Could there possibly be a group of people today who have one Father, the Father of all the persons in the congregation, a Father who is over all, through all and in all, a Father who is caring for his children and keeping them together in the pure way of worship? What a privilege and pleasure it is to answer Yes, yes, there is such an organization. In the apostles’ day you could find such a visible organization in the early congregation of Christ. In this year of 1952 you will find it in a group of Christian people known as Jehovah’s witnesses. They make up Jehovah’s visible organization. What is more, YOU can be in that organization if you think like Paul and have faith like his.

29. How are Jehovah’s witnesses today like the early congregation?

²⁹ Note how Jehovah’s witnesses today are like the early congregations of Jehovah’s faithful witnesses: Jehovah’s witnesses are firm believers in God’s Word. They study it, they preach it, and they live it. They are “putting up with one another in love”, even though their customs and habits of life and the tongues they speak in their daily conversation are different in all parts of the world. They ARE fulfilling the command to preach the Kingdom in all the world for a witness. (Matt. 24:14, NW) Thus in all parts of the earth they demonstrate the unity of God’s visible organization.

Organizing for the Ministry

1. What did Jehovah teach his Son to do, and so what did the Son arrange for?

JEHOVAH is the greatest organizer and he taught his Son Christ Jesus how to organize. When on earth Christ selected disciples and taught them how to gather more workers who loved truth and righteousness. At that time it meant a “little flock”; now it means the gathering of a “great crowd” of “other sheep”. So as to assemble the “little flock” Jesus arranged for organizing the congregation and developed that into a strong working unit, with competent servants. Hence the apostle Paul quotes Psalm 68:18 and says: “He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as missionaries, some as shepherds and teachers, with a view to the training of the holy ones for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ, until we all attain to the oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of growth that belongs to the fullness of the Christ; in order that we should no longer be babes, tossed about as by waves and carried hither and thither by every wind of teaching by means of the trickery of men, by means of craftiness in contriving error.”—Eph. 4:11-14, NW.

2. What was the purpose of all this organizing, and accordingly, whom is the congregation aiding today?

² Jehovah God was very much interested in the proper organization and care of the early congregation. The Son Christ Jesus meted out the gifts of the spirit to his followers so that some could act as apostles, others as prophets and missionaries and still others as able teachers. But what was the purpose of all this in the body of Christ? This: “The training of the holy ones for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ, until we all attain to the oneness in the faith.” Today this visible organization is also being used to aid the “great crowd” of “other sheep”. These are not of the “little flock”, but they must be brought to maturity in the accurate knowledge of the Son of God. These are not the ones to be joint heirs with him in the heavenly kingdom, but they will gain life under it in the new world of righteousness.

3. How must all view the organization, and how do they become mature?

³ Everyone who ever comes to the Lord’s organization, having studied the Lord’s Word, must see it only one way. God never purposed that there would be hundreds of different denominations throughout the world, each having a different faith, a different doctrine, etc. There could be only “one faith, one baptism; one God and Father”. Jehovah is desirous that everyone who seeks salvation come to an accurate knowledge of these truths. (Rom. 10:11-13, NW) He wants them to become full-grown, mature men. The only way a person can become full-grown is to gain knowledge, and this comes through education. The false religions are not disseminating this accurate knowledge from God’s Word. On the other hand, Jehovah’s witnesses want all kinds of men to be well acquainted with their Bibles and have this one faith. If they have this faith they will manifest themselves as Christ’s “other sheep”.

4. The purpose of all the training and instruction was to make all members what, and why?

⁴ The education that was being brought to the “little flock” members in the days of the apostles was for the training of the holy ones for ministerial work. The whole apostolic organization was an organization of ministers. It was not a laity class, with one or two clergymen over each congregation. All this training and instruction then being given the “little flock” was to make every member of that flock a fully competent ordained minister. There were not to be any spiritual babes in the organization for long. New ones would be coming in all the time, that is true, but they would not remain babes in the Word, “tossed about as by waves and carried hither and thither by every wind of teaching by means of the trickery of men.” There was not to be a division of ideas, with part of a congregation believing one thing and the other part another. By study all were to become mature, full-grown men. There must be unity in God’s visible organization. As it was then with the “little flock”, so it must be now with the “other sheep”.

5. For what splitting up was there no arrangement, and why not?

⁵ There was to be no stunting of growth, no relaxing. All were to watch for the trickery of men. There was no arrangement to branch off into a little Methodist group, or Baptist group, or some other religious organization and be content with one man’s teaching. Jehovah’s Word points out that one person may plant, another person may water, but it is Jehovah God who gives the increase. They all belong to God, not someone else.—1 Cor. 3:6-9.

6. How must each one become full-grown and stay in place?

⁶ Being recipients of Jehovah’s undeserved kindness now and belonging to Jehovah, the “other sheep” should work hard to become full-grown and to stay in God’s visible organization. To do this everyone must have the same mind. Study the truth!

7. By speaking what and by exercising what must they grow up? Why?

⁷ Paul went on to say, in his argument to the congregation of God: “But speaking the truth, let us by love grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ.” (Eph. 4:15, NW) Yes, the vital thing was the speaking of the truth. The only place the apostles, evangelists and the missionaries of that day got the truth was from God’s Word. It is the same now. Jehovah’s witnesses today regularly receive visits from mature brothers, special representatives of the Watch Tower Society, and all of these are required to speak and live the truth as set forth in God’s Word. Not only these mature brothers, but the whole congregation of God, his visible organization, must look at things from God’s Word, seeing harmoniously and having God’s mind on matters along with his spirit. By closely associating one with another and by showing love for Jehovah and our brothers, “let us by love grow up.” If we did not have love in God’s visible organization there certainly would be a standing still and a retarding of growth. When there is discord and strife, there is no advancement. When there is peace, love and joy, things grow.

8. Like what organism must they be, as described by Paul?

⁸ The growing human body is a wonderful example of harmonious movement, function and co-ordination. A body can do things, can get work done; and while it is made up of many members, still there is no opposition on the part of any member of the body in accomplishing the desired purpose. This is why Paul went on to argue concerning the “body of the Christ”, that “from him all the body, by being harmoniously joined together and being made to cooperate through every joint which gives what is needed, according to the functioning of each respective member in due measure, makes for the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love”.—Eph. 4:16, NW.

9. How is this the way Jehovah’s witnesses function today world-wide?

⁹ When every tissue, every organ, every joint, every muscle of the human body responds to the instruction of the mind, what unity of action there is! This is a picture of how to achieve the oneness of God’s visible organization under the Head Christ Jesus. Things can be done by a person who is not awkward or clumsy and who has a well-formed and balanced body, one under full control. That is exactly the way it is with Jehovah’s witnesses today throughout the world. They are under control and receive instruction from the greatest instructor, Jehovah, through Jesus Christ. They study God’s Word and have his spirit. THEY GET THINGS DONE. Co-operation is received from every part of the organization, every department, every company, every branch, every missionary home. They all function unitedly as respective members of the whole organization, the body; and this makes for the growth of the organization in love.

10. What is the reason for their unusual growth?

¹⁰ When we review the work of Jehovah’s witnesses during the year 1951, it is again seen how they are working at unity. No doubt about it, Jehovah’s spirit is upon them in the work. They have not done the work in their own strength. They have “one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father”, and all the Lord’s people are associated in one visible organization built up in love; first, love for Jehovah, the Giver of every good and perfect gift, and, secondly, love for one’s neighbor. This is the answer to the unusual growth of the organization of Jehovah’s witnesses.