To fulfill their commission, the Bible Students would need to be fearless. They would need to proclaim “good tidings” to the meek as well as “the day of vengeance” to the wicked.

Brother J. H. Hoskin, who lived in Canada, witnessed fearlessly despite opposition. In the spring of 1921, he encountered a Methodist minister. Brother Hoskin began the conversation by saying: “We should talk agreeably on the Scriptures, and even if we differ on some things, we can agree to disagree and part as friends.” But that did not happen. Brother Hoskin recounted: “We had talked only a few minutes when [the minister] struck the door so hard that I thought its large glass would fall to the floor.”

“Why don’t you go to the heathen and talk to them?” the minister shouted. Brother Hoskin held his tongue, but as he left, he thought to himself, ‘I felt that I was talking to one!’

When the minister delivered his sermon the next day, the attack continued. “He warned his flock of me, telling the people that I was the worst fraud that ever struck that town and that I ought to be shot,” Brother Hoskin recalled. Not deterred in the least, he continued preaching and had good success. He said: “I never had a more glorious time canvassing. Some of the people even exclaimed, ‘I know that you are a man of God!’ and asked if they could help me so that I might not want for anything.”

To help interested ones to progress, the Bible Students published Bible study programs in The Golden Age. * The Juvenile Bible Study program consisted of questions for parents to consider with their children. Parents were to “propound these questions to their children and aid them to locate in the Bible the answer.” Some questions, such as “How many books are in the Bible?,” taught basic facts. Others, such as “Should every true Christian expect persecution in some form?,” prepared young ones to be fearless preachers.

The program Advanced Studies in the Divine Plan of the Ages provided mature Bible Students with thought-provoking questions based on the first volume of Studies in the Scriptures. Thousands of readers benefited from these programs, but The Golden Age of December 21, 1921, announced that both programs would be discontinued. Why the sudden change?

Those taking the lead realized that new Bible students needed to learn basic truths in a systematic way. To that end, the book The Harp of God was released in November 1921. Interested ones who accepted the book were also enrolled in The Harp Bible Study Course. This self-study course helped readers discern “God’s plan for blessing mankind with everlasting life.” How did this course work?

When a person accepted a copy of the book, he received a reading assignment printed on a small card. The next week, he received a card with a series of questions based on that assignment. The card ended with a reading assignment for the following week.

Each week for 12 weeks, the student received a new card mailed by the local class, or congregation. Often the cards were sent out by those in the congregation who were elderly or who had limiting circumstances. For example, Anna K. Gardner, from Millvale, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., recalled: “When The Harp of God was released, it gave Thayle, my invalid sister, more work she could do, sending out the weekly cards of questions.” When the course was completed, the student received a personal visit to help him further his Bible education.

At year’s end, Brother J. F. Rutherford sent a letter to all the classes. He noted that “the witness for the Kingdom given this year has been wider and more effective than that given during any year of the harvest period.” Looking forward, he added: “Much work remains to be done. Encourage others to join in this blessed service.” The Bible Students evidently heeded this advice. The year 1922 would see them fearlessly advertising the Kingdom in an extraordinary way.