Do Not Limit Yourself—Overcoming Feelings of Inadequacy
1. Why do some hold back from offering a Bible study?
1 Do you hold back from offering a Bible study because you are not confident in your ability to conduct one effectively? At times faithful servants in the past, such as Moses and Jeremiah, felt unqualified for their assignments. (Ex. 3:10, 11; 4:10; Jer. 1:4-6) Therefore, such feelings are not uncommon. How can they be overcome?
2. Why should we not be content to limit our ministry to the door-to-door preaching work while leaving the Bible study activity for others?
2 We should remember that Jehovah never asks us to do something that is beyond our ability. (Ps. 103:14) So our commission to “make disciples,” “teaching them,” is one that we can fulfill. (Matt. 28:19, 20) It is not a privilege that Jehovah has bestowed upon only the most experienced or the most talented among us. (1 Cor. 1:26, 27) Therefore, we should not be content to limit our ministry to the door-to-door preaching work and leave the Bible study activity for others.
3. How has Jehovah qualified us for the Bible study work?
3 Jehovah Qualifies Us: Our qualifications to make disciples issue from Jehovah. (2 Cor. 3:5) Through his organization he has taught us Bible truths that even the most educated people in this world do not know. (1 Cor. 2:7, 8) He has preserved a record of the teaching methods of the Great Teacher, Jesus, for us to imitate, and he gives us ongoing training through the congregation. In addition, Jehovah has not left us to formulate our own curriculum for teaching the Bible. He has provided tools, such as the Bible Teach book, that outline the truth in a logical and easy-to-understand way. Conducting a Bible study may be less challenging than we think.
4. Why can we have confidence that Jehovah will help us?
4 Moses and Jeremiah were able to fulfill their assignments with Jehovah’s help. (Ex. 4:11, 12; Jer. 1:7, 8) We too can ask Jehovah to help us. After all, when we conduct a Bible study, we are teaching someone the truth about Jehovah, which is pleasing in God’s eyes. (1 John 3:22) Therefore, make it your goal to share in the Bible study work, a most enjoyable and rewarding feature of the ministry.