Monthly Archives: September 2019

Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019 Wednesday, September 18

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September
Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019

Wednesday, September 18

Because of Jehovah’s compassion for him, . . . they brought him out and stationed him outside the city.​—Gen. 19:16.
Does not that incident in Lot’s life demonstrate that Jehovah is fully aware of the difficult situations in which his faithful people sometimes find themselves? (Isa. 63:7-9; Jas. 5:11, ftn.; 2 Pet. 2:9) He has also taught his people the need to display compassion. Consider the law given to Israel regarding the seizing of a man’s garment as security for a loan. (Ex. 22:26, 27) A hard-hearted lender might have been tempted to seize the debtor’s garment, leaving him without a covering in which to sleep. Yet, Jehovah taught his people to avoid such an unfeeling attitude and course. His people were to be compassionate. Does not the principle reflected in that particular law move us to action? Would we want to leave our brothers out in the cold, so to speak, if there is something that we can do to relieve their suffering?​—Col. 3:12;Jas. 2:15, 16; 1 John 3:17. w17.09 9 ¶4-5

Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019 Tuesday, September 17

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September
Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019

Tuesday, September 17

The word of God is alive and exerts power.​—Heb. 4:12.
As Jehovah’s people, we have no doubt that God’s word, his message to humans, “is alive and exerts power.” Many of us are living proof of the Bible’s power to change lives. Some of our brothers and sisters were formerly thieves, drug addicts, or sexually immoral. Others enjoyed a measure of success in this system of things but felt that something was missing in their life. (Eccl. 2:3-11) Time and again, individuals who seemed hopelessly lost found their way to the path of life by means of the Bible’s transforming power. You have likely read and greatly enjoyed a number of these experiences as published in The Watchtower in the series “The Bible Changes Lives.” And you have seen that even after accepting the truth, Christians continue to make spiritual progress with the help of the Scriptures. w17.09 23 ¶1

meetingBOX | WEEK SEPTEMBER 16-22, 2019 Meeting Workbook Downloads

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meetingBOX – September 16-22

HEBREWS 11


“The Importance of Faith”: (10 min.)

Heb 11:1​—Faith defined (w16.10 27 ¶6)

Heb 11:6​—Faith is necessary to please God (w13 11/1 11 ¶2-5)

Heb 11:33-38​—Faith enabled God’s servants in the past to meet difficult challenges (w16.10 23 ¶10-11)


Digging for Spiritual Gems: (8 min.

Heb 11:4​—On what was Abel’s faith based? (it-1 804 ¶5)

Heb 11:5​—How was Enoch’s faith rewarded? (wp17.1 12-13)

What has this week’s Bible reading taught you about Jehovah?

What other spiritual gems have you discovered in this week’s Bible reading?


Bible Reading: (4 min. or less) Heb 11:1-16 (th study 10)


APPLY YOURSELF TO THE FIELD MINISTRY

First Return Visit Video: (5 min.) Play and discuss the video.

First Return Visit: (3 min. or less) Use the sample conversation. (th study 3)

First Return Visit: (5 min. or less) Begin with the sample conversation. Give the householder a meeting invitation and introduce (but do not play) the video What Happens at a Kingdom Hall? (th study 11)


LIVING AS CHRISTIANS

“What Will You Do in the Year of Drought?”: (15 min.) Discussion. Play the video.


Congregation Bible Study: (30 min.) jy chap. 84


Study Article 29: September 16-22, 2019

Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019 Monday, September 16

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September
Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019

Monday, September 16

Do not be afraid or be terrified, for Jehovah . . . is with you.​—1 Chron. 28:20.
Solomon likely learned much about courage from his own father. David displayed tremendous courage when he confronted a battle-hardened giant. Yes, with God’s help and a smooth stone, David defeated Goliath. (1 Sam. 17:45, 49, 50) How appropriate it was later for David to urge Solomon to be courageous and construct the temple! Jehovah would be with him until the work of building the temple was finished. With his father’s words impressed on his mind and heart, Solomon did not allow his youth and inexperience to become an obstacle. He showed great courage, went to work, and with Jehovah’s help completed the magnificent temple in seven and a half years. As Jehovah helped Solomon, he can help us to be courageous and to accomplish our work, both in our family and in the congregation. (Isa. 41:10, 13) When we show courage in our worship of Jehovah, we can be confident of his blessing now and in the future. w17.09 28 ¶3; 29 ¶4; 32 ¶20-21

Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019 Sunday, September 15

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September
Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019

Sunday, September 15

Everyone whose spirit the true God had stirred​—prepared to go up and rebuild the house of Jehovah, which was in Jerusalem.​—Ezra 1:5.
As the Jews traveled along, they no doubt spent many hours thinking about their new home. They had heard how beautiful the city of Jerusalem once was. The oldest ones among them had seen the former glory of the temple. (Ezra 3:12) If you had traveled with them, how would you have felt when you first caught sight of Jerusalem, your new home? Would you have been saddened when you saw the ruined buildings overgrown with weeds? Would you have compared the massive double walls of Babylon with Jerusalem’s broken-down walls, with large gaps where gates and watchtowers once stood? Yet, the people took heart. They had already seen Jehovah’s saving hand in their behalf throughout their long trip homeward. The first thing they did upon arriving was set up an altar on the site of the former temple, and they began to offer daily sacrifices to Jehovah.​—Ezra 3:1, 2. w17.10 26-27 ¶2-3

Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019 Saturday, September 14

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September
Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019

Saturday, September 14

Sing praises to [Jehovah].​—Ps. 33:2.
Perhaps we are apprehensive about singing because we are unsure of how to sing. Yet, we can improve our singing by applying some basic suggestions. You can learn to sing with power and volume by breathing properly. Much as electricity powers a light bulb, breathing energizes your voice when you speak or sing. You should sing as loud as you speak or even louder than that. In fact, within the context of singing praises, the Scriptures sometimes direct Jehovah’s worshippers to “shout joyfully.” (Ps. 33:1-3) Try the following: Choose one of your favorite songs from our songbook. Read the lyrics out loud in a strong, confident voice. Next, using the same volume, say all the words from a single phrase of the song in one breath. Then sing the phrase, using the same vibrant voice. (Isa. 24:14) Your singing voice will become fuller, and that is a good thing. Do not let it scare you or embarrass you! w17.11 5-6 ¶11-13

Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019 Friday, September 13

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September
Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019

Friday, September 13

Whoever becomes ashamed of me . . . , the Son of man will also be ashamed of him.​—Mark 8:38.
At first, we may not have told our family about our association with Jehovah’s Witnesses. As our faith grew, though, we saw the need to be open about our beliefs. If your courageous stand has resulted in a problem between you and your non-Witness relatives, endeavor to have empathy for them. While we may be overjoyed about the Bible truths we have learned, our relatives may mistakenly believe that we have been tricked or have become part of a cult. They may think that we no longer love them because we do not celebrate holidays with them. They may even fear for our eternal welfare. We should show empathy by trying to see things from their viewpoint and by listening carefully to discern their real concerns. (Prov. 20:5) The apostle Paul endeavored to understand “people of all sorts” in order to share the good news with them, and a similar approach can help us as well.​—1 Cor. 9:19-23. w17.10 15 ¶11-12

Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019 Thursday, September 12

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September
Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019

Thursday, September 12

No bloodguilt will come upon you.​—Deut. 19:10.
A key purpose of the cities of refuge was to protect the Israelites from bloodguilt. Jehovah loves life, and he hates murderous “hands that shed innocent blood.” (Prov. 6:16, 17) A just and holy God, he could not ignore even accidental bloodshed. Unlike Jehovah, the scribes and Pharisees showed a careless disregard for life. How so? “You took away the key of knowledge,” Jesus told them. “You yourselves did not go in, and you hinder those going in!” (Luke 11:52) They were supposed to unlock the meaning of God’s Word and help others to walk on the road to eternal life. Instead, they directed people away from “the Chief Agent of life,” Jesus, leading them toward a course that could end in eternal destruction. (Acts 3:15) Proud and selfish, the scribes and Pharisees cared little for the life and welfare of their fellow humans. How cruel and unmerciful! w17.11 15 ¶9-10

Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019 Wednesday, September 11

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September
Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019

Wednesday, September 11

Come and witness the activities of Jehovah.​—Ps. 46:8.
Is mankind coming to grips with the problems that have plagued him for so long? Certainly, they have not learned to avoid war. Crimes, such as cybercrime, domestic violence, and terrorism, are increasing at an alarming rate. And death-dealing diseases still run rampant. The present economic and political systems are powered by selfish forces. Clearly, such forces cannot eliminate war, crime, disease, and poverty​—only God’s Kingdom can. Consider what Jehovah will do for mankind. War: God’s Kingdom will eliminate such deep-seated causes of war as selfishness, corruption, patriotism, false religion, and Satan himself. (Ps. 46:9) Crime: God’s Kingdom is already teaching millions to love and trust one another as no other government can. (Isa. 11:9) Disease: Jehovah will bless his people with perfect health. (Isa. 35:5, 6) Poverty: Jehovah will eliminate it and will provide his people with spiritual and physical prosperity.​—Ps. 72:12, 13. w17.11 24 ¶14-16

Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019 Tuesday, September 10

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September
Examining the Scriptures Daily—2019

Tuesday, September 10

Tabitha, rise!​—Acts 9:40.
Peter’s resurrection of Tabitha was so convincing that “many became believers in the Lord.” They could testify both in general about the Lord and specifically about Jehovah’s ability to raise the dead. (Acts 9:36-42) Others became eyewitnesses to another resurrection. One time, the apostle Paul was at a meeting in an upper room in Troas, in what is now northwest Turkey. Paul spoke till midnight. A young man named Eutychus was listening, seated at a window. But he dozed off and fell from the third story to the ground below. Perhaps the physician Luke was the first to reach Eutychus, and Luke made a medical assessment: Eutychus was not merely injured and unconscious​—he was dead! Paul came downstairs and embraced the corpse, and then he made the dramatic announcement: “He is alive.” What a profound impact that would have had on eyewitnesses! Knowing the facts and grasping that a resurrection had occurred, they “were comforted beyond measure.”​—Acts 20:7-12. w17.12 5 ¶10-11