Keep the Organization Clean for Public Service

WHAT is the grandest assignment any organization could have? Is it not that of preaching this good news of God’s kingdom? Surely! Such an organization would be an organization of public servants, which is what the Christian witnesses of Jehovah are.

This organization of public servants belongs to Jehovah God. He is holy, pure and righteous. It follows, then, that as members of his organization we must keep clean. This means not only keeping separate from this world’s crooked politics, corrupt business practices and false religion but also keeping sexually pure, chaste. We must “quit touching the unclean thing.”—2 Cor. 6:17.a

Jehovah God is not one to be deceived. He sees all. When the private lives of his servants run counter to that of their message, he feels hurt. Yes, God has feelings. Do we not read of his rejoicing, of his being long-suffering, of his being angry? So he feels keenly any reproach that is being heaped upon his own name, upon his beloved organization, upon his truth and upon the good news of His kingdom.

The chasteness of our lives should recommend our message to others; not be a stumbling block or hindrance to them. Each one of us should be able to say with Paul: “In no way are we giving any cause for stumbling, that our ministry might not be found fault with; but in every way we recommend ourselves as God’s ministers, by the endurance of much, . . . by purity [chasteness].”—2 Cor. 6:3-6.

Not that there is anything wrong in sex itself. Jehovah God placed sex distinctions in plants, in the lower animals and in man, and so of itself it must be good. It serves his purpose of reproduction. But among humans He intended it only for those honorably bound in wedlock and so equipped to accept the consequences of sexual union, namely, the rearing of offspring.—Heb. 13:4.

But the world has gone sex mad; it acts as if sexual enjoyment were the supreme, the only good. That is why Christian ministers must be so on guard. Remember, none of those practicing sexual impurity will inherit God’s heavenly kingdom. Those who once practiced these things must clean up and stay clean!

Today there are some who profess to be dedicated Christians who think that they can indulge in all manner of loose, unclean conduct just so long as they do not go to the limit of having sex relations. But not so! Such loose conduct incurs Jehovah’s wrath. Our conduct with the opposite sex—not related to us by marriage—should be above reproach at all times.

In particular does an obligation fall upon overseers to set the right example in chasteness, treating younger women as their fleshly sisters, and older women as mothers. By setting the right example they encourage the rest of the brothers to do the same.—1 Tim. 5:2.

The women in the congregation must also watch themselves in this regard. They should be ‘reverent in behavior, and love their children’ and should “be sound in mind, chaste, . . . so that the word of God may not be spoken of abusively.” In other words, so that the organization of public servants may be kept clean for preaching the good news of the Kingdom.—Titus 2:3-5.

If we individually would do our part toward keeping the organization clean for public service we must practice mental hygiene, which is even more vital than physical hygiene. That means we must be careful about the things on which we set our hearts, since out of the heart are the sources of life. The way we do this is by thinking on “whatever things are true, whatever things are of serious concern, whatever things are righteous, whatever things are chaste, whatever things are lovable, . . . praiseworthy.”—Phil. 4:8.

So let all of us make God’s standards of purity our own. Only those (of the remnant of spirit-begotten ones) who are pure in heart will see God. If they craved uncleanness, how could they be happy in His presence? Likewise only those of the “other sheep” who keep themselves clean can hope to survive Armageddon and enter in and enjoy the clean post-Armageddon new order!—Matt. 5:8; 1 John 3:2, 3

Jehovah the great Judge does not want any unclean person in his organization of public servants. If we want to remain a part of that organization, then we must do our part toward keeping it pure, chaste, to His praise and for our own well-being, both now and throughout eternity!

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