God’s Kingdom Is the Solution
1 Do you remember how you felt when you first grasped the significance of God’s kingdom? It is, indeed, glorious good news! As you have read accounts of Jesus’ life you have observed that the Kingdom is the message that he kept to the fore. Zealously he preached it and he urged his followers to do the same. At Matthew 10:7, he said: “As you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.’” Have 19 centuries of time diminished the power and force of God’s kingdom? Not at all!
THE MESSAGE HAS NOT CHANGED
2 Over the centuries, governments of all kinds have come and gone. The inadequacy of human governments has been eloquently underscored, but one thing remains firm, real and brimming with hope, namely, God’s kingdom backed by the irresistible power of the Sovereign Lord of the Universe. How grateful we can be to have the privilege of sharing that hope with all who will listen!—Rom. 15:13.
3 We are now more than 64 years into the “time of the end.” How should this affect us? For one thing, more than ever before, we can see that the Kingdom is the only solution to man’s ills. And we know that only those who put their full confidence in it will survive the “great tribulation.” Thus, it is more urgent than ever before that people have the opportunity to hear about God’s kingdom and be encouraged to take their stand on its side.—Rom. 10:13-15.
ANNOUNCING JEHOVAH’S KINGDOM
4 Of course, when talking with people we want to be adaptable and converse with them on topics that interest them. But no matter what we might use to catch their interest, the real solution is God’s kingdom and this is the thought we want to leave with them. Now, how might we do this to the best advantage?
5 Many of us may elect to start our conversation by inquiring how the householder feels about the high cost of living, family problems, unemployment, crime and violence, and so forth. Likely, we will get a ready response that these are difficult times for many. Or, suppose we choose to ask: “Do you think the time will come when we will not need locks, alarm systems, security forces, and so forth, to protect our life and property from lawless people?” Regardless of the response to either of these inquiries (or similar ones), we always want to point to the real remedy, God’s kingdom. How can we do this? By asking at an opportune time in our conversation: “What do you think the solution to this problem is?” Or, “Is God going to do anything about this? What do you think?” These questions can help to steer the conversation in the right direction.
THE REAL SOLUTION
6 By identifying God’s kingdom as the real solution, we focus attention not merely on social problems, but on the permanent solution to these problems. While it is fitting to start out with something that puts us on a common level with the householder, we should always try to finish with the real solution, God’s kingdom. If we were to discuss at great length some social issue and what we and others might do to improve the situation, we would be missing the mark; we would be talking about temporary relief when we know the permanent cure.
7 So, as we offer the Watchtower subscription during January (with a free 384- or 416-page book or the “Eternal Purpose” book), we should stress the real solution for all of man’s ills, as The Watchtower itself does. Appropriately, the new topic for conversation centers around Matthew 6:9, 10, but you may use another text if your territory seems to require it. Try it, using the suggestions in Presenting the Good News. “God’s Kingdom Is the Solution” will be our topic for conversation for the next four months. Our being upbuilding and positive in the way we discuss God’s kingdom will no doubt appeal to the hearts of many householders who long for a real solution to problems that face us all.