Help Others to Appreciate God’s Love
1 “God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) Those words reveal the motivating force behind Jehovah’s promise to deliver humankind from sin, sorrow, and death. (John 3:16) The greatness of God’s love can be further appreciated in that he did this for all humankind, even though the vast majority do not acknowledge either his Godship or his authority over their lives.
2 Since the opportunity for everlasting life is available to all people, we want to do all we can to build up appreciation for God’s love in the hearts of those with whom we share the good news. If people are going to serve Jehovah acceptably, they need to appreciate all that he has done for them, especially through the ransom sacrifice of his Son. How can we help them appreciate God’s great love?
THE MEMORIAL
3 On Friday, April 1, 1988, Jehovah’s people will commemorate the death of Jesus Christ. The Scriptural talk that will be given on that occasion may help many new ones in attendance to appreciate more fully God’s love and the need to live in harmony with his will. By all means invite as many people as possible to be present for the Memorial. Have you thought of inviting your neighbors? How about your relatives, schoolmates, and work associates? Use the Society’s printed invitation to help you to start conversations.
4 Elders are encouraged to make thorough preparation for the Memorial celebration. Is there adequate provision to accommodate all who are expected to attend, additional chairs being obtained if required? Where more than one congregation will use the hall, orderly arrangements and an appropriate schedule are needed so that each congregation will have sufficient time to celebrate the Memorial. The body of elders should select a well-qualified speaker who will present the information clearly and Scripturally. This will help all present to appreciate what God has done in their behalf. As a result, they will be able to see the need to respond wholeheartedly to his love.—See the February 15, 1985, issue of The Watchtower, page 19.
OFFER CREATION BOOK
5 In addition to the gift of his Son, Jehovah has also shown his love for mankind by the things he has made. Yet, millions do not give credit to Jehovah for the marvelous creation that surrounds us. People need to appreciate the truth about the origin of life. Why? Because as stated in paragraph 3 on page 8 of the Creation book: “Our entire attitude toward life and the future is influenced by our viewpoint on the origin of life. And how life came to be here will definitely affect the future course of history and our place in it.” Our new Topic for Conversation and the Creation book can be used to help honesthearted individuals to appreciate that Jehovah is the Creator of life and the family arrangement.
6 March and April have proved to be excellent months in which to share in the auxiliary pioneer service. No doubt many elders and ministerial servants, along with their family members, will be able to take part, thereby setting a fine example for the congregation.
7 During March, use every opportunity to help others to appreciate God’s love by inviting new ones to the Memorial and by offering the Creation book. Thus we can show that we greatly appreciate Jehovah’s love.