one thing that initially disturbed me when i was questioning the organization was their lack of focus on jesus.
whether you believe in him or not, you have to admit that jws focus mainly on jehovah and his organization.
to the apostles their entire message was about jesus.
"If you'd like to see a group of JWs get scared looks on their faces, start talking about Jesus to them."
Indeed. Reminds me of this thread.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/187699/1/Jesus-is-Lord-Every-hear-a-JW-say-that
Blessings in the Lord,
Stephen
one thing that initially disturbed me when i was questioning the organization was their lack of focus on jesus.
whether you believe in him or not, you have to admit that jws focus mainly on jehovah and his organization.
to the apostles their entire message was about jesus.
Who cares about Jesus?
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and,
“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Jesus is precious to me, the Rock on which I stand.
For JWs He is the rock on which the stumble and fall. They disobey the message of the Gospel, the good news which is Jesus Christ.
Blessings in Christ,
Stephen
if jehovahs witnesses are false-prophets, who can we look to as a prophet(s)?.
http://www.watchtower21.org/2011/01/what-is-false-prophet.html.
a false prophet as described in the old testament under the mosaic law covenant:.
The tongues thing scares me.
With respect Dan, you drank too much of the WT kool-aid.
And then the prophetic thing REALLY scares me because of our dealings with that.
There are tests for prophecy and tongues, use them!
There are both indespensible gifts of the Spirit-don't go dispensing them.
Blessings in Christ,
Stephen
if jehovahs witnesses are false-prophets, who can we look to as a prophet(s)?.
http://www.watchtower21.org/2011/01/what-is-false-prophet.html.
a false prophet as described in the old testament under the mosaic law covenant:.
From an email I send someone recently...
1 Corinthians 13 (New International Version, ©2010)
1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Verse 8, certainly the gifts will cease. However, verse 10, "when completeness comes", or "perfection" other bibles translate. Is this the completed bible as JWs teach (and indeed a few denominations)?
Verse 9, do we still know in part or fully?
Verse 12, do we see a reflection, "dimly" as some translations put it or clearly as "face to face"?
Who will we see "face to face"?
Job 19:26 (New International Version, ©2010)
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
Matthew 5:8 (New International Version, ©2010)
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Hebrews 12:14 (New International Version, ©2010)
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
1 John 3:2 (New International Version, ©2010)
2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
Revelation 22:3-4 (New International Version, ©2010)
3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Do we know now "in part" or else "know fully, even as I am fully known"?
Prophecy ceases when perfection comes because we arrive at Revelation 21 & 22. Take a read of them, I am sure you will see that this is what is spoken of in 1 Cor 13:10, not the "completed canon of scripture" i.e the finished bible.
Blessings in Christ,
Stephen
if jehovahs witnesses are false-prophets, who can we look to as a prophet(s)?.
http://www.watchtower21.org/2011/01/what-is-false-prophet.html.
a false prophet as described in the old testament under the mosaic law covenant:.
If Jehovah’s Witnesses are false-prophets, who can we look to as a “prophet(s)?
Anyone who is born of the Spirit.
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
Blessings in the Spirit of Christ,
Stephen
i've been jehovah's witness for about a year now, and recently i've been finding problems in some teachings that my parents and congregation can't answer satisfactorily.
since i began voicing my issues my mum in particular has become increasingly overbearing and, although she says there's nothing wrong with asking questions, it's obvious she doesn't like me having doubts and not accepting her answers, even though they don't explain any of my problems.
it feels like i'm being forced down a path that i don't want to take, but i don't know what to do.
Once again, I'll cut to the chase, JWs fail the test, even the so called "anointed".
5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
See here for more of "Christ in you", THE hope of glory Colossians 1:27
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be [ a ] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Blessings in Christ,
Stephen
i've been jehovah's witness for about a year now, and recently i've been finding problems in some teachings that my parents and congregation can't answer satisfactorily.
since i began voicing my issues my mum in particular has become increasingly overbearing and, although she says there's nothing wrong with asking questions, it's obvious she doesn't like me having doubts and not accepting her answers, even though they don't explain any of my problems.
it feels like i'm being forced down a path that i don't want to take, but i don't know what to do.
Welcome hannahmcmanus!
Should I accept my parents and congregations answers, even though they don't help me with what I'm asking?
I have the same problems every time I ask JWs questions. The answers they give are as follows:-
The WT want you to believe 2+2=5 but it is clear it doesn't add up.
You have been doing the maths. At some point you are going to have to face the music or else believe the lie.
In short the WT attempt to sideline and replace Jesus.
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Blessings in Christ,
Stephen
i've been doing research for about a year, (omg all the things that i'm finding out.
its right around the corner!
i know that life can get bad, but how is the big a gonna make things better?
I don't think he is going to hold up well in working the fields!
LOL!
i've been doing research for about a year, (omg all the things that i'm finding out.
its right around the corner!
i know that life can get bad, but how is the big a gonna make things better?
This says it all
6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
JWs are governed by the flesh, not the Spirit.
The spirit of the WT is not life and peace in the Holy Spirit.
Blessings in Christ,
Stephen
i woke up today a right grumpy basket case.... not a good day for the jehovah's witness to call on me to do there usual shepherding call, bringing me the usual mags of shite!
i stood there on the doorstep in my pj's, care free and all fired up.
i was asked how i was doing & then informed that they had my latest mags.
Full steam ahead!
I particuarly enjoyed these comments
so I told them NO that they were the blind being lead by the blind, & that they were actually in Satans Counterfeit Kingdom, because he kept changing himself into an angel of light... (She scoffed)
I said if something is the Truth then it will withstand any critiscism. He said were not here to Argue... I replied Im not arguing I'm stating you FACTS.
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
Jesus is THE fact they all stumble over.
Jesus withstood all crtiscism, He does and He will until such time as He returns (bodily) to bind the descenting voices and expose the counterfeits.
Blessings in Christ,
Stephen
