Jehovah’s Witnesses convention highlights enduring quality of love

DALUWON, Ogun, Nigeria – The first week in the much-advertised series of “Love Never Fails” 2019 conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses kicked off last weekend, with the convention chairman, Ayodele Adesogan, presenting the theme: “Love Never Fails”​—Why?” 

The discourse is the first in a series of talks, interviews, video dramas, demonstrations and musicals that make up the 3-day program. Set against the beautiful, calm and spacious Assembly Hall along Mowe-Ofada Road, Ogun State, the Speaker explained the kind of love that never fails – not the romantic type (eros) forming the theme of popular songs, books and movies.

He further distinguished this unfailing love from both the natural affection between family members (storge), and friendship (philia). Referring to 1 Corinthians 13:8, he identified this eternally enduring love as agape, love based on Godly principles. By reference to John 13:34, 35, the Speaker stated that this kind of love is what identifies and distinguishes Jesus true followers.

As an example, Adesogan narrated the life-changing experience of a man in Thailand who experienced first-hand the love among Jehovah’s Witnesses. The audience then watched a video in which Gerrit Losch, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses highlighted that Christians are trained to love at will, even their enemies. This, he said, is shown in God sending Jesus to earth and is a victory over man’s natural inclination to retaliate.

In demonstration of the importance of enduring love among true Christians, the speaker took the delegates through an explanation of 1 Corinthians 13:8. He showed that while the miraculous gifts of the holy spirit, such as speaking in tongues, healings and prophecies for which the 1st Century Christians were known eventually passed away, love was described in the same scriptures as never failing, lasting forever. And why not? Because The Scriptures describe God as love, and He lives forever. Without love, the speaker stated, all other Christian attributes amount to nothing. 

Adesogan encouraged the over 2,000 delegates to view the convention as a 3-day training course in showing unselfish love in a loveless world. 

The 2019 Conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses will be held in 6 continents, over 200 countries and over 400 languages. Over 50 of such conventions will be held in and around Lagos – Lekki, Badagry, Daluwon, and Ota. The program will be presented in English, Gun, Pidgin, Yoruba Igbo and French. More information about the conventions may be found on jw.org. 

There are about 8.6 million Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide in 240 lands where they are organized into 119,954 Congregations. More information is available on jw.org, accessible in 975 languages.

Their conventions usually result in increased commercial activities around the venue, with hotels, stores and transport service providers making brisk businesses. The conventions continue during the next 16 weekends in Daluwon, Lekki, Ota and Badagry.