Proof of Their Ministry

17, 18. (a) What general principle did Christ lay down about true Christians? (b) What is the true recommendation of a minister?

¹⁷ How do Jehovah’s Witnesses prove that they are ministers if they have no diploma or university degree? Well, how did the early Christians establish that they were ministers? Christ himself provided this insight: “Every good tree produces fine fruit.” Christian ministers should produce “fine fruit,” which includes sharing in the disciple-making work.​—Matthew 7:17.

¹⁸ The apostle Paul explained it this way: “Are we starting again to recommend ourselves? Or do we, perhaps, like some men, need letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, inscribed on our hearts and known and being read by all mankind. For you are shown to be a letter of Christ written by us as ministers, inscribed not with ink but with spirit of a living God, not on stone tablets, but on fleshly tablets, on hearts.” How was that writing on hearts accomplished? By the preaching of the seedlike word of faith that became implanted in the heart. In turn this seed motivated the receiver also to preach the same message of salvation to others.​—2 Corinthians 3:1-3.

19. What solid recommendation as ministers do Jehovah’s Witnesses have?

¹⁹ Do Jehovah’s Witnesses have proof of ‘a letter of Christ written by them as ministers’? The facts speak for themselves. In 1931, when they first accepted their unique name, there were about 50,000 Witnesses preaching around the world. The report for 1983 shows a peak of over 2,652,000 ministers preaching the Kingdom good news in association with 46,235 congregations. Yes, there are nearly as many congregations now as there were Witnesses in 1931! The truth has indeed been written on millions of hearts over the last few decades​—and that is irrefutable proof of the ministry of Jehovah’s Witnesses.​—Isaiah 43:10-12.

20. As Christian ministers, what do we need today? What questions remain to be answered?

²⁰ The need for Christian ministers today is more urgent than ever. The time is short and the harvest is great. All the more reason, then, for us to be qualified, capable ministers who preach and teach in a productive way. How can we do that? How can we be more effective ministers? Are the examples of Christ and the apostles of practical value for us today?​—Ephesians 5:15, 16; Matthew 9:37, 38.

The First Hurdle

8, 9. (a) What is often the first hurdle in the ministry? (b) Why could Jesus speak with boldness?

⁸ Very often the first hurdle we need to overcome in the ministry is ourselves. Some tend to feel self-conscious, inadequate and not sufficiently educated for the people they meet. But how did Jesus feel? Had he attended the rabbinic schools of learning? Did he have a higher education? Yet when he preached, how did his own people react? Matthew tells us: “They were astounded and said: ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these powerful works?’” True, Jesus was perfect, the Son of God. But his methods were also practical for his mainly “uneducated” disciples who were to imitate him. What reaction did they provoke, even among their religious enemies? “Now when they beheld the outspokenness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were men unlettered and ordinary, they got to wondering. And they began to recognize about them that they used to be with Jesus.”​—Matthew 13:54; Acts 4:13.

10, 11. (a) How should we feel about our ministry? (b) How does Paul answer?

¹⁰ Today we have the same backing in our ministry​—Jehovah God, the Sovereign Lord of the universe. We are preaching his message, his wisdom. We base ourselves on his Word and we freely use it in our conversations. Therefore, should we have a complex about preaching even to better educated or wealthier persons?

¹¹ Paul answers: “Where is the wise man? Where the scribe? Where the debater of this system of things? Did not God make the wisdom of the world foolish? . . . For you behold his calling of you, brothers, that not many wise in a fleshly way were called, not many powerful, not many of noble birth; but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put the wise men to shame; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put the strong things to shame; and God chose the ignoble things of the world and the things looked down upon, the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are, in order that no flesh might boast in the sight of God.”​—1 Corinthians 1:18-29.

12. From what does success in our ministry stem? (James 4:8)

¹² Success in the ministry does not stem from our education or ancestry. It stems from the Kingdom message itself that strikes a responsive chord in the heart of the person who is conscious of a spiritual need. Another factor is Jehovah’s goodwill toward that person, for as Jesus said: “No man can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him.”​—John 6:44.