Who Are Preaching the Good News?
Who Are Preaching the Good News?
“ . . . will be preached in all the inhabited earth.”—MATTHEW 24:14.
THE good news is being preached worldwide by Jehovah’s Witnesses. They do this in a variety of ways. One way is by . . .
The Spoken Word. Like Jesus and his disciples, Jehovah’s Witnesses go to people with the good news. (Luke 8:1; 10:1) They do not simply expect people to come to them. Witnessing to people about God’s Kingdom is something all Witnesses—numbering over seven million—engage in. They preach from house to house, on the street, by telephone, and by other means. Last year, the Witnesses spent more than one and a half billion hours in this activity.
They teach others not only about God’s Kingdom but also about “all the things [Jesus] commanded.” (Matthew 28:20) They regularly conduct over eight million free home Bible studies.
The Witnesses are preaching worldwide—in 236 lands. They preach to people of all walks of life. They preach in the country and the city, in Amazon jungles and the Siberian taiga, in African deserts and the Himalaya Mountains. They are not paid for this work; they do it at their own expense and using their own time, motivated by their love of God and of neighbor. They also make known the good news through . . .
The Printed Page. This magazine, the full title of which is The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom, is now published in 185 languages and has a circulation of more than 42 million copies each issue. The companion magazine, Awake!, which also publicizes the Kingdom, is published in 83 languages and has a circulation of about 40 million copies each issue.
Books, brochures, tracts, CDs/MP3s, and DVDs that explain Bible teachings are available in some 540 languages. The Witnesses have produced and distributed more than 20 billion of these items in just the past ten years, averaging about three for every individual living on earth!
Jehovah’s Witnesses have also printed or commissioned the printing of various translations of the Bible. The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—translated, printed, and distributed by the Witnesses—is now available in whole or in part in 96 languages. More than 166 million copies have been distributed. The Witnesses also share the good news of the Kingdom . . .
At Christian Meetings. Weekly meetings held at local Kingdom Halls are not merely religious services; they are designed to
educate. Talks are given on subjects pertaining to the Bible, and the Bible is studied with the help of the Watchtower magazine and other publications. At the meetings, Witnesses also learn to be more effective proclaimers of the good news.The Witnesses study the same material in over 107,000 congregations throughout the earth, contributing to their unity. These meetings are open to the public. No collection is ever taken. Of course, none of this would have much meaning if the Witnesses failed to practice what they preach. Therefore, they try to recommend the good news . . .
By Personal Example. They endeavor to be exemplary in Christian conduct, doing their best to treat others the way they would have others treat them. (Matthew 7:12) Though they are imperfect and sometimes fall short, they sincerely desire to act in a loving way toward all people not only by sharing the good news but also by extending a helping hand whenever possible.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are not trying to convert the world by their preaching. Rather, when that work is done to Jehovah’s satisfaction, the end will come, as Jesus foretold. What will that mean for the earth and the people on it?
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The good news is being preached worldwide by Jehovah’s Witnesses