“Guided by God’s Spirit”

District Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses

◼ THOUSANDS of these three-day conventions, which began in the United States on the weekend of May 23-25, will be held in the months to come in thousands of cities throughout the world. In 2007, more than 12 million people attended over 3,200 of such conventions!

In most places this year, the sessions will begin each day at 9:20 a.m. with a music program. Friday’s theme, based on John 16:13, is “The Spirit . . . Will Guide You Into All the Truth.” Among the first talks are “Why Be Guided by God’s Spirit?” and “Holy Spirit​—At Work in Creation!” The symposium “Faithful Ones of Old​—Guided by God’s Spirit” will include the parts “In Moses’ Time,” “In the Days of the Judges,” and “In the First Century.” The keynote address, “Holy Spirit’s Role in the Outworking of Jehovah’s Purpose,” will conclude the morning session.

The first part on Friday afternoon is “Answers to Questions About Holy Spirit,” followed by the talks “The Spirit Searches Into . . . the Deep Things of God” and “Become Hearers and Doers of God’s Word.” The symposium “Young People​—Walk by Holy Spirit!” consists of the parts “At School,” “At Work,” “In the Family,” “In the Congregation,” “During Social Activities,” and “When Alone.” The session will conclude with a convention highlight, the talk “Young People​—Safeguard Your Relationship With Jehovah!” which will help them to do so.

The theme for Saturday’s program is “Sowing With a View to the Spirit,” based on Galatians 6:8. A feature of the morning session is the three-part symposium “Directed by God’s Spirit in Our Ministry.” The session concludes with a talk on baptism, after which opportunity will be provided for baptism of those who qualify.

Saturday afternoon’s first talk, “Bible Writers​—‘Borne Along by Holy Spirit,’” will be followed by the five-part symposium “Empowered by Holy Spirit” “To Fight Temptation,” “To Cope With Tiredness and Discouragement,” “To Withstand Persecution,” “To Resist Harmful Peer Pressure,” and “To Endure Adversity.” The day will end with another convention highlight “Keep Yourselves in God’s Love.”

Sunday morning’s program develops the theme “Keep Walking by Spirit,” based on Galatians 5:16. The nine-part symposium “Cultivate ‘the Fruitage of the Spirit’” discusses each aspect of the spirit’s fruitage mentioned at Galatians 5:22, 23. The public talk “Reap Blessings Through Jehovah’s Spirit-Guided King!” completes the morning session. The feature of the afternoon program is the full-costume drama “Do Not Leave ‘the Love You Had at First.’” It depicts attitudes and situations that likely existed among Christians at the end of the first century. The convention concludes with the talk “Loyally Serving with Jehovah’s Spirit-Directed Organization.”

Make plans now to attend. To find the location nearest you, contact the local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses or write to the publishers of this magazine. The March 1 issue of The Watchtower, our companion magazine, has a list of all the convention locations in the United States.