sd-7

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Posts by sd-7

• 
  33

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-09-2013 WT Study (READ BIBLE)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  comments you will not hear at the 06-09-2013 wt study (april 15, 2013, pages 7-11)(read bible).

  4. what does it mean to read the bible in an undertone?.

  1:6) how, then, are we to understand jesus words about this generation?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sd-7

  13 Regarding true worship and false [being one of Jehovah's

  Witnesses or not],

  many Israelites [Jehovah's Witnesses] in Elijah’s day were sitting

  on the fence [metaphor, you do know what a metaphor

  is, right? They weren't literally sitting on a fence. Well,

  some of them may have done that at some point, if they had

  fences to sit on, but mostly,

  metaphor]. Elijah’s counsel to

  those people could help an indecisive

  Bible student who [might be concerned he is being recruited

  into a cult, or that he has to give up violent video games, weed, or

  his really hot girlfriend of three years who you see every

  so often walking through the house in a pink tank top and sweatpants]

  is holding back

  from making spiritual progress [joining the cult officially]. (Read

  1 Kings 18:21.) Consider another situation:

  If an interested person fears the

  reaction of friends or family [their concern that he might be joining a cult],

  you might strengthen his or her resolve to [join the cult, obey the Watchtower] worship

  Jehovah by reasoning [appealing to emotion, especially fear, guilt and shame] on Isaiah 51:12,

  13.—Read [you do know how to read, right? We have a pamphlet for that if not, also

  the Simplified Edition of The Watchtower might help. "Who are you that you should...

  forget Jehovah your Maker?" I'm guessing that counts as reasoning somehow,

  although it sounds more like, if mortal man doesn't kill you, then I will, and I live

  a hell of a lot longer than mortal man, so you'd better join up, or I'm putting your

  a-- on the grill and turning it up to BROIL. 'Cause I loves me some human sacrifice].
• 
  33

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-09-2013 WT Study (READ BIBLE)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  comments you will not hear at the 06-09-2013 wt study (april 15, 2013, pages 7-11)(read bible).

  4. what does it mean to read the bible in an undertone?.

  1:6) how, then, are we to understand jesus words about this generation?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sd-7

  12 Like Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos,

  we can be a blessing to others [by making them better

  recruiters and thus better Jehovah's Witnesses]. When

  your encouragement helps an interested

  person [potential recruit] overcome an obstacle to his spiritual

  progress [especially if you get him to believe something that his

  rational mind would otherwise have surely rejected, or if

  you get him to close off his mind to any outside sources of

  information], how do you feel? Or as

  an elder [a--hole], how do you feel when a fellow

  worshipper [Jehovah's Witness] thanks you for Scriptural

  counsel [tongue-lashing] that [made him or her feel worse and

  then fall in line and reprogram themselves] helped him or her through

  a difficult time [the perfect time for you to rub salt in their wounds]? No doubt, using God’s

  Word [the Watchtower] to help others to improve their

  lives [to obey the Watchtower] is a source of satisfaction and joy [gives you

  temporary relief from the pressure to do more for the Watchtower, for about 5 minutes

  before you go to bed at 3 a.m. after you just saved Sister Mania from a suicide attempt

  that you didn't bother to suggest she seek professional help for before or afterwards,

  though you knew how depressed she was because she kept calling you to tell you].*

  Notice how you might accomplish that

  goal [just change the word 'might' to the word 'should'--it's

  not like you're going to come up with anything on your own

  as far as how to accomplish an actual goal].
• 
  33

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-09-2013 WT Study (READ BIBLE)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  comments you will not hear at the 06-09-2013 wt study (april 15, 2013, pages 7-11)(read bible).

  4. what does it mean to read the bible in an undertone?.

  1:6) how, then, are we to understand jesus words about this generation?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sd-7

  11 After preaching in Ephesus, Apollos

  went to Achaia [we have to explain this because

  we kinda don't want you reading too much into how

  the organization did things back in the first century--it

  might confuse you, what with him not

  going from door to door or anything]. “When he got there,

  he greatly helped those who had believed

  on account of God’s undeserved

  kindness; for with intensity he thoroughly

  proved the Jews to be wrong

  publicly, while he demonstrated by the

  Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.”

  (Acts 18:27, 28) By that time, Apollos

  could correctly explain the meaning of

  Christian baptism [duh! It means accepting that our

  dedication identifies us as one of Jehovah's Witnesses

  in association with his spirit-directed organization! Aren't

  you glad we know what Apollos knew?]. With his increased

  understanding, he “greatly helped” new

  ones to make progress in true worship [as Jehovah's Witnesses].

  What can we learn from this account?

  Like Apollos, we strive [in vain, without the Watchtower

  or a Watchtower-trained and approved representative] to understand

  what we read in the Bible. However,

  when an experienced fellow believer [one of Jehovah's Witnesses

  who is in good standing and has been studying the current Watchtower

  literature]

  suggests how we can teach more effectively,

  we want to accept that help with

  humility and gratitude [do exactly what he says, so far as it is

  exactly what the Watchtower says]. If we do so, the

  quality of our sacred service will improve [our recruitment numbers,

  and in turn our cash flow, will go up].
• 
  33

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-09-2013 WT Study (READ BIBLE)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  comments you will not hear at the 06-09-2013 wt study (april 15, 2013, pages 7-11)(read bible).

  4. what does it mean to read the bible in an undertone?.

  1:6) how, then, are we to understand jesus words about this generation?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sd-7

  10 Apollos was [again,NOT Carl Weathers] a Jewish Christian

  [one of Jehovah's Witnesses] who

  was “well versed in the Scriptures” and

  “aglow with the spirit.” The book of Acts

  relates about him: “He went speaking

  and teaching with correctness the things

  about Jesus, but being acquainted with

  only the baptism of John.” Without realizing

  it, Apollos had been teaching an

  out-of-date understanding of baptism [obviously

  he hadn't been reading the latest Watchtower scrolls

  from the little-g, little-b, governing body].

  After hearing him teach in Ephesus, a

  Christian [Jehovah's Witness] couple named Priscilla and

  Aquila explained “the way of God more

  correctly to him [to save him from a judicial

  committee, 'cause if he disagreed with them in any way,

  they were taking his a-- straight to the apostle Paul].” (Acts 18:24-26) How

  did this benefit Apollos? [Well, he fared a lot better than Carl Weathers'

  character, who sadly got beat to death by Dolph Lundgren. Although...

  I guess there are worse ways to go. Did you see that 'Game of Thrones' episode

  last week? Of course not, you better not have! Or I'll tell the elders! That show is demonic!]
• 
  33

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-09-2013 WT Study (READ BIBLE)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  comments you will not hear at the 06-09-2013 wt study (april 15, 2013, pages 7-11)(read bible).

  4. what does it mean to read the bible in an undertone?.

  1:6) how, then, are we to understand jesus words about this generation?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sd-7

  9 While it is important that you daily

  read a portion of the Bible, you also

  want to gain understanding and insight [which would be impossible without

  the...see below--->].

  Therefore, make good use of the [--->]

  publications of Jehovah’s organization [<<---Yeah, that's it!

  Watchtower books!]

  to research the background of people,

  places, and events you read about [rather than going

  to your local library, using the Internet, or going through

  any other mental effort, since we've already gathered all

  possible information about everything Bible-related and put it

  in our books]. Or if

  you wonder how a certain Bible teaching

  might affect your life [ie. whether or not it might kill you or

  perhaps cause you immeasurable pain], you could ask

  a congregation elder or another mature

  Christian for help [to make the decision for you,

  then convince you it was your idea, like you're participating in your own

  Inception [cue 'Inception' soundtrack]]. To illustrate the importance

  of increasing our understanding [of Watchtower teachings],

  let us consider the example of one

  first-century Christian [who was quite obviously one of

  Jehovah's Witnesses and taught the exact same

  thing you are being taught in the Watchtower right now] who strove to do

  just that. His name was Apollos [I know you're thinking of

  that violent boxer Carl Weathers played in that boxing movie, but just put an 's'

  at the end of his name and put some 1st century clothes on

  him, and that's Apollos, okay? Focus].
• 
  33

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-09-2013 WT Study (READ BIBLE)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  comments you will not hear at the 06-09-2013 wt study (april 15, 2013, pages 7-11)(read bible).

  4. what does it mean to read the bible in an undertone?.

  1:6) how, then, are we to understand jesus words about this generation?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sd-7

  8 The beneficial points just mentioned

  are from Bible books that some [namely, you] may consider

  difficult to understand [and indeed, impossible without the Watchtower]. As you examine

  the books of Hosea, Joel, and Nahum

  with a desire to learn [and accept only what the Watchtower says about it], you will want

  to read other verses from them in an

  undertone [though preferably not all of it in context, that might be risky, just read

  a verse and then look it up on the WT Library]. Imagine how much wisdom

  and comfort await you in the writings of

  those prophets! [Bane: "You'll just have to imagine the comfort!"]

  And what about the rest

  of the Bible [proof texts]? God’s Word is like a productive

  diamond mine. Work that mine

  well [you filthy dogs, or no gruel for you]! Yes, read the whole Bible with the

  goal of finding gems of divine guidance

  and reassurance [which can only really be unearthed by reading the Watchtower

  alongside it].
• 
  33

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-09-2013 WT Study (READ BIBLE)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  comments you will not hear at the 06-09-2013 wt study (april 15, 2013, pages 7-11)(read bible).

  4. what does it mean to read the bible in an undertone?.

  1:6) how, then, are we to understand jesus words about this generation?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sd-7

  7 Third, imagine a Christian [Jehovah's Witness] father

  who has lost his job and worries about

  the well-being of his wife [who doesn't work] and children

  [who pretty much could care less about him anyway and cling to their

  mother].

  At Nahum 1:7, he reads in an undertone

  that Jehovah “is cognizant of those seeking

  refuge in him” [though not so much that he's running an employment agency]

  and protects them [though not at all as individuals]

  like “a stronghold in the day of distress.”

  That thought consoles him [though unless he eats the page

  that verse was written on, it fails to fill his belly with food]. He senses

  Jehovah’s loving care [through the Force, apparently] and stops worrying

  overmuch [gets a spiritual high that makes him forget the rent is due

  and he has no idea how to pay it 'cause he didn't want to 'store up treasures'

  on earth since this system is on its last leg, which seems like a pretty strong leg

  to have held up for nearly a hundred years]. Then he reads verse 15 in

  an undertone. (Read Nahum 1:15.) Our

  brother sees that by preaching the good

  news [recruiting people into the Watchtower] in difficult times, he demonstrates

  that he, indeed, views Jehovah as his

  stronghold [and hopes for someone to leave a food basket outside his house

  while he's out recruiting, like in the Yearbook]. While the brother keeps on

  looking for secular work [because only the 'faithful slave' can live off

  the hard-earned money of others, not you], he is now also

  moved to support midweek field service

  activity.
• 
  33

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-09-2013 WT Study (READ BIBLE)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  comments you will not hear at the 06-09-2013 wt study (april 15, 2013, pages 7-11)(read bible).

  4. what does it mean to read the bible in an undertone?.

  1:6) how, then, are we to understand jesus words about this generation?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sd-7

  In a second scenario, a Christian [Jehovah's Witness] sister [woman]

  is reading Joel’s prophecy and comes

  to chapter 2, verse 13. (Read Joel 2:13.)

  As she reads that verse in an undertone,

  she reflects on how she should imitate

  Jehovah, who [will "rip apart your hearts" at Armageddon

  if you don't obey him? Sorry, out of context] is “gracious and merciful,

  slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness.”

  She decides to try [for a week, she fails on Day 3] to eliminate

  the sarcasm and angry words that

  she sometimes [if by 'sometimes' we mean 'whenever she's awake',

  which seems to be almost 24 f***ing hours]

  uses when she speaks to

  her husband and others [though if he's an apostate, she pretty much

  has carte blanche on how she can speak to him, and if he doesn't like it,

  she can leave and claim he was the problem].
• 
  33

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-09-2013 WT Study (READ BIBLE)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  comments you will not hear at the 06-09-2013 wt study (april 15, 2013, pages 7-11)(read bible).

  4. what does it mean to read the bible in an undertone?.

  1:6) how, then, are we to understand jesus words about this generation?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sd-7

  Reading in an undertone is helpful

  when you consider Bible books that are

  unfamiliar to you [which is like, all of them,

  I mean, when was the last time you read several

  verses in succession that wasn't at a meeting?].

  To illustrate, imagine

  three scenarios [try really hard, I know imagination is

  far beyond you, but try anyway]. First, think of a young

  Christian brother whose personal reading

  program has taken him to the prophecy

  of Hosea [making him just a little curious about

  what making out with a 'wife of fornication' must be like,

  oh, and it's a lot of fun, until she quits her job and starts

  cleaning the oven at 1 in the morning, then, not so much].

  In chapter 4, he pauses

  after reading verses 11 to 13 in an undertone.

  (Read Hosea 4:11-13.) ["Of their wooden idol my people

  keep inquiring"? "Their own hand staff keeps telling them?"

  So is this about, you know, cleaning the pipes?] Why?

  Those verses catch his attention because [of the sexual metaphor]

  he has been struggling to resist immoral

  pressures in school [because yellow plaid shirts tucked into khakis

  are unbelievably sexy to the girls at school, I had to beat them off of me].

  He reflects on the

  verses and thinks: ‘Jehovah sees the bad

  things people do even in private. I do

  not want to offend him.’ The brother resolves

  to remain morally clean before

  God [and stop touching his "own hand staff"].
• 
  33

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-09-2013 WT Study (READ BIBLE)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  comments you will not hear at the 06-09-2013 wt study (april 15, 2013, pages 7-11)(read bible).

  4. what does it mean to read the bible in an undertone?.

  1:6) how, then, are we to understand jesus words about this generation?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sd-7

  Jehovah [we, the authors of this article] does not want his servants [you, the readers] to rush

  through a reading of his Word [especially the Watchtower]. He told Joshua of

  ancient times: “This book of the law should not depart

  from your mouth, and you must in an undertone

  read in it day and night.” (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:2)

  Does this instruction require that

  you literally utter in a low voice all the

  words you read from Genesis to Revelation?

  No. It means that you should read [the Watchtower] at a

  pace that allows for meditation.

  When you read the Bible [and the Watchtower] “in an undertone,”

  it will help you to fix attention

  on portions [of the Watchtower] that are especially useful

  and encouraging to you at that moment.

  On finding such phrases, verses, or accounts [or paragraphs in study articles],

  read them slowly, perhaps forming

  the words with the tongue and lips [you know what those are, right?

  They're right on the front part of your head, just above your chin

  and below your nose].

  The full weight of a Scriptural point [as explained by the Watchtower] may

  strike you [like a spiritual sledgehammer] in a deeply personal way

  [going right into your teeth, which are, as you no doubt have learned once

  you discovered where your tongue and lips were, also in the same area of your head]. Why

  is this important? Because [what good is abuse if I can't beat

  the hell out of you? Where's the fun in that?] getting the

  sense of God’s counsel gives you strong

  motivation [like a swift kick to the pants, front or back, our choice]

  to put it into practice [do as we tell you, "Caleb, I'm so proud of you for OBEYING!"].