the kings of Israel who read from the law of God daily, so those appointed as overseers or servants among God’s people today should really know the Bible. They should share the truth freely with others, letting the light shine forth for all to see, like a star giving out light. Like a good shepherd who is alert to seek out strays, a servant observes not just those present at meetings but also those missing so that they can be visited and helped. A good servant knows the flock is God’s heritage and he treats it as a trust from Jehovah.—1 Thess. 5:14, 15.

21. What events make us alert, and what counsel is given?

²¹ As the spiritual cloud that envelops the earth gets darker and darker, now is the time to come out to the light enjoyed by the New World society. This light of truth has been getting brighter and brighter since Christ’s heavenly enthronement in 1914. Jehovah God and Christ Jesus, “the kings from the rising of the sun,” are preparing to gather the nations to the great battle of Armageddon. There will be no neutral position in that battle, no place to hide. All the Scriptural evidence from Jesus’ detailed sign of the times is just like a divine alarm ringing loud and clear for our warning and protection. (Joel 3:12-17) Now is no time to get wearied from years of well-doing or slowed down by the burdens of life. Remember, instead, Jesus’ warning at Luke 21:34, 35: “Pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon you as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling upon the face of the earth.”

22. What can spiritually awake persons look forward to?

²² Do not let anything keep you from entering the open door to service of Jehovah God. Show Jehovah you appreciate the urgency of the times, that you have love for him and the truth you have learned. Share it with your neighbors by working whole-souled in the Kingdom ministry. This is a work that will end; so enjoy it now. (Jer. 31:34) Keep spiritually awake to avoid going down with the nations into destruction at Armageddon. Be among the happy ones, awake to the times, alert to the opportunity to serve with your family and with the congregation as a part of Jehovah’s organization. Then you too will gain Jehovah’s approval and life in the new world after Christ makes his Armageddon inspection. This is the happy future for men of faith.

Not for the Churches

● Writing in The Christian Century of April 30, 1958, Simeon Stylites tells of a speech once given by Methodist bishop Francis J. McConnell: “His subject was what would happen if the prophet Amos came up for appointment at a Methodist annual conference. . . . He staged . . . a conference cabinet meeting with the district superintendents. . . . One by one they shed bitter tears, vowing undying admiration for the prophet Amos, and explaining why they could not give him a church in their districts.

● “The superintendent of the North district said in a faltering voice . . . : ‘You all know how I love and admire Brother Amos. . . . But he doesn’t have enough tact for Grace Church. He just blurts out his ideas with no suavity at all, and Grace Church folks need a lot of suavity. They are in a building campaign. If only Brother Amos would raise fewer controversial issues and more money he would get on better. . . . ’

● “Then the superintendent of the West district opened up. ‘I too have loved Brother Amos,’ he said. ‘I have been deeply moved by many of his sermons. I would love to put him at Trinity Church. But he is just not eloquent enough. It has been a great preaching place. . . . Brother Amos is a plain blunt man who speaks straight on. He doesn’t have the literary touch or the oratorical lift the people of Trinity are used to. I’m sorry.”’