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"There will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories." Would all Christians be misled? No. Paul continued: "You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelize, fully accomplish your ministry." (2?Timothy 4:3-5; Luke 21:8; Acts 20:29, 30; 2?Peter 2:1-3) Timothy and other faithful Christians lived by that inspired counsel.
True Christians Are Still United
Like Timothy, true Christians today are keeping their senses by rejecting human reasoning and by accepting only Scriptural authority for their doctrinal beliefs. (Colossians 2:8; 1 John 4:1) In imitation of first-century Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses are accomplishing their ministry in over 230 lands, bringing Jesus' original message, the good news of the Kingdom, to people everywhere. Consider four important ways in which they unitedly imitate Jesus and practice true Christianity regardless of where they live.
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Their beliefs are based on God's Word. (John 17:17) A parish priest in Belgium wrote about them: "One thing we can learn from them [Jehovah's Witnesses] is their willingness to listen to God's Word and their courage to witness about it."
They look to God's Kingdom for relief from global problems. (Luke 8:1) In Barranquilla, Colombia, a Witness spoke to Antonio, a strong supporter of a political movement. The Witness did not take sides with him, nor did he advocate some other political ideology. Instead, he offered to study the Bible with Antonio and his sisters free of charge. Soon Antonio realized that God's Kingdom really is the only hope for poor people in Colombia and in the rest of the world.
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They honor God's name. (Matthew 6:9) When Jehovah's Witnesses first met Maria, a sincere Catholic living in Australia, she allowed the Witnesses to show her God's name in the Bible. How did she respond? "When I first saw God's name in the Bible, I wept. I was so moved by the knowledge that I could actually know and use the personal name of God." Maria continued to study the Bible, and for the first time in her life, she got to know Jehovah as a person and was able to build a lasting relationship with him.
They are united by love. (John 13:34, 35) An editorial in The Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle, Canada, commented: "Regardless of your religious persuasion, or lack of, you've got to hand it to the 4,500 Jehovah's Witnesses who worked around the clock during the past week and a half to build a 25,000-square-foot [2,300-square-meter] Assembly Hall in Cassidy .?.?. To do this cheerfully without arguing, dissension or glory-grabbing is a mark of true Christianity."
So consider the evidence. While Christendom's theologians, missionaries, and churchgoers continue to grapple with the gathering storm of controversy in their churches, true Christianity is flourishing worldwide. Indeed, true Christians are going about their assigned ministry of preaching and teaching God's Word. (Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20) If you are among those who are "sighing and groaning" over the detestable things now taking place and are troubled by the disunity among the religions of Christendom, we invite you to join Jehovah's Witnesses in united Christian worship of the only true God, Jehovah.?Ezekiel 9:4; Isaiah 2:2-4.
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