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Faithful &Discreet Slave
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The Watch Tower Reprints, November 1881, p.291
"We believe that every member of this body of Christ is engaged in the blessed work, either directly or indirectly, of giving meat in due season to the household of faith. 'Who then is that faithful and wise servant whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household,' to give them meat in due season? is it not that "little flock" of consecrated servants who are faithfully carrying out their consecration vows - the body of Christ - and is not the whole body individually and collectively, giving the meat in due season to the household of faith -the great company of believers? Blessed is that servant (the whole body of Christ) whom his Lord when he has come (Gr. eithon) shall find so doing,"
The Watch Tower Reprints, January, 1890, p.1171
"We are most firmly convinced that the Tower is and has been a chosen vessel in the Lord's hands for dispensing 'meat in due season,' and we pray and labor that it may so continue to be used."
The Watch Tower Reprints, April 1, 1895, p.1797
"Verses 44-46 show who will meet the Master's approval in this day of his presence. They will be, not only those who believe in him, but who also manifest their faith and love in active service &endash; 'Blessed is that servant.' It is not enough, however, that they be servants of the Lord; for many serve very actively whose works are to be turned in the fiery trials to which they shall be subjected in this day of the Lord (1 Cor. 3:12-15); but they must be wise and faithful servants -- servants who study to show themselves approved unto God, rightly dividing the Word of truth; servants who are anxious, not only about the amount of their service, but also that it shall be exact co-operation with God, directed by his Word and controlled by its principles, and then faithfully performed with an eye single to his glory."
The Watch Tower Reprints, March 1, 1896. p. 1946
"In our examination of this text we seem to have treated the term 'that servant' as though the Spirit had erred in saying 'that servant' when it meant servants (plural), and we applied it to all true servants of God. Since then we have been met from various quarters with objections to so general an application, and the suggestion that it would be wrong to allow modesty or any other consideration, good or bad, to warp our judgment in the exposition of the inspired Word; to which proposition we agree."
The Watchtower Reprints, May 15, 1899, p. 2489
"There has arisen a witness for God and his Christ, as expositor of Bible truth, such as may be safely said has not hitherto appeared. 'The question is, 'Is this man's testimony of God?' I believe it is. He claims little, but he teaches much. He teaches that the conflicting creeds of Christendom are out of harmony with God; and that even some of the most cherished doctrines regarded as orthodox are wrong. If what this man writes is true, he is the veritable John the Baptist of this age, or at least the voice of one crying in witness to the second presence (not coming) of Jesus, the Son of God. If his interpretations are true, he is 'that servant' now engaged in 'giving meat in due season to the household of faith.' --Matt. 24:45,46."
The Watchtower Reprints, April 15, 1904, p. 3356
"However much we might endeavor to apply this figure to the Lord's people collectively, the fact would still remain that the various items stated would not fit to a company of individuals. For instance, in the 42 nd verse, in the common version it is rendered, that faithful steward; as though a particular one were meant and the term not used indefinitely for a number?but since the servant mentioned is to dispense food to the other members of the body, his fellow-servants, the term seems to be limited to some particular individual."
The Watchtower Reprints, June 1, 1905, p. 3570
"he would have us understand that the appropriate message for each appropriate time of epoch in the church's experience would be sent by the Lord through a particular star or messenger whom he would particularly commission as his representative."
The Watchtowers Reprints, July 15, 1906, p. 3811
"Mrs. Russell became very enthusiastic in my support. It was she who first called attention to Matt. 24:45-47, applying it to me in a meeting at Allegheny and subsequently in another meeting with the New York church. I demurred that I had not thought of the passage thus, and declined to make any personal application of it, although I could not deny the force of the argument that it pointed out 'that servant,' and 'fellow servants' and 'the household,' apparently clearly and designedly distinguishing between these terms. Some little objection was aroused by her interpretation and I urged great moderation in the making of any personal application, suggesting that the WATCH TOWER rather than its editor might be considered 'that servant.'"
The Watchtower Reprints, November 11, 1915, p. 5804
"Beloved Brother, it has been our thought this year to send you some slight token of the great love we have for you, as God's appointed servant and channel for dispensing the 'meat in due season' to the household of faith."
The Watchtower Reprints, December 1, 1916, p. 5998
"Thousands of the readers of Pastor Russell's writings believe that he filled the office of 'that faithful and wise servant,' and that his great work was giving to the household of faith meat in due season. His modesty and humility precluded him from openly claiming this title, but he admitted as much in private conversation."
The Battle of Armageddon (SS-4), 1916, ed., p. 613
"The intimation here seems to be, that at the particular time indicated by the prophecy, - namely during the Lord's presence, and at the time of the gathering of the elect - our Lord, the Great Servant of his people, will make choice of one channel for dispensing the meat in due season, though other channels or 'fellow-servant' will be used in bringing the food to the 'household.' But the servant is merely a steward, and liable to be removed at any moment, should he fail to fully and duly acknowledge in every particular, the Master, the great Servant of God, and his people, - 'the Messenger of the Covenant,' - Christ. Faithfulness of the part of said steward (both to the 'Master' and to 'his fellow servants' and 'the household') will be rewarded by his continuance as steward; - so long as he serves faithfully, he may continue, and may serve the household of faith with things new and old, - meat in due season - to the end; bringing forth all the precious things of divine provision."
The Watchtower Reprints, March 1, 1917, p. 6049
"THE WATCH TOWER unhesitatingly proclaims Brother Russell as 'that faithful and wise servant.'"
The Watchtower Reprints, November 1, 1917, p. 6159
"The Lord Jesus, in his great prophetic statement in Matthew 24:45-47, made known the fact that at the end of the age he would be present and would have a special servant whom he would 'make ruler ove all his house to give meat in due season to the household.'?For several years some have recognized and now many more are recognizing, that Pastor Russell is that servant."
The Finished Mystery (SS-7), 1917 ed., p. 5
"the earthly creature made prominent therein above all others is the messenger of the Laodicean Church &endash; 'that wise and faithful servant of the Lord' -- CHARLES TAZE RUSSEL,"
The Watchtower Reprints, Vol. 7, 1919, p. 6611
"Servant: An individual, not a class. 3355:10:3356"
The Watchtower, April 1, 1920, p. 100
"Do we believe that the Lord chose as an earthly representative to serve the household of faith one wise and faithful servant whom he made ruler over the household, and that the person so chosen was Charles Taze Russell?.. We assume that every one in present truth, realizing that his knowledge of present truth came from the Lord through the ministration of his servant, will answer the foregoing questions in the affirmative... (No one in present truth for a moment doubts that Brother Russell filled the office of the 'faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season'.)"
The Watchtower, April 1, 1920, p. 101
"The Society, in regular session, by an overwhelming majority vote, expressed its will in substance thus; Brother Russell filled the office of 'that servant'"
The Watchtower, May 1, 1921, p. 135
"Clearly, then, the Lord foretold an office that would be filled by a man. We believe that almost all, if not quite all, the readers of THE WATCH TOWER will agree that the man whom the Lord chose to fill that office was that modest, humble, and faithful servant, Brother Russell. If we agree to this, then we should likewise unanimously reach the conclusion that the Lord directed and overruled the work performed by Brother Russell."
The Watchtower, March 1, 1922, p. 74
"Therefore fulfilled prophecy, or physical facts, and the circumstantial evidence are conclusive proofs that Brother Russell filled the office of that faithful and wise servant."
The Watchtower, May 1, 1922, p. 132
"The evidence is overwhelming concerning the Lord's second presence, the time of the harvest, and that the office of 'that servant' has been filled by Brother Russell. This is not manworship by any means.. Brother Russell was the Lord's servant. Then to repudiate him and his work is equivalent to a repudiation of the Lord."
The Watchtower, September 15, 1922, p. 279
"Satan has attempted by many attacks upon this fact to break it down, to cause the Lord's people to believe ; (1) Brother Russell was not the only channel to which the Lord would lead his people"
The Watchtower, December 1, 1922, p. 374
"Satan would have such cast away much that the Lord has provided for his people and has brought forth upon his table through his wise and faithful steward...to deny, of course, that Brother Russell filled the office of the wise and faithful steward...But no true child of God will be thus deceived"
The Watchtower, December 15, 1922, p. 396
"There are some who loudly dispute a fulfillment in any man; but those who have seen, held and taught present truth, most assuredly have believed that our late beloved leader, Brother Russell, held that position of steward. And this we most certainly hold, both as a fact and as a necessity of faith."
The Watchtower, March 1, 1923, p. 68
"We believe that all who are now rejoicing in present truth will concede that Brother Russell faithfully filled the office of special servant of the Lord; and that he was made ruler over all the Lord's goods. Discussing this question of 'that servant' himself in THE WATCH TOWER (April 15, 1904), Brother Russell said...the Lord would appoint a servant in the household to bring these matters to the attention of all the servants, and that certain responsibilities would rest upon such a one respecting the dispatch of his duties. If faithfully performed, a great blessing would be his reward; and if unfaithful to his charge, severe penalties would be inflicted?There would be no violation of principle, however, in supposing that the Lord at the time indicated would specially use one member of his church as the channel or instrument through which he would send the appropriate messages, spiritual nourishment appropriate at that time; because at various times in the past the Lord has used individuals in such a manner.' - Watch Tower Reprints, pages 3355, 3356."
The Watchtower, December 1, 1923, p. 360
"Whereas Pastor Charles T. Russell, as the Laodicean messenger of the church, faithfully filled the office of 'that faithful and wise servant' while here on earth"
The Divine Plan of the Ages (SS-1), 1927 ed., p. 7
"Thousands of the readers of Pastor Russell's writings believe that he filled the office of 'that faithful and wise servant,' and that his great work was giving to the household of faith meat in due season. His modesty and humility precluded him from openly claiming this title, but he admitted as much in private conversation."
Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose, 1959 ed., p. 68
"On the point of organization, as early as 1881 Russell recognized that the servant God said he would select to carry out his work was the entire body of anointed followers of Jesus Christ. He wrote in the Watch Tower of that year:?'Who then is that faithful and wise servant whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household.' To give them meat in due season? Is it not that 'little flock' of consecrated servants who are faithfully carrying out their consecration vows - the body of Christ - and is not the whole body individually and collectively, giving the meat in due season to the household of faith - the great company of believers? Blessed is that servant (the whole body of Christ) whom his Lord when he has come (Gr., eithon) shall find so doing."
Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose, 1959 ed., p. 68
"Since Russell had been so prominent in the work from its beginning, it was easy for many in the organization at that time to look to him as an individual, rather than as a representative of the entire organization. Rutherford recognized this fact and realized that the president of the Society was merely and instrument to be used to maintain the entire organization as a servant of God."
Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose, 1959 ed., p. 69
"In course of time this view was lost sight of, and attention was focused more upon an individual man. The view generally held, that Pastor Russell himself was the 'faithful and wise servant' of Matthew 25:45-47, created considerable difficulty for some years? The Battle of Armageddon, of 1887, pp. 613, 614; The Finished Mystery, of 1917, pp. 53, 125, 237, 416-423; W 1916, p. 377; W 1917, pp. 323, 324; W 1919, p. 103; W 1923, pp. 67, 68."
Awake!, June 22, 1964, p. 6
"While historians of all nations have been and are more or less guilty of writing biased history, either consciously or unconsciously, those in the employ of totalitarian governments have been especially notorious in prostituting their art by deliberately tampering with the facts of history...the facts in human history are at times distorted... With the fall of the German Empire and the establishment of the Weimar Republic after World War 1 came the need of rewriting that history. When Hitler and his Nazis came into power, German history as they found it did not suit them and so they rewrote it...All that is stated may be true and yet may present a distorted picture because of what is stressed and what is omitted...True as this is of secular histories and encyclopedias, it is even more true of religious historical works."
God's Kingdom of a Thousand Years Has Approached, 1973 ed., p. 345-346
"Charles Taze Russell. This studious Christian took note of Jesus' illustration of the 'faithful and wise servant' (Matthew 24:45, Authorized Version) and published his understanding of it in the Watch Tower issue of November, 1881, p. 5. In the fourth- and fifth-last paragraphs of the article 'In the Vineyard,' he said: We believe that every member of this body of Christ is engaged in the blessed work, either directly or indirectly, of giving meat in due season to the household of faith 'Who then is that faithful and wise servant whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household' to give them meat in due season? Is it not that 'little flock' of consecrated servants who are faithfully carrying out their consecration vows- the body of Christ - and is not the whole body individually and collectively, giving the meat in due season to the household of faith - the great company of believers? Blessed is that servant (the whole body of Christ) whom his Lord when he has come (Gr. eithon) shall find so doing. 'Verily, I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.' He shall inherit all things. From this it is clearly seen that the editor and publisher of Zion's Watch Tower disavowed any claim to being individually, in his person, that 'faithful and wise servant.' He never did claim to be such.* See the book The Battle of Armageddon, published in 1897. Page 613, under the heading 'Dispensing of Food to the Household. - Matt. 24:45-51: Luke 12-42-46"
The Watchtower, March 1, 1981, p. 24
"Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time??Witnesses of Jehovah understand that the 'slave' is comprised of all anointed Christians as a group on earth at any given time during the 19 centuries since Pentecost."
You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, 1982 ed., p. 193
"When telling of his presence in Kingdom power, Jesus said: 'Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time? Happy is that slave if his master on arriving finds him doing so. Truly I say to you, He will appoint him over all his belongings.' (Matthew 24:45-47) On his return in Kingdom power in the year 1914, did Christ find a 'faithful and discreet slave' class providing spiritual 'food,' or information? Yes, he found such a 'slave' made up of the remaining ones on earth of his 144,000 'brothers.'"
You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, 1982 ed., p. 195
"This governing body is made up of members of 'the faithful and discreet slave.' It serves as a spokesman for that faithful 'slave.'"
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