Comments You Will Not Hear at the 03-24-2013 WT Study (JANUARY 15, 2013, pages 22-26)(WITHOUT REGRETS)
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SERVING
WITHOUT REGRETS
“Forgetting the things
behind and stretching
forward to the things
ahead.”—PHIL. 3:13.
ISOLATE THESE MAIN POINTS:
What helped the apostle Paul to
overcome his regrettable past?
What is the divine formula for
acquiring peace of mind?
What principle can help us to
serve God without regrets?
OPENING COMMENTS
Can a jw ever do enough to please the WTS?
(Ephesians 6:5, 6) . . ., 6 not by way of eye-service as men pleasers, but as Christ’s slaves, doing the will of God whole-souled.
START OF ARTICLE
1-3. (a) What are regrets, and how may they affect us?
(b) From Paul, what can we learn about serving God without
regrets?
A POET wrote: “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
the saddest are these: ‘It might have been!’” The poet
was J.G.Whittier, and he was referring to things that
we regret, that we wish we could do over and do differently.
“Regret” is mental sorrow, pain of mind, at
something done or perhaps left undone, and it can
mean “to weep again.” We all have done things we
wish we could go back and do differently. What regrets
do you have?
COMMENTS
What regrets do many have…becoming a jw.
So why does the WTS start out with a quote from a member of Babylon the Great…a Quaker?
Why not Genesis 6:6?
2 Some people have made grievous mistakes in
their lives, even committing serious sins. Others
have not done anything so bad, but they wonder
whether some of their choices in life were really the
best. Some people have been able to overcome the
past and continue on with their lives. Others are continually
plagued with “if onlys” about their past. (Ps.
51:3) Which are you? Do you wish that you could
serve God without regrets—at least from this day forward?
Is there a true-life example from whom we can
learn to do that? There certainly is—the apostle Paul.
COMMENTS
*** it-2 p. 773 Repentance ***
Regret, remorse, and tears, then, are not a certain measure of genuine repentance; the heart motive is determinative.
So what jw serves God without regret? Jws are held responsible for a year after reinstatement by being put on restrictions. Their wrongs are held over their heads even after repentance.
3 During his life, Paul made both terrible mistakes
and wise choices. He felt deeply about the regrets of
his past, but he also learned to make a success of his
life in faithful service to God. Let us see what his example
can teach us about serving without regrets.
COMMENTS
Paul approved of the execution of Stephen. How many jws would stand in approval of the spiritual execution of fellow jws?
PAUL’S REGRETTABLE PAST
4. What regrettable past did the apostle Paul have?
4 As a young Pharisee, Paul did things that he
later regretted. For example, he led a campaign of
vicious persecution against Christ’s disciples. The Bible
record states that immediately after the martyring
of Stephen, “Saul [later known as Paul] . . . began
to deal outrageously with the congregation. Invading
one house after another and, dragging
out both men and women, he
would turn them over to prison.” (Acts
8:3) Scholar Albert Barnes said that
the Greek word rendered “to deal outrageously
with” is “a strong expression,
denoting the zeal and fury with which
[Saul] engaged in persecution.” Hence,
said Barnes, “Saul raged against the
church like a wild beast.” As a devout
Jew, Saul believed that it was his God-given
duty to stamp out Christianity.
So he pursued the Christians with brutal
cruelty, “breathing threat and murder
against . . . both men and women,” trying
to destroy them.—Acts 9:1, 2; 22:4.*
COMMENTS
Paul was persecuting fellow believers because they did not believe they way he thought they should, he was directed by the religious leaders who had Jesus killed. Remind you of anyone?
Albert Barnes…Presbyterian—Another expert from Babylon the Great.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Barnes_(theologian)
*The repeated reference to women also being the
object of Saul’s persecution shows that they played a
large part in the spread of Christianity in the first
century, just as they do today.—Ps. 68:11.
5. Explain how Saul was converted from persecuting
Jesus’ followers to preaching about
Christ.
5 It was Saul’s intent to go to Damascus,
tear Jesus’ disciples from their
homes, and drag them to Jerusalem to
face the wrath of the Sanhedrin. However,
he failed because he was in conflict
with the Head of the Christian congregation.
(Eph. 5:23) While Saul was on
his way to Damascus, Jesus confronted
him, and Saul was blinded by a miraculous
light. Then Jesus sent Saul on to Damascus
to wait for further contact. We
know the rest of what happened.—Acts
9:3-22.
COMMENTS
So do jws today hope and pray for the death of all men, women, and children who do not believe they way they do? Where do they think Jesus’ voice originates from…the WTS organization. Does the WTS teach that jws can hate “apostates”?
6, 7. What shows that Paul was well-aware of
his painful past?
6 Paul’s values changed as soon as he
became a Christian. Instead of being a
fierce enemy of Christianity, he became
an ardent advocate of it. Even so, he later
wrote of himself: “You, of course, heard
about my conduct formerly in Judaism,
that to the point of excess I kept on persecuting
the congregation of God and
devastating it.” (Gal.1:13) Later, he again
mentioned his regrettable past when
writing to the Corinthians, to the Philippians,
and to Timothy. (Read 1 Corinthians
15:9; Phil. 3:6; 1 Tim. 1:13) Paul was
not proud of having to write such things
about himself, but neither did he try to
act as though none of that had ever happened.
He was well-aware that he had
made serious mistakes.—Acts 26:9-11.
COMMENTS
Notice Paul became a Christian not one of Jehovah’s witnesses (Acts 1:8).
7 Bible scholar Frederic W. Farrar referred
to the part that Saul had played
“in the horrid work of persecution.” Farrar
added that it is only when we weigh
the terrible significance of this sad period
in Paul’s life that “we feel the load
of remorse which must have lain upon
him, and the taunts to which he was liable
from malignant enemies.”At times,
Paul was perhaps approached by brothers
in the various congregations he visited,
brothers meeting him for the first
time, saying, ‘So you’re Paul—you’re the
one who persecuted us!’—Acts 9:21.
COMMENTS
PERHAPS…Once again the WTS adds to the bible.
There was a time that it took 20 years after being reinstated for a brother to be appointed an elder…how long did it take Paul to be appointed by Jesus? Was David removed as king for murder and adultery…that’s right, under the Law he should have been put to death.
*** w91 10/1 p. 18 par. 18 Make Jehovah’s Everlasting Arms Your Support ***
Though God showed mercy because of the Kingdom covenant, David’s repentance, and his merciful treatment of others, David experienced ‘calamity out of his own house.’ (2 Samuel 12:1-12) The adulterine child died. David’s son Amnon raped his half sister Tamar and was killed at her brother Absalom’s order. (2 Samuel 12:15-23; 13:1-33) Absalom disgraced David by having relations with David’s concubines. He tried to usurp the throne but met death. (2 Samuel 15:1–18:33) Sin still has an aftermath. For example, a disfellowshipped wrongdoer may repent and be reinstated in the congregation, but it may take years to overcome the tarnished reputation and emotional trauma resulting from sin.
*** km 12/70 p. 4 Question Box ***
If at one time a person had been disfellowshiped or disassociated, may he ever give a public talk? This might occur, but only after at least ten years from reinstatement. (For details see “The Watchtower,” 8/15/65, p. 497; “Lamp,” p. 121.)
8. How did Paul feel about the mercy and love
that Jehovah and Jesus displayed toward him,
and what lesson does that teach us?
8 Paul realized, however, that it was
only by God’s undeserved kindness that
he was able to carry out his ministry. He
mentions that merciful quality of God
some 90 times in his 14 letters—more
than any other Bible writer. (Read 1 Corinthians
15:10.) Paul deeply appreciated
the merciful way in which he was
treated, and he wanted to make sure
that God’s undeserved kindness had not
been extended to him in vain. So he “labored
in excess” of all the other apostles.
Paul’s example clearly shows that if we
confess our sins and change our course,
Jehovah is willing to blot out even grievous
sins on the basis of Jesus’ ransom
sacrifice. What a good lesson this is
for any who find it hard to believe that
the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice could be
meant for them personally! (Read 1 Timothy
1:15, 16.) Even though Paul had
been a rabid persecutor of Christ, he
could write: “The Son of God . . . loved
me and handed himself over for me.”
(Gal. 2:20; Acts 9:5) Yes, Paul learned the
principle of how to serve without amassing
more regrets. Is that something that
you have learned?
COMMENTS
So if Paul was a jw today, would he have to wait 10 years?
“Labored in excess” did this mean Paul thought that works would earn him forgiveness?
Do individual jws have a hard time believing or is it the need to wait ten years to be considered spiritual enough to be “used” or have “privileges”?
DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS?
9, 10. (a) Why do some of Jehovah’s people
have regrets? (b)What is wrong with continually
worrying about the past?
9 Have you done things that you now
regret? Have you ever wasted valuable
energy and time on the wrong pursuits?
Did you act in some way that resulted
in harm to others? Or it may be that
you have unpleasant feelings of regret
for some other reason. The question is,
What can you do about it?
COMMENTS
Wrong pursuits = higher education, entertainment, pride, technology, health, money (see last week’s article) Why so vague and general, to let jws ready anything into it.
10 Many people worry! To worry continually
means to plague oneself, vex
oneself, persecute oneself. It causes
great anxiety. Does worrying solve any
problems? Not one! Imagine trying to
move forward by rocking for hours in a
rocking chair, expending all that energy
but getting nowhere! Instead of worrying,
some positive action on your part
may produce good results. You can apologize
to the person you wronged, perhaps
restoring good relations. You can
avoid whatever led up to the wrong act,
thereby preventing future problems.
Then again, you may simply have to live
through some situations of life. But worry
is nothing but a form of paralysis that
can leave one unable to serve God fully.
And there is no reward for worry!
COMMENTS
Do jws worry or do the “holy” ones remind them of their sins and how they are unworthy, for ten years. So the jws that were cruel to you, lied, and said were you bad association, did they, have they apologized; or do the elders excuse their sins as “imperfection”?
Did David live through the results of his sins, or did others die and suffer?
11. (a) How may we receive Jehovah’s mercy
and loving-kindness? (b)What is the divine formula
for acquiring peace of mind about our
past failings?
11 Some have the tendency to let past
failings overwhelm them to the point
that they feel that they are unworthy
in God’s eyes. They may feel beyond
the reach of God’s mercy because they
strayed off course either so far or so often.
The fact is, though, that no matter
what they may have done in the past,
they can repent, change, and ask for forgiveness.
(Acts 3:19) Jehovah’s mercy
and loving-kindness can be extended to
them, even as it has been to so many
others. Jehovah will look kindly upon a
humble, honest one and upon his heartfelt
repentance. God did that for Job,
who said: “I do repent [“feel regret,”
ftn.] in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:6) We
all must follow the divine formula for acquiring
peace of mind: “He that is covering
over his transgressions will not succeed,
but he that is confessing and
leaving them will be shown mercy.”
(Prov. 28:13; Jas. 5:14-16) Thus, we can
confess to God, pray for his forgiveness,
and take steps to right the wrong. (2 Cor.
7:10, 11) If we have done these things,
then we can enjoy the mercy of the One
who ‘forgives in a large way.’—Isa. 55:7.
COMMENTS
Or people in the congregation view you as a danger.
*** w80 6/15 p. 19 par. 13 Harvesting Fruit Suitable for God’s Kingdom ***
Even in the Christian congregation there may be an environment or association that is spiritually not most helpful. Some who recently came out of the world and symbolized their dedication to God by water baptism may tend to bring into the congregation something that still clings to them—a measure of worldliness.
So does the congregation’s forgiveness take ten years? Or never.
12. (a) What does David’s example teach us
about the best way to deal with a guilty conscience?
(b) In what sense has Jehovah felt regret,
and how does knowing that help us? (See
the box.)
12 There is power in prayer; it accomplishes
much with God. David expressed his
deep feelings in a prayer of
faith that is beautifully preserved in the
Psalms. (Read Psalm 32:1-5.) As David
admitted, trying to repress a guilty conscience wore
him out! He apparently suffered
ill effects mentally and physically
and lost joy because of his failure to confess.
What brought David pardon and relief?
Only a confession to God. Jehovah
answered David’s prayers and strengthened
him to go ahead with his life and
accomplish something worthwhile. Similarly,
if you pray sincerely from the
heart, you can be confident that Jehovah
will give his keen attention to your supplication.
If past wrongs trouble you, rectify
them to the extent that you can and
then believe Jehovah’s assurance that he
has forgiven you!—Ps. 86:5.
COMMENTS
Prayer….now David needed to pray 24/7 the rest of his life to atone for murder and adultery. Of course, was David sorry for the pain and death he caused Uriah, stealing his wife? David got to keep Bathsheba, the kingship, and have his son Solomon become king (who would never have been born if David had been executed, Solomon would never have existed.
And then there is the DO MORE philosophy of the WTS.
*** dx86-11 Field Ministry ***
encouragement to do more: w10 4/15 27-28; km 7/09 1; w08 1/15 7-8; w08 10/15 28; km 2/03 8; wt 106-109; km 5/01 1; w00 7/1 13-18; w96 11/15 21-23; km 9/94 1; km 10/94 1; w93 4/15 29-30; km 8/90 3-4; yb89 255; w86 1/15 13-14; w86 6/15 18-19
LOOK AHEAD TO THE FUTURE
13, 14. (a) What should be our chief concern
now? (b) What questions can move us to analyze
our present situation in life?
13 It has been said that life can be
understood by looking back but that it
must be lived by looking ahead. So instead
of worrying about the past, we
should be concerned about the present
and the future. What are we doing right
now, or failing to do, that years from
now we will wish we had not done or
had done differently? Are we maintaining
a course of faithfulness that will
prevent any possible regrets at a future
time?
COMMENTS
Who makes people at the congregation worry about the past?
Works will cancel out the past.
IN WHAT SENSE HAS JEHOVAH FELT REGRET?
On a number of occasions, the
Bible mentions that Jehovah “felt
regret.” (Jonah 3:10; Gen. 6:6, 7;
Judg. 2:18; 1 Sam. 15:11) Since
God’s activity is perfect, his regret
is never because of a mistake on
his part. (Num. 23:19; Deut.
32:4) Rather, in Hebrew, to feel
regret can mean to change one’s
mind or intention. For example,
because Jehovah is reasonable,
adaptable, and merciful, he is
willing to alter his intended actions
toward erring ones in response
to their repentance and
the changes that they make.
—Jer. 18:7-10.
COMMENTS
So what about children condemned to eternal death at Armageddon because of the sins of their parents? This means he could alter his intended actions.
14 As the great tribulation nears, we
do not want to be plagued with such
anxious thoughts as these: ‘Could I have
done more in God’s service? Why didn’t
I pioneer when I had the opportunity?
What prevented me from reaching out
to serve as a ministerial servant? Did I
make a real effort to put on the new personality?
Am I the sort of person Jehovah
wants in his new world?’ Instead of
just worrying about such sobering questions,
we want to use them to analyze
ourselves and make sure that we are giving
our best in Jehovah’s service. Otherwise,
we could be continuing in away of
life that may result in even more regrets.
—2 Tim. 2:15.
COMMENTS
So does survival through the GT depend on “works”?
Do members analyze themselves or do the “holy” ones in the congregation?
NEVER REGRET YOUR
SACRED SERVICE
15, 16. (a) What sacrifices have many made to
put God’s service first in their life? (b) Why
should we not regret any sacrifice we have
made in putting Kingdom pursuits first?
15 What about those of you who have
made sacrifices to serve Jehovah fulltime?
Perhaps you gave up a promising
career or a successful business to
simplify your life and have more time
for Kingdom pursuits. Or perhaps you
remained unmarried or if married, decided
to forgo having children to make
yourself available for an avenue of fulltime
service that otherwise would not
have been possible for you—Bethel service,
international construction work,
circuit work, or missionary service.
Should you regret those decisions now
as you grow older in Jehovah’s service?
Should you feel that the sacrifices you
made were unnecessary or ill-timed?
Not at all!
COMMENTS
I remember a brother saying that only a few have special circumstances that do not allow them to pioneer. So this guilt-making paragraph says you have no excuse.
*** w87 2/1 p. 15 par. 1 Doing Our Utmost to Declare the Good News ***
“A FEW years ago, many of us thought that only those with special circumstances could pioneer,” wrote a pioneer, or full-time minister, in Japan. “It seems we were wrong. We are learning that only those with special circumstances cannot pioneer.”
16 You made those decisions on the
basis of your deep love for Jehovah and
an earnest desire to help others who
wanted to serve him. You need not
think that you would have been better
off had you lived your life differently.
You can have the deep satisfaction of
knowing that you did what you knew
to be right in your case. You can rejoice
in having done your very best to serve
Jehovah. He will not forget your life of
self-sacrifice. In the real life yet to come,
he will reward you with blessings far
better than any you can now imagine!
—Ps. 145:16; 1 Tim. 6:19.
COMMENTS
Do you think the jws who did this 39 years ago have any regrets that the end did not come in 1975?
*** km 5/74 p. 3 How Are You Using Your Life? ***
Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world’s end.—1 John 2:17.
HOW TO SERVE WITHOUT REGRETS
17, 18. (a) What principle helped Paul to
serve without regrets? (b) What is your resolve
regarding your past, present, and future service
to Jehovah?
17 What principle did Paul learn that
helped him serve God without having
more regrets? As rendered in the
J. B. Phillips translation, Paul wrote: “I
leave the past behind and with hands
outstretched to whatever lies ahead I go
straight for the goal.” (Read Philippians
3:13, 14.) Paul did not dwell on the
wrong course he had pursued in Judaism.
Instead, he concentrated all his energies
on qualifying himself for the future
prize of eternal life.
COMMENTS
So can jws leave the past behind….will the elders leave their past behind…did Paul’s contemporaries leave his past behind?
18 All of us can apply the principle
behind Paul’s words. Rather than fretting
over our past, dwelling on what
cannot be undone, we should stretch
forward to what lies ahead. No, we may
not literally forget past mistakes, but we
need not constantly berate ourselves for
them. We can strive to put the past behind
us, serve God to the best of our
ability now, and look ahead to the glorious
future!
COMMENTS
Do jws berate themselves or do they hear weekly that they are flawed from the platform, from the publications, from the “encouragement” of other jws? As the straw in your eye is made clear to you while the ones pointing it out don’t see the rafter in their own.
CONCLUDING COMMENTS
Now this was the most guilt-making articles I’ve read in a long time. Where is the love?
Next week, CHRISTIANELDERS ‘FELLOW WORKERS’ FOR OUR JOY.
Love, Blondie