Apply Yourself to the Field Ministry for the Week of September 14-20, 2026

STARTING A CONVERSATION

Duration: 2 minutes
Where: House to house
Objective: To offer a Bible course in a direct way
Lesson: Kindness: Show empathy
Scripture: Psalm 55:22
Publication: Enjoy Life Forever!

Situation: A woman explains that she is overwhelmed because she has to care for her mother, who has just come home from the hospital. The publisher listens attentively and adapts the offer of the course to her circumstances.

Publisher: Good afternoon. We’re offering a free Bible course that adapts to each person’s time and questions. Would you be interested in trying it?

Person: Honestly, right now I’m in no frame of mind for courses. My mother just got out of the hospital, and between work and her medical appointments, I’m overwhelmed.

Publisher: I’m sorry. That must be exhausting. I don’t want to keep you, but is she recovering well?

Person: Little by little. I worry that she’ll fall again, and at night I hardly sleep.

Publisher: That’s understandable. Caring for someone we love can weigh heavily on us, especially when we feel we can never switch off.

Person: Exactly. Everyone tells me to calm down, but no one tells me how.

Publisher: A Bible course won’t make your responsibilities disappear, but it can give you comfort to face them. For example, Psalm 55:22 says: “Throw your burden on Jehovah, and he will sustain you.” Which idea do you find most comforting?

Person: That God can sustain me. Even though things would still be difficult.

Publisher: Yes, the Bible doesn’t downplay what you’re going through. The course lets us examine texts like this one and talk about how to apply them. We could try just ten minutes with the lesson “How Can the Bible Help You?”

Person: Right now it would be impossible.

Publisher: Of course. Is there any time during the week when you’re a bit calmer?

Person: On Sunday afternoons my sister usually comes over.

Publisher: If it’s all right, I’ll come by on Sunday at half past five. If your mother needs you or something comes up, we’ll leave it for another day.

Person: All right, but only ten minutes.

Publisher: Perfect. I hope your mother recovers soon.

STARTING A CONVERSATION

Duration: 2 minutes
Where: House to house
Objective: To offer a Bible course and to introduce and discuss a video from the teaching toolbox, without actually playing it
Lesson: Kindness: Offer help whenever it is fitting
Scripture: Acts 17:11
Video: What Happens at a Bible Study?

Situation: On arriving at a house, the publisher sees that a man with back problems is trying to lift some heavy bags. First he offers help and then presents the course and the video.

Publisher: Good afternoon. I see you have several bags. Would you like me to bring that jug over to the entrance for you?

Person: Thanks. Ever since my back surgery it’s hard for me to lift anything heavy.

Publisher: Of course, I’ll leave it here so you don’t have to bend down. We’re offering a free Bible course. A lot of people imagine it’s a rigid class, but it works differently.

Person: Religious courses make me a little wary. Later they try to get you to commit.

Publisher: I understand. There’s a very short video titled “What Happens at a Bible Study?” that shows how they’re done. May I show it to you?

Person: Yes, if it’s short.

(The video is taken as shown.)

Publisher: What detail in the video caught your attention most?

Person: That the person could respond and ask questions. I thought you just gave a sermon and that was it.

Publisher: It’s not about believing something because we say so. Acts 17:11 commends some people because they were “carefully examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” In other words, they checked for themselves what they were learning.

Person: Could I use my own Bible?

Publisher: Of course. You can also choose how long each session lasts and invite a family member. If you like, we could try a single lesson and then you decide whether it’s useful to you.

Person: Maybe, but I have trouble reading small print.

Publisher: I can bring the guide in larger print or use the tablet and enlarge it. Would Thursday afternoon suit you?

Person: Six o’clock would work.

Publisher: Perfect. I’ll come by at six, and we’ll start with whichever question you prefer.

FOLLOWING UP

Duration: 3 minutes
Where: Informal witnessing, at a café near a school
Objective: To offer a Bible course to a person worried about something she saw in the news
Lesson: Persistence: Ask when you can talk again
Scripture: Micah 4:3
Publication: Enjoy Life Forever!

Situation: In a previous conversation, a mother mentioned that she had been deeply affected by some images of families fleeing war. The publisher runs into her again while they both wait for their children to come out of school.

Publisher: Hi, Elena. How are you? Last time, while we were waiting for the children to come out, you told me you’d been really affected by a news report about families fleeing war. I kept thinking about what you said.

Person: Yes. Since then, even worse images have come out. I change the channel, but then I think that ignoring it isn’t right either.

Publisher: I understand. Seeing innocent people suffer can leave us feeling sad and helpless. I was looking for a passage that answers the question you raised: whether wars will ever cease to exist.

Person: I wish, but I’ve been hearing promises of peace my whole life.

Publisher: And you have reasons to be doubtful. Human promises haven’t put an end to conflicts. That’s why Micah 4:3 caught my attention. Speaking of what God will do, it says: “Nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore.”

Person: It’s beautiful, but why believe that this time will be different?

Publisher: That’s the point. A single verse isn’t enough to prove it. The Bible explains why God’s Kingdom really can remove the causes of wars and what changes it will make. We actually offer a free course where you can examine that evidence without having to accept something just because I say so.

Person: A whole course about that?

Publisher: We can start with just a fifteen-minute conversation about the question that worries you. The lesson uses several texts and short videos, and you can raise any objections you want.

Person: I’m interested in knowing what the Bible says, but my schedule is quite complicated.

Publisher: We can adapt. When would you have a quiet moment this week?

Person: On Wednesday I leave work early. Around half past six I’m usually at this café waiting for my son.

Publisher: That works for me. How about we sit here on Wednesday at half past six and look at just the first part?

Person: Okay, but if my son comes out early we’ll have to leave it.

Publisher: No problem; we’ll continue another day. I’ll message you on Wednesday morning to confirm, and I’ll be here at half past six.

Person: Perfect. Send me the text too so I can read it calmly.

Publisher: Of course. I’ll send you Micah 4:3 and the link to the lesson. On Wednesday we’ll talk about why the Bible assures us that world peace really is possible.

MAKING DISCIPLES

Duration: 4 minutes
Where: Auditorium
Objective: To talk with a student about the campaign to offer Bible courses and ask her whether she knows anyone interested
Lesson: Speak with enthusiasm
Scripture: John 1:46
Publication: Enjoy Life Forever!

Situation: At the end of one of their regular study sessions, the publisher talks to her student about the campaign. The student thinks of a coworker but is afraid of seeming pushy and doesn’t feel ready to conduct another course.

Publisher: Marta, September is a special month because we’re taking part in a campaign to offer Bible courses. It thrills me to think that many people still don’t know that the course is free, flexible, and that they can ask questions freely.

Person: Before I started, I thought it would be like a class and that I’d have to know a lot about the Bible.

Publisher: And now that we’ve had several sessions, what have you liked most?

Person: That I can say when something doesn’t convince me. The lesson on how to deal with anxiety has also helped me.

Publisher: I’m so glad to hear that. When we see for ourselves that the Bible helps us, we often think of someone who could benefit too. Do you know anyone who might like to study it?

Person: Maybe Laura, a coworker. She’s worried about her teenage son and asked me why I was calmer.

Publisher: Did you tell her anything about the course?

Person: I only told her I was studying the Bible. I was afraid of seeming pushy.

Publisher: You did well not to pressure her. You could share what has helped you and let her decide. Do you remember what Philip said to Nathanael when he had doubts about Jesus?

Person: I think he told him to go and see him.

Publisher: Exactly. At John 1:46 he told him: “Come and see.” He invited him to check for himself. You could do something similar with Laura.

Person: How could I say it without it sounding rehearsed?

Publisher: Perhaps: “The other day you asked me what’s helping me with anxiety. I’m doing a Bible course, and one of the lessons has really helped me. If you ever want, I’ll show you what it’s like.”

Person: That I could say to her. But if she accepts, I wouldn’t know how to conduct a course on my own.

Publisher: You wouldn’t have to do it alone. You could invite her to one of our sessions. I can also go with you or find another sister whose schedule suits her better.

Person: I think she’d be less embarrassed starting with me, since she already knows me.

Publisher: We could spend the first ten minutes on her question, and then she’d decide whether she wants to continue. What topic do you think would interest her?

Person: Maybe how to help her son and stay calm when they argue.

Publisher: Very good. We can look for a lesson or some texts about the family. We’ll speak with enthusiasm, but naturally, because we know from experience that the Bible can help.

Person: Yes, I want her to feel the relief I’ve felt, even though she might tell me no.

Publisher: And we’d respect her decision. Enthusiasm isn’t about pressuring, but about speaking with conviction and warmth. When could you mention it to her?

Person: Tomorrow we work together in the afternoon. If she asks me again how I am, I’ll take the chance.

Publisher: A good opportunity. Would you like to practice once what you would say to her?

Person: Okay. “Laura, remember you asked me what’s helping me? The Bible course I’m doing has very practical advice. If you feel like it, one day you can come along and see what it’s like.”

Publisher: That sounds warm and natural. Tomorrow, listen to her, and if she shows interest, tell her we can adapt to her schedule.

Person: All right. Now I feel much more confident about trying.