Melinda Mills

We share out hall with three other congregations. Several weeks ago one of the other congregations adjusted the sound, and not knowing exactly what they were doing literally blew up one of the overhead speakers. At that point the kingdom hall operating committee decided to have a meeting with all the sound folks from all four congregations to go over protocol with respects to the sound system. Sadly, some brothers learn via hands on training and that is not always the most efficient or best way to learn. 

"Remember at the edge of the Red Sea? It seemed hopeless? Jehovah is a mighty warrior and we have never witnessed His power!"
How true! It reminds me of one of my favorite songs, song 149 "A Victory Song" and won't that have a greater significance after Armageddon?

@TrueTomHarley Pray about it, I will. We have the most miraculous power in the Universe, Jehovah can perform miracles if a donkey can speak and 1 angel can destroy 185,000 in one night! We are in for fireworks ? Remember at the edge of the Red Sea? It seemed hopeless? Jehovah is a mighty warrior and we have never witnessed His power! We will all be amazed and proud of who we are! Pick up the weak and carry them, they maybe complainers but Jehovah knows their heart. Life is a bowl ? of cherries ? with the pits! Let's pray for strength for the Brotherhood and proclaim Jehovah's Name loud and clear. No fear He is near!
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While some of our brothers are not the sharpest tools in the drawer, I doubt this is because of their Witness training. More likely, their Witness training sharpens their skills.
You have only to look at the news media or political world, where highly educated persons routinely reveal  themselves to be dumber than plants. If our people conduct themselves unwisely on the internet, so does everyone else. 
Enemies will always find something to pounce on. if two letters go to the judge, whether they actually stem from our people or not, haters can seize upon those two letters and ignore the 50 million others. It happens all the time in the political world and most other venues.

The picture part of the video at our Hall is not working for three weeks, can get only audio sometimes. (Three congregations share the Hall.) That should say something about qualifications. I watched all the videos on Youtube, although I tend to use my own presentation, incorporating some of the pointers only if I am really impressed.

@JW Insider This is 100% correct, and anyone interested in religious freedom, Jehovah's Witnesses or not, should be interested in what we are doing here. We could probably find people to join us in the campaign who are not even JWs.
I agree the WORLD IS WATCHING! I have many concerned following me from churches and Pastors. They will learn who we are and WHO JEHOVAH is! This is Big and other countries may do the same based on what happens here. We know when it's perfect timing Jehovah God will have His Name Proclaimed throughout the earth, the Nations will know I am Jehovah! Then destruction comes. My favorite verses are Psalms chapter 2 where Jehovah says, 
"Why are the nations agitated And the peoples muttering* an empty thing?
 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And high officials gather together*as one Against Jehovah and against his anointed one.
 3 They say: “Let us tear off their shackles And throw off their ropes!”
 4 The One enthroned in the heavens will laugh; Jehovah will scoff at them.
 5 At that time he will speak to them in his anger And terrify them in his burning anger,
 6 Saying: “I myself have installed my king On Zion, my holy mountain.”
 7 Let me proclaim the decree of Jehovah; He said to me: “You are my son; Today I have become your father.
 8 Ask of me, and I will give nations as your inheritance And the ends of the earth as your possession.
 9 You will break them with an iron scepter, And you will smash them like a piece of pottery.”
10 So now, you kings, show insight; Accept correction, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve Jehovah with fear, And rejoice with trembling.
12 Honor the son, or God will become indignant And you will perish from the way, For His anger flares up quickly. Happy are all those taking refuge in Him."
We are living in exciting times! Jehovah will bless His people! His name will be vindicated forever! Keep close to Jehovah! He will never fail His purpose His Kingdom through Christ Jesus will usher in His New Government soon! Thank you, Bible Speaks ???

Agree,  Ann. Seems like you can post any old picture or video with any date about some current event and call it something and people would believe it and forward it to others.  Witnesses  should learn to spot fake news and evaluate information as they should be more attuned to what is truthful.  We  were warned in the Kingdom Ministry years ago when the Internet was new.

Letters from millions of people from all over the world and in different languages? Who will open them, sort them, translate them? Hardly Putin. He will probably sample a few. I worked for top executives  for many years and never knew one to open letters.  At best it might be delegated to some officer who will manage the whole affair and do some kind of précis of them, that is, if the whole lot are not discarded.
 
That doesn't mean that I did not write mine but not to Putin.  The very fact that we did something shows that we are giving Jehovah something to bless. But Putin opening thousands of letters? Hardly.  Wishful thinking.

Rumores y verdades
Rumor: Los testigos de Jehová no celebran el Domingo de Pascua porque no son cristianos.
La verdad: Aceptamos a Jesucristo como nuestro Salvador y hacemos todo lo posible por seguir “sus pasos con sumo cuidado” (1 Pedro 2:21; Lucas 2:11).
Rumor: Ustedes no creen en la resurrección de Jesús.
La verdad: No solo creemos en la resurrección de Jesús, sino que estamos convencidos de que esta es el fundamento de la fe cristiana. De hecho, es parte importante del mensaje que predicamos (1 Corintios 15:3, 4, 12-15).
Rumor: Privan a sus hijos de la oportunidad de disfrutar de las celebraciones.
La verdad: Amamos a nuestros hijos y nos esforzamos al máximo por educarlos y lograr que sean niños felices (Tito 2:4).
¿Por qué no celebran los testigos de Jehová el Domingo de Pascua?
Las costumbres relacionadas con el Domingo de Pascua en ciertos países no tienen base bíblica.
Jesús nos mandó recordar su muerte, no su resurrección. Los Testigos conmemoramos su muerte todos los años en la fecha en que él murió según el calendario lunar de tiempos bíblicos (Lucas 22:19, 20).
Entendemos que las costumbres relacionadas con el Domingo de Pascua —muchas de las cuales se basan en antiguos ritos de la fertilidad— no tienen la aprobación de Dios. Él exige “devoción exclusiva” y se siente ofendido si adoptamos prácticas religiosas que él condena (Éxodo 20:5; 1 Reyes 18:21).
Estamos convencidos de que nuestra decisión de no celebrar el Domingo de Pascua está respaldada por la Biblia. Y esta nos anima a usar “la sabiduría práctica y la capacidad de pensar” en vez de seguir ciegamente las tradiciones (Proverbios 3:21; Mateo 15:3). Si bien es cierto que explicamos con gusto nuestras creencias a quien nos pregunte acerca de ellas, respetamos el derecho de cada cual a tomar sus propias decisiones (1 Pedro 3:15).

Should the decision go against us, there will be much hand-wringing. We should keep in mind:
(Yikes! On another thread, I am flagged as an abuser and the entire thread is taken down! "Behave, TrueTom!" they said)
Being the Supreme Court, there may be no appeals left. If the decision goes bad on us, our Russian brothers become like the Hebrews 11 Christians, who walked about under duress, 'and the world was not worthy of them.' It happens with good precedent in a world not friendly to Christians. Jesus was not summoned before Pilate to receive a good citizenship plaque, was he?

https://nyti.ms/2oy0BNW 
Good article I thought 

Is that a rhetorical question or you want my opinion? ....No, you don't.

Interesting discussion. Something which came to mind for me reading this.
We obviously cannot be any more certain of Isaac's age than the suggestion in the Insight book. The term "At any rate" is often used to modify the preceding statement in a sentence. In this case, the defining of a specific age for Isaac in Jewish tradition being speculative, the writer prefers reasoning on the task Isaac is carrying out as a preferable indicator of his age. In view of the comparison with Jesus, I would feel a need to place Isaac toward the upper end of the age spectrum here. However, that would be a personal judgement.
Another interesting question for me relating to the demonstration of faith here would be in connection with Abraham's statement that "God himself will provide the sheep". Was Abraham using a  strategy as a consideration for Isaac's inadequate faith? Or was it a prophetic utterence, regarding the yet to be clarified ransom provision? After all, even the High Priest Caiaphas prophesied regarding the ransom without understanding the significance of his words (Jo 11:49-52). 

Isaac was between 18 and 25 years old and yes - so he was not a baby - he was a thinking individual.  He knew the miracle of his mothers womb which was closed for many years and was restored to bear him.  He also knew of the promise of the seed through his family line.  Abraham and Sarah would have raised him with a strong faith and told him over and over about his miracle birth and the direct promise from Jehovah and the circumcision of this covenant.
There are many instances in the Bible where people saw miracles and did not believe it (like the Pharisees who saw the miracles of Jesus; and Israel saw the plagues and the fire cloud at night and quickly ran to idolatry)  but there are those who will show faith/obedience by hearing about the promise.  Isaac had good reasons to believe his own miraculous birth and the promise made to his father.  Isaac showed faith....and a willingness to work with his father and it therefore was a perfect picture of Jesus who did the same and displayed perfect obedience.  I think it takes a special frame of mind to do this but both of them were not without 'direct evidence' from Jehovah of the 'realities' even though the final 'promise' was not yet beheld. (Hebr 11:1)
His father did not tell him immediately that he was to be the sacrifice.  His father was pretty old - and Isaac was much stronger - he could definitely have refused if he wanted to and his father would not have been able to do anything about it. He obviously believed that Jehovah had spoken to Abraham.  (There are other instances in the Bible where prophets were told to enact a story (like marrying a prostitute) to indicate what would happen in future). His obedience to his father was like that of Jesus to Jehovah.
I use this picture a lot with Muslims to explain that this picture is a picture of the 'true messenger' and what was foretold he would do.  He was promised to die.   Jesus did die - Mohammad did not - so he is not the fulfilment of the Mosaic law.  The death of Jesus brought the fulfillment of the Mosaic law which was a tutor until Christ.   
 
Both Abraham and Isaac believed the promise Jehovah had made that the legal legitimate son would bring forth the Messiah.  They trusted that Jehovah would do justice by them - even if Isaac died.  We should also show this kind of faith in the justice of Jehovah.

Bible believers have anguished over this account about Abraham and Isaac for thousands of years. Some have tried to soften the impact, because it jars our sensibilities. It's like reading about David having his enemies hacked up, or Jephthah offering his daughter as a burnt offering. Or Hosea being asked to marry a prostitute, or Ezekiel being asked to cook with human excrement, or Isaiah being asked to father a child by a prophetess who isn't described as his wife, and to walk around completely naked for three years. The list could go on and on. For centuries, Bible translators have often made decisions to soften the ideas from the original languages to protect more modern readers.
But this particular account is the most disturbing. How many of us would kill our child because we heard a voice and we had faith was God's voice. Abraham had the faith to go through with it. And we have no idea if the already weaned child was 5 years old, 6 years old, 10 years old, or even 20 years old, which is about the maximum age that the Hebrew word for "boy" is generally used of someone's son. We know he could speak, and that he could carry a bundle of sticks.
It's hard to say if Isaac really had faith in the resurrection at the time. Abraham lied to him or misled him when Isaac asked where the animal for sacrifice was. If Abraham was not misleading him when he told Isaac that God would provide the sheep, then that would mean that Abraham did not really have faith to offer up his son, because he expected a replacement all along. The Bible does not say that Isaac was willing to be bound. If Isaac was really willing to have a knife plunged into him, there might be no need to bind him anyway.
At any rate, this is not a story that we should just think of as another story for a book of children's Bible stories. It should make us anguish over what it really means to have faith. What is the difference in following a voice and dreams that tell you to murder, or voices and dreams that really come from God? The difference in Abraham's case seems to be a relationship with Jehovah that was undeniably real and close, as if he were speaking to a friend. And yet it wasn't completely based on things actually seen, but things unseen: faith.

Isaac was young and his father old.  He could have pushed his father away and said: No.  So he willingly lay down to be  sacrificed by his father - a willing participant - so he also displayed faith in the resurrection and the promises from Jehovah about the seed coming from his  family line.  
Abraham did not have to go the whole way.... but Jehovah did go the whole way by allowing his son to die.   Jesus willingly came to earth and offered his life to be sacrificed.  This is a future picture of the greatest sacrifice offered up for mankind.  As appalling as it feels to us that Abraham did this - it is actually a picture of how appalling this was to Jehovah se offer up his son.  Both Jehovah and Jesus knew how necessary this was - otherwise we could not have the opportunity to live - we needed a legal ransom.
When Jesus died it became night and the earth shook which demonstrated Jehovah's distress that his son had died..... while being perfect..... it was an unjust death because it was not deserved.  Jesus, by his death proved that Adam could have stayed faithful to Jehovah - he was not created with a flaw.  He knew what he was doing when he chose Eve above Jehovah. One perfect man sinned and brought death upon his offspring and one man's loyalty to Jehovah until death (under much more taxing circumstances than Adam), provided the ransom to give us life.
I always ask Muslims why did god allow Abraham to offer up his son. (They believe it was Ishmael- and they do not believe that Jesus died.  They say it was made to appear so....)  If this was a picture of a future event..... Who provided that sacrificial death?   Jesus or Mohammad?

Agree,  Ann. Seems like you can post any old picture or video with any date about some current event and call it something and people would believe it and forward it to others.  Witnesses  should learn to spot fake news and evaluate information as they should be more attuned to what is truthful.  We  were warned in the Kingdom Ministry years ago when the Internet was new.

Letters from millions of people from all over the world and in different languages? Who will open them, sort them, translate them? Hardly Putin. He will probably sample a few. I worked for top executives  for many years and never knew one to open letters.  At best it might be delegated to some officer who will manage the whole affair and do some kind of précis of them, that is, if the whole lot are not discarded.
 
That doesn't mean that I did not write mine but not to Putin.  The very fact that we did something shows that we are giving Jehovah something to bless. But Putin opening thousands of letters? Hardly.  Wishful thinking.

Satan wants to divide us in thoughts, words, and action, don't let him win. She is having a happy thought about the new world, why discount it? We need to stay viligant, but also joyful. Lets stay united and not have room to divide. With love!

I thought by posting it you are already agreeing with it. Why would you post something you don't agree with?

Sometimes we have to be careful that we don't single ourselves out as being the only religion that is persecuted, because that simply is not true (I know you are not saying that). Even the Orthodox Church in Russia has as its fair share of persecution during the Bolsheviks. However, your Bible study is quite right, at present it seems that the only ones that are due to be banned are Jehovah's Witnesses. Interesting indeed
Here is an interesting article (I apologize if someone has already posted this). I like this comment: " “No one else is in a comparable position to that of the Jehovah’s Witness community,” Alexander Verkhovsky of the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis told Forum 18 last month".
http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2017/march/russia-liquidate-jehovahs-witnesses-evangelicals.html
 

You have a way with words @TrueTomHarley ;-)

There was a report (does anyone have it?) that our brothers in Russia have withdrawn all appeals and have instead requested the largest possible courtroom for the April 5th hearing, the 'overflow' courtroom. Though I haven't confirmed it (you may know all about it) it is exactly what they would do - play this out before the largest possible audience. 
It is just how Jehovah is having it play out on the world wide today. The GB invites us to write, to bring our gift to the altar. Our people respond to such an enthusiastic degree that national Post Offices are getting crushed.  Of course, this leads to publicity everywhere as to just why that is, and the reason is astounding to non-Witnesses. I'd be surprised if every Witness in the world does not write to Putin or one of his chums. Surely, the world takes notice of a faith where each member takes such an interest in each other - especially since they risk getting run over in the parking lot of their own church once services are over. Putin may just load the letters on supertankers and sink them at sea - just how do you cope with millions of unexpected letters - but he cannot fail to be know that they exist.
Those who hate Jehovah's Witnesses join in the fray, writing letters in support of the ban, like the Edomites of Psalm 137 who screamed "lay it bare!' This almost makes it better, for it adds to the tonnage. But more importantly, everyone takes their place on the world stage. Let the people firmly and publicly divide themselves into the sheep or goats category. Perhaps the GB is luring them all, as with hooks in their jaws.
Meanwhile, note how our people conduct themselves. Note how extraordinarily respectful they are (as is seen in our videos) toward  Russian authorities. Note the Sept 2016 Study Wt article on Defending the Good News before courts, which is being used today as a template. Note how our respectful response is so contrary to what the world would expect that it only adds to the witness.
Let every person in the world become aware of and take a stand on this issue. If it is to be, let Russian officials look themselves in the mirror and publicly declare: "I believe, what with all the villains and scoundrels on the loose today in our country, that taking out Jehovah's Witnesses is the most important thing we can do."
The campaign may fail in its goal of swaying the minds of Russian officials. But it will not fall short in its goal of giving a massive witness. it will not fall short in stepping up the preaching work worldwide, as it presents fresh evidence that 'the time left is reduced.' It will not fall short in giving our Russian brothers tremendous reinforcement. For the rest of their lives, persons will approach them and say: "You crushed our Post Office. Just what kind of people are you, anyway?"
After all, if any of the hard or soft apostates here suffered the same hardships our Russian brothers are suffering, does anyone think their fellow apostates would come to their aid? Or would they just be roadkill?

Yes. Not only that, but it doesn't cease to amaze me that we still have a hard time understanding that all our info. (pertaining to spiritual and/or organizational matters) always (should) come either from the Bible, via a letter read to the cong. or on the website. Any other means is hearsay or opinion. As regards the veracity of pictures shared, well a little bit of common sense definitely helps!

Agree,  Ann. Seems like you can post any old picture or video with any date about some current event and call it something and people would believe it and forward it to others.  Witnesses  should learn to spot fake news and evaluate information as they should be more attuned to what is truthful.  We  were warned in the Kingdom Ministry years ago when the Internet was new.