JULY 15, 2014

SIMPLIFIED EDITION

STUDY ARTICLES
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SEPTEMBER 1-7 SEPTEMBER 8-14 SEPTEMBER 15-21 SEPTEMBER 22-28

“Jehovah Knows Jehovah’s People “You Are My “You Will Be

Those Who “Renounce Witnesses” Witnesses of Me”
Belong to Him” Unrighteousness” PAGE 15 SONGS: 31, 92 PAGE 21 SONGS: 102, 103
PAGE 3 SONGS: 63, 66 PAGE 9 SONGS: 64, 61

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STUDY ARTICLES
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“Jehovah Knows Those Who Belong to Him”
Jehovah’s People “Renounce Unrighteousness”
These articles will explain why Paul used specific expres-
sions at 2 Timothy 2:19, and they will show how these ex-
pressions relate to events in Moses’ day. We will also learn
what it means to belong to Jehovah and how to “renounce
unrighteousness.”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“You Are My Witnesses”
“You Will Be Witnesses of Me”
In these articles we will discuss what it means to be called
Jehovah’s Witnesses. This will motivate us to witness zeal-
ously about both Jehovah and Jesus and to live in a way that
brings honor to them.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
27 Losing a Father—Finding a Father
July 15, 2014
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“Jehovah Knows Those
Who Belong to Him”
“If anyone loves God, this one is known by him.”
—1 CORINTHIANS 8:3.

A GROUP of men were standing in front of the taberna- HOW WOULD YOU
cle, ready to offer incense to Jehovah. On the one side was ANSWER?
Aaron, the high priest of Israel, and on the other side were ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Korah and 250 men. (Numbers 16:16-18) It seemed that all How do we know that
of them were loyal to God. However, Korah and his sup- Jehovah’s purpose will
never change?
porters were proud, rebellious, and selfish, and they were
trying to grab the priesthood from Aaron. (Numbers 16:1-
11) They had deceived themselves, thinking that Jehovah
would accept their worship. But in reality, they had insult- ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ed Jehovah, who could read their hearts. He could see that Jehovah’s values and
principles are based on
they were hypocrites and that they wanted glory for them- what two vital truths?
selves.—Jeremiah 17:10.
2Earlier, Moses had said: “Jehovah will make known
who belongs to him.” (Numbers 16:5) How did Jehovah ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

show that he knew who his true worshippers were and How is our faith in Jehovah
who the hypocrites were? Jehovah sent fire from heaven strengthened by the lessons
learned from 2 Timothy 2:19?
1. Give an example that shows how some of God’s people deceived
themselves. (See opening picture.)
2. What did Moses say would happen, and how did his words come
true?

JULY 15, 2014 3

SOME EXPRESSIONS EXPLAINED
People who belong
to Jehovah:
Those who are loyal to God
Hypocritical worshipper:
A person who pretends to
be obedient to Jehovah
and at the same time will-
fully practices something
that is not pleasing to Him.
Jehovah only accepts
worship that is genuine,
and he will expose wicked
people who refuse to
repent
Apostasy:
To rebel against true
worship, abandon it,
accept teachings that are
against what the Bible
says, and perhaps even
encourage others to do the
same

and destroyed Korah and the 250
men. (Numbers 16:35; 26:10) Only
Aaron was left standing. Jehovah
made it clear that Aaron was the real
priest and a true worshipper of God.
—Read 1 Corinthians 8:3.
3In Paul’s time, more than 1,500
years later, something similar hap-
pened in the Christian congregation.
Paul explained that some who claimed
to be Christians began to promote
false teachings. Yet, they remained
part of the congregation. These apos-
tates may have appeared to be true
worshippers of Jehovah. But in reality
they were like dangerous wolves, and
they even began to destroy “the faith
of some.” (2 Timothy 2:16-18) Was Je-
hovah watching? Yes. Paul knew what
God had done to the rebels, Korah and
his supporters, so he was confident
that Jehovah was fully aware of this
situation as well. We too can have the
3. (a) What happened in the Christian congre-
gation in Paul’s day? (b) What can we learn
from what Jehovah did to the rebels in Moses’
day?
same confidence in Jehovah. Let us
learn how we can from the interesting
words Paul wrote to Timothy.
“I AM JEHOVAH; I DO NOT CHANGE”
4Paul was sure that Jehovah would
recognize hypocritical worship. Also,
he was sure that Jehovah knew who
His true worshippers were. Paul’s con-
fidence was shown by the words he
was inspired to write to Timothy. After
he described the harm that apostates
were causing to the faith of some, Paul
said: “Despite that, the solid founda-
tion of God remains standing, having
this seal, ‘Jehovah knows those who
belong to him,’ and, ‘Let everyone call-
ing on the name of Jehovah renounce
unrighteousness.’”—2 Timothy 2:19.
5The Bible uses the word “foun-
dation” to describe different things.
These include Jerusalem, which was
4. What was Paul sure that Jehovah would do?
What did Paul tell Timothy?
5, 6. What is interesting about Paul’s use of
the expression “the solid foundation of God”?
How would that affect Timothy?

4 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
the capital of ancient Israel, as well as
Jesus’ role in God’s purpose. (Psalm
87:1, 2; 1 Corinthians 3:11; 1 Peter 2:6)
But the expression “the solid founda-
tion of God” is used only once in the
Bible. What event did Paul refer to
when he used that expression?
6 When Paul used the expression
“the solid foundation of God,” he
did so in the same verse in which
he quoted Moses’ words about Ko-
rah and his supporters. (See Numbers
16:5.) In this way, Paul was reminding
Timothy that Jehovah knew what was
happening in the congregation. God
would prevent apostates from causing
any harm. Jehovah’s purpose was not
changed by Korah, and God’s purpose
would not be changed by apostates in
the congregation. Paul did not fully ex-
plain what was meant by “the solid
foundation of God.” Still, what Paul
said helped Timothy to have confi-
dence and trust in Jehovah.
7 Jehovah’s principles never change.
“The decisions of Jehovah will stand
forever; the thoughts of his heart
are from generation to generation,”
Jehovah’s principles
never change
says Psalm 33:11. Jehovah is King,
he shows loyal love, and he is righ-
teous and faithful. The Bible shows
that these facts also never change. (Ex-
odus 15:18; Psalm 106:1; 111:3; 117:2)
Malachi 3:6 says: “I am Jehovah; I do
7. Why can we be sure that Jehovah will always
be righteous and faithful?
JULY 15, 2014
not change.” Similarly, James 1:17 says
that Jehovah “does not vary or change
like the shifting shadows.”
AN INSCRIPTION THAT
BUILDS FAITH IN JEHOVAH
8 In ancient times, it was common
to write or engrave a message on a
building’s foundation. This was often
done to show who built or owned the
building. Paul is the first Bible writer
to refer to this custom.1 (See footnote.)
“The solid foundation of God” that
Paul described at 2 Timothy 2:19 has
two statements engraved on it: (1) “Je-
hovah knows those who belong to
him” and, (2) “Let everyone calling on
the name of Jehovah renounce unrigh-
teousness.” This reminds us of what
we read at Numbers 16:5.—Read.
9 What lesson can those who belong
to Jehovah learn from what was in-
scribed on “the solid foundation of
God”? That Jehovah’s values and prin-
ciples are based on two vital truths.
These are (1) Jehovah loves those who
are loyal to him, and (2) Jehovah hates
wrong conduct. How is this lesson re-
lated to apostasy in the congregation?
10 Timothy and other faithful ones
were very troubled by the conduct
of apostates. Some Christians may
have asked why those apostates were
allowed to remain in the congrega-
tion. Faithful ones may even have
wondered whether Jehovah was able
1 The same custom was referred to later at Revela-
tion 21:14. There it says that the names of the 12
apostles were engraved on “12 foundation stones.”
8, 9. What lesson can we learn from what was
inscribed on “the solid foundation of God”?
10. How did the conduct of apostates affect
faithful ones in Paul’s day?
5

We can be confident
that Jehovah will never
forget our sincere
efforts to worship him
to see the difference between their
own firm loyalty and the hypocritical
worship of apostates.—Acts 20:29, 30.
11Paul’s letter must have strength-
ened Timothy’s faith. He remind-
ed Timothy that Jehovah had earlier
made it clear that Korah and his sup-
porters were hypocrites. Jehovah had
rejected and destroyed them but had
shown his approval of Aaron. In a sim-
ilar way, even though there were peo-
ple who pretended to be Christians in
Paul’s day, Jehovah would clearly re-
veal who belonged to him.
12 Jehovah never changes, so we can
always depend on him. He hates wick-
edness and will punish those who do
what is wrong and do not repent. Tim-
othy was reminded that he had to re-
ject the wicked influence of those who
pretended to be Christians, because
“everyone calling on the name of Je-
hovah” must reject wickedness.—See
footnote.
GENUINE WORSHIP
IS ALWAYS REWARDED
13Paul’s words to Timothy can en-
courage us too. How so? Jehovah
The following article will discuss how we can im-
itate Jehovah and reject wickedness.
11,12.How did Paul’s letter no doubt
strengthen Timothy’s faith?
13. Of what can we be confident?
6 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
knows very well that we are loyal
to him. But he goes far beyond sim-
ply knowing those who are loyal to
him. Jehovah shows intense interest in
them. The Bible says: “The eyes of Je-
hovah are roving about through all the
earth to show his strength in behalf
of those whose heart is complete to-
ward him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) We can
be confident that Jehovah will never
forget our sincere efforts to worship
him.—1 Corinthians 15:58; 1 Timothy
1:5.
14Jehovah hates and rejects hyp-
ocritical worship. He can read the
hearts of all people and can see whose
hearts are not “complete toward him.”
It is disgusting to Jehovah when a per-
son pretends to be obedient but is se-
cretly practicing sin. (Proverbs 3:32)
Humans may be fooled by such a per-
son, but Jehovah is not. The Bible
says: “The one covering over his trans-
gressions will not succeed.” This is
Jehovah hates and
rejects hypocritical
worship
because Jehovah is almighty and be-
cause he is a God of righteousness.
—Proverbs 28:13; read 1 Timothy 5:24;
Hebrews 4:13.
15Most of Jehovah’s people love
him with all their heart. It is rare for
someone to try to deceive Jehovah
with hypocritical worship. But if this
14. What type of worship does Jehovah reject?
15. What should we avoid, and why?
 If we are sincere in
our worship, we will be
happy now and will
enjoy perfect happiness
in the future

happened in the days of Moses and in

the time of the early Christians, it can
happen today. (2 Timothy 3:1, 5) Does
this mean that we should be suspi-
cious of our brothers and doubt their
loyalty to Jehovah? No, it would be
wrong to have suspicions about our
brothers and sisters without proof.
(Read Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthi-
ans 13:7.) And doubting our brothers
would hurt our own relationship with
Jehovah.
16Each Christian should “examine
Timothy would not have been affected
his own actions.” (Galatians 6:4) Be- by the conduct of the apostates
cause we are imperfect, we might be- (See paragraphs 10-12)

gin to worship Jehovah for the wrong

reasons without even realizing it. (He-
brews 3:12, 13) In minor ways our ser-
vice to him might become hypocriti-
cal. So we must ask ourselves: ‘Why
do I worship Jehovah? Do I worship
him because I love him and because I
want him to be my Ruler? Or am I
thinking mostly about the good life
that I am hoping to enjoy in Paradise?’
(Revelation 4:11) By asking such ques-
tions, we can make sure that there is
not even a trace of hypocrisy in our
heart.
16. (a) How can you make sure that there is no
hypocrisy in your heart? (b) What can we learn
from the box “Keep Testing . . . Keep Prov-
ing . . .”?
LOYALTY LEADS TO HAPPINESS
17We will be rewarded if we make
every effort to remove all traces of hy-
pocrisy from our heart. “Happy is the
man whom Jehovah does not charge
with guilt, in whose spirit there is no
deceit,” says the psalmist. (Psalm 32:2)
If we are sincere in our worship, we
will be happy now and will enjoy per-
fect happiness in the future.
18Very soon, Jehovah will expose
wicked people who refuse to repent
or who secretly practice sin. He will
17, 18. Why should we be genuine in our wor-
ship of Jehovah?

JULY 15, 2014 7

 show the difference “between a righ- then, it is comforting to know that “the
teous person and a wicked person, eyes of Jehovah are on the righteous,
between one serving God and one and his ears listen to their supplica-
not serving him.” (Malachi 3:18) Until tion.”—1 Peter 3:12.

“Keep Testing . . . Keep Proving . . .”

HOW can we make sure that we really love Je-
hovah and are worshipping him for the right
reasons? The Bible encourages us: “Keep
testing whether you are in the faith; keep
proving what you yourselves are.” (2 Corinthi-
ans 13:5) We may need to examine our con-
duct regularly in order to be sure that there
is no trace of hypocrisy in our worship to Je-
hovah. Ask yourself the following questions:
Am I honest when I commend others?
Is my love for my brothers genuine?
—Psalm 12:2, 3; 1 Peter 1:22.
When I show hospitality or give some-
one a gift, do I expect something in re-
turn?—Matthew 6:2-4.
Do I always treat my family with love
and consideration, even when others
are not around?—Colossians 3:18-21.
Is my conduct always in harmony with
the Bible principles I zealously teach
others?—Romans 2:21-23.
What if we find small traces of hypocrisy in
ourselves? Before these tendencies become
a larger part of our personality, we should
quickly make any necessary changes. If we
do so, we will have Jehovah’s approval. We
will also be able to say that “we never used
flattering speech or put on any false front
with greedy motives.”—1 Thessalonians 2:5.
 Jehovah’s People
“Renounce Unrighteousness”
“Let everyone calling on the name of Jehovah
renounce unrighteousness.”—2 TIMOTHY 2:19.

AROUND the world, the name Jehovah can be found en- HOW WOULD YOU
graved on many buildings and on various objects in mu- ANSWER?
seums. If you have ever seen that name in such places, ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

you no doubt felt excitement. For us as Jehovah’s Wit- What can cause “foolish and
nesses, God’s name has a special place in our worship. ignorant debates,” and how
can we avoid them?
No other people use God’s name as we do. But more is
involved than simply using his name. Because we have
the privilege to be his Witnesses, we have the responsi-
bility to act in a way that will honor him. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2 To have God’s approval, we must do more than sim- How do we “renounce

unrighteousness” when it
ply use his name. We must also follow his moral stan- comes to bad associations?
dards and “turn away from what is bad.” (Psalm 34:14)
Paul made this responsibility clear when he wrote: “Let
everyone calling on the name of Jehovah renounce un-
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
righteousness.” (Read 2 Timothy 2:19.) So as God’s peo-
How can we take firm
ple, how can we make sure that we “renounce unrigh- action to “renounce
teousness,” that is, reject wickedness? unrighteousness”?
1. What has a special place in our worship?
2. Because we have the privilege of being identified by God’s name,
what responsibility do we have?

JULY 15, 2014 9

SOME To “renounce
unrighteousness”:
EXPRESSIONS To reject wickedness. To do
EXPLAINED this we must separate our-
selves from anyone who
refuses to obey Jehovah’s
commands
“MOVE AWAY” FROM BADNESS
3At 2 Timothy 2:19, Paul refers to
“the solid foundation of God.” En-
graved on this foundation are two
statements. The first statement, “Jeho-
vah knows those who belong to him,”
is taken from Numbers 16:5. (See pre-
vious article.) But what about the sec-
ond statement, “Let everyone calling
on the name of Jehovah renounce un-
righteousness”? Some have difficulty
understanding these words. Why?
4Paul’s words suggest that he was
quoting from another part of the He-
brew Scriptures. But there does not
seem to be any verse that matches this
statement. So, what was the apostle
referring to when he said: “Let every-
one calling on the name of Jehovah re-
nounce unrighteousness”? Paul’s first
statement was taken from Numbers
chapter 16, and it refers to the rebel-
lion of Korah. Could the second state-
ment also refer to the same event?
5 Dathan and Abiram joined Korah
3, 4. What words have been difficult for some
to understand, and why?
5-7. What events in Moses’ day was Paul refer-
ring to at 2 Timothy 2:19? (See opening pic-
ture.)
10
“Foolish and ignorant
debates”:
Arguments that threaten the
unity of the congregation.
If we were to force our own
opinions about personal
matters on others, we could
affect the peace of the
congregation
as leaders of the rebellion. (Numbers
16:1-5) They were disrespectful to Mo-
ses and rejected the authority he had
received from God. They became a
danger to the Israelites because they
still lived among them. Before Jeho-
vah identified his loyal worshippers,
he gave one simple command.
6The Bible states: “Jehovah then
said to Moses: ‘Speak to the assembly
and tell them, “Get away from around
the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abi-
ram!”’ Then Moses got up and went to
Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of
Those who were loyal
to God survived
Israel went with him. He told the as-
sembly: ‘Move away, please, from the
tents of these wicked men and do not
touch anything that belongs to them,
so that you may not be swept away in
all their sin.’ They immediately moved
away from the tents of Korah, Da-
than, and Abiram, from every side.”
(Numbers 16:23-27) Then Jehovah de-
stroyed all the rebels. But those who
SIMPLIFIED EDITION

Loyal ones must
clearly separate them-
selves from those
who are wicked
were loyal to God survived. How?
They ‘renounced unrighteousness’ by
moving away from the rebels.
7 When Paul wrote the words “Jeho-
vah knows those who belong to him,”
he was quoting from Numbers 16:5.
And when he made the statement
“Let everyone calling on the name of
Jehovah renounce unrighteousness,”
he might have been referring to the
events recorded at Numbers 16:5, 23-
27. So it seems reasonable to conclude
that both statements found at 2 Timo-
thy 2:19 refer to the same events.
What do we learn from these state-
ments? That Jehovah reads hearts. He
knows who his loyal servants are, and
he expects them to separate them-
selves from those who are wicked.
“REJECT FOOLISH AND
IGNORANT DEBATES”
8Paul also used the events of Mo-
ses’ day to remind Timothy that he
needed to protect his relationship
with Jehovah. Christians had to do
more than belong to the congrega-
tion, just as God’s loyal servants in
Moses’ day had to do more than sim-
ply use Jehovah’s name. All faithful
servants of God must reject wicked-
ness. What did this mean for Timo-
8. Besides using God’s name and belonging to
a congregation, what else must we do?
JULY 15, 2014
thy? And what can we learn from
Paul’s counsel?
9 In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he gave
wise advice on how to reject wicked-
ness. For example, Paul tells Timothy
“not to fight about words” and to “re-
ject empty speeches.” (Read 2 Timo-
thy 2:14, 16, 23.) What did these
words mean? Some in the congre-
gation were teaching apostate doc-
trines. Others were spreading ideas
that caused arguments. Some of these
ideas were not directly against Bible
teachings, but they threatened the
unity of the congregation. That is why
Paul encouraged Timothy to “reject
foolish and ignorant debates.”
10Today, it is not common to find
apostates in the congregation. Yet, we
may still be exposed to ideas that go
against Bible teachings. No matter
where these ideas come from, we
need to be determined to reject them.
No matter where
apostate ideas
come from, we need
to be determined
to reject them
It is not wise to have communication
with apostates, either in person, over
the Internet, or in any other way.
Even though we may want to help the
9. How did “foolish and ignorant debates” af-
fect the early Christian congregation?
10. What should we do if we are exposed to
apostasy?
11
person, we would be disobeying God
if we had such a conversation. He
commands us to reject, yes, complete-
ly avoid, apostasy.
11There are other things that can
disturb the peace of a congregation
besides apostate ideas. For exam-
ple, there may be different opinions
about what entertainment is appro-
priate for a Christian. Trying to force
these opinions on others could cause
“foolish and ignorant debates.” But
what if someone in the congrega-
tion is promoting entertainment that
goes against God’s moral standards?
Elders would not tolerate this be-
havior simply to avoid an argument.
(Psalm 11:5; Ephesians 5:3-5) Yet, el-
ders are careful not to promote their
own ideas. Instead they follow the Bi-
ble’s counsel: “Shepherd the flock of
God under your care, . . . not lording
it over those who are God’s inheri-
tance, but becoming examples to the
flock.”—1 Peter 5:2, 3; read 2 Corinthi-
ans 1:24.
12Our organization does not re-
view movies, video games, books, or
songs to decide which ones we should
avoid. Why not? Because the Bible
tells each person to train his con-
science “to distinguish both right and
wrong.” (Hebrews 5:14) We can use
Bible principles to help us make wise
decisions about entertainment. With
all such decisions, we need to “keep
11.What could divide a congregation, and
how can Christian elders set a good example?
12, 13. (a) How do Jehovah’s Witnesses de-
cide which entertainment to choose, and what
Bible principles apply? (b) How do the princi-
ples discussed in paragraph 12 apply to various
personal matters?
12
on making sure of what is acceptable
to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:10) The Bi-
ble also teaches that the head of the
family has authority, so he may decide
not to allow certain entertainment in
his household. (See footnote.)—1 Co-
rinthians 11:3; Ephesians 6:1-4.
13The Bible principles mentioned
above can help us to make wise deci-
sions in other areas of life. For exam-
ple, there are different opinions about
dress and grooming, health and nu-
trition, and other personal matters.
Some may want to force their opin-
ions about such matters on others,
and this can cause disagreements. But
if no Bible principle is being violated,
there is no reason to argue about what
each Christian should do. The Bible
says that “a slave of the Lord does not
need to fight, but needs to be gentle
toward all.”—2 Timothy 2:24; footnote.
AVOID BAD ASSOCIATIONS!
14 As servants of God, in what oth-
er way can we “renounce unrighteous-
ness”? By avoiding bad associations.
How did Paul illustrate this? After
mentioning “the solid foundation of
God,” he wrote about “a large house.”
Inside this house there were “uten-
sils,” that is, objects, made “not only
of gold and silver but also of wood
and earthenware, and some for an
honorable use but others for a use
lacking honor.” (2 Timothy 2:20, 21)
Paul then encouraged Christians to
See the jw.org article “Do You Ban Certain
Movies, Books, or Songs?” under ABOUT US >
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.
14. How did Paul illustrate the need to avoid
bad associations?
SIMPLIFIED EDITION
 Avoid communicating with apostates
(See paragraph 10)
keep clear of the “utensils” used for a
purpose “lacking honor.”
15 What is the meaning of Paul’s il-
lustration? The “large house” can be
compared to the Christian congre-
gation. The “utensils” in the house
can be compared to each member of
the congregation. In a house, some
objects may be harmful if they be-
come contaminated, that is, unclean.
When this happens, the owner of the
house must separate the unclean ob-
jects from the clean ones, such as the
ones he uses for cooking.
16 It is similar for God’s servants to-
day. If we want to be clean in all areas
of our lives, we must separate our-
selves from people within the congre-
gation who continually refuse to obey
Jehovah’s principles. (Read 1 Corin-
thians 15:33.) If we must avoid those
15, 16. What can we learn from the illustra-
tion of “a large house”?
JULY 15, 2014
inside the congregation who disobey
God, we certainly must avoid close as-
sociation with those outside the con-
gregation. We do that because many
people outside the congregation are
lovers of money, disobedient to par-
ents, disloyal, liars, violent, without
love for what is good, betrayers, and
lovers of pleasures rather than lovers
of God.—2 Timothy 3:1-5.
JEHOVAH BLESSES OUR LOYALTY
17When Jehovah gave the com-
mand to “get away from around the
tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abi-
ram,” the faithful Israelites “immedi-
ately moved away.” (Numbers 16:24,
27) They did not delay in separating
themselves from the rebels or seem
unsure about doing so. They “moved
away . . . from every side.” Loyal ones
17.How careful were loyal Israelites to “re-
nounce unrighteousness”?
13

If we must avoid those
inside the congregation
who disobey God, we
certainly must avoid
close association with
those outside the
congregation
were eager to obey with their whole
heart. They made it very clear that
they supported Jehovah and opposed
unrighteousness. What can we learn
from this example?
18Our friendship with Jehovah is
valuable to us. We must act prompt-
ly to protect it. This is what Paul
meant when he told Timothy to “flee
from youthful desires.” (2 Timothy 2:
22) Timothy was probably more than
30 years old. But even adults can
have foolish “youthful desires.” When
facing such desires, Timothy had to
“flee” from them. He needed to “re-
nounce unrighteousness.” Jesus stat-
ed something similar: “If your eye
makes you stumble, tear it out and
throw it away from you.” (Matthew
18:9) Christians who want to obey this
advice and protect their friendship
with God must act quickly and with
determination.
19How have some Christians pro-
tected their relationship with Jeho-
18. What did Paul mean when he told Timothy
to “flee from youthful desires”?
19. How have some protected their friendship
with Jehovah?
14
vah? Some who once had problems
with alcohol have decided not to
drink at all. Others who have certain
weaknesses avoid any type of enter-
tainment that might excite wrong de-
sires. (Psalm 101:3) For example, be-
fore becoming a Witness, one brother
enjoyed going to dance parties where
people behaved immorally. After
learning the truth, he decided not to
dance at all, not even at Witness
gatherings. He does not want to bring
back improper thoughts or desires.
Of course, this does not mean that
all Christians need to avoid alcohol,
dancing, or other things that are not
wrong in themselves. However, all of
us should be careful and protect our
relationship with Jehovah.
20It is a privilege to be called one
of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Yet, this priv-
ilege comes with responsibility. We
must “renounce unrighteousness”
All of us should be
careful to protect
our relationship
with Jehovah
and “turn away from what is bad.”
(Psalm 34:14) Doing so is not al-
ways easy. But how comforting it is to
know that Jehovah will always love
“those who belong to him” and obey
him.—2 Timothy 2:19; read 2 Chroni-
cles 16:9a.
20. Although it might not be easy to “renounce
unrighteousness,” what comforts us?
SIMPLIFIED EDITION
“You Are My Witnesses”
“‘You are my witnesses,’ declares Jehovah.”—ISAIAH 43:10.

WHAT does it mean to be a witness? One dictionary ex- CAN YOU ANSWER?
plains that a witness is “someone who sees an event and ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

reports what happened.” In South Africa, a newspaper In what ways were the
that has been published for over 160 years is called The Israelites witnesses of
Jehovah?
Witness. It is an appropriate name because the purpose of
a newspaper is to report accurately on events. The editor
who started this newspaper promised that it would tell
“the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
2 Sadly, the world’s news media has not reported accu- ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

rately on many news events. It has surely not told the What does God’s name
truth about God and what he has done. But Jehovah, the mean?
almighty Ruler of the universe, does not depend on the
world’s news media. God said through his prophet Eze-
kiel: “The nations will have to know that I am Jehovah.”
(Ezekiel 39:7) Jehovah has about eight million Witnesses ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

who tell people around the world about him. This army of How can we show we are
Witnesses tell others what God has done for people in the thankful for the honor of
past and what he is doing now. They also tell about the being called by God’s holy
wonderful things he has promised to do in the future. At name?
Isaiah 43:10, we read: “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares
1, 2. (a) What does it mean to be a witness, and what has the world’s
news media not told people? (b) Why does Jehovah not depend on this
world’s news media?

JULY 15, 2014 15

Jehovah, ‘yes, my servant whom I
have chosen.’” When we make the
preaching work the most important
work in our lives, we prove that we
really are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
3Jehovah’s name will remain for-
ever because he is “the King of eterni-
ty.” And he himself said: “This is my
name forever, and this is how I am to
be remembered from generation to
generation.” (1 Timothy 1:17; Exodus
3:15; compare Ecclesiastes 2:16.) To
be called by Jehovah’s name is the
greatest honor we can have. In 1931,
the Bible Students were thrilled when
they began using the name Jehovah’s
Witnesses. Many of them wrote let-
ters to express their gratitude for this
change. One congregation in Canada
wrote that the new name made them
more determined to live in a way that
brings praise to Jehovah.
4How can you show that you feel
honored to be called a Witness of Je-
hovah? Also, can you explain why Je-
hovah calls us his Witnesses, as we
read in the book of Isaiah?
GOD’S WITNESSES IN THE PAST
5Jehovah chose the nation of Is-
rael to be his witnesses. Each Isra-
elite had the responsibility to wit-
ness about him. (Isaiah 43:10) For
example, parents witnessed by teach-
ing their children about what God
3, 4. (a) When did the Bible Students start to
be called Jehovah’s Witnesses, and how did
they feel about this new name? (See opening
picture.) (b) What questions will we now dis-
cuss?
5,6.(a)How did Israelite parents witness
about Jehovah? (b) What else did Israelite par-
ents need to do, and why do parents today need
to do the same?
16
did in the past. Jehovah instructed
parents to teach their children about
the Passover. He told them: “When
your sons ask you, ‘What does this
observance mean to you?’ you must
say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Pass-
over to Jehovah, who passed over
the houses of the Israelites in Egypt
when he plagued the Egyptians, but
The Israelites saw that
Jehovah is the true God
and that he always does
what he promises
he spared our houses.’” (Exodus 12:
26, 27) Parents explained that Pha-
raoh refused to let the Israelites go to
the wilderness to worship Jehovah.
Pharaoh said: “Who is Jehovah, that I
should obey his voice to send Israel
away?” (Exodus 5:2) Parents told their
children how Jehovah answered Pha-
raoh’s question and showed to all that
He is the Almighty. He brought ten
plagues on Egypt and saved the Israel-
ites from Egypt’s army at the Red Sea.
The Israelites saw that Jehovah is the
true God and that he always does
what he promises.
6The Israelites felt that it was an
honor for them to be witnesses of
Jehovah. They told their children
and any slaves who worked in their
homes about the wonderful things
that Jehovah had done. The Israelites
also knew that they needed to keep
their conduct holy. Jehovah said: “You
should be holy, because I, Jehovah
SIMPLIFIED EDITION
 When we teach our children about Jehovah, we bring honor to his name
(See paragraphs 5, 6)
your God, am holy.” Israelite parents
had to train their children to be holy,
that is, to live according to Jehovah’s
standards. (Leviticus 19:2; Deuterono-
my 6:6, 7) Parents today must do the
same. They must train their children
to live in a way that brings honor to
God’s glorious name.—Read Proverbs
1:8; Ephesians 6:4.
7When the Israelites obeyed God,
he blessed them. As a result, the
nations around them could see that
Jehovah was protecting his people.
(Deuteronomy 28:10) But sadly, for
most of their history, the Israelites
were disobedient to Jehovah. They
worshipped idols, the gods of Canaan.
Like those gods, the Israelites became
cruel. They sacrificed their own chil-
7.(a)When the Israelites obeyed Jehovah,
what could the nations around them see?
(b) What responsibility do all those who repre-
sent Jehovah have?
JULY 15, 2014
dren and mistreated the poor. Their
bad example teaches us an important
lesson. We need to imitate Jehovah
and be holy because we represent
him, the Most Holy One.
“LOOK! I AM DOING SOMETHING NEW”
8 Jehovah used Isaiah to warn the Is-
raelites that He was going to destroy
Jerusalem, their capital city, and allow
His people to be taken captive. Jeho-
vah also foretold that he was going to
do “something new” and free his peo-
ple from captivity in an amazing way.
(Isaiah 43:19) Jehovah knew that the
Israelites would not repent, but he still
told Isaiah to continue warning them.
The first six chapters of the book of
Isaiah are mostly warnings about the
destruction of Jerusalem. Isaiah want-
ed to know how long the nation would
8. What did Jehovah tell Isaiah to do, and how
did Isaiah react?
17
SOME To remain holy:
To live in a way that pleases
EXPRESSIONS Jehovah. We do this by
EXPLAINED avoiding unclean thoughts
and actions and by asking
forgiveness for our sins
He Causes to Become:
Jehovah created all things
and can become whatever is
needed to accomplish his
purpose. For example, when
his people needed protec-
tion, he became their
Protector. Jehovah can also
use his creation to do what-
ever is needed. For example,
he uses his people to preach
worldwide, and he can help
you to succeed at any as-
signment he gives you to do

continue to disobey Jehovah. God an-
swered: “Until the cities crash in ruins
without an inhabitant and the houses
are without people and the land is ru-
ined and desolate.”—Read Isaiah 6:
8-11.
9For over 45 years, Isaiah warned
the Israelites about the coming de-
struction. He started prophesying in
the last year of King Uzziah’s reign, in
778 before Christ, and continued until
about the year 732 before Christ, dur-
ing King Hezekiah’s reign. After that,
Jehovah continued warning his peo-
ple until the year 607 before Christ,
when Jerusalem was destroyed. So
the Israelites were warned many years
in advance about what was going to
happen. Today, Jehovah has used his
people to warn others about what will
happen in the future. For many years,
The Watchtower has been telling peo-
ple that soon Satan will no longer rule
9. (a) When did Isaiah’s prophecy about Jeru-
salem come true? (b) Today, what warning do
we need to pay attention to?
the earth and that Christ will begin to
rule the earth instead.—Revelation 20:
1-3, 6.
10 Some Jews survived the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem. They obeyed Jeho-
vah’s instruction to surrender to the
Babylonians and were taken captive to
Babylon. (Jeremiah 27:11, 12) Seventy
years later, a few of them witnessed
the fulfillment of another one of Isa-
iah’s prophecies: “This is what Jeho-
vah says, your Repurchaser, the Holy
One of Israel: ‘For your sakes I will
send to Babylon and bring down all
the bars of the gates.’”—Isaiah 43:14.
11 Jehovah fulfilled that prophecy in
an amazing way. One night in October
of the year 539 before Christ, Bab-
ylon’s king and his nobles were hav-
ing a celebration in honor of their
gods. They were even drinking from
cups they had stolen from Jehovah’s
temple. But that same night, King Cy-
10, 11. What fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy
did the Israelites in Babylon witness?

18 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
rus and his armies invaded Babylon.
They took control of the city and de-
feated the Babylonian Empire. In the
year 538 or 537 before Christ, Cyrus
commanded the Jews to return to Je-
rusalem and rebuild God’s temple.
And on their journey back, Jehovah
made sure that they were safe. All
of this happened just as Isaiah had
prophesied. When God’s people final-
ly saw the temple in Jerusalem rebuilt,
they were witnesses to the fact that Je-
hovah is the true God and that he al-
ways does what he promises. God
called the Jews who returned to Jeru-
salem “the people whom I formed for
myself so that they might declare my
praise.”—Isaiah 43:21; 44:26-28.
12When the Israelites returned to
rebuild the temple, thousands of for-
eigners joined them in worshipping
Jehovah. Later, even more foreigners
joined them. (Ezra 2:58, 64, 65; Es-
ther 8:17) Today, anointed Christians
are God’s nation, “the Israel of God,”
and “a great crowd” of “other sheep”
have joined them in worshipping Je-
hovah. (Galatians 6:16; Revelation 7:9,
10; John 10:16) Both the anointed and
the other sheep have the honor of be-
ing called Jehovah’s Witnesses.
13In the new world, the great
crowd will have an amazing opportu-
nity. They will tell resurrected ones
what it was like to be one of Jehovah’s
Witnesses during the last days of Sa-
tan’s world. To have this privilege in
the future, we must remain holy. Even
though we try hard to live according to
12,13.(a)When the Israelites returned to
rebuild the temple, who else joined them?
(b) What must the “other sheep” do now, and
what can they look forward to?
JULY 15, 2014
If we remain holy,
we show we are grateful
that Jehovah has allowed
us to represent him
Jehovah’s standards, we make mis-
takes every day. So we daily need to
ask Jehovah for forgiveness. If we re-
main holy, we show we are grateful
that Jehovah has allowed us to repre-
sent him.—Read 1 John 1:8, 9.
WHAT GOD’S NAME MEANS
14To get a better understanding of
how great an honor it is to be called by
Jehovah’s name, we need to know
what his name means. The name Je-
hovah comes from a Hebrew word
that can be translated “to become”
and can describe action. Thus, God’s
name is believed to mean “He Causes
to Become.” Jehovah’s name helps us
understand who he is. He is the One
who created everything. Also, when
Jehovah says that he will do some-
thing, no one can stop him from doing
it, not even Satan.
15Jehovah explained more about
the meaning of his name to Moses.
When Jehovah sent him to free His
people from Egypt, he told Moses: “I
Will Become What I Choose to Be-
come.” Jehovah added: “This is what
you are to say to the Israelites, ‘I
Will Become has sent me to you.’”
14. What does the name Jehovah mean?
15. What can we learn about Jehovah’s name
from what he told Moses? (See the box “Jeho-
vah—A Name With Deep Meaning.”)
19

Jehovah—A Name
With Deep Meaning
What it means
“He Causes to Become”
Why he alone can
have this name
Jehovah created all things
He makes sure that whatever he has
decided to do will happen
What it helps us to
understand about him
He will become whatever he needs to
become to make his promises come true
He causes his creation to do whatever is
needed to accomplish his will
There is nothing he cannot do or cause
to happen to fulfill his purpose
(Exodus 3:14; footnote) So Jehovah
will become whatever is needed to ac-
complish his purpose. For the Israel-
ites, Jehovah did whatever was neces-
sary to be a Deliverer, a Protector, a
Guide, and a Provider of everything
they needed.
HOW WE SHOW WE ARE THANKFUL
16Today, Jehovah has not changed.
His name reminds us that he will be-
come whatever is needed in order to
care for his people. For example, he
gives us everything we need to live
16, 17. (a) How can we show we are thankful
for the honor of being called by God’s name?
(b) What will we discuss in the next article?
20
each day and to keep our faith strong.
Jehovah’s name teaches us something
else about him. What is that? Jehovah
can cause his creation to do what is
needed to accomplish his purpose.
For example, he uses his Witnesses to
do his work. Knowing this should
Jehovah can cause
his creation to
do what is
needed to accomplish
his purpose
motivate us to represent him well.
Kåre from Norway, who has been a
zealous Witness of Jehovah for the
past 70 years, says: “I feel that it is a
great honor to serve Jehovah, the King
of eternity, and to be a part of the peo-
ple who are called by his holy name. It
is always a great privilege to explain
Bible truth and to see people’s eyes
light up with joy and understand-
ing. For instance, it brings me deep
satisfaction when I teach them how
Christ’s ransom sacrifice works and
how, by means of it, they can get ever-
lasting life in a peaceful and righteous
new world.”
17 In some places around the world,
it is difficult to find people who want
to learn about Jehovah. But like Kåre,
we are very happy when we find at
least one person who wants to learn
about Jehovah’s name. But how can
we be Jehovah’s Witnesses and at the
same time be witnesses of Jesus? This
will be discussed in the next article.
SIMPLIFIED EDITION
“You Will Be Witnesses of Me”
“[Jesus] said to them: ‘. . . You will be witnesses of me . . .
to the most distant part of the earth.’”—ACTS 1:7, 8.

WHEN Jesus was on trial, he courageously told the Ro- CAN YOU ANSWER?
man governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate: “For this I have ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

been born, and for this I have come into the world, that I How did Jesus prove that
should bear witness to the truth.” (Read John 18:33-37.) “Jehovah Is Salvation”?
Years later, the apostle Paul called Jesus the witness who
made “the fine public declaration before Pontius Pilate.”
(1 Timothy 6:13) We live in a world that is controlled by
Satan and is filled with hatred. To keep witnessing, we ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

need to have great courage like that of Jesus, “the faithful What did Jesus mean
and true witness.”—Revelation 3:14. when he said: “You will
2All Jews were called witnesses of Jehovah, but Jesus be witnesses of me”?
was going to be the greatest witness of all. (Isaiah 43:10)
Before Jesus was born, an angel told his adoptive father,
Joseph: “You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his
people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20, 21; footnote) The ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

name Jesus in Hebrew means “Jehovah Is Salvation.” Jeho- Why can we be sure that we
vah was going to use Jesus to save mankind from sin and will succeed in our witnessing
death. Jesus told the Jews that they needed to repent of work?
their sins in order to regain Jehovah’s approval. (Matthew
1, 2. (a) Who is the greatest witness of Jehovah? (b) What does the
name Jesus mean, and what did he do to help the Jews regain Jehovah’s
approval?

JULY 15, 2014 21

10:6; 15:24; Luke 19:10) He preached
about God’s Kingdom. Mark wrote:
“Jesus went into Galilee, preaching
the good news of God and saying:
‘The appointed time has been fulfilled,
and the Kingdom of God has drawn
near. Repent, and have faith in the
good news.’” (Mark 1:14, 15) Jesus
was zealous and courageous when he
preached. He even courageously con-
demned the powerful Jewish religious
leaders, which was one reason why the
Jewish religious leaders killed him.
—Mark 11:17, 18; 15:1-15.
“THE MAGNIFICENT THINGS OF GOD”
3Three days after Jesus’ cruel
death, something amazing happened.
Jehovah resurrected him, not with a
body like that of a human, but with a
spirit body. (1 Peter 3:18) Jesus proved
to his disciples that he had come back
3. What happened three days after Jesus died?
22
to life when he appeared to them as a
human. The same day he was resur-
rected, he appeared to different dis-
ciples at least five times.—Matthew
28:8-10; Luke 24:13-16, 30-36; John
20:11-18.
4 When Jesus appeared for the fifth
time, his apostles and others were
gathered together. Then he helped
them understand that his death and
resurrection were foretold in the
Scriptures. At the end of that impor-
tant meeting, Jesus told his disciples
what they had to do. He said that “on
the basis of his name, repentance for
forgiveness of sins would be preached
in all the nations—starting out from
Jerusalem.” Then Jesus commanded
them: “You are to be witnesses of
these things.”—Luke 24:44-48.
4. What happened when Jesus appeared to his
disciples, and what did he command them
to do?
SIMPLIFIED EDITION

5So 40 days later, when Jesus ap-
peared for the last time, the apos-
tles would clearly have understood his
next command. He said: “You will be
witnesses of me in Jerusalem, in all Ju-
dea and Samaria, and to the most dis-
tant part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) The
disciples were Israelites who were al-
ready witnesses of Jehovah. Now they
were going to be witnesses of Jesus
too. What did that mean?
6 They would begin to make known
that Jehovah was now using Jesus to
save mankind. This way of salvation
was far greater than the way Jehovah
had saved the Israelites in the past.
The death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ made it possible for people to
be freed from sin and death. When Je-
sus’ disciples were anointed with holy
5, 6. (a) Whom would Jesus’ disciples be wit-
nesses of? (b) What were Jesus’ disciples going
to witness about?
JULY 15, 2014
Just like Jesus’ first disciples,
we tell others what Jehovah’s
purpose for the future is
(See paragraphs 5, 6)
spirit at Pentecost in the year 33, they
began to witness about “the magnif-
icent things of God.” Many who heard
this message repented, put faith in Je-
sus’ sacrifice, and were baptized. The
resurrected Jesus had new authority
in heaven, and Jehovah was using him
to save thousands of people on earth.
—Acts 2:5, 11, 37-41.
“A RANSOM IN
EXCHANGE FOR MANY”
7The events at Pentecost in the
year 33 proved that Jehovah had
accepted Jesus’ perfect sacrifice as
the ransom needed to free people
from sin. (Hebrews 9:11, 12, 24) Je-
sus explained that he came “to give
his life as a ransom in exchange for
many.” (Matthew 20:28) Would only
Jews benefit from this ransom? No,
7. What did the events on the day of Pentecost
in the year 33 prove?
23
SOME “The magnificent things of God”:
Jehovah’s powerful acts that his people have seen and
EXPRESSIONS witnessed about. In the first century, his people made known
EXPLAINED that Jehovah was using Jesus to save mankind. Since 1914,
we have also been telling others that Jehovah has made Je-
sus King over mankind

the ransom “takes away the sin of the
world.” It is God’s will that “all sorts
of people should be saved.”—John 1:
29; 1 Timothy 2:4-6.
8Jesus’ early disciples courageous-
ly kept on witnessing about him. How
was this possible? It was not because
of their own strength. They asked
Jehovah for his holy spirit to give
them the courage they needed to keep
on witnessing. (Read Acts 5:30-32.)
About 27 years after Jesus’ disciples
started witnessing, they had preached
“the message of truth of the good
news” to Jews and Gentiles “in all cre-
ation under heaven.”—Colossians 1:
5, 23.
9Sadly, as time went by, members
of the congregation began teaching
things that were not true. (Acts 20:
29, 30; 2 Peter 2:2, 3; Jude 3, 4) In
time, these false teachers corrupted
the entire congregation. Jesus fore-
told that this apostasy would contin-
ue until “the conclusion of the system
of things.” (Matthew 13:37-43) In Oc-
tober 1914, Jehovah made Jesus King
over mankind. At that time, the con-
8. How was it possible for Jesus’ early disciples
to keep witnessing about him, and what did
they accomplish?
9. As foretold, what happened to the Christian
congregation?
clusion, or “the last days,” of Satan’s
world began.—2 Timothy 3:1.
10More than 30 years before Octo-
ber 1914, anointed Christians began
preaching that God’s Kingdom would
begin to rule on that important date.
Their understanding was based on
Daniel’s prophecy about a large tree
that was cut down and would grow
again after a period of time. (Daniel 4:
16) Jesus described a sign that would
help his disciples know that he had
Since 1914,
we have been
telling others that
Jehovah made
Jesus King over
mankind
become King and that the last days
had begun. World events since 1914
clearly prove that Jesus is King. (Mat-
thew 24:3, 7, 14; Luke 21:24) Today,
“the magnificent things of God” that
10.(a)What date were anointed Christians
preaching about? (b) What happened in Octo-
ber 1914, and how do we know?

24 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
we preach about include the fact that
Jehovah made Jesus King of the King-
dom in 1914.
11In 1914, when Jesus Christ be-
came King, he started to free his
anointed followers from “Babylon the
Great,” that is, false religion. (Revela-
tion 18:2, 4) In 1919, soon after World
War I ended, the anointed had greater
freedom to preach around the world.
They witnessed about the saving pow-
er of the ransom and the good news of
God’s Kingdom. As a result, thou-
sands more learned the truth and
were anointed to be kings with Christ
in heaven.
12In 1935, it was clear that Christ
had already begun to gather his “oth-
er sheep.” Today, there are millions
of these other sheep from all over
the world. Along with the anointed,
they follow Christ’s courageous exam-
ple and witness to others. The other
sheep too have faith that Jesus’ sacri-
fice is the only way they can have sal-
vation. They know that if they endure
in the witnessing work and use their
lives to please Jehovah, they can sur-
vive “the great tribulation” and live in
God’s new world.—John 10:16; Revela-
tion 7:9, 10, 14.
WE BOLDLY PREACH THE GOOD NEWS
13It is a great honor to witness to
others about “the magnificent things”
that Jehovah has done and about his
promises for the future. True, it is not
11, 12. (a) What happened in 1919? (b) What
became clear in the year 1935? (See opening
picture.)
13. As Jehovah’s Witnesses, what are we deter-
mined to do, and how can we imitate the Chris-
tians who lived in the first century?
JULY 15, 2014
To continue doing
Jehovah’s work,
we must ask him
for his holy spirit
always easy to continue doing this
work. People may reject our message
or even persecute us. If so, we can im-
itate the apostle Paul and his com-
panions. Paul said: “We mustered up
boldness by means of our God to tell
you the good news of God in the face
of much opposition.” (1 Thessalonians
2:2) We must keep the promise we
made at our dedication. We want to
remain loyal to Jehovah during the
time when Satan’s world will “crash in
ruins.” (Isaiah 6:11) We cannot do this
in our own strength. Like Christians
in the first century, we must ask Jeho-
vah for his holy spirit so that we
can have “the power beyond what is
normal.”—Read 2 Corinthians 4:1, 7;
Luke 11:13.
14 Today, millions of people say that
they are Christians, but they do what
God hates and do not have his approv-
al. (Titus 1:16) In the first century,
most people did not worship God in
a way that he accepts. In fact, true
Christians at that time were hated
by many of the people around them.
To encourage those Christians, the
apostle Peter said: “If you are being
14,15.(a)In the first century, how were
Christians treated, and how did Peter encour-
age them? (b) What should we remember if we
are persecuted because we are Jehovah’s Wit-
nesses?
25

When people persecute
you because you are
witnessing, remember
that God approves of
you and that you have
his holy spirit
reproached for the name of Christ,
you are happy.” Why could they be
happy? Because they were approved
by God and had his holy spirit.—1 Pe-
ter 4:14.
15Are Jehovah’s Witnesses “re-
proached for the name of Christ” to-
day? Yes, because not only do we wit-
ness about Jehovah but we also talk
about Jesus and preach that he is the
King of God’s Kingdom. Jesus too was
persecuted because he was a witness
of Jehovah. He told his opposers: “I
have come in the name of my Father,
but you do not receive me.” (John 5:
43) So the next time people persecute
you because you are witnessing, re-
member that God approves of you
and that you have his holy spirit.
16Remember, too, that around the
world many people are coming into
the truth. No matter where we live,
even in territories where we preach of-
ten, there are people who are will-
ing to listen to our wonderful mes-
sage. So when we find people who
are interested, let us make sure that
16, 17. (a) How do Jehovah’s people around
the world feel about the preaching work?
(b) What are you determined to do?
26
we return and try to study the Bible
with them. Then we can help them to
know Jehovah so that they can dedi-
cate their lives to him and get bap-
tized. How do you feel when you do
this work? Sarie in South Africa, who
has been a Witness of Jehovah for over
60 years, says: “I am deeply thankful
that through Jesus’ ransom sacrifice, I
can enjoy a good relationship with Je-
hovah, the Sovereign of the universe,
and I am happy that I can make
known his glorious name.” She and
her husband, Martinus, have helped
their three children and many other
people to become worshippers of Je-
hovah. She adds: “No other activi-
ty brings greater satisfaction, and by
Around the world,
many people
are listening to
our message and
coming into the truth
means of his holy spirit, Jehovah gives
all of us the needed power to continue
with this lifesaving work.”
17 Whether we are already baptized
or not, we should be thankful for the
honor of gathering together with Jeho-
vah’s Witnesses. So continue to give a
thorough witness together with his
people worldwide, and keep yourself
clean from Satan’s world. If you do so,
you will bring honor to the one whom
we represent, our loving heavenly Fa-
ther, Jehovah.
SIMPLIFIED EDITION

Losing a Father
Finding a Father
AS TOLD BY
In my 20’s and as a young boy
MY FATHER was born in Graz, Austria, in 1899,
so he was a youth during World War I. When
World War II began in 1939, he was conscripted
into the German army. While fighting in Russia
in 1943, my father was killed. Sadly, that is how
I lost my father when I was only two years old, so
I never got to know him. When I attended school,
I was very sad to see that other boys had a father
but I did not. As a teenager, I found comfort
when I learned about our Father in heaven, who
cannot die.—Habakkuk 1:12.
MY EXPERIENCES WITH THE BOY SCOUTS
When I was seven years old, I joined the Boy
Scouts youth movement. This is a worldwide or-
ganization started in 1908 in Great Britain by a
lieutenant general of the British army, Robert
Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell. In 1916 he
started the Wolf Cubs (or Cub Scouts) for youn-
ger boys.
I liked our weekend camping trips in the
country. We slept in tents, wore uniforms, and
marched to the sound of drums. I enjoyed spend-
ing time with the other Scouts. We sang songs
JULY 15, 2014
LIFE STORY
GERRIT LÖSCH
around a campfire in the evening and played
games in the forest. We also learned a lot about
nature, which taught me to love the things our
Creator has made.
Boy Scouts are taught to do a good deed every
day and to greet other Boy Scouts with the words
“Always Prepared.” I liked this very much. In our
group of over a hundred boys, about half were
Catholics, half were Protestants, and one was a
Buddhist.
Since 1920, the Boy Scouts have held inter-
national meetings every few years. I went to
some of these gatherings. One was in Bad Ischl,
Austria, in August 1951, and another was near
Birmingham, England, in August 1957, where
about 33,000 Scouts from 85 lands attended.
There were also about 750,000 people who came
to this meeting. One of these was Queen Eliza-
beth of England. To me, being a Boy Scout was
like being part of a worldwide brotherhood. I did
not know that soon I would find a better brother-
hood, one made up of people who love God.
MEETING ONE OF JEHOVAH’S
WITNESSES FOR THE FIRST TIME
In the spring of 1958, I was finishing my train-
ing as a waiter at the Grand Hotel Wiesler in my
hometown of Graz, Austria. My workmate, a pas-
try chef named Rudolf Tschiggerl, witnessed in-
formally to me. This was the first time I had heard
anything about the truth. He told me that the
Trinity doctrine was not a Bible teaching. I said
that it was from the Bible and that he was wrong.
27
I liked him and wanted to persuade him to return
to the Catholic Church.
Rudolf, whom I called Rudi, wanted to give me
a Bible. I told him that I only wanted a Catholic
Bible. So he gave me one, and when I started
reading it, I found inside a tract that was printed
by the Watchtower Society. Rudi had put it there.
I did not like this because I felt that such litera-
ture could sound correct but actually be untrue.
But I was willing to discuss the Bible with him.
Rudi wisely did not offer me any other books or
magazines. For about three months, we had Bible
discussions now and then. Sometimes we talked
until late at night.
After I finished my training at the hotel, my
mother sent me to a hotel management school. It
was in Bad Hofgastein, a town in a valley in the
Alps. The school was associated with the Grand
Hotel in Bad Hofgastein, so sometimes I worked
there to get more experience.
Rudi Tschiggerl, a pastry chef, was the first person
to witness to me
28
VISITED BY TWO MISSIONARY SISTERS
Rudi had sent my new address to the branch
office in Vienna, and the branch then asked two
missionary sisters, Ilse Unterdörfer and Elfriede
Löhr, to visit me. (See footnote.) One day the re-
ceptionist at the hotel called me and said that
two women were outside in a car and that they
wanted to speak to me. I did not know them, but
I went out to see who they were. I learned later
that Ilse and Elfriede had been Witness couriers
in Nazi Germany when the work was under ban.
Before World War II started, they had been cap-
tured by the German secret police (Gestapo) and
sent to the Lichtenburg concentration camp.
Then, during the war, they were moved to the
camp in Ravensbrück, near Berlin.
These sisters were about the same age as my
mother, so I had respect for them. I did not want
to waste their time by having discussions with
them and then later saying that I was not inter-
ested. So I asked them to bring me a list of scrip-
tures about the Catholic teaching that the first
pope was the apostle Peter and that all other
popes receive authority from him, which is
called apostolic succession. I told them that I
would take it to the local priest and discuss it
with him. I thought that by doing this, I would
find the truth.
FINDING THE TRUTH ABOUT
THE REAL HOLY FATHER
The Catholic Church interprets Jesus’ words
found at Matthew 16:18, 19 to support this teach-
ing of apostolic succession. The Church also says
that the pope, known as the Holy Father, is un-
able to make a mistake when he speaks on doc-
trinal matters. Many Catholics believe this and
base their faith on it. I also believed this and
thought that if the pope says that the Trinity is
true, then it must be true. But, I thought, if the
pope can make a mistake, then the Trinity may
be false.
See their life story in the November 1, 1979, issue of The
Watchtower.
SIMPLIFIED EDITION
 When I visited the priest, he could not answer
my questions. Instead, he gave me a book about
apostolic succession. I took it home and read it.
Then I came back to the priest with even more
questions. He could not answer them and said:
“I cannot convince you, and you cannot convince
me. . . . I wish you the best!” He did not want to
have any more discussions with me.
After this happened, I was ready to study the
Bible with Ilse and Elfriede. They taught me
much about the true Holy Father in heaven, Je-
hovah God. (John 17:11) The two sisters conduct-
ed meetings in the home of an interested family
because there was no congregation in the area.
Only a few people attended. There was no bap-
tized brother to take the lead, so Ilse and Elfriede
would discuss the information between the two
of them at the meeting. Sometimes a brother
would come from another town and give a pub-
lic talk in a rented place.
GETTING STARTED IN THE MINISTRY
Ilse and Elfriede began studying the Bible
with me in October 1958. I was baptized three
months later in January 1959. Before my bap-
tism, I asked if I could go with them from house
to house to see how the preaching work was
done. (Acts 20:20) After going with them for the
first time, I asked for my own territory. They as-
signed a village to me, and I would go there alone
to preach from house to house and make return
visits on interested ones. The first brother I ever
went out in the ministry with was the circuit
overseer who later visited us.
In 1960, after I finished my hotel training, I re-
turned to my hometown to try to teach Bible
truths to my relatives. Although no one has come
into the truth yet, some are showing interest.
A LIFE OF FULL-TIME SERVICE
In 1961 the branch office sent letters encour-
aging brothers and sisters to think about pio-
neering. I was single and healthy, so I felt I
should start pioneering. I thought I needed a car
JULY 15, 2014
Ilse Unterdörfer and Elfriede Löhr began studying
the Bible with me in 1958
to pioneer, and I asked the circuit overseer, Kurt
Kuhn, what he would think if I worked for a few
more months in order to be able to buy a car. He
answered, “Did Jesus and the apostles need a car
to do full-time service?” His question helped me
decide what I would do. I planned to start pio-
neering as soon as possible. But since I worked
72 hours every week in a hotel restaurant, there
were some changes I needed to make.
I asked my boss whether he would allow me
to work 60 hours instead of 72. He agreed, and
he even paid me the same wage. A little later, I
asked him if I could work just 48 hours a week.
Again he said yes, and again he paid me the
same. Next I asked to work only 36 hours a week,
and once again he agreed. I could not believe
that I still got the same pay! It seemed that my
boss did not want me to leave. This schedule
helped me to start regular pioneering. At that
time, pioneers were required to spend 100 hours
a month preaching.
Four months later, I was appointed as a special
pioneer and as the congregation servant in a
small congregation in the town of Spittal an der
Drau. Then, special pioneers were required to
spend 150 hours a month in service. I did not
have a pioneer partner, but I had good support
29
in the ministry from Sister Gertrude Lobner, ter, we slept in unheated bedrooms with below-
who served as the assistant congregation ser- freezing temperatures. Once, we woke up and
vant.—See footnote. found that the part of the blanket near our faces
had frozen! We finally decided to carry a small
MORE ASSIGNMENTS
electric heater to help us endure the night. At
In 1963, I was invited to be a circuit overseer. some places, if we needed to use the bathroom
I often traveled by train from congregation to at night, we had to walk through snow to a draf-
congregation, carrying heavy suitcases. Most ty outhouse. We did not have our own apart-
brothers did not own a car, so no one could pick ment, so on Mondays we usually stayed in the
me up at the train station. I did not want to make home where we had been the week before. Then,
the brothers feel bad by taking a taxi, so I would Tuesday morning we traveled on to the next con-
walk to their homes. gregation.
In 1965, I was invited to attend the 41st class I am happy to say that over the years, my dear
of Gilead School. Many in the class were single, wife has always been a great support. She loves
including me. To my great surprise, I was as- the field service, and I never have to encourage
signed back to circuit work in my home country her to go out in the ministry. She also loves the
of Austria. But before I left the United States, I friends and cares very much for others. This has
was asked to work with a circuit overseer for four been a big help.
weeks. I really appreciated serving with An- In 1976 we were invited to serve at the Austria
thony Conte. He was a loving brother who loved branch office in Vienna, and I was appointed as
the field service and was very effective in it. We
served together in upstate New York in the Corn-
wall area.
When I arrived back in Austria, I was assigned Our wedding day
to a circuit where I met Tove Merete, an attrac-
tive single sister. She was raised in the truth
from the time she was five years old. When
brothers ask us how we met, we jokingly say,
“The branch office arranged for that.” We got
married the next year, in April 1967, and we con-
tinued in the traveling work.
Romans 8:15 explains how some humans can
have a special relationship with Jehovah and be-
come his spiritual sons. They tenderly call him
“Abba, Father!” I felt that way in 1968 when I re-
alized that by his undeserved kindness, Jehovah
had adopted me to be his spiritual son. I also be-
came part of a spiritual brotherhood of anointed
ones.
Merete and I served together in the circuit and
district work until 1976. Sometimes in the win-
Now, instead of a congregation servant and an assistant con-
gregation servant, every congregation has a coordinator of the
body of elders and a secretary.

30
 In Austria, I enjoyed many forms of witnessing, including street work
a member of the Branch Committee. The Austria
branch was then caring for the work in several
Eastern European countries and was making
sure that the brothers in those countries secret-
ly received literature. Brother Jürgen Rundel
took the lead in this, and I had the privilege to
work with him. Later I was asked to oversee
the work of translating literature into ten East-
ern European languages. Jürgen and his wife,
Gertrude, are still faithful special pioneers in
Germany. Starting in 1978, the Austria branch
phototypeset and printed our magazines in six
languages on a small press. We also sent the
magazines to readers in other countries. Otto
Kuglitsch, who now serves with his wife, Ingrid,
at the branch office in Germany, was the one car-
ing for these operations.
The brothers in Eastern Europe also printed
literature in their own countries, using copy ma-
chines or printing from film. But they needed
support from brothers in other countries. Jeho-
vah protected their activity. At the branch, we
came to love these brothers who served faithful-
ly under ban for many years.
JULY 15, 2014
A SPECIAL VISIT TO ROMANIA
In 1989, I had the privilege to go to Romania
with Brother Theodore Jaracz, a member of the
Governing Body. The goal was to help a large
group of brothers to come back to the organiza-
tion. Starting in 1949, these brothers had sepa-
rated themselves from the organization and had
formed their own congregations. Still, they con-
tinued to preach and to baptize new ones. They
even went to prison for refusing to join the army,
just as the brothers did who were still part of the
organization. The work in Romania was still un-
der ban, so we had to meet secretly. We met in
the home of Brother Pamfil Albu, along with four
key elders and with representatives of the ap-
pointed Romania Country Committee. We also
had with us Rolf Kellner, an interpreter from
Austria.
On the second night of discussion, Broth-
er Albu persuaded his four fellow elders to unite
with us. He said, “If we do not do it now, we may
never get another chance.”After this, about 5,000
brothers came back to the organization. What a
victory for Jehovah and what a defeat for Satan!
31

I look forward to seeing
from heaven the earthly
resurrection and finally
finding my physical father
Free downloads of this
magazine and other
publications are
available on www.jw.org
Toward the end of 1989, before the fall of
Communism in Eastern Europe, the Governing
Body invited my wife and me to transfer to world
headquarters in New York. This was a great sur-
prise for us. We began serving at Brooklyn
Bethel in July 1990. In 1992, I was appointed
as a helper to the Service Committee of the
Governing Body, and since July 1994, I have
had the privilege of serving on the Governing
Body.
REFLECTING ON THE PAST
AND LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
My days of serving food in a hotel are in the
past. Now I enjoy having a share with oth-
ers in preparing and serving spiritual food to
our worldwide brotherhood. (Matthew 24:45-47)
When I think about the more than 50 years I
have spent in special full-time service, I feel deep
appreciation. I am full of joy when I see Jeho-
vah’s blessing on our worldwide brotherhood.
I love to attend the international conventions
of Jehovah’s Witnesses, where we learn about
our heavenly Father, Jehovah, and about Bible
truth.
I pray that millions more will study the Bible,
accept the truth, and serve Jehovah united-
ly with our worldwide Christian brotherhood.
(1 Peter 2:17; footnote) I look forward to seeing
from heaven the earthly resurrection and finally
finding my physical father. I hope that he, my
mother, and other dear relatives will all want to
worship Jehovah in Paradise.
With my wife in Brooklyn, New York
ws14 07/15-E
You can also read the Visit www.jw.org,
New World Translation or scan code
141225
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