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What-A-Coincidence
JoinedPosts by What-A-Coincidence
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Governing Body Letter to Apostates 2005 in Yearkbook ;-)
by What-A-Coincidence inedited now with commentary.. .
taken from 2006 yearbook.
includes pg.
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What-A-Coincidence
Edited now with commentary.
Taken from 2006 Yearbook. Includes pg. 2-5 and pg. 30 re "THE ORDER"
WE MUST OBEY GOD AS RULER RATHER THAN MEN.”—Acts 5:29.
Shortly before his death, Jesus warned his apostles that they would be “objects of hatred by all the nations.” (Matt. 24:9) Ever since the very birth of Christianity, those words have proved true. Countless governments have tried to silence the proclamation of the good news, but they have failed because Jehovah blesses and guards his loyal ones. (Ps. 97:10) How fitting it is, therefore, to keep close in mind our yeartext for 2006! In the pages that follow, you will learn that Jehovah’s Witnesses obey God as Ruler (Umm no. They obey 12 men as rulers) despite many forms of human opposition. May you be encouraged and strengthened to follow their example always.
CONTENTS
Romania 67
Zambia 163 ... Can't wait to spend my life reading these!!! No offense to Romanians or Zambians.
May you have undeserved kindness and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This was the greeting Paul used in many of his letters to the congregations. It well expresses what we wish for all of you.—Eph. 1:2.
How we appreciate the undeserved kindness from Jehovah through the ransom sacrifice of Christ Jesus! By means of the ransom, we have an approved standing before God. We could never attain this through our own efforts, no matter how diligently we might study the Bible, preach the good news, or perform other good works. Forgiveness of sins and everlasting life are extended to us, not as payment for our efforts, but as gifts reflecting Jehovah’s undeserved kindness through Jesus Christ.—Rom. 11:6.
Paul wrote to fellow believers: “We.. . entreat you not to accept the undeserved kindness of God and miss its purpose. For he says: ‘In an acceptable time I heard you, and in a day of salvation I helped you.’ Look! Now is the especially acceptable time. Look! Now is the day of salvation.” There was an “acceptable time” prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in the first century. Honesthearted people who loved Jehovah were saved spiritually. This led to eventual physical salvation for all those faithful ones who fled from Jerusalem prior to its destruction in the year 70 C.E.—2 Cor. 6:1,2.Today, too, we are living in an "acceptable time" and a "day of salvation." Those whom Jehovah accepts as his servants and who are being spiritually saved have the prospect of physical salvation through "the great day of Jehovah" now so close at hand. (How close?)—Zeph. 1:14.
The coming of the day of Jehovah places upon us a sobering responsibility. We are both to warn people of it and to help honesthearted ones benefit from Jehovah's undeserved kindness so that they too might be saved. Paul deeply appreciated this responsibility. He wrote: "Really, woe is me if I did not declare the good news!" He also expressed how he felt in these words: "Both to wise and to senseless ones I am a debtor: so there is eagerness on my part to declare the good news."-1 Cor. 9:16; Rom. 1:14,15.
Jehovah will hold us accountable if we neglect the vital work of warning people. We are aware of what Jehovah said to the prophet Ezekiel: "Son of man, a watchman is what I have made you to the house of Israel, and you must hear from my mouth speech and you must warn them from me. When I say to someone wicked, 'You will positively die/ and you do not actually warn him and speak in order to warn the wicked one from his wicked way to preserve him alive, he being wicked, in his error he will die, but his blood I shall ask back from your own hand."—Ezek. 3:17,18. (OT reasoning as usual)
These last days (as oppose to the previous last days) are difficult to deal with. It is not easy to balance out family matters, secular activity, congregation activity, and preaching. In addition, many of you have to deal with sickness, depression, old age, and even opposition. Most of you are "loaded down." (You think) We want to express our fellow feeling to you, in line with what Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh you." (So why go to G.B?) (Matt. 11:28) We want to commend warmly all of you who put forth the effort to keep serving Jehovah faithfully despite challenges large and small.
As a result of your zealous preaching and teaching activity and because of Jehovah's blessing, worldwide 4,762 are baptized on average each week. During the past service year, 1,375 new congregations were formed. We hope and pray that the new book What Does the Bible Really Teach?, which is already available in over 120 languages, will help millions to benefit (We pray not) from the undeserved kindness and the peace from Jehovah during this "day of salvation."
Be assured that the Governing Body loves you (Umm. no you don't) and that we pray for you (Please don't). We also thank you for your prayers for us. (Think nuttin'of it)
Your brothers,Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses
end
BOTTOM OF PAGE 30 READS:
Worldwide, a total of 20,119 ordained ministers staff the branch facilities. All are members of the Worldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah's Witnesses.
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Raymond Franz
by KW13 inraymond franz was a member of the governing body and was a jw for many years till he left.. he wrote a book which provides a great insight into jw's but what is really good about it is he isn't bitter when he comes across and so far i am really enjoying the read.. also in there are copies of letters sent from him to the society or the other way around and i recommend anyone who can find it should read it!.
http://www.watchtowerinformationservice.org/cocbr.htm.
i am only just into it and i am hooked.
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What-A-Coincidence
I am currently reading right now as I type! Dang! I need to go to bed!!!
peace
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My wife is a JW, I'm not.
by Mrgij01 inmy wife and i have been married 6 years now.
she was a jw when we married as is her entire family.
i was, and still am, very attracted to her because of the way she carries herself and her compassion.. i would like anyone who has had a similar experiance or was a jw to better help me understand what is going on in their heads when it comes to birthdays and such.
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What-A-Coincidence
I found one more ...
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w94 7/15 p. 25 Birthday Celebrations Have Left a Trail of Death ***Birthday
Celebrations Have Left a Trail of DeathTHE celebration of birthdays is regarded by most people today as merely an innocent custom. But the Bible does not paint a positive picture of this tradition. For one thing, the Scriptures contain no indication that any of God’s faithful servants celebrated birthdays.
The only two birthdays the Bible does mention were for rulers who were enemies of God. Each celebration included an execution, so that the guests could gloat over the death of one who had displeased the king. In the first instance, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, executed his chief baker. (Genesis 40:2, 3, 20, 22) The Egyptian ruler did so during the feast because he had grown indignant with his servant. In the second instance, Herod, the immoral ruler of Galilee, beheaded John the Baptizer as a favor to a girl whose dancing at the party had pleased him. What repulsive scenes!—Matthew 14:6-11.
Yet has not the Bible focused on two very exceptional birthdays? Not really. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus reveals that these incidents were not unique. He records other instances of the practice of birthday executions for entertainment.
For example, some occurred after Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 C.E., when 1,000,000 Jews perished and 97,000 survived to be taken prisoner. En route to Rome, Roman general Titus took his Jewish captives to the nearby seaport of Caesarea.
Josephus writes: "While Titus remained at Caesarea, he celebrated his brother Domitian’s birthday with great splendor, putting over 2,500 prisoners to death in games with beasts and flames. After this he moved to Berytus [Beirut], a Roman colony in Phoenicia, where he celebrated his father’s birthday by killing many more captives at elaborate exhibitions."—The Jewish War, VII, 37, translated by Paul L. Maier in Josephus: The Essential Writings.
It is no wonder that The Imperial Bible-Dictionary comments: "The later Hebrews looked on the celebration of birth-days as a part of idolatrous worship, a view which would be abundantly confirmed by what they saw of the common observances associated with these days."
Faithful first-century Christians would not have felt like joining in a custom so darkly presented in the Bible and so gruesomely celebrated by the Romans. Today, sincere Christians realize that the Bible accounts about birthdays were among the things written for their instruction. (Romans 15:4) They avoid celebrating birthdays because such observances bestow undue importance on the individual. More significant, Jehovah’s servants wisely take into account the unfavorable presentation of birthdays in the Bible.
[Picture
on page 25]Arena at Caesarea
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My wife is a JW, I'm not.
by Mrgij01 inmy wife and i have been married 6 years now.
she was a jw when we married as is her entire family.
i was, and still am, very attracted to her because of the way she carries herself and her compassion.. i would like anyone who has had a similar experiance or was a jw to better help me understand what is going on in their heads when it comes to birthdays and such.
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What-A-Coincidence
Hi MRJ ... welcome!
I am WAC and currently a fader and had served at Bethel (JW's Headquarter"s) for almost 10 years.
Here is some info to chew on...
Watchtower 1998 Oct 15 Questions from Readers
Questions
From ReadersMany
of Jehovah’s Witnesses observe wedding anniversaries. A birthday is an anniversary of when you were born. So why celebrate wedding anniversaries and not birthday anniversaries?Frankly, there is no need for a Christian to celebrate either. Still, that does not mean that the two are equal in import or that Christians must view the former (wedding anniversaries) as they do birthday celebrations.
As noted, it can be said that both are anniversaries because an "anniversary" is ‘the annual recurrence of a date marking some event.’ It could be an anniversary of any event—the day you had an automobile accident, saw an eclipse of the moon, went swimming with your family, and so on. It is clear that Christians do not turn every "anniversary" into a special day or have a party to commemorate it. One should consider the aspects of an event and decide what is fitting.
For example, God specifically instructed the Israelites to celebrate annually the day when his angel passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and the resulting exodus of his people in 1513 B.C.E. (Exodus 12:14) When Jews, including Jesus, subsequently commemorated the anniversary of that event, it was in obedience to God’s direction, and they did not do so with a party or with gift-giving. The Jews also treated as special the anniversary of the rededication of the temple. Though commemorating this historical event was not commanded in the Bible, John 10:22, 23 suggests that Jesus was not critical of its being done. Finally, Christians have a special meeting on the anniversary of Jesus’ death. Of course, this is done out of obedience to a clear command found in God’s Word.—Luke 22:19, 20.
What about wedding anniversaries? In some lands it is common for husband and wife to take note of the anniversary of their entering the marital state, an arrangement that God originated. (Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-6) Certainly, the Bible does not put marriage in a bad light. Jesus both attended a marriage celebration and contributed to the pleasure of the occasion.—John 2:1-11.
It thus would not be strange that a couple might on their wedding anniversary take time to reflect on the joyfulness of that event and on their resolve to work for success as a couple. Whether they focus on this happy occasion in private, just as a couple, or they have a few relatives or close friends with them would be for them to decide. The occasion should not become a mere excuse for a large social gathering. On this occasion Christians would want to be guided by the principles that apply every day of their lives. So whether one takes note of a wedding anniversary or not is a personal matter.—Romans 13:13, 14.
What, though, about taking special note of a birthday? Do we have any indications from the Bible about such an anniversary?
Well, early in this century, Bible Students, as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then known, did take note of birthdays. Many of them kept small books called Daily Heavenly Manna. These contained a Bible text for each day, and many Christians put a tiny photograph on the pages corresponding to the birthdays of fellow Bible Students. Also, The Watch Tower of February 15, 1909, related that at a convention in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A., Brother Russell, then president of the Society, was ushered onto the platform. Why? He was given a surprise birthday present of some boxes of grapefruit, pineapples, and oranges. That gives us a glimpse of the past. To put matters in their context, recall that during that period, Bible Students also commemorated December 25 as the anniversary of Jesus’ birth, or birthday. It was even customary to have Christmas dinner at the Brooklyn headquarters.
Of course, since then God’s people have grown spiritually in many respects. In the 1920’s increased light of truth enabled them to see the following:
Jesus was not born on December 25, a date linked to pagan religion. The Bible directs us to commemorate the date of Jesus’ death, not the anniversary of his or anyone else’s birth. Doing so accords with Ecclesiastes 7:1 and the fact that how a faithful person’s life turns out is more important than the day of his birth. The Bible has no record that any faithful servant celebrated his birthday. It records birthday celebrations of pagans, linking these occasions with cruel acts. Let us get the background of those birthday anniversaries.
The first is the birthday of the Pharaoh in Joseph’s day. (Genesis 40:20-23) In this regard, the article on birthdays in Hastings’ Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics begins: "The custom of commemorating the day of birth is connected, in its form, with the reckoning of time, and, in its content, with certain primitive religious principles." Later, the encyclopedia quotes Egyptologist Sir J. Gardner Wilkinson, who wrote: "Every Egyptian attached much importance to the day, and even to the hour of his birth; and it is probable that, as in Persia, each individual kept his birthday with great rejoicings, welcoming his friends with all the amusements of society, and a more than usual profusion of the delicacies of the table."
Another birthday celebration mentioned in the Bible is Herod’s, at which John the Baptist was beheaded. (Matthew 14:6-10) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979 edition) provides this insight: "The pre-Hellenistic Greeks celebrated the birthdays of gods and prominent men. G[ree]k genéthlia designated these celebrations, while genésia meant a celebration commemorative of the birthday of a deceased important individual. In 2 Macc[abees] 6:7 we find reference to a monthly genéthlia of Antiochus IV, during which the Jews were forced to ‘partake of the sacrifices.’ . . . When Herod celebrated his birthday he was acting in accord with a Hellenistic custom; there is no evidence for the celebration of birthdays in Israel in pre-Hellenistic times."
Admittedly, true Christians today are not preoccupied with the roots and possible ancient religious connections of every practice or custom, but neither are they inclined to ignore pointed indications that do exist in God’s Word. This includes that the only birthday celebrations of Biblical record are of pagans and linked to instances of cruelty. Hence, the Scriptures clearly place birthday celebrations in a negative light, a fact that sincere Christians do not disregard.
Consequently, while it is entirely a private matter if Christians choose to take note of their wedding anniversary, there are good reasons why mature Christians abstain from celebrating birthdays.
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WT Stats Updated - Downward trend continues
by richard in.
for whatever it's worth, the borg's 2005 data have been updated and included in some graphs.
it indicates a continuous downward trend.. http://home.zonnet.nl/rsingelenberg/stats-e.htm
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What-A-Coincidence
Awesome! Thanks!
WAC
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Bethel "Vow of Poverty" documents scanned.
by What-A-Coincidence invow of poverty scanned from 2002 documents.
i believe these are the latest ones unless someone has a newer one.
i posted these in another thread but i thought it deserved its own.. ocrd with 98% accuracy.... initial cover page 1 of 4. vow of obedience and povertyto the.
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What-A-Coincidence
I guess whatever got donated to the "World Wide Work" eventually was used to sustain a bethelite - I forgot what it averaged out to but it was like $20,000 per year or so. Does someone know for sure? Trojan?? That included: Your room, meals, gas, electricity, water, your stipen, laundry. Any other services you would have to ask for like, dental, chiropractor, optical, alterations, shoe shop, clinic, dry cleaning, etc.
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Life in Bethel & Ex-Bethelites know if the GB prayed together?
by Sheepish ini have always wondered how seriously they took this dispensing doctrine thing.
do they all get together and actually pray or just have meetings?
ex- bethelites say they wrote doctrinal articles for the watchtower or awake.
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What-A-Coincidence
Sheepish ... regards to Watchman Duties ...
underlined by WAC
TO ALL BROTHERS HANDLING OA:OC January 21, 2000
WATCHMAN DUTY ASSIGNMENTS
Dear Brothers:
Every assignment we receive in Bethel is sacred service to Jehovah and
should be viewed as a privilege and an honor to fulfill. The Scriptures remind us,
"Whatever you are doing, work at it whole-souled as to Jehovah." (Colossians
3:23, 24) Therefore, we should have the same view of all Bethel assignments as
was expressed by Isaiah when he said: "Here I am! Send me." (Isaiah 6:8; Dwell-
ing par. 23, 27) This attitude should be especially evident in how we care for our
watchman assignments.
According to Insight on the Scriptures, a watchman is defined as "one who
guards against possible harm to persons or property, often during the night, and
who may sound an alarm in the face of threatened danger." (it-2 1171; Jeremiah
51:12, footnote) To ensure the personal safety of the Bethel family, along with the
security of the Society's buildings, evening watchman duty assignments are vital.
You have been entrusted with this important responsibility. It is expected that you
will always be present to care for your assignments, start them on time, and not
leave until the designated time. It is important that you be alert and conscientious
as you perform your duties, thus showing yourself to be a person 'faithful in what
is least' and 'faithful also in much.'—Luke 16:10.
If you cannot fulfill an assignment because of vacation, sickness, etc., please
arrange for your own substitute as soon as possible and then notify the Bethel Of-
fice Scheduling Desk in writing. If a brother forgets his assignment, arrives late, or
fails to notify the scheduling desk of a substitution, the Lobby Desk has the diffi-
cult task of locating a replacement. On occasion, this has resulted in the watchman
who was assigned the earlier shift having to remain for an additional shift. Please
prove yourself trustworthy so as to avoid creating such situations by applying the
counsel of Jesus: "All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also
must likewise do to them."—Matthew 7:12. We can be sure that Jehovah will bless your efforts as you concentrate dili-
gently on faithfully fulfilling this privilege of service as 'skillful' watchmen.—
Proverbs 22:29.
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Life in Bethel & Ex-Bethelites know if the GB prayed together?
by Sheepish ini have always wondered how seriously they took this dispensing doctrine thing.
do they all get together and actually pray or just have meetings?
ex- bethelites say they wrote doctrinal articles for the watchtower or awake.
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What-A-Coincidence
I can't say that Bethel controls your every move. I mean from M-F 7am-7:35am; 8:00am-11:55; 1-5pm you are basically tracked, they got GPS on your a$$, or at least it seems like it, not much diff. from a legitamate company.
After that, you can do what ever you wanna do. Go to a pub, get loaded (not that I ever did or heard of that but you could.) with GB members in "The City".
WAC
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Bethel "Vow of Poverty" documents scanned.
by What-A-Coincidence invow of poverty scanned from 2002 documents.
i believe these are the latest ones unless someone has a newer one.
i posted these in another thread but i thought it deserved its own.. ocrd with 98% accuracy.... initial cover page 1 of 4. vow of obedience and povertyto the.
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What-A-Coincidence
Nope. Not all obeyed. Many did (still do) work on the side (g-jobs) as they were called. I believe they (WTBTS) were scared of lawsuits if you worked while you were on your vow. Cause if you worked for someone on the side and you got hurt - they could sue the society. So the WTBTS says you can work and make money on the side when you are off your vow, which means when you are on vacation. When you are on vacation your are off your vow.