Sharing in a Faith-building Work
1 Jehovah does not hide the truth from those seeking it. Even “the heavens are declaring the glory of God,” as Psalm 19:1 says. The apostle Paul quoted from this psalm to illustrate the spread of “the word about Christ,” saying: “Into all the earth their sound went out, and to the extremities of the inhabited earth their utterances.” (Rom. 10:17, 18) Having come to put faith in “the word” ourselves, we are pleased to share the good news with others.—John 14:1, 12.
2 We can do this by sharing in the thirty-seventh annual Watchtower subscription campaign. When we consider that the truth is now being proclaimed in 207 countries and islands of the world, and that The Watchtower itself is published in 79 languages, with an average printing each issue of 8,700,000 copies, we can see the tremendous scope of this work.
3 But we realize, too, that just leaving copies of the magazines with the people, or even arranging for them to receive a subscription, is not necessarily going to build up their faith. Once the magazines are in the homes of the people they need to appreciate their value, take them out of their wrappers and read them. Will the life-giving truths the magazines contain really sink into the hearts of the people so they will grow in faith without further help? As Paul said, “Faith follows the thing heard.” (Rom. 10:17) It helps if we can discuss with them the material presented. We should be alert to aid those who desire to increase their faith.
4 Many publishers concentrate on starting Bible studies with persons who receive one of the Society’s small books as a study aid, but with subscribers some are not sure just how to proceed when it comes to starting a Bible study. Is that the way you feel? During the four months of our current subscription campaign we should make continuing efforts to study with persons showing interest, using the material the person has, so their faith will be built up. How can this be done?
5 A two-pronged approach would be helpful. It is appropriate to try to start a study using one of the free booklets that we leave with each subscriber, such as the “Good News” or “Look!” booklet, right on the first call. Additionally, it is good to call back on subscribers to see that they receive their subscriptions all right and to leave the new magazines. This gives us the opportunity to encourage them to read articles we feel may be of interest and also to renew our offer to help them to study the Bible.
6 Actually, we can try starting studies whether persons subscribe or not, if interest is shown. Just a few minutes are required to show them how to use our publications to study the Bible. Many appreciate simply being shown how to use their Bibles to find the answer to the question in one of the booklets on an interesting point and how the scriptures cited support it. If it does not seem appropriate to prolong the discussion, we may arrange to return at a time convenient. In this way we will be able to continue with the important work of making return visits and, especially, starting Bible studies while presenting the faith-building material in the Watchtower and Awake! magazines to the people during this subscription campaign.
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Proving Our Faith to Be Alive by Works.