3.5 years vs. a lifetime of going door to door.

by tootired2care 57 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • tec
    tec

    We are not qualified to discuss this mystical imperfect book, because we don't have the desire to sugar coat, twist, dismiss and reinvent any of it.

    Does discussion mean agreement? I never said anyone else was not qualified to discuss the bible, did I?

    Jwfacts.com has all the same information and then some, that others who are believers contributed on this thread. I checked afterward, because I am not always clear, and I knew jwfacts would have it organized more clearly. And if I recall, he is also an atheist.

    Now I offered another way to look at it, as did a few others, suggesting good reasons why no one would be going door to door as WTS says the apostles and disciples did. Suggesting that we also THINK rather than just let one sentence determine the truth of the jw system. Because any rule or doctrine can be drawn from the bible if you take one sentence, without applying context, times, and reasoning to the passage.

    Peace,

    tammy

  • Godsendconspirator
    Godsendconspirator

    http://bible.cc/acts/20-20.htm

    Some bible translation reads it as "in houses".

  • outsmartthesystem
    outsmartthesystem

    "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

    The apostles carried on the ministry the way they were taught from Jesus unless I'm missing something."

    I agree with Mr. Freeze. They did not go door to door. The Greek term used was kata'oikos. It can mean "door to door" and it can also mean "in private homes". Jesus preached on a mountain top, in private homes, by a well, on a boat etc. Paul preached by a river, in private homes, in the synagogue, in the marketplace etc. There are dozens of biblical examples of preaching.....yet not one of them indicates that either Jesus or any of his followers or any of the apostles ever engaged in a consecutive door to door preaching work. Knowing that there are 0 examples of door to door preaching in the bible.....what way do you think that scripture should be translated? As "house to house" or as "in private homes"? I think it was translated as "house to house" simply to match ORGANIZATIONAL history since the witnesses had already been well known for their house to house proseletyzing for decades by the time the NWT came out.

  • tootired2care
    tootired2care

    Okay tomato tamoto...i'll re-iterate my earlier point because at the end of the day this technicality doesn't matter; it's all still the same burdensome nonsense, that Jesus only had to do 3.5 years while demanding that his followers to do it their whole life.

    At the end of the day I'm not really too concerned with this, because the life that the bible asks us to live as Christians witnesses or not, is cruel and a pointless waste of time and potential. Perhaps I should have titled the thread "3-5-years-vs-a-lifetime-of-preaching", does it really matter? Market place to market place, door to door, the annoying labor intensive, no-gain work is required of a Christian is still the same for all practical purposes, is it not? Can you really say you're a true Christian if your not activley preaching in some form? Matt 6:33 and other such texts that give you the impression that God is somehow magically helping you with this work is crap.
    The last 2,000 years of history and confusion from all religious texts have plainly shown that all religion is futility and only produces bad fruit in the end. Thanks to people like Christopher Hitchins, and the many people on this board that have helped me on my path to freedom.
  • Searril
    Searril

    I don't find my life as a Christian to be "cruel and a pointless waste of time and potential", and find very much the opposite to be true. I do preach quite a bit, but I don't waste my time going door-to-door as it is ineffective and not inline with how it was done by the 1st century Christians anyway.

    So I guess we will not have any commonality on the subject and it's not worth discussing.

  • tootired2care
    tootired2care

    So what about never preparing for the morrow, and leaving it all in Gods hands, and never really knowing where you stand as you go through these patterns your whole life. I looks at kids, kids like to have confirmation/validation occasionaly to let them know they are on the right path, and really believe in what they are doing. Do you ever wonder about such things?

  • tec
    tec

    Is there something that says never prepare for tomorrow... or does it say not to worry about tomorrow?

    As for validity, I think God asks only that we do what is right... in serving and helping and showing love for our fellow man. There is validity in doing that, isn't there? Isn't it a natural validity? I do think that he also gives his children confirmation/validation in spirit though as well. I suppose we might not always recognize that?

    Peace,

    tammy

  • tootired2care
    tootired2care

    Seems to me that Jesus is saying don't worry about stuff I got this...just seek my kingdom first, and everything will be fine.

    If I were to decide to pursue a good carreer that would provide well and give me a good future materially, i'm not sure it would stand up to Jesus criteria of how to live ones life below. I would consider a good education, and good paying job with retirement benefits preparing for the morrow.

    Matt 6:

    19 “Stop storing up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal.21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
    22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If, then, your eye is simple, your whole body will be bright; 23 but if your eye is wicked, your whole body will be dark. If in reality the light that is in you is darkness, how great that darkness is!
    24 “No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. YOU cannot slave for God and for Riches.
    25 “On this account I say to YOU: Stop being anxious about YOUR souls as to what YOU will eat or what YOU will drink, or about YOUR bodies as to what YOU will wear. Does not the soul mean more than food and the body than clothing? 26 Observe intently the birds of heaven, because they do not sow seed or reap or gather into storehouses; still YOUR heavenly Father feeds them. Are YOU not worth more than they are? 27 Who of YOU by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span? 28 Also, on the matter of clothing, why are YOU anxious? Take a lesson from the lilies of the field, how they are growing; they do not toil, nor do they spin;29 but I say to YOU that not even Sol′o·mon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. 30 If, now, God thus clothes the vegetation of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much rather clothe YOU, YOU with little faith? 31 So never be anxious and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ or, ‘What are we to put on?’ 32 For all these are the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. For YOUR heavenly Father knows YOU need all these things.
    33 “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these [other] things will be added to YOU. 34 So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own badness.

  • NewChapter
    NewChapter

    Yeah, I have to agree that the Jesus plan is not a good retirement plan AT ALL.

    We have already established, on other threads, that children starve, people are homeless, and resources are hoarded by the greedy and rich. We've also established that God, in his wisdom, allows this to happen. Considering all this, it would be foolish to follow the birds of the heaven plan. I mean on the one hand, a believer insists that this message is a good one to live by, but on the other they also admit that their god will probably not help unless faith is sterling and nearly perfect, which at least one Christian has admitted their's is not.

    Best just to feed the children and prepare for the future and not be expecting any other worldly help.

    NC

  • tec
    tec

    Yes. (@TT2C)

    I'm pretty sure the message is on seeking the kingdom first as priority, rather than on material things. There is great truth in that lesson. But I will think on it more, and ask about it.

    Peace,

    tammy

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