over all his earthly belongings, and must do right by the King’s other sheep, his subjects. The position of sarimʹ of the King is not the place for men to follow the custom that unfortunately held true in Israel during the period of the judges: “In those days there was no king in Israel. What was right in his own eyes was what each one was accustomed to do.” (Judg. 21:25, NW) Being examples to those among whom they serve, the sarimʹ themselves should carry out the organization instructions. This means they must carefully inform themselves on such instructions—priests of ancient Israel even used to memorize their Bible instructions—and must study them over. In that way they will get the understanding of their meaning and also of their implications, thus being able to take care of many things that are not expressly stated in the instructions. After that, to rule in justice, they will endeavor to be always in accord with organization instructions.

19. Taking the branch servant, for instance, what is the main reason for him to recognize the organization and submit to instructions?

¹⁹ In the case of a branch servant, for instance, he will bear in mind that the branch of a tree or vine does not bear up the main stock, but the stock is what sustains all the branches. The branch cannot operate sundered from the main stock; it must abide in it if it is to produce fruit. So it is with a branch organization. It is merely the agency of the legal corporation that provides the funds and other means of operation, and so it is financially dependent upon the original corporation. Such financial dependence in itself imposes upon the branch servant to do what he is told to do; for the funds-supplying Society is responsible to spend money on the branch and it must account to God for how it uses its funds. The theocratic contributors to the Society hold it responsible to spend the money in the wisest, most effective way. Even in this world such a procedure is counted as normal, good, sound business practice. Accordingly the branch servant must obey organization instructions and must strive to be effective in his place of service in order to bring about the most economical operation of the branch with the best and biggest results. But since he is one of the King’s sarimʹ) there should be a motive much higher than that of financial obligation and dependence, for our organization is not commercialistic. The higher motive springs from the fact that the organization is theocratic, subject to Jehovah God and ruled by him through his reigning King Jesus Christ. This is the main reason for all those dedicated to God to recognize the organization, to be submissive to it and to prove loyal to it.

Examples of Recognizing the Organization

1. What Scriptural example do we have of a missionary’s recognizing the organization, and what was the outcome of this?

CONSIDER a number of good examples of properly recognizing the theocratic organization and its governing body. Not so long after the Christian congregation was organized at Jerusalem rabid persecution by the Jewish religionists scattered the congregation from the city, except the apostles, who remained as the governing body. Philip the evangelist or missionary carried the preaching of the good news north into Samaria and succeeded in establishing a congregation in the city, the