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The faithful and discreet slave is the term used by Jehovah's Witnesses to describe the religion's Governing Body in its role of directing doctrines and teachings. The group is described as a "class" of "anointed" Christians that operates under the direct control of Jesus Christ[1] to exercise teaching authority in all matters pertaining to doctrine and articles of faith.[2][3] The concept is a central doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses' system of belief[4] and is based on their interpretation of the Parable of the Faithful Servant in Matthew 24:45–47, Mark 13:34-37 and Luke 12:35-48. The doctrine has undergone several major changes since it was formulated in 1881 by Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Bible Student movement. Russell initially applied it to the "church"—the "little flock" of 144,000 who would go to heaven—but five years later explained that it was an individual who would act as a sole channel or agent for Christ, dispensing "food", or new truths, for God's "household". Bible Students consequently regarded Russell as the "faithful and wise servant" of the parable.[5][6] In 1927 the Watch Tower Society announced that the "servant" was not in fact an individual, but was made up of the entire body of faithful spirit-anointed Christians; by 2010 that group numbered about 11,000 Witnesses from around the world.[7] In 2012 the society announced an "adjustment" of the doctrine, explaining that the slave was now understood to be synonymous with the Governing Body, a small group of anointed elders serving at the religion's world headquarters. The announcement also marked a change in belief about the timing of the slave class's appointment by Christ: it was said to have taken place in 1919 rather than in apostolic times, as previously believed.[8] The current teaching is that the governing body is synonymous with the Faithful & Discreet Slave Class. There was no governing body in Russell's day. A Board of Directors was selected after Russell's death to take the lead of the Society's affairs. The Watchtower considers this to be the first "governing body" and also the first "faithful slave".
Role
Watch Tower Society publications teach that Jesus uses the faithful and discreet slave "to publish information on the fulfillment of Bible prophecies and to give timely direction on the application of Bible principles in daily life"[9][10] as the only means of communicating God's messages to humans. It is referred to as God's "prophet"[11] and "channel",[12] and claims to provide "divine" direction and guidance. Jehovah's Witnesses are told their survival of Armageddon depends in part on their obedience to the slave class.[13] Governing Body members are said to act in the role of the faithful and discreet slave class when arriving at decisions on doctrines, activities and oversight of Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide, including making appointments to positions of responsibility.[14][15][16]
Origin and history
The parable on which Jehovah's Witnesses base their doctrine of the "faithful and discreet slave", as rendered in the King James Version, reads: "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods." Watch Tower publications state that Christ, the "master" in the parable, returned in Kingdom power in 1914 and at that date identified those associated with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society as the only group still faithfully feeding his followers.[17][18][19] (Earlier publications apply different dates to this event. The date of Christ's inspection has previously been identified as 1919,[20] though publications have also suggested Russell's group passed God's test of fitness 40 years earlier, using The Watchtower as his principal method of spreading Bible truth from 1879. Publications had claimed the slave class began using the Watch Tower Society as its legal instrument in 1884.)[21][22] Christ, in fulfillment of the parable, subsequently appointed anointed Christians associated with the Watch Tower Society "over all his belongings". The "belongings" are said to today include Jehovah's Witnesses' Brooklyn headquarters, branch offices, Kingdom Halls and Assembly Halls worldwide as well as the "great crowd" of Jehovah's Witnesses.[17]
Development of doctrine
In 1881, an article in Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence by the magazine's editor Charles Taze Russell identified the "faithful and wise servant" as "that 'little flock' of consecrated servants who are faithfully carrying out their consecration vows—the body of Christ ... the whole body individually and collectively, giving the meat in due season to the household of faith—the great company of believers."[23][9][24] In 1895, Russell's wife Maria claimed that Russell himself was the figure referred to in the parable at Matthew 24:45-47, though Russell initially declined to accept the personal application of the title, suggesting that it should apply to the Watch Tower rather than its editor.[25][26] In 1897 Russell agreed that Christ would have made a "choice of one channel for dispensing the meat in due season [emphasis in the original]" and while he did not refer to that "one channel" as an individual, Russell did apply to it the personal pronoun "he" (for example: "if unfaithful he will be deposed entirely"), and noted "whoever the Lord will so use, as a truth-distributing agent, will be very humble and unassuming" and "he would not think of claiming authorship or ownership of the truth."[27] In 1909, in an unsigned article, the Watch Tower mentioned that the "application to us of Matthew 24:45" had come "some fourteen years ago", or about 1895. The article went on to say "the Society's literature was the channel through which the Lord sent them practically all that they know about the Bible and the Divine purposes." [emphasis added][28] The prevailing view among Bible Students that Russell was "the faithful and wise servant" of Jesus' parable,[29] was reiterated in the Watch Tower a few weeks after Russell's death in 1916: Thousands of the readers of Pastor Russell's writings believe that he filled the office of "that faithful and wise servant," and that his great work was giving to the Household of Faith meat in due season. His modesty and humility precluded him from openly claiming this title, but he admitted as much in private conversation.[30] The Watch Tower Society's official history of Jehovah's Witnesses states that Russell "did not personally promote the idea, but he did acknowledge the apparent reasonableness of the arguments of those who favored it."[31] In 1917, the publisher's preface to the book, The Finished Mystery, issued as a posthumous publication of Russell's writings, identified him as the "faithful and wise servant" appointed by Christ;[32] as late as 1923, the Watch Tower repeated the same belief about his role, declaring: "We believe that all who are now rejoicing in present truth will concede that Brother Russell faithfully filled the office of special servant of the Lord; and that he was made ruler over all the Lord's goods ... Brother Russell occupied the office of that 'faithful and wise servant'."[33] In 1927, Watch Tower Society president Joseph Rutherford reverted to Russell's original viewpoint, announcing that the "servant" was not an individual, but was made up of the entire body of faithful spirit-anointed Christians.[34] A 1950 issue of The Watchtower appeared to assign to the "mother organization"—in reference to the Watch Tower Society—the task of feeding Christians "meat in due season";[35] in 1951 the magazine defined the "faithful and discreet slave" as a class of people whose teachings were imparted through a theocratic organization.[36] 1981 - Who Is The Faithful Steward, The Discreet One? - Talk by Frederick W. Franz then President of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society From 2000 the Governing Body was increasingly described as the representative[37][38] and "spokesman" for God's "faithful and discreet slave class". Watch Tower Society publications had taught that the "faithful and discreet slave" class had had a continuous uninterrupted existence since being appointed by Christ at the time of Pentecost AD 33,[20] when the first 120 people upon whom holy spirit was poured out began "feeding" Jews with spiritual food. As new disciples came in, they filled the role of "domestics" and joined in feeding others. The Apostles and other early Christian disciples who wrote the books of the New Testament were also part of the "slave" class providing spiritual food to Christians.[39] The Watchtower claimed members of the "slave" class were a close-knit body of Christians rather than isolated, independent individuals, and that one generation of the "slave" class fed the succeeding generation to maintain the unbroken line for more than 1900 years,[39][40] providing the same spiritual food to Christians worldwide.[20] Watch Tower publications did not identify the groups filling the role of the "slave" class between the close of the Apostolic Age and the early 20th century, suggesting it disappeared from "clear view",[40] but they implied they might have included the Lollards and the Waldensians (the latter movement described by The Watchtower as "faithful witnesses of Jehovah ... who sought to revive true worship of Christianity").[41][42][43] A series of talks at the 128th annual meeting of the Watch Tower Society in New Jersey on 6 October 2012 made further changes to the doctrine about the identity of the "slave". The society's report on the meeting said that "the faithful and discreet slave was appointed over Jesus' domestics in 1919. That slave is the small, composite group of anointed brothers serving at world headquarters during Christ's presence who are directly involved in preparing and dispensing spiritual food. When this group work together as the Governing Body, they act as 'the faithful and discreet slave.'" The report said the slave "logically" must have appeared after Christ's presence began in 1914.[8] The doctrinal change also redefined the "domestics" of the parable—previously identified as individual "anointed" Witnesses[44]—as all Jehovah's Witnesses.[8]
See also
Watchtower (Study edition) - July 15, 2013 144,000 David H Splane: The Slave Is Not 1900 Years Old - Matt 24v45
References
The Watchtower, March 15, 2002 pp. 13-14 paragraph 4
Watchtower August 1, 2001 p. 14 paragraph 8, "A mature Christian ... does not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding. Rather, he has complete confidence in the truth as it is revealed by Jehovah God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and 'the faithful and discreet slave.'"
"Jehovah, the God of Progressive Revelation", Watchtower, June 15, 1964, page 365, "The abundance of spiritual food and the amazing details of Jehovah's purposes that have been revealed to Jehovah's anointed witnesses are clear evidence that they are the ones mentioned by Jesus when he foretold a 'faithful and discreet slave' class that would be used to dispense God's progressive revelations in these last days ... How thankful we should be for the provision God has made of this slave class, the modern spiritual remnant, as they faithfully dispense the revealed truths of Jehovah! ... Jehovah's faithful witnesses have been progressively brought to an understanding of Jehovah's purposes, which are clearer now than ever before in history."
Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed. University of Toronto Press. p. 160. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed. University of Toronto Press. p. 33. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
The Watchtower, February 15, 1927, page 55, paragraph 38.
Watch Tower, 1927, as referenced by Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, Watchtower Society, 1993, page 626.
Report of Annual Meeting, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, October 6, 2012.
Hoekema, Anthony A. (1963), The Four Major Cults, Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, pp. 246–247, ISBN 0-8028-3117-6
Organized to Do Jehovah's Will, Watch Tower Society, 2005, p. 16.
The Watchtower April 1, 1972, p. 197.
The Watchtower August 1, 2002, p. 13 paragraph 17.
"Do You Discern the Evidence of God's Guidance?", The Watchtower, April 15, 2011, pages 3-5.
"Do You Discern the Evidence of God’s Guidance?", The Watchtower, April 15, 2011, "Jesus Christ is the assigned Leader of the congregation. He has delegated some authority to a faithful slave class, made up of faithful spirit-anointed Christians. That slave class, in turn, appoints overseers in the Christian congregation."
"Do You Take the Lead in Showing Honor?", The Watchtower, October 15, 2008, page 23, "It is Scriptural for “the faithful and discreet slave” through its Governing Body to appoint men to positions of responsibility, and some men are appointed to exercise authority over other appointed men."
Overseers and Ministerial Servants Theocratically Appointed", The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 15, "The Governing Body appoints qualified brothers at the branches to represent it in making appointments of elders and ministerial servants. Care is taken that those acting representatively on behalf of the Governing Body clearly understand and follow the Scriptural guidelines for making such appointments. Hence, it is under the direction of the Governing Body that qualified men are appointed to serve in the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide."
Organized To Do God's Will, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 2005, page 16.
Hoekema, Anthony A. (1963), The Four Major Cults, Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, pp. 300–301, ISBN 0-8028-3117-6
Beckford, James A. (1975), The Trumpet of Prophecy: A Sociological Study of Jehovah's Witnesses, Oxford: Basil Blackwell, p. 109, ISBN 0-631-16310-7
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism”, The Watchtower, September 15, 1983, page 19, paragraph 19.
Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1959, page 22, "... in many ways the evidence was beginning to accumulate that, of all the early voices heard, Jehovah had chosen the publication we now call The Watchtower to be used as a channel through which to bring to the world of mankind a revelation of the divine will and, through the words revealed in its columns, to begin a division of the world's population into those who would do the divine will and those who would not. For this reason 1879 was a turning point in the work. This little group, headed by C.T. Russell, had now been tested and had been found fit to undertake the great preliminary campaign leading up to the climax expected in 1914."
"Willingly Expand Your Ministry", The Watchtower, June 1, 1963, page 338.
Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence, October/November 1881.
Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1993, page 142.
Watch Tower, July 15, 1906, Watch Tower Reprints, page 3811, As Retrieved 2009-09-23, page 215.
Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed. University of Toronto Press. pp. 33–37. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
The Battle of Armageddon (Part IV, "Studies in the Scriptures") by C. T. Russell, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1897, page 613.
Watch Tower, October 1, 1909, Watch Tower Reprints, page 4482, As Retrieved 2009-09-23, page 292
"Testing and Sifting From Within", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, Watchtower Society, 1993, page 626, "According to Brother Russell, his wife, who later left him, was the first one to apply Matthew 24:45-47 to him. See the Watch Tower issues of July 15, 1906, page 215; March 1, 1896, page 47; and June 15, 1896, pages 139-40."
Watch Tower, December 1, 1916, Watch Tower Reprints, page 5998, As Retrieved 2009-09-23, page 357
"Testing and Sifting From Within", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, page 626, "Many ... clung to the view that a single individual, Charles Taze Russell, was the "faithful and wise servant" ... Particularly following his death, The Watch Tower itself set forth this view for a number of years. In view of the prominent role that Brother Russell had played, it appeared to the Bible Students of that time that this was the case. He did not personally promote the idea, but he did acknowledge the apparent reasonableness of the arguments of those who favored it."
Publisher's Preface, Studies in the Scriptures, Series VII: The Finished Mystery, Peoples Pulpit Association, Brooklyn, NY, 1917.
Watch Tower, March 1, 1923, pages 68 and 71, as cited by Raymond Franz, Crisis of Conscience, Commentary Press, 2007, page 63.
Watch Tower, 1927, as referenced by Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, Watchtower Society, 1993, page 626.
The Watchtower, September 15, 1950 p. 326|"The Father is the great Provider of spiritual food, and he delegates to his organization the duty of preparing and serving this life-sustaining 'meat in due season'. The table is the Lord’s, he sits at the head, and the children seated at the table are waited on and served and helped by the mother organization."
"Release Under Way to the Ends of the Earth", The Watchtower December 15, 1951, page 749, paragraph 4|"Christ Jesus approved of his remnant as a 'faithful and discreet slave' and set this "slave" class over all his earthly belongings. Then by the theocratic organization Jehovah led them from one truth to another, opening the eyes of their hearts and the ears of their understanding to see and hear these truths."
The Watchtower, May 15, 2008, page 29
"Seek God's guidance in all things", The Watchtower, April 15, 2008, page 11.
"How Are Christians Spiritually Fed?", The Watchtower, January 15, 1975.
"Do You Appreciate the “Faithful and Discreet Slave”?", The Watchtower, March 1, 1981, page 24.
Theocratic Aid to Kingdom Publishers, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1945, page 307.
Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. pp. 128, 129. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed. University of Toronto Press. pp. 179–183. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
Insight In The Scriptures volume 1, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, p. 805-806.
See also:
New Light:
The article explains that the FDS gets two appointments. The first is over "the domestics" - everyone else other than the GB. This is understood to have happened 1919. The second appointment is over the belongings.
@JW Insider Notice we are sticking with the 1919 inspection of the temple. (just a side note to add) We may want to start a different thread for 1919)
Guess where the Librarian is right now. :)
You can follow my posts on my page here: http://forum.theworldnewsmedia.org/profile/6436-the-librarian/
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4,903 in attendance at the Stanley Theater (19,129 listened in overall from 10 other locations - most likely branch offices)
TV network-style news service called “JW Broadcasting” is to be introduced via tv.jw.org which will feature on demand news videos and regular talks from members of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Morning Worship was rumored as well)
TV.jw.org via JW Broadcasting (check out their control room)
Available Monday
Their site description info reads: Streaming, on demand video and audio. Free Christian movies, educational and entertaining programs for families, teens, children, all. Official JW broadcast.
JW TV station along with video ondemand which will allow people to also tie in for family worship
The media will be pre recorded in case you were wondering.
New Pocket size Bible distributed. Will be available to order soon.
New audio bible is being completed, different voice for every character
Also introduced to a new video for children starring Caleb and Sophia.
Brothers announce that we have a new understanding of the meaning of GOG OF MAGOG that it is no longer understood to be Satan.
Doctrinal changes to interpretation of “Gog of Magog” to governments today and not “nations” after Armageddon
Gog of Magog "Is most likely the king of the north and not satan now"
The 10 Virgins
The 10 Talents
All of Jesus parables have been simplified. They no longer were prophecy fulfilled around the 1914 era. All evil slaves etc are just a warning now. Talents just means gifts all have been given. There are no longer meanings to every little thing that they use to apply around the 1914 date.
A new APP can be downloaded for JW LANGUAGE, and you can learn a new language online to facilitate preaching to people of other languages.
New app featuring 4k different phrases in different languages
Starting January 2015 a new part on the service meeting entitled “How Do You Know The Truth” will replace local needs, in which approved members of the congregation will be invited to share their experiences
Bethelites with five years or more service may serve for a year on a missionary assignment.
Bethelites can now go to pioneer school
Year Text for 2015
2014 service year peaked at over 8 million - 19.5 and counting for memorial 100k requests for bible studies over the last 2 years on JW.org 550 languges, 700 publications in different languages, 1.5 unique visotors daily from August to September
Types and Antitypes don't apply as much as they use to and they said, "Where the bible is silent, we must be silent" - See transcript
New Governing Body committees lineup announced
New Songs for the Annual General Meeting. (one clip of a brother playing one on the piano) New songs in English distributed for the meeting. Up to 13 new songs will be released over time to equal a revised new song book and changes to songs in place due to the new bible. The revised song book cover will look like the new bible. New songs will be practiced at the service meeting
new songs 2014 AGM 1412221130347.pdf
Video of Bethel Choir singing Song C at Stanley Theater
Photo of a group practicing the new songs before the performance at the meeting.
This is my sister @saraserggarza showing Caleb & Sofia videos to school children during their recess near Malacatus, Ecuador. My sister, her husband, their son and my son have been serving in Loja, Ecuador since September 2015 and they are so sad that their visa has come to an end and they have to go home. Photo shared by @marcy_lupercio
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Banff /ˈbæmf/ is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta’s Rockies approximately 126 km (78 mi) west of Calgary and 58 km (36 mi) east of Lake Louise. At an elevation of 1,400 m (4,600 ft) to 1,630 m (5,350 ft),[3] Banff is the community with the second highest elevation in Alberta after Lake Louise. When will you be able to see this beautiful sight? Paradise.
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Jett rocked it last night first time handling the mics in Chicago, Illinois, USA!!!… We’re so proud of him. And to boot his Dad was handling mics too. Photo shared by @spyider
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2005 - $20,000 for CHANHASSEN JEVOVAH WITNES y ST LOUIS JEHOVAH WITNESS
2006 - $130,000 for JEHOVAH WITNESS KINGDOM HALL
2007 - $800,000 for PECCOLE RANCH LAKES KINGDOM HALL FUND
The amounts of his donations has been posted in other forums with copies of the public tax filings of his Love 4 One Another foundation.
I will add a link to this page to his central post on this forum:
On vacation in Crete, Greece and these two were coming my way. I said to myself that they look like they could be sisters. But they recognized me as one. Can you tell how? Photo shared by @asilav_bakke
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Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses > M. Stephen Lett
Talks by Stephen Lett
Started as pioneer on December, 1966. From 1967 to 1971 served in Brooklyn Bethel. In October 1971 married to Susan and entered in the special pioneer service. From 1979 to 1998 served as circuit overseer. In April 1998 was called to Brooklyn Bethel. On October 2, 1999 was appointed to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. Source: w2000 1/1 29. Fun Fact: He sports a "pinkie ring" just like Prince
Not sure if Watchtower Attorney Adam Lett is his son or not. If you know please leave a comment below
In the Netherlands, a TV crew for PowNed (a website/TV station known for their non-conventional approach and love for controversy) visited a Circuit Assembly
The video starts with them asking 'Is everyone welcome here, even criminals, bikers, gays?', and the answer is of course yes.
Then the clip focuses on asking JW's questions about gays and the Caleb video.
In the end the crew is asked to stop filming and leave. Their 'implied invitation' has been withdrawn as they were 'creating unrest'.
Possibly they actually were stirring things up a bit and left that out in editing; I wouldn't put that past them.
Video in Dutch here
http://www.powned.tv/overpowned/aankondiging_studio_powned/2016/05/jehovas_reageren_op_antihomo_f.html
The Librarian got a reaction from John Houston in Ukraine: Brothers Endure Convention Under Pouring Rain
The Librarian got a reaction from vandenbusschevanoostjosett in Faithful and Discreet Slave
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The Librarian got a reaction from pat asare in On vacation in Crete, Greece and these two were coming my way. I...
The Librarian got a reaction from derek1956 in M. Stephen Lett
The Librarian got a reaction from BTolan in Truck stop witnessing in Milton, Pennsylvania, USA. Photo shared...
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