¹⁰ During the Protestant Reformation, Luther, called by religious authorities “the father of modern catechetics,” taught that such instruction of learners “should not merely include the hearing of a recitation from the book, but also an explanation and application of it to the hearts of the pupils.” Yet, as time went by, in Germany, England and elsewhere, “the catechetical instruction degenerated into a mere formal routine of preparation for confirmation [not baptism, which had already taken place].” In the Protestant systems the aim of catechism was not to draw out what was in the mind of the pupil but merely to convey the desired teachings. The pupil was to “learn the words of the Catechism by heart.” So it became a ritual of memorizing words and repeating them by rote. There was little room for expression of the real thoughts and feelings within the heart and mind of the pupil. Furthermore, attention was concentrated almost entirely upon children.—M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, Vol. II, pp. 148-154.

11. Contrast the above methods with those of Jehovah’s witnesses.

¹¹ Contrast this with the methods used by Jehovah’s witnesses. Their methods are based on the Bible accounts of the ministry of Jesus and his apostles and upon other Bible principles. Newly interested persons, usually adults, are located by active ministry to the homes of the public. (Acts 20:20) These interested persons are then provided with free home Bible study, at times entire families joining in. This hour-long weekly study deals with the fundamental teachings of the Bible and is developed around questions drawn from a Bible textbook. The one studying is encouraged to answer on the basis of his understanding and belief and has the opportunity to ask additional questions. (Rom. 10:10) Throughout the study, the Witness conductor is conscious of the importance of directing attention to Jehovah God as the Source of life, and of laying Christ as a foundation by teaching the truth about him. (John 17:3; 1 Cor. 3:11) He endeavors to aid the student to make belief in that truth a part of his own life, in fact, to build his life around that sure pattern.

12. In what way do both the one instructing and the one learning do a building work?

¹² So there is a joint building work involved. The conductor, as one of Jehovah’s witnesses, wants to build up the learner with durable, fire-resistant materials: true wisdom from God’s Word, faith, conviction, devotion to Bible principles, love of God and love of neighbor, and an overpowering desire to stand for and speak on behalf of what is true and righteous, especially on behalf of God’s kingdom. He works with these materials in his spiritual building work so that the person studied with can become a genuine Christian, able to stand up under fiery tests, including the corroding influence of doubts. (1 Cor. 3:10-15; Jude 22, 23) On the other hand, the student also does a building work. Knowledge alone is not the sure foundation on which to build his hopes and prospects for the future. It is by doing, by putting that knowledge to work, that he can build on a solid foundation, obedience to Christ. There is no other way.—Phil. 1:27-30; 2:12, 13.

13. How can persons be helped to put on the new personality?

¹³ Rather than just convey knowledge of basic Bible doctrine, then, Jehovah’s witnesses realize that the person needs to be “made new in the force actuating [his] mind, and should put on the new personality which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty.” (Eph. 4:23, 24) So, as the study progresses, they try to help the person to begin to think in terms of Bible principles as these govern our daily lives. It is not a matter of the student’s just restating some points from a certain textbook. It is a question of seeing the Bible reason for these points and of coming to accept the principles set forth in God’s Word as the only sure guide for life. Then, and then only, can the student truly say that God’s Word “is a lamp to my foot, and a light to my roadway.”—Ps. 119:105; Prov. 3:5, 6.

14. Why is it important to build up appreciation for Jehovah God in the student’s heart? How can this be done?

¹⁴ You cannot love a person unless you know him well, know his qualities, his ways, what he has done and what he purposes to do. So, during the study, the minister who conducts seeks to build up in the student an appreciation of God’s grandness and goodness. It is his hope that someday the student, like the faithful Israelite of old, will be able to say jubilantly: “Look! This is our God. We have hoped in him, and he will save us. This is Jehovah. We have hoped in him. Let us be joyful and rejoice in the salvation by him.” (Isa. 25:9) This means directing attention, not only to the student’s mind, but also to his heart or seat of motivation. (Prov. 4:23) How can this be done? By pausing at appropriate points to draw attention to the significance of what God has done and how the point involved or the scripture cited highlights God’s love, wisdom, justice or power. Then, if the person’s heart is right, in course of time he too will feel a deep loyalty to Jehovah and a desire to be among those praising His name among all peoples.—Isa. 12:3, 4.

15, 16. Why is it so urgent that we be effective in laying a foundation for the right kind of ministers today?

¹⁵ How well is this being done at the present time? What are some of the problems involved? As world conditions get ever worse and spirituality weakens earth wide, such instruction work becomes increasingly important. In the year 70 C.E. the calamitous destruction of Jerusalem cut a mammoth swath through the Jewish population and smashed to bits the hopes and prospects around which millions of them had built their lives. Why? Because they failed to build on the rock-mass of obedience to Christ’s teachings. But a small remnant of that nation escaped destruction through flight at the right time, the time that Jesus had indicated. (Luke 21:20-22) So in our day, on a far vaster scale, the destroying forces of Armageddon will bring disaster to all who have built on a sandlike foundation, being led by their own desires and reasonings or those of other imperfect men. They will see their hopes and prospects disintegrate before them, because they did “not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus.” (2 Thess. 1:7-10) But a “great crowd” of persons will come through that storm virtually unscathed. As God’s faithful ministers, they will live to enjoy life in a new order of God’s making where their hearts will thrill to see their hopes and prospects realized to their eternal satisfaction and delight.—Prov. 1:24-33; Rev. 7:9, 10, 14.

¹⁶ Those of us who have a share in ‘sounding down’ the truths of God’s Word into the ears, minds and hearts of others now do well to consider carefully our teaching methods.

‘Sounding Down’ the Truth into Minds and Hearts of Learners

1. What sad experience do Christian ministers sometimes have?

WHAT a sad thing it is when a child is born and then, after a few months or a year, having barely begun to live, it suddenly sickens and dies. The feeling in the hearts of bereaved parents experiencing such a tragedy is similar to the feeling in the hearts of Christian ministers who spend months and perhaps years in aiding some person to come to a knowledge of the Bible, feeding such one the “milk” of God’s Word, nurturing him in the truth, seeing him take a stand for righteousness, even engage in the ministry of the Word himself—and then, suddenly, weaken spiritually and go into deathlike inactivity. (Gal. 4:19; 1 Cor. 3:2; 1 Thess. 2:7, 8) Unfortunately this does happen, sometimes to the extent that for every two persons starting out in the active ministry, one person ceases to share therein. Why does this happen? Can anything be done about the situation?

2. What weakness is noted in many who abandon the road to life, and what questions does this raise?

² Case histories indicate that there has often been a lack of genuine understanding of God’s Word on the part of many persons who begin to walk in the path that leads to life and then turn aside. During the year 1968, Jehovah’s witnesses world wide were conducting an average of 977,503 free home Bible studies. As a result, 82,842 individuals indicated that they were building on the rock foundation of obedience by submitting to water baptism, thereby symbolizing their dedication to do God’s will as his Son set the example. Will these go on? Or will some of them drop away as others have in the past? Since hundreds of thousands more are even now studying, those of us sharing in giving such Bible education to truth seekers can seriously ask ourselves: Are these persons who may become the new Kingdom proclaimers of tomorrow really understanding the Bible’s message and what its principles mean for them in their daily life? The answer to that question depends to a great extent on how we answer other questions: Why are we studying with these persons? How deeply do we have their interests at heart? (2 Cor. 12:15; Phil. 2:17; 1 Thess. 2:8) How effectively are we ‘sounding down’ the truth into their minds and hearts?

3. What should be our aim in having a Bible study with interested persons?

³ We should, and probably do, have the same desire for these newly interested persons as the apostle Paul expressed for believers of the truth in Ephesus. His prayer for them was that “the Christ dwell through your faith in your hearts with love; that you may be rooted and established on the foundation, in order that you may be thoroughly able to grasp mentally with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge.” (Eph. 3:17-19) Paul, of course, was not interested in just being able to ‘report a home Bible study to meet a goal.’ Nor was he satisfied that those he helped got just a superficial view of God’s will. He wanted them to see the truth in its full dimensions, breadth, length, height and depth. He wanted to help them be persons of faith; to have Christ dwell, not just in their minds, but in their hearts, with love. Certainly we want the same for the sheeplike persons of our day, do we not? We, too, want to help them broaden their view of God’s purposes, deepen their understanding, develop a long-range outlook toward the future, and lift up their minds and ways to God’s standards as they heighten their appreciation of his provisions. Of course, they cannot do this overnight; first they need our help to begin getting “rooted and established on the foundation.” How can we effectively help them?

4. Why is it not advisable to insist on a fixed routine for conducting Bible studies?

⁴ We should never forget that each person is an individual; so he needs individual attention and help according to his own particular needs and personal situation. (Compare Romans 14:1-8; 1 Corinthians 9:20-23.) That is why among Jehovah’s witnesses there is no fixed routine set out by which they must conduct their home Bible studies with interested persons. Their “catechetical” teaching is not stereotyped. Their recent publication entitled “Your Word Is a Lamp to My Foot” (page 94) says: “There is no arbitrary ruling as to how the study should be conducted, but be sure that the student really understands the points discussed.” Surely where the proper motive exists, one does not need numerous rules in order to aid another to come to an understanding of God’s Word.

5. (a) How has the practicality of the suggestions given through God’s organization been demonstrated? (b) What is the finest source of guidance in this matter?

⁵ At the same time, many very fine, practical suggestions on teaching and Bible education are provided for Jehovah’s witnesses at their assemblies, and through their monthly publication Kingdom Ministry. These suggestions have helped greatly toward equipping them for the splendid work they have accomplished in helping more than 650,000 persons in the past ten years come to the point of dedicating their lives to God, symbolizing this by water immersion. But over and above these helpful and practical suggestions, we have actual Bible examples and counsel to guide us. How much thought have we given to considering these? How deep is our concern to apply them to the greatest advantage in view of the fact that lives are at stake?—1 Tim. 4:16.

THE SUPERLATIVE TEACHER

6. In what aspects was Jesus’ teaching notable?

⁶ What better example could we have than that of Christ Jesus, God’s own Son and the perfect Teacher of sheeplike persons? His teaching methods were recorded in the Bible, surely for a good reason. When you read the record of his ministry, what impresses you? Perhaps the simplicity of his teaching. His methods were not complicated, but he always showed a deep concern for the people, a loving desire to teach them the truth of his Father’s purposes. (Matt. 9:35, 36; Mark 6:34) This is the first essential; without it nothing else would be of value. (1 Cor. 13:1, 8) This loving interest made Jesus reliable in his educational work. When he told Zacchaeus to ‘come down out of that tree, for today I am going to be at your house,’ Zacchaeus could be sure that Jesus would be there without fail.—Luke 19:1-6.

7. What else did Jesus always keep in focus while teaching?

⁷ Outstanding also is the genuine interest Jesus showed in people as individuals.