THE WATCHTOWER JULY 2013 APPEARED IN Can You Trust Religion Regarding Money? 00:00 00:00 Estelle * was a regular churchgoer with several children. “I told my minister that I wanted to learn about the Bible,” she says. But he never offered to teach her. Finally, she stopped attending church. She continues: “The church officials wrote and basically said that if I could not be there, just send money. I thought, ‘They don’t care if I even attend; they just want my money.’” Angelina, who has always been religious, said: “In my church, they passed the basket three times during each worship service, and we were expected to give each time. They were always asking for money. I thought to myself, ‘They do not have God’s spirit.’” Do the religions in your area employ direct or subtle pressure to obtain money? Is that in harmony with the Bible? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH? Jesus, the founder of Christianity, said: “You received free, give free.” (Matthew 10:8) The message of the Bible is priceless and should be available to all who want it. How did the early Christians care for congregation expenses? Each one contributed “just as he has resolved in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) The apostle Paul said: “It was with working night and day, so as not to put an expensive burden upon any one of you, that we preached the good news.” (1 Thessalonians 2:9) Paul worked as a tentmaker to support his ministry.—Acts 18:2, 3. HOW DO JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES MEASURE UP? Jehovah’s Witnesses commonly meet in modest buildings called Kingdom Halls. How are expenses covered? They never pass collection plates, nor do they send out envelopes to solicit donations. Rather, any who appreciate the spiritual program can discreetly place a donation in a contribution box at the Kingdom Hall. How should religion be financed? This magazine obviously costs money to print and ship. Yet you will never see commercial advertising or appeals for money. The emphasis is on dispensing Bible truth. What do you think: Is the spirit behind these arrangements in accord with Jesus’ words and the example of the early Christians? THE WATCHTOWER JULY 2013 APPEARED IN Can You Trust Religion Regarding War? 00:00 00:00 Alberto served in the army for almost ten years. He recalls: “Our chaplain blessed us, saying, ‘God is with you.’ But I wondered, ‘I am going out to kill, yet the Bible says that “you shall not kill.”’” Ray was in the navy during World War II. Once, he asked the chaplain: “You come onto the ship and pray for the troops and for victory. Doesn’t the enemy have the same arrangement?” The chaplain answered that the Lord works in mysterious ways. If that answer does not satisfy you, you are not alone. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH? Jesus said that one of the greatest commandments of God is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31) Did Jesus place a limit on loving our neighbor based on where that neighbor lives or on what nationality he is? No. He told his disciples: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:34, 35) Their love for one another would be so extraordinary that it would be an identifying mark. They would rather give their life for one another than to take life from others. The early Christians lived in harmony with Jesus’ words. The Encyclopedia of Religion notes: “The early church fathers, including Tertullian and Origen, affirmed that Christians were constrained from taking human life, a principle that prevented them from participating in the Roman army.” HOW DO JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES MEASURE UP? Since Jehovah’s Witnesses reside in almost every country, individuals among them find themselves living on both sides in disputes between nations. Yet, they do their best to maintain the identifying mark of love. Have religious leaders taught true Christian love? For example, during the 1994 ethnic conflict between Hutu and Tutsi in Rwanda, Jehovah’s Witnesses remained completely neutral. Witnesses of one tribe sheltered Witnesses of the other tribe, often at great risk to their own lives. When two Hutu Witnesses who had sheltered their Tutsi brothers were caught, the Hutu Interahamwe militia said, “You must die because you helped the Tutsi to escape.” Sadly, both of the Hutu Witnesses were then killed.—John 15:13. What do you think: Are the actions of Jehovah’s Witnesses in harmony with Jesus’ words about self-sacrificing love?
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 12:40:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015