Transcripts: Governing Body Updates

Transcript: 2024 Governing Body Update #5
(Geoffrey W. Jackson. Governing Body)
Geoffrey: Welcome! Since our last update, we’ve had five more special conventions.
(Photos of conventions)
They were held in the following locations: Prague, Czech Republic; Helsinki, Finland; Budapest, Hungary; Reykjavik, Iceland; and Zurich, Switzerland. Delegates came from over 30 countries.
(Photos of happy people)
It’s a joy to see the love and unity of Jehovah’s people. A total of 578 were baptized at these conventions.
(A woman is gently lifted out the water. A young girl smiles and pinches her nose, ready for baptism)
A highlight of the special convention in Iceland was the release of the complete New World Translation in Icelandic.
(Brother David H. Splane smiles as he holds up a Bible in Icelandic)
The rich spiritual food at this year’s convention refreshes and strengthens us to keep declaring the good news. Of course, as we think about the ministry, we have in mind the new service year that’s approaching rapidly. Maybe you’ll remember that beginning September 1, we will have an exciting worldwide campaign to offer Bible studies. It’s good for us to begin preparing now. During the campaign, we’ll offer Bible studies to as many people as possible, using the Enjoy Life Forever! brochure. For that month, auxiliary pioneers will have the option of choosing either a 15-hour requirement or a 30-hour requirement. Why not take a few minutes this week to look at your schedule for September? Prayerfully consider if you can expand your ministry that month. We also have something very encouraging to share with you. On Sunday, July 28, we reached a special landmark with regard to Bible translation. The New World Translation is now available in whole or in part in 300 languages. Isn’t that amazing? We have so many exciting things happening in Jehovah’s organization. But now for the rest of our update, I’d like to speak with you about an important topic: the need to remain focused on God’s Kingdom as the real solution to mankind’s problems. This vital truth helps us to stay neutral regarding the world’s political issues. This year’s regional convention helps us to keep this point in mind. At the convention, we get to enjoy Episode 1 of The Good News According to Jesus. It reminds us how the appearance of the Messiah was such good news. With Jesus’ arrival on the earth, all the promises of God would now come true through him. And what would these promises include? That the real solution to mankind’s problems, God’s Kingdom, would be established with Jesus as King. What qualities does Jesus manifest as King? Isaiah 9:6, 7 prophetically describes Jesus this way: “For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us; and the rulership will rest on his shoulder. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. To the increase of his rulership and to peace, there will be no end, on the throne of David and on his kingdom in order to establish it firmly and to sustain it“through justice and righteousness, from now on and forever. The zeal of Jehovah of armies will do this.” These verses show us that Jesus’ rulership is characterized by peace, justice, and righteousness. And his rulership will continue forever. How reassuring that is! We’re grateful to know that God’s Kingdom is already established in heaven. It is already the real, permanent solution to all of the problems of the human family. But we need to keep this reality clearly in mind. Why? Because the times we live in can make it challenging to keep focused on God’s Kingdom as the real solution to all of our problems. There are many things that divide the world today. There’s so much unrest and many conflicts. There’s constant effort to make people take sides on political questions and even elections. In fact, it’s estimated that billions of people, nearly half the earth’s population, live in countries where there will be or have been political elections this year. We also see an increase of nationalism and patriotic ceremonies, including in schools. Even sporting events can stir up nationalistic divisions. All of these things are in the news every day. The world is facing unprecedented problems, and imperfect humans have many ideas on how to solve them. But as Jehovah’s Witnesses, how do we view these divisive topics? Of course, we don’t get involved in politics. We remember Jesus’ words at John 18:36, where he said: “My Kingdom is no part of this world.” As a result, we give our wholehearted allegiance to that Kingdom and do not become involved in the politics of this world. Of course, Romans 13:1, 2 indicate that the secular authorities “stand placed in their relative positions by God.” Therefore, we appreciate and deeply respect the role that governments have today. This is in harmony with Jesus’ words recorded at Matthew 22:21, where he said: “Pay back, therefore, Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.” So, while we show honor to those who hold positions of authority in the government, we don’t get involved in political issues or debates, no matter how right or just a particular cause may seem. We “keep on . . . seeking first [God’s] Kingdom and his righteousness.” We know that is the real solution, so we don’t take sides on the world’s issues, even mentally. We don’t favor one candidate or political party over another, regardless of whether they seem to support or oppose our interests. We keep focused on the real solution, God’s Kingdom in the hands of Christ Jesus. What can help us to protect our neutrality? We’ll briefly mention two ways: First, we can spend more time focusing on the solution than on the problem. And second, we can spend more time talking about the solution than the problem. Let’s discuss the first way. What can help us to spend more time focusing on the solution rather than the problem? Daily Bible reading and meditation. That will help us to keep our spiritual armor intact. And we safeguard our heart by limiting how much time we spend listening to or reading news and social media websites, which can leave us anxious, depressed, and even exhausted. A second way we can protect our neutrality is to spend more time talking about the solution than the problem. Isn’t it true that our speech indicates what’s in our heart? What if we freely express strong opinions regarding this world’s elections, wars, or other political matters? Might that indicate that our neutrality has weakened? This could be like a warning indicator light on a car. Our speech might indicate that we need to give our neutrality some attention. The best way to talk about the solution is by preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom. This helps us to stay focused. We’re convinced that Jehovah will remedy all injustices that we face. Preaching helps us to keep our hope clear in mind. Hope is an anchor that stabilizes us during turbulent times. It prevents us from drifting away from Jehovah or his organization. If we continue to do all these things, we’ll remain neutral regarding this world’s politics and we’ll stay focused on the real solution, God’s Kingdom. The Governing Body is sharing these important reminders because Satan, “the ruler of this world,” is pressuring Jehovah’s people like never before. The Devil wants us to take sides on these issues. If we do, we are no longer neutral. We could even find ourselves taking a stand against Jehovah and against his Kingdom. In effect, we could be acting as though we think the Devil has the solution to our problems. Never would we want that to happen! So, dear brothers and sisters, this is a matter that requires our careful and prayerful attention. To help us keep the real solution clearly in mind, make it a priority to have a personal or Family Worship study project on the topic of neutrality. Here are a few ideas: In the book Scriptures for Christian Living, you could review the information about “Governments.” To find this publication in JW Library, go to the Library tab, then Publications, then Books.
(Images of the JW Library App)
Another idea is to review the October 2023 Watchtower study article entitled “Are You ‘Ready to Obey’?” The March 2019 edition of JW Broadcasting had an excellent discussion about neutrality. To find this in JW Library, go to the Library tab, then Video, JW Broadcasting, and then look under Monthly Programs. Or on jw.org, search for “March 2019 broadcast.” Of course, on jw.org if you search “Neutrality,” you’ll find many other helpful videos and articles. We can be sure that Jehovah’s heart rejoices to see millions of people from all nations of the earth united in worshipping him, remaining neutral, and declaring the real solution to mankind’s problems, the good news of God’s Kingdom. Brothers and sisters, please know that we love you all very much. From the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses, this is JW Broadcasting.
(Logo: Black capital letters JW.ORG inside a white box. Copyright 2024 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania)