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STUDY ARTICLE 37

You Can Trust Your Brothers

You Can Trust Your Brothers

“Love . . . believes all things, hopes all things.”​—1 COR. 13:​4, 7.

SONG 124 Ever Loyal

WETIN WE COMING LEARN? a

1. Why we not surprise that people in the world not trust each other?

 THE people in Satan world not know who to trust. The big-big business people, politicians and the big-big God people can always let them down. So it can make them to stop trusting their friends, neighbors, and even their family members. This one must not surprise us. The Bible say: “In the last days . . . , men will be . . . disloyal, . . . slanderers, . . . betrayers.” That mean people will be just like Satan, the god of this system of things who people can’t trust.​—2 Tim. 3:​1-4; 2 Cor. 4:4.

2. (a) Who we can put all our trust in? (b) How some people can be thinking some time?

2 But for us Christians, we know that we can put all our trust in Jehovah. (Jer. 17:​7, 8) We convince that he love us and that he ‘will never let us down.’ (Ps. 9:10) We can also trust Jesus because he die for us. (1 Pet. 3:18) And we na learn from our own experience that we can trust the Bible. (2 Tim. 3:​16, 17) We sure that we can trust Jehovah, Jesus, and the Bible. But maybe some people thinking whether they can always trust their brother and sister them in the congregation. If the answer that yes, why we can trust them?

WE NEED OUR BROTHER AND SISTER THEM

We get brothers and sisters all around the world who we can trust. They love Jehovah just like us (See paragraph 3)

3. What special privilege we get? (Mark 10:​29, 30)

3 Jehovah na choose us to be part of his family that worshipping him all around the world. That very special privilege that get plenty blessings! (Read Mark 10:​29, 30.) Like us, we get brother and sister them all around the world who love Jehovah and trying to do their best to live by what he say. Even though their language, culture, and their way of dressing can be different from our own, we still love them even if that our first time meeting them. We love to be with them especially to praise and worship our God Jehovah!​—​Ps. 133:​1.

4. Why we need our brother and sister them?

4 Now-now, we need to stay united with our brothers and sisters more than ever before. Sometime they can help us to bear our problem them. (Rom. 15:1; Gal. 6:​2) They can also help us to continue serving Jehovah and keep our friendship with him strong. (1 Thess. 5:11; Heb. 10:​23-25) Just think about how we will feel if we were not having the congregation to protect us and help us fight against our enemy them, Satan the Devil and this wicked world. Satan and the people them he controlling will soon attack us. Just imagine how we will be grateful to be having our brother and sister them supporting us!

5. What can make it hard for some people to trust their brother and sister them?

5 But some people can find it hard to trust their brothers and sisters. Maybe they told someone something and that person went and told other people about it. Or the person promise them something and they not do it. Or maybe someone in the congregation said or did something that hurt them bad way. This kind na thing them can make it hard to trust our brothers and sisters. So, wetin can help us to trust them?

LOVE FOR OUR BROTHERS CAN HELP US TO TRUST THEM

6. How love can help us to trust our brother them? (1 Corinthians 13:​4-8)

6 Love can make us to trust other people. First Corinthians chapter 13 talk about different-different ways love can help us trust our brothers or to start trusting those who let us down. (Read 1 Corinthians 13:​4-8.) For example, verse 4 say, “love is patient and kind.” Jehovah can be patient with us even when we sin against him. That the same way we must be patient with our brothers when they say or do things that make us vex or hurt us. Then verse 5 say: “[Love] does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury.” We must not be marking our brother them mistake. That mean we must not continue thinking on what our brother did to hurt us. Ecclesiastes 7:9 say that we must not be quick to get vex. So it better to apply Ephesians 4:26. It say: “Do not let the sun set while you are still angry”!

7. How Matthew 7:​1-5 can help us to trust other people?

7 We can also learn to trust our brothers and sisters by looking at them the same way Jehovah look at them. God love them and he can’t mark their mistakes. So, we must not mark their mistakes too. (Ps. 130:​3) We must try our best to focus on our brothers good qualities instead of focusing on their mistakes. We can also think on the good-good thing them they able to do. (Read Matthew 7:​1-5.) We believe that they want do good and they can’t mean it to hurt us. We can do that one because love “believe all things.” (1 Cor. 13:​7) It not mean that Jehovah just want for us to trust anybody. But he want us to trust people because they can do things that can make other people to trust them. b

8. How you can learn to trust your brother them?

8 Trust just like respect. You need to work hard for it, and it can take time. How you can learn to trust your brothers? Try to know them good-good. Talk with them when you go to meeting. Try to work with them in field service. Be patient with them and allow them to show that you can trust them. When you just getting to know someone, maybe you will not want tell the person plenty things about yourself. When yor friendship start getting thick, maybe you will be free now to start telling the person plenty things about yourself. (Luke 16:10) But wetin you can do if one of your brothers let you down? Don’t be quick to end the friendship, just allow some time to pass. And don’t let few people actions to stop you from trusting the rest of your brothers. In line with this, we coming talk about some servants of Jehovah who set good example. Even though some people let them down, they continue to trust other people.

LEARN FROM THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO TRUST OTHER PEOPLE

The way Eli treated Hannah from the beginning, not stop her from still trusting in Jehovah arrangement (See paragraph 9)

9. (a) How Hannah continue to trust in Jehovah arrangement? (b) Wetin we can learn from Hannah example about trusting Jehovah arrangement?

9 Someone taking the lead na make you feel bad before? If so, then you can benefit from Hannah example. That High Priest Eli was taking the lead in Israel that time. But his family was not setting good example. His sons who were priest, use to always do wicked things. And their father not do anything much to correct them. But Jehovah not stop Eli from being high priest right away. Still Hannah not stop worshiping Jehovah at the tabernacle even though Eli was high priest there. When Hannah was praying and crying, Eli make mistake by thinking that she was drunk. He not even try to find out what happen, he just start talking to the woman who was already feeling bad. (1 Sam. 1:​12-16) With all that one, Hannah promise that if she born boy child, she will bring him to the tabernacle, where Eli will take care of him. (1 Sam. 1:11) You think Eli sons still needed correction? Yes. Jehovah punish them at the right time. (1 Sam. 4:17) In the meantime, God bless Hannah with boy child. His name was Samuel.​—​1 Sam. 1:​17-20.

10. How King David continue to trust other people?

10 Somebody you close to na let you down before? If so, you can learn from King David experience. Ahithophel was one of King David friends. But when Absalom try to overthrow his father David, Ahithophel join Absalom. It really hurt David to see his son and his friend betraying him! But this one not stop David from trusting other people. He continue to trust his loyal friend, Hushai, who refuse to join Absalom them. David was having good reason to trust Hushai. Hushai prove to be good friend, and he even put his life in danger to help David.​—​2 Sam. 17:​1-16.

11. How one of Nabal servants show that he was having trust in Abigail?

11 We can also learn from the example of one of Nabal servant. David and his men protected the servants of one Israelite man name Nabal. After some time, David ask the rich man Nabal to give he and his men food, anything that he could give. Nabal refuse to help David and his men. So it really make David vex and he decided to kill all the men them in Nabal house. One of the servant told Nabal wife Abigail everything that happen. He was part of that family. So he knew that Abigail was going to save his life. Instead of running away, he was having trust in Abigail that she was going to do something to solve the problem. He was having that trust in her because everybody knew her to be wise and good woman. The next thing Abigail did show that the servant was having good reason to trust her. Abigail was brave. She convince David to not do what he plan. (1 Sam. 25:​2-35) She also trusted David that he was going to do the right thing.

12. How Jesus show that he trust his disciples?

12 Even though Jesus disciples use to make mistake, but he was still having trust in them. (John 15:​15, 16) When James and John ask Jesus for special position in heaven, Jesus not condemn them or stop them from being his apostles. (Mark 10:​35-40) Later, when they arrested Jesus, all his disciples left from behind him. (Matt. 26:56) But still, Jesus was having faith in his disciples. He knew that they were not perfect, still he “loved them to the end.” (John 13:​1) When Jesus was resurrected, he gave his 11 faithful apostles great responsibility to take the lead in the preaching work and to take care of his sheep. (Matt. 28:​19, 20; John 21:​15-17) He was having good reason to trust his apostle them, even though they were not perfect. All of them remain faithful until they die. Yes, Hannah, David, Nabal servant, Abigail, and Jesus set  fine example to trust imperfect people.

LEARNING TO TRUST OUR BROTHERS AGAIN

13. What can make it hard for us to trust other people?

13 You na tell any brother something private about yourself only to find out that he betray you? It can really make you feel bad. One sister told one elder something private about herself. The next day, the elder wife call the sister to encourage her. The way the elder wife gave the encouragement show that she knew about the private talk. So it make it hard for the sister to trust that elder again. But the sister did the right thing by asking for help. She told another elder about it, and he help her to start trusting the elder them again.

14. Wetin help one brother to start trusting the elder them again?

14 One brother got vex with two elders and stop trusting them for long time. But the brother learn something from one JW Broadcasting® program that he watch. In that broadcasting, one Governing Body member said something that make plenty sense. He said: “Satan that the enemy, not our brother them.” That one make the brother to think about what to do. After praying about the matter, he went and made peace with the two elders.

15. Why it can take time to start trusting people again? Give one example.

15 You na lost privilege in the congregation before? It can really hurt. Grete and her ma were loyal Jehovah Witnesses in Germany during the 1930’s when they ban our work. Grete use to enjoy the privilege of typing copies of The Watchtower for her brother and sister them. But when the brother them learn that her pa was against the truth, they took that privilege from her. They were scare that her pa was going to take some information and give it to those that were opposing them. Grete problems not end there. During World War two, the brothers never use to gave Grete and her ma magazines. When they use to see them on the street, they never use to speak to them. It really hurt Grete! It make it hard for her to forgive and to trust the brothers again. After some time, she knew that Jehovah na forgave them, so she herself needed to forgive them too. c

“Satan that the enemy, not our brothers”

16. Why we must work hard to trust our brothers and sisters?

16 If you na get this kind na painful experience before, work hard to start trusting people again. Maybe, it will take time, but you will benefit from doing it. For example, if we na eat food that hurt our stomach, maybe we will be careful about what we eat. But that one will not stop us from eating again. That the same way we must not let one bad experience stop us from trusting our brothers and sisters, because we know they not perfect. When we start trusting people again, it will help us to be more happy and to focus on what we can do to set good example in our congregation.

17. Why trust so important, and wetin we will discuss in the next article?

17 In Satan world, it hard for people to trust each other. But we must trust our brother them because we love them and they love us. When we trust our brothers and sisters, it will help us to be happy and united now-now. It will also protect us when we facing hard time in the future. Wetin you must do if someone let you down and you not trust them again? Try to look at situation the way Jehovah will look at it. Apply Bible principles. Get deep love for your brother them and learn from Bible examples. We can overcome our bad feelings and start trusting other people again. When we do that one, we will be bless with plenty friend them who ‘will stick to us more than our born brother.’ (Prov. 18:24) But trust that not one-way traffic. So in the next article, we will discuss what we can do for our brother them to trust us.

SONG 99 Myriads of Brothers

a We need to trust our brother them. But it not always easy because some time they can let us down. In this article, we coming talk about some Bible principles that we can apply. We will also talk about some Bible examples that we can think on. This will help us to make our trust strong in our brother and sister them or to trust them again if they let us down.

b The Bible gave us warning to not trust some people in the congregation. (Jude 4) Sometime, false brothers will try to fool people by saying “twisted things.” (Acts 20:30) But we must not trust or listen to people like that.

c To read more about Grete experience, see the 1974 Yearbook of Jehovah Witnesses, pp. 129-131.