Why We Preach and Teach
1 Householders often ask us why we come to their doors to talk about our beliefs. One answer is found in the words of Jesus: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come,” and, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 24:14; 22:39) World wide the witnessing work goes on, as shown in the 1977 Yearbook. What conclusion is there to draw? Only one, namely, that there is preaching and teaching work yet to be done, that there is still opportunity to demonstrate our love for Jehovah and for fellow humans by sharing in this service.
WHY WE SHARE
2 The answer to the question of what motivates our preaching and teaching lies in the heart of each of us. This is because it is out of the ‘abundance of the heart’ that one’s mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45) When our heart abounds in love for God, it moves us to stand up for Jehovah’s name. (Ps. 40:5-10) To illustrate, if a friend you loved dearly was being falsely accused and you possessed evidence of his innocence, would not your love for him impel you to speak up to clear him, to vindicate him? In the same way our hearts are incited to preach and teach the truth about Jehovah our God. Knowing that many people blame God for this system’s wrongs, we want to inform them of his Kingdom arrangement for correcting all the problems facing the world of mankind.
3 And what about our fellowmen who are still part of the world? Those who have not yet conformed to God’s purposes stand in imminent danger of losing their lives. There is no hope without Jehovah’s protection. Yes, they are living in the very shadow of death. If we truly love our neighbor as we do ourselves, we will want to aid all we can to draw close to Jehovah now.—Rom. 10:14.
SHARE THE TRUTH EACH DAY
4 To share in the vindication of Jehovah’s name and to help our neighbors require activity on our part. Are we responding by sharing the Kingdom message at all opportunities? Are we sharing in the house-to-house work regularly? This remains a most effective means of giving all an opportunity to hear the truth.
5 Do we as well take advantage of opportunities to give an informal witness to friends and relatives, any and all with whom we come in contact? While we might not be able to share each day in house-to-house work, almost every day we talk with someone who is not in the truth, a storekeeper, salesperson, friend, relative, and so forth. If we all take advantage of our opportunities each day to share the truth with others through informal witnessing, the prospect of helping many is fine indeed.
NOW MORE URGENT THAN EVER
6 During the past service year 43,900 were baptized in the United States, and we averaged 282,557 Bible studies a month; so with Jehovah’s blessing, continued growth is expected. Just how much time is left to help others before the “great tribulation” none of us know. (Matt. 24:36) However, we do know that Jesus’ prophecies at Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 are being fulfilled in this generation.
7 Is it not urgent then that our hearts motivate us to give generously of our time and energy in preaching and teaching while others may yet hear and respond? (Prov. 3:27) Moved by deep love for God and for our neighbor, let us do all we can to share in Kingdom preaching and teaching.—2 Cor. 5:14, 15.