Making Advancement in Your Ministry
1 Working for Jehovah is a joy. And that joy grows if we continue to make advancement. The apostle Paul urged Timothy: “Ponder over these things; be absorbed in them, that your advancement may be manifest to all persons.” (1 Tim. 4:15) We, too, can make advancement. And we will do so if we do as Paul advised Timothy, that is, if we ponder over the things in God’s Word and become absorbed in applying what it says.
2 In every congregation there is much work to be done, and there is a need for willing workers. Do you make yourself available? It would be a fine thing to do. This does not mean trying to maneuver things so that you become more prominent in the congregation. It means going out of your way to do things for your brothers and sisters, encouraging them, working with them in the field service, building them up spiritually. It means offering help, if possible, when there is extra work to be done at the Kingdom Hall. It includes fulfilling the assignments given you in connection with the meetings, and doing so, not to amuse or entertain the audience, but to upbuild the congregation in a spiritual way. The desire to do these things, and the ability to do them well, result from diligent study of the Bible and applying it in one’s own life. Are you making that kind of advancement?
3 The pioneer work is another marvelous privilege that is open to many. Are you a pioneer? Is pioneering a goal toward which you are working? It is not something to do only if you have nothing else that fills your time. It is a work for those who value their time and discipline themselves to use it well. Being a good pioneer is not merely a matter reporting a certain amount of work in the field service. The qualifications for a good pioneer are the same as those for a fine congregation publisher; only, the one who pioneers is in position to devote more time to the actual field ministry. Both should cultivate a genuine love for the ministry and a deep concern for the people in the territory. Both should feel motivated to use every opportunity to help sincere ones to know Jehovah and his wonderful purposes. Both should be constantly alert to ways to improve their field ministry. Both should be keenly aware of the importance of leading morally clean lives and manifesting the fruitage of the spirit in everything that they do. Are you making advancement in these ways?
4 One’s responding to the call to serve where the need is greater can also be evidence of advancement. Not everyone can make such a move, but many have done so. They were able to shake loose from some of the restraints that material interests imposed on what they could do in Jehovah’s service. They moved to the territory of a congregation that needed help on the servant body, or that was looking for aid in covering its territory with the good news. Some have been able to use their abilities to help to build Kingdom Halls in these areas. The resulting blessings have brought much joy to their hearts.
5 Of course, serving where the need is greater may not require making a move. There may be areas right within your congregation’s territory that have not been worked for a long time. Why not check with the magazine-territory servant and find out what the situation is.
6 Truly, all of us can move ahead. Some are able to move out into new fields of service—as pioneers, missionaries or Bethel family members. And, if they qualify, they should be encouraged to do so. But, whether we can take up such work or not, we can learn to make better use of our time. We can take fuller advantage of the opportunities that are open to us in the field ministry and within the congregation. We can study God’s Word more diligently and seek to apply it more fully in our own lives. If we ponder over these things and become absorbed in them, advancement will not be a rare event, but a regular part of our lives.