WHAT HAS THE WTS SAID IN THE PAST AS TO WHAT IS A JW, WHO IS ONE OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES:
NO *w57 2/15 114 - **Being one of Jehovah's witnesses means more than saying, 'I am one of Jehovah's witnesses.' Are you witnessing? Regularly? All physically able have the responsibility to preach publicly and from house to house, as did Jesus, and in addition take advantage of all opportunities to witness to friends, neighbors, etc., while the physically infirm are privileged to witness to visitors, write letters, make telephone calls, and in other ways share in giving the mighty witness. Without exception each witness of Jehovah is aware of his obligations in this regard, as set out in Ezekiel 3:17-21. If one does not witness, he is not one of Jehovah's witnesses. To call ourselves witnesses of Jehovah and then to refrain from witnessing, which is ministering, would be taking Jehovah's name in a vain or worthless way. Never may that happen, and it will not so long as a proper view of the ministry is maintained.
NO*w59 12/1 722 -
**All who are counted as Jehovah's witnesses are active preachers of the good news meeting the Biblical standard of morals, since an inactive Christian or one not meeting the standard is not a Christian at all. He is not a witness for Jehovah.
NO*w67 1/1 11-12 - **If you call yourself a Christian, you should be doing what Jesus did or the disciples did. The early Christian congregation showed zeal for God and his kingdom and walked in Jesus' footsteps.
YES*w68 2/15 118 - **One brief experience: A sister, inactive for three years, related to the overseer that 'it is going to be difficult to come back into the truth. I have been away so long. How can I even think of going out in the service or to the meetings?' She had been caring for her critically ill mother for so long until her death that she, herself, had become spiritually weak and inactive. She was encouraged to feel that she had never really been out of the truth but fulfilling a feature of her ministry so vital to good Christian conduct and love, and that Jehovah had not forgotten her works of love. She was told that brothers in prison could not share in meetings or field service but they weren't out of the truth.
*km 11/70 1 - **And, are there inactive ones in your congregation or even in your own family? Cool treatment is not the therapy. What a thrill if they begin to love again through your kind example and encouragement
NO*w71 1/1 11 - **Do you beg off from what God's written Word says, and still call yourself a Christian?
*km 2/82 7 - **Learning that Jehovah did still care, the inactive sister began to weep. She had stopped associating due to many family problems and discouragement, wrongly assuming she had been disfellowshipped because of her long absence. This 'lost sheep' came to appreciate Jehovah's mercy and that he was still interested in her. She soon found her way back to active service with the congregation.
*w82 5/1 26-7 - **Two elders made a call on an inactive couple who in the past had been exceptionally zealous Witnesses. No sooner had the conversation begun than the inactive husband defensively remarked that he knew he should be out in the field service teaching others. "Right now I don't think you should," was the surprising reply of Russell, one of the elders. "If you had a member of your family sick, would you tell him to go out and mow the lawn? Well, we're not going to tell you to 'mow the lawn' either. We want you to get well..
NO*w84 6/1 22 - **Even though you may have specific times set aside to share in certain features of the witnessing work, a dedicated servant of Jehovah should be praising him in word and deed at all times. Are you doing this? Jesus' early followers were spoken of as belonging to "The Way." (Acts 9:1, 2) So they were not serving God only a few hours a month. Their service was a way of life! Are we like the first-century Christians if we are irregular Kingdom publishers who rarely engage in witnessing activity? Can we rightly call ourselves Jehovah's Witnesses if we say little or nothing to others about our hope?
NO*w86 12/1 11 - **It is not enough to call oneself a Christian witness of Jehovah. To have the mind of Christ, we must regularly fill our minds with understanding of Jesus' life and example. That means we need a regular and genuine study of the Scriptures along with Bible study aids that help to clarify meaning and context.
YES*w93 7/15 27 - **Inactivity in the ministry or in attending Christian meetings does not mean that the sheep is no longer part of the flock. He remains part of "all the flock" for whom the elders must "render an account" to Jehovah.
*w93 4/1 30 - **In contrast, overseers in the Christian congregation remember that all of God's sheep are precious in his eyes, and they deal rewardingly with each one of them. They care not just for the 99 who are healthy but also for the one who is weak or emotionally disturbed.-Matthew 18:12-14; Acts 20:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:14, 15; 1 Peter 5:7.
YES*km 6/96 1 - ** Most who are inactive have not abandoned the truth; they have simply stopped preaching because of discouragement, personal problems, materialism, or other anxieties of life. (Luke 21:34-36)
