Comments You Will Not Hear at the 8-8-04 WT Study (July 1, 2004 issue) ABBREVIATED
Review comments will be in black and parentheses () WT quotes will be in red and quotes "" Quotes from other sources will be in blue ?GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES? "All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go therefore and make disciples."?Matthew 28:18,19?NWT(This is a snippet from the NWT; in full it reads: 18 And Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: "All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit,)
Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.?Matthew 28:18,19?Amplified Biblewww.biblegateway.com /cgi-bin/bible
Opening Comments
My garden, flower beds, new job of 2 weeks and several weekend events preclude only an abbreviated review this week. There are some interesting points that others here on JWD might have researched. One is Matthew 28:18 which is rarely mentioned by the WTS; but verses 19 and 20 appear over and over. Why is verse 18 left by the wayside?
18 And Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: "All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded YOU. And, look! I am with YOU all the days until the conclusion of the system of things." MATTHEW 28:18-20START OF ARTICLE
Paragraphs 1 and 2We have a nice painting of Jesus with some of his disciples. To the left of Jesus we see a family with father, wife and son; to the right we see four adult men (perhaps 4 of the 12 apostles) and a larger crowd behind him. Nowhere in the Bible do we find Jesus sending out women to make disciples; he sent out the 12 male apostles and later 70 male disciples.
What did Jesus mean when he said "all authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth"? Was he speaking of a time far in the future (1914 as taught by the WTS/JWs)? Or was he talking about right then? When did the Kingdom begin?33 CE or 1914 CE?
Insight Book Volume 1 p. 1061 Heaven
By his resurrection and ascension to God?s right hand , Christ Jesus became "higher than the heavens" (Heb 7:26) in that he was thereby placed "far above every government and authority and power and lordship . . . not only in this system of things, but also in that to come."?Eph 1:19-21; Mt 28:18.What does the WTS teach?
w95 10/15 p. 21 How Will You Stand Before the Judgment Seat? ***
He was seated next to God, awaiting the time to act as King of God?s Kingdom. Paul wrote of him: "With reference to which one of the angels has he ever said: ?Sit at my right hand, until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet??"?Hebrews 1:13
Jehovah?s Witnesses have published much evidence that Jesus? period of waiting expired in 1914
, when he became ruler of God?s Kingdom in the invisible heavens. Revelation 11:15, 18 says: "The kingdom of the world did become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will rule as king forever and ever." "But the nations became wrathful, and your own wrath came." Yes, the nations expressed wrath toward one another during World War I. (Luke 21:24) The wars, earthquakes, pestilences, food shortages, and the like, that we have seen since 1914 confirm that Jesus is now ruling in God?s Kingdom, and the world?s final end is near.?Matthew 24:3-14.w90 3/15 p. 15 Cooperating With the Governing Body Today AT PENTECOST 33 C.E., Jesus Christ, the Head of the congregation, began actively ruling in the kingdom of his spirit-anointed slaves. How so? By means of the holy spirit, angels, and a visible governing body. As the apostle Paul indicated, God ?delivered anointed ones from the authority of the darkness and transferred them into the kingdom of the Son of his love.??Colossians 1:13-18; Acts 2:33, 42; 15:2; Galatians 2:1, 2; Revelation 22:16.So does Jesus have a two-part rulership?
"All Authority Has Been Given Me" Paragraphs 3-6Instead the WTS concentrates on the need to "obey" the "command" to make disciples. Why should JWs obey?
Jesus has authority over his congregation, and since 1914 he has had authority over God?s newly established Kingdom (didn?t part of it start in 33 CE?).Here is a loaded statement:
He is the archangel and as such commands a heavenly army of hundreds of millions of angels. (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 19:14-16).Ever try to prove that when you were a JW? It was one of the reasons I starting digging into the statements without any apparent proof that the WTS made and clung to. Notice this is a statement of fact as if everyone and his brother knows and accepts this fact.
The WTS did it last year:
w03 6/1 p. 15 "Do Not Be Afraid or Be Terrified"
He has already caused Satan to suffer a humiliating defeat at the hands of the archangel Michael?God?s newly enthroned King, Christ Jesus.The last feeble attempt at a scriptural explanation was in 1991:
w91 4/15 p. 28 Do You Remember?
Why do we conclude that Jesus is the archangel Michael?God?s Word mentions only one archangel, and it speaks of that angel in reference to the resurrected Lord Jesus: "The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel?s voice and with God?s trumpet." (1 Thessalonians 4:16) At Jude 9 we find that this archangel?s name is Michael.?2/1, page 17. Surely a command given by the One vested with such vast authority should be viewed as of the highest importance. Therefore, we respectfully and willingly obey Christ?s command to ?go and make disciples.?JWs are slowing down and the WTS is trying to whip them up with threats from Jesus.
Now they try to buy their obedience.
Early in his eartlhly ministry, Jesus taught his disciples in a striking way that recognizing his authority (really the authority of the GB the only earthly channel to Jesus on earth) and obeying his commands would lead to blessings (in the case of Jesus providing fish when there was none?Luke 5:1-10). Jesus did not require blind obedience?we do not require that people simply do as we tell them; but we give them convincing reasons to obey Christ?s commands.Convincing reasons re: beards, only men can handle microphones at the meetings, pour blood on the ground but blood fractions are okay?.
w94 10/1 p. 8 The Bible?A Book Meant to Be Understood
All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the "greatly diversified wisdom of God" can become known only through Jehovah?s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.?John 6:68. Convincing Reasons and Proper Motives Paragraphs 7-9 Because we recognize Christ?s authority, we have a part in the Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making work?.Roy (baptized 1951)?I promised to serve him always. I want to keep my word?Heather (baptized 1962)?I want to show my gratitude?Hannelore (baptized 1954)?we are supported by angels (hmmmm?)?Honor (baptized in 1969)?when Jehovah?s time of judgment comes, I do not want anyone in the neighborhood to be able to charge Jehovah and his Witnesses with negligence and say, I never received a warning?Claudio (baptized 1974) When we are preaching, we are ?under God?s view? and "in the company of Christ.? While we are in the ministry, we enjoy the company of our best Friends."Angels are helping us?how do you think many JWs explain that? Our best Friends?that?s right because no one at the congregation wants to be Claudio?s friend.
Shows the importance of having the proper motive for obeying Christ?love.That?s right, it?s not living in a paradise earth forever. Don?t despair, on page 29, at the end of the life story of Audrey Mock Knorr Hyde (Nathan?s wife) she ends by saying what motivates her, "the hope of living with our brothers and sisters on a paradise earth, serving our Grand Creator, the only true God, Jehovah, for all eternity." Evidently, she is not of the anointed.
Morbid fear would have been a wrong motive for obeying Christ?.Today, we likewise do not use fear or similar negative emotions, such as guilt and shame, to coerce others into obeying Christ (but into obeying the WTS).Have you ever counted the shoulds, oughts, musts, and similar words in a WT article?
"Make Disciples of People of All Nations" Paragraphs 10-11 Less than 30 years after Jesus? death, the apostle Paul could write that the good news had been preached not only to the Jews but to "all creation that is under heaven."?Colossians 1:23.Have ever tried to explain how that could be when China, North and South America had never been reached?
Has the WTS accomplished this? While in 235 lands, have they reached the Muslims and the Chinese? What hope is there? Do they have to fulfill Matthew 24:14? Does everyone get an individual opportunity?
w65 9/15 p. 576 Questions from Readers
Since millions of persons in China and other places have never heard the Kingdom message, will these people be preserved through the destruction of Babylon the Great and the war of Armageddon, or perhaps be resurrected later??H.S., U.S.A. So, if it is Jehovah?s will to have this message personally carried to the millions on earth who seemingly have not yet heard it, that will be accomplished. If he chooses, he could see to it that this message is spread in ways that we cannot yet imagine. Jesus did foretell that "this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come." (Matt. 24:14) We can rest assured that God will see that the preaching work is done to his satisfaction. "Out of All the Languages"Paragraphs 12-13 Zechariah 8:23 It will be in those days that ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold?of the skirt of a man who is a Jew, saying: ?We will go with you people, for we have heard that God is with you people.?"I can remember when that was first explained in one of Fred Franz? prophecy books.
In the larger fulfillment of this prophecy, the "man who is a Jew" represents the remnant of anointed Christians, while the "ten men" represent the "great crowd." (For once the WTS does footnote to go to a publication that explains this interestingly published not by the WTBTS but "Jehovah?s Witnesses." I thought that JWs weren?t book and magazine publishers?) Box (Publications for the Blind)An experience of an blind elder and full-time minister who acts as a service overseer?feel the guilt coming on?
While the WTS publishes in 400 languages only prints Bibles in 31. It is a good thing the Bible Societies out there are picking up the slack.
An average of some 5,000 people were baptized each week.
I wonder how many people became inactive, DF?d or DA?d that week?
A Rewarding Ministry?Can You Share In It? Paragraphs 14?16 Immigrants??every tongue??correct fishing gear?many Witnesses have learned to speak a language other than their own?I know JWs in my area that have made a feeble attempt to learn Spanish or ASL. Many are sisters looking for a new field to find husbands. Others are bored with the English congregations or looking for the Christian love they aren?t finding.
GUILT INDUCING EXPERIENCE WARNING
A Witness couple volunteered to go and make disciples among Polish-speaking immigrants. The response to their efforts was so overwhelming that the husband felt compelled to reduce his secular employment so as to have one more day a week available to study the Bible (WT publications) with those showing interest?."Our ministry makes us very happy."We know who compelled this man and why. Do you think he got the appointment and privileges he was hoping for?
Could you adjust your circumstances so as to have a share in this stimulating ministry? If you are still attending school, could you study a foreign language?discuss this with your parents (obviously this is not a college student). Varying Our Methods Paragraphs 17-19 Understandably, circumstances do not permit most of us to cast our "nets"? Reach more people?How? Varying?our methods?high-security buildings?many others are not at home when we call?at different times and in different locations.Right, they think Brother and Sister We Have Plans are going to go out on a Saturday evening or Wednesday nights when people are likely to be home? I can remember pioneering and showing up on Wednesdays and no one would meet, including the brother assigned to coordinate the group.
Wherever people can be found?airports (hmmm since 9/11 I wonder?), in offices, in stores, in parking lots, at bus stops, on streets, in parks, on beaches (nude?)?.You can hardly get people to do D2D let alone these exotic places!
Jesus? assignment to make disciples included details not only about why and where we should do that work but also about what we should preach and until when we should continue to do so. Concluding CommentsYou can tell this is just the introductory article for the one-two punch next week.
Learn that elders that should be taking the lead in field service despite his many congregation responsibilities?learn about the spiriitually weak, people who have slowed down or stopped?weaker Christian?staring at them from a distance?weaker ones.
So how many hours do have to drop down to "slow down"?
Have a good weekend everyone!
Blondie