MAY 8 -14 $ J EREM IAH 3 5 - 3 8 ˙ Song 55 and Prayer APPLY YOURSELF TO THE FIELD MINISTRY ˙ Opening Comments (3 min. or less) ˙ Initial Call: (2 min. or less) wp17.3 cover—Lay the TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD groundwork for a return visit. ˙ “Ebed-melech—An Example of Bravery and ˙ Return Visit: (4 min. or less) wp17.3 cover—Lay the Kindness”: (10 min.) groundwork for the next visit. Jer 38:4-6—Zedekiah gave in to fear of man and ˙ allowed opposers to throw Jeremiah into a muddy Bible Study: (6 min. or less) jl lesson 26 cistern to die (it-2 1228 3) LIVING AS CHRISTIANS Jer 38:7-10—Ebed-melech acted bravely and deci- sively to help Jeremiah (w12 5/1 31 2-3) ˙ Song 92 Jer 38:11-13—Ebed-melech demonstrated kindness ˙ “Caring for Our Places of Worship”: (15 min.) (w12 5/1 31 4) Questions and answers by an elder. After playing the video Caring for Our Places of Worship and con- ˙ Digging for Spiritual Gems: (8 min.) sidering the questions, briefly interview the congre- Jer 35:19—Why were the Rechabites blessed? gation’s representative on the operating committee. (it-2 759) (If your congregation does not have a representa- tive, interview the coordinator of the body of elders. Jer 37:21—How did Jehovah care for Jeremiah, and If your congregation is the only one that meets in how can this encourage us when we experience ad- the Kingdom Hall, interview the maintenance coordi- versity? (w98 1/15 18 16-17; w95 8/1 5 5-6) nator.) What Kingdom Hall maintenance projects have been accomplished recently, and what is planned for the future? If someone has maintenance What has this week’s Bible reading taught you skills or would like to learn by assisting those with about Jehovah? skills, what should he or she do? How can all of us, regardless of our circumstances, share in caring for What other spiritual gems have you discovered the Kingdom Hall? in this week’s Bible reading? ˙ Congregation Bible Study: (30 min.) kr chap. 12 9-15, boxes on pp. 122-123, 130-131 ˙ Bible Reading: (4 min. or less) Jer 36:27–37:2 ˙ Review Followed by Preview of Next Week (3 min.) ˙ Song 123 and Prayer JEREMIAH 35-38 $ Ebed-melech—An Example of Bravery and Kindness 38:7-13 Ebed-melech, an officer in the court of King Zedekiah, showed godly qualities ˙ He acted bravely and decisively by approaching King Zedekiah in behalf of Jeremiah and then by rescuing Jeremiah from the cistern ˙ He showed kindness by providing soft rags and pieces of cloth to cushion Jeremiah’s armpits against the ropes 2017 Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Our Christian Life and Ministry—Meeting Workbook (ISSN 2380-3487) is published monthly by Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses; A. E. Shuster, President; W. H. Nonkes, Secretary-Treasurer; 2821 Route 22, Patterson, NY 12563-2237. Periodicals Postage Paid at Patterson, NY, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Our Christian Life and Ministry—Meeting Workbook, 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. Printed in Canada. 3 55 Fear Them Not! (Matthew 10:28) G/D D7 G Am11 D7/A G/B E&5 E/D Am/C E7/B Am ° #4 œ & 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ev - er on - ward, O my peo - ple, Let the King - dom tid - ings go. E - ven though your foes are man - y, Though they threat - en and re - vile, Nev - er fear you are for - got - ten; I am still your strength and shield. R.H. œ œ œ œ ?#4 œ œ œ #œ œ #œ ¢ 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ ° # D7 Dº D7 G Gº G œ & œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ ##œ œ Trem - ble not be - fore our foe. Let all lov - ers of truth know Though they flat - ter and they smile, To mis - lead and to be - guile. Though you die up - on the field, E - ven death to me will yield. œ œ œ ?# œ œ œ œ# œ œ œ œ œ ¢ œ œ œ œ # G/D D7 G Am11 D7/A G/B E&5 E/D A/C# D A7/E D/F# ° œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ n œœn œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ That my reign - ing Son, Christ Je - sus, To the earth has cast the foe, Fear them not, my faith - ful peo - ple, Nor their per - se - cu - tion’s heat, Fear them not who kill the bod - y But can - not de -stroy the soul. R.H. œ œ ?# œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ ¢ œ œ œ œ# ° # Fº D/F# Am6/C B7 D/E E9 G/A A7 D D7 & œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ #œ nœ œ nœ #œ ˙œ œn Soon to bind the Dev - il, Sa - tan, Let - ting all his vic - tims go. For I will pre - serve the faith - ful Till the vic - t’ry is com - plete. To the end may you be faith - ful; I will bring you to your goal! œ bœ œ œ œ œ ?# œ n œ œ #nœ nœ œ# nœ #˙ ¢ œn œ nœ Fear Them Not! Chorus ° # G Bm/D D/Cj G/B G/D D7 C/G G & œ™ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œn œ œ ˙™ Fear them not, O my be - lov - ed, R.H.œ j j œ ?# œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ œ ¢ œn œ œ w D7 C/D D7 D+5 G G#º D7/A D7 ° # j & œ™ ˙ œ œœ œ #œ œw˙ ˙ Though their boast - ing threats may fly. œ ?# ˙ œ œ œ œ œn #˙ œ ¢ ™ œ #œ œ ° # G Bm/D D/Cj G/B B7 D/C C Am7 A#º & œ™ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ #œ nœ œ ˙™ œ# I will keep my faith - ful ser - vant œ ?# œn œ œ ˙ ˙ ¢ œn œ œ œ ˙ œ œ# ° # G/B B¨º D7/A GG/D D7 j G G/B Am11 G & œ œ™ œ ˙™ œ #œ nœ œ œ œn œ œ œ œ As the ap - ple of my eye. ?# œ œ ˙œ œ ˙™ œ ¢ œ œb nœ œ œ œn œ œ (See also Deut. 32:10; Neh. 4:14; Ps. 59:1; 83:2, 3.) JEREMIAH 34:8–35:2 1088 8 The word that came to CHAP. 34 ty, each one to his brother and a Jeremiah from Jehovah after a Ex 21:2 to his fellow man. So I will King Zed·e·kiah had made a cov- now proclaim liberty to you,’ de- enant with all the people in Je- clares Jehovah, ‘to the sword, to rusalem to proclaim liberty to b Ex 24:7 pestilence, and to famine, b and them,a 9 that everyone should I will make you an object of hor- free his Hebrew slaves, male ror to all the kingdoms of the c Ex 13:3 and female, so that no one earth.c 18 And this is what will would keep a fellow Jew as happen to the men who violated his slave. 10 So all the princes d Ex 21:2 my covenant by not carrying out and all the people obeyed. They Le 25:10 the words of the covenant that had entered into the covenant Le 25:39-42 they made before me when they De 15:12 that everyone should free his cut the calf in two and passed male and female slaves and not between the halves,d 19 name- keep them as slaves any longer. e Le 19:12 ly, the princes of Judah, the They obeyed and let them go. princes of Jerusalem, the court 11 However, they later brought Second Col. officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed back the male and female slaves a Ex 21:2 Le 25:10 between the halves of the calf: whom they had freed, and they 20 again forced them back into I will hand them over to their slavery. 12 So the word of Je- enemies and to those seeking to b 2Ki 25:3 take their lives, and their dead hovah came to Jeremiah from Jer 21:7 Jehovah, saying: bodies will become food for the birds of the heavens and for the 13 “This is what Jehovah the beasts of the earth.e 21 And I God of Israel says, ‘I made a cov- c Jer 15:2, 4 b Jer 29:18 will give King Zed·e·ki ah of Ju- enant with your forefathers in dah and his princes into the the day I brought them out of the hand of their enemies and into land of Egypt, out of the house d Ge 15:10, 17 the hand of those seeking to take c 14 of slavery, saying: “At the their lives and into the hand of end of seven years, each of you the armies of the king of Bab- should free his Hebrew brother e De 28:26 f Ps 79:2 ylon, who are withdrawing from who was sold to you and who g Jer 16:4 against you.’ has served you six years; you 22 “‘Here I will give the or- d must set him free.” But your der,’ declares Jehovah, ‘and I forefathers did not listen or in- f 2Ki 25:6, 7 will bring them back to this city, 15 La 4:20 cline their ears to me.