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“Divine Sovereignty” Assemblies Demonstrate Reality of Kingdom RuleThe Watchtower—1975 | October 15
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For example, a bus driver transporting delegates to the Los Angeles assembly stated: “I think your assembly has been carried on beautifully. I only wish we could run our government the same way you people run your organization. The thing that impresses me so much is the way you people conduct yourselves.”
A person who attended an assembly for the first time, in Cicero, Illinois, remarked: “I have never seen anything like this before in all my life. I have never seen so much love between peoples of all nations together at one time.” At the Syracuse, New York, assembly, a newly baptized person who previously had been Roman Catholic and a member of a motorcycle gang said: “I wanted a brotherhood, but didn’t find it before. But in Jehovah’s organization I have found this brotherhood and love between peoples of all races and backgrounds.” This unity demonstrates the truth of Jesus’ words at John 13:35: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.”
God’s Word also shows that true Christians would have “good order,” that they would be “orderly.” (Col. 2:5; 1 Tim. 3:2) This too was often noted by observers. At the Sheffield, England, assembly a transportation official said: “I would prefer to have Jehovah’s witnesses every weekend and the football crowd once a year, rather than the other way around.” Why? He explained: “Jehovah’s witnesses are well behaved and wait patiently when queueing.”
At Cleveland, Ohio, 57,027 gathered for the assembly. Afterward, the Cleveland Press headlined an editorial “Welcome, Witnesses,” and commented: “Never has the city had such an orderly convention.” It added: “The Witnesses believe the end of the world is imminent. We’re glad they chose Cleveland while there was still time.” City officials were so impressed that in a letter to the assembly the mayor wrote: “We hope that the city was as good a host as you were guests. Yours was a most orderly session, and the delegates certainly brought a great deal of credit to themselves and their religion by the way they conducted themselves while they were here.” The officials were so cooperative that they even agreed to reroute airplanes that had been flying directly over Municipal Stadium where the convention was held so that the delegates would not be disturbed by their noise!
A police officer assigned to the Cleveland Stadium said: “We wish that all of the assemblies here were like the Witnesses when they are here. We haven’t had any problems with unruliness, and one of the things that everybody has commented on is the fact that everything is so clean and that the Witnesses have been very nice to us, very courteous. When you tell them to stop for traffic, they stop. You know, they are really a model group to take care of.” And at the Bozeman, Montana, assembly a motel manager stated: “If all people were like Jehovah’s witnesses, we wouldn’t need policemen!”
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“Divine Sovereignty” Assemblies Demonstrate Reality of Kingdom RuleThe Watchtower—1975 | October 15
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At the Allentown, Pennsylvania, assembly an overseer noted: “Swarms of young people helped to clean up the trash and junk remaining from an antique and junk show held the day before. Everywhere one could see young and old busily engaged in picking up trash and cleaning.” Such family cooperation prompted the operating manager of the Lakeland, Florida, Civic Center to say: “I wish all kids were as well trained as those who are Jehovah’s witnesses. I see them working, carrying mops and brooms.”
The training of young ones to be submissive to Jehovah’s laws bears fruitage. At Syracuse, New York, a lawyer whose office is across the street from where the assembly was being held commented to the auditorium’s manager on how surprised he was to see such orderly family groups. The next day the manager told the Witnesses: “How do you keep the children so quiet? Look, everyone is paying attention!” That day he went to a refreshment stand at the assembly to get some food. While he was doing so, he dropped a dime from his pocket, unknown to him, and walked back to his office. A young Witness boy saw the dime drop, picked it up, and followed the manager into his office to return the dime. Amazed and pleased, the manager stated: “I know that this is what he should do. But how many young boys today would do so?”
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“Divine Sovereignty” Assemblies Demonstrate Reality of Kingdom RuleThe Watchtower—1975 | October 15
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This quality of working hard for God’s Kingdom interests is also displayed at Christian assemblies.
An example of this is what happened in the Canadian city of Victoria, British Columbia. The night before the assembly, there was a lacrosse game in one part of the facilities to be used, and a bingo game of 500 people in another part. After these events the grounds were littered with rubbish. While the participants were still leaving, at 10:30 p.m., about 500 of Jehovah’s witnesses poured into the premises to take up preassigned tasks with clockwork precision. The sight of all these workers transforming the site into a clean, adequate assembly ground with such swiftness made the officials gasp in amazement. One said that he “couldn’t believe his eyes.” He added: “It’s phenomenal.”
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“Divine Sovereignty” Assemblies Demonstrate Reality of Kingdom RuleThe Watchtower—1975 | October 15
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A coliseum official at the Little Rock, Arkansas, assembly declared: “When I look around this stadium and see Jehovah’s witnesses working, it reminds me of a beehive.” And at Corvallis, Oregon, the chief of security for Gill Coliseum, after watching the Witnesses erect assembly facilities, declared: “That beats anything I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen a building go up so fast in my life. Everyone knows just what to do.” A Memphis, Tennessee, television station editor who observed the assembly there stated: “There’s something about you people that others simply don’t have. It’s the way you work together. I’ve never known any people like Jehovah’s witnesses.” And an official of the Lakeland, Florida, Civic Center remarked: “I would rather have a crew of Jehovah’s witnesses than professional workers. Jehovah’s witnesses get more done in twenty minutes than professionals do in four hours!”
Part of this hard work involves cleaning assembly sites before, during and after the assembly, free of charge. This too amazes others. A Memphis Coliseum staff member said: “I had always heard you were clean people, so I wanted to see for myself. I see that it’s true. When this place is in use it is usually a mess. I’ll tell you, I’ve never seen the Coliseum this clean.” A Columbia, South Carolina, Coliseum official declared: “The reason I love to see Jehovah’s witnesses come is that I know the building will be cleaner when you leave than when you came.”
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