Kingdom Proclaimers Report
Jehovah Sustains His Faithful Servants
JESUS said: “A slave is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:20) But Jehovah’s faithful servants are assured that he will sustain them. (Psalm 18:2; Nahum 1:7) In an African country where the peaceful work of Jehovah’s Witnesses is severely restricted, Jehovah sustained his servants in the face of beatings and arrests, as the following report shows:
“A circuit overseer and four local brothers were arbitrarily arrested and thrown into a small room normally kept for stray dogs,” says the report. “They were kept there for 123 days in their underclothes and were not even allowed to go out to the toilet.” A member of Parliament heard of the inhuman conditions and began to protest, and finally, after 123 days, the brothers were released. Jehovah sustained these faithful brothers by his spirit.
Another experience from this same country shows the beneficial effects of our preaching work. The report relates: “In one village, the people had a reputation for violence and rebellion. However, after Jehovah’s Witnesses preached there, many came to respect the local authorities and started to participate in the weekly community work on the roads.” One local chief wanted to know the reason for this change in attitude of the people and was told: “It was because of the teaching of the ‘pastor’ of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” “One day this chief invited me to his house,” says the Witness, “and encouraged me to continue this good work. He gave me a gift of a big chicken to eat with my family.” On another occasion, the local mayor came to visit the brother, and the brother invited him in and gave him a witness. The mayor “requested some magazines and said, ‘We don’t think you do any harm. Keep making appeals. We have no orders to arrest you. I think that soon the State will handle your problem.’”
A special pioneer writes: “Following accusations from the secretary of the political party, the local chief ordered my arrest and imprisonment in a filthy cell soiled by animal urine and manure. I was kept in this darkness for five days. On the way there, I prayed to Jehovah and remembered Psalm 50:15. The guards there had pity on me and did not fully close the door so that I could breathe some fresh air. After five days in this prison, I was put to the test when they gave me a goat to take to the local chief, with no escort. Since I did not flee, I was given freedom every day from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. I could meet with the brothers, and we could preach together. Even though I became ill during this difficult time and my enemies hoped I would die, Jehovah never left me. This experience has brought me close to Jehovah, and I am sure that persecution will never separate me from Jehovah’s people.”—Compare Romans 8:35-39.
Jehovah’s Witnesses appreciate how God sustains them in times of difficulty. They also appreciate those who show kindness to them as they carry on this most important lifesaving work of preaching the good news. Jehovah will not forget such kindness.—Matthew 25:40.