Kingdom Proclaimers Report
“You Must Be Holy”
GOD’S direction to Christians is to “quit being fashioned according to the desires you formerly had in your ignorance, but, in accord with the Holy One who called you, do you also become holy yourselves in all your conduct, because it is written: ‘You must be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:14-16) Such holy conduct often is a good witness to others. (1 Peter 2:12) All over the earth, as the following experiences show, sincere persons are making the necessary changes to bring their conduct into harmony with this counsel.
□ In Ecuador a man stopped his Bible study when the Witness who studied with him was disfellowshipped for immorality. His spiritual need led him to investigate other religions. He settled for the Evangelist religion and advanced to the point of becoming a pastor of his own church. However, his conscience bothered him, as he was not married to the woman with whom he was living. When he consulted with pastors of other churches, they assured him that this was no problem. However, he felt that this was not right, as the very Witness who studied with him was disfellowshipped for immorality. He could not understand why he was not reproved by his own church. Later, his live-in companion came in contact with Jehovah’s Witnesses and began to study with them. The man began to study along with her. Both of them are now attending the meetings, progressing in knowledge of Bible principles, and taking steps to get married so they can serve Jehovah in a clean and acceptable way.
□ In another experience from Ecuador, a Witness relates: “In February 1984, a middle-aged lady asked us to study with her.” What motivated this request? This lady’s brother had become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and she had been very impressed by his fine conduct. During the second Bible study, they touched on the subject of smoking, which was one of the lady’s problems. However, at the next study a week later she proudly announced that since learning the Bible’s viewpoint on smoking she had not touched a cigarette! She had another problem—her house was full of religious images. But on reading Deuteronomy 7:26, which says: “And you must not bring a detestable thing into your house . . . It is something devoted to destruction,” she proceeded to burn all of them.
From that time forward, she began attending meetings and has not missed one since. Shortly after that, she was able to overcome her most difficult obstacle—she broke off an immoral relationship with a married man. Now, for the first time in her life, she was able to experience genuine happiness, as she was now able to serve Jehovah with a clean conscience. She was baptized in April 1985 and at the time was conducting four Bible studies with others. Her next goal is to become a pioneer, as she feels this is the best way that she can show her appreciation to Jehovah, who has liberated her from “a vain and immoral life.”
□ The fine results of godly conduct were seen in a girls’ boarding school in Kenya, where the good conduct of a Witness became noticeable in an outstanding way. Nine male teachers were hired by the school, including one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. But one by one they had to be dismissed for sexual immorality with the students. After a while, only one out of the nine was left—the teacher who was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses!
Indeed, it is possible for people who have lived immoral lives to change. When we become ‘holy in all our conduct,’ we not only provide a fine witness to others but also make Jehovah’s heart glad. Thus, we put ourselves in line for everlasting life.—Proverbs 27:11.
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“For I am Jehovah your God; and you must sanctify yourselves and you must prove yourselves holy, because I am holy.”—Leviticus 11:44.
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“Let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit.”—2 Corinthians 7:1.