went to the meeting last night with my believing wife.
the co was visiting and delivered a really cult-ish talk on loyalty but that's another story.. they made the announcement that starting january 1st they were going to have only 3 congregations in this town instead of 4.. they are dissolving one and growing the territories of the remaining 3. the reason given is that many of the elders are getting up there in age and can't do what they used to do.
basically not enough elders and ministerial servants...or even men reaching out for that matter.
freddoo
Fantastic news! Remind me ... what part of the world is this?
This is California, northern California to be exact.
stan livedeath
so--if the watchtower is dissolving one congregation out of 4 in that town--will we see another property up for sale ?
Nope. 4 Congregations share one of those 2 KH complexes they were building all over the place 10-15 years ago.
went to the meeting last night with my believing wife.
the co was visiting and delivered a really cult-ish talk on loyalty but that's another story.. they made the announcement that starting january 1st they were going to have only 3 congregations in this town instead of 4.. they are dissolving one and growing the territories of the remaining 3. the reason given is that many of the elders are getting up there in age and can't do what they used to do.
basically not enough elders and ministerial servants...or even men reaching out for that matter.
Went to the meeting last night with my believing wife. The CO was visiting and delivered a really cult-ish talk on loyalty but that's another story.
They made the announcement that starting January 1st they were going to have only 3 congregations in this town instead of 4.
They are dissolving one and growing the territories of the remaining 3
The reason given is that many of the elders are getting up there in age and can't do what they used to do. Basically not enough elders and ministerial servants...or even men reaching out for that matter. We've had sisters running mikes LOL
Anyway, I thought I would share the joyful news.
i've now seen a couple of references to this and did a little digging before leaving for work.
i saw someone on reddit in july saying that someone on the inside said a change was coming in 2018 with the jw message, and i've now seen two references to this in the past week.
help a former brother out.
Well there was something a bit different and more hard line in the January Watchtower.
I had my attention drawn to it after I saw a video from bridget fromAZ video on youtube.
It's an article about attending the memorial. it says
4 Reflect on the importance of attending the Memorial. Remember, congregation meetings are part of our worship. Surely Jehovah and Jesus take note of who makes the effort to attend this most important meeting of the year. Frankly, we want them to see that unless it is physically or circumstantially impossible, we will be present at the Memorial. When we show by our actions that meetings for worship are important to us, we give Jehovah added reason to keep our name in his “book of remembrance”—“the book of life”—in which the names of those who are in line to attain to everlasting life are inscribed.—Mal. 3:16; Rev. 20:15.
So attend the memorial or get erased from the book of life.
It then goes on to say...
5 In the days leading up to the Memorial, we can set aside time to examine prayerfully and carefully our personal relationship with Jehovah. (Read 2 Corinthians 13:5.) How can we do that? By ‘testing whether we are in the faith.’ To do that, we do well to ask ourselves: ‘Do I really believe that I am part of the only organization that Jehovah has approved to accomplish his will? Am I doing my utmost to preach and teach the good news of the Kingdom? Do my actions show that I truly believe that these are the last days and that the end of Satan’s rule is near? Do I have the same confidence in Jehovah and Jesus now that I had when I dedicated my life to Jehovah God?’ (Matt. 24:14; 2 Tim. 3:1; Heb. 3:14) Pondering the answers to such questions will help us to keep proving what we ourselves are.
I thought Geoffrey Jackson said that would be presumptuous?
Anyway, it seems to be a harder line then they have sang in a while.
well.....they showed that shunning video again.
you know...the one where goldilocks gets disfellowshipped- and the parents look across the hall at her with disdain.....yeah that video.. i was interested to see what kind of answers would be given during the discussion after the video and some of the reactions.
everyone sat there gormlessly staring at the video.
In the "Gods Love" book (Gag)
It says... and I quote, "Loyal Christian family members do not look for excuses to have dealings with a disfellowshipped relative not living at home. Rather, loyalty to Jehovah and his organization moves them to uphold the Scriptural arrangement of disfellowshipping."
Possibly the most cultist statement they make.
as a jw i pretty much just went along with what was taught from the platform i didn't do any real bible study.
as a result, now that i am out of the org.
i find scriptures that blow my mind.. i am not sure how i would have reacted if someone had pointed this out to me when i was a jw but now i can't believe i've never noticed this before.
all religious beliefs are man made.
I can see where you would believe that. Maybe that's what the enemy wants us to think?
Even when I first left the JWs and was bitter toward all religion, I still felt there was a God.
Do I think we will ever have it ALL right? Nope. Not in our imperfect broken existence here on Earth. All we can do is the best we can. There is a pretty good guide in the words of our Lord Jesus though. If you live the way he commanded us to live, life is pretty good.
My feelings about the Trinity are something like this...God the father is God as a spirit. No man can see him because he is a spirit.
Jesus was God in the flesh. He came down in human form to save us.
The holy spirit is God in action in the physical world.
My beliefs are rather fluid at this point so they may change but that's where my head is now.
as a jw i pretty much just went along with what was taught from the platform i didn't do any real bible study.
as a result, now that i am out of the org.
i find scriptures that blow my mind.. i am not sure how i would have reacted if someone had pointed this out to me when i was a jw but now i can't believe i've never noticed this before.
But degree...Christians believe Jesus was fully human. There fore he could be tempted. As a matter of fact he had to be fully human in order for the whole ransom thing to work out no?
I've head it expressed as Jesus is God in a bod. LOL
Seriously though, why is it impossible for a being so great as to create the entire universe, who can count every hair on my head (which is getting easier each passing year but I digress) to be multiple persons in different places at the same time?
as a jw i pretty much just went along with what was taught from the platform i didn't do any real bible study.
as a result, now that i am out of the org.
i find scriptures that blow my mind.. i am not sure how i would have reacted if someone had pointed this out to me when i was a jw but now i can't believe i've never noticed this before.
f jw's accept and acknowledge jesus as "a mighty god" (*which they do) then aren't they breaking the 1st of the 10 commandments "You MUST NOT HAVE ANY OTHER GODS besides me"?
I think that's right.
Amen to everything you said smiddy3
And the Is-He-Part-Of-A-Trinity-Or-Is-He-Not? doctrinal side show grinds on and on and on with no end in sight. This could be my adolescence circa 1970s - or my grandpas circa 1920s or Adam's circa 4,000 years B C.
Meanwhile, beyond the angst of earnest roundabout arguments, life passes us by.
So we just give up on anything spiritual Steve?
I'm surprised that an ex-JW says they've just noticed the Scripture in Isaiah. Perhaps JWs nowadays really aren't as schooled up in their arguments. Ouch!
LOL. Like I said, I wasn't a very good witness. But I am a child of the 60s and came to the org in 70s so "nowadays" wouldn't apply. :-)
as a jw i pretty much just went along with what was taught from the platform i didn't do any real bible study.
as a result, now that i am out of the org.
i find scriptures that blow my mind.. i am not sure how i would have reacted if someone had pointed this out to me when i was a jw but now i can't believe i've never noticed this before.
Excuse me while i go throw up
Don't hog the loo. I am right behind you!
Thanks for the answer.
So if the householder demanded proof of that they would say?
as a jw i pretty much just went along with what was taught from the platform i didn't do any real bible study.
as a result, now that i am out of the org.
i find scriptures that blow my mind.. i am not sure how i would have reacted if someone had pointed this out to me when i was a jw but now i can't believe i've never noticed this before.
As a JW I pretty much just went along with what was taught from the platform I didn't do any real bible study. As a result, now that I am out of the Org. I find scriptures that blow my mind.
I am not sure how I would have reacted if someone had pointed this out to me when I was a JW but now I can't believe I've NEVER noticed this before.
In Luke 2:11 it says (speaking of Jesus) in NWT
For today there was born to you in David’s city a savior, who is Christ the Lord
There is a reference to Isiah 9:6
For a child has been born to us,
A son has been given to us;
And the rulership will rest on his shoulder.
His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
So Jesus is "mighty God", "Eternal Father"?
Think back and remember how a JW would answer this?
I am curious as I am thinking of bringing it to my still in wife and wondering what the reaction would be.
if i received a dollar for every time an elder had told me to read and meditate on this scripture over the years, i would be really wealthy.
maybe when i was a kid, scriptures like this made me feel a little bit better, but once i had learned ttatt and also lost my faith in god, or at least the borganization's version of god, scriptures like phil 4 versus 6+7 do nothing for me, but they are always, always quoted in public talks about depression, or during shepherding visits..
I think if you have Jesus Christ in your life it might.
The JWs spend all their time going on and on about Jehovah and the Organization.
They overlook the scriptures that talk about Jesus being Lord.
I know that I personally feel much better knowing the REAL truth about Jesus being my savior and mediator. Not some man made organization filled with rules.
Please don''t let JWs take away the faith that God loves you and sent his son for you.
I believe the truly evil thing about the Org is that they destroy faith in Jesus Christ. They deny HIS divinity. I think that is just what the enemy wants.
Even if you don't truly believe, ask God to help you see the truth and read his word in the bible.
Maybe you will find a different path like I did. Once I realized Jesus IS Lord, it changed everything.
I am falling in love with him more every day.
As for scriptures talking about Jesus and NOT Jehovah. Here is a list sent to me by another user on the site who goes by the name of Searcher. I found it truly brilliant and it got me going down the road to discovering the REAL good news...
According to Revelation 3:14, God already has a "faithful & true witness" - he doesn't need any more!
However, the scriptures instructed Christians who they were to witness for:
Matthew 10:18 - ".....for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations.
Mark 13:9 - "......before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them."
Luke 24: 47,48 - "....and on the basis of his [Jesus'] name....You are to be witnesses....."
John 1:15 - "John bore witness about him..." [JESUS]
John 5:37 - "the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me."
John 8:18 - "the Father who sent me bears witness about me."
John 15:26,27 - "the spirit will bear witness about me; and YOU in turn, are to bear witness."
Acts 1:8 - "You [11 faithful apostles] will be witnesses of me...."
Acts 4:17,18 - ...upon the basis of this (Jesus') name .... upon the basis of the name of Jesus.
Acts 10:39 - "And we are witnesses of all the things he [Jesus] did..."
Acts 10:43 - "To him [Jesus] all the prophets bear witness....."
Acts 13:31 - "who are now his (Jesus') witnesses to the people.
Acts 22:15 - "because you are to be a witness for him [Jesus] to all men......"
Acts 22:20 - "......the blood of Stephen your [Jesus'] witness was being spilled..."
Acts 23:11 - "..... a thorough witness on the things about me in Jerusalem..."
Acts 26:16 -"I [Jesus]..choose you as an attendant and a witness respecting me"
Romans 8:16 - "The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit..."
1 Corinthians 1:6 - "even as the witness about the Christ..........."
1 Timothy. 2:6 - "......what is to be witnessed to at its own particular times."
2 Timothy 1:8 - "............of the witness about our Lord.. [Christ]"
1 John 5:9 - "the witness God gives...the fact that he has borne witness concerning his Son."
Revelation 1:9 - "....for speaking about God and bearing witness to Jesus."
Revelation 12:17 - ".......and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus."
Revelation 17:6 - "........and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus."
Revelation 19:10 -".....the work of witnessing to Jesus.... bearing witness to Jesus."
Revelation 20:4 - "............ for the witness they bore to Jesus."
For whose name were Christians to witness? (see 29 scriptures above)
For whose name would Christians be hated? (Matt. 10:22)
By whose name were people healed? (Acts 3:6; Acts 4:10)
By whose name were demons expelled? (Luke 10:17; Acts 16:18)
By whose name would people receive Holy Spirit? (John 14:26)
In whose name would people pray to God? (John 15:16)
By whose name would people be named? (Isa. 62:2; Acts 11:26)
By whose name would people be reconciled to God? (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18)
By whose name would people be forgiven their sins? (Matt. 26:28; Acts 2:38; Eph. 1:7)
In whose name would people be judged? (John 5:27)
By whose name would people be resurrected (John 5:28)
In whose name would people be baptized? (Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, 19:5, 22:16)
In whose name were people to put faith? (John 2:23)
In whose name was Saul/Paul commissioned to preach? (Acts 9:14-16)
For whose name would Christians be reproached? (1 Peter 4:14)
In whose name were Christians to gather together? (Matt. 18:20)
For whose name would Christians make sacrifices? (Matt. 19:29)
For whose name would Christians be persecuted and killed? (Luke 21:12,16,17)
In whose name will every knee in heaven and on earth bend? (Philippians 2:10)
In whose name would people be declared righteous? (1 Cor. 6:11)
By means of whose name would Christians offer a sacrifice of praise? (Hebrews 13:15)
The names 'Jehovah' or 'God' are notable by their absence.
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Jesus also said "If you ask anything in my name, I WILL DO IT." John 14:14
