Kingdom Proclaimers Report

Bible Truth Unites a Family

TODAY, in many parts of the world, family unity is almost a thing of the past. However, the Bible reveals the secret of family unity. Consider Jesus’ words: “Everyone that hears these sayings of mine and does them will be likened to a discreet man, who built his house upon the rock-mass.” (Matthew 7:24) Thousands of families among Jehovah’s Witnesses have achieved unity by applying these words and by using the Bible as a foundation for building a closely knit family. Others are also attaining such unity, as the following experience shows.

While Daniel was serving in the army in France, an army chaplain suggested that Daniel purchase a Bible, which he did, and he started reading it regularly. Eventually he was transferred to Tahiti. Some of Daniel’s fellow soldiers were Adventists, and others were Mormons. Their conversations often turned to the subject of religion. One day a chief sergeant introduced Daniel to his wife, who was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She spent an entire afternoon answering Daniel’s many questions and put him in contact with one of the local congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Tahiti. Soon he began a regular Bible study.

Daniel’s parents back in France were very sincere Catholics. His father was a school counselor and was in charge of religious instruction at a Catholic school. Wanting to share with his parents some of the spiritual gems he was learning, Daniel gradually began to slip a few Biblical thoughts into his letters to them.

At first Daniel’s mother was delighted, but then she was shocked to find the name Jehovah in one of her son’s letters. A few days later, she heard a radio program that presented Jehovah’s Witnesses as a “dangerous sect.” She wrote Daniel, asking him to break off all contact with the Witnesses immediately. However, Daniel continued making progress in his study of the Bible and soon made arrangements to leave the army and return to France.

Once home again, Daniel spent each evening​—sometimes late into the night—​in long Bible discussions with his mother. Finally she agreed to accompany Daniel to a Kingdom Hall. When she attended her first meeting, she was so impressed that she began to have her own regular Bible study. She made rapid progress and was soon baptized.

Daniel’s father was a tolerant man but very dedicated to his professional and religious activities. Still, on one occasion he drove his wife and Daniel to a district convention. It was July 14, and he had in mind watching the Bastille Day parade in the city. While waiting he decided, out of curiosity, to look inside the convention hall. He was impressed by the order and peace that he saw among Jehovah’s people, and as he walked through the various convention departments everyone kept calling him “brother.” He forgot all about the Bastille Day parade and stayed until the end of the convention. He asked for a Bible study and made rapid progress in learning the truth. However, the more he learned, the more he began to feel ill at ease in his work, so at the age of 58, he left his job. Now all three in the family are dedicated and baptized and are unitedly serving Jehovah together.

It was Bible truth that united Daniel’s family. It can also unite other families if they learn and apply it wholeheartedly.