"SEARCH FOR JEHOVAH AND HIS STRENGTH"

The Proper Use of Power

Although he is almighty, Jehovah rules the congregation with love. (1 John4:8) Imitating him, Christian overseers care for God's flock lovingly-using not abusing, their authority. True, overseers sometimes need to "reprove, reprimand, exhort," but this is done "with all long-suffering and art of teaching." (2 Timothy 4:2) So elders constantly meditate on the words that the apostle Peter wrote to those with authority in the congregation: "Shepherd the flock of God in your care, not under compulsion, but willingly; neither for love of dishonest gain, but eagerly; neither as lording it over those who are God's inheritance, but becoming examples to the flock." -1 Peter 5:2, 3; 1 Thessalonians 2:7, 8.

Parents and husbands also have authority granted them by Jehovah, and this power should be used to help, nurture and cherish. (Ephesians 5:22, 28-30; 6:4) Jesus' example shows that authority can be effectively exercised in a loving way. If discipline is balanced and consistent, children do not become downhearted. (Colossians 3:21) Marriages are strengthened when Christian husbands lovingly exercise their headship and wives deeply respect their husbandly head rather than go beyond their God-assigned sphere of influence to dominate or get their way. - Ephesians 5:28, 33; 1 Peter 3:7.

Those with authority in the family and in the congregation should be especially careful to control their anger, since anger instills fear rather than love. The prophet Nahum said: "Jehovah is slow to anger and great in power." (Nahum 1:3; Colossians 3:19) Controlling our anger is a sign of strength, whereas giving vent to it is proof of weakness. (Proverbs 16:32) Both in the family and in the congregation, the goal is to instill love-love of Jehovah, love of one another, and love of right principles. Love is the strongest bond of union and the strongest motivation for doing what is right. -1 Corinthians 13:8; Colossians 3:14.

To know Jehovah is to recognize his power. Through Isaiah, Jehovah said: "Have you not come to know or have you not heard? Jehovah, the Creator of the extremities of the earth,is a God to time indefinite. He does not tire out or grow weary." (Isaiah 40:28) Jehovah's power is inexhaustible. If we rely on him and not on ourselves, he will not forsake us. He assures us: "Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not gaze about, for I am your God. I will fortify you. I will really help you. I will really hold fast hold of you with my right hand of righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10) How should we respond to his loving care? Like Jesus, let us always use whatever power Jehovah gives us to help and to build up. May we control our tongue so that it heals rather than harms. And may we always stay awake spiritually, standing firm in the faith, and grow mighty in the power of our Grand Creator, Jehovah God. - 1 Corinthians.

Next time:Searching for Jehovah With a Prepared Heart

Watchtower, 2000

DO YOU HAVE"THE MIND OF CHRIST?"

Easy to Approach

People felt drawn to Jesus. On various occasions, Individuals of differing ages and backgrounds freely approached him. Consider the incident recorded at Mark 10:13-16) It took place near the end of his ministry as he was heading toward Jerusalem for the last time, to face an agonizing death. -Mark 10:32-34.

Picture the scene. People begin bringing children including infants, for Jesus to bless these. The disciples feel that Jesus surely does not want to be bothered with children during these crucial weeks. But they are wrong. When Jesus realizes what the disciples are doing, he is not pleased. Jesus calls the children to him saying: "Let the young children come to me; do not try to stop them." (Mark 10:14) Then he does something that reveals a truly tender and loving manner. The account says: "He took the children into his arms and began blessing them." (Mark 10:16) The children obviously are at ease with Jesus takes them into his caring arms.

That brief account tells us much about the kind of person Jesus was. Notice that he was approachable. Although he had occupied a lofty position in the heavens, he was neither intimidating nor demeaning to imperfect humans. (John 17:5) Is it not significant , too, that even children felt at ease with him? Surely they would not have felt drawn to a cold, joyless person who never smiled or laughed! People of all ages approached Jesus because they sensed that he was a warm, caring person, and they were confident that he would not turn them away.

Reflecting on this account, we can ask ourselves, 'Do I have the mind of Christ? Am I approachable?" In these critical time, God's sheep need approachable shepherds, men who are like "a hiding place from the wind." (Isaiah 32:1, 2; 2 Timothy 3:1) Elders, if you cultivate a sincere, heartfelt interest in your brothers and are willing to give of yourself in their behalf, they will sense your concern. they will see it in your facial expression, hear it in your tone of voice,and observe it in your kind manner. Such genuine warmth and concern can create a trusting atmosphere in which it is easier for others, including children, to approach you. One Christian woman explains why she was able to open up to a certain elder: "He spoke with me in a tender and compassionate manner. Otherwise, I would probably not have said a word. He made me feel safe."

Next time: Considerate of Others

Watchtower, 2000

DO YOU HAVE"THE MIND OF CHRIST?"

"HE HAS never once been seen to laugh." That is how Jesus is described in a document falsely claiming to be written by an ancient Roman official. This document, which has been known in its present form since about the 11th century,is said to have influenced many artists. In a number of paintings, Jesus appears as a solemn-looking person who rarely, if ever, smiled. But that is hardly a fair depiction of Jesus, whom the Gospels portray as a warm kindhearted man of deep feelings.

Clearly, to know the real Jesus, we must fill our minds and hearts with an accurate understanding of the kind of person Jesus truly was while here on earth. Let us therefore examine some Gospel accounts that give us insight into "the mind of Christ."-that is,his feelings, his perceptions, his thoughts and his reasonings. ( 1 Corinthians 2:16) As we do, let us consider how we might cultivate "the same mental attitude that Christ Jesus had." (Romans 15:5) Thus, we may be better equipped in our lives and in our dealings with others to follow the pattern he set for us. -John 13:15.

Next time: Easy to Approach

Watchtower, 2000

HEED THE WARNING!

Once You Have Fled, Stay Away

It is one things to flee from the endangered system, but it is quite another to remain in the protective care of "the whole association of brothers." (1 Peter 2:17) Let us not forget the farmers who, after being evacuated, went back to check their fields near Mount Fugen. Probably they were anxious to return to the "normal" life they used to have. But you realize that their decision to go back was unwise. Perhaps that was not their first attempt to crossing the line. They might have stayed a little longer, and still nothing happened. Likely, they soon became accustomed to crossing the protective line and were emboldened to linger in the endangered area.

Jesus Christ referred to a similar situation that would occur during "the conclusion of the system of things." He said: "As they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking., men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and they took no note unto the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be." -Matthew 24:3,38, 39.

Notice that Jesus mentioned eating, drinking and getting married. None of those things are in themselves wrong in Jehovah's eyes. What was wrong then? The people of Noah's day "took no note," leading a life centered around their regular routine in a time of emergency, one cannot live a "normal" life.

Once you have fled from or have separated yourself from, the present doomed world, you must fight any urge to go back to take advantage of whatever can be gleaned from it. (1 Corinthians 7:31) You may be able to wander out of the spiritually safe zone and come back unscathed with no one even noticing it. However, that likely will embolden you and lead you to returning to the world again, lingering in it a bit longer. Soon the attitude could develop: "The end won't come today.

Also, think of the three cab drivers who lost their lives waiting for the news reporters and cameramen when the volcanic flow swirled down the slope. Some today may tag along with other who have dared to go back into the world. Whatever the reason, it is clear that being coaxed into returning to the perilous zone is not worth the risk.

All the victims of the eruption of Mount Fugen crossed the safety line and went into the danger zone. Though they expected that the mountain would erupt someday, no one thought that they would be on that day. By observing the sign of the conclusion of the system of things, many expect the day of Jehovah to come sometime but likely not soon. Some even feel that the day could never be "today." Such an attitude is indeed risky.

"Jehovah's day will come as a thief," the apostle Peter warned. We need to be alert, "awaiting and keeping close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah,: doing our utmost to be found finally by him spotless and unblemished and in peace." (2 Peter 3:10-14) After the destruction of the present wicked system of things, a paradise earth under the Kingdom of God awaits. May we never be tempted to venture into the danger zone for whatever reasons our mind might come up with, since the day we cross the line back into the world could be the day of Jehovah.

Take refuge along with Jehovah's people and stay with them.

Next time: GETTING TO KNOW "THE MIND OF CHRIST"

Watchtower, 2000

HEED THE WARNING!

Take Refuge Now

To take refuge by seeking Jehovah, we have to be his friends. What does that involve? The Bible answers: "Do you not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4) To be friends of God, we must rid ourselves of any emotional attachment to the present wicked world, characterized by a rebellious attitude toward God.

The Bible admonishes us: "Do not be loving either the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; because everything in the world-the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one's means of life-does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world. Furthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever." (1 John 2:15-17) Most people today are motivated by fleshly desires-uncontrolled sexual appetite, greedy pursuit of money, and abusive use of power. But to be in Jehovah's side, one must overcome such desires. -Colossians 3:5-8.

You may have read this journal from time to time, and you might agree with its application of Bible prophecies. Yet, you may hesitate to take the further step of associating with Jehovah's Witnesses. If we are faced with a disaster, however, is it enough just to hear the warning? As we can see from the case of the Mount Fugen eruption, we need to act on the warning. Remember, at least 15 news reporters and cameramen intent on securing a scoop lost their lives. In fact, one photographer died with his finger on the shutter button of his camera. A volcanologist-who had remarked, "If one day I have to die, I want it to be at the edge of a volcano"-lost his life just as he had wished. They were all dedicated to their work and their pursuits. Yet, they paid with their lives-the price of ignoring the warning.

Next time: Continue with Take Refuge Now

Watchtower, 2000

LET US BE THE SORT THAT HAVE FAITH

How to Grow Stronger in the Faith

Paul showed the Hebrew Christians a number of practical ways in which they could strengthen their faith. Let us consider just two. We likely are familiar with is exhortation at Hebrews 10:24, 25, urging us to gather regularly at our Christian meetings. Remember, though, that Paul's inspired words there do not imply that we are to be mere passive observers at such meetings. Rather, Paul describes meetings as opportunities to get to know one another, to move one another to serve God more fully, and to encourage one another. We are there to give not just to receive. That helps to make our meetings joyous occasions. -Acts 20:35.

Primarily, though, we attend Christian meetings to worship Jehovah God. We do so by joining in prayer and song, by listening intently, and by offering "the fruit of the lips" -expressions of praise to Jehovah in our comments and parts on the meeting. (Hebrews 13:15) If we keep those goals in mind and act on them at every meeting, our faith will without fail be built up each time.

Another way to build faith is through the preaching work. Paul wrote: "Let us hold fast the public declaration of our hopes without wavering, for he is faithful that promised." (Hebrews 10:23) You might urge others to hold fast to something when they seem in danger of letting go. Satan was certainly pressuring those Hebrew Christians to let go of their ministry, and he is pressuring God's people today as well. In the face of such pressure, what should we do? Consider what Paul did.

To the Christians in Thessalonica, P aul wrote: "After we had first suffered and been insolently treated(just as you know) in Philippi, we mustered up boldness by means of our God to speak to you the good news of God with a great deal of struggling." (1 Thessalonians 2:2) How had Paul and his companions been "insolently treated" in Philippi? According to some scholars, the Greek word used by Paul expresses insulting, shameful, or outrageous treatment. The Philippian authorities had beaten them with rods, thrown them into prison, and confined then in stocks. (Acts 16:16-24) How did that painful experience affect Paul? Did ones in the next city on his missionary tour, Thessalonica, find Paul shrinking back in fear? No, he "mustered up boldness." He conquered fear and continued to preach boldly.

Next time: Continue with How to Grow Stronger in the Faith

Watchtower, 1999

LET US BE THE SORT THAT HAVE FAITH

THE next time you are in a Kingdom Hall full of worshipers of Jehovah, pause to look at those around you. Think of the many ways in which they show faith. You may see elderly ones who have served God for decades, youths who daily stand up to peer pressure and parents who work hard to raise God-fearing children. There are congregation elders and ministerial servants, who shoulder many responsibilities. Yes, you may see spiritual brothers and sisters of every age who surmount all manner of obstacles in order to serve Jehovah. How precious the faith of each one! -1 Peter 1:7.

Few imperfect humans, if any, have understood the importance of faith better than did the apostle Paul. In fact, he noted that genuine faith leads to the preserving alive of the soul." (Hebrews 10:39) Paul knew, though, that faith is subject to attack and erosion in this faithless world. He was deeply concerned about the Hebrew Christians in Jerusalem and Judea, who were struggling to preserve their faith. As we look at parts of Hebrew chapters 10and 11, let us take note of the methods that Paul used to build up their faith. In the process, we will see how we can build stronger faith in ourselves and in those around us.

Next time: Express Confidence in One Another

Watchtower, 1999

CHRISTMAS IN THE ORIENT

Scriptural Insight Into Christmas

What do we learn from such historical background and developments? if a shirt or blouse is buttoned unevenly from the start, the only way to correct the situation is to begin again. Is that not true? Despite that truth, some argue that notwithstanding its pagan roots in sun worship, Christmas has been accepted by Christendom. So they feel that the holiday has been sanctified as the birthday of Christ and imbued with new significance.

We can learn a valuable lesson from a historical event that took place In ancient Judah. In 612 B.C.E., the Judeans introduced pagan worship of the sun into the temple in Jerusalem. Was such pagan worship sanctified by being carried on in the place devoted to clean worship of Jehovah God? The Bible writer Ezekiel wrote of the sun worship practiced at Jerusalem's temple: "Look! At the entrance of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, there were about twenty-five men with . . . their faces to the east, and they were bowing down to the east, to the sun. And he went on to say to me: 'Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it such a light thing to the house of Judah to do the detestable things that they have done here, that they have to fill the land with violence and that they should offend me again, and here they are thrusting out the shoot to my nose?' " -Ezekiel 8:16, 17.

Yes, rather than being sanctified, that pagan form of worship put the whole temple in jeopardy. Such practices permeated Judah and contributed to the prevalence of violence and moral degradation in that land. It is similar in Christendom, where practices rooted in the sun worship of Saturnalia come to the fore at Christmas. Significantly, a few years after Ezekiel received that vision, Jerusalem experienced God's judgment -it met destruction at the hands of the Babylonians. -2 Chronicles 36:15-20.

You might have found the description of the young Jesus by a Korean scholar, related in the preceding article, amusing. But the fact is that coming from a person without an accurate knowledge of Christ, the reaction has considerable validity. It might make people who celebrate Christmas think seriously. Why? Because Christmas falls far short of representing Christ correctly. Christ was born when the shepherds kept their animals outside when it was warm, not in December as everyone was led to believe by all the false prophets in this world There were also in that same country shepherds living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks. (Luke 2:8) In fact, it obscures his true standing now. Jesus is no longer a babe in the manger.

Over and over, the Bible highlights that Jesus is now the Messiah, the powerful King of God's heavenly Kingdom. (Revelation 11:15) He is ready to put an end to the poverty and misery that some people have not forgotten during the Christmas season as they give to charity.



Frankly, Christmas has benefited neither the lands of Christendom nor other countries, including those in the Orient. Rather, it has diverted attention from the true Christian message about the Kingdom of God and the end of the present wicked system. (Matthew 24:14) We invite you to inquire of Jehovah's Witnesses about how that end will come. And you can learn from them about the lasting blessings that then will follow on earth, under the direction of God's Kingdom and the reigning King, Jesus Christ. -Revelation 21:3,4.


Note: Also, birthdays are not to be celebrated either. Christ never celebrated his birthday; But those who did, ended up in death.

Next time:MAY WE NEVER SHRINK BACK TO DESTRUCTION!

Watchtower, 1999

CHRISTMAS IN THE ORIENT

The Origin of Christmas

A wild animal that is moved into a cage in a zoo is still a beast. And it would be a grave mistake to believe that it has been domesticated just because it has been in a cage for awhile and seemingly enjoys itself with its young ones. You may have heard reports of zoo workers being attacked.

In some ways we can say much the same about the celebration of Christmas. At first it was a "beast" living outside of Christianity. Under the subheading "Relation to the Roman Saturnalia," The Christian Encyclopedia (in Korean) observes regarding Christmas: "The pagan Saturnalia and Brumalia were too deeply entrenched in popular custom to be set aside by Christian influence. The recognition of Sunday (the day of Phoebus and Mithras as well as the Lord's Day) by the emperor Constantine . . . may have led Christians of the fourth century to feel the appropriateness of making the birthday of the Son of God coincide with that of the physical sun. The pagan festival with its riot and merrymaking was so popular that Christians were glad of an excuse to continue its celebration with little change in spirit or in manner.

Do you think that such a development could come about without any opposition? The same encyclopedia says: "Christian preachers of the West and the Nearer East protested against the unseemly frivolity with which Christ's birthday was celebrated, while Christians of Mesopotamia accused their Western brethren of idolatry and sun-worship for adopting as Christian this pagan festival. "Truly, something was wrong from the beginning. "Yet the festival rapidly gained acceptance and became at last so firmly established that even the Protestant revolution of the sixteenth century was not able to dislodge it," the encyclopedia notes.

Yes, a festival of the sun-god, outside of true Christianity, was brought into the prevailing church. It got a different name-yet its pagan character remained. And it helped to infuse paganism into nominally Christian churches and to corrupt individuals' spiritually. History bears out that as Christendom developed, the original attitude of "love thy enemies gave way to moral degradations and violent wars.

In time, it was clear that despite its counterfeit name, Christmas reflected its pagan origin with revelry, heavy drinking, merrymaking, dancing, gift-giving and the decorating of homes with evergreens. for the sake of commercialism's ultimate goal-more sales-Christmas has been exploited in every way possible way. The mass media praise it; the public is simply amused. In downtown Seoul, a store that specializes in underwear made television news by displaying in its window a Christmas tree decorated only with underwear. The atmosphere of Christmas was noticeable, but any sign of welcoming the Christ was not.

Next time: Scriptural Insight Into Christmas

Watchtower, 1999

How Can the Quest for Longer Life SUCCEED?

Do Nanotechnology and Cryonics Hold the Answer?

Nanotechnology, the science of engineering at a nanometer is (a billionth of a meter) level, is also inspiring hope. Visionaries in that field claim that computerized machines, far smaller than cells, may in the future be engineered to operate at a molecular level to repair and rejuvenate aging cells, tissues and organs. At an anti-aging conference, one researcher suggested that 21st century physicians might employ nanotechnology to enable man to become physically immortal.

Cryonics is the practice of freezing human bodies in hopes that science will be able to revive the dead cells, thus bringing them back to life again. (someone had been watching too much sci-fi. This is God's territory and it ain't gonna happen, the world will end first, read the Bible people.) The whole body, or just the brain, can be frozen. One man even had a bed sheet frozen. Why a sheet? It belonged to a missing friend and contained some skin cells and a few hairs. He wanted them frozen in order to give his friend the chance of returning to life if science reaches the point of reconstructing people from just a few or even one of their cells.

Next time: Where Should We Put Our Trust?

Watchtower, 1999