Use What You Learn
OF WHAT good is a tool if it is not used? Accurate knowledge of the Scriptures is a tool that can bring honor to God’s name and comfort to distressed people. It is God’s will that his servants use this tool and use it effectively. “These are the things that ye shall do: Speak ye every man the truth with his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates.” “For with the heart one exercises faith for righteousness, but with the mouth one makes public declaration for salvation.”—Zech. 8:16, AS; Rom. 10:10.
This public declaring of Scriptural truth opens spiritually blind eyes and frees people from captivity to false religious teachings that have become strongly entrenched among the world’s people. As the Christians of the first century used their knowledge of Scriptural truth to tear down such teachings that act like imprisoning walls around people of good will, so do Jehovah’s witnesses today. “For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful by God for overturning strongly entrenched things. For we are overturning reasonings and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.”—2 Cor. 10:4, 5.
One of the purposes of the great international assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses that is being held in New York city this summer is to help Jehovah’s witnesses to become more skillful in this spiritual warfare. For eight days they will be instructed in Scriptural truths and in ways that they can use the tool of accurate knowledge more effectively. They will also be encouraged and edified. Good counsel will be given to help them maintain Christian integrity in this great work they have been commissioned by God to do.
For a delegate to receive the most benefit from this assembly he will have to do more than just be in attendance. He will have to listen, and then apply to himself the counsel that is given as well as use in the ministry the things he learns. He must realize that the assembly program is for his benefit. It is designed to make him a better minister. By using the things he learns from the program he will be better equipped “to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.”—Isa. 61:1, 2, AS.
As Jehovah’s witnesses use their knowledge of the Scriptures to comfort people and to bring them freedom from false religion they find that many people resent their Christian efforts. But they cannot permit this resentment to cause them to stop preaching. The apostle Paul was faced with the same situation. “But after they kept on opposing and speaking abusively, he shook out his garments and said to them: ‘Let your blood be upon your own heads. I am clean. From now on I will go to people of the nations.’ Moreover, by night the Lord said to Paul through a vision: ‘Have no fear, but keep on speaking and do not quiet down, because I am with you and no man will assault you so as to do you injury, because I have many people in this city.’”—Acts 18:6, 9, 10.
Such opposition can be discouraging and is why Jehovah’s people should assemble together for mutual encouragement. The big assembly this summer will lift up the spirits of any delegates whose zeal may have slackened off a bit because of opposition or because of spiritual carelessness on their own part. The counsel and instruction that will be given and the experiences that will be heard will fire up their zeal. They will return home with greater determination to speak the truths they know. They will not quiet down as the enemy wants them to do.
Zealously putting into use the things learned at the assembly is one of the ways the delegates can show their appreciation to Jehovah God for this great gathering of his people. It is also a way they can show that they did not go to New York city in vain.
While at the assembly let each delegate be an attentive listener who tries to remember what he hears. Then when he leaves for home his mind and heart will be filled with good things that he will want to use in his ministry. So let each delegate be determined to listen and learn and then to use what he learns.