Here are the notes for the Sunday morning session of the Zealous Kingdom Proclaimers district convention, the "fine spiritual food" that JW's are fed :
SUNDAY
A people Zealous for Fine Works- Tit. 2:14
9:30 Music 9:40 Song No. 30 and Prayer
9:50 Examining the Scriptures Daily
-The text is like breakfast, we need the "nutritional value" to set our days of to a good start. We wouldnt want to have a "fast breakfast" either, we would want to take our time and meditate on the text.
10:00 Is your Confidence In Jehovah?
-Jehovahs people are a happy people
"The world" might look at "Gods people" and think they are peculiar, but Jehovah knows the truth
(and they think that favors them?)-Confidence will carry you through trials, you know Jehovah is with you and you trust him -Prov. 22:19- knowledge of Jehovah builds confidence in Him
-We must always want Jehovahs guidance in our dealings, not just at meetings and service
-If we place our confidence in Jehovah; he will protect us (what about if you just place confidence in the JW Org.?)
10:20 Youths- Build a Future With Jehovahs Organization
-(Being of youthful age, this was my least favorite talk)
-Its great to see so many young people in the audience (I wonder how many came voluntarily?)
-Youths should ask themselves 4 questions: 1) What are you planning to do with your life? 2) Do you plan to get the best out of life? 3) Do you know what the best is? 4) Who determines what is the best? (If you are a JW, you know the "answers" to these questions).
-The world defines the best as "fulfilling fleshly desires"; money, fame, immorality (didnt realize Websters redefined it J )
-The worlds best is not success in Gods eye
-Ecc. 12:1 ("remember the creator in your youth"), we need to use our minds and physical strength to serve Jehovah, especially in the "last days".
-Youths must cultivate a self-sacrificing spirit; Jehovah wants you to serve in the only Org. that is doing his will (the YMCA? J )
-Jehovah is concerned with what you are going to do with your life. He wants us to get the best out of life.
-Jehovah invites you to prove to yourself what his will is (I thought it was already defined as serving in "the only Org. doing his will?")
-Jehovah invites us to live forever on earth, and we should desire to do our best.
-Parents should strive to urge their children to pursue full time service and not a glamorous secular career. It would show "love for neighbor". (By waking them out of bed on Saturday mornings?)
-We should make sure our leisure does not cut into our "spiritual time". We should be regular at meetings, service. -Youths should not put of baptism if they are "qualified". (what is qualified?)
-Ja. 4:17: if one knows something is right but does not do it, it is a sin (if you can read a Watchtower, get in the pool!!!!)
-Some parents hold children back from baptism (the smart parents?). They may say a 9 or 10 year old is not qualified for baptism (could it be because the kid has a bigger affinity for making fart sounds in his armpit than for serious bible study?). But if they are "intelligent enough" (meaning???) to make the choice, they should.-Reference to April 15th, 2002 Watchtower.
-They may not be as qualified as an adult (some adults arent qualified), but as long as "their spirituality is apparent & growing" (hes fast with the microphones? What does that mean?), this is sufficient.
-A child that is "intelligent enough" to make a dedication but does not will not be "protected by their parents" at Armageddon. Only a child "too young", and only if the parents are "spiritual" (the adults didnt think they were off the hook, did they? ), will the child be excused (scriptural references please?)-The Ethiopian eunuch did not know everything when he got baptized (you mean he didnt answer the questions for baptism?). Jehovah is satisfied with a "zealous spirit"(no definition, of course).-All Jehovah wants is your best; young ones owe it to themselves to serve Jehovah in their youth
-About the experiences were given of adults who had gotten baptized "in their youth" and had shown no regrets over it. One had been pioneering for over 40 years.
-We should be enthusiastic for Jehovah; the greatest career is in the Christian ministry.
-New tract for youths is released. It is printed on the same glossy paper as calendars. Basically, six pages of describing different "avenues of service" available for youths. Obviously, kids must be ignoring and leaving the Org. big time for them to devote 40 minutes and a glossy tract to them.
11:00 Song No. 183 and Announcements 11:10 DRAMA: Stand Firm in Troublesome Times-A drama on the prophet Jeremiah, some points expounded upon in following talk. Had some funny parts, but usual JW agenda motif is obvious.
11:40 Be Like Jeremiah- Fearlessly Proclaim the Word of God-Some criticize and ridicule JWs for their ministry. We may even become "objects of hatred".
-We shouldnt be like Urijah (a prophet who got scared of persecution and went to Egypt), we shouldnt cow away when things go bad.
-We shouldnt be like Jeremiahs secretary who was strayed away by his own interest for a time. Dont be wary. (Im trying J ).
-Jeremiah was not a superhuman (speaking to God is normal, I guess?). He had weaknesses and trials. His strength came from his full reliance on Jehovah (didnt hurt that he could talk to him J )
-Many JWs have faced many trials, some have faced death, but most of us face "persecution from modern life" (damn that indoor plumbing J . Or maybe most face no persecution?)
-JWs have often been the target of negative propaganda in the press. This has been the case in this country (USA) recently (Dateline.). Its all to discredit us (I knew Stone Phillips was pure evil) -If we listen too much to this "propaganda", it could raise doubts in us, so we should be cautious of this fact (damn those apostates are good , making false info sound so true?)-Jer. 15:16: we should constantly feed on "Jehovahs words". If we constantly feed on it, it will cause us to be fearless proclaimers.
-Jer.15: 17: we should avoid harmful influences. As the end draws near, Satan will continue to saturate this system with traps for us.
-Three key points to remember: 1) We should watch the harmful content found in some entertainment; TV, books, the Internet. We can be desensitized by the bad stuff we see. We can loose our "perceptive powers".
2) Apostasy. Some leave the Org. and defame JWs. They now use various forms of mass media to spread their lies. These people are enemies of God. We should not take their literature or read their stuff on the Internet (too late for me )3) We should not constantly focus on the imperfections of our brothers (if only elders did the same). We should tolerate one another
-We should not be pursuing "material things". It can weaken our spirituality (spirituality need for govt assistance?). Jehovah will help us if we put him first.
-The Org. is preparing us for present and future trials
-Dont let those who hate our message make us compromise (how about not bothering those who "hate our message"?).
-Our enemies may see us as easy targets, but they are fighting against God
-Dont give up on being zealous, because in the end we will be rewarded.
12:00 Song No. 70 and Intermission
Any comments?
A