OUR BOREDOM MINISTRY

Issue 4

For the Milky Way

obm US 4d/08

BEWARE OF PAGAN WINTER CUSTOMS!

There are many customs associated with winter. But as Christians
we want to abstain from everything
connected with false worship. Thus
we want to examine some traditions
related to winter.
Winter tires: Many people equip
their car with winter tires during winter. But winter tires have up to 2000
undulated and rather fine cuttings, as
a German tire manufacturer admitted.
Jehovah however commanded his
people: You must not make cuttings.
(Deuteronomy 14:1). He asked the
apostate Israelites in Jeremiahs day:
How long will you keep making cuts?
Jeremiah 47:5.
The making of cuttings is a pagan
custom. The book Insight on the
Scriptures says: This may have been
done with a view to pacifying or propitiating the deities believed to preside
over the dead. (volume I, page 563)
If someone makes use of winter tires
quasi makes cuttings into his tires
he does that to avoid a fatal accident,
or, so to speak, to pacify or propitiate
the deities who preside over the
dead.
As true Christians we know that
only Jehovah can protect us from
slush and glaze. Though winter tires
are required by law in some countries,
we must obey God as ruler rather
than men. Acts 5:29.
Ice scraping: Among worldlings,
scraping cars windows is a widespread habit during winter. They do
this to pacify not only policemen but
also accident-causing demons. But
anyone scabby that is, someone
who scraped was not allowed to
come near Jehovahs sanctuary.
Scraping is out of the question for
Christians.
Our Boredom Ministry

Light: According to Dr. Georg Buschan it is an old pagan tradition to

hold demons off by means of fire and
light. (Die Sitten der Vlker [The customs of peoples], 1914, page 20) Especially in winter, people lighted fires to
honor the sun-god and to drive evil
spirits away.
When we walk through the streets
on a winter evening, we can see that
many people still keep to the old tradition by switching on the light in wintertime. But as true worshippers, we do
not participate in this form of idolatry.
When Jesus said that his disciples
should let their light shine, he referred
to the illumination of the glorious good
news about the Christ, not literal light.
(2 Corinthians 4:4) May we never be
tempted to switch on literal light, not
*
even when driving!
Heating: A central element in heathen cults is the attempt to induce an
event by imitating it. For example,
people lit fires to make the sun shine. In
a similar way, many people switch on
their heating to induce the end of coldness.
The Bible reports that evil King Jehoiakim and Roman officers warmed
themselves at a fire. (Jeremiah 36:22;
John 18:18) It does not report of any
servant of God lighting a fire. The apostle James condemned people who advised others to keep warm. (James
2:16) Christians should rather glorify
God in cold and nakedness. 2 Corinthians 11:27.
*
The Kingdom Halls lighting can be switched on,
for it symbolizes the brighter light that comes
down from the Father of the celestial lights.
James 1:17.

#4

Clothing: Most people wear

warm underwear, made from cotton
or polyester, in winter. But while the
Bible does not mention polyester at
all, cotton is only named with reference to a pagan ruler. (Esther 1:6)
Jehovahs servants however used to
wear clothes made from wool. The
Bible says about a good wife: Her
clothing is of linen and wool. (Proverbs 31:22) Unfortunately, linen underwear is no more available since
the Middle Ages, hence we should
use underwear made from natural
wool.
Worldlings usually wear a cloak in
winter. But the cloak is related to
Saint Martin who is said to have
shared his cloak with a beggar. In
many areas of Germany, children
make a procession with lanterns and
candles on St. Martins Day. Many
people wear dirty clothes beneath
their cloak and that way use it as a
cloak for maliciousness. 1 Peter
2:16, KJ21.
On the contrary, Jehovah God
proceeded to make long garments of
skin for Adam and for his wife. (Genesis 3:21) His worshippers in later
periods also wore such clothes
(2 Kings 1:8; Matthew 3:4) Indeed,
prophets did not wear cloaks but
rather went about in sheepskins, in
goatskins. (Hebrews 11:37) Surely
we want to imitate their fine example.
The wearing of boots and warm
shoes is also part of the traditions
that we have to beware of. The first
Christians wore sandals, and the
priests in Jehovahs temple likely
served barefooted. (Luke 10:4; Exodus 3:5) Hence we should always
wear sandals or if we are in Jehovahs service go barefooted, even
at low temperatures.
May we be bound and determined
to not displease Jehovah by our participation in pagan winter customs!
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please note that Christmas Eve for this
year will be on December 24 and New
Year on January 1. This advance notice
is given so that brothers may make appointments for additional field ministry.
Some publishers have started to convert publications with old light into new
light by igniting them. Please note that
our publications are printed with toxic
ink, so that this method can be harmful.
It would be better to put those publications aside until the contained doctrines
become current again.
Publishers who wish to disassociate
themselves in April and May should
make their plans now and turn in their
letters of disassociation early. This will
help the elders to make necessary judicial committee arrangements and have

weapons and other accessories on

hand. The names of all apostates should
be announced to the congregation.
Many companies and authorities are
visited by Santa Claus in December.
Maybe that is the case too at your
workplace. Are you prepared to give a
witness to him? He too must know that
he is working for the false religion and
will be destroyed with her if he doesnt
change his occupation.
Congregations should begin requesting
the 2009 Calendar of Jehovahs female
Witnesses with their next literature request. The society could win Kim Holland, Serena Williams and other women
to visualize the beauty of Jehovahs
creation. Please note that this publication is intended only for mature brothers.

We often get inquiries from publishers

who want to know how much they
should donate. Therefore a new arrangement was made to simplify the
donation process. With the next issue of
Our Kingdom Ministry, every publisher
will receive the form Debit order and
account authorization (S-007). Please
complete and sign it and give it to your
coordinator of the body of elders. In the
future, the society will automatically debit
from your account as much money as is
required, so that you wont have to be
anxious if you donated enough.
The society has prepared a new DVD,
entitled Formerly Young People Ask
What Have I Done With My Life? It cannot be requested through the congregation.

BEING AS ANGELS IN THE HEAVENS

On one occasion, Jesus explained to
the Sadducees: When they rise from
the dead, neither do men marry nor are
women given in marriage, but are as
angels in the heavens. (Mark 12:25)
This verse has given rise to heated debates; while most commentators apply it
to the heavenly resurrection, Jehovahs
Witnesses apply it to the earthly resurrection in paradise. But a more precise
understanding of Jesus words will help
us grasp the real meaning.
We should consider that Jesus did
not use future tense (they will be as
angels) but present tense (they are as
angels). That clearly shows that he did
not refer to some future resurrection;
rather his statement must be related to
our time.
Who are today the ones who rise
from the dead? Those who get baptized
as Jehovahs Witnesses. The January 1,
1999 Watchtower says that they moved
from being spiritually dead to being spiritually alive. (page 8) The book Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life
speaks to them: As you are submerged,
or buried, beneath the water, it is as
though you have died to your former
course of life. When you come up out of
the water, it is as if you are emerging to
a new life. page 175.
Our Boredom Ministry

But in what way are Jehovahs Witnesses as angels in the heavens? The
March 15, 2007 Watchtower says: Angels are also involved in this evangelizing work. (page 14) In contrast to other
people who refuse to observe Jesus
command from Matthew 24:14, Jehovahs Witnesses participate in spreading
the Good News, as do the angels in the
heavens.
Why should Jehovahs Witnesses
not marry nor get married? The February 1, 1975 Watchtower says that they
view one another as brothers and sisters. (page 70) And the Bible clearly
instructs men: Don't have sex with your
sister or stepsister. (Leviticus 18:9,
CEV). In Israel it even was death for this
crime. Leviticus 18:29.
The improved understanding of Mark
12:25 helps us to catch the point of
these words of Jesus: These are days
for meting out justice. Woe to the
pregnant women and the ones suckling
a baby in those days! (Luke 21:22, 23)
Indeed, Jehovahs Witnesses are meting out justice by convening a judicial
committee at every suspicion of immoral
acts.
Hence a pregnant Jehovahs Witness
will be in serious trouble. She will face a
similar judgment as Tamar. When her
father-in-law heard that she was pregnant, he immediately instructed his servants: Bring her out and let her be
burned. Genesis 38:24.
#4

In a similar way, a sister trespassing

against the commands from Leviticus
19:8 and Mark 12:25 will experience
great necessity and wrath and finally fall by the edge of the sword, first in
a transferred sense by disfellowshipping
and later literally in Armageddon. Luke
21:23, 24.
Some may argue that according to
Paul, Christians have authority to lead
about a sister as a wife. (1 Corinthians
9:5) But he referred to persons who had
already been married when they became Christians. There is no need for
those to get divorced, though that would
be beneficial. *
Paul also wrote: Let those who have
wives be as though they had none.
(1 Corinthians 7:29) Christian men are
allowed to keep leading about their
wives, that is, provide them with material
goods and let them take care of the
household. But by their baptism as Jehovahs Witnesses they became brother
and sister, and as such they are not
allowed to share the bed any longer
according to Leviticus 18:9.
We surely are grateful for the new
light that Jehovah provided for his
people regarding this important question. May we spare no effort to support
the angels in the preaching work without
allowing a spouse to distract us!
*
Compare the article Christliche Ehescheidungen, die Jehova preisen [Christian Divorces
That Glorify Jehovah] in the July 2008 Erbrechet! Issue

Page 2

PREACHING IN THE HOUSES

For sure, the preaching work is the
most important task for every Christian. Jehovahs people have always
taken this assignment seriously. Accordingly says the reference work
Wikipedia: Jehovah's Witnesses are
best known for their door-to-door
preaching. This witnessing work has
yielded fruit, as can be seen from the
extraordinary increase of true worshippers.
But Jehovah promised to bring in
instead of the stones, iron. (Isaiah
60:17) The prophet Isaiah referred
with these words to organizational
improvements, made possible by
brighter light from Jehovah. (Proverbs
4:18) We want to examine some Bible
verses related to the preaching work in
conjunction with the explanations from
the July 15, 2008 Watchtower.
Unseen preaching
So far the preaching work has
been performed from house to house
on the streets. Most conversations
happened at the doors, so that the
homeowners could be seen by neighbors and passersby. But as the
Watchtower explained, the leaven of
Jesus illustration symbolized the
Kingdom-preaching work, and the
fermentation of the whole mass is a
simple way to illustrate the unseen
progression of spiritual growth.
Note that the growth would happen
unseen. How can we take this into
account in our ministry? Luke reported
that the first Christians proclaimed the
good news from house to house.
(Acts 5:42) But the Greek term kat
ikon can also be rendered in private
houses or in the houses. compare
Acts 20:20, footnote.

Our Boredom Ministry

Hence the first Christians preached

in the houses, not in front of the
houses at the doors. Jehovahs Witnesses have recognized this fact early
in their history. As early as 1929, the
German branch encouraged publishers: Attempt to get entry into the
home. It is a known fact that more
sales are achieved when the worker
can enter the home and present his
books inside. There are various reasons for that. Hence you should
make an effort, if at all possible, to be
let into the house. Spezial-Bulletin,
July 1929.
Gain access
How can we bring the homeowners
to let us in? The Spezial-Bulletin gave
the following advice: Position yourself
so that the door must be fully opened
and the person must step into the
open door to see who is there. When
the door is open, scrape your shoes
on the doormat and say that it is dirty
or dusty or snowy outside as the
case may be and that you would
better, so that the dust, heat or snow
cannot enter the home, step in immediately. Never ask for being let it, but
take it for granted that you should step
in and say: It is very friendly that you
let me in.
This approach has produced good
results. Still, some homeowners have
reacted harshly and tried to prevent
publishers from entering their homes.
In such a case we should point out the
fact that its a matter of life and death.
If the homeowner doesnt believe that,
show your gun to him. This way, many
sincere people can get to know the
truth.

#4

Some brothers made good experiences by taking relatives of the

homeowner as hostages. Of course
they treated them well and nourished
them with spiritual food and water of
life from the Watchtower publications.
In some countries the congregations
made framework contracts with key
service companies to gain access to
the houses in their assignment. We
should, however, refrain from getting
in through the chimney, as this approach is rooted in pagan customs.
Placing literature
How should we proceed once we
are inside? The Spezial-Bulletin provided the instruction: After the first
book has been explained, put it under
your left arm, set aside your bag and
with the right hand take the second
book out of the left inside pocket; after
it has been explained, take both books
under the right arm and with the left
hand pull the third book out of the right
inside pocket. When this has been
explained, take all three books under
the left arm again and the fourth book
out of the left upper inside pocket, and
so on, until all five books are together.
Then say to the people, while you hold
the five books out to them: I give you
these five wonderful books. (Never
ask: Do you want to have them?)
We too should always have an
adequate supply of books, bibles and
brochures in various languages with
us and try to place five items at once.
For better distinction, it would be wise
to choose books in different colors.
May we not forget to make the homeowner aware of the study and review
questions before we leave.

Seite 3

Appropriate return visits

After some days it would be appropriate to make a return visit to check
whether the person has actually read
the books. The review questions provide a good opportunity for that. If the
homeowner can answer less than 60
percent of the questions, we can point
out that he will end in the fiery lake if
he continues like that. As an illustration we could ignite his house.
Since there is no doubt that true
Christians should preach in the houses, starting from 2010 only the time
spent in the houses can be reported.
The time between two houses and at
the doors must not be counted anymore.
The right time
At what time of the day should we
accomplish our ministry? Interestingly,
the July 15, 1008 Watchtower says
with regard to the illustration of the
mustard seed that the birds represent
righthearted ones who seek protection
within the confines of the Christian
congregation. It is a fact that most
birds are busy with search for food
during daytime, but at night seek
protection in trees and bushes. Thus,
Jesus pointed out that at night, many
homeowners would be more responsive to the good news than during
daytime.
Fittingly, the book of Revelation
says about the great crowd: They are
rendering sacred service day and
night. (Revelation 7:15) The first
Christians too preached at night, for
the chief priests who had no appreciation for spiritual things complained:
His [Jesus] disciples came in the
night and stole him while we were
sleeping. Matthew 28:13.
Christians imitate David who said:
I keep calling by day and by night,
and there is no silence on my part.
(Psalm 22:2) And the Bible says about
the temple singers: By day and by
night it was their responsibility to be in
the work. 1 Chronicles 9:33.

Our Boredom Ministry

Especially return visits should be

made at nighttime. That will help the
homeowner understand Jehovahs
instruction: You must in an undertone
read in [the Watchtower] day and
night. (Joshua 1:8) When we test the
homeowners knowledge at a nighttime call, we can prove to be imitators
of God who has made inspection by
night. Ephesians 5:1; Psalm 17:3.
Organizational details
The elders will establish meetings
for night ministry at appropriate locations, preferably at 10:30pm and
3:00am. For security reasons, sisters
should conduct the night service alone
and make return visits only at men.
Even the Spezial-Bulletin said: A
sister should ask for the man of the
house. In case a homeowner makes
immoral offers, it would be wise to
remember one of the mentioned four
key rules which is: Always agree with
the person you talk to.
Some may wonder when they
should sleep. But the apostle Paul
urged Christians: Let us not sleep on
as the rest do, but let us stay awake.
For those who sleep are accustomed to sleep at night. But as for
us who belong to the day, let us keep
our senses. (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 7)
We should imitate Jehovah who is
seeing no sleep with his eyes, either
by day or by night. (Ecclesiastes
8:16) May we not forget that the Bible
says regarding a good woman: Her
lamp does not go out at night.
Proverbs 31:18.
Meals from house to house
Another aspect of the Christian
service is mentioned in the book of
Acts: They took their meals in private
homes and partook of food with great
rejoicing and sincerity of heart, praising God and finding favor with all the
people. (Acts 2:46, 47) According to
the footnote, the Greek term kat'
ikon, rendered with in private
homes, can also be translated from
house to house.

#4

So the first Christians took their

meals from house to house, in the
private homes of the people in their
assignments. After we have gained
access to a house at lunchtime, we
should tactfully make the homeowner
aware of this fact.
Like the prophet Elijah we can
say to him: Get me a bit of bread!
(1 Kings 17:11) Note however that the
Hebrew word that is rendered bread
is not limited to literal bread. Even
Belshazzars big feast was called a
great bread, and Abraham referred to
a tender and good young bull as to
a piece of bread. (Daniel 5:1, footnote; Genesis 18.5, 7) If the homeowner is reluctant, we could cite Jesus words: The worker deserves his
food. Matthew 10:10.
It happens sometimes that the
homeowner is friendly and offers us a
glass of water. In such a case, however, we have to refer to Pauls command. He definitely instructed Christians: Do not drink water, but use
wine. (1 Timothy 5:23) It is selfevident that only clean, genuine red
wine that could also be used for the
memorial is acceptable.
Blessings
May we go on bearing fruit in
every good work while utilizing the
new arrangements. (Colossians 1:10)
To preach in the houses rather than
at the doors will surely prove to be a
blessing. This way we can accomplish
our ministry in a more or less unseen
way and thus comply with the leaven
of Jesus illustration. May we also take
our meals from house to house while
proclaiming the good news day and
night.
Jehovah will for sure bless us when
we support the meetings for night
ministry to the best of our ability. But
the exhortation from the book Survival
Into a New Earth is still valid: In view
of the fact that we live close to the end
of the [Watchtower Society], it is
vital for all persons who want to survive to act without delay. page 59.
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