Why Keep On Preaching?
1 Has the Kingdom-preaching work been carried on in your community for a long time? (Matt. 24:14) If so, you may feel that the congregation’s territory has been adequately covered. Now when you preach, perhaps most people you meet seem apathetic toward the Kingdom message. Even so, note what is acknowledged about Jesus’ true disciples on page 141 of the Isaiah’s Prophecy II book: “In some places, the results of their ministry may seem insignificant when compared with the amount of work and effort expended. Still, they endure.” But why keep on preaching?
2 Remember Jeremiah: Our enduring faithfully in the preaching work should not depend on whether people listen to us or not. Jeremiah preached for 40 years in the same territory even though very few listened to him and many were opposed to his message. Why did Jeremiah persevere? Because he was doing a work that God commanded him to do and his knowledge of what was going to happen in the future compelled him to keep speaking out.—Jer. 1:17; 20:9.
3 Our situation is similar. Jesus has “ordered us to preach to the people and to give a thorough witness that this is the One decreed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42) The message that we bear is a matter of life and death to those who hear it. People will be judged on the basis of their response to the good news. That being so, our responsibility is to do exactly as we have been commanded to do. Even when people refuse to listen, this gives us the opportunity to show the depth of our love for them and of our devotion to Jehovah by persisting in doing what we must. But there is more.
4 We Are Benefiting: Doing God’s will, regardless of the response in the territory, gives us inner peace, satisfaction, and happiness, which cannot be found in any other way. (Ps. 40:8) Our lives take on real meaning and purpose. The more we share in the ministry, the more our hearts and minds are focused on the hope and joy of living in God’s new world. Dwelling on these Scriptural promises enhances our spirituality and strengthens our relationship with Jehovah.
5 Even if we do not see immediate results in our preaching activity, a seed of truth may have been planted in the heart of an individual that will sprout in Jehovah’s due time. (John 6:44; 1 Cor. 3:6) None of us know how many more will yet come to learn of the Kingdom through the efforts of Jehovah’s people, either locally or worldwide.
6 As never before, we should heed Jesus’ instruction: “Keep looking, keep awake, for you do not know when the appointed time is. But what I say to you I say to all, Keep on the watch.” (Mark 13:33, 37) So, then, may all of us keep on declaring the good news of the Kingdom, making Jehovah’s heart rejoice as we share in sanctifying his great and holy name.