*** lv chap. 15 See Good for Your Hard Work ***
KEEPING A BALANCED ATTITUDE TOWARD WORK
Q18. Why is it not easy to maintain spiritual balance?18 Maintaining spiritual balance is not easy in these "last days" with their "critical times hard to deal with." (2 Timothy 3:1) Finding a job and holding on to it can be a real challenge. As true Christians, we recognize the importance of working hard to provide for our family. But if we are not careful, pressure in the workplace or the world's infectious materialistic thinking could interfere with our spiritual pursuits. (1 Timothy 6:9, 10) Let us consider how we can keep our balance, making sure of "the more important things."-Philippians 1:10.
"Finding a job and holding on to it can be a real challenge" especially if you follow the WTS direction not to pursue higher education.
How arrogant of them to say "pressure in the workplace or the world's infectious materialistic thinking could interfere with our spiritual pursuits" when they are directly responsible for JW's holding menial jobs and needing to work longer hours to make ends meet.
Q19. Why is Jehovah worthy of our full trust, and what does such trust help us to avoid?19 Place your full trust in Jehovah. (Proverbs 3:5, 6) Is he not worthy of such trust? After all, he cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7) He knows our needs better than we do, and his hand is never short. (Psalm 37:25) We therefore do well to listen when his Word reminds us: "Let your manner of life be free of the love of money, while you are content with the present things. For [God] has said: 'I will by no means leave you nor by any means forsake you.'" (Hebrews 13:5) Many full-time servants can testify to God's ability to provide life's necessities. If we fully trust that Jehovah will care for us, we will avoid becoming unduly anxious about providing for our family. (Matthew 6:25-32) We will not allow secular work to cause us to neglect spiritual activities, such as preaching the good news and attending meetings.-Matthew 24:14; Hebrews 10:24, 25.
If somebody has "trust in Jehovah" why do they need the WTS?
Is the WTS "content with the present things"? If so why are they spending millions of $ expending their real estate empire?
How "many full-time servants" are truly happy living just above the poverty line while their masters never have to think about where their next dollar will come from - they even promote ways of giving via cash, jewlery, wills etc
Yes, making a living so your family can enjoy the good things in life is frowned upon because "preaching the good news" about the governing body's doctrine of the messianic kingdom set up in 1914 is more important! Lets not miss even 1 meeting where we can learn how to distribute the laterst thoughs of these pensioners in Brooklyn
20. What does it mean to keep a simple eye, and how can you maintain such an outlook?20 Keep your eye simple. (Matthew 6:22, 23) Having a simple eye means keeping our life uncomplicated. A Christian's simple eye focuses on a single purpose-the doing of God's will. If our eye is properly focused, we will not be obsessed with chasing after a high-paying job and a more elaborate lifestyle. Neither will we get caught up in the never-ending quest for the latest and best material things that advertisers would have us believe we need in order to be happy. How can you maintain a simple eye? Avoid burdening yourself with unnecessary debt. Do not clutter your life with possessions that consume inordinate amounts of time and attention. Heed the Bible's counsel to be content with "sustenance and covering." (1 Timothy 6:8) Seek to simplify your life as much as possible.
This paragraph just shows how out of touch with reality they are - do they have any idea what its like to work for a living and raise/provide for a family?
They want all of their followers to keep their eye simple and dedicate their life to the WTS!
Disgusting how they guilt others into living a mere existence where they cannot desire anything good in life but just worship the governing body as Gods representatives and do what they say.
..."keeping our life uncomplicated" is a joke because their traditions of men have leave one with an impossibly busy schedule and a complicated and exhausted life with little time to enjoy anything
Q21. Why do we need to establish priorities, and what should come first in our life?21 Set spiritual priorities, and stick to them. Since we can do only so much in life, we need to establish priorities. Otherwise, less important things could swallow up precious time, crowding out the more important things. What should have top priority in our life? Many in the world place primary emphasis on pursuing higher education in order to have a lucrative career in this system. Jesus, however, urged his followers to "keep on . . . seeking first the kingdom." (Matthew 6:33) Yes, as true Christians, we put God's Kingdom first in our life. Our pattern of life-the choices we make, the goals we set, and the activities we pursue-ought to show that Kingdom interests and God's will are more important to us than material concerns and secular pursuits.
The WTS wants all to give up education, careers, even starting a family for their definition of "Kingdom interests"
Yes - pattern your life, make choices and set goals based on what the 12 self appointed governing body members say.
WORKING HARD IN THE MINISTRY
Q22, 23. (a) What is the main work of true Christians, and how can we show that this work is important to us? (See the box on page 180.) (b) What is your determination regarding secular work?22 Knowing that we are living deep in the time of the end, we keep focused on the main work of true Christians-preaching and disciple making. (Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20) Like our Exemplar, Jesus, we want to be intensely occupied with this lifesaving work. How can we show that this work is important to us? The majority of God's people devote themselves to the preaching work wholeheartedly as congregation publishers. Some have arranged their affairs to serve as pioneers or missionaries. Recognizing the importance of spiritual goals, many parents have encouraged their children to pursue a career in the full-time service. Do zealous Kingdom proclaimers see good for their hard work in the ministry? Indeed, they do! Serving Jehovah whole-souled is the sure way to a life of joy, satisfaction, and countless blessings.-Proverbs 10:22.
Didn't Jesus spend 3.5 years doing this work or 10% of his life?
Why are they called "congregation publishers" and not evangelisers?
Why do the titles "pioneers or missionaries" not appear in the Bible?
How can a "career in the full-time service" be "Serving Jehovah" when the WTS admits that their preaching is not the same as what Jesus and the apostles preached
*** w67 12/15 p. 753 par. 1 What Now Distinguishes the Good News to Be Preached ***
What vital thing has now been added to the good news of the kingdom of God that Jesus Christ and his zealous apostles used to preach nineteen hundred years ago? This, namely, the birth of God's Messianic kingdom in the heavens at the end of the Gentile Times in 1914.
God's Messianic kingdom was indeed born in the heavens at the due time in 1914 and that "this good news of the kingdom" means the fresh, brand-new information that tells of God's established kingdom.
[Box on page 180]
"MY DECISION LED TO A LIFE OF JOY AND CONTENTMENT"
"I excelled in my studies and won a full scholarship to a well-respected private school in New York City. My father pressured me to apply to several prestigious universities. I was accepted by a few of them and even earned a scholarship to one of the most renowned universities in the United States. However, I turned the offer down for two reasons. I could foresee the moral dangers of living on campus away from home, and I had a strong desire to pioneer.
"I have now been a regular pioneer for more than 20 years. I have kept myself busy in many avenues of the ministry-serving where the need is greater, helping with Kingdom Hall construction, and assisting with disaster relief work. Currently, I have the pleasure of serving with a foreign-language group in New York City.
"Looking back on my career in full-time service, I realize how blessed I have been. My decision led to a life of joy and contentment. I wouldn't exchange the experiences I've had and the friendships I've made for anything."-Zenaida.
"My decision led to a life of joy and contentment" - Sure that is without the aid of any antidepressants?
23 Many of us have to spend long hours in secular work to provide materially for our family. Remember that Jehovah wants us to see good for our hard work. By bringing our attitude and actions into harmony with his viewpoint and principles, we can find satisfaction in our work. Let us, however, be determined never to allow secular work to distract us from our main work-that of declaring the good news of God's Kingdom. By giving this work priority in our life, we show our love for Jehovah and thereby remain in his love.
The WTS constant indoctrination to give "this work priority in our life" reminded me of this quote from Ray Franz on p460 of his book "In Search of Christian Freedom"
http://www.commentarypress.com/Publication/English.html
"In actuality, the lack of any formal program and the apparent spontaneity and individual motivation of the first century Christians are what are most remarkable in the accounts we do find in the Bible. We find only the barest of suggestions of what their meetings were like and no indication of any methodology or systematization in their proclaiming of the good news.
I recall that during the years I served in circuit and district overseer activity I used to puzzle over this when preparing the "service talks" that were a regular feature of the weekly program when visiting congregations. I wanted to prepare talks that were scriptural, but it seemed so difficult to find scriptures that even faintly reflected the kind of "organized service" urged by the headquarters in its publications. I found it hard to understand how the apostles Paul and John and the disciples James and Jude, could write entire letters to the congregations and never say anything stressing the need for the readers of those letters to get out and go from door to door, nothing about organised witnessing arrangements at scheduled times, about putting in more hours in the "field service" or similar approaches or topics, all things regularly stressed in the Watch Tower Society's publications. The letters of the apostles and disciples seemed deficient according to the viewpoint that had been developed in me.
It eventually became clear, after some decades, that the real problem lay with the viewpoint inculcated in me, a viewpoint that actually perverted the first-century record, manipulating it to make it say something it did not actually say. False deduction is employed. From the broad principle that all Christians should share the good news, deductions are made to support and cover virtually every aspect of the organizations systematised approach to worship and preaching. But those deductions are unjustified, as indicated by the absence of corroborative evidence in the Scriptures themselves. The systematised, highly programmed approach to Christianity that has developed bears greater resemblance to that of a large sales organization than to the first-century Christian congregation and its simple, uncomplicated approach to worship and service to God."
