Apply Yourself to the Field Ministry for the Week of April 5-11, 2027

Making Disciples

An illustration can help us understand an idea that was difficult for us to grasp before. But if it needs too much explanation, it may end up making the idea complicated. That is why point 5 of lesson 11 of Enjoy Life Forever! encourages us to choose our illustrations carefully.

The picture in this lesson shows Jesus teaching a group of people. There are flowers and little birds around him. This scene helps us think about how simple an illustration based on familiar things could be for those listening to him.

Jesus wanted to help his listeners trust in the care of their heavenly Father. Let us consider the illustration he chose and how he connected it with that teaching. Let us read Matthew 6:25-27.

Matthew 6:25-27 — “On this account I say to you: Stop being anxious about your lives as to what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your bodies as to what you will wear. Does not life mean more than food and the body than clothing? Observe intently the birds of heaven; they do not sow seed or reap or gather into storehouses, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they are? Who of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span?

Jesus directed attention to the birds, something his listeners could observe. They did not need special knowledge to follow his reasoning. If the heavenly Father feeds the birds, they could trust that he also cared about them. The illustration led directly to the main idea.

When conducting a Bible course, we can apply this advice by thinking about the student. It is best to choose something familiar to the student, not simply something that seems interesting to us. An illustration related to an activity the student has never done may require more explanation than the teaching itself.

We can also review the details. If any detail does not help the student understand the point, we can remove it. That way, the student will not remember a striking story but fail to understand how it relates to what he is learning.

Before the next Bible course, let us review the illustration we plan to use. Let us make sure that it is familiar, brief, and easy to relate to the teaching. Following Jesus’ example, let us use illustrations to clarify the Bible’s message, not to draw attention away from it.

Making Disciples

Publisher: Shall we leave the albums on that chair? Then we have room for the book. I liked the picture you showed me of your mother holding you when you were little.

Householder: Yes, put them there. My mother says I never wanted to leave her side. I was sorting the pictures to take them to her; she had not even seen some of them.

Publisher: Look, the picture in this lesson also shows a mother with her baby. We also see food, the Bible, and a representation of Jesus’ sacrifice. What do these pictures make you think of?

Householder: That we receive many things we take for granted. I think about food every day, of course, but I do not always stop to think about what it shows about Jehovah.

Publisher: That observation has a lot to do with the question in point one: “What motivates us to make a dedication to Jehovah?” In view of what you just said, how would you answer?

Householder: Gratitude, I suppose. But I find it hard to connect feeling grateful with making such an important decision. I do not want to say that I am ready just because I know what answer the book gives.

Publisher: I understand. You want your answer to be sincere, not something you simply repeat. To see the connection between what Jehovah has done for us and how we feel about him, I will read 1 John 4:19.

Publisher: 1 John 4:19 — We love, because he first loved us. Jehovah’s love comes first. As we get to know him and think about what he has given us, we have reasons to love him. That love is what motivates us to dedicate ourselves to him.

Householder: I do understand that. It is not simply a matter of returning a favor. What I need is to keep getting to know him and think more about what those things mean to me.

Publisher: Yes. To help you understand it better, imagine a mixing console, like the ones used to record music. It has several inputs, gain controls, an equalizer, and a main output.

Householder: A mixing console? I have seen one on television, but I do not know how it works. Do you mean that we need to listen better? With so many controls, I am already getting a little lost.

Publisher: Not exactly. Think of each thing Jehovah gives us as coming through a different channel. Food would be one channel; the Bible, another. Then you have to adjust each input to hear the whole.

Householder: But I would not know how to adjust any of them. At home, when the television sounds bad, I call my daughter. What would I have to adjust in this illustration?

Publisher: The attention you give to each thing. Wait, perhaps it would help to distinguish between two controls: one regulates the incoming signal and the other the volume going out. They do not do exactly the same thing.

Householder: You have lost me there. I was thinking about my mother’s affection and what I have learned about Jehovah. Now I am trying to understand buttons. Do I need to know that to answer the question?

Publisher: You do not need to know how to operate the equipment. What I want to explain is that the different inputs come together in one output. We could draw it: here we put four channels and here the main control.

Householder: And would the main control be my love for Jehovah or my decision to dedicate myself? I do not know where to place each thing. At first I thought I understood the idea, but now I have more questions.

Publisher: Not every detail has to represent something. We can leave out the equalizer and keep the inputs and the output. However, to understand why there are several controls, I would have to explain something else to you.

Householder: I would rather not add anything else. The Bible verse was short, and I could relate it to the pictures. The music illustration has distracted me from the question I had.

Publisher: Then we will leave the drawing here. I thought this illustration would help you because it is familiar to me. Would you like to continue with point two, or would you rather read the question again?

Publisher: Do you mean how to go from gratitude to wanting to dedicate yourself? With the drawing I was trying to show that it is not enough to list what we receive; what matters is thinking about what those things teach us about Jehovah and how we feel about him.

Householder: Yes, but the controls make me think that I should be able to increase my love until it reaches a certain level. And that worries me. I can recognize many good things without yet feeling ready to make that decision.

Publisher: I did not mean that love can be measured that way. The channels only represented different reasons for loving Jehovah. For example, we could write beside each input what each gift makes you feel, instead of using technical names.

Householder: But we would still be completing the drawing. When I looked at the picture of my mother, I thought about her affection, not about making a list. I would rather express something that simple about Jehovah.

Householder: Let us return to the question before going on. I would like to explain in my own words what I understood from the text and see whether I understood it correctly, without having to remember how that equipment works.

Making Disciples

Publisher: Were you able to return the book, or was there a long line?

Householder: Yes, it is done. I had carried it in my backpack since yesterday. By the way, I also read the part in our lesson. I kept thinking about the question of what motivates us to dedicate ourselves to Jehovah.

Publisher: What made you think about that question?

Householder: I understand that God has given us much. But this idea of making a decision out of gratitude… Sometimes someone helps you and then it seems you can no longer say no to him. I would not want to do it because I feel indebted.

Publisher: Being grateful for something and feeling that someone is making you repay a favor are two different things. What you say is important: you do not want to make a decision merely out of obligation. To see the connection between Jehovah’s love and our response, I will read 1 John 4:10, 19.

Publisher: 1 John 4:10,19 — The love is in this respect, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins. We love, because he first loved us. The passage highlights that Jehovah took the initiative by loving us. He even sent his Son for us. Would you say that knowing about this love can awaken something different from the feeling of owing a debt?

Householder: It can make you love him. But understanding that someone loves you is one thing, and feeling that affection yourself is another. It does not appear just because someone tells you it should.

Publisher: Of course, it is not enough for someone to tell you that you should feel it. Let us think of a simple example: A friend brings you food when you are sick. What makes you appreciate his gesture—the cost of the food, or the fact that he remembered you and was concerned?

Householder: The fact that he was concerned. My neighbor did that once. I had food, but I appreciated his calling to see how I was.

Publisher: So what touched you was the concern he showed for you, not the value of whatever he might give you.

Householder: Yes. I did not start calculating how to return the favor. We have talked more ever since. Though I understand that dedicating oneself to Jehovah is a much bigger decision.

Publisher: It is. The example simply helps us distinguish between paying a debt and responding to affection. Look at the lesson picture: It shows love, food, the Bible, and Jesus’ sacrifice. Which one would you like to stop and think about—not only what you receive, but Jehovah’s love?

Householder: The Bible. Some things I have learned have helped me a lot. I still need to understand Jesus’ sacrifice better; I do not want to say that I value it greatly just because that is the expected answer.

Publisher: We can take time to do that. And regarding the Bible, what teaching has helped you especially? We can start with something you already value and think about what it enables you to learn about Jehovah.

Publisher: It is good that you express yourself sincerely. What is hardest for you to understand about Jesus’ sacrifice?

Householder: I understand that it was for our sins, but I find it hard to relate it to myself. With the Bible I notice how it helps me; with Jesus’ sacrifice I still do not see it as clearly.

Publisher: That difference helps us see what we can clarify. The passage we read mentions not only what Jehovah did but why he did it—for love. We can examine how that sacrifice benefits us and what it teaches us about him.

Householder: Yes, I would like to understand that connection, not just memorize an explanation.

Householder: Knowing that I can speak to him in prayer. Before, I did not see him as someone who was interested in me. I would like to start there.

Making Disciples

Publisher: Is the flowerpot in your way here while you set down the book?

Householder: No, leave it there; it gets the light. Someone gave it to me, and I am trying to keep it alive. By the way, I looked at the lesson topic and felt a little embarrassed.

Publisher: Do you feel uncomfortable talking about sex?

Householder: Yes. No one ever talked about that in my family. And I did not know whether I would have to tell you personal things during the study.

Publisher: You do not need to tell me anything private. We can focus on what the Bible teaches. The introduction acknowledges that many people feel uncomfortable, but explains that Jehovah deals with this subject clearly and respectfully.

Householder: Then we can talk about it. Although I find it hard to understand why a religion has to say what a couple may do.

Publisher: I understand your question. The introduction is not based on one person’s opinion, but on the fact that Jehovah created us and knows what is best for us. What difference would there be between those two things?

Householder: If he created us, he knows us better. But I still find it hard to view some standards as help rather than as a prohibition.

Publisher: We can examine what they protect without assuming that you already agree. To begin, let us see how much Jehovah values marriage. I will read Hebrews 13:4; notice how he expects us to treat it.

Publisher: Hebrews 13:4 — Let marriage be honorable among all, and let the marriage bed be without defilement, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers. According to what we just read, is getting married enough, or does how spouses behave also matter?

Householder: How they behave matters. I understand that. I know marriages that had a beautiful wedding and later hurt each other deeply. That is why I do not think getting married solves everything.

Publisher: You are right; a wedding does not guarantee that people will treat each other well. Think about your plant. Putting it in a pretty pot is not enough to keep it healthy. What else does it need?

Householder: Light, water—and for me not to forget to care for it after the first few days.

Publisher: Exactly. The illustration simply makes that point: something we value needs continued care. Honoring marriage is not limited to the wedding day either. It includes respecting it afterward and being faithful to one’s mate.

Householder: Being faithful makes sense to me. But does the Bible also say that sexual relations are only for those who are married?

Publisher: Yes. That is the framework Jehovah sets for sexual relations. It does not present sex as something shameful, but as something that should be respected within marriage.

Householder: That is different from what many people I know think. I need to think about it; I am not going to say that I already see it the same way.

Publisher: You do not need to answer quickly. For now, how would you explain in your own words what we have learned about honoring marriage?

Householder: That it is something valuable to Jehovah. It is not simply a matter of celebrating a wedding, but of caring for that relationship and respecting what he says.

Publisher: There is one more detail: the text says that all should honor marriage. Do you think that also includes those who are not married?

Householder: I had not thought about that. If someone does not have a mate, how can he show that respect?

Publisher: For example, if he is attracted to someone who is married, he can decide not to cultivate a romantic relationship with that person. Even though it is not his own marriage, he would be respecting a union that Jehovah considers valuable. Do you see how it affects him too?

Householder: Yes. It is not only about caring for my own relationship, but also about respecting other people’s marriages.

Publisher: That is the idea. If you would like, before continuing we can review any question you may still have about this first point.

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