Watchtower study for the week of May 26th to June 1st. Weekend meeting practical comments. Theme imitate Jesus zeal for preaching. The Lord sent them out by twos ahead of him into every city and place where he himself was to go. Luke 10:1. Focus four ways in which you can imitate Jesus zeal in your ministry. One, what is one quality that sets Jehovah's people apart from the world? One quality that sets Jehovah's people apart is their zeal for the ministry. While many in the world are not interested in sharing Bible truths, Jehovah's servants are eager to preach. Even if we sometimes struggle with motivation, we continue because we love Jehovah and care about others. Additional comment Titus 2:14 says Jesus gave himself to make us zealous for fine works. Preaching is one of those fine works. So even when it feels hard, remembering that we belong to Jehovah helps us stay active and not give up. Two, what can sometimes make it hard to maintain zeal for the ministry? It can be hard to stay zealous when we don't see quick results in preaching. Other forms of service like disaster relief or building projects often bring instant joy and appreciation but in preaching we might work in the same area for years with little response or people may reject the message. This can make it feel discouraging. Three. How does Luke 13 6-9 illustrate Jesus seal? Luke 13 6-9 shows that Jesus was like the vine dresser. He didn't give up even when people didn't respond. He kept preaching for about 3 years and instead of slowing down, he increased his efforts. This shows his strong zeal and patience even when results were limited. Additional comment Luke 13:8 shows the vine dresser saying, "Leave it alone this year, too." That reminds us not to give up quickly. Like Jesus, we can keep trying to reach people's hearts even if they haven't responded yet. Jehovah values our effort, not just the results. For what four aspects of Jesus example will we consider? We will consider four ways Jesus showed zeal. One, he focused on Jehovah's will. Two, he paid attention to Bible prophecy. Three, he relied on Jehovah for strength. And four, he stayed positive that some would listen. These helped him stay zealous especially in the last 6 months of his ministry. He focused on Jehovah's will. Five. How did Jesus show that he was focused on doing God's will? Jesus focused on doing Jehovah's will by making the preaching work his main goal. As Luke 4:43 shows, he knew that sharing the good news was what Jehovah wanted him to do. Even late in his ministry, he kept traveling and preaching and he trained others to join him in the work. Additional comment Luke 13:22 shows Jesus going from city to city and from village to village. This teaches us not to slow down even when we've been in the ministry for a long time. Like Jesus, we can stay focused and keep helping others learn about Jehovah. Six. How does the preaching work relate to other assignments we might have? Preaching is the primary work Jehovah and Jesus want us to focus on. Other theocratic assignments like building kingdom halls, Bethl service or disaster relief support the preaching work. These are important but they don't replace our main assignment which is sharing the good news. Additional comment Matthew 28 19 to20 shows that making disciples is a direct command from Jesus. So even if we help in other ways we should always make time to preach. That's what keeps us in step with Jehovah's purpose. Seven. Why does Jehovah want us to keep on preaching? 1 Timothy 2:4 Jehovah wants us to keep preaching because he desires as many people as possible to hear the good news and respond to it. He trains us to be more effective in sharing this lifesaving message. Even if people don't respond now, what we say might help them decide to accept the truth later before the end of the great tribulation. So we keep preaching, trusting that our efforts can still make a difference. Additional comment. 1 Timothy 2:4 shows Jehovah's deep love for all people. He wants everyone to have a chance to learn the truth and be saved that encourages us to keep sharing the good news. Knowing that even if the response is slow, our words can still plant a seed for the future. The brochure love people make disciples helps us improve how we talk to others so we can be better at starting these important conversations. He paid attention to Bible prophecy. Eight. How did knowing Bible prophecy influence the way Jesus used his time? Jesus knew from Bible prophecy that his ministry would be short, only about three and a half years. He also understood the details about his death. This knowledge helped him make good use of his time by preaching with zeal and focusing on finishing the work Jehovah gave him. Additional comment. Luke 18:31 shows that Jesus clearly understood what was ahead. Instead of slowing down, he worked harder. This reminds us to use our time wisely, especially since we also live in the last days. Knowing the end is near should move us to stay focused and active in the ministry. Nine. Why do Bible prophecies motivate us to preach with zeal? Bible prophecies remind us that the time left is short. We see how today's events match what the Bible foretold about the last days. For example, the rivalry between world powers like the king of the south and the king of the north fulfills Daniel 11:40. We also understand that the feet of the image in Daniel 2 43 to 45 represent the final part of human rulership. These prophecies strengthen our conviction that God's kingdom will soon act and that motivates us to keep preaching with urgency. Additional comment Daniel 2:44 says that God's kingdom will crush all human governments. Knowing this gives us a clear view of where we are in the stream of time. It helps us stay focused. Knowing our preaching work is urgent and very close to its goal. 10. In what other ways can Bible prophecies stimulate our zeal? Bible prophecies give us a hopeful message that we're excited to share. Promises of a better future help us see that the good news is for everyone. Even when people don't seem interested, we remember that anyone can change with Jehovah's help. Also, knowing that Mark 13:10 is being fulfilled right now, preaching worldwide makes us feel honored to be part of it. Additional comment Isaiah 11 6-9 paints a peaceful future which gives us something beautiful to offer others. It reminds us that our message has real value. And Mark 13:10 shows that our preaching is part of prophecy being fulfilled today which gives us confidence that Jehovah is using us in his work. He relied on Jehovah for support. 11. Why did Jesus need to rely on Jehovah for help to keep zealously preaching? Jesus knew that preaching would cause division and strong opposition even among families. The religious leaders tried to kill him multiple times. But Jesus didn't stop. He relied on Jehovah for strength, knowing he was always with him. That gave him the courage to keep going. Additional comment. Luke 12:53 shows how preaching the truth can cause tension even within families. Like Jesus, we may face opposition. But if we rely on Jehovah and keep doing what pleases him, we can have peace and strength to stay zealous in the ministry. 12. How did Jesus prepare his disciples to keep preaching in the face of opposition? Jesus taught his disciples to rely on Jehovah for help, especially during persecution. He also told them to be cautious like serpents and not to force the message on those who reject. If danger came, they were to flee. Even Jesus avoided unnecessary danger. Additional comment. Matthew 10:20 reminds us that Jehovah helps us speak when we face opposition. This gives us comfort today, too. Like Jesus, we can be bold but also wise trusting Jehovah while taking practical steps to stay safe and keep preaching. 13. Why can you be certain that Jehovah will help you? We can be sure that Jehovah will help us because Jesus prayed for us. In John 17 11 and 15 20 Jesus asked Jehovah to protect not only the apostles but also those who would believe through their word. that includes us. Just like Jehovah helped the apostles preach with courage despite opposition, he will help us too. Additional comment John 17:15 shows Jesus specifically asked Jehovah to watch over his followers, not to take them out of the world, but to protect them. That gives us real confidence that when we preach today, Jehovah is by our side, just like he was for the apostles. 14. How do we know that we will be able to keep preaching with zeal? Even if preaching becomes harder as the end gets closer, we can keep going because Jehovah will give us the strength we need. We let people decide if they want to listen and avoid unnecessary arguments. Like the first century Christians, we don't rely on our own strength. We rely on Jehovah. Additional comment 2 Timothy 4:17 shows that Jehovah gave Paul strength to finish his ministry and he will do the same for us. As long as we keep trusting in Jehovah, he'll help us keep preaching with zeal no matter the challenges. He remained positive. 15. What shows that Jesus had a positive view of the ministry? Jesus stayed positive about preaching even when not everyone responded. He focused on those who were willing to listen. He said the harvest was great and compared people to ripe fields ready to be gathered. He was happy when people responded to the message. Additional comment Luke 10:2 shows that Jesus saw great potential in the ministry and encouraged his disciples to pray for more workers. That same positive view can help us stay zealous and joyful in our preaching work today. 16. How did Jesus illustrations convey a positive view of the ministry? Luke 13 18- 21. Jesus used simple but powerful illustrations to show that the kingdom message would succeed. The mustard seed showed how the message would grow in a big way. And the leavenan pictured how it would quietly spread and bring change. These helped his disciples stay positive and zealous knowing their efforts were not in vain. Additional comment. Jesus words in Luke 13 18 to 21 remind us that even if we don't always see immediate results, the preaching work is powerful like leaven or a tiny seed, it keeps growing often in ways we can't see right away because Jehovah is blessing it. 17. What reasons do we have to remain positive about the ministry? We can stay positive about preaching because of what Jehovah is doing worldwide today. Every year, millions attend the memorial and study the Bible with us. Hundreds of thousands get baptized and join the preaching work. While we don't know exactly how many will respond, we are sure Jehovah is gathering a great crowd who will survive the great tribulation. This shows that the master of the harvest still sees good potential, giving us every reason to keep preaching zealously. Additional comment, Revelation 7:es 9 and 14 encourages us by showing that Jehovah's purpose is advancing. Knowing that our preaching helps gather this great crowd inspires us to continue sharing the good news with joy and confidence. 18. What do we want others to observe about us? People have always recognized Jesus disciples by their zeal for preaching. When the apostles spoke boldly, others noticed and said they could tell they had been with Jesus. Likewise, when others see us in the ministry, we want them to see that Jesus zeal has influenced us too. Additional comment. Acts 4:13 shows how our boldness and enthusiasm in preaching can make others see the close relationship we have with Jehovah and Jesus. This encourages us to be consistent and zealous in the ministry so that our actions reflect the spirit of Jesus. How can we remain zealous by imitating the way Jesus one viewed the ministry? Jesus focused fully on preaching the good news because he knew it was God's will. Even though many people rejected the message, he didn't give up. He worked hard to reach as many as possible and trained others to help or one viewed the ministry. Jesus saw the ministry as the most important work God wanted done. He focused on preaching the good news no matter how hard it got. Knowing it was God's will. Even when many rejected his message, he never gave up or slowed down. He made teaching and preaching his main goal, showing us that the ministry should be our top priority, too. Two, relied on Jehovah. Jesus trusted Jehovah to support him, especially when facing opposition and persecution. He knew Jehovah would not abandon him, and he encouraged his disciples to rely on Jehovah's help, too, or too relied on Jehovah. Jesus depended fully on Jehovah for strength and support. He knew the preaching work would bring opposition and difficulties, but he trusted that Jehovah would be with him every step of the way. Jesus also prepared his disciples to trust Jehovah during hard times, reminding them that Jehovah would help them face any challenges in the ministry. Three, remain positive. Jesus stayed positive and hopeful about the ministry. He used illustrations like the mustard seed and leaven to show that the message would grow and spread widely. He rejoiced in the progress and believed many would respond or three remain positive. Jesus kept a hopeful and positive attitude about the ministry. He saw the kingdom message as powerful and growing like a tiny mustard seed that becomes a big tree or leaven that spreads quietly but widely. He rejoiced when people accepted the message and believed more would respond. This positive view helped him keep preaching with enthusiasm. And we can do the same by focusing on what Jehovah is accomplishing today.