The Bible tells us about people who did good things that we want to imitate but also bad things that are a warning for us. Solomon is one of these people. This article will help us to understand what lessons we as Christians can learn from his example.

STUDY ARTICLE 2 PAGES 9-14

There is a powerful force in the universe that can guide us in this wicked world. What is it? Why should we want to be guided by it? What can we do to benefit from its influence?

STUDY ARTICLES 3, 4 PAGES 15-26

Many of God’s servants in the past were guided by holy spirit. In what ways did God’s spirit operate on them? Our study of how Jehovah directed them will greatly encourage us to continue in our service to God.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

27 Making Adjustments Has Been Rewarding

Is He a Good Example for You or a Warning?

pp. 3–8

Is He a Good Example for You or a Warning?

THEME SCRIPTURE

“The God of Jacob . . . will instruct us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths.”—ISAIAH 2:3.

1, 2. In what ways can you benefit from Bible examples?

YOU certainly agree that you can benefit from what is written in the Bible. You can read about faithful men and women whom you should imitate. (Hebrews 11:32-34) You can also read about men and women whose ways of thinking and acting you should not copy. Their examples are a warning for you.

² In fact, some people mentioned in the Bible can be both a good example and an example of what to avoid. Think about David, who was a humble shepherd and later became a powerful king. He is a good example of someone who loved truth and trusted in Jehovah. But David was also guilty of serious sins, such as the adultery with Bath-sheba and the murder of Uriah; he also unwisely counted the people. In this article, we will study the example of David’s son Solomon, who was a king and a writer of parts of the Bible. We will first talk about two ways in which he was a good example for us to imitate.

“THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON”

3. Why can we say that Solomon is a good example for us?

³ The Greater Solomon, Jesus Christ, spoke of King Solomon as a good example for us to imitate. Jesus told some Jews: “The queen of the south will be raised up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, but, look! something more than Solomon is here.” (Matthew 12:42) Solomon was famous for his wisdom, and he encouraged us to become wise too.

4, 5. How did Solomon become wise? How is the way we become wise different from the way Solomon did?

⁴ When Solomon became king, God appeared to him in a dream and told him to ask for whatever he wanted. Solomon said that he wanted wisdom. He knew that he had a lot to learn. (Read 1 Kings 3:5-9.) God was pleased that the king asked for wisdom. So God gave Solomon not only “a wise and understanding heart” but also what he had not asked for, “riches and glory.” (1 Kings 3:10-14) Jesus said that Solomon’s wisdom was so great that when the queen of Sheba heard about it, she traveled a long distance to meet Solomon and listen to his wisdom.—1 Kings 10:1, 4-9.

⁵ The wisdom God gave Solomon was a miracle. Today, we do not expect to become wise the same way Solomon did. He said that “Jehovah himself gives wisdom,” but he also wrote that we should work hard to become wise. He said: “Pay attention to wisdom with your ear, that you may incline your heart to discernment.” Solomon also said that we should “call out for,” “keep seeking for,” and “keep searching for” wisdom. (Proverbs 2:1-6) Clearly, this means that we can gain wisdom, or become wise.

6. How can we imitate Solomon’s good example?

⁶ It is good for us to ask ourselves, Do I love wisdom as Solomon did? Many people give a lot of attention to money and their job because of economic problems. Or they allow the economy to influence their decisions on the type of education and on how much education they should get. What about you and your family? Do your choices show that you are “searching for” wisdom like a treasure? Do you need to change the way you think about money and education so that you can work harder to gain wisdom? The wisdom we gain will benefit us forever. Solomon wrote: “In that case you will understand righteousness and judgment and uprightness, the entire course of what is good.”—Proverbs 2:9.

THERE WAS PEACE WHEN SOLOMON PUT TRUE WORSHIP FIRST

7. How was a beautiful temple built for God?

⁷ Soon after Solomon became king, he wanted to replace the tabernacle that had been used since the time of Moses. So he had the people build a beautiful temple. (1 Kings 6:1) We call it Solomon’s temple, but he did not build it to become famous. It was not even his idea to build the temple. In fact, it was David who first had the idea. And it was God who gave David the detailed plans for the temple and the things in it. David also gave a lot of money to the building project. (2 Samuel 7:2, 12, 13; 1 Chronicles 22:14-16) But it was Solomon’s responsibility to complete the building of the temple, which took seven and a half years.—1 Kings 6:37, 38; 7:51.

8, 9. (a) What good example of not giving up in doing good works is Solomon for us? (b) What happened when Solomon put true worship first?

⁸ Solomon is a good example of not giving up in doing good works and of keeping the most important things in first place. When the temple was finished and the ark of the covenant was put in it, Solomon said a public prayer. In his prayer, he asked Jehovah to listen to the prayers of his servants, who prayed toward the temple. (1 Kings 8:6, 29) Israelites and foreigners could pray toward this temple, which was built to bring honor to God’s name.—1 Kings 8:30, 41-43, 60.

⁹ What happened when Solomon put true worship first? After the dedication of the temple, the people were “rejoicing and feeling merry of heart over all the goodness that Jehovah had performed for David his servant and for Israel.” (1 Kings 8:65, 66) During the 40 years that Solomon ruled, the people had many good things and they had peace. (Read 1 Kings 4:20, 21, 25.) Psalm 72 tells us about that and helps us better understand the blessings we will have under the rule of the Greater Solomon, Jesus Christ.—Psalm 72:6-8, 16.

SOLOMON’S EXAMPLE IS A WARNING

10. What serious mistake did Solomon make?

¹⁰ Why can we say that Solomon’s life is also a warning for us? The first thing you may think of is his foreign wives and concubines. We read: “It came about in the time of Solomon’s growing old that his wives themselves had inclined his heart to follow other gods; and his heart did not prove to be complete with Jehovah.” (1 Kings 11:1-6) Of course, you do not want to make the same foolish mistake that he did. But there are some other things in Solomon’s life that we might easily forget and that can also be a warning for us. Let us talk about some of them.

11. What lesson can we learn from Solomon’s first marriage?

¹¹ Solomon ruled for 40 years. (2 Chronicles 9:30) So, what can we learn from 1 Kings 14:21? (Read.) According to that verse, when Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became king at age 41. His mother was “Naamah the Ammonitess.” This means that before Solomon became king, he married a foreigner from an enemy nation that worshipped false gods. (Judges 10:6; 2 Samuel 10:6) We do not know if she continued to worship these false gods or if she became a true worshipper, as Rahab and Ruth did. (Ruth 1:16; 4:13-17; Matthew 1:5, 6) But now, because of this marriage, Solomon likely had Ammonite in-laws and relatives who did not serve Jehovah.

12, 13. What serious mistake did Solomon make in the beginning of his rule? What excuses may he have used?

¹² Solomon’s situation got worse after he became king. Solomon “proceeded to form a marriage alliance with Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to take Pharaoh’s daughter and bring her to the City of David.” (1 Kings 3:1) Did this Egyptian woman become a worshipper of Jehovah, as Ruth did? The Bible does not say that. Instead, the Bible tells us that Solomon built a house for her and possibly her Egyptian maids outside the City of David. Why? Because she was a false worshipper, and false worshippers were not to live near the ark of the covenant.—2 Chronicles 8:11.

¹³ Solomon may have thought that the marriage to a princess was a good thing because it would strengthen the friendship between Israel and Egypt. But this was not right. A long time before that, God had commanded his people not to marry Canaanites. He even gave them a list of the Canaanite nations they should avoid. (Exodus 34:11-16) Might Solomon have thought that he could marry an Egyptian because Egypt was not on that list? Even if he used this as an excuse, would God accept it? Solomon did not pay attention to the fact that Jehovah said it would be dangerous to marry someone from another nation. Someone who did not worship Jehovah could make an Israelite start worshipping false gods.—Read Deuteronomy 7:1-4.

14. How can we allow Solomon’s example to be a warning for us?

¹⁴ Will we allow Solomon’s example to be a warning for us? A sister might try to make excuses for disobeying God’s command to marry “only in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:39) Or we might make excuses about other matters. For example, someone may make excuses to join in sports or clubs in school when he really is not required to join them. Or someone may make excuses not to pay taxes on all the money he earned or to tell lies when asked about something he did that could be embarrassing. The important thing to remember is that we could be in danger of making excuses to disobey God, just as Solomon must have done.

15. How did Jehovah show Solomon mercy? What should we remember?

¹⁵ It is interesting that even though Solomon had already married that foreign princess, God still gave him the wisdom that he asked for and also riches. (1 Kings 3:10-13) Solomon had disobeyed God’s commands, but Jehovah showed him mercy. Jehovah did not immediately reject him as king or punish him. This is because God knows that we are imperfect humans, made from dust. (Psalm 103:10, 13, 14) But remember that what we do can affect us now or maybe later in our life.

SO MANY WIVES!

16. What command did Solomon disobey when he married many women?

¹⁶ In the Song of Solomon, King Solomon praised a girl by saying that she was more beautiful than 60 queens and 80 concubines. (Song of Solomon 6:1, 8-10) This could have been the number of wives and concubines that he had at that time. Even if most of those women or all of them were true worshippers, Solomon was still disobeying God’s command. God had said through Moses that a king of Israel should “not multiply wives for himself, that his heart may not turn aside.” (Deuteronomy 17:17) But again Jehovah did not reject Solomon. In fact, God still blessed Solomon and used him to write the Bible book Song of Solomon.

17. What truth should we remember?

¹⁷ Does this mean that Solomon could disobey God and not suffer bad consequences or that we can do the same? No. It just shows that God is very patient. The truth is that someone may disobey God’s commands and not immediately suffer the consequences. But this does not mean that there will be no sad results later. Remember what Solomon wrote: “Because sentence against a bad work has not been executed speedily, that is why the heart of the sons of men has become fully set in them to do bad.” He continued: “I am also aware that it will turn out well with those fearing the true God, because they were in fear of him.”—Ecclesiastes 8:11, 12.

18. How does Solomon’s example show that the words at Galatians 6:7 are true?

¹⁸ Sadly, Solomon did not pay attention to this truth. He had done good things and had received many blessings from Jehovah. But as time passed, he started to make one mistake after another. He got into the habit of disobeying Jehovah’s commands. It is just as the apostle Paul wrote: “Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) Later in his life, Solomon suffered the sad results of disobeying God. The Bible says: “King Solomon himself loved many foreign wives along with the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian and Hittite women.” (1 Kings 11:1) Many of those women probably never stopped worshipping their false gods, and that had an influence on Solomon. He “began to do what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah” and no longer had the approval of our patient God.—Read 1 Kings 11:4-8.

LEARN FROM THE GOOD AND THE BAD THINGS HE DID

19. What good examples does the Bible have?

¹⁹ Jehovah inspired Paul to write: “All the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) Those things that “were written for our instruction” include many examples of men and women who had great faith. Paul said about these servants of Jehovah: “What more shall I say? For the time will fail me if I go on to relate about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David as well as Samuel and the other prophets, who through faith defeated kingdoms in conflict, effected righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, stayed the force of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from a weak state were made powerful.” (Hebrews 11:32-34) We can and should learn from the good examples in the Bible and imitate them.

20, 21. Why do you want to keep learning from the examples in the Bible?

²⁰ But some Bible examples are a warning for us. Some of them were men and women who at one time served Jehovah and had his approval. When we read the Bible, we can learn what they did wrong so that we do not make the same mistakes. We learn that some slowly started to think the wrong way and then made decisions that had sad results. To learn from these examples, we can ask ourselves such questions as: How did this person start to think the wrong way? Could the same thing happen to me? How can this example help me to avoid that mistake?

²¹ We have good reasons to study these examples carefully. Paul said: “These things went on befalling them as examples, and they were written for a warning to us upon whom the ends of the systems of things have arrived.”—1 Corinthians 10:11.

SOME WORDS EXPLAINED

▪ Examples: Lessons we can learn by studying about people in the Bible. We should imitate their good actions and avoid repeating their mistakes

▪ Excuses: What we think are reasons why doing something bad is not wrong

▪ Wisdom: The ability to use knowledge and understanding to solve problems, avoid dangers, and make good choices

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?

▪ Why can we say that there are good examples and bad examples in the Bible?

▪ Why did Solomon make one mistake after another?

▪ What can you learn from Solomon’s mistakes?

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We could be in danger of making excuses to disobey God

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What we do can have consequences now or maybe later in our life

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What can we learn from Solomon about how to gain wisdom?

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How can you show that you are learning from Solomon’s mistakes?

Why Be Guided by God’s Spirit?

pp. 9–14

Why Be Guided by God’s Spirit?

THEME SCRIPTURE

“You are my God. Your spirit is good; may it lead me.”—PSALM 143:10.

1. Explain how an invisible force can guide a person.

HAVE you ever used a compass to find your way? A compass is a simple tool that can help someone to know in which direction to go. It has a magnetic needle that points toward the north. An invisible force called magnetism is what makes the needle move. For centuries, people have used a compass to guide their way when they travel over land and sea.

2, 3. (a) What powerful force did Jehovah use a very long time ago? (b) How do we know that God’s active force can guide our lives today?

² There is another invisible force that is even more important for our guidance. What is it? It is the force we read about in the first two verses of the Bible. Genesis tells us what Jehovah did a very long time ago: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” We know that he used a very powerful force to create things because the Bible continues: “God’s active force was moving to and fro.” (Genesis 1:1, 2) What force was God using? His holy spirit, which is his active force. We are grateful that Jehovah used his holy spirit to give us life and to create all other things.—Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30.

³ We know that Jehovah used his active force to create us, but can this force influence our lives in some other way? God’s Son told his disciples that it can. He said that the holy spirit would guide them “into all the truth.” (John 16:13) What is this spirit? Why should we want to be guided by it?

WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS

4, 5. (a) What wrong idea about the holy spirit do those who believe in the Trinity have? (b) How would you explain what the holy spirit really is?

⁴ Some people you meet in the preaching work may believe in what the King James Version and some other Bible translations call the Holy Ghost. Those who believe in the Trinity have the wrong idea, thinking that the holy spirit is a person equal with God the Father. (1 Corinthians 8:6) In 1833, Noah Webster published The Webster Bible, which he based on the King James Version. It is interesting to note that he used the words “Holy Spirit” instead of “Holy Ghost.” Webster did this because he knew that in the Scriptures these words did not mean “a ghost.”a—See footnote.

⁵ So, what is the holy spirit? A footnote at Genesis 1:2 in the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References says that the Hebrew word ruʹach, which is translated “spirit” at Genesis 1:2, in other verses is translated “wind” or words with a similar meaning. (Compare footnotes at Genesis 3:8; 8:1.) Even though we cannot see the wind, we can see what it does. In the same way, the holy spirit is invisible, but it can cause things to happen. The holy spirit is not a person. It is energy from God. He uses it on people or things to make sure that whatever he wants will happen. Is it hard to believe that such a marvelous force comes from the almighty God? Not at all!—Read Isaiah 40:12, 13.

6. What did David ask of Jehovah?

⁶ Can Jehovah continue to use his spirit to guide us in life? He promised David: “I shall make you have insight and instruct you in the way you should go.” (Psalm 32:8) Did David want to be guided by God? We know that he did because he prayed to Jehovah: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Your spirit is good; may it lead me.” (Psalm 143:10) We too should want to be guided by God’s spirit. Why? We will consider four reasons.

WE CANNOT GUIDE OURSELVES

7, 8. (a) Why are we not able to guide ourselves? (b) What example helps us to understand why we need God’s guidance in this wicked world?

⁷ The first reason why we should want to be guided by God’s spirit is that we do not have the ability to guide ourselves. To guide someone means to show him the right way to go. Jehovah did not give us the ability to do that for ourselves. And because we are imperfect, we make many mistakes when we try to guide ourselves. The prophet Jeremiah wrote: “O Lord, I am conscious that a man’s way is not in himself: man has no power of guiding his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23, The Bible in Basic English) And why not? God told us the reason through Jeremiah. Jehovah said: “The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?”—Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19.

⁸ Imagine that someone has to hike through a dangerous place that he does not know well, such as a jungle or a desert. It would not be wise to go alone, without a good guide or a compass. If the person does not know how to survive in a place like that and does not know how to find his way safely, his life will be in danger. So, too, the person who thinks he can guide himself in this wicked world without allowing God to show him the right way is in great danger. Like David, we should pray for Jehovah’s help. He said: “Let my steps take hold on your tracks, in which my footsteps will certainly not be made to totter.” (Psalm 17:5; 23:3) How can we receive this guidance?

9. As shown on page 14, how can holy spirit guide us well?

⁹ If we are humble and willing to depend on Jehovah, he will give us his holy spirit to guide us. How will that active force help us? Jesus told his disciples: “The helper, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in my name, that one will teach you all things and bring back to your minds all the things I told you.” (John 14:26) When we prayerfully study God’s Word, including Christ’s teachings, holy spirit will help us to understand Jehovah’s deep wisdom, so that we can obey him. (1 Corinthians 2:10) Also, at any unexpected turn in the road to life, God’s spirit will help us to know what to do. His spirit will help us to remember Bible principles that we have already learned and help us to understand how we can use them to make good decisions.

JESUS WAS GUIDED BY GOD’S SPIRIT

10, 11. What did Jesus expect holy spirit to do for him? How did the holy spirit help him?

¹⁰ A second reason why we should want to be guided by holy spirit is that God’s own Son was guided by it. Jesus expected to receive the help of holy spirit while he was on earth. He knew of this prophecy written about himself: “Upon him the spirit of Jehovah must settle down, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of mightiness, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah.” (Isaiah 11:2) Life on earth would not be easy for Jesus. Just imagine how much he wanted the help of God’s spirit!

¹¹ Jehovah’s words came true. The Gospel of Luke tells us what happened immediately after Jesus’ baptism: “Now Jesus, full of holy spirit, turned away from the Jordan, and he was led about by the spirit in the wilderness.” (Luke 4:1) There, while Jesus was fasting, praying, and meditating, it seems that Jehovah gave him instructions and prepared him for what was going to happen. God’s active force influenced Jesus’ mind and heart. It guided his way of thinking and his decisions. As a result, Jesus always knew what his Father wanted him to do, and he did it.

12. Why do we need to ask for God’s spirit to guide us?

¹² Jesus knew how important God’s spirit was in his own life, so he strongly encouraged his disciples to ask for it and to allow it to guide them in their lives. (Read Luke 11:9-13.) Why do we need to ask for God’s spirit to guide us? Because it can change our thinking and help us to have “the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16; Romans 12:2) This means that when we allow God’s spirit to guide our lives, we can think as Christ does and imitate his example.—1 Peter 2:21.

THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD COULD LEAD US THE WRONG WAY

13. What is the spirit of the world? What does it cause people to do?

¹³ The third reason why we want God’s spirit to guide us is that without its guidance, we will be led the wrong way by the spirit of the world. Most people today are controlled by the spirit of the world. This is the powerful force that causes people to do the exact opposite of what holy spirit guides us to do. Instead of helping people to have the mind of Christ, the spirit of the world causes people to think and act like the ruler of the world, Satan. (Read Ephesians 2:1-3; Titus 3:3.) If a person allows himself to be controlled by the spirit of the world and starts practicing “the works of the flesh,” there will be bad results. This person “will not inherit God’s kingdom.”—Galatians 5:19-21.

14, 15. How can we resist the spirit of the world?

¹⁴ Jehovah gives us what we need to resist the spirit of the world. The apostle Paul said to “go on acquiring power in the Lord and in the mightiness of his strength.” Why? He continued: “That you may be able to resist in the wicked day.” (Ephesians 6:10, 13) Through his spirit, Jehovah gives us the strength to resist Satan’s efforts to lead us the wrong way. (Revelation 12:9) The spirit of the world is strong, and we cannot avoid it completely. But we can resist it. Holy spirit is even stronger, and it will help us!

¹⁵ The apostle Peter spoke of those who left the truth in the first century when he said: “Abandoning the straight path, they have been misled.” (2 Peter 2:15) We can be very thankful that “we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God.” (1 Corinthians 2:12) By allowing holy spirit to guide us and by using everything Jehovah gives us to keep our relationship with him strong, we can do what is right and resist the spirit of this wicked world.—Galatians 5:16.

HOLY SPIRIT PRODUCES GOOD FRUITAGE

16. What fruitage can holy spirit produce in us?

¹⁶ A fourth reason why we want God’s spirit to guide us is that it produces excellent fruitage in the lives of those who are led by it. This means that it helps them to show excellent qualities. (Read Galatians 5:22, 23.) Certainly, all of us would want to be more loving, joyful, and peaceable. We would all like to be more long-suffering and show more kindness and goodness. It would be good for all of us to have greater faith and show more mildness and self-control. These good qualities benefit us and those in our family and congregation. We have to continue to work hard to show this fruitage. There is no limit to how much fruitage of the spirit we need and can produce.

17. How can we work harder to show the fruitage of the spirit?

¹⁷ It would be wise to think about this: Do our words and actions show that we are guided by holy spirit and that we are producing its fruitage? (2 Corinthians 13:5a; Galatians 5:25) What if we find that we need help with some of the qualities that are part of the fruitage of the spirit? We can make more of an effort to be led by holy spirit to produce these qualities. We do this by studying about each of these qualities, using the Bible and our Christian publications. We should think about how we can show the fruitage of the spirit in our everyday life and then work harder to show it.b (See footnote.) We understand how much we need the help of the holy spirit when we see the good results of its guidance in our own life and in the lives of our brothers and sisters.

ARE YOU ALLOWING GOD’S SPIRIT TO GUIDE YOU?

18. What can we learn from Jesus’ example of allowing God’s spirit to guide him?

¹⁸ When God created the universe, Jesus was his “master worker.” So Jesus knew all about earth’s magnetism, the force that helps humans when they use a compass. (Proverbs 8:30; John 1:3) The Bible does not say that Jesus ever used magnetism to guide his way when he was on earth. But the Bible does say that God’s holy spirit was a powerful force in Jesus’ life as a human. He wanted to be guided by it. When the spirit directed him to do something, he accepted its direction and did it. (Mark 1:12, 13; Luke 4:14) Do you allow God’s spirit to guide you as Jesus did?

19. What must we do for holy spirit to guide us?

¹⁹ Today, God’s active force still directs those who are willing to be guided by it. How can you allow it to lead you in the right direction? Always pray to Jehovah that he send you his spirit and help you accept its guidance. (Read Ephesians 3:14-16.) Show that you want to be guided by God’s spirit by studying the Bible, which was inspired of God through his holy spirit. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) Obey the wise instructions in it, and then accept the direction of holy spirit. By doing these things, you show that you have faith in Jehovah’s ability to guide you the best way possible in this wicked world.

[Footnotes]

a In the preface of his Bible, Webster explained why he used some words that were different from the words in the King James Version. He said that it would not be accurate to use a word if people understood it differently now from when it was first used in the King James Version or if it meant something different from what was stated in the original Bible languages.

b To learn more about each quality that is part of the fruitage of the spirit, see the subject “Fruitage of God’s Spirit” and the heading “List by Aspect” in the Watch Tower Publications Indexes.

SOME WORDS EXPLAINED

▪ Holy spirit: Energy from God that he uses on people or things to make sure that whatever he wants will happen. It is also called his active force

▪ The fruitage of the spirit: A group of qualities shown by those who are guided by holy spirit. The qualities are: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, and self-control

▪ The works of the flesh: Bad actions of those who are guided by the spirit of the world. The actions are: fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, idolatry, practice of spiritism, enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects, envies, drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these

DO YOU REMEMBER THE MAIN POINTS?

▪ How can holy spirit influence our lives?

▪ What are four reasons why we should want to be guided by God’s spirit?

▪ How can you allow holy spirit to lead you in the right direction?

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The holy spirit is a guide that we can always trust

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The spirit of the world causes people to think and act like Satan

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We have to continue to work hard to show the fruitage of the spirit

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Holy spirit was a powerful force in Jesus’ life

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God’s spirit operates on hearts and minds to move and guide them

Faithful Ones of Old—Guided by God’s Spirit

pp. 15–20

Faithful Ones of Old—Guided by God’s Spirit

THEME SCRIPTURE

“The Sovereign Lord Jehovah himself has sent me, even his spirit.”—ISAIAH 48:16.

1, 2. What do we need to have faith? What encouragement do we get from the examples of God’s faithful servants of the past?

EVEN though many have shown faith since the time of Abel, the Bible tells us: “Faith is not a possession of all people.” (2 Thessalonians 3:2) So why does a person have this quality, and what helps him to be faithful? We know that to have faith, we need knowledge from God’s Word because the Bible says: “Faith follows the thing heard.” (Romans 10:17) Faith is a part of the fruitage of God’s holy spirit. (Galatians 5:22, 23) So we need holy spirit to have strong faith.

² People are not born with faith. The faithful men and women we read about in the Bible were people “with feelings like ours.” (James 5:17) They had doubts and weaknesses. They were not sure of their abilities. But God’s spirit gave them power to endure difficult situations. (Hebrews 11:34) When we learn about how Jehovah’s spirit helped them, we today will be encouraged to continue to serve God faithfully. This encouragement is especially important in our time when so many things can weaken our faith.

GOD’S SPIRIT GAVE MOSES POWER

3-5. (a) How do we know that holy spirit helped Moses to take care of his responsibilities? (b) What does Moses’ example teach us about the way Jehovah gives us his spirit?

³ Of all the people who were living in the year 1513 before Christ, Moses was “by far the meekest.” (Numbers 12:3) Still, Jehovah gave him the huge responsibility of taking care of the nation of Israel. With the help of God’s spirit, Moses was able to prophesy, judge, write, lead, and make miracles happen. (Read Isaiah 63:11-14.) But Moses once complained that taking care of the people was too difficult for him. (Numbers 11:14, 15) So Jehovah took “away some of the spirit” that he had given to Moses and gave it to 70 other men so that they might help Moses with the work. (Numbers 11:16, 17) Even though Moses thought that he was carrying a load that was too heavy, he really had not been carrying it alone. And the 70 men whom Moses chose to help him would not carry it alone either.

⁴ Jehovah had given Moses enough holy spirit to do the work. After Jehovah gave holy spirit to the 70 men, Moses still had all the spirit that he needed. Moses did not have too little, and the 70 older men did not have too much. Jehovah gives us as much of his spirit as we need in our situation. “He does not give the spirit by measure” but gives “from out of his fullness.”—John 1:16; 3:34.

⁵ Are you enduring trials? Do you feel that your responsibilities are increasing and taking more and more of your time? Are you trying hard to provide food, shelter, and Bible training for your family while your expenses are increasing or your health is getting worse? Do you have heavy responsibilities in the congregation? Whatever your situation may be, you can be sure that Jehovah can use his holy spirit to give you the strength you need.—Romans 15:13.

HOLY SPIRIT HELPED BEZALEL

6-8. (a) What did God’s spirit help Bezalel and Oholiab to do? (b) How do we know that Bezalel and Oholiab were guided by God’s spirit? (c) Why is Bezalel’s example encouraging for us today?

⁶ Another servant of Jehovah who lived at the time of Moses and also received the help of God’s spirit was Bezalel. His example teaches us a lot about the way God’s spirit can guide us. (Read Exodus 35:30-35.) Jehovah chose Bezalel to take the lead in making the necessary things for the tabernacle. Did Bezalel know how to make things before this big project began? Maybe. But his last job probably had been that of making bricks for the Egyptians. (Exodus 1:13, 14) So how would Bezalel take care of this difficult project? Jehovah “proceeded to fill him with the spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in every sort of craftsmanship and for designing devices.” This helped him “to make ingenious products of every sort.” God improved the natural ability that Bezalel and Oholiab may have had by giving them holy spirit. They were able to do the work and to teach others how to do it, so they must have learned well.

⁷ We also know that Bezalel and Oholiab were guided by holy spirit because of the excellent quality of their work. The things that they made lasted a long time. The people still used those things almost 500 years later. (2 Chronicles 1:2-6) Most people who make things today want others to honor them for their work. But Bezalel and Oholiab were not like that. They wanted Jehovah to receive all the honor.—Exodus 36:1, 2.

⁸ Today, we may have to do work that requires special abilities, such as building, printing, organizing conventions, helping our brothers after a disaster, and explaining to doctors and hospital workers what the Bible says about the use of blood. Sometimes, these things are done by some who have special abilities. But most of the time, they are done by volunteers who do not know much about that kind of work. But God’s spirit helps them to do the work well. Have you been afraid of accepting an assignment in Jehovah’s service because you think that others are more able to care for it than you are? Remember, Jehovah’s spirit can help you to use the knowledge and ability that you have to do any kind of work he gives you.

GOD’S SPIRIT HELPED JOSHUA TO LEAD GOD’S PEOPLE

9. What did the Israelites have to do shortly after they left Egypt? What question needed an answer?

⁹ God’s spirit also guided another servant of God who lived at the time of Moses and Bezalel. Shortly after the Israelites left Egypt, the Amalekites attacked God’s people. The Israelites were not used to fighting. Now they had to fight their first war as a freed people. (Exodus 13:17; 17:8) Someone had to lead them in battle. Who would it be?

10. Why did Joshua and the Israelites win the battle?

¹⁰ Jehovah chose Joshua, but it was not because Joshua had led armies before. What did he know about war? He had been a slave who made bricks. And in the wilderness he gathered manna for his daily food. It is true that Joshua’s grandfather Elishama was leader of the tribe of Ephraim and was in charge of an army of 108,100 men. (Numbers 2:18, 24; 1 Chronicles 7:26, 27) But Jehovah did not tell Moses to choose Elishama or Elishama’s son Nun. Jehovah said that Joshua should lead the army and defeat the enemy. The battle lasted most of the day. Because Joshua obeyed God and accepted the guidance of God’s spirit, Israel won the battle.—Exodus 17:9-13.

11. How can we do well in God’s service as Joshua did?

¹¹ After Moses’ death, Joshua led the Israelites. Joshua was “full of the spirit of wisdom.” (Deuteronomy 34:9) Holy spirit did not give him the ability to prophesy or to make miracles happen as it had given Moses. However, it helped Joshua to lead Israel in the many battles they had to fight to conquer Canaan. Today, we may feel that we do not have the knowledge or ability to do certain things in our service to God. But we can be sure that God will help us to do well if we obey him and accept his guidance, just as he helped Joshua.—Joshua 1:7-9.

“JEHOVAH’S SPIRIT ENVELOPED GIDEON”

12-14. (a) What does the victory of the small Israelite army over the large Midianite army teach us? (b) How did Jehovah strengthen Gideon’s faith? (c) What help can we expect God to give us today?

¹² After Joshua’s death, Jehovah continued to use his spirit to give strength to his faithful people. In the book of Judges, we can read about many people who “from a weak state were made powerful.” (Hebrews 11:34) God used his holy spirit to help Gideon to fight for Israel. (Judges 6:34) Gideon’s army was small compared with the Midianite army. There were four Midianite soldiers to each Israelite soldier. But Jehovah thought that the Israelite army had to be even smaller. Twice he told Gideon to send more men home. Finally, there was 1 Israelite soldier to every 450 Midianite soldiers. (Judges 7:2-8; 8:10) Jehovah approved of that number. That way, if the Israelites won the battle, no one could say with pride that it was by human strength or wisdom.

¹³ Gideon and his troops were almost ready. Think about this: If you had been part of that small army, would you have felt safe knowing that those who were afraid or not alert to danger had been sent home? Or would you have felt a little scared when thinking about what the results would be? We can be sure that Gideon trusted in God. He did what he was told to do! (Read Judges 7:9-14.) Jehovah did not get angry when Gideon asked him for a sign to prove that God would be with him. (Judges 6:36-40) Instead, he strengthened Gideon’s faith.

¹⁴ There is no limit to Jehovah’s power to save. He can save his people from any difficult situation. He can even use those who seem to be weak or helpless to do that. Sometimes we may feel that many people are against us or that we are in a desperate situation. We do not expect God to give us visible signs like the ones he gave Gideon. But he can give us guidance and comfort through the Bible and the congregation, which is led by his spirit. (Romans 8:31, 32) Jehovah’s loving promises strengthen our faith and our trust in Jehovah’s power to help us.

“JEHOVAH’S SPIRIT NOW CAME UPON JEPHTHAH”

15, 16. Why was Jephthah’s daughter willing to make sacrifices? How should this encourage parents?

¹⁵ We have another example of someone who was guided by God’s spirit. When the Israelites had to fight against the Ammonites, Jehovah’s spirit “came upon Jephthah.” Because he wanted to win the battle to Jehovah’s praise, Jephthah made a vow. To pay that vow to Jehovah, he would have to give up something that was very precious to him. He vowed that if Jehovah helped him to defeat the Ammonites, he would give to Jehovah the first person who came out of the house when he returned home. Jephthah’s daughter was the first person who came running to meet him after his victory. (Judges 11:29-31, 34) Was this a surprise to Jephthah? Probably not. He had only one child. He paid his vow by having her serve at Jehovah’s sanctuary at Shiloh. She was a loyal worshipper of Jehovah, and she believed that her father should do exactly as he had vowed. (Read Judges 11:36.) Jehovah’s spirit gave both of them the strength they needed.

¹⁶ Why was Jephthah’s daughter willing to make sacrifices to serve Jehovah? Her father’s zeal and godly devotion certainly helped to strengthen her faith. Parents, your children are watching your example. Your decisions show that you believe what you say. Your children listen to your sincere prayers, pay attention to your teaching, and see all the efforts you make to serve Jehovah with a complete heart. All of this will likely help them to have a strong desire to serve Jehovah. This will make you very happy.

“JEHOVAH’S SPIRIT BECAME OPERATIVE UPON” SAMSON

17. What did Samson do with the help of God’s spirit?

¹⁷ Another example of someone who was helped by God’s spirit is Samson. The Bible tells us that “Jehovah’s spirit started to impel” Samson to save the Israelites from the Philistines. (Judges 13:24, 25) God gave Samson amazing strength that no one else had. When the Philistines influenced other Israelites to capture Samson, “Jehovah’s spirit became operative upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms came to be like linen threads that have been scorched with fire, so that his fetters melted off his hands.” (Judges 15:14) Later, Samson made bad decisions that caused him to lose his strength. But even when he was physically weak, Samson was made powerful “through faith” one last time. (Hebrews 11:32-34; Judges 16:18-21, 28-30) Because of the situation, Jehovah’s spirit helped Samson in a special way. Even though Jehovah is not going to give us the power to do what Samson did, Samson’s example can greatly encourage us. How?

18, 19. (a) How does Samson’s example encourage us? (b) How have the examples in this article helped you?

¹⁸ We trust in the help of the same holy spirit that helped Samson. We trust that it will help us to do the work that Jesus gave us, that is, “to preach to the people and to give a thorough witness.” (Acts 10:42) It may be difficult for us to do this work. So we are happy that Jehovah gives us his spirit to do everything that he asks us to do in his service! We agree with the prophet Isaiah: “The Sovereign Lord Jehovah himself has sent me, even his spirit.” (Isaiah 48:16) It is really God’s spirit that has sent us! Jehovah will continue to help us to do the work by improving our abilities just as he did for Moses, Bezalel, and Joshua. We use “the sword of the spirit, that is, God’s word,” and trust that he will give us power, just as he did for Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. (Ephesians 6:17, 18) If we trust that Jehovah will help us, he can give us the strength to do his work, just as he gave Samson physical strength.

¹⁹ Clearly, Jehovah blesses his courageous worshippers. Our faith becomes stronger when we allow ourselves to be guided by God’s holy spirit. In the Christian Greek Scriptures, there are also examples of those who were guided by God’s spirit. We will enjoy learning in the next article how Jehovah’s spirit helped his faithful servants in the first century, both before and after Pentecost of the year 33.

SOME WORDS EXPLAINED

▪ Guided by God’s spirit: To be guided by God’s spirit means to follow the direction of holy spirit

▪ Godly devotion: Loyal worship and service to God

WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER?

Why are you encouraged to know how holy spirit helped these servants of God:

▪ Moses?

▪ Bezalel?

▪ Joshua?

▪ Gideon?

▪ Jephthah?

▪ Samson?

[Blurb on page 15]

Jehovah will give you as much holy spirit as you need

[Blurb on page 16]

Jehovah’s spirit can help you to do any kind of work he gives you

[Blurb on page 18]

God gives us guidance through the Bible and the congregation

[Blurb on page 20]

Jehovah’s spirit can give us stronger faith

[Picture on page 17]

Parents, your good example will help your children to want to serve Jehovah

Guided by God’s Spirit in the First Century and Today

pp. 21–26

Guided by God’s Spirit in the First Century and Today

THEME SCRIPTURE

“All these operations the one and the same spirit performs.”—1 CORINTHIANS 12:11.

1. What will we study in this article?

PENTECOST of the year 33 was a day when some exciting things happened. It was the day that God poured out his spirit on his servants! (Acts 2:1-4) God began to use his spirit to guide his people in a new way. In the last article, we studied about how God’s spirit helped his faithful servants of the past to do difficult things in God’s service. But what is the difference between the way God’s spirit guided God’s servants before the Christian congregation was created and after that? And how do Christians benefit from the guidance of God’s holy spirit today? That is what we are going to study in this article.

“LOOK! JEHOVAH’S SLAVE GIRL!”

2. What did Mary know about God’s spirit?

² When the holy spirit was poured out in that large upper room in Jerusalem, Mary was there. (Acts 1:13, 14) But even before that day, she had known for a long time that Jehovah can do amazing things through his spirit. More than 30 years earlier, Jehovah had sent the life of his Son from heaven to earth. Jehovah used holy spirit to cause Mary to become pregnant even though she was still a virgin.—Matthew 1:20.

3, 4. How did Mary feel about what God asked her to do? How can we imitate her?

³ Why did Jehovah choose Mary? After the angel told Mary that she would give birth to God’s Son, she said: “Look! Jehovah’s slave girl! May it take place with me according to your declaration.” (Luke 1:38) What Mary said showed the kind of person she was. She was ready to accept Jehovah’s will for her. She did not ask the angel about what people would think of her pregnancy or fear that Joseph may not want to marry her anymore. By saying that she was Jehovah’s slave girl, Mary showed that she had complete trust in Jehovah.

⁴ Do you sometimes feel that your responsibilities in God’s service are too much for you to care for? Each of us should ask himself: Do I completely trust that Jehovah will take care of things according to his will? Am I truly willing to do the work that Jehovah wants me to do? You can be sure that God gives his spirit to those who have complete trust in him and obey him as Ruler.—Acts 5:32.

HOLY SPIRIT HELPED PETER

5. How had the holy spirit helped Peter before Pentecost of the year 33?

⁵ Like Mary, the apostle Peter had also seen and felt the power of holy spirit before Pentecost of the year 33. Jesus had given him and the other apostles authority to expel demons. (Mark 3:14-16) And even though the Bible does not tell us much about it, it seems that Peter used that authority. Also, when Jesus invited Peter to walk toward him on the Sea of Galilee, Peter was able to do it with the help of holy spirit. (Read Matthew 14:25-29.) So it is clear that Peter was able to do powerful things because he trusted in the help of holy spirit. Soon that spirit would give Peter and the other disciples power to do many other things.

6. What did God’s spirit help Peter to do during and after Pentecost of the year 33?

⁶ At Pentecost of the year 33, holy spirit gave Peter and others the miraculous ability to speak in the languages of those who were visiting Jerusalem. Then Peter stood up and spoke to the crowd. (Acts 2:14-36) Peter had sometimes been afraid or had done things without thinking. After he received holy spirit, however, he had the courage to preach even though he was persecuted and told to stop preaching. (Acts 4:18-20, 31) God used his spirit to give Peter special knowledge. (Acts 5:8, 9) And God’s spirit even gave the apostle the power to resurrect someone.—Acts 9:40.

7. What teachings of Jesus did Peter understand only after he was anointed?

⁷ Before Pentecost, Peter understood many of the truths that Jesus taught. (Matthew 16:16, 17; John 6:68) But there were other truths that Peter understood only after Pentecost. For example, Peter did not understand that Christ would be resurrected as a spirit person after three days or that Christ’s Kingdom would be in heaven. (John 20:6-10; Acts 1:6) Peter did not understand that humans could become spirits and rule in a heavenly Kingdom. It was only after he himself was anointed with holy spirit at Pentecost and chosen for life in heaven that Peter understood these teachings of Jesus.

8. What knowledge can both the anointed and the other sheep have?

⁸ After Jesus’ disciples received holy spirit, they were able to understand teachings that they did not understand before. Holy spirit inspired the writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures to explain amazing truths about Jehovah’s purpose. (Ephesians 3:8-11, 18) Today, both the anointed and the other sheep can study and understand these same truths. (John 10:16) Are you thankful for the knowledge and understanding of God’s Word that God’s spirit helps you to have?

PAUL BECAME “FILLED WITH HOLY SPIRIT”

9. What did holy spirit help Paul to do?

⁹ About a year after Pentecost of the year 33, Saul, who later became known as Paul, was also anointed with holy spirit. God’s spirit gave Paul the ability to do things that still benefit us today. For example, holy spirit inspired him to write 14 books of the Bible. In the same way that it helped Peter, holy spirit helped Paul to understand and write about the hope of immortal and incorruptible life in heaven. Also by holy spirit, Paul expelled demons, cured sick people, and even resurrected someone! But Paul had received power through holy spirit to do something even more important. God’s servants receive power to do the same today, even though they do not receive it in a miraculous way.

10. How did holy spirit help Paul to speak?

¹⁰ Paul, who was “filled with holy spirit,” spoke courageously against a sorcerer. The proconsul of Cyprus listened to the whole conversation. He was very impressed with what Paul said and accepted the truth. The Bible says that this man “was astounded at the teaching of Jehovah.” (Acts 13:8-12) Clearly, Paul knew that only God’s spirit could give him the ability to speak the truth with courage. (Matthew 10:20) He later asked the congregation in Ephesus to continue to pray for him that “ability to speak” might be given to him.—Ephesians 6:18-20.

11. How was Paul guided by God’s spirit?

¹¹ The holy spirit helped Paul to speak, but it sometimes did not allow Paul to speak in certain places. Paul was guided by holy spirit in his missionary journeys. (Acts 13:2; read Acts 16:6-10.) Jehovah still uses his spirit to guide the preaching work today. Like Paul, all of Jehovah’s obedient servants do their best to preach the truth with courage and zeal. Even though the way God uses his spirit to direct us is different from the way he directed Paul, we can be sure that through his spirit Jehovah still “draws” sincere ones to the truth.—John 6:44.

“VARIETIES OF OPERATIONS”

12-14. Does God’s spirit operate in the same way on all his servants? What are some ways in which God’s spirit operates on his servants?

¹² It is very encouraging to us today to read about the way Jehovah blessed the congregation of anointed ones in the first century. The holy spirit gave Christians at that time special abilities, or “gifts.” When Paul wrote to the congregation in Corinth about these gifts, he said: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but there is the same spirit; and there are varieties of ministries, and yet there is the same Lord; and there are varieties of operations, and yet it is the same God who performs all the operations in all persons.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 11) Paul said that the holy spirit can operate, or work, on different servants of God for a specific purpose. Both the “little flock” and the “other sheep” are guided by holy spirit. (Luke 12:32; John 10:16) But it does not always operate in the same way on each member of the congregation.

¹³ For example, elders are appointed by holy spirit. (Acts 20:28) But not all Christians who are anointed with holy spirit serve as elders in the congregation. This means that God’s spirit operates in different ways on the members of the congregation.

¹⁴ The spirit that makes the anointed sure that they are adopted as sons of God is the same spirit that Jehovah used to resurrect Jesus to life in heaven. (Read Romans 8:11, 15.) Jehovah used that same spirit to create the whole universe. (Genesis 1:1-3) Jehovah also used the same spirit to give Bezalel greater ability to do special work on the tabernacle. The same spirit gave Samson amazing strength to do things no one else could do and helped Peter to walk on water. So to be guided by God’s spirit is not the same as to be anointed with God’s spirit. To be anointed with holy spirit is only one special way in which God’s spirit operates. It is God who chooses those whom he anoints with his spirit.

15. Will anointing with God’s holy spirit continue forever? Why do you answer that way?

¹⁵ God’s holy spirit has always operated on his faithful servants in many different ways. It had been operating on them for thousands of years before God started to anoint people. Anointing with holy spirit began at Pentecost of the year 33, but it will not continue forever. Although anointing will end, holy spirit will continue to operate on God’s people to help them do his will forever.

16. What are Jehovah’s servants doing today with the help of the holy spirit?

¹⁶ What are Jehovah’s servants doing now with the help of the holy spirit? Revelation 22:17 answers: “The spirit and the bride keep on saying: ‘Come!’ And let anyone hearing say: ‘Come!’ And let anyone thirsting come; let anyone that wishes take life’s water free.” With the help of the holy spirit, Christians today invite “anyone that wishes” to take life’s water. Anointed Christians take the lead in doing this, and the other sheep join them in this work. Both groups are guided by the same holy spirit. Both have shown their dedication to Jehovah by being baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) And all of them show the fruitage of the spirit in their lives. (Galatians 5:22, 23) With the help of God’s spirit, they do their best to have a clean way of life that pleases God.—2 Corinthians 7:1; Revelation 7:9, 14.

KEEP ASKING FOR HOLY SPIRIT

17. How can you show that you have God’s spirit?

¹⁷ So whether you hope to live forever in heaven or on earth, Jehovah can give you “the power beyond what is normal” so that you can keep your integrity to the end. (2 Corinthians 4:7) People may be unkind to you and make fun of you because of the preaching work. But if you do not allow that to stop you from preaching, you show that you have God’s spirit. Remember that “if you are being reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy, because the spirit of glory, even the spirit of God, is resting upon you.”—1 Peter 4:14.

18, 19. How will Jehovah use his holy spirit to help you? What should you continue to do?

¹⁸ God gives holy spirit freely to those who sincerely ask for it. It can improve your abilities and increase your desire to do your best in his service. “God is the one that, for the sake of his good pleasure, is acting within you in order for you both to will and to act.” The help of holy spirit, along with your efforts to keep “a tight grip on the word of life,” will allow you to “keep working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”—Philippians 2:12, 13, 16.

¹⁹ With complete trust in God’s spirit, then, work hard at what Jehovah asks you to do, become good at it, and ask Jehovah for his help. (James 1:5) He will give you the help you need to understand his Word, endure life’s problems, and preach the good news. Jesus promised: “Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9, 13) This includes asking for holy spirit. So continue asking Jehovah that you may be like all those faithful servants of God who were guided by holy spirit.

SOME WORDS EXPLAINED

▪ Immortal and incorruptible life: Eternal life in a spirit body that cannot be destroyed and does not decay

▪ Appoint: To select a person for a special work according to the direction of God’s spirit

▪ Anoint: To pour out holy spirit upon a person. When Jehovah anoints a person, He gives him the hope of everlasting life in heaven

CAN YOU EXPLAIN?

▪ In what way can we imitate Mary and be blessed?

▪ How was Paul guided by God’s spirit?

▪ How are God’s servants guided by God’s spirit today?

[Blurb on page 21]

Like Mary, are you willing to do the work that Jehovah wants you to do?

[Blurb on page 22]

Holy spirit can give you courage to preach as it did Peter

[Blurb on page 24]

God’s spirit can give you the ability to speak the truth as it did Paul

[Blurb on page 25]

Holy spirit will continue to help God’s people to do his will forever

[Picture on page 23]

God’s spirit enabled Paul to overcome wicked spirits

[Picture on page 25]

Both the anointed and the other sheep receive holy spirit and are guided by it

Life Story

pp. 27–32

Life Story

Making Adjustments Has Been Rewarding

As told by James A. Thompson

I was born in 1928 in the southern part of the United States. At that time, there were laws that made black people and white people stay separate from one another. Anyone who broke these laws could be put in prison or punished in worse ways.

AT THAT time in parts of the United States, white and black Jehovah’s Witnesses had to have separate congregations, circuits, and districts. In 1937 my father became company servant (now called coordinator of the body of elders) of the black congregation in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Henry Nichols was company servant of the white congregation.

I have many happy memories of when I was young. I used to sit outside our house at night with my father and Brother Nichols and listen to them talk. Even though I did not understand everything, I enjoyed being with my father and listening to the two of them talking about the best way to do the preaching work in those times.

Some years earlier, in 1930, something terrible happened. My mother died, and she was only 20 years old. So my father had to take care of my sister, Doris, and me. She was four years old, and I was only two. Although my father had not been baptized for very long, he was doing well in the truth.

GOOD EXAMPLES FOR ME

In 1933 my father met a wonderful sister named Lillie Mae Gwendolyn Thomas, and they got married. Both of them loyally served Jehovah and were good examples for Doris and me.

In 1938 the organization changed the way elders were appointed in the congregations. Instead of being elected locally, they were to be appointed from our headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. All congregations were asked to support this decision. Some of the brothers in Chattanooga did not want to accept the change immediately, but my father completely supported this change. His example of loyalty as well as the way my stepmother cooperated with him has helped me to this day.

BAPTISM AND FULL-TIME MINISTRY

In 1940 several brothers and sisters in our congregation rented a bus and traveled to the convention held in Detroit, Michigan. Some of those who traveled with us got baptized there. I had been preaching regularly since I was five years old, so some wanted to know why I did not get baptized.

When they asked me about it, I answered: “I don’t understand all that is involved in baptism.” My answer surprised my father. So after that, he tried to do more to help me understand what baptism means and why it is important. On a very cold day four months later, October 1, 1940, I was baptized in a pond outside of Chattanooga.

When I was 14 years old, I began pioneering during summer vacations from school. I preached in small towns in Tennessee and the state of Georgia nearby. I used to get up early and prepare lunch to take with me. Then I would catch a train or a bus at six in the morning to go to the territory. I returned home about six in the evening. Often I finished my food before lunchtime and wanted to buy some more. Although I had money, I could not enter a store because I was black. One time, I entered a store to buy ice cream and was asked to leave. But a white woman was very kind and brought me some ice cream.

When I started to attend high school, people in the South were becoming more and more active in support of equal rights. Some groups such as the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) urged students to fight for equal rights. Several black schools wanted all the students to become members of such groups. People in my school pressured me to do this and said that I should “support our race.” But I refused. I explained that God does not prefer one race over another and that I trust in God to do away with all injustices.—John 17:14; Acts 10:34, 35.

Soon after I finished high school, I decided to move to New York City. On the way, I stopped in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and stayed with some of my friends whom I had met at a convention. The congregation there was the first one I attended where white and black brothers met together. The traveling overseer was visiting, and he told me that he was going to assign me a part on the next meeting. This helped me decide to stay there.

One of my friends in Philadelphia was a young sister named Geraldine White, or Gerri as I call her. She knew the Bible well and was good at talking to people in the ministry. It was important to me that like me, she wanted to pioneer. We were married on April 23, 1949.

INVITED TO GILEAD

It was our goal to attend Gilead School and serve as missionaries in another country. Meanwhile, we were happy to serve where there was a need, which would help us to prepare for Gilead. Soon we were asked to move to serve in Lawnside, New Jersey; then to Chester, Pennsylvania; and finally to Atlantic City, New Jersey. While we were serving there, we could apply for Gilead because we had been married for two years. But there was a problem.

During the early part of the 1950’s, many young men were being drafted to serve in the military and fight in the conflict going on in Korea. The draft board in Philadelphia did not want to excuse me from military service. It seemed that they were prejudiced against Jehovah’s Witnesses because we do not go to war. But finally a judge informed me that the FBI had investigated me and decided that I was truthful when I claimed to be neutral. So on January 11, 1952, the Presidential Appeal Board excused me from military service because I was a minister of religion.

In August of that year, Gerri and I received an invitation to attend the 20th class of Gilead, which started in September. We were sure that we would be sent to another country. My sister, Doris, had attended the 13th class of Gilead and was serving in Brazil. But we were very surprised when we were sent to the southern state of Alabama to serve in the circuit work and visit black congregations. Since we really wanted to serve in another country, we were a little disappointed.

The first congregation we visited was in Huntsville, where we stayed at the home of a sister. When we were bringing our luggage into her house, we heard her say on the telephone, “The children are here.” We were only 24 years old and looked even younger. During the time we served that circuit, we were called by the nickname The Children.

Most people in the South had a lot of respect for the Bible. That is why that area of the United States is known as the Bible Belt. So when we were in the ministry, we would talk to people about three things:

(1) World conditions.

(2) The hope that the Bible gives.

(3) What the Bible says we must do.

After we discussed these things with a person, we showed him a publication that would help him to get to know the Bible. Since I had good results with this method, I was asked to demonstrate it at the 1953 New World Society Assembly in New York.

In the summer of 1953, I was asked to serve black circuits in the South as district overseer. Our territory was from Virginia to Florida and as far west as Alabama and Tennessee. Traveling overseers had to be prepared for different situations. For example, we often stayed in homes that had no bathrooms inside the house, and we bathed in a tin bathtub behind the kitchen stove. We were happy because this was the warmest part of the house.

DIFFICULTIES BECAUSE OF RACIAL PREJUDICE

When we were serving the congregations in the South, we had to think of clever ways to do certain things. Blacks were not allowed to use the public laundry rooms. So Gerri would go there and explain that the clothes were for “Mrs. Thompson.” Many seemed to think that she was a servant for someone named Mrs. Thompson. At that time, district overseers were showing the film The New World Society in Action on large screens. When I needed such a screen, I used to telephone the store and ask for a screen for “Mr. Thompson.” Later, I went there to get it. We were always polite, and we usually had no trouble in the ministry.

In the South, there was another form of prejudice. Many people did not like those from the North. A newspaper once reported that James A. Thompson, Jr., of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York would be speaking at an assembly. Some thought that I was from New York. So the school board canceled our contract, and we could not use a school hall for our circuit assembly. I went to the board and explained that I had gone to school in Chattanooga. Then the board gave us permission to use the hall for our assembly.

In the 1950’s, racial prejudice was causing more and more problems, and sometimes people were violent. In 1954, some Witnesses were offended when there were no black speakers on the program at a number of district conventions. We encouraged our black brothers to be patient. The following summer, I was assigned as a speaker. After that year, more black brothers in the South were assigned as speakers on the programs.

In time, there was less and less racial violence in the South. White brothers and black brothers began to attend meetings together. So some publishers were asked to join other congregations, and congregation territories had to be changed. Also, overseers had to take care of new responsibilities. Some, both blacks and whites, did not like this new arrangement. But most of the brothers imitated Jehovah and were not partial. Many had good friends of different races. I had experienced this in our family when I was growing up in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

A NEW ASSIGNMENT

In January 1969, Gerri and I received an invitation to go to Guyana, South America. We were happy to go there. First we went to Brooklyn, New York, where I received training on how to organize the preaching work in Guyana. We arrived there in July 1969. After 16 years in the traveling work, it was a big change for us to stay in one place. Gerri spent most of her days in the field ministry as a missionary, and I worked at the branch office.

I did many different tasks at the branch office. I would cut the grass, send the literature requested by the 28 congregations, and communicate with headquarters in Brooklyn by mail. I was working 14 to 15 hours each day. It was hard work for both of us, but we enjoyed our service in Guyana. When we arrived, there were 950 publishers. Today there are over 2,500.

In Guyana, the temperatures were pleasant, and there were many tropical fruits and vegetables that we liked. But what made us really happy were the humble people who wanted to learn what the Bible teaches about God’s Kingdom. Gerri often conducted 20 Bible studies each week. Many of these people got baptized, and some of them became pioneers, elders, and even went to Gilead to become missionaries.

PROBLEMS AND POOR HEALTH

In 1983 my parents in the United States needed help. Doris, Gerri, and I met to discuss what to do. Doris, who had served for 35 years as a missionary in Brazil, chose to return and care for them. She reasoned that if she went back, only one missionary would have to leave an assignment instead of two missionaries. After our parents died, Doris stayed in Chattanooga, and she now serves as a special pioneer.

In 1995, I learned that I had prostate cancer and had to return to the United States. We went to live in Goldsboro, North Carolina. This was halfway between my family in Tennessee and Gerri’s family in Pennsylvania. My cancer is now under control. We serve in one of the congregations in Goldsboro as infirm special pioneers.

I have been in the full-time ministry for over 65 years. I am truly grateful that Jehovah has blessed Gerri and me for being willing to make changes to serve him. We can say that the words of David have been true in our life. David said about Jehovah: “With someone loyal you will act in loyalty.”—2 Samuel 22:26.

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My father and Brother Nichols set a fine example for me

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Ready for Gilead, 1952

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After attending Gilead, we were in the traveling work in the South

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Traveling overseers and their wives preparing for an integrated district convention, 1966

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Missionary service in Guyana was a joy