Presenting the Good News—With Special Magazines
1 Jehovah’s witnesses appreciate the value of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines in providing much strengthening spiritual food for them. They also recognize that these magazines have been powerful instruments in ‘opening the blind eyes’ and in feeding thousands who spiritually hunger and thirst for God’s Word.—Isa. 42:7; Matt. 5:6.
2 The special issues of these magazines for October are designed to help many who ‘sigh and groan’ because of the bad conditions in the earth. (Ezek. 9:4) The Watchtower contains the assembly public address “Human Plans Failing as God’s Purpose Succeeds.” The Awake! special issue entitled “Does God Care?” answers a question that is perhaps most frequently asked, namely, Why has God permitted wickedness?
3 In using this issue of Awake! you can arouse interest by asking a few of the questions in the article “Does God Care About Mankind?” Then you can call attention to the title of the article “When and Where Things Went Wrong” and “How God Has Actively Shown His Care.”
4 Or, you may use only the article “Human Suffering—Due to Whose Failure to Care?” After pointing out the apparent dilemma set out in paragraphs three and four, you can follow up with the offer of the magazine, saying that it provides the answer. When having a more extended discussion, you could epitomize the entire argument in this article. Show that it is not any lack in the earth’s power to produce that is at fault. Rather, man’s greed and his mishandling of earth’s resources have brought about poverty, pollution and devastation of large areas of the earth. After discussing these points briefly, show the householder the special magazine that gives details on God’s purpose to remedy these things and to bless mankind. Offer the subscription.
5 The article “How Much Do You Care?”, which is quite brief, may be used as a stepping-stone to a home Bible study. You can later switch to the Truth book or Peace and Security book. If the householder shows unusual interest, or when you make a return visit after placing this issue, read and discuss it together, if possible. This article makes an appeal to the person’s love of good things and his desire for peace and life for himself and his family.
6 In highlighting the special issue of The Watchtower, you may wish briefly to call attention to the failure of human plans for a better world, and ask, ‘But has God been doing anything—do you think he is working out a purpose toward earth?’ Where the householder replies, you may turn to the article “Human Plans Failing as God’s Purpose Succeeds.”
7 Often we find people who say, ‘Our church is about the same as yours.’ Others do not know much about Jehovah’s witnesses. They often have distorted ideas about us. If the activity of Jehovah’s witnesses comes up—why they call at “Christian” homes, what their purpose is, and so forth—the article “How Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Different?” may be used. Paragraphs dealing with the question asked may be referred to.
8 The people need to know that God does care and that he is doing something now for them toward the completion of a grand purpose for the earth. The special magazines give us opportunity to bring this good news to as many persons as we can reach.
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Apply Counsel Given in the Special Meetings.