Will You Recognize the Truth About God?

THE Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. A young man examined with interest the book bearing this title. He then asked the minister of Jehovah’s witnesses who was presenting this Bible study aid to him, “By the way, where is this book published?” Upon learning that it was published in a large North American city he decided not to accept the book. Why? Possibly he thought it might be biased by capitalistic thinking. Whatever his reasoning was, his refusal to look into the matter prevented him from learning vital Bible truths.

Jewish Pharisees of the first century C.E. made the same mistake. They looked down upon Jesus Christ because he was from Galilee. (John 7:51, 52) As a result, they failed to heed Jesus’ warning of the impending destruction of Jerusalem. This cost the lives of over a million Jews in 70 C.E.​—Luke 19:41-44; 21:20, 21.

What about today? If Jesus were to appear on earth today, how would people react to him in Africa? In North and South America? In Europe? In Asia? Would they accept him on the basis of what he said and did, recognizing the truth for what it is? Or would they stumble over his Jewish descent?

Doubtless you can see the wrongness of prejudice. You realize, for example, how humankind would suffer if people evaluated medical or scientific literature on the basis of the author’s nationality or where the information was published. And how wrong it would be, too, if people allowed their religious and political feelings toward the Middle East today to prevent them from reading the Holy Bible simply because it was produced by Jews living in that part of the earth!

IMITATE GOD BY BEING IMPARTIAL

Consider the words of the apostle Peter at Acts 10:34, 35: “For a certainty I perceive that God is not partial, but in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.” God does not view people according to race or nationality, and neither should we. As in the case of the young man mentioned above, for us to do so could prevent us from learning vital information about God.

Interesting in this connection was the reply of a young missionary of Jehovah’s witnesses from Bogotá, Colombia, to a man who tried to berate her for her nationality: “My mother is Italian; my father is Irish; I was born in the United States; my husband is Greek; I live in Colombia, and in the house where I live are Germans and Danes. So, what am I?” Yes, it really mattered little where the missionary came from. What did matter was the Bible-based message she was bringing to the people. This would help them to recognize the truth about God.

AN INTERNATIONAL CHANNEL FOR DISPENSING BIBLE TRUTH

Because Jehovah God is not partial he purposed that Bible truth would be spread throughout the earth by means of a congregation made up of persons “out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” (Rev. 5:9) Jesus referred to the Christian congregation collectively as “the faithful and discreet slave” who would dispense spiritual “food at the proper time” in the form of Bible truths about Jehovah God and his purpose for mankind.​—Matt. 24:45-47.

At Revelation 7:4 and Re 14:1, 3, we learn that the full number of this congregation would be 144,000, a mere “little flock” compared with earth’s population. (Luke 12:32) To this small congregation Jesus gave a big commission: “You will be witnesses of me . . . to the most distant part of the earth.”​—Acts 1:8.

How could a congregation of so few individuals carry out a witness work of such magnitude? Jehovah has provided for this in this generation by joining to them a “great crowd, which no man was able to number.” As in the case of the “little flock,” this “great crowd” is international, coming “out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues.” (Rev. 7:9) Jehovah God now uses these dedicated witnesses from all nations to preach “this good news of the kingdom . . . in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations.”​—Matt. 24:14.

Do you want to know the truth about God? Then you must come in contact with this international, interracial congregation of Christian witnesses of Jehovah. You must be impartial, willing to examine the Bible’s message regardless of the nationality of the one bearing it or the location of the publishing house that prints it. To do otherwise could keep you from recognizing the truth about God.

The worldwide preaching work that Jesus outlined at Matthew 24:14 certainly requires organization. In the first century the international preaching activities of the Christian congregation were directed by a governing body made up of “the apostles and the older men” located in Jerusalem.​—Acts 15:6.

Today, too, a governing body exists to oversee the preaching of the “good news” world wide. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania and other legal corporations have been formed in many countries to facilitate the printing and distribution of Bible literature world wide. Printing facilities have been set up in the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Finland, Denmark, the Philippines, Australia, England, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden, Brazil and other lands. Each year Jehovah’s witnesses print and ship from these locations millions of Bible study books, booklets, magazines and tracts in over 160 languages to help people to recognize the truth about God.

ORGANIZED TO PREACH BIBLE TRUTH, NOT POLITICS

The message contained in these publications has nothing to do with the politics of the countries in which they are printed. Jesus said that his true followers would be “no part of the world.” (John 17:16) Jehovah’s witnesses are neutral as to political and military issues. The Watch Tower Society has steadfastly refused to incorporate political propaganda into its publications, even though at times it was offered material benefits to do so.

The publications of Jehovah’s witnesses contain Bible-based material that is of spiritual benefit to the reader. Some recent articles appearing in the Watchtower magazine were entitled: “Meeting the Challenge of Moral Principles,” “Appreciating the Gift Called ‘Work,’” “Will God Let Polluters Destroy the Earth?”, “Can Your Family Life Be Improved?”, “How Can We Make Right Decisions?” Millions of truth-hungry persons in every corner of the globe eagerly look forward to reading such articles. They acquaint people with the truth about God.

Do not imitate the young man who refused to read the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life because of the country in which it was published. Instead, ask yourself, “Does the place of publication really matter?” Make an impartial examination of the material itself. Heed the inspired advice at Proverbs 2:4, 5: “If you keep seeking for [the truth about God] as for silver, and as for hid treasures you keep searching for it, in that case you will understand the fear of Jehovah, and you will find the very knowledge of God.” Let nothing prevent you from doing so.