Are You Sharing in Disciple-making?
IF YOU are a dedicated, baptized disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, then you have a commandment to share in making disciples. That commandment has not been given to you by a man or an organization of men. You have received it from One who “has become better than the angels” and who has “inherited a name more excellent than theirs?’ (Heb. 1:4) This One is the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matt. 28:18-20) His name is “more excellent” than that of the angels because it stands for the vast executive authority he has as Jehovah’s appointed King.
Truly it is a privilege for you to share in the work entrusted to you by One who has such authority. Are you sharing in it? Could you share in it to a greater extent?
The primary way in which people today are being assisted to become disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ is through weekly home Bible studies. During the 1972 service year 298,129 Bible studies, on the average, were conducted each month in the United States. It is indeed encouraging to know that tens, yes, hundreds of thousands are being assisted in this way to come to an accurate knowledge of the truth. Nevertheless, the question arises, Could more Bible studies be conducted?
The indications are that more people could be assisted through home Bible studies. In the United States over 360,000 more books were placed with interested persons in the 1972 service year than in the 1971 service year. It is not unusual for people to write to the Watch Tower Society, or to go to a Kingdom Hall or to phone Jehovah’s witnesses, requesting that someone study the Bible with them. Brothers and sisters offering magazines on the street have also been approached with such requests.
Many Still ‘Sighing and Crying’
There are yet many who are sighing and crying because of the detestable things being committed in Christendom and the rest of this ungodly system. Hence the more time you personally spend in searching for such honest-hearted people the greater will be the likelihood of your finding some of them. Do you feel impelled to spend as much time as possible in the preaching work because of your deep concern that no honest-hearted person in the territory be neglected or overlooked? Is your concern such that you put forth every reasonable effort to make return visits where people manifest interest?
Considering that lives are at stake, we should be moved to set aside as much time as possible to search for sheeplike ones. While the Christian ministry includes caring for one’s family and home, our discharging these responsibilities does not relieve us of the obligation to share in Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making outside our immediate family circle. Our fine example in Christian conduct can give a witness, but that example alone will not be enough for others to become disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. The disciple-making work calls for teaching and, before such teaching begins, persons who are willing to be taught must be found.
A Balanced View of Responsibility
This points up the need to care for responsibilities in a balanced way. A fine example to keep in mind in this regard is Noah. As husband and father he had to see that his family had ample spiritual and material provisions. He had to arrange his routine of life in such a way as to have time to build the ark and preach to his contemporaries. The adjustments that Noah had to make were not limited to just a few years. Likely his work of preaching and building spanned a period of forty or fifty years. Despite Noah’s faithful efforts, not one person, aside from seven members of his family, put himself in line for surviving the Flood. But Noah did not give way to discouragement and stop building and preaching due to the unresponsiveness of his contemporaries. How glad we can be that he did not do so! Had he quit, none of us would be alive today.
While you may keenly appreciate the importance of imitating Noah’s example in caring for all your responsibilities, you may feel that you are not capable of conducting a home Bible study. Inexperience and limited ability, however, need not discourage you as to your sharing in the work that Jesus Christ commanded his disciples to do. Had Jesus, as Head of the Christian congregation, wanted only those with the greatest knowledge and ability to share in making disciples, he would have said so.
That it is not so much a matter of ability as of desire and sincere effort is well illustrated in the case of many new missionaries serving in foreign fields. Their vocabulary is limited. Their speech is often hesitant and clumsy. Their comprehension of the language is far from complete. Yet they are able to conduct home Bible studies. Surely, then, you do not need to hold back because of feeling that others can express themselves better. Besides, more experienced brothers or sisters will be glad to accompany you and render assistance should the need arise. Also, the Bible study overseer will be glad to help you.
Since Jesus’ command to make disciples is in complete harmony with his Father’s will, you also have the backing of Jehovah and the help of his holy spirit. So if you start a Bible study, you do not have to fear that you will fail because of your limitations. If you look to Jehovah and do your best, he will not allow you to fail in teaching the truth to others.
A Matter of Prayer
If you are not now conducting a Bible study, have you made this a matter of prayer? One brother in Austria did this. For more than a month he repeatedly prayed that Jehovah might help him to find someone with whom a Bible study could be started. Not only did this brother pray, but he also took three days off from his secular work during the circuit overseer’s visit. It was while calling at the last door one morning during the visit of the circuit overseer that this brother started a study with a man and his wife.
A missionary in El Salvador found that many of her Bible students were not progressing. She earnestly prayed that she might find someone who would appreciate life in God’s new order. Later she contacted a secretary in an office. This woman eagerly accepted the magazines and gave the missionary her home address. A Bible study was started with this woman, and her husband eventually also took part. Now a congregation book study is held in their home, and the man, his wife and their five children regularly attend the meetings at the Kingdom Hall.
In addition to praying to Jehovah to direct you to those of honest heart, be sure to act in full harmony with your prayers by never overlooking opportunities to start Bible studies. Have you tried offering to study the Bible with people on the initial call? Are there any people on whom you have called in the past that might agree to a Bible study now? Why not check your records and make a special effort to visit those who have shown interest?
There are times that the potential for new Bible studies is right within the congregation. In one congregation in the state of Oregon, for example, an overseer made it a point to offer to study the Bible with unbelieving husbands of publishers who had moved into the territory. Within ten minutes of meeting this overseer, one unbelieving husband agreed to have a Bible study. In the case of another husband, a relative, efforts to befriend him led to his accepting a Bible study when another brother called at his home. The two husbands are now baptized and, according to the most recent information, more than forty of their relatives are now either studying or have themselves become dedicated, baptized witnesses of Jehovah.
People who are now studying with us or on whom we have made return visits can also be instrumental in helping us to find other interested persons. Have you ever asked whether they knew anyone who they felt might want to study the Bible?
Informal Witnessing Helps
There may be brothers and sisters in your congregation that are unable to follow through on all their promising calls or are not in a position to conduct more home Bible studies. You might approach the Bible study overseer and express your desire to help out in this regard. You can be sure that your assistance will be very much appreciated.
Informal witnessing at work or at school has often brought fine results. Are you making good use of such opportunities to start studies with your fellow workers or schoolmates? Often seizing the opportunity to give a witness can lead to fine results.
A brother working at an auto repair shop in Norway uses all opportunities to talk to fellow workers. At lunch hours the workers discuss various questions, and the brother is often asked to express his views. One of the workers once mentioned that he was impressed with the brother’s always being able to give plain and logical answers. The brother then gave him some magazines. This led to a home Bible study. Eventually the worker became a baptized Witness, later changed his place of employment and there, through informal witnessing, helped two other families to accept the truth.
At school a young lad in Puerto Rico was asked to read a certain portion of a book that dealt with prehistoric ages. He then asked for permission to speak to the class and gave a fine explanation of the Bible’s teachings, using the Evolution book as the basis for his comments. The teacher and the students were impressed, and eighteen books were placed that day. The next day the teacher asked the young Witness to continue his discussion before the class. Six more books were placed. Now he is conducting two Bible studies with fellow classmates.
A teen-age Witness placed an Evolution book with one of her schoolmates and at the same time offered a Bible study. The girl did not accept this offer. Later, after the girl had read the book, she and the sister got together one evening to discuss the Bible. Several times during the discussion the girl exclaimed: “That is a nice Bible you have.” After three hours, during which the girl had repeated this statement about the Bible three times, the young sister, quite surprised at the remarks, offered her a Bible study. At this the girl exclaimed: “Finally you mention what I have been waiting to hear all evening. I just did not want to come right out and ask you about it.”
Appreciating that Jesus Christ has entrusted you with the responsibility to preach and make disciples, you will certainly want to share in that work to the greatest extent possible. Allow your love for fellow humans to impel you to do so. Prayerfully look to Jehovah for his direction and trust in his ability to aid you by means of his holy spirit.