Ladysmith residents were among the 6500-plus delegates at the Jehovah’s Witness ‘God’s Word Is Truth’ District Convention held at Kings Park Stadium in Durban over the weekend.
The programme included discussions and interviews which highlighted the value of not only ‘knowing truth’ but also the importance of being ‘firmly set in the truth’ and ‘walking in truth’ in everyday life.
The Public Bible Discourse on Sunday – ‘What Is Truth?’ based on John 18:38 – examined why ALL people can trust God’s Word, the Bible. A highlight of the convention were three Bible dramatisations over the three convention days. The Friday drama, ‘Show Yourself Attentive to the Wonderful Works of God’, used a modern-day rendition of the account of Job. It highlighted the importance of one’s reliance on God in the face of suffering.
The sound drama on Saturday, ‘Be Faithful and Conquer Your Fears’, used the example of the apostle Peter to underscore the value of remaining faithful to God despite human imperfections, fears and feelings of inferiority. The final full costume dramatisation on Sunday considered the example of Queen Esther and demonstrated the need for courage and faith in facing the many trials that come upon us.
Saturday included a baptism of 79 delegates, ranging in age from 11 to 79. Baptism is a special event for Christians, acting as a symbol of dedicating themselves to do God’s will in their life. The baptism talk encouraged the baptismal candidates to “continue walking in truth”. A number of new publications were released during the convention. Included among the new publications are five new tracts, namely: ‘How Do You View the Bible?’; ‘How Do You View the Future?’; ‘What is the Key to Happy Family Life?’; ‘Who Really Controls the World?’; and ‘Will Suffering Ever End?’. These are designed for those interested in finding truthful answers from the Bible. The book ‘Imitate Their Faith’ helps Christians follow the faithful examples of men and women of old who walked straight paths.
It is expected that as many as 150,000 delegates will have attended 77 conventions held across South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, St Helena and Swaziland this year. The conventions, held worldwide beginning in May this year, are expected to be attended by some 19 million people.
You can learn more about Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well as read and download the Bible and many Bible-based publications free of charge from their website (www.jw.org) in nearly 300 languages. The website includes the most widely published printed magazine in the world, ‘The Watchtower’.
Who are Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Jehovah’s Witnesses come from hundreds of ethnic and language backgrounds, yet are united by common goals. Above all, they want to honour Jehovah, the God of the Bible and the Creator of all things. They do their best to imitate Jesus Christ and are proud to be called Christians. Each of them regularly spends time helping people learn about the Bible and God’s Kingdom. Because they witness, or talk about Jehovah and his Kingdom, they are known as Jehovah’s Witnesses.
