Preparing the Nations for "the Teaching of Jehovah"

"The proconsul . . . became a believer , for he was astounded at the teaching of Jehovah." -ACTS 13:12. 

JESUS CHRIST gave his followers  no small commission.  He commanded them: "Go . . . and make disciples of people of all the nations." As they did that work, eventually the "good news of the Kingdom [would] be preached in all the inhabited earth, for a witness to all the nations." -Matthew 24:14; 28:19. 

The disciples loved both Jesus and the good news. Yet, they might well have wondered just how they could possibly carry out their commission. After all, they were few in number, Jesus whom they proclaimed to the Son of God, had been put to death. His disciples  were viewed as "uneducated and ordinary." (Acts 4:13) But they were to deliver a message that ran counter to the teachings of the prestigious religious leaders, who were schooled in traditions that dated back to ancient times. In their own homeland, the disciples were not held in esteem. And compared to the rest of the glorious Roman Empire, what was the nation of Israel? 

Moreover, Jesus had warned his disciples that they would be hated and persecuted and that some of them would be killed. (Luke 21:16, 17) They would have to contend with betrayal, false prophets, and the increasing of lawlessness.  (Matthew 24:10-12) Even if their message would be well-received everywhere, how could they possibly take it "to the most distant part of the earth"?  (Acts 1:8) Such challenges must have seem daunting!

Next time: Continue with Preparing the  Nations for "the Teaching of Jehovah"

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015