Gilead’s 65th Class Encouraged to Remain Faithful
September 10, 1978, was the graduation day for the 29 students of the 65th class of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead. They had successfully completed their five-month training in Brooklyn, New York, and were assigned to missionary service in parts of Africa, South America and Eurasia and on islands of the South Pacific. All had looked forward with keen anticipation to their training. One couple had waited for 10 years until there was an opening for them to attend the school. Others had waited at least three years. None of the students were novices in providing spiritual aid to their fellow humans. On the average, they had devoted about 10 years to this vital work.
The graduation program featured two distinct parts. The morning was devoted to parting admonition to the class, and the afternoon witnessed a program presented by the graduates to an audience of nearly 1,900 friends and relatives.
F. W. Franz, the school’s president, made the graduates mindful of the need to pay attention to themselves so that they might remain faithful to God. For his discussion, he drew on Mark chapter 4. After emphasizing the importance of giving undivided attention and profound respect to Jesus Christ in his capacity as a teacher, Franz cautioned the graduates against involvement with bad associates inside and outside the Christian congregation.
He made the following points: By taking up a new assignment as missionaries, the graduates were, in effect, being transplanted. They would find themselves in new soil, that is, a new environment. How would they react? Would they continue to develop their capacities and fine attitudes and qualities? When the harvesttime comes, that is, when there is no further opportunity to develop their Christian personality, in what condition would they be found? This would depend largely on what they had allowed to influence them.
Hence, Franz urged the graduates to exercise care not to come under worldly influence. Instead, they should put God’s kingdom first in their lives and strive to cultivate the fruitage of his spirit. Then, with the coming of the day of judgment, they would pass through it successfully.
Earlier, other speakers, including the school’s two instructors, also gave upbuilding admonition to remain faithful. They highlighted such aspects as the importance of patience, preserving a wholesome attitude, not judging people by outward appearances, finding joy in humbly serving and maintaining deep love for God and trusting in his love.
Even the program presented by the students served as an encouragement to faithfulness. After illustrating the development of music used by Jehovah’s Witnesses at their meetings, the students staged two Bible dramas. The first demonstrated the need for watching tendencies that could cause a person to lose out on seeing the fulfillment of God’s promises. Events from the reign of Judean King Jehoshaphat were enacted in the second drama. Especially the deliverance of Judah from the combined forces of Moab, Ammon and those of Mount Seir in the time of Jehoshaphat revealed that faithful reliance on God does lead to blessings.
Of course, not just the graduates of Gilead’s 65th class but all disciples of Jesus Christ should think seriously about remaining faithful to God. Only by faithful endurance to the end of one’s life as a Christian or until the execution of divine judgment can one be among those to enjoy everlasting blessings as part of the “new heavens and a new earth” of God’s making.—2 Pet. 3:13.