives us everything we
need, no matter what our assignment is. Nora
and I are very grateful to Jehovah for all his kind
provisions, and we encourage others also to test
Jehovah out.—Malachi 3:10.
Jesus once invited a tax collector named Mat-
thew Levi to be his follower. What did Matthew
do? “Leaving everything behind, he rose up and
began to follow him.” (Luke 5:27, 28) I too have
had the opportunity to leave things behind to
follow Jesus, and I encourage others to do the
same and experience many blessings.
 QUESTIONS FROM READERS
Is the IUD (intrauterine device) a form
of birth control that Christians might use?
ˇ About this matter each Christian couple
should make a decision that will allow them
to have a good conscience. To do so, they
must carefully consider how IUDs work and
what Bible principles apply.
Jehovah commanded Adam and Eve and,
later, Noah and his family: “Be fruitful and
become many.” (Genesis 1:28; 9:1) The Bible
does not say that Christians need to follow
this command. Therefore, each couple must
decide whether they will use some form of
birth control to limit the size of their family
or to determine when to have children. What
factors should they consider?
Christians should base any decision about
birth control on Bible principles. That is why
they would never use abortion as a form of
birth control. A voluntary abortion ends a
pregnancy that, if it were allowed to contin-
ue, would normally result in the birth of a
baby. Abortion goes against what the Bible
says about respect for life. (Exodus 20:13;
21:22, 23; Psalm 139:16; Jeremiah 1:5) What
about using an IUD?
The Watchtower of May 15, 1979 (pag-
es 30-31), examined this matter. Most IUDs
that were common at that time were plastic
objects that were inserted in the uterus
(womb) to prevent pregnancy. The article
explained that it was not fully clear how such
IUDs worked. Many scientists said that IUDs
prevented sperm from reaching and fertiliz-
ing a woman’s eggs. If an egg was not fertil-
ized, a new life did not begin.
However, there was some evidence that
an egg might at times get fertilized. The
newly fertilized egg might grow in a Fallopi-
an tube (an ectopic pregnancy) or might
travel into the womb. If it did reach the
womb, the IUD could prevent the fertilized
egg from implanting in the lining of the
womb, and the pregnancy would end. This
would be like an abortion. The article con-
cluded: “The sincere Christian concerned
about the propriety of using an IUD should
seriously weigh such information in the
light of a Bible-based respect for the sancti-
ty of life.”—Psalm 36:9.
But since 1979, when that article was pub-
lished, there have been many developments
in medicine and science.
Two additional types of IUDs are now
available. One type includes copper and be-
came widely available in the United States
by 1988. Another type releases a hormone
and began to be sold in 2001. What do we
know about how these two types of IUDs
work?
Copper: As already mentioned, IUDs
make it difficult for sperm to survive pass-
ing through the uterus to reach an egg.
In addition to that, in IUDs that contain
copper, the copper appears to be toxic to
sperm, so it acts as a spermicide.1 (See foot-
note.) Also, such IUDs change the lining of
the uterus.
Hormone: Another type of IUD contains
a hormone similar to the one found in birth
control pills. These IUDs function like the
older IUDs, but they also release the hor-
mone in the uterus. For some women, this
1 A guide from England’s National Health Service re-
ports: “IUDs with more copper are more than 99% ef-
fective. This means that fewer than one in 100 women
who use an IUD will get pregnant in one year. IUDs with
less copper will be less effective.”
DECEMBER 2017 31
stops them from ovulating, or releasing an
egg. Of course, if an egg is not released, it
cannot be fertilized. These IUDs also thin
the lining of the uterus.1 (See footnote.)
Additionally, they thicken the mucus at the
cervix, which blocks the sperm from passing
from the vagina into the uterus.
As already mentioned, both types of
IUDs seem to change the lining of the
uterus. This means that if a woman does
ovulate and an egg is fertilized, it might en-
ter the uterus but fail to implant because
the lining is not as receptive. That would
end the pregnancy at an early stage. How-
ever, scientists believe that this rarely hap-
pens, and it may also happen at times with
birth control pills.
1 Because hormone IUDs thin the lining of the uterus,
doctors sometimes prescribe them to control very heavy
menstruation in married and unmarried women.
s
n Free downloads of this
p You can also read the
o
magazine and other
publications are
available
So no one can be certain that copper or
hormone IUDs never allow an egg to be fer-
tilized. However, scientific research shows
that because such IUDs function in the ways
mentioned above that prevent an egg from
being fertilized, they rarely allow a woman
to get pregnant.
A Christian couple who want to use an
IUD might discuss this with their doctor.
He or she can tell them what IUD products
are available where they live as well as pos-
sible benefits and risks to the wife. The cou-
ple should not expect or allow anyone else,
not even a doctor, to decide what they
will do. (Romans 14:12; Galatians 6:4, 5)
This is a private decision that they should
make as a couple. Their goal should be to
please God and to have a clean conscience.
—Compare 1 Timothy 1:18, 19; 2 Timothy
1:3.
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