1, 2. (a) What challenges do many foreigners have today? (See opening picture.) (b) What reminder did the apostle Paul give, and what questions will we consider?

MORE than 30 years ago, Osei, who was not yet one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, left his home in Ghana to live in Europe.^[1] (See endnote.) He says: “I soon realized that most people did not care about me. The climate was also quite a shock. When I left the airport and felt the cold for the first time in my life, I started crying.” Because it was difficult for Osei to learn the language, it took him over a year to find a good job. And because he was far away from home, he missed his family and felt alone.

² Think about how you would like to be treated if you were in a similar situation. Certainly you would be grateful to receive a warm welcome at the Kingdom Hall from people who love you no matter your nationality or skin color. In fact, the Bible tells true Christians not to “forget kindness to strangers.” (Hebrews 13:2, footnote) So let us consider the following questions: How does Jehovah feel about strangers? Do we need to adjust our feelings toward strangers? And how can we help someone from another country to feel welcome in our congregation?

HOW JEHOVAH VIEWS STRANGERS

3, 4. According to Exodus 23:9, how did God want the Israelites to treat foreigners, and why?

³ After Jehovah freed his people from slavery in Egypt, he gave them laws that taught them to show kindness toward the foreigners who left with them. (Exodus 12:38, 49; 22:21) Since life is not always easy for foreigners, Jehovah lovingly cared for them. For example, they could glean food that the harvesters left behind.​—Leviticus 19:9, 10.

⁴ Rather than just command the Israelites to respect foreigners, Jehovah wanted them to remember how it felt to be a foreigner. (Read Exodus 23:9.) Even before the Israelites became slaves in Egypt, the Egyptians did not like them because they were different. (Genesis 43:32; 46:34; Exodus 1:11-14) The Israelites had a hard life as foreigners. Jehovah wanted them to remember that and to be kind to the foreigners who were living among them.​—Leviticus 19:33, 34.

5. What will help us to show kindness to foreigners as Jehovah does?

⁵ Jehovah has not changed. So when foreigners come to our congregation, we should not forget that Jehovah still shows kindness to such people. (Deuteronomy 10:17-19; Malachi 3:5, 6) Stop and think about the challenges foreigners may have. For example, they may not understand the new language and may be treated unfairly. Let us make an effort to help them and to be kind to them.​—1 Peter 3:8.

DO WE NEED TO ADJUST OUR VIEW OF STRANGERS?

6, 7. What showed that early Jewish Christians learned to overcome strong prejudices?

⁶ The early Christians learned to overcome strong prejudices that were common among the Jews. At Pentecost of the year 33, Jewish Christians living in Jerusalem showed hospitality to and loving concern for new ones from different countries. (Acts 2:5, 44-47) This showed that the Jewish Christians understood the meaning of “hospitality,” that is, “kindness to strangers.”

⁷ During that time, however, something happened. Greek-speaking Jews complained that their widows were not being treated fairly. (Acts 6:1) To solve the problem, the apostles chose seven men to go and make sure that everyone would be treated fairly. The apostles chose men with Greek names, perhaps to make the widows feel more comfortable.​—Acts 6:2-6.

8, 9. (a) What questions will help us find out whether we are prejudiced? (b) What must we get rid of? (1 Peter 1:22)

⁸ Whether we realize it or not, we are all deeply influenced by our culture. (Romans 12:2) Also, we may hear our neighbors, workmates, or schoolmates say bad things about people of another background, tribe, or skin color. How deeply are we influenced by such negative ideas? Or how do we react when someone makes fun of our nationality or some part of our culture?

⁹ There was a time when the apostle Peter was prejudiced against people who were not Jewish. But gradually he learned to get rid of such negative feelings. (Acts 10:28, 34, 35; Galatians 2:11-14) Similarly, if we notice even a trace of prejudice or racial pride in us, we should work hard to get rid of it completely. (Read 1 Peter 1:22.) What can help us to do that? Remember that all of us are imperfect, no matter what country we come from, and none of us deserve salvation. (Romans 3:9, 10, 21-24) So we have no reason to feel that we are better than anyone else! (1 Corinthians 4:7) We should feel as the apostle Paul did. He told his fellow Christians that they were “no longer strangers and foreigners” but were “members of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:19) We all need to work hard to get rid of any prejudice so that we can put on the new personality.​—Colossians 3:10, 11.

HOW TO SHOW KINDNESS TO STRANGERS

10, 11. How did Boaz imitate Jehovah’s view of strangers?

¹⁰ The faithful man Boaz imitated Jehovah’s view of strangers. How so? When Boaz went to inspect his fields during the harvest, he noticed Ruth, a foreign woman from the land of Moab. She was working hard to pick up grain from the ground. Under the Mosaic Law, Ruth had the right to glean. But when Boaz heard that she had asked for permission to glean in his field, he was deeply impressed and allowed her to glean even among the bundles of grain.​—Read Ruth 2:5-7, 15, 16.

¹¹ What happened next clearly shows that Boaz was concerned about Ruth and her difficult situation as a foreigner. He invited her to stay with his group of young women so that she would not be mistreated by the men working in the field. He even made sure that she would get enough food and water, just like his own workers. Boaz showed respect for this poor foreign woman and encouraged her.​—Ruth 2:8-10, 13, 14.

12. What effect can kindness have on strangers?

¹² Boaz showed kindness to Ruth not only because of her loyal love for her mother-in-law, Naomi, but also because Ruth had begun serving Jehovah and looked to Him for protection. When Boaz was kind to her, he was actually imitating Jehovah’s loyal love. (Ruth 2:12, 20; Proverbs 19:17) Similarly today, when we are kind, we may be able to help “all sorts of people” learn the truth and see that Jehovah loves them very much.​—1 Timothy 2:3, 4.

13, 14. (a) Why should we greet strangers at the Kingdom Hall? (b) What can help you to feel comfortable speaking to someone from another culture?

¹³ We can show kindness to strangers by warmly greeting them at the Kingdom Hall. Immigrants who have recently arrived in a country may sometimes feel shy and stay by themselves. Because of their culture or their social status, they may feel inferior to people from another race or nationality. So we should greet them first and show kind and sincere interest in them. If available in your language, the JW Language app can help you learn how to say a greeting in their language.​—Read Philippians 2:3, 4.

¹⁴ You may feel uncomfortable about speaking to someone from another culture. To overcome those feelings, you can tell him something about yourself. You may then see that you have more things in common than you thought. Remember that each culture has its own strengths and weaknesses.

HELP ALL TO FEEL WELCOME

15. What will help us to understand those who are getting used to a new country?

¹⁵ To help others feel welcome in the congregation, honestly ask yourself, ‘If I were in a foreign country, how would I want to be treated?’ (Matthew 7:12) Be patient with those who are adjusting to a new country. At first, we may not fully understand their way of thinking or reacting. But rather than expect them to think and act like people from our culture, why not accept them just the way they are?​—Read Romans 15:7, footnote.

16, 17. (a) What can we do to feel closer to those from another culture? (b) What practical help can we give to immigrants in our congregation?

¹⁶ If we take time to learn about the country and culture of foreigners, it may be easier for us to get to know them. During our family worship, we could do some research about the culture of immigrants in our congregation or territory. Another way to get closer to immigrants is to invite them for a meal in our home. Jehovah has “opened to the nations the door to faith,” so we should imitate him and open our home to strangers who are “related to us in the faith.”​—Acts 14:27; Galatians 6:10; Job 31:32.

¹⁷ When we spend time with a family who immigrated, this will help us to understand and value their efforts to adjust to our culture. We may see that they need help to learn the language. We might also direct them to organizations that can help them find a good home or a job. Such practical help may make a big difference for our brothers and sisters.​—Proverbs 3:27.

18. What example of respect and gratitude can immigrants imitate today?

¹⁸ Immigrants, of course, will want to do their best to adjust to the culture of the new country. Ruth set a good example in this area. First, she showed respect for the customs of her new country by asking permission to glean. (Ruth 2:7) She did not take this right for granted or feel that others owed her something. Second, she was quick to tell others that she was thankful for the kindness shown to her. (Ruth 2:13) When immigrants show a similar fine attitude, their brothers and sisters and other local people will be more likely to respect them.

19. What reasons do we have to make strangers feel welcome?

¹⁹ We are so happy that Jehovah has shown undeserved kindness and allowed all people to hear the good news. In their home country, some may not have been able to study the Bible or go to meetings with Jehovah’s people. But now that they have the opportunity to meet with us, we should help them so that they will not feel like strangers. We may not have a lot of money or be able to provide much practical help, but when we are kind to foreigners, we imitate Jehovah’s love for them. As “imitators of God,” then, let us do our very best to welcome strangers among us!​—Ephesians 5:1, 2.

1-3. (a) What should always be our priority? (b) What specific challenges do those learning a new language have, and what questions does this raise? (See opening picture.)

TODAY, many of Jehovah’s Witnesses are busy helping to fulfill the prophecy to preach “to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.” (Revelation 14:6) Are you among those who are learning another language? Some serve as missionaries or preach where the need is greater in another land. Others have begun to attend meetings in a foreign-language congregation in their homeland.

² All of God’s servants need to make their spiritual health and that of their family a priority. (Matthew 5:3) At times, though, we may be so busy that it is difficult to find time for meaningful personal study. But those who are in a foreign-language congregation have additional difficulties.

³ Those serving in a foreign-language congregation need to learn a new language, but they also need to make sure that they regularly study the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10) How can they do that if they do not fully understand what is being said in the congregation? And why should Christian parents serving in a foreign-language congregation make sure that the truth reaches their children’s hearts?

A DANGER TO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JEHOVAH

4. What could put our relationship with Jehovah in danger? Give an example.

⁴ When we cannot understand Bible teachings in a foreign language, this can be a serious danger to our relationship with Jehovah. When Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem, he noticed that some of the children there could not speak the Hebrew language. (Read Nehemiah 13:23, 24.) Because these children were not able to understand God’s Word, their relationship with Jehovah had become weak.​—Nehemiah 8:2, 8.

5, 6. What have some parents serving in a foreign-language congregation noticed, and what is the problem?

⁵ Some Christian parents serving in a foreign-language congregation have noticed that their children’s relationship with Jehovah has become weak. Because their children do not fully understand what is being said at the meetings, the information does not move them to act. “When talking about spiritual matters,” says Pedro, who moved his family to Australia from South America, “the heart and emotions should be involved.”^[1] (See endnote.)​—Luke 24:32.

⁶ When we read in a foreign language, our emotions may not be as involved as when we read in our own language. Also, because it is difficult to communicate in another language, we can get so tired that our worship of Jehovah is negatively affected. So while we keep our desire to serve in a foreign-language congregation strong, we also need to protect our relationship with Jehovah.​—Matthew 4:4.

THEY PROTECTED THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH JEHOVAH

7. How did the Babylonians try to force Daniel to accept their culture and religion?

⁷ When Daniel and his friends were exiled in Babylon, the Babylonians tried to force them to accept their culture and religion. How so? They taught them “the language of the Chaldeans” and gave them Babylonian names. (Daniel 1:3-7) Daniel’s new name referred to Bel, the main god in Babylon. So it is possible that King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to make Daniel believe that Babylon’s god was more powerful than Daniel’s God, Jehovah.​—Daniel 4:8.

8. How did Daniel keep his relationship with Jehovah strong?

⁸ In Babylon, Daniel was offered the king’s delicious foods. But he had “resolved in his heart” that he would not disobey God’s law. (Daniel 1:8) Because he kept studying “the sacred books,” which were in Hebrew, he kept his relationship with Jehovah strong while living in a foreign land. (Daniel 9:2, footnote) In fact, about 70 years after he had come to Babylon, he was still known by his Hebrew name, Daniel.​—Daniel 5:13.

9. What attitude toward God’s Word did the writer of Psalm 119 have?

⁹ The writer of Psalm 119 had to endure when members of the royal court spoke against him. But he found strength in God’s Word, and this helped him to be different from others. (Psalm 119:23, 61) He allowed God’s words to affect his emotions deeply.​—Read Psalm 119:11, 46.

KEEP YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JEHOVAH STRONG

10, 11. (a) What should be our goal when we study God’s Word? (b) How can we reach our goal? Give an example.

¹⁰ Although we may be very busy with responsibilities in the congregation and at work, we all need to make time for personal study and family worship. (Ephesians 5:15, 16) Our goal should not simply be to read a lot of pages or to prepare a comment for the meeting. Our goal should be to allow God’s Word to affect us and strengthen our faith.

¹¹ To reach our goal, we need to be balanced. When we study, we should think not only about the needs of others but also about our own needs. (Philippians 1:9, 10) We must recognize that when we prepare for the ministry, for the meetings, or for a talk, we may not necessarily apply what we read to ourselves. For example, even though a chef has to taste the meals he makes before serving them, he cannot live on those samples of food. If he wants to stay healthy, he must regularly prepare healthy meals for himself. In a similar way, if we want to strengthen our relationship with Jehovah, we need to study the Bible regularly. Such deep study fills our personal needs.

12, 13. Why do many feel that it is helpful to study the Bible in their own language?

¹² Many who serve in a foreign-language congregation feel that it is helpful to study the Bible regularly in the ‘language of their birth.’ (Acts 2:8, footnote) Even missionaries know that to remain strong in their foreign assignment, they cannot rely only on what they hear at the meetings.

¹³ Alain, who has been learning Persian for about eight years, admits: “When I prepare for meetings in Persian, I tend to focus on the language itself. Since my mind is mainly involved in an intellectual exercise, my heart is not necessarily touched by the spiritual thoughts I am reading. That is why I regularly set aside time to study the Bible and other publications in my mother tongue.”

REACH YOUR CHILDREN’S HEARTS

14. What should parents make sure of, and why?

¹⁴ Christian parents need to make sure that the truth reaches their children’s minds and hearts. Consider Serge and his wife, Muriel, who served in a foreign-language congregation for more than three years. They started to notice that their son, who was 17 years old, did not enjoy the ministry or the meetings. “It annoyed him to go out in the ministry in another language, whereas before he loved preaching in his native language, French,” says Muriel. “When we realized that this situation had hindered our son from making spiritual advancement,” explains Serge, “we decided to move back to our former congregation.”

15. (a) What can help parents to decide whether they should change congregations? (b) What direction does Deuteronomy 6:5-7 give to parents?

¹⁵ What can help parents to decide whether to move back to a congregation that uses the language their children understand best? First, they should decide whether they really have enough time and energy to teach their children to love Jehovah and also teach them a foreign language at the same time. Second, they may notice that their children do not want to preach, go to the meetings, or even serve in the foreign-language field. For these reasons, parents may decide to move back to a congregation that uses the language their children best understand. Then, after the children have built a strong relationship with Jehovah, the parents may decide to return to the foreign-language congregation.​—Read Deuteronomy 6:5-7.

16, 17. What has helped some parents teach their children about Jehovah?

¹⁶ Other parents have found ways to teach their children about Jehovah in their native language while attending meetings at a foreign-language congregation or group. Charles is the father of three girls who are between the ages of 9 and 13. They attend a group that speaks Lingala. He says: “We made the decision to conduct study sessions and family worship with the children in our native language. But we also include practice sessions and games in Lingala so that they can learn this language while having fun.”

¹⁷ Kevin is the father of two girls who are five and eight years old. He works hard to teach them the truth because the girls do not yet fully understand the meetings in the foreign-language congregation the family attends. He says: “My wife and I have a personal study with both girls in French, their mother tongue. We also set the goal of attending a meeting in French once a month, and we take advantage of our vacations to visit conventions held in our native language.”

18. (a) How can Romans 15:1, 2 help you to make a wise decision when it comes to helping your children? (b) What suggestions have other parents given? (See endnote.)

¹⁸ Each family has to decide what is best for the children and for their relationship with Jehovah.^[2] (See endnote.) (Galatians 6:5) Muriel says that even though she and her husband really wanted to keep serving in the foreign-language congregation, they decided to leave in order to help their son strengthen his love for Jehovah. (Read Romans 15:1, 2.) Today, Serge knows that they made the right decision. He says: “From the time we moved back to a French-speaking congregation, our son blossomed spiritually and got baptized. He is now serving as a regular pioneer. He is even considering returning to a foreign-language group!”

LET GOD’S WORD REACH YOUR HEART

19, 20. How can we show our love for God’s Word?

¹⁹ Jehovah loves all people. He has made the Bible available in hundreds of languages so that “all sorts of people” can have an accurate knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4) He knows that our relationship with him will be strengthened when we read the Bible in the language we understand best.

²⁰ We all need to work hard to keep a strong relationship with Jehovah. We can do this when we regularly study the Bible in the language we understand best. We will also be able to help our family to maintain their spiritual health, and we will show that we truly love God’s Word.​—Psalm 119:11.

1, 2. (a) How are the things we hope for different from the things other people hope for? (b) What will we discuss in this article?

JEHOVAH has given us wonderful things to hope for. He has promised to sanctify his name and to cause his will to be done in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 6:9, 10) Those are the most important things we look forward to. Jehovah has also promised to reward us with everlasting life, either in heaven or on earth. How wonderful that will be! (John 10:16; 2 Peter 3:13) And we look forward to seeing how Jehovah will continue to guide and support his people in these last days.

² The Bible says that faith is “the assured expectation” of what we hope for. This means that those who have faith are absolutely sure that the things Jehovah has promised will come true. (Hebrews 11:1) On the other hand, many people today hope and wish for things, but they cannot be sure that those things will ever come true. For example, someone may hope to win the lottery, but he cannot be at all sure that he will win it. In this article, we will see what we can do to strengthen our faith in God’s promises. We will also discuss how strong faith can help us now.

3. Why do we have faith that God’s promises will come true?

³ None of us are born with faith. To have faith, we need to allow God’s holy spirit to guide our hearts. (Galatians 5:22) Holy spirit can help us to get to know Jehovah. When we understand that he is almighty and wise, we become confident that he has the ability to do all that he promises. Jehovah himself refers to his promises as if they have already happened and says: “They have come to pass!” (Read Revelation 21:3-6.) We know that Jehovah always does what he promises. He is “the faithful God.” That is why we believe everything he tells us about the future.​—Deuteronomy 7:9.

SERVANTS OF GOD IN THE PAST WHO HAD STRONG FAITH

4. What did God’s servants in the past have faith in?

⁴ Hebrews chapter 11 tells us the names of 16 men and women who had strong faith in Jehovah’s promises. It also mentions many others who pleased Jehovah “because of their faith.” (Hebrews 11:39) All of them were waiting for the “offspring” whom Jehovah had promised. They knew that this “offspring” would destroy all of God’s enemies and make the earth a paradise again. (Genesis 3:15) And these servants of God had strong faith that Jehovah would bring them back to life. Of course, they did not look forward to being resurrected to life in heaven, since Jesus had not yet made that possible. (Galatians 3:16) Instead, they looked forward to living forever on earth in a beautiful paradise.​—Psalm 37:11; Isaiah 26:19; Hosea 13:14.

5, 6. What did Abraham and his family look forward to? How did they keep their faith strong? (See opening picture.)

⁵ Hebrews 11:13 says about these faithful servants of Jehovah: “In faith all of these died, although they did not receive the fulfillment of the promises; but they saw them from a distance and welcomed them.” They looked forward to the new world and imagined themselves living there. One of them was Abraham. Jesus said that Abraham “rejoiced greatly at the prospect of seeing” that time. (John 8:56) Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and many others also looked forward to the time when the Kingdom, “whose designer and builder is God,” would rule over the whole earth.​—Hebrews 11:8-11.

⁶ How did Abraham and his family keep their faith strong? They continued learning about Jehovah. At times, God spoke to them by means of angels, visions, or dreams. They probably also learned from faithful older ones or from older writings. Abraham and his family never forgot God’s promises, and they loved meditating on them. As a result, they had no doubt that Jehovah would keep his promises. So they stayed loyal to him even when they suffered difficulties or persecution.

7. What has Jehovah given us to strengthen our faith, and what do we need to do?

⁷ What will help us to keep our faith strong? Jehovah has given us the Bible to teach us about his promises for the future. In it, he shows us what we need to do to be happy. That is why it is good for us to read the Bible every day and follow its guidance. (Psalm 1:1-3; read Acts 17:11.) Jehovah also gives us “food at the proper time” by means of “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matthew 24:45) Just like God’s people in the past, we regularly need to read about God’s promises and meditate deeply on them. This will help us stay loyal to God and keep looking forward to the time when his Kingdom will rule over the whole earth.

8. How can prayer strengthen our faith?

⁸ What else helped Jehovah’s people in the past to keep their faith strong? They prayed to Jehovah for help, and when they saw that he answered their prayers, their faith became stronger. (Nehemiah 1:4, 11; Psalm 34:4, 15, 17; Daniel 9:19-21) In the same way, when we see that Jehovah has heard our prayers and has given us exactly what we need at the right time, our faith in him becomes stronger. (Read 1 John 5:14, 15.) We also need to “keep on asking” Jehovah to give us his holy spirit so that we can have more faith.​—Luke 11:9, 13.

9. What are some things we should pray about?

⁹ When we pray to Jehovah, we should not just ask him to give us what we need. We should also thank him and praise him every day. After all, he has done so many wonderful things! (Psalm 40:5) Jehovah’s people also pray for their brothers around the world. For example, we “keep in mind those in prison.” We also pray for “those who are taking the lead.” When we see how Jehovah answers our prayers, our faith in him gets stronger and we draw closer to him.​—Hebrews 13:3, 7.

THEY REMAINED LOYAL

10. What helped many to be courageous and stay loyal to God?

¹⁰ In Hebrews chapter 11, the apostle Paul said: “Women received their dead by resurrection, but other men were tortured because they would not accept release by some ransom, in order that they might attain a better resurrection.” (Hebrews 11:35) Many endured trials and stayed loyal to God because they had strong faith in the resurrection that God had promised. They knew that in the future, Jehovah would bring them back to life and that they would live forever on earth. Think of Naboth and Zechariah. They were stoned to death for obeying God. (1 Kings 21:3, 15; 2 Chronicles 24:20, 21) Daniel was thrown into a pit of hungry lions, and his friends were thrown into a scorching fire. They were willing to die rather than be disloyal to Jehovah. These men had strong faith that Jehovah would give them his holy spirit and help them to endure those sufferings.​—Daniel 3:16-18, 20, 28; 6:13, 16, 21-23; Hebrews 11:33, 34.

11. What trials did some of the prophets endure because of their faith?

¹¹ Many prophets, such as Micaiah and Jeremiah, were mocked or put in prison. Others, like Elijah, “wandered about in deserts and mountains and caves and dens of the earth.” All of these endured trials and stayed loyal to God because they had an “assured expectation of what is hoped for.”​—Hebrews 11:1, 36-38; 1 Kings 18:13; 22:24-27; Jeremiah 20:1, 2; 28:10, 11; 32:2.

12. Who is the best example we can imitate? What helped him to endure trials?

¹² Jesus Christ endured the most difficult trial of all and stayed loyal to Jehovah. What helped him to endure? Paul said: “For the joy that was set before him he endured a torture stake, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) Paul then encouraged Christians to “consider closely” the example of Jesus. (Read Hebrews 12:3.) Like Jesus, many Christians in the first century died because they were loyal to Jehovah. One of these was Antipas. (Revelation 2:13) Such Christians have already received their reward, unlike other servants of God before them who looked forward to life on earth. (Hebrews 11:35) Sometime after Jesus became King in 1914, anointed Christians who had died were resurrected to immortal life in heaven, and they will rule with him over mankind.​—Revelation 20:4.

SERVANTS OF GOD TODAY WHO HAVE STRONG FAITH

13, 14. What trials did Rudolf Graichen endure, and what helped him to stay loyal to God?

¹³ Millions of servants of God are following Jesus’ example. They meditate on God’s promises and remain loyal to him during trials. Consider Rudolf Graichen, who was born in Germany in 1925. When he was young, his parents hung pictures of Bible scenes in their home. He said: “One picture showed the wolf and the lamb, the kid and the leopard, the calf and the lion​—all in peace, being led by a little boy.” (Isaiah 11:6-9) This helped Rudolf to think a lot about the paradise on earth and strengthened his faith in it. As a result, he remained loyal to Jehovah even though he was harshly persecuted for many years by the Nazi Gestapo and then by the Communist Stasi of East Germany.

¹⁴ Rudolf endured many other trials. His mother died of typhus in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. His father signed a document in which he said that he was no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. But Rudolf kept his faith strong. After he was released from prison, he served as a circuit overseer. Then he was invited to Gilead School and was assigned to Chile, where he again served as a circuit overseer. There he married a missionary sister, Patsy. But sadly, a year later, their baby daughter died. Sometime after that, Patsy also died. She was only 43 years old. Despite all these trials, Rudolf continued serving Jehovah. Even when he was older and did not have good health, he served as a regular pioneer and an elder. We can read his life story in the August 1, 1997, issue of The Watchtower, pages 20-25.^[1] (See endnote.)

15. Give some examples of brothers and sisters today who serve Jehovah with joy even though they are persecuted.

¹⁵ Today, many of our brothers and sisters serve Jehovah with joy even though they are harshly persecuted. Hundreds of them are imprisoned in Eritrea, Singapore, and South Korea because they refuse to “take up the sword.” (Matthew 26:52) For example, Isaac, Negede, and Paulos have been in an Eritrean prison for over 20 years! There they have been cruelly treated. And during all these years, they have not been able to get married or take care of their parents. Yet, they are loyal to Jehovah, and their faith is strong. Even their prison guards now respect them. There is a picture of these brothers on the jw.org website. They are smiling, even though they are suffering.

16. What can strong faith help you to do?

¹⁶ Most of Jehovah’s people have not been put in prison or treated harshly like our brothers who were just mentioned. But many have suffered because of poverty, natural disasters, or civil wars. Others have followed the example of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses and have given up fame or riches to focus on serving Jehovah. What helps our brothers to remain happy serving Jehovah? Their love for him and their strong faith in his promises. They know that he will reward his faithful servants with eternal life in the new world, where there will be no injustice.​—Read Psalm 37:5, 7, 9, 29.

17. How will you keep your faith strong, and what will we discuss in the next article?

¹⁷ In this article, we have seen how faith is “the assured expectation of what is hoped for.” To have such faith, we need to pray to Jehovah and keep meditating on his promises. Then we will be able to endure any trial. The next article will discuss more about what it means to have faith.

1. How should we feel about our faith?

FAITH is something that not all people have. (2 Thessalonians 3:2) But Jehovah gives faith to all those who worship him. (Romans 12:3; Galatians 5:22) How grateful we are that Jehovah gives us faith!

2, 3. (a) How do we benefit when we have faith? (b) What questions will we now consider?

² Jehovah gave his dear Son so that everyone who has faith in Jesus can have his sins forgiven. This makes it possible for people to be Jehovah’s friends and to live forever. (John 6:44, 65; Romans 6:23) How kind Jehovah is to us! Although we are sinners and deserve death, Jehovah saw that we were capable of doing good things. (Psalm 103:10) He helped us to learn the good news about Jesus and his sacrifice. When we began to have faith in Jesus and to follow him, we could look forward to everlasting life!​—Read 1 John 4:9, 10.

³ But what more can we learn about faith? If we just know about what God has done for us and will do in the future, does that mean we have faith? Let us see what else we must do.

“EXERCISE FAITH IN YOUR HEART”

4. When we have faith, how does it affect us?

⁴ When we have faith in Jehovah and Jesus, we do not just know about what they have done and will do for us. We also have a strong desire to live in the way they have taught us to live. And we are eager to help others to get to know them. The apostle Paul said: “If you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one exercises faith for righteousness, but with the mouth one makes public declaration for salvation.”​—Romans 10:9, 10; 2 Corinthians 4:13.

5. Why is faith so important, and what do we need to do to have strong faith? Give an example.

⁵ Clearly, to enjoy eternal life in God’s new world, we must have faith and we must keep our faith strong. Faith is like a plant. We need to keep watering a plant so that it will stay healthy and keep growing. But if we do not give it enough water, it will wither and die. In a similar way, we need to make sure that our faith stays “healthy” and keeps “growing.”​—Titus 2:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Luke 22:32; Hebrews 3:12.

THE BIBLE DESCRIBES WHAT FAITH IS

6. In what two ways does Hebrews 11:1 describe faith?

⁶ At Hebrews 11:1, the Bible describes what faith is. (Read.) (1) Faith is “the assured expectation of what is hoped for.” The things we hope for include God’s promises about the future. For example, we are sure that wickedness will end and that there will be a new world. (2) Faith is “the evident demonstration,” or the convincing evidence, “of realities that are not seen.” We know that Jehovah God, Jesus Christ, the angels, and the Kingdom in heaven exist, even though we cannot see them. (Hebrews 11:3) How can we show that we truly have faith in God’s promises and in the things we cannot see? We do that by the way we live our life and by what we say and do.

7. How does Noah’s example help us to understand what it means to have faith? (See opening picture.)

⁷ What do we learn from Noah about faith? The apostle Paul said that Noah, “after receiving divine warning of things not yet seen, showed godly fear and constructed an ark for the saving of his household.” (Hebrews 11:7) Because Noah had faith in what Jehovah told him, he built that gigantic ark. Perhaps his neighbors asked him why he was building the ark. We can be sure that Noah did not keep quiet. The Bible says that Noah was “a preacher of righteousness.” (2 Peter 2:5) He warned people that God was going to bring a flood to destroy the wicked. He probably told them exactly what Jehovah had told him: “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, because the earth is full of violence on account of them,” and “I am going to bring floodwaters upon the earth to destroy from under the heavens all flesh that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will perish.” Then Noah must have explained to the people what they needed to do to survive. Jehovah had commanded: “You must go into the ark.”​—Genesis 6:13, 17, 18.

8. What did James say about faith?

⁸ James too wrote about faith. He likely did this soon after the apostle Paul had written to the Hebrews. James wrote: “Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18) James explained that to have faith, we need to do more than just believe. The demons believe that God exists, but they do not have faith in Jehovah. Instead, they strongly oppose him. (James 2:19, 20) On the other hand, when someone has faith, he will please God by doing good works, or good deeds. That is what Abraham did. James wrote: “Was not Abraham our father declared righteous by works after he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that his faith was active along with his works and his faith was perfected by his works.” James then emphasized that faith without works is useless by saying: “Just as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”​—James 2:21-23, 26.

9, 10. What does it mean to exercise faith in the Son?

⁹ More than 30 years later, John wrote his Gospel and three letters. Like other Bible writers, John understood what faith is. Many times in his writings, John used the Greek verb that is sometimes translated “exercise faith” in English.

¹⁰ For example, John explained: “The one who exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life; the one who disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.” (John 3:36) To exercise faith in the Son, we must obey Jesus. In fact, from John’s writings, we see that Jesus often said that to have everlasting life, we must exercise faith in him and his Father.​—John 3:16; 6:29, 40; 11:25, 26; 14:1, 12.

11. How can we show that we are grateful to Jehovah for knowing the truth?

¹¹ Jehovah used his holy spirit to help us understand the truth about him and his Son and to help us have faith in them. (Read Luke 10:21.) How can we show that we are grateful to Jehovah for all he has done? We must never stop thanking him for allowing us to have a relationship with him by means of Jesus, who is “the Chief Agent and Perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) And we need to keep strengthening our faith by always praying to Jehovah and studying his Word.​—Ephesians 6:18; 1 Peter 2:2.

12. If we have faith, what will we do?

¹² We should keep showing by our actions that we have strong faith in Jehovah’s promises. For example, we keep preaching to people about God’s Kingdom and helping them become disciples of Jesus. We also keep doing “what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to us in the faith.” (Galatians 6:10) And we work hard to “strip off the old personality with its practices” because we do not want anything to damage our friendship with Jehovah.​—Colossians 3:5, 8-10.

FAITH IN GOD IS PART OF OUR FOUNDATION

13. How important is “faith in God”? How does the Bible describe it, and why?

¹³ The Bible says: “Without faith it is impossible to please God well, for whoever approaches God must believe that he exists and that he becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.” (Hebrews 11:6, footnote) The Bible also shows that “faith in God” is one of the first things that true Christians must have. It is part of our “foundation.” (Hebrews 6:1) But besides faith, we need other important qualities in order to have a friendship with Jehovah and keep it.​—Read 2 Peter 1:5-7; Jude 20, 21.

14, 15. Compared with love, how important is faith?

¹⁴ Bible writers referred to faith more than to any other quality. Does this mean that faith is the most important quality we need to have?

¹⁵ Paul compared faith with love. He wrote: “If I have all the faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2) Jesus said that “the greatest commandment in the Law” is to love God. (Matthew 22:35-40) Love helps us to have many other qualities that please God. For example, the Bible says that love “believes all things.” So love will help us to believe, or have faith in, everything that God tells us in the Bible.​—1 Corinthians 13:4, 7.

16, 17. What does the Bible say about faith and love? Which of these qualities is greater, and why?

¹⁶ Both faith and love are very important qualities, and Bible writers often mentioned them together. Paul encouraged his brothers to “put on the breastplate of faith and love.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8) Peter wrote about Jesus: “Though you never saw him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, yet you exercise faith in him.” (1 Peter 1:8) James asked his anointed brothers: “Did not God choose those who are poor from the world’s standpoint to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom, which he promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5) John wrote that God’s commandment is that “we have faith in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another.”​—1 John 3:23.

¹⁷ But Paul also wrote: “Now, however, these three remain: faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13) In the future, we will no longer need to have faith in God’s promises about his new world because they will have come true. We will be living the wonderful life that the Bible talks about. But we will always need to have love for God and for people. In fact, our love for them will keep growing forever.

JEHOVAH HAS BLESSED OUR FAITH

18, 19. What has resulted because God’s people have faith today, and who deserves the praise for this?

¹⁸ Jehovah’s people in our time have faith in God’s Kingdom and support it. And they love one another. This is because they allow God’s spirit to guide the way they live. (Galatians 5:22, 23) What has been the result? Over eight million brothers and sisters around the world have peace and unity in their congregations. Clearly, faith and love are powerful qualities.

¹⁹ This unity has been possible only with the help of our God. He deserves the praise for it. (Isaiah 55:13) We are truly grateful that he has made it possible for us to be “saved through faith.” (Ephesians 2:8) Jehovah will continue to help many more people to have faith in him. Then, finally, the whole earth will be filled with perfect, righteous, and happy people who will praise Jehovah forever!

I WAS born in Wichita, Kansas, U.S.A., on December 10, 1936, the oldest of four children. My parents, William and Jean, were loyal servants of Jehovah. My father was the company servant, now called the coordinator of the body of elders. My mother learned the truth from her mother, Emma Wagner. Emma taught the truth to many people, including Gertrude Steele, who served as a missionary in Puerto Rico.a (See footnote.) So I had many good examples to imitate.

REMEMBERING GOOD EXAMPLES

One Saturday evening when I was five years old, my father and I were offering the Watchtower and Consolation (now Awake!) magazines to people passing by on the street. At the time, the country was deeply involved in World War II. My father, however, remained neutral. A doctor who was drunk came by and accused him of being a coward and of making excuses not to join the war. The doctor put his face very close to my father’s and said, “Why don’t you hit me, you yellow coward!” I was frightened, but I really admired my father. He just kept offering the magazines to the people who were watching. Then a soldier walked by, and the doctor yelled, “Do something about this yellow coward!” The soldier could see that the man was drunk, so he told him, “Go home and sober up!” They both left. I am very grateful for the courage that Jehovah gave my father. He owned two barbershops in Wichita, and the doctor was one of his clients!

When I was eight years old, my parents sold their home and shops and built a small mobile home. Then we moved to Colorado, near Grand Junction, to serve where the need for publishers was greater. My parents pioneered and worked part-time, farming and ranching. With Jehovah’s blessing and their zealous work, a congregation was started. On June 20, 1948, my father baptized me in a mountain stream, along with others who had accepted the truth, including Billie Nichols and his wife. They later went into the circuit work, and so did their son and his wife.

We were good friends with many who were busy in Jehovah’s service, especially the Steele family​—Don and Earlene, Dave and Julia, and Si and Martha. We enjoyed discussing the Bible with them, and they influenced my life very much. They showed me that our lives have real meaning and joy when we put the Kingdom first.

MOVING AGAIN

When I was 19, Bud Hasty, who was a family friend, asked me to join him in the pioneer work in the southern United States. The circuit overseer asked us to move to Ruston, Louisiana, where several Witnesses had become inactive. He told us to conduct all the meetings each week even if no one else came. We found a meeting place and got it ready. We had every meeting, but for some time, only the two of us attended. We took turns​—one presented a meeting part while the other answered all the questions. If the part had a demonstration, both of us would be on the platform with no one in the audience! Finally, an older sister started attending. Eventually, some Bible students and some inactive ones began coming to the meetings, and soon we became a congregation.

One day, Bud and I met a minister from the Church of Christ, and he talked about scriptures that I did not know. This bothered me and made me think more deeply about what I believed. For a week, I studied until late each night to get answers to his questions. That really helped me to strengthen my own relationship with Jehovah, and I was eager to meet another preacher.

Soon after that, the circuit overseer asked me to move to El Dorado, Arkansas, to help that congregation. While I was there, I often had to go back to Colorado to appear before the draft board, a committee that decides who must join the military. On one trip, some other pioneers and I were traveling together, and in Texas we had an accident that totally damaged my car. We called a brother, who came and took us to his home and then to the meeting. There they made an announcement about our accident, and the brothers kindly gave us some money. The brother also sold my car for $25.

We were able to get a ride to Wichita. There a close family friend, E. F. McCartney, whom we called Doc, was pioneering. His twin sons, Frank and Francis, are still two of my best friends. They had an old car that they sold to me for $25, exactly the amount I had received for my wrecked one. This was the first time I clearly saw that because I was putting the Kingdom first in my life, Jehovah gave me something I needed. On this visit, the McCartneys introduced me to a lovely sister, Bethel Crane. Her mother, Ruth, a zealous Witness in Wellington, Kansas, continued pioneering until her 90’s. Bethel and I got married less than a year later, in 1958, and we started pioneering together in El Dorado.

THRILLING INVITATIONS

We wanted to imitate the good examples we had growing up, so we decided that we would accept any invitation from Jehovah’s organization. We were assigned to special pioneer in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. Then in 1962, we were thrilled to receive an invitation to the 37th class of Gilead. We were happy to learn that Don Steele was in the same class. After we graduated, Bethel and I were assigned to Nairobi, Kenya. We were sad to leave New York, but we were overjoyed when we arrived at the airport in Nairobi and saw that our brothers were there to meet us!

It did not take long to love being in Kenya and preaching there. Our first Bible students who came into the truth were Chris and Mary Kanaiya. They are still in the full-time service in Kenya. The following year, we were asked to go to Kampala, Uganda. We were the first missionaries in that country. Those were exciting times because so many were eager to learn Bible truths, and they became our brothers and sisters. However, after three and a half years in Africa, we returned to the United States to have a family. We felt more sadness the day we left Africa than the day we left New York. We loved the people in Africa and hoped to return someday.

A NEW ASSIGNMENT

We moved to western Colorado, where my parents lived. Soon after, our first daughter, Kimberly, was born, and 17 months later, we had Stephany. Our new assignment as parents was very important to us. We worked hard to teach the truth to our beautiful girls. We wanted to imitate the good examples that others had set for us. We knew that a good example can influence children very much, but it is not a guarantee that they will grow up to serve Jehovah. Sadly, my younger brother and sister left the truth. Hopefully, they will again imitate the good examples that were also set for them.

We really enjoyed raising our daughters and always tried to do things as a family. Since we lived near Aspen, Colorado, we learned to ski so that at times we could ski together. This gave us an opportunity to have conversations with the girls as we rode up the ski lifts together. We would also go camping with them and would have very enjoyable conversations around the campfire. Even though they were young, they asked questions such as, “What will I do when I grow up?” and “What kind of person do I want to marry?” We did all we could to teach our daughters to love Jehovah. We always encouraged them to set the full-time ministry as a goal and to marry only someone with a similar goal. We also tried to help them understand that it is best not to marry too young. We would often say, “Stay free until you are at least 23.”

We imitated our parents’ example and worked hard to attend the meetings and regularly go out in field service as a family. We arranged to have some who were in the full-time ministry stay in our home. Also, we often talked about how much we loved the missionary work. We hoped that someday all four of us might take a trip to Africa together. Our daughters really wanted to do that.

We always had a regular family study. We would act out situations that could happen at school, and the girls would play the part of a Witness answering questions. They had fun learning in this way, and it made them confident. As they got older, though, they sometimes complained about having the family study. One time, I was so discouraged that I told them to go to their rooms and that we would not have the study. They were shocked and started to cry and said that they wanted to study. Then we began to realize that we really were helping them to enjoy learning about Jehovah. As time went by, they loved to study, and they felt comfortable telling us their thoughts and feelings. It was hard at times to hear them say that they did not agree with a Bible teaching. But we learned how they really felt. After we reasoned with them, they would agree with Jehovah’s standards.

ADJUSTING TO MORE CHANGES

The years we spent raising our daughters went by very fast. With the help and direction of God’s organization, we did our best to raise them to love Jehovah. We were so grateful when both daughters started pioneering after finishing high school, and they learned skills to support themselves financially. They moved to Cleveland, Tennessee, with two other sisters to serve where the need for publishers was greater. We missed them very much, but we were happy that they were using their lives in the full-time service. Bethel and I then began to pioneer again, and because of that we later had the opportunity to do substitute circuit work and convention work.

Before our daughters moved to Tennessee, they traveled to London, England, and visited the branch office. Stephany, then 19 years old, met a young Bethelite there named Paul Norton. On a later trip, Kimberly met one of his workmates, Brian Llewellyn. When Stephany turned 23, she married Paul. And the next year, when Kimberly was 25, she married Brian. So they did stay free until they were at least 23. We were very happy with the husbands they chose.

Our daughters have told us that the examples we and their grandparents set helped them to ‘keep seeking first God’s Kingdom,’ even when they had money problems. (Matthew 6:33) In April 1998, Paul and Stephany were invited to the 105th class of Gilead, and they were assigned to serve in Malawi, Africa. At the same time, Brian and Kimberly were invited to work at London Bethel and later were transferred to Malawi Bethel. We were extremely happy because our children were using their lives in the best way.

ANOTHER THRILLING INVITATION

In January 2001, I received the phone call I mentioned at the beginning. Brother Marais, the overseer of Translation Services, explained that the brothers were preparing a course that would help translators around the world to understand the English text better. Even though I was 64, they wanted to train me to be one of the instructors. Bethel and I prayed about it and talked with our mothers to get their advice. Although they were elderly and would be without our help, they both wanted us to go. I called back and said we would be very happy to accept this wonderful assignment.

Then my mother found out that she had cancer. I told her that we would stay and help my sister Linda to care for her. Mother refused and said, “I would feel worse if you didn’t go.” Linda felt the same way. We were very grateful that they were willing to make such a sacrifice, and we were also grateful for the help of the brothers and sisters in the area. The day after we left for the Watchtower Educational Center in Patterson, Linda called to tell us that Mother had died. As she would have encouraged us to do, we stayed busy with our new work.

We were excited to learn that our first assignment was to the Malawi branch, where our daughters and their husbands were serving. It was wonderful to be together again. Next, we taught the course in Zimbabwe and then in Zambia. After teaching the course for three and a half years, we returned to Malawi to write down the experiences of the Witnesses who had been persecuted there because of their Christian neutrality.b​—See footnote.

In 2005, we were once again very sad to leave Africa. We returned home to Basalt, Colorado, where Bethel and I continue pioneering. In 2006, Brian and Kimberly moved next door to us to raise their two daughters, Mackenzie and Elizabeth. Paul and Stephany are still in Malawi, where Paul serves on the Branch Committee. Now I am almost 80 years old, and it makes me very happy to see younger men whom I have worked with take care of the responsibilities that I used to have. For the benefit of our children and grandchildren, we have tried to imitate the good examples that others set for us. This has truly brought us great joy and happiness.

Is it believable that in ancient times someone would actually plant weeds in another man’s field?

ACCORDING to Matthew 13:24-26, Jesus said: “The Kingdom of the heavens may be likened to a man who sowed fine seed in his field. While men were sleeping, his enemy came and oversowed weeds in among the wheat and left. When the stalk sprouted and produced fruit, then the weeds also appeared.” Some writers doubt that this illustration is based on a real event, but according to ancient Roman legal writings, something like this could have happened.

One Bible dictionary says that under Roman law, it was a crime to plant weeds in another man’s field in order to get revenge. The fact that a law was needed means that this really did happen. Legal scholar Alastair Kerr explains that in the year 533 after Christ, Roman Emperor Justinian published his Digest. This was a summary of Roman law and contained quotations from experts on the law from about the years 100-250 after Christ. According to the Digest, one of those experts, Ulpian, referred to a case from the second century. Weeds had been sown in another person’s field, and as a result, the crop was ruined. The Digest discusses the legal rights that a farmer had so that he could get compensation from the criminal, money to pay for the lost crop.

Such things did happen in the ancient Roman Empire, which shows that the situation in Jesus’ illustration could have happened in real life.