Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 8:05 a.m. – I woke to this song:
Total Praise / Richard Smallwood
Lord, I will lift mine eyes to the hills
Knowing my help is coming from You
Your peace You give me in time of the storm
You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to You.
You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to You.
Amen, amen
Amen, amen
Amen, amen
Amen, amen
I babysat two of my grandchildren from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Then, I sat down to read the newspaper a little, while I waited on a load of clothes to finish drying in the dryer, and then I was going to have my QT with the Lord. Then, the doorbell rang. I saw that it was a woman, so I opened the door. There were two women at my front door. They both had Bibles and magazines in their hands. I stood in the doorway of my house. The women remained outside on our front stoop. I suspected they were Jehovah’s Witnesses, so I asked them what church they were from. They told me that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses and then they began to ask me a series of questions about my beliefs about holidays. Honestly, that was the first question.
One of the ladies asked specifically about Halloween. I told her that was the Devil’s holiday, which I believe it is, and then I said something to take the conversation in another direction, though I did eventually come back to the subject of holidays in another context and I did tell them that I believe that Jesus is not happy with our celebrations of Christmas because they are all about commercialism and materialism.
The two women claimed that they were not trying to get me to become a Jehovah’s Witness, which I told them they could not do anyway, yet they kept promoting their religion and their religious beliefs and how the Jehovah’s Witnesses are so much better than any other “church” because the Jehovah’s Witnesses all believe the same way no matter what congregation you go to throughout the world. I responded to that by stating that I believed that was because they were all programmed to believe the same way, i.e. they were indoctrinated to have the same interpretation of scripture and that it was man’s literature that told them how to interpret the scriptures. So, of course, they would all believe the same.
Yet, I did not leave it there. To be fair, I said this was true of many religions and denominations. Many have their own theologies by which they interpret scripture and which they then pass along to their people. I have had women in Bible study with me be more loyal to their denomination than they were to the scriptures or more loyal to their pastor and what he taught, even if the scriptures very obviously taught something to the contrary, so I do know how the teachings of man can brainwash people into following a religion, or a man, rather than a personal faith in Jesus. Yet, in some religions and/or denominations, this indoctrination can take on a cultic form, which I believe is true of Jehovah’s Witnesses, especially since many of their beliefs are contrary, as far as I understand, to the basic teachings of scripture with regard to the trinity, Jesus as being God, the resurrection of Christ, hell, sin, etc.
Here are some links I found with regard to the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses:
Is the Jehovah's Witness religion Christian? | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry - This article states:
“Typical with cults that use the Bible to support its position is a host of interpretive errors:
•Taking verses out of their immediate context.
•Refusing to read verses in the entire biblical context.
•Inserting their theological presuppositions into the text.
•Altering the Biblical text to suit their needs.
•Latching onto one verse to interpret a host of others.
•Changing the meanings of words.
•Proclaiming some passages to be figurative when they contradict their doctrines.
•Adding to the Word of God.”
Wow! I have experienced this in the Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Church of God, and C&MA denominations, etc., as well, so this is not unique to “cults.”
More from the article: “Additionally, the Jehovah's Witness organization requires of its members regular weekly attendance at their "Bible Study" meetings where they are repeatedly indoctrinated with anti-Christian teachings. This is done by reading the Watchtower magazine, following along with what it says, reading the questions it asks, and reciting the answers it gives. In other words, the Watchtower Organization carefully trains its members to let the Organization do their thinking for them. For confirmation of this, please read “Does the Watchtower organization control the JW's thinking?”
Again, wow! I have experienced this in many mainstream denominations, as well. I even sat in a Sunday school class in a Baptist church that was following the Baptist literature for their lesson. The lesson taught something that was not Biblical or that was taking scripture out of context to try to prove their philosophy, so I pointed out to them that the Bible did not teach what their literature was teaching. One woman then stormed out of the class and she went and told the pastor and after the class was over I was given the “silent treatment” and “evil looks” from people because I dared to challenge the Baptist literature. After all, we were supposed to just accept whatever it said and to never challenge its authority, as though it were scripture.
The article: “Like many cults, they think they are the only true church on earth.”
Well, if you have been in a Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, etc. church, you will find that many of them believe they are the only true church, as well. There are many jokes about this floating around. So, this, also, is not unique to “cults.”
This one spells out their beliefs and appears to have good documentation - Jehovah's Witnesses - Christian or Cult?
Ok, back to my conversation with the two women, they asked me to share about my beliefs, so I shared the gospel message with them. I told them that I believed in Jesus, in his death on the cross for my sins, in his resurrection and that he is one day coming again. I told them that I believed that we, in response to what Jesus did for us on the cross, need to turn from our sin and to turn to God in faith and obedience and to do what God’s word teaches us. Even though I shared with them my testimony and it was clear that I was a believer in Jesus Christ, still they kept on trying to convince me of something, though I wasn’t sure what. So, I finally asked them, “What is the point of what you are trying to do here?” If their goal was to lead people to Jesus Christ and I already know Jesus, then why still try to convince me of something? What did they feel I was missing?
One of the ladies turned to Revelation 2. She tried to tell me, based upon the fact that Jesus spoke to the church in Ephesus, the church in Laodicea, etc. that the church was “organized.” Then, the other lady asked me where Jesus could usually be found during his earthly ministry. They were trying to get me to say, “The temple.” But, I told them that God no longer dwells in buildings built by man but he dwells in the human hearts of those who are genuine believers in Jesus Christ, and that we are the temple of God now. I said that Jesus could be found in the temple during his earthly ministry, which is where God did dwell at that time, but he could also be found on the hillside or on the roads or in people’s homes, etc.. He went out to where the people were and he ministered to them there. And, I told them that the early church met in the temple courts and from house to house.
I told them that I admired and commended them for their commitment to go from door to door as witnesses for Jesus Christ. I said that the church, as a whole, would do well to be that committed to sharing their faith in Jesus Christ, and that, if we were, the world would not be like it is now. I lamented over the fact that much of today’s church rarely speaks of Jesus but rather what I hear coming out of many of their mouths is about TV shows and movies they have watched, video games they have played, social networks that they participate in, sports, careers, etc. but rarely do I hear them talk about Jesus, except maybe in a Sunday school class or a Bible study.
I lamented that much of today’s church is more caught up in entertaining themselves than they are in sharing the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ with a world which needs the Savior. Yet, I clarified my commendation of their witnessing by stating that it was a good thing that they did this, as long as their goal was to lead people to faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and to obedience to God and to His Word and not to lead people to a religion or to the teachings of man. So, I commended them to preach the true gospel of Jesus Christ as is found in the Word of God and not to try to persuade people to believe in a religion or a denomination.
I reiterated, before they left, the importance of teaching people about Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, that he rose from the grave, that he is now in heaven, and that one day soon he is coming again. I said that they should teach people to turn from their sin and to turn to God, i.e. to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sin and that they should teach people to obey God and His Word. If they did that, they did well.
To be continued...
Total Praise / Richard Smallwood
Lord, I will lift mine eyes to the hills
Knowing my help is coming from You
Your peace You give me in time of the storm
You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to You.
You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to You.
Amen, amen
Amen, amen
Amen, amen
Amen, amen
I babysat two of my grandchildren from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Then, I sat down to read the newspaper a little, while I waited on a load of clothes to finish drying in the dryer, and then I was going to have my QT with the Lord. Then, the doorbell rang. I saw that it was a woman, so I opened the door. There were two women at my front door. They both had Bibles and magazines in their hands. I stood in the doorway of my house. The women remained outside on our front stoop. I suspected they were Jehovah’s Witnesses, so I asked them what church they were from. They told me that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses and then they began to ask me a series of questions about my beliefs about holidays. Honestly, that was the first question.
One of the ladies asked specifically about Halloween. I told her that was the Devil’s holiday, which I believe it is, and then I said something to take the conversation in another direction, though I did eventually come back to the subject of holidays in another context and I did tell them that I believe that Jesus is not happy with our celebrations of Christmas because they are all about commercialism and materialism.
The two women claimed that they were not trying to get me to become a Jehovah’s Witness, which I told them they could not do anyway, yet they kept promoting their religion and their religious beliefs and how the Jehovah’s Witnesses are so much better than any other “church” because the Jehovah’s Witnesses all believe the same way no matter what congregation you go to throughout the world. I responded to that by stating that I believed that was because they were all programmed to believe the same way, i.e. they were indoctrinated to have the same interpretation of scripture and that it was man’s literature that told them how to interpret the scriptures. So, of course, they would all believe the same.
Yet, I did not leave it there. To be fair, I said this was true of many religions and denominations. Many have their own theologies by which they interpret scripture and which they then pass along to their people. I have had women in Bible study with me be more loyal to their denomination than they were to the scriptures or more loyal to their pastor and what he taught, even if the scriptures very obviously taught something to the contrary, so I do know how the teachings of man can brainwash people into following a religion, or a man, rather than a personal faith in Jesus. Yet, in some religions and/or denominations, this indoctrination can take on a cultic form, which I believe is true of Jehovah’s Witnesses, especially since many of their beliefs are contrary, as far as I understand, to the basic teachings of scripture with regard to the trinity, Jesus as being God, the resurrection of Christ, hell, sin, etc.
Here are some links I found with regard to the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses:
Is the Jehovah's Witness religion Christian? | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry - This article states:
“Typical with cults that use the Bible to support its position is a host of interpretive errors:
•Taking verses out of their immediate context.
•Refusing to read verses in the entire biblical context.
•Inserting their theological presuppositions into the text.
•Altering the Biblical text to suit their needs.
•Latching onto one verse to interpret a host of others.
•Changing the meanings of words.
•Proclaiming some passages to be figurative when they contradict their doctrines.
•Adding to the Word of God.”
Wow! I have experienced this in the Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Church of God, and C&MA denominations, etc., as well, so this is not unique to “cults.”
More from the article: “Additionally, the Jehovah's Witness organization requires of its members regular weekly attendance at their "Bible Study" meetings where they are repeatedly indoctrinated with anti-Christian teachings. This is done by reading the Watchtower magazine, following along with what it says, reading the questions it asks, and reciting the answers it gives. In other words, the Watchtower Organization carefully trains its members to let the Organization do their thinking for them. For confirmation of this, please read “Does the Watchtower organization control the JW's thinking?”
Again, wow! I have experienced this in many mainstream denominations, as well. I even sat in a Sunday school class in a Baptist church that was following the Baptist literature for their lesson. The lesson taught something that was not Biblical or that was taking scripture out of context to try to prove their philosophy, so I pointed out to them that the Bible did not teach what their literature was teaching. One woman then stormed out of the class and she went and told the pastor and after the class was over I was given the “silent treatment” and “evil looks” from people because I dared to challenge the Baptist literature. After all, we were supposed to just accept whatever it said and to never challenge its authority, as though it were scripture.
The article: “Like many cults, they think they are the only true church on earth.”
Well, if you have been in a Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, etc. church, you will find that many of them believe they are the only true church, as well. There are many jokes about this floating around. So, this, also, is not unique to “cults.”
This one spells out their beliefs and appears to have good documentation - Jehovah's Witnesses - Christian or Cult?
Ok, back to my conversation with the two women, they asked me to share about my beliefs, so I shared the gospel message with them. I told them that I believed in Jesus, in his death on the cross for my sins, in his resurrection and that he is one day coming again. I told them that I believed that we, in response to what Jesus did for us on the cross, need to turn from our sin and to turn to God in faith and obedience and to do what God’s word teaches us. Even though I shared with them my testimony and it was clear that I was a believer in Jesus Christ, still they kept on trying to convince me of something, though I wasn’t sure what. So, I finally asked them, “What is the point of what you are trying to do here?” If their goal was to lead people to Jesus Christ and I already know Jesus, then why still try to convince me of something? What did they feel I was missing?
One of the ladies turned to Revelation 2. She tried to tell me, based upon the fact that Jesus spoke to the church in Ephesus, the church in Laodicea, etc. that the church was “organized.” Then, the other lady asked me where Jesus could usually be found during his earthly ministry. They were trying to get me to say, “The temple.” But, I told them that God no longer dwells in buildings built by man but he dwells in the human hearts of those who are genuine believers in Jesus Christ, and that we are the temple of God now. I said that Jesus could be found in the temple during his earthly ministry, which is where God did dwell at that time, but he could also be found on the hillside or on the roads or in people’s homes, etc.. He went out to where the people were and he ministered to them there. And, I told them that the early church met in the temple courts and from house to house.
I told them that I admired and commended them for their commitment to go from door to door as witnesses for Jesus Christ. I said that the church, as a whole, would do well to be that committed to sharing their faith in Jesus Christ, and that, if we were, the world would not be like it is now. I lamented over the fact that much of today’s church rarely speaks of Jesus but rather what I hear coming out of many of their mouths is about TV shows and movies they have watched, video games they have played, social networks that they participate in, sports, careers, etc. but rarely do I hear them talk about Jesus, except maybe in a Sunday school class or a Bible study.
I lamented that much of today’s church is more caught up in entertaining themselves than they are in sharing the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ with a world which needs the Savior. Yet, I clarified my commendation of their witnessing by stating that it was a good thing that they did this, as long as their goal was to lead people to faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and to obedience to God and to His Word and not to lead people to a religion or to the teachings of man. So, I commended them to preach the true gospel of Jesus Christ as is found in the Word of God and not to try to persuade people to believe in a religion or a denomination.
I reiterated, before they left, the importance of teaching people about Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, that he rose from the grave, that he is now in heaven, and that one day soon he is coming again. I said that they should teach people to turn from their sin and to turn to God, i.e. to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sin and that they should teach people to obey God and His Word. If they did that, they did well.
To be continued...