Thursday, July 20
Their conscience is bearing witness with them.—Rom. 2:15.
Servants of Jehovah want to train their conscience. They want the proddings of their conscience to agree with the standards of right and wrong, good and bad, as reflected in God’s Word. A properly trained conscience exercises a powerful influence for good in the Christian congregation. However, training and using our Christian conscience is not just a mental activity. The Bible links a good conscience to faith and love. Paul wrote: “The objective of this instruction is love out of a clean heart and out of a good conscience and out of faith without hypocrisy.” (1 Tim. 1:5) As we train our conscience and respond to it, our love for Jehovah will deepen and our faith will be strengthened. In fact, the way we use our conscience reveals the depth of our spirituality, the quality of our heart, and the intensity of our desire to please Jehovah. Indeed, this inner voice reflects what sort of person we truly are. w15 9/15 2:2, 3
July 17-23
EZEKIEL 18-20
Song 125 and Prayer
Opening Comments (3 min. or less)
TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD
“When Jehovah Forgives, Does He Forget?”: (10 min.)
Eze 18:19, 20—Jehovah holds each person responsible for his own actions (w12 7/1 18 ¶2)
Eze 18:21, 22—Jehovah is ready to forgive repentant ones and will never again hold their sins against them (w12 7/1 18 ¶3-7)
Eze 18:23, 32—Jehovah destroys the wicked only as a last resort (w08 4/1 8 ¶4; w06 12/1 27 ¶11)
Digging for Spiritual Gems: (8 min.)
Eze 18:29—Why did the Israelites develop a wrong viewpoint about Jehovah, and how can we avoid making the same mistake? (w13 8/15 11 ¶9)
Eze 20:49—Why did the people think that Ezekiel was “speaking in riddles,” and what warning does this provide for us? (w07 7/1 14 ¶3)
What has this week’s Bible reading taught you about Jehovah?
What other spiritual gems have you discovered in this week’s Bible reading?
Bible Reading: (4 min. or less) Eze 20:1-12
APPLY YOURSELF TO THE FIELD MINISTRY
Initial Call: (2 min. or less) 1Jo 5:19—Teach the Truth. Lay the groundwork for a return visit.
Return Visit: (4 min. or less) Ge 3:2-5—Teach the Truth. Lay the groundwork for the next visit. (See mwb16.08 8 ¶2.)
Talk: (6 min. or less) w16.05 32—Theme: How Can the Congregation Express Its Joy When an Announcement Is Made That Someone Has Been Reinstated?
LIVING AS CHRISTIANS
“Do You Forgive Yourself?”: (10 min.) Discussion. Begin by playing the video Loyally Uphold Jehovah’s Judgments—Be Forgiving.
Young People Ask—How Can I Deal With My Mistakes?: (5 min.) Discussion of the article “Young People Ask—How Can I Deal With My Mistakes?” Begin by playing the audio recording of the section “What Would You Do?”
Congregation Bible Study: (30 min.) kr chap. 15 ¶9-17
Review Followed by Preview of Next Week (3 min.)
Song 33 and Prayer