Comments You Will Not Hear at the 9-12-04 WT Study (August 1, 2004 issue date) Abbreviated Review comments will be in black and parentheses ()
WT quotes
will be in red and quotes ""Quotes from other sources
will be in blueCULTIVATING A CHRISTLIKE VIEW OF GREATNESS
"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your minister."?Matthew 20:26?NWT source
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.?Matthew 20:26 (NIV)
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Opening Comments
When considering this article, I called to mind how the WTS prints one story and lives another. While condemning the whole world as being warped in its view of "greatness," how does the WTS hold the governing body, the anointed, the DOs, COs, Bethelites, elders, MS, and pioneers in the congregation? Are they greater than the mother with a non-JW husband who is not happy with her new religion and time away from him with the children who gets all four children fed and clothed for the meeting, makes sure they have their publications and are prepared, makes sure they sit quietly for 2 hours. The sister who cleans an older sister?s home without payment, sees that she gets to the doctor and takes her medication, and has food in the house? Who is great?
Who is worthy of double honor?
How many COs, DOs, elders, MS would wash your feet?
How do they use their "authority" in the congregation? In a Christlike way?
START OF ARTICLE
Paragraphs 1-2
This monument (60-foot-tall statue of Pharaoh Amenhotep III), doubtless meant to inspire awe of the ruler, is a symbol of the world?s view of greatness?that of making oneself appear as big and important as possible and making others feel insignificant.
First, the WTS condemns the whole world as having a warped view of greatness?forgetting people like Mother Theresa, or Jimmy Carter, or unknowns who donate weekly to the food pantries.
Is it no accident that the WTS chooses a symbol from the distant past, from another country and culture. Why not pick this?
Mount Rushmore
(Probably afraid of offending the US Government)Although he was the "Lord and Teacher" of his followers, Jesus taught them that greatness comes from serving others?Jesus demonstrated the meaning of what he taught by washing his disciples? feet. Shun the World?s View of Greatness
Paragraphs 3-5
There are numerous Bible examples showing that the world?s view of greatness leads to ruin.Haman?craving for glory?haughty Nebuchadnezzar?proud Herod Agrippa I.It is proper for us to want to use our life in a way that brings us honor and respect. Yet the Devil exploits this desire by fostering a prideful spirit.One idea that the Devil promotes is that a big name in the world, accolades from men?(Or in the WTS, a big name in the congregation, circuit, or at Bethel?having special privileges, giving talks at the assemblies/conventions, overseeing departments as well?hmmm)
Pockets full of money?(Or in the WTS, wealthy is good as long as much of it ends up in the pockets of the COs, DOs, and Bethel)
automatically result in a happy life(but it buys good will with the powers that be in the WTS, being generous with your material goods)
(An experience is referred to in the 5/1/82 WT p 3-6 "In Search of Success; had to go back 22 years to find an example. A man who helped design, build, and test the spacecraft that took man to the moon. "It had been futile, or worthless, in securing for me lasting happiness and peace of mind."
Eight years have now (1982 left in 1974 hmmm just before 1975) passed since I made the decision to leave the space program?.Unlike the glamorous position I once held, I now own a parking-lot sweeper and operate it about two days a week. This allows time for me to share regularly in public-preaching activity, and it also provides more time for me to spend with my family, whom I had neglected for many years when I worked for the space program.?Wendell MarleyI wonder if he is still a JW? I wonder if he is still sweeping parking lots (probably the one behind Princess and Steve?s house)?
Greatness From Service Motivated by LoveParagraphs 6-10
On the way, two of Jesus? cousins, James and John, manifested the wrong view of greatness?made a bid to grab the most distinguished places. They wanted to stake their claims to these positions of authority.How do elders makes bids "for the most distinguished places."
How do they curry favor with the PO and the CO so they get picked for talks at the assemblies/conventions?
How do they see that they are they next in line for being a department head when a brother moves, dies, or gets "too old"?
When the GB member or other brother from Bethel comes to give a special talk or a dedication talk, how do they select where he and his wife stay?
How do the curry favor at Bethel, how do you move up the ladder?
But among Jesus? followers, it is humble service that is the measure of greatness. Jesus said: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your minister, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave."?Matthew 20:26,27.So how has an elder ministered to you or been your slave?
Have they been willing to pick you up for the meetings when your clunker car is in the garage for the umpteenth time? Have they volunteered to come watch your children who have had chickenpox all month so you can get out in the field service and not be irregular that month? Have they helped pay for the medicine your children needed by you could not afford because you have no health insurance? Have they come over to mow the lawn because your JW hubbie is laid up with a back injury from work?
Ordering people to do things does not make one great; serving others when motivated by love does.So are the elders in your congregation known for ordering or loving?
Never did he (Jesus) assume a superior attitude toward those whom he served or cause them to feel inferior.People are often impatient with those having limitations.Such as women, the "weaker sex":
YOU husbands, continue dwelling in like manner with them according to knowledge, assigning them honor as to a weaker vessel, the feminine one, since YOU are also heirs with them of the undeserved favor of life, in order for YOUR prayers not to be hindered. 1 PETER 3:7Consider the biological constitution of the female, her limitations, her cycles, her vicissitudes, which greatly affect her mental processes, disposition and temperament.w84 1/15 p. 16 Christian Modesty?Proof of Wisdom ***
Being aware of her limitations and the role assigned to her in the congregation, the Christian woman who is wise will modestly control her speech. She will keep from being overly talkative and from expressing criticism of the way the appointed elders are handling matters.?Compare Jude 8, 9, 16. So what limitations do the elders feel you have? Are they impatient with you for being immature and spiritually weak? How do they make you feel inferior?Even though his disciples were at times thoughtless and quarrlesome, he patiently instructed them. Imitate the Humility of ChristParagraphs 11-13
9/1/1894 WT qualifications of overseers, "of meekness?that they might not get puffed up?, of humble mind who seek not to preach themsleves but Christ?not to air their own knowledge but his Word in its simplicity and power."I wonder how many men they found?.
True Christians should never seek responsibility in order to satisfy personal ambition or to gain prominence, power and control over others.An elder related to me about another elder who had been made PO have a long a hard climb up the ladder. His first words were to the elder body, "It?s my way or the highway."
I wonder what the elders in the congregatoin will be thinking next Sunday when they read:
All elders and ministerial servants should to their utmost to serve humbly in behalf of others and to take the lead in sacred service, setting a worthy example for others to imitate.Any brother reaching out may need to ask himself: Do I look for opportunities to servie others, or do I have the tendency to want to be served?(Translation: Be visible volunteering to serve others until you are appointed an elder, then you can kick back.)
Am I willing to perform helpful tasks that are not readily noticed by others?(Translation: Make sure you discreetly let the elders know who did it.)
For example, a young man (sisters are worthless anyway) might be willing to give talks in the Christian congregationn but might hesitate to render help to the elderly.(Translation: He is only imitating the elders/MS who he sees giving talks every week but never talking to older witnesses and certainly not mowing the yard, buying the groceries, cooking or cleaning.)
He might enjoy the association of responsible men inn the congregation yet be reluctant to share in the preaching work.(Translation: How can riding around in a car compare to going over to Brother BigMoney?s house to watch the Cowboys play the Vikings on his new 52" HDTV Plasma screen TV.)
Such a young man would do well to ask himself: Do I focus primarily on aspects of God?s service that bring recognition and praise?(Translation: Women are worthless. Young men in the congregation are not reaching out; the base of possible MS is limited if non-existent.)
Experience of a zone overseer showing humility by helping a young Bethelite adjust settings on a stitching machine, admitting that he too once did menial work and look where he is today.
May we never feel that we are too lofty to do humble things or too important to do menial tasks.Because of the lack of "qualified" brothers to do the mikes, sound, literature, magazines, territory, attendant, the elders have had to "lower" themselves to do it. Some elders even have suggested sisters, but COs say if there are no MS, then the elders will do it, end of matter.
How to Acquire the Christlike View of GreatnessParagraphs 14-17
How can we acquire the proper view of greatness? One way is meditating on our relationship with Jehovah God.Not Jesus Christ!!!! Hasn?t he been the subject of true greatness in this article?
We might surpass others in certain fields, but they may excell in aspects of life that are much more important.Why do they have to be "more" important? Why not just as important?
Teach us "not to think more of ourselves that it is necessary to think."Don?t worry, there is always someone at the KH that will kick you down.
In the congregation, a variety of tasks must be performed. Never resent being asked to do things that may appear lowly.Translation: Elders and MS are not willing to do those lowly things especially now that few young men raised up as JWs get baptized and stock around. Can?t shove it off on the women, so they have to do it. Gripe, gripe, gripe.
Encourage your children and teeanagers to work cheerfully at any assignment they are given to do.Do they see you perform lowly tasks? (Do they see the elders perform lowly tasks?) No matter how menial?helped to accept willingly any work assignment at Bethel.Nobody seems to want to do the lowly jobs any more?.
Esther?put her own life at risk. (It wasn?t Mordecai putting his neck on the block.)And what does the WTS compare what brave Esther did to today?s JW women?
Regardless of their economic circumstances, Christian women today can show a spirit like that of Esther by encouraging the depressed, visiting the sick, sharing in the preaching work, and cooperating with the elders.Is that what Esther was doing encouraging the depressed, visiting the sick, sharing in the preaching work, and cooperating with the elders.
What a blessing humble sisters are.The Blessings of Christliske GreatnessBenefits come to you when you maintain a Christlike view of greatness.Yes, no special privileges unless you grovel in front of the right people.
Eagerly labor in behalf of your brothers (forget sisters)(until you get that elder appointment and you can kick back and delegate it to those brothers "reaching out"; gotta pay your dues.) Can You Explain?- Why should we shun the worldly view of greatness?
- How did Jesus measure greatness?
- Ho can overseers imitate the humility of Christ?
- What can help us to cultivate Christlike greatness?
Can you imagine the people, including the elders, in the congregation, washing your feet.
Can you imagine an elder cleaning your bed linen when you are sick as Jesus touched the leper?
Can you imagine an elder weeping at the funeral of your non-JW mother as Jesus mourned for the woman who lost her only son?
Who is Christlike in your life?
I?ll only be posting Highlights from the next 2 weeks? articles since I?ll be quite busy.
Feel free to add the wonderful additions and comments you always do.
Blondie