SEPTEMBER 2 0 1 7

34567
SIMPLIFIED EDITION

STUDY ARTICLES FOR:

OCTOBER 23 –NOVEMBER 26, 2017
 COVER IMAGE: PUBLISHERS
EL SALVADOR 41,084
Two couples enjoy public witnessing, BIBLE STUDIES
using carts in front of one of the biggest
malls in San Salvador 42,813
MEMORIAL ATTENDANCE
( 2016)
92,606

TABLE OF CONTENTS
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 WEEK OF OCTOBER 23-29

15 WEEK OF NOVEMBER 6-12
Cultivate Self-Control “The Word of Our God
Endures Forever”
Jehovah is the greatest example of self-control.
How can we imitate him? And what can you do
to show more self-control?
21 WEEK OF NOVEMBER 13-19
“The Word of God . . . Exerts Power”
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Bible continues to be translated into more and
more languages. Why is this important? And how
9 WEEK OF OCTOBER 30–NOVEMBER 5
can we show that we appreciate having God’s Word
Imitate Jehovah’s Compassion in a language we understand? These articles will
What does it mean to be compassionate? Both make our gratitude for the Bible and our love for its
Jehovah and Jesus are perfect examples of being Author deeper.
compassionate. How can we imitate them? And
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
what good things will happen when we do?

27 WEEK OF NOVEMBER 20-26

“Be Courageous . . . and Go to Work”
Christians need courage. How can we benefit from
the examples of those who showed courage in the
past? How can young ones, parents, older sisters,
and baptized brothers show that they are coura-
geous and ready to do what pleases Jehovah?

This publication is not

for sale. It is provided
34567 ˙
September 2017
Vol. 138, No. 14 ENGLISH
as part of a worldwide
Bible educational work Unless otherwise The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087) Issue 14 September 2017 is published monthly with an ad-
indicated, Scripture ditional issue published in January, March, May, July, September, and November by Watch-
supported by voluntary tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.; L. Weaver, Jr., President; G. F. Simonis,
quotations are from
donations. Secretary-Treasurer; 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299, and by Watch Tower Bible
the modern-language and Tract Society of Canada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. Periodicals Postage
To make a donation, New World Translation Paid at Brooklyn, NY, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
please visit www.jw.org. of the Holy Scriptures. to Watchtower, 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. 5 2017 Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Printed in Canada.
 Cultivate Self-Control
“The fruitage of the spirit is . . . self-control.”
—GALATIANS 5:22, 23.

SELF-CONTROL is a quality that Jehovah God can help SONGS: 121, 36

us to cultivate. (Galatians 5:22, 23) Jehovah has perfect
self-control. However, we do not because we are imper- HOW WOULD YOU
fect. Actually, a lack of self-control is responsible for ANSWER?
many of the problems people have today. It may cause a ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What do we learn
person to delay doing things that are important or cause from God’s reaction
him to perform poorly at school or at work. A lack of self- to Satan’s rebellion?
control may also lead to verbal abuse, drunkenness, vio-
lence, divorce, unnecessary debt, addiction, time in jail, ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

emotional pain, sexually transmitted disease, and un- What are some Bible
wanted pregnancy.—Psalm 34:11-14. examples of people
2 People who do not have self-control cause problems who had self-control and
people who did not?
for themselves and for others. And as time goes by, it is
clear that people have less and less self-control. This
should not surprise us, though, because God’s Word ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How can Bible study help

foretold that a lack of self-control would be one proof
us to cultivate the quality
that we are living in “the last days.”—2 Timothy 3:1-3. of self-control?
1, 2. (a) What can result from a lack of self-control? (b) Why do we
need to discuss the subject of self-control?

3
 3 Why do we need self-control?
There are two important reasons.
First, people who can control their
feelings and emotions generally have
fewer problems. It is also easier for
Jehovah’s
self-control is perfect
because he is
perfect in every way
them to have wholesome relationships
and to avoid feeling angry, anxious, or
depressed. Second, to remain God’s
friends, we need to resist temptation
and control wrong desires. That is
what Adam and Eve failed to do. (Gen-
esis 3:6) Like them, many people to-
day have terrible problems because
they do not have self-control.
4 Jehovah understands that we are
imperfect and that it is difficult for us
to have self-control. But he wants to
help us dominate our wrong desires.
(1 Kings 8:46-50) As a loving Friend,
he kindly encourages those who some-
times find it difficult to control their
feelings and desires. In this article, we
will learn from Jehovah’s example of
self-control. We will also discuss exam-
ples from the Bible, both good and
bad, and review practical suggestions
that can help us.
3. Why do we need self-control?
4. What should be encouraging to any who are
struggling to control their wrong desires?
4 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
JEHOVAH SETS THE EXAMPLE
5 Jehovah’s self-control is perfect
because he is perfect in every way.
(Deuteronomy 32:4) We, however, are
imperfect. But we still need to exam-
ine his example of self-control so that
we can better imitate him. This will
help us to know how to react in the
right way when things happen that
could upset us. What are some exam-
ples of Jehovah’s self-control?
6 Think about how Jehovah reacted
when Satan rebelled in Eden. Likely,
the Devil’s claim caused all of God’s
loyal servants in heaven to feel shock,
anger, and contempt. Maybe you feel
the same way when you think about all
the suffering Satan has caused. But Je-
hovah did not overreact. He respond-
ed in just the right way. Jehovah has
been slow to anger and fair in dealing
with Satan’s rebellion. (Exodus 34:6;
Job 2:2-6) Why? Jehovah has allowed
time to pass because he does not want
anyone to be destroyed but “desires all
to attain to repentance.”—2 Peter 3:9.
7 Jehovah’s example teaches us that
we need to think carefully before we
speak and not react too quickly. So
when you need to make an important
decision, give yourself time to think.
Pray for wisdom to say or do the right
thing. (Psalm 141:3) When we are an-
gry or upset, it is very easy to over-
react. And that is why many have
come to regret things they said or did
5, 6. What example of self-control does Jeho-
vah set for us?
7. What can we learn from Jehovah’s example?
without thinking!—Proverbs 14:29; 15: with Jehovah would be damaged if
28; 19:2. you gave in to the temptation. You can
try to identify situations that might be
GOOD AND BAD EXAMPLES
AMONG GOD’S SERVANTS
tempting for you and decide how you
can avoid them. (Psalm 26:4, 5; Prov-
8 What Bible examples highlight the
erbs 22:3) If you are ever tested like
value of self-control? One you may
think of is Jacob’s son Joseph. He re-
sisted temptation when he was serving Ask Jehovah to give
in the house of Potiphar, the chief
of Pharaoh’s guards. Potiphar’s wife you the wisdom
found Joseph attractive because he and self-control to
was “well-built and handsome,” and
she tried to seduce him several times. resist temptation
What helped Joseph to resist tempta-
tion? He probably took time to think
that, ask Jehovah to give you the
carefully in advance about what would
wisdom and self-control to resist the
happen if he were to give in to her.
temptation.
Then, when she grabbed him by his 10 Something similar to what hap-
clothes, he ran away from her. He said:
pened to Joseph happens to many
“How could I commit this great bad-
young Christians today. One example
ness and actually sin against God?”
is Kim. Her classmates would often
—Genesis 39:6, 9; read Proverbs 1:10.
9 What do we learn from Joseph’s ex-
brag about having sex over the week-
end. Kim did not have any stories like
ample? If we are tempted to break one
that to tell. She admits that being dif-
of God’s laws, we need to resist the
ferent made her feel “abandoned and
temptation. Before becoming Jeho-
alone” at times and that her classmates
vah’s Witnesses, some struggled with
thought that she was stupid because
overeating, heavy drinking, smoking,
she did not date. But Kim was actually
drug abuse, sexual immorality, or oth-
wise. She knew that the temptation to
er problems. Even after baptism, they
have sex can be very strong when we
may at times be tempted by those
are young. (2 Timothy 2:22) Other
things. If this happens to you, stop
students would often ask whether she
and think about how your relationship
was still a virgin. That gave her the op-
8. (a) Where can we find good examples of portunity to explain why she chose not
self-control? (b) What helped Joseph to resist to have sex. We are proud of young
temptation when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce
him? (See opening picture.) 10, 11. (a) What happens to many young ones
9. How can you prepare yourself to resist temp- at school? (b) What can help young Christians
tations? to resist the temptation to break God’s laws?

SEPTEMBER 2017 5
 Christians who are determined to re-
sist pressure to be sexually immoral,
and Jehovah is proud of them too!
11 The Bible also gives us examples of
people who did not resist the tempta-
tion to be sexually immoral. And it
shows the bad results when we do not
have self-control. If you are in a situa-
tion similar to Kim’s, think about the
foolish young man described in Prov-
erbs chapter 7. Think, too, about Am-
non and the terrible results of his
No one should be
overconfident, thinking
that he will never
give in to temptation
behavior. (2 Samuel 13:1, 2, 10-15, 28-
32) Parents can help their children to
develop self-control and wisdom by
discussing those examples during fam-
ily worship.
12 On another occasion, Joseph
again set a good example of self-
control. This was when his brothers
came to Egypt to buy food. To under-
stand what they were really thinking,
Joseph did not tell them that he was
their brother. And when his feelings
became very intense, he left his broth-
ers so that he could cry in private.
(Genesis 43:30, 31; 45:1) If a brother
12. (a) How did Joseph control his feelings to-
ward his brothers? (b) In what situations do we
have to control our feelings?
6 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
or a sister does something that up-
sets you, imitating Joseph’s example
of self-control will help you to avoid
saying or doing something you might
later regret. (Proverbs 16:32; 17:27)
Or maybe you have disfellowshipped
relatives. If so, you will need to con-
trol your feelings in order to avoid un-
necessary contact with them. This can
be difficult to do. But it will be easier
if you remember that you are imitat-
ing Jehovah’s example and doing what
he commands.
13 We also benefit from King David’s
example. When Saul and Shimei pro-
voked him, David did not get angry or
use his power against them. (1 Samuel
26:9-11; 2 Samuel 16:5-10) Yet, Da-
vid did not always have self-control.
We know this from reading about his
sin with Bath-sheba and his reaction
to Nabal’s greed. (1 Samuel 25:10-13;
2 Samuel 11:2-4) We can learn valu-
able lessons from David. First, over-
seers among God’s people especially
need self-control so that they do not
misuse their authority. Second, no one
should be overconfident, thinking that
he will never give in to temptation.
—1 Corinthians 10:12.
PRACTICAL THINGS YOU CAN DO
14 What can you do to improve your
self-control? Consider what happened
13. What lessons can we learn from events in
King David’s life?
14. What experience did one brother have, and
why are our reactions in similar situations im-
portant?
 The way we react can affect our Christian ministry
(See paragraph 14)

to Luigi. A vehicle hit the back of
his car. Even though the other driver
caused the accident, that driver began
yelling at Luigi and tried to start a
fight. Luigi prayed to Jehovah to re-
main calm and tried to calm the other
driver. But the man continued to yell.
So Luigi wrote the man’s insurance de-
tails down and left while the man was
still shouting. A week later, Luigi was
making a return visit on a woman. Her
husband was the other driver! The man
was embarrassed and apologized for
his bad behavior. He offered to contact
Luigi’s insurance company so that Lui-
gi could get his car fixed sooner. The
man joined the Bible discussion and
really enjoyed it. Because of this, Lui-
gi realized how important it was that
he had remained calm after the acci-
dent and how devastating the results
could have been if he had become an-
gry.—Read 2 Corinthians 6:3, 4.
15 Regular and meaningful Bible
15, 16. How can Bible study help you and your
family to develop self-control?

SEPTEMBER 2017 7
 study can help Christians to develop
self-control. Remember what God told
Joshua: “This book of the Law should
not depart from your mouth, and you
must read it in an undertone day and
night, in order to observe carefully all
Regular Bible study
can help you to
develop self-control
that is written in it; for then your way
will be successful and then you will act
wisely.” (Joshua 1:8) But how can Bi-
ble study help you to develop, or culti-
vate, self-control?
16 We have learned that the Bible
contains examples that show how we
benefit when we have self-control and
how we suffer when we do not. Jeho-
vah had these examples written down
for a reason. (Romans 15:4) It would
be wise for us to read, study, and think
carefully about them. Try to under-
stand how they apply to you and your
family. Ask Jehovah to help you to ap-
ply the counsel from his Word. If you
realize that you lack self-control in
some area, admit it. Then pray about
it, and work hard to see how you can
improve. (James 1:5) Do research in
our publications to find practical ad-
vice that can help you.
17 How can you help your children
17. In what ways can parents help their children
to develop self-control?
8 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
to develop self-control? Parents know
that their children were not born with
this quality. So they need to teach their
children good qualities by their own
example. (Ephesians 6:4) If you see
that your children are lacking self-
control, ask yourself whether you are
setting a good example. You can set a
good example by being regular in the
ministry, in attending meetings, and in
conducting family worship. And do
not be afraid to say no to your children
when necessary! Jehovah set limits for
Adam and Eve. Those limits could have
helped them to learn respect for Jeho-
vah’s authority. In a similar way, when
parents discipline their children and
set a good example for them, it can
teach children self-control. Love for
God’s authority and respect for his
standards are some of the most valu-
able things that you can help your
children to have.—Read Proverbs 1:
5, 7, 8.
18 Whether we are parents or not, all
of us should choose our friends wisely.
If your friends love Jehovah, they will
encourage you to set meaningful goals
and avoid trouble. (Proverbs 13:20)
Their good example will motivate you
to imitate their self-control. And no
doubt your good conduct will encour-
age them as well. The self-control we
will gain will help us to have God’s ap-
proval, enjoy our life, and share good
things with those we love.
18. Why do we need to choose our friends
wisely?
Imitate Jehovah’s
Compassion
“Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and compassionate.”
—EXODUS 34:6.

ON ONE occasion, God revealed himself to Moses by de- SONGS: 57, 147
claring His name and some of His qualities. Jehovah
could have emphasized his power or wisdom, but in- HOW WOULD YOU
stead, he first spoke of his mercy and compassion. (Read ANSWER?
Exodus 34:5-7.) Moses needed to know if Jehovah ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

would support him. So Jehovah emphasized qualities Why can it be difficult to

show compassion at times?
that show that he really wants to help his servants. (Exo-
dus 33:13) How does it make you feel to know that Jeho-
vah cares so much for us? This article will focus on com- ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

passion, which is sympathy for the suffering of others How does Jehovah
and the desire to help them. teach his people to
2 Jehovah is compassionate, and humans were made in show compassion?
his image. So it is natural for humans to care about oth-
ers. Even those who do not know Jehovah often show
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
compassion. (Genesis 1:27) In the Bible, we find many
In what situations can you
1. How did Jehovah reveal himself to Moses? Why is this important? show compassion?
2, 3. (a) What shows that it is natural for humans to feel compas-
sion? (b) Why should you be interested in what the Bible says about
compassion?

9
 accounts of people who showed com-
passion. For example, when Solomon
needed to find out which of two wom-
en was the mother of a baby, he tested
them by ordering that the baby be cut
in half. The mother felt deep compas-
sion for her baby, so she pleaded with
the king to let the other woman have
him. (1 Kings 3:23-27) Another exam-
ple of compassion is Pharaoh’s daugh-
ter. When she found baby Moses, she
Jehovah fully
understands the
difficulties we
go through
realized that he was a Hebrew and was
supposed to be killed. But “she felt
compassion for him,” and she decided
to raise him as her own son.—Exodus
2:5, 6.
3 Why should we learn more about
compassion? Because Jehovah wants
us to imitate him. (Ephesians 5:1)
Even though we were created to be
compassionate, we are imperfect and
tend to be selfish. Sometimes it may
not be easy for us to decide whether to
help other people or to focus on our-
selves. What can help us to be more in-
terested in others? First, let us ex-
amine how Jehovah and others have
shown compassion. Second, let us see
how we can imitate God’s compassion
and why it is good for us to do so.
10 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
JEHOVAH—THE PERFECT
EXAMPLE OF COMPASSION
4 The Bible contains many examples
of Jehovah’s compassion. For exam-
ple, think of what he did for Lot. Lot
was a righteous man who was “great-
ly distressed” by the immoral peo-
ple in Sodom and Gomorrah. Those
people had no respect for God, and
Jehovah decided that they deserved
to die. (2 Peter 2:7, 8) Jehovah sent
angels to Lot to tell him that Sod-
om and Gomorrah would be destroyed
and that he needed to flee. The Bible
says: “When [Lot] kept lingering, then
because of Jehovah’s compassion for
him, the [angels] seized hold of his
hand and the hand of his wife and
the hands of his two daughters, and
they brought him out and stationed
him outside the city.” (Genesis 19:16)
Just as Jehovah understood Lot’s situ-
ation, we can be sure that he under-
stands any difficulties we go through.
—Isaiah 63:7-9; James 5:11, footnote;
2 Peter 2:9.
5 Jehovah has also taught his people
to show compassion. Think about one
of the laws that he gave to Israel. If
someone owed money to a lender, the
lender could take the person’s gar-
ment as a guarantee that he would pay
the money back. (Read Exodus 22:
26, 27.) But the lender had to return
the garment to the person by sunset so
4. (a) Why did Jehovah send angels to Sodom?
(b) What can we learn from the experience of
Lot’s family?
5. How does God’s Word teach us how to show
compassion?
that he could stay warm during the
night. Someone who was not com-
passionate might not have wanted to
give the garment back, but Jehovah
taught his people to be compassion-
ate. What does the principle behind
this law teach us? Never ignore the
needs of a fellow Christian. When we
can help a brother or a sister who
is suffering, we want to do so.—Co-
lossians 3:12; James 2:15, 16; read
1 John 3:17.
6 Jehovah felt compassion for the Is-
raelites even when they sinned against
him. We read: “Jehovah the God of
their forefathers kept warning them
by means of his messengers, warning
them again and again, because he felt
compassion for his people and for his
dwelling place.” (2 Chronicles 36:15)
In a similar way, we should feel com-
passion for those who do not yet know
Jehovah but who may still repent and
become his friends. Jehovah does not
want anyone to be destroyed in the
coming judgment. (2 Peter 3:9) So
while there is still time, we want to
share his warning message with every-
one we can and help as many as possi-
ble to benefit from God’s compassion.
7 Today, many of Jehovah’s servants
have experienced his compassion. For
example, during the 1990’s in Bosnia,
various ethnic groups were fighting
and killing one another. One family liv-
6. What can we learn from Jehovah’s compas-
sion for the sinful Israelites?
7, 8. Why did one family believe that Jehovah
had shown compassion to them?
ing there included a 12-year-old boy
we will call Milan. Milan, his brother,
his parents, and other Witnesses were
traveling on a bus from Bosnia to Ser-
bia. They were going to a conven-
tion, where Milan’s parents were plan-
ning to get baptized. At the border,
some soldiers noticed that the family
was from a different ethnic group and
made them get off the bus. Then they
let the rest of the brothers on the bus
continue their trip. For two days, the
soldiers would not let the family go.
Finally, the officer in charge called his
superior officer and asked what he
should do with them. The family was
standing right there and could hear
the superior officer reply, “Just take
them out and shoot them!”
8 As the soldiers were talking, two
strangers approached the family. They
whispered that they were Witnesses
too and that the brothers on the bus
had told them what had happened.
The two Witnesses told Milan and his
brother to get into their car to cross
the border because the soldiers were
not checking children’s papers. Then
the brothers told the parents to walk
around the back of the border post
and meet them on the other side. Mi-
lan was so scared that he did not know
whether to laugh or cry. His parents
asked, “Do you think they are just
going to let us walk off?” But as they
walked away, it seemed as if the sol-
diers did not even see them. Milan and
his brother met their parents on the
other side of the border, and they
SEPTEMBER 2017 11
 went on to the convention. They were
convinced that Jehovah had answered
their prayers! We know from the Bible
that Jehovah does not always directly
protect his servants in such a way.
(Acts 7:58-60) But in this case, Milan
said: “It seemed to me that the angels
blinded the soldiers and that Jehovah
rescued us.”—Psalm 97:10.
9 Jesus was an excellent example of
compassion. He felt pity for the peo-
ple because he saw that “they were
skinned and thrown about like sheep
without a shepherd.” So, what did he
do? “He started to teach them many
Like Jesus, do you have
a deep desire to help
people and teach them
about Jehovah?
things.” (Matthew 9:36; read Mark 6:
34.) In contrast, the Pharisees were
not compassionate and did not want
to help the people. (Matthew 12:9-14;
23:4; John 7:49) Like Jesus, do you
have a deep desire to help people and
teach them about Jehovah?
10 This does not mean that it is al-
ways appropriate to show compas-
sion. For example, King Saul may have
thought that he was showing compas-
9. How did Jesus feel about the crowds who fol-
lowed him? (See opening picture.)
10, 11. Is it always appropriate to show com-
passion? Explain.
12 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
sion when he did not kill Agag, who
was the king of Amalek and an enemy
of God’s people. Saul also did not kill
all the animals of the Amalekites. But
Jehovah had told Saul to kill all the
Amalekites and all their animals. Be-
cause of Saul’s disobedience, Jehovah
rejected him as king. (1 Samuel 15:3,
9, 15, footnote) Jehovah is the righ-
teous Judge. He can read people’s
hearts, and he knows when compas-
sion should not be shown. (Lamenta-
tions 2:17; Ezekiel 5:11) Soon he will
bring judgment on all those who re-
fuse to obey him. (2 Thessalonians 1:
6-10) That will not be the time for
Jehovah to show compassion to the
wicked. However, by destroying them,
he will show compassion for the righ-
teous, whom he will save.
11 Of course, it is not our job to judge
whether people should live or die. In-
stead, we need to do all we can now to
help people. What are some practical
ways that we can show compassion to
others? Here are a few suggestions.
HOW WE CAN SHOW COMPASSION
12 Be helpful in everyday life. Jeho-
vah requires that Christians show com-
passion to their neighbors and to their
brothers. (John 13:34, 35; 1 Peter 3:8)
One meaning of compassion is “to suf-
fer together.” A person who shows
compassion tries to help those who are
suffering. So we should look for oppor-
tunities to help others, perhaps by of-
12. How can you show compassion in how you
treat others?
fering to do a necessary chore or er-
rand for them.—Matthew 7:12.
13 Share in relief work. When we
see people suffering because of a di-
saster, we want to show them compas-
sion. Jehovah’s people are well-known
for helping others at such times. (1 Pe-
ter 2:17) For example, a Japanese sis-
ter lived in an area that was damaged
in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
She said that she was “very encour-
aged and comforted” when she saw
volunteers come from different parts
of Japan and from other countries to
repair homes and Kingdom Halls. She
13. What do God’s people do after natural di-
sasters?
Show your compassion by helping others in a practical way
(See paragraph 12)
added: “This experience helped me to
realize that Jehovah cares. And fel-
low Witnesses care about one another.
Many brothers and sisters all over the
world are praying for us.”
14 Help those who are sick and el-
derly. When we see people suffering
from sickness and old age, we feel com-
passion. We long to see the end of
these problems, so we pray for God’s
Kingdom to come. In the meantime,
we do all we can to help the sick and
the elderly. One author wrote that one
day his elderly mother, who suffered
from Alzheimer’s disease, soiled her
clothes. While she was trying to clean
14. How can you help the sick and elderly?
up, her doorbell rang. Two Witnesses
who regularly visited her were there.
The sisters asked if they could help.
The woman said: “It is embarrassing
but yes.” The sisters helped her to
clean up. Then they made her a cup
of tea and stayed to chat with her.
The son was very thankful and said
that the Witnesses “practice what they
preach.” Does your compassion for the
sick and the elderly move you to do all
you can to help them?—Philippians 2:
3, 4.
15 Help people to know Jehovah.
The best way we can help people is to
teach them about God and his King-
health and our relationships with oth-
ers. When you help those who are
suffering, you will feel happier, more
hopeful, less lonely, and less negative.
Showing compassion is good for you.
(Ephesians 4:31, 32) When love moves
us to help others, we have a good con-
science because we know that we are
doing what Jehovah wants us to do.
Compassion will help us to be better
parents, marriage mates, and friends.
In addition, people who show compas-
sion to others usually receive help
when they need it.—Read Matthew
5:7; Luke 6:38.
17 Although showing compassion is

dom. Another way is to help them see
why obeying Jehovah’s standards is
good for them. (Isaiah 48:17, 18) The
ministry is a wonderful way to honor
Jehovah and show compassion to oth-
ers. Could you do more in the minis-
try?—1 Timothy 2:3, 4.
COMPASSION IS GOOD FOR YOU TOO!
16Mental-health experts say that
showing compassion can improve our
15. How does our preaching work help others?
16. How do we benefit when we are compas-
sionate?
good for us, the main reason we show
compassion is that we want to imitate
Jehovah and bring glory to him. He is
the Source of love and compassion.
(Proverbs 14:31) He sets the perfect
example for us. So let us do all that
we can to imitate God by showing
compassion. Then we will draw closer
to our brothers and sisters and have
better relationships with the people
around us.—Galatians 6:10; 1 John
4:16.
17. Why do you want to be compassionate?

SOME Compassion is an expression of God’s love. When

we show compassion to others, we imitate Jehovah.
EXPRESSIONS Compassion is more than just a feeling. Showing
EXPLAINED compassion means that we not only notice what
others are going through but are moved to help them
“The Word of Our God
Endures Forever”
“The green grass dries up, the blossom withers,
but the word of our God endures forever.”—ISAIAH 40:8.

WHAT would your life be like if you did not have the Bi- SONGS: 95, 97
ble? You would not have wise advice to guide you each
day. You would not know the truth about God, life, or the HOW HAS GOD’S WORD
future. And you would not have any idea what Jehovah ENDURED . . .
did for humans in the past. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2 Thankfully, we are not in this sad situation. Jehovah changes in language?

has given us his Word, the Bible. He has promised that

its message will last forever. The apostle Peter quoted
Isaiah 40:8. Even though that verse is not specifically ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

about the Bible, it applies to the Bible’s message. (Read political developments?
1 Peter 1:24, 25.) We can benefit the most from the Bi-
ble if we read it in our own language. Those who love
God’s Word have always known this. Over the centuries,
people have worked hard to translate the Bible and make ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

it available, despite great opposition and difficulty. Jeho- opposition to translation?

vah wants as many people as possible to “be saved and
1, 2. (a) What would life be like without the Bible? (b) What helps us
to benefit from God’s Word?

15
 come to an accurate knowledge of
truth.”—1 Timothy 2:3, 4.
3 In this article, we will discuss how
God’s Word has endured in spite of
(1) changes in language, (2) political
developments that changed the com-
mon language, and (3) opposition to
Bible translation. How will this discus-
sion help us? Our appreciation for the
Bible and its Author will become deep-
er.—Micah 4:2; Romans 15:4.
CHANGES IN LANGUAGE
4 As time passes, languages change.
Words and expressions may come to
mean something very different from
what they once did. Perhaps you can
think of an example in the language
We are grateful that
the Bible or parts of it
have been translated into
nearly 3,000 languages
you speak. This is also true of ancient
languages. The Hebrew and Greek that
people speak today are different from
the Hebrew and Greek in which the Bi-
ble was written. Most people are not
able to understand the Bible in the an-
cient languages it was written in, and
3. What will we discuss in this article? (See
opening picture.)
4. (a) How do languages change over time?
(b) How do we know that God does not prefer a
specific language? How does that make you
feel?
16 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
they need a translation. Some have
thought that if they learned ancient
Hebrew and Greek, they could under-
stand the Bible better. But that might
not help them as much as they think.1
(See footnote.) We are very grate-
ful that the Bible or parts of it have
been translated into nearly 3,000 lan-
guages. It is Jehovah who wants peo-
ple of “every nation and tribe and
language” to benefit from his Word.
(Read Revelation 14:6, footnote.)
Surely, this makes us feel even closer
to our God, who is loving and impar-
tial.—Acts 10:34.
5 The fact that languages change also
affects Bible translations. A transla-
tion that was easy to read when it was
first produced may not be so clear
later on. An example of this is the
King James Version, first produced in
1611. It became one of the most popu-
lar English Bibles. The wording used in
the King James Version even affect-
ed the English language.2 (See foot-
note.) However, this translation used
the name Jehovah only a few times.
In most places in the Hebrew Scrip-
tures where God’s name was original-
ly found, it used the word “LORD”
in capital letters. Later printings also
used the word “LORD” in capital let-
1 See the article “Do You Need to Learn Hebrew and
Greek?” in the November 1, 2009, issue of The Watch-
tower.
2 Many well-known English expressions came from the
King James Version, such as “fell flat on his face,” “the
skin of my teeth,” and “pour out your heart.”—Numbers
22:31; Job 19:20; Psalm 62:8.
5. What made the King James Version impor-
tant?
ters in some verses in the Christian
Greek Scriptures. In this way, the
King James Version acknowledged that
God’s name belonged in the so-called
New Testament.
6 When the King James Version first
appeared, the English words it used
sounded modern. But as time went by,
some of those words began to sound
old-fashioned, and today they are dif-
ficult to understand. The same thing
happened with early Bible translations
in other languages. So we are very
grateful to have the New World Transla-
tion of the Holy Scriptures, which uses
modern language. This translation is
available in whole or in part in more
than 150 languages. This means that
most people in the world can now read
this translation in their own language.
The modern and clear words it uses
make it easy for God’s message to
reach our heart. (Psalm 119:97) But
what makes the New World Translation
truly special is that it puts God’s name
in the places where it was originally
found.
THE COMMON LANGUAGE
7 Political developments in the world
have sometimes changed what lan-
guage people spoke at a certain time.
But Jehovah has made sure that the
Bible would be available to people in a
language they could understand. For
6. Why are we grateful for the New World Trans-
lation?
7, 8. (a) Why were many Jews in the third cen-
tury B.C.E. not able to understand the Hebrew
Scriptures? (b) What is the Greek Septuagint?
example, the first 39 books of the Bible
were written by the Jews, or Israelites.
They were the ones first “entrusted
with the sacred pronouncements of
God.” (Romans 3:1, 2) They originally
wrote these books in either Hebrew
or Aramaic. But by the third centu-
ry B.C.E., many Jews no longer under-
stood Hebrew. Why not? When Alex-
ander the Great conquered a large
part of the world, the Greek Empire
spread. As a result, Greek became the
common language in the areas that
Greece ruled, and many people began
to speak Greek instead of their own
language. (Daniel 8:5-7, 20, 21) This
included many Jews, so it became dif-
ficult for them to understand the Bible
in Hebrew. What was the solution?
8 About 250 years before Jesus was
born, the first five books of the Bible
were translated into Greek. Later, the
rest of the Hebrew Scriptures were
also translated. This translation be-
came known as the Greek Septuagint.
It is the first known written translation
of the whole Hebrew Scriptures.
9 The Septuagint made it possible for
Greek-speaking Jews to read the He-
brew Scriptures in Greek. Can you
imagine how excited they were to be
able to hear or read God’s Word in
their own language? Eventually, parts
of the Bible were translated into other
commonly spoken languages, such as
9. (a) How did the Septuagint and other early
translations help people who read God’s Word?
(b) What is your favorite part of the Hebrew
Scriptures?
SEPTEMBER 2017 17
Syriac, Gothic, and Latin. As more
people were able to read and under-
stand God’s Word, they too came to
love it. And they could have their fa-
vorite verses, just as we do to-
day. (Read Psalm 119:162-165.) Yes,
God’s Word has endured despite polit-
ical changes and changes to the com-
mon language.
OPPOSITION TO BIBLE TRANSLATION
10Over the years, many powerful
leaders tried to prevent people from
reading the Bible. But God-fearing
men did not stop working to make the
Bible available to all. One of these was
John Wycliffe, who lived in England
during the 14th century. He believed
that everyone should be able to read
the Bible. During his lifetime, most
people in England had never heard the
Bible’s message in their language. Bi-
bles were very expensive, and each
copy had to be written out by hand.
10. In John Wycliffe’s time, why were most peo-
ple not able to read the Bible?
5 Classic Vision/age fotostock
So, very few people owned a Bible.
Also, most people at that time could
not even read. Those who went to
church may have heard the Bible read
out loud in Latin, but that was an old
language that ordinary people did not
understand. How did Jehovah make
sure that people would have the Bible
in their own language?—Proverbs 2:
1-5.
11 In 1382, John Wycliffe and others
translated the Bible into English. The
Wycliffe Bible became very popular
among a group known as the Lollards.
Those people loved the Bible. They
traveled on foot from village to vil-
lage all over England. The Lollards
read the Bible to people and gave
them handwritten copies of parts of
it. Their work made the Bible very
popular again.
12 The clergy hated Wycliffe, his Bi-
ble, and his followers. They persecut-
11. What was the effect of the Wycliffe Bible?
12. How did the clergy feel about Wycliffe and
his work?
John Wycliffe and others wanted
everyone to have God’s Word.
Is that what you want too?
(See paragraph 11)
 SOME As God promised, his Word has endured down to this
day. Some have tried to stop people from having the
EXPRESSIONS Bible by keeping it in a language that most could not
EXPLAINED understand. But because of the work of translators
and others, many have been able to read God’s Word
in their own language and understand it. This has al-
lowed them to become friends with Jehovah and have
a hope for the future

ed the Lollards and destroyed all the our faith that everything else that Je-
Wycliffe Bibles they could find. Even hovah has promised will also come
though Wycliffe had already died, the true.—Joshua 23:14.
clergy declared him a heretic, or an en- 14 When we learn how Jehovah pro-

emy of the Church. They dug up his
bones, burned them, and threw the
ashes into the river Swift. But many
people wanted to read and understand
God’s Word, and the Church could not
stop this. In the hundreds of years that
followed, people in Europe and other
parts of the world began to translate
and print the Bible in languages that
many could understand.
“THE ONE TEACHING YOU
TO BENEFIT YOURSELF”
13 The Bible is inspired by God. But
this does not mean that the work of
translating the Septuagint, Wycliffe’s
Bible, the King James Version, or any
other version is directly inspired by
God. Yet, when we examine how these
translations were produced, it is clear
that just as Jehovah promised, his
Word has endured. This strengthens
13. What can we be sure of? How does this
make our faith stronger?
tected his Word, our faith in him
becomes stronger and our love for
him becomes deeper.1 (See footnote.)
Why did Jehovah give us the Bible
in the first place and then promise
to protect it? Because he loves us
and wants to teach us how to benefit
ourselves. (Read Isaiah 48:17, 18.)
This moves us to love and obey him.
—1 John 4:19; 5:3.
15 We deeply love God’s Word, so
how can we get the most from our
personal Bible reading? How can we
help those we meet in the ministry to
appreciate the Bible? How can teach-
ers in the congregation make sure
that everything they teach is based on
God’s Word? We will discuss these
questions in the next article.
1 See the box “See It for Yourself!”
14. How does what we learn about the Bible
make our love for God deeper?
15. What will we discuss in the next article?

SEPTEMBER 2017 19
 See It for Yourself!
On April 3, 2017, a Bible museum opened at our world headquarters in Warwick,
New York, U.S.A. The permanent gallery of this museum is entitled “The Bible and
the Divine Name.” The new museum also includes rare Bibles and Bible-related items
that will be changed from time to time. We invite you to visit the Bible museum and
the other museums located at headquarters. Please go to www.jw.org to make a
reservation for your visit. Look under ABOUT US ˛ OFFICES & TOURS.

20 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
“The Word of God
. . . Exerts Power”
“The word of God is alive and exerts power.”—HEBREWS 4:12.

JEHOVAH’S people are convinced that his word, his SONGS: 96, 94
message to humans, “is alive and exerts power.” (He-
brews 4:12) We have seen the Bible’s power in our own HOW CAN YOU ALLOW
life and in the lives of others. Before becoming Witness- THE POWER OF GOD’S
WORD TO WORK . . .
es, some were thieves, drug addicts, or sexually immor-
al. Others had fame or money but still felt that some- ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

in your own life?

thing was missing in their life. (Ecclesiastes 2:3-11)
Happily, many who were hopeless and lost now have di-
rection and hope. In The Watchtower, we have read and
enjoyed many such experiences in the series of articles ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

in the ministry?
“The Bible Changes Lives.” And even after becoming
Christians, people must continue to strengthen their re-
lationship with Jehovah with the help of the Bible.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 It is not surprising that many people make big
when teaching from
changes when they learn the truth. Our brothers and the platform?
1. What convinces you that God’s Word has power? (See opening pic-
ture.)
2. How did the power of God’s Word affect people in the first century?

21
 sisters in the first century who had
the heavenly hope made such chang-
es. (Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.)
When Paul spoke of those who would
not inherit God’s Kingdom, he added:
“That is what some of you were.”
God’s Word and his holy spirit helped
those people to change. But even after
becoming Christians, some of them
made serious mistakes that affect-
ed their relationship with Jehovah.
For example, the Bible mentions one
anointed brother who had to be disfel-
lowshipped. Later, he made changes
so that he could again be part of the
We should not let
anything, including our
responsibilities, stop us
from daily Bible reading
Christian congregation. (1 Corinthi-
ans 5:1-5; 2 Corinthians 2:5-8) It is
encouraging that our brothers and sis-
ters have been able to make so many
changes because of the power of God’s
Word.
3 God’s Word is very powerful. Since
Jehovah has given it to us, we want to
make sure that we use it well. (2 Tim-
othy 2:15) This article will discuss
what we can do to use the power of
the Bible (1) in our own life, (2) in our
ministry, and (3) when we teach from
3. What will we discuss in this article?
22 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
the platform. What we learn here will
help us show our love and gratitude to
our heavenly Father, who teaches us
to benefit ourselves.—Isaiah 48:17.
IN OUR OWN LIFE
4 To allow God’s Word to affect us,
we need to read it regularly. We should
try to read it every day. (Joshua 1:8)
Most of us have very busy lives, but we
should not let anything, including our
responsibilities, stop us from reading
the Bible. (Read Ephesians 5:15, 16.)
We may find the time early in the
morning, sometime during the day, or
later on at night. We agree with the
psalmist who wrote: “How I do love
your law! I ponder over it all day
long.”—Psalm 119:97.
5 However, just reading the Bible is
not enough. We need to meditate on,
or think carefully and deeply about,
what we have read. (Psalm 1:1-3) Only
then we will be able to apply the Bi-
ble’s wisdom in our life. So whether
we read the Bible in printed form or
on an electronic device, we want to
allow God’s Word to change and moti-
vate us.
6 How can our meditation be ef-
fective? When we read the Bible, we
should pause and ask ourselves: ‘What
does this tell me about Jehovah? How
4. (a) What can we do so that God’s Word will
affect us? (b) How do you make time to do your
Bible reading?
5, 6. (a) Why do we need to meditate? (b) How
can our meditation be effective? (c) How has
reading the Bible and meditating on it helped
you?
am I already applying what I read in
my life? What changes do I still need
to make?’ When we meditate on God’s
Word and pray about what we read, we
will want to apply it. Then we can ex-
perience the power of the Bible in our
lives.—2 Corinthians 10:4, 5.
IN THE MINISTRY
7 It is important that we use God’s
Word frequently when we preach and
teach. One brother said, “If you were
preaching from house to house with
Jehovah himself, would you do all the
talking or would you let him speak?”
When we read from the Bible to some-
one, we are letting Jehovah speak to
him. A well-chosen scripture is more
powerful than anything we might say.
(1 Thessalonians 2:13) When you are
in the ministry, do you try to read
from the Bible as often as you can?
8 However, reading a Bible verse
to those to whom we preach is not
enough. Most people do not under-
stand the meaning of the Bible. This
was true in the first century, and it is
true today. (Romans 10:2) We should
not assume that the householder un-
derstands the scripture we read. We
can help him by repeating main words
or ideas from the verse and then ex-
plaining what these mean. In this way,
God’s Word can reach people’s mind
and heart.—Read Luke 24:32.
7. How can we use God’s Word well in our min-
istry?
8. Why do we need to do more than just read
scriptures when we preach?
9 What we say before we read a scrip-
ture can also help the householder to
respect the Bible. For example, we
might say, “Let’s see what our Cre-
ator says on this subject.” Or if we
are speaking to someone from a non-
Christian background, we could say,
When we read from
the Bible to someone,
we are letting Jehovah
speak to him
“Let’s see what the Holy Writings tell
us.” If we meet a person who does
not care about religion, we could ask,
“Have you ever heard this ancient say-
ing?” If we remember that every per-
son has his own background and be-
liefs, we will do all we can to make our
introduction appealing.—1 Corinthi-
ans 9:22, 23.
10 Many have found that using God’s
Word can have a powerful effect on
people to whom they preach. For ex-
ample, one brother visited an elderly
man who had read our magazines for
many years. One day, instead of just
giving him the latest Watchtower, the
brother decided to read a scripture.
9. How can we help people respect the Bible by
what we say before reading a scripture? Give an
example.
10. (a) What happened to one brother?
(b) How have you seen the power of God’s Word
in your ministry?
SEPTEMBER 2017 23

in your own life:
˛ Read it regularly
˛ Meditate on it
˛ Apply what you learn
He read 2 Corinthians 1: 3, 4, which
says: “The Father of tender mercies
and the God of all comfort . . . com-
forts us in all our trials.” These words
touched the elderly man so much that
he asked the brother to read the vers-
es again. Then the man said that he
and his wife really needed comfort.
Because of this scripture, he wanted
to know more about the Bible. Using
God’s Word in our ministry is very
powerful!—Acts 19:20.
WHEN TEACHING FROM THE PLATFORM
11 We love to attend our meetings,
11. What responsibility do brothers who teach
from the platform have?
24 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
USE THE POWER
OF GOD’S WORD
assemblies, and conventions. The
main reason we attend is to worship
Jehovah. We also benefit from what
we learn. For this reason, the brothers
who teach from the platform have a
great privilege and a serious responsi-
bility. (James 3:1) They must make
sure that their teaching is based on
God’s Word. If you have this privilege,
how can you use the power of the Bi-
ble to reach your audience?
12 The Scriptures need to be the
most important part of any talk.
(John 7:16) So be very careful that
12. How can a speaker make sure that his talk
is based on the Scriptures?
in the ministry:
˛ Use the Scriptures regularly
˛ Point out and explain the main
ideas of the verses you read
˛ Introduce Bible verses in a way
that helps people to respect
God’s Word
the way you give your talk and the
experiences or illustrations you use
do not attract more attention than
the Bible. Also, remember that read-
ing from the Bible is not the same
thing as teaching from the Bible.
In fact, if you read too many scrip-
tures, most people will not remem-
ber them. So carefully choose the
scriptures you want to use. Then
take time to read, explain, illustrate,
and apply them well. (Nehemiah 8:8)
When a talk is based on an outline,
make sure that you study the out-
line and the scriptures it uses. Try
to understand how the outline and
the scriptures are connected. Then
when teaching
from the platform:
˛ Make the Scriptures
the focus of your talk
˛ Do not let experiences, illustrations,
or your way of speaking attract more
attention than the Bible
˛ Take time to explain, illustrate,
and apply verses that you read
use some of these scriptures to teach
the points in the outline. (You can
find good suggestions in studies 21 to
23 of Benefit From Theocratic Ministry
School Education.) And most impor-
tant, ask Jehovah to help you to share
his precious thoughts from the Bi-
ble.—Read Ezra 7:10; Proverbs 3:
13, 14.
13 When a sister in Australia was a
child, many tragic things happened to
her, and even though she later came
to know Jehovah, she still could
13. (a) How was one sister affected by a scrip-
ture she heard at a meeting? (b) How has the
way the Bible is used at our meetings affected
you?
SEPTEMBER 2017 25
not fully believe that Jehovah loved
her. At a meeting, this sister heard
a scripture that deeply affected her.
She meditated on it and did research,
which led her to read other verses in
the Bible. She became convinced that
Jehovah loved her.1 (See footnote.)
Have you ever heard a scripture at a
meeting, assembly, or convention that
affected you in such a way?—Nehemi-
ah 8:12.
1 See the box “A Turning Point.”
“A TURNING POINT”
For many years after Victoria learned the
truth, she felt that it was not possible for
God to love her. What convinced her that
God truly loved her? Here is her story:
“A turning point came about 15 years after
I was baptized. During a talk at the Kingdom
Hall . . . , the speaker referred to James 1:
23, 24. Those verses liken God’s Word to a
mirror in which we can see ourselves the
way Jehovah sees us. I began to wonder if
what I saw in myself was different from
what Jehovah saw. At first, I resisted this
new idea. I still felt that loving me was too
much to expect of Jehovah.
“A few days later, I read a scripture that
changed my life. The verse was Isaiah 1:18,
where Jehovah is quoted as saying: ‘Come,
now, you people, and let us set matters
straight between us. . . . Though the sins of
14 Are we not grateful to Jehovah for
his written Word, the Bible? He prom-
ised that it would endure, and he kept
that promise. (1 Peter 1:24, 25) So we
want to make sure that we read the Bi-
ble regularly, apply it in our life, and
use it to help others. When we do this,
we show that we truly love and appre-
ciate this treasure and, most impor-
tant, its Author, Jehovah God.
14. How can we show that we value and love
Jehovah’s Word?
you people should prove to be as scarlet,
they will be made white just like snow.’ I felt
as if Jehovah were speaking to me, saying:
‘Come on, Vicky, let’s set matters straight
between us. I know you, I know your sins,
I know your heart—and I love you.’
“I was unable to sleep that night. I still
doubted that Jehovah could love me, but I
began thinking about Jesus’ ransom sacri-
fice. All of a sudden, it dawned on me that
Jehovah had been patient with me for so
long, showing me that he loved me in so
many ways. Yet, I was, in effect, saying to
him: ‘Your love is not great enough to reach
me. Your Son’s sacrifice is not enough to
cover me.’ It was as if I had been throwing
the ransom back at Jehovah. But now, at
last, by meditating on this gift of the ran-
som, I began to feel loved by Jehovah.”
“Be Courageous . . .
and Go to Work”
“Be courageous and strong and go to work. Do not
be afraid or be terrified, for Jehovah . . . is with you.”
—1 CHRONICLES 28:20.

SOLOMON received a special assignment. Jehovah SONGS: 38, 34

chose him to oversee the building of the temple in Jeru-
salem, one of the most important construction projects HOW WOULD YOU
of all time! The temple was going to be “exceedingly mag- ANSWER?
nificent,” and it would be famous for its beauty. More im- ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How can young ones and

portant, it would be “the house of Jehovah the true
their parents show courage?
God.”—1 Chronicles 22:1, 5, 9-11.
2 King David was confident that God would support Sol-
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

omon. But Solomon was “young and inexperienced.” How can older sisters
Would he have the courage to accept the assignment of show courage?
building the temple? Or would his youth and inexperi-
ence prevent him from doing so? To succeed, Solomon ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

would need to be courageous and go to work. How can baptized brothers

show courage?
1, 2. (a) What important assignment did Solomon receive? (b) Why
was David concerned about Solomon?

27
 3 Solomon must have learned much
about courage from his father, David.
Even when David was very young, he
fought wild animals that attacked his
father’s sheep. (1 Samuel 17:34, 35) He
also showed great courage when he
fought a tough and fearsome soldier,
the giant Goliath. Yes, with God’s help
and a smooth stone, David defeated
Goliath.—1 Samuel 17:45, 49, 50.
4 We can understand why David was
the right person to urge Solomon to
be courageous and build the temple.
(Read 1 Chronicles 28:20.) If Solo-
mon did not show courage, fear could
paralyze him, that is, prevent him from
even starting the work. And that would
be worse than failing at his assign-
ment.
We need help
from Jehovah to be
courageous and do
the work he gives us
5 Like Solomon, we need help from
Jehovah to be courageous and do
the work that he gives us. So let us
study the examples of some people
who showed courage in the past. Then
we can think about how we can show
courage and accomplish our work.
3. What could Solomon learn about courage
from his father?
4. Why did Solomon need to be courageous?
5. Why do we need courage?
28 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
EXAMPLES OF COURAGE
6 Joseph showed courage when Pot-
iphar’s wife tempted him to com-
mit sexual immorality. He must have
known that his life could be in danger
if he refused. But rather than give in,
he showed courage and immediately
rejected her.—Genesis 39:10, 12.
7 Rahab is another example of cour-
age. When Israelite spies went to her
home in Jericho, she could have given
in to fear and refused to help them.
But because she trusted in Jehovah,
she courageously hid the two men and
helped them to escape safely. (Joshua
2:4, 5, 9, 12-16) Rahab believed that Je-
hovah is the true God, and she was
confident that somehow he would give
the land to the Israelites. She did not
allow fear of others, including the king
of Jericho and his men, to paralyze
her. Instead, she acted courageous-
ly and saved herself and her family.
—Joshua 6:22, 23.
8 Jesus’ faithful apostles also showed
great courage. They had seen the cour-
age that Jesus showed, and this helped
them to imitate him. (Matthew 8:28-
32; John 2:13-17; 18:3-5) When the
Sadducees tried to stop them from
teaching about Jesus, the apostles re-
fused to do so.—Acts 5:17, 18, 27-29.
9 Joseph, Rahab, Jesus, and the
6. What impresses you about Joseph’s cour-
age?
7. How did Rahab show courage? (See opening
picture.)
8. How did Jesus’ courage affect the apostles?
9. How does 2 Timothy 1:7 help us to under-
stand where courage comes from?
apostles were determined to do what
was right. They showed courage, not
because they were confident in their
own abilities, but because they relied
on Jehovah. At times when we need
courage, we too must rely on Jehovah,
not on ourselves. (Read 2 Timothy
1:7.) Let us consider two areas of life
where we need courage: in our family
and in the congregation.
SITUATIONS THAT REQUIRE COURAGE
10 There are many situations where
young Christians need to show cour-
age to serve Jehovah. They can learn
from and follow the example of Solo-
mon, who showed courage when he
made wise decisions to finish building
the temple. Even though young ones
can and should be guided by their par-
ents, they have their own important
decisions to make. (Proverbs 27:11)
They need courage to make wise deci-
sions about who their friends will be,
what they will do for entertainment,
how they will remain morally clean,
and when they will get baptized. They
need such courage because they are
going against the will of Satan, the one
who taunts God.
11 One important decision young
ones must make is what goals they will
set. In some countries, young ones are
pressured to focus on higher education
and to get a job that will pay them a lot
of money. In other countries, the eco-
10. Why do young Christians need courage?
11, 12. (a) How did Moses show courage?
(b) How can young ones imitate Moses’ exam-
ple?
nomic situation is difficult, and young
ones may feel that their main focus
must be working to help their families.
If you are in either situation, think of
Moses’ example. He was raised by the
daughter of Pharaoh, so he could have
set the goal of becoming very rich or
important. Imagine the pressure he
must have felt from his Egyptian fami-
ly, teachers, and counselors! But Mo-
ses was courageous and chose to be
with God’s people. After he left Egypt
and its riches, he relied completely on
Jehovah. (Hebrews 11:24-26) As a re-
sult, Jehovah blessed him greatly, and
he will bless him even more in the fu-
ture.
12 When young ones courageously set
goals in Jehovah’s service and put
Kingdom interests first in their lives,
he will bless them. He will help them
provide for the needs of their families.
In the first century, the young man
Timothy focused his life on serving
God, and you can too.1 (See foot-
note.)—Read Philippians 2:19-22.
13 A sister in Alabama, U.S.A., need-
ed courage to set goals in God’s ser-
vice. She writes: “Growing up, I was
really shy. I could barely talk to people
at the Kingdom Hall, much less knock
on the doors of complete strangers.”
With the help of her parents and oth-
ers in the congregation, this young
1 You will find some suggestions on how to set goals
in God’s service in the article “Use Spiritual Goals to
Glorify Your Creator,” published in The Watchtower of
July 15, 2004.
13. How did courage help a young sister to
achieve her goals?
SEPTEMBER 2017 29
 Are you determined to be courageous
in all aspects of your life?
(See paragraphs 13-17)
Christian achieved her goal of becom-
ing a regular pioneer. She says: “Sa-
tan’s world promotes higher educa-
tion, fame, money, and having a lot of
material things as good goals.” But
she also realized that most people can
never achieve those goals and that
they only bring stress and pain. She
adds: “Serving Jehovah, though, has
brought me the greatest happiness and
sense of accomplishment.”
14 Christian parents also need cour-
age. For example, your employer may
regularly ask you to work overtime on
days that you already set aside for fam-
ily worship, field service, and congre-
gation meetings. You need courage to
14. When do Christian parents need courage?
30 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
say no to your employer and set the
right example for your children. Or
perhaps a few parents in the congrega-
tion allow their children to do things
that you do not want your children to
do. When those parents ask you for
the reason, will you be courageous
and explain it to them in a respectful
way?
15 It takes courage to help our chil-
dren set and achieve goals in God’s ser-
vice. For example, some parents may
be afraid to encourage their children
to make pioneering their career, to
serve where the need is greater, to
serve at Bethel, or to help with the
15. How can Psalm 37:25 and Hebrews 13:5
help parents?
construction of Kingdom Halls and As-
sembly Halls. Perhaps they fear that
their children will not be able to care
for them when they are old. However,
wise parents show courage and have
faith that Jehovah will keep his prom-
ises. (Read Psalm 37:25; Hebrews
13:5.) Parents who show such courage
and rely on Jehovah help their chil-
dren to do the same.—1 Samuel 1:
27, 28; 2 Timothy 3:14, 15.
16 A couple in the United States
helped their children to focus on serv-
ing Jehovah. The husband says: “Be-
fore our children could walk and talk,
we would speak to them about the joys
of pioneering and serving the congre-
gation. Now this is their goal.” He adds
that because their children have set
and achieved such goals, it has helped
them to fight against the temptations
of Satan’s system and to focus on
serving Jehovah. A brother who has
two children wrote: “Many parents ex-
pend much effort and resources help-
ing their children reach goals in such
areas as sports, recreation, and educa-
tion. It makes so much more sense to
expend effort and resources in helping
our children reach goals that will help
them to maintain a good standing with
Jehovah. It has been a great source of
satisfaction not only to see our chil-
dren reach spiritual goals but to share
the journey with them.” You can be
sure that parents who help their chil-
16. How have some parents helped their chil-
dren to set goals in God’s service, and how has
this benefited their children?
dren to set and achieve goals in God’s
service have his approval.
COURAGE IN THE CONGREGATION
17 We also need to show courage in
the congregation. For example, el-
ders need courage when they han-
dle cases of serious sin or when they
help those whose life is in danger be-
cause of a medical emergency. Some
elders visit prisons to study with in-
terested ones or to conduct meet-
ings. And what about single sisters?
They have many opportunities to show
courage and serve Jehovah. They can
pioneer, move to where the need is
greater, work with the Local Design/
Construction program, and apply for
the School for Kingdom Evangelizers.
Some are even invited to attend Gilead
School.
18 We love our older sisters, and we
are grateful to have them in the con-
gregation! Even though some may not
be able to do as much as they once did
in God’s service, they can still show
courage and go to work. (Read Titus
2:3-5.) For example, an older sister
needs to show courage if the elders ask
her to talk to a younger sister about
dressing modestly. She will not scold
the sister about the clothes she wears,
but in a kind way, she will help her to
think about how her choices may affect
others. (1 Timothy 2:9, 10) When old-
er sisters show their love in such ways,
they can strengthen the congregation.
17. Give examples of courage in the Christian
congregation.
18. How can older sisters show courage?
SEPTEMBER 2017 31
SOME Show courage:
Do not allow fear or worry to stop you from doing God’s
EXPRESSIONS will. Rely on Jehovah, and do the work he has given you
EXPLAINED
19 Baptized brothers also need to be
courageous and go to work. When
they are willing to serve as ministerial
servants and elders, the congregation
greatly benefits. (1 Timothy 3:1) How-
ever, some may hesitate to do so. Per-
haps a brother made mistakes in the
past, and now he feels that he is not
worthy of being a ministerial servant
or an elder. Another brother may feel
that he does not have the abilities
needed to serve. If you feel that way,
Jehovah can help you to become cou-
rageous. (Read Philippians 2:13; 4:
13.) Remember the example of Moses.
He too felt that he was not able to do
what Jehovah asked him to do. (Exo-
dus 3:11) But Jehovah helped him to
become courageous and do what was
necessary. How can a baptized brother
find such courage? He can pray to Je-
hovah for help and read the Bible dai-
ly. He can meditate on the examples of
Bible characters who showed courage.
He can humbly ask the elders for train-
19. (a) How can baptized brothers be coura-
geous? (b) How can Philippians 2:13 and 4:13
help brothers to become courageous?
s
n Free downloads of this
p You can also read the
o
magazine and other New World Translation
publications are online
available
ing and offer to help in the congrega-
tion in any way that is needed. We urge
all baptized brothers to be courageous
and work hard for the congregation!
“JEHOVAH . . . IS WITH YOU”
20 King David reminded Solomon
that Jehovah would be with him un-
til he finished building the temple.
(1 Chronicles 28:20) Solomon surely
meditated on these words, and he did
not allow his youth and inexperience
to prevent him from doing the work.
Instead, he showed great courage and,
with Jehovah’s help, completed the
magnificent temple in seven and a half
years.
21 Jehovah helped Solomon, and he
can also help us to be courageous and
accomplish our work, both in our fam-
ily and in the congregation. (Isaiah 41:
10, 13) If we show courage as we serve
Jehovah, we can be sure that he will
bless us now and in the future. There-
fore, “be courageous . . . and go to
work.”
20, 21. (a) Of what did David remind Solo-
mon? (b) Of what can we be sure?
Visit www.jw.org,
or scan code
ws17.09-E
170501