Teaching the Truth

1, 2. (a) What was the most important work in Jesus’ life, and why? (b) What must we do to be successful as “God’s fellow workers”?

JESUS CHRIST was a carpenter and later a minister. (Mark 6:3; Romans 15:8) He did both kinds of work perfectly. As a carpenter, he learned how to use his tools to make useful products out of wood. And as a minister, he used his deep knowledge of the Scriptures to help the common people understand the truth from God’s Word. (Matthew 7:28; Luke 24:32, 45) When Jesus was 30 years old, he stopped being a carpenter and became a minister because he knew that this was the most important work he could do. He said that preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God was one reason why God sent him to the earth. (Matthew 20:28; Luke 3:23; 4:43) Jesus focused his life on preaching the good news, and he wanted others to do the same.​—Matthew 9:35-38.

² Most of us are not carpenters, but all of us are ministers who teach others the good news. This work is so important that God is involved. In fact, we are called “God’s fellow workers.” (1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 6:4) We agree with the psalmist who said: “The very essence of your word is truth.” (Psalm 119:159, 160) Jehovah’s word is the truth. That is why we want to be sure that we are “handling the word of the truth aright” in our ministry. (Read 2 Timothy 2:15.) So we keep trying to become more skillful at using the Bible, our main tool for teaching others about Jehovah, Jesus, and the Kingdom. To help us to be successful in our ministry, Jehovah’s organization has given us other useful tools, and we need to know how to use them too. These tools are in our Teaching Toolbox.

 3. What should we focus on in our ministry, and how does Acts 13:48 help us to do that?

³ You may wonder why we call it a Teaching Toolbox and not a Preaching Toolbox. That is because to “preach” means to declare a message, but to “teach” means to explain that message so that a person understands what he hears and then is moved to act on what he learns. During the short time left in this system, we must focus on starting Bible studies and teaching people the truth so that they may become disciples of Christ. This means that we should zealously look for all those who are “rightly disposed for everlasting life” and help them to start serving Jehovah.​—Read Acts 13:44-48.

 4. How can we find those who are “rightly disposed for everlasting life”?

⁴ How can we find those who are “rightly disposed for everlasting life”? For the first Christians, the only way to find those people was to preach. Jesus told his disciples: “Into whatever city or village you enter, search out who in it is deserving.” (Matthew 10:11) We need to do the same today. Of course, if people are not sincere, are proud, or do not really care about God, we do not expect them to listen to the good news. We are looking for people who are sincere, who are humble, and who really want to know the truth. We can compare our search for people to what Jesus had to do when he was a carpenter. Before he could make a piece of furniture, a door, a yoke, or something else, he first had to find the right wood. Then he could get his toolbox, use his skills, and make the item. In a similar way today, we first have to find sincere people, and then we can use our tools and skills to help them become disciples.​—Matthew 28:19, 20.

 5. What do we need to know about the tools in our Teaching Toolbox? Illustrate. (See opening pictures.)

⁵ In a toolbox, each tool has a specific purpose. For example, think about the tools Jesus used as a carpenter.a (See footnote.) He needed tools to measure, mark, cut, drill, and shape the wood, as well as tools to level the pieces and join them together. Similarly, each tool in our Teaching Toolbox has a specific purpose. So let us find out how to use these important tools.

6, 7. (a) How have you used the contact cards? (b) Why do we use the congregation meeting invitations?

⁶ Contact Cards. These are small but very effective tools that tell people who we are and direct them to our website jw.org. On our website, they can learn more about us and even request a Bible study. More than 400,000 people have asked for a Bible study so far on jw.org, and hundreds more do so every day! You can keep a few contact cards with you and use them as you talk to people you meet throughout the day.

⁷ Invitations. The printed invitation to our meetings says: “You are invited to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Then it says that you can do this “at our public meetings” “or with a personal instructor.” So the invitation tells people who we are and also invites those who are “conscious of their spiritual need” to study the Bible with us. (Matthew 5:3) Of course, people are welcome to attend our meetings whether they accept a Bible study or not. When they come to our meetings, they will see how much they can learn about the Bible.

 8. Why is it important for people to come to at least one of our meetings? Give an example.

⁸ It is important that we keep inviting people to attend our meetings at least once. Why? Because when they come, they will see that Jehovah’s Witnesses teach the truth from the Bible and help people get to know God, while false religions do not. (Isaiah 65:13) For example, a married couple in the United States named Ray and Linda noticed this difference some years ago. They believed in God and wanted to get to know him better. So they decided to visit all the churches in their city and to look for two things before joining one. First, they would have to learn something at the church, and second, the church members must dress like people who claim to serve God. It took them several years because there were so many churches. But they were very disappointed. They had not learned anything, and the church members dressed very disrespectfully. After they visited the last church on their list, Linda went to work and Ray went home. On his way home, he drove by a Kingdom Hall. He thought, ‘Let me go in and see what happens there.’ Of course, this was the best experience of all! Everyone at the Kingdom Hall was kind and friendly and dressed very nicely. Ray sat in the front row and loved what he learned! This reminds us of the apostle Paul’s description of a person who comes into a meeting for the first time and says: “God is really among you.” (1 Corinthians 14:23-25) Ray came to the meeting every Sunday after that. Then he started coming to every midweek meeting. Linda also started coming to the meetings, and although they were in their 70’s, they studied the Bible and got baptized.

9, 10. (a) Why are the tracts easy to use? (b) Explain how to use the tract What Is the Kingdom of God?

⁹ Tracts. We have eight tracts in our toolbox. They are easy to use, and they work very well to start conversations. Since the first of these tracts were released in 2013, some five billion of them have been printed! These tracts all have the same format. So once you learn how to use one of them, you can use all of them! How can you use a tract to start a conversation with someone?

¹⁰ Perhaps you want to use the tract What Is the Kingdom of God? Show the person the question on the front and ask: “Have you ever wondered what the Kingdom of God is? Would you say it is . . . ?” Then ask which one of the three answers he would choose. Rather than saying whether his answer is right or wrong, simply open the tract to the section “What the Bible Says” on the inside and read the scriptures shown there, Daniel 2:44 and Isaiah 9:6. At the end of your conversation, ask the question on the back under the heading “To Think About”: “What will life be like under the rule of God’s Kingdom?” You can answer that question during your next conversation. When you meet again, you can use lesson 7 of the brochure Good News From God!, which is one of our tools to start Bible studies.

11. What are our magazines designed to do, and what should we know about them?

¹¹ Magazines. The Watchtower and Awake! are the most widely published and translated magazines in the world! Because people from many different countries read these magazines, the subjects on the cover are designed to be interesting to people everywhere. We should use these magazines to help people to focus on what is most important in life today. But first, we need to know what type of person each magazine is designed for.

12. (a) For whom is Awake! designed, and what is its goal? (b) What good experiences have you recently had with this tool?

¹² Awake! is designed for people who know very little or nothing about the Bible. They may know nothing about Christian teachings, they may not really trust religion, or they may not realize that the Bible can help them in their personal life. One main goal of Awake! is to convince the reader that God exists. (Romans 1:20; Hebrews 11:6) It also tries to help the reader have faith that the Bible “truthfully is . . . the word of God.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13) The three issues for 2018 have these titles: “The Way of Happiness,” “12 Secrets of Successful Families,” and “Help for Those Who Grieve.”

13. (a) For whom is the public edition of The Watchtower designed? (b) What good experiences have you recently had with this tool?

¹³ The main goal of the public edition of The Watchtower is to explain Bible teachings to people who already have some respect for God and the Bible. They may know some things about the Bible, but they do not accurately understand what it teaches. (Romans 10:2; 1 Timothy 2:3, 4) The three issues for 2018 answer these questions: “Is the Bible Still Relevant Today?,” “What Does the Future Hold?,” and “Does God Care About You?”

14. (a) What are the four videos in our Teaching Toolbox designed to do? (b) What good experiences have you had in showing these videos?

¹⁴ Videos. In Jesus’ day, the only tools a carpenter had were hand tools. But now, carpenters also have tools that use electric power, such as saws, drills, and sanders. When we preach today, in addition to printed literature, we have beautiful videos to show people. Four of them are in our toolbox: Why Study the Bible?, What Happens at a Bible Study?, What Happens at a Kingdom Hall?, and Jehovah’s Witnesses​—Who Are We? The shorter videos can be played in less than two minutes and work well on the initial call. The longer videos can be used on return visits and with those who have more time. These videos are wonderful tools because they can motivate people to study the Bible and come to our meetings.

15. What effect can watching one of our videos in their own language have on people? Give examples.

¹⁵ As an example, one sister met a woman who had moved from Micronesia and whose first language is Yapese. The sister showed her Why Study the Bible? in Yapese. When the video started, the woman said: “This is my language. I can’t believe it! I can tell from his accent that he is from my island. He speaks my language!” After that, she said that she was going to read and watch everything in her language on jw.org. (Compare Acts 2:8, 11.) Another example is that of a sister in the United States whose nephew lives on a different continent. She sent him a link to the same video in his language. He watched the video and e-mailed her: “The part about an evil power controlling the world particularly caught my attention. I signed up for a Bible study.” This is especially exciting because he lives in a country where our work is restricted!

16. Explain the specific purpose of each brochure: (a) Listen to God and Live Forever. (b) Good News From God! (c) Who Are Doing Jehovah’s Will Today?

¹⁶ Brochures. How can we teach the truth to someone who cannot read well or who does not have any Bible literature in his language? We can use the brochure Listen to God and Live Forever.b (See footnote.) An excellent tool to start Bible studies is the brochure Good News From God! You can show a person the 14 topics on the back cover and ask him which one he is most interested in. Then start the study in that lesson. Have you tried this on your return visits? The third brochure in our toolbox is Who Are Doing Jehovah’s Will Today? It is designed to teach Bible students about our organization. To learn how to use this brochure on each Bible study, see the March 2017 issue of Our Christian Life and Ministry​—Meeting Workbook.

17. (a) What is the specific purpose of each study book? (b) What do all those who get baptized need to do, and why?

¹⁷ Books. After you start a study with a person using a brochure, you can at any time switch to the book What Can the Bible Teach Us? This tool can help people learn more about basic Bible teachings. If the student is making progress and he finishes that book, you can continue the study in the book How to Remain in God’s Love. This tool will teach the student how to apply Bible principles in his daily life. Remember, even after he gets baptized, a new one still needs to continue his study until he has finished both books. This will help him to have strong faith in Jehovah and remain loyal to him.​—Read Colossians 2:6, 7.

18. (a) What does 1 Timothy 4:16 encourage us to do as teachers of the truth, and with what result? (b) What is our goal as we use our Teaching Toolbox?

¹⁸ As Jehovah’s Witnesses, we have the responsibility to teach people “the message of truth of the good news” that can lead them to everlasting life. (Colossians 1:5; read 1 Timothy 4:16.) To help us do this, we have a Teaching Toolbox with the tools that we need. (See the box “Teaching Toolbox.”) Let us use these tools as best we can. Each one of us can decide which tool in the toolbox to use and when. But remember, our goal is not just to distribute literature, and we do not give literature to people who are not interested in our message. Our goal is to make disciples of people who are sincere, who are humble, and who really want to know God, people who are “rightly disposed for everlasting life.”​—Acts 13:48; Matthew 28:19, 20.