Posts by PointBlank

12

SALVATION?? What is it really?

by mamashel in

just wondering what some of your thoughts were on this topic of salvation.

i've heard alot about it and really want to believe it, but i am having such a hard time understanding about god and jesus christ since leaving the org.

i am fed up with organized religion and am afraid to go to chuch.

PointBlank

Dear Shelley,

The email you've provided is inoperable. Is the address correct?

PB

12

SALVATION?? What is it really?

by mamashel in

just wondering what some of your thoughts were on this topic of salvation.

i've heard alot about it and really want to believe it, but i am having such a hard time understanding about god and jesus christ since leaving the org.

i am fed up with organized religion and am afraid to go to chuch.

My reply isn't going to be about the salvation per se, but my experience with salvation. I was a JW for 24 years. The last 12 were spent in the depths of darkness, despair and frustration. In my search outside of the JW org, I read everything I could get my hands on (of a religious nature). I researched other religions ( ie, Judaism, Islam) and the various Christian denominations. I researched 'religion' as an institution of man. But I was drawn to the message of Christianity, so I would alternate between reading more "christian" books and listening (off and on) to tv preachers (scared stiff of church). Between the books and preachers I became even more confused. I cried, I pleaded, I begged and I bargained with God for enlightenment and direction. It didn't matter. I gradually slipped into a deep depression, so much so that I eventually stopped caring so much about religion, salvation or whether anybody was speaking truth. I didn't really care about anything. I hit rock bottom.

When everything became a non-issue, I approached God again, but this time minus the emotional tantrums and trying to get my own way or save my own skin. And something else I realized...my seeking God wasn't of my own initiative. It was more like a magnetic pull or guidance. My motive was different. No longer was I looking for salvation. No longer was my interest "self-interest." My search wasn't about what He could do for me. My heart's desire was just to know Him for His own Name's sake. I made a pact with Him. I told Him that this time around, it had to be just Him and me because I didn't trust ANYBODY. All I wanted was Him, period. I began reading "just" the Bible again. But this time it was with new eyes and over a period of time I realized it was speaking to me. And this time the miraculous happened. Something we, as JW's, knew nothing about. For the first time in my life I experienced true conviction and repentance. It's something quite different from common misconceptions. And for the first time I understood exactly why we "need" Jesus and what He accomplished 2000 years ago (and all of this apart from how He is religiously conceived). There is greater detail to this experience, but the bottom line is that after expressing this all out loud to God I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and was made a child of God. Salvation is about becoming a child of God. It's NOT about religion, religions, rules/regulations, or the authority of such.

So now I know that one can "know" they are saved. One can know that they are a child of God. I know that I have been called to be a witness for Christ. Jesus really is the Son of God, and He is alive today and makes Himself known to His own. When people tell you that it's as easy as saying a few words to Jesus, they are partially correct. The gospel is very simple. The hard part is getting the intellectual acknowledgement to filter through the heart. From the beginning to the end it is an action of God. We don't have what it takes to do it alone. We can't even desire God without His direct intervention. It is the Father that brings us to His Son, and it is the Son that baptizes in the Holy Spirit and ultimately reveals the Father to those that belong to Him.

I hope this is a blessing to you. May your search be pure and true. If you would like my testimony in its entirety, please let me know.

PB

25

Dubs don`t like to Tip

by OUTLAW in

jw
friends

a post made by alanf just made me remember about going to restaraunts with dubs.for the most part they don`t like to tip.my parents and the dubs they went out with were not poor people.my mom would have a fit if she saw my dad tip.most dubs i knew were the same way.did the dubs you were around,like to tip?...outlaw

PointBlank

I don't think most people realize it, but around where I live waiters/waitresses don't even make minimum wage. These people count on tips to make their living. Our daughter makes a couple of bucks an hour and rest is made up in tips. These girls have learned to read their customers and can almost tell you verbatim which ones will be a cheap (and a pain to boot). Fifteen percent is considered the minimum to leave.

When JW's come into the restaurant, our daughter will have the hostess sit them in another section or have another waitress tend them. Too bad she can't do that with the Sunday crowd which tends to dominate restaurants on Sunday afternoon.

77

Did the Resurrection really happen?

by thinker in

was written next and makes a brief mention of the resurrection and ascension; which includes a conspiracy theory about the body being stolen (matt.

where did jesus first appear?

where else did jesus appear?

PointBlank

Did the Resurrection really happen?

Yes.

There have been witnesses of Christ's resurrection in every generation since the first century. And it is no less so today.

25

Dubs don`t like to Tip

by OUTLAW in

jw
friends

a post made by alanf just made me remember about going to restaraunts with dubs.for the most part they don`t like to tip.my parents and the dubs they went out with were not poor people.my mom would have a fit if she saw my dad tip.most dubs i knew were the same way.did the dubs you were around,like to tip?...outlaw

PointBlank

We have a daughter who is working her way through college by being a waitress. She said the JW's that come in to eat are some of the cheapest people around (even JW relatives). But to be fair, she's complained about working the Sunday shift for a long time because the "church people" are the rudest, crudest and cheapest people of all. I guess if these girls are working on Sunday they don't deserve a tip. Sure makes a sad testimony.

169

X-JWs Who are now bible Christians

by clash_city_rockers in

jw
friends

hi folks,.

i'm just sort of taking role call to all those x-dubs who are now brothers and sisters in christ.

i think it is wise for us to rise up and be counted so that we know who each other are.

PointBlank

Little Toe:
I visited your webpage to see if you had your testimony up. I want to thank you for the inspiration it gives. I also read your DA letter. It was great. I can't even imagine DA'ing from the platform.

I used to have my DA letter and testimony online. They will be put back online soon. It's wonderful to see that the Lord is moving in other people's lives. Like you, the message of the Bible came alive for me (literally) after receiving the Holy Spirit and it became a personal letter from my heavenly Father. But like you said in your testimony (I think), "I" sometimes get in the way of the Holy Spirit. And He graciously steps aside until I come to my senses.

As for the trinity, I didn't say that I didn't believe it or understand it (I've not stated my position). It was one of the first doctrines that I studied indepth, even as an active JW. However, while visiting various churches, listening to christian speakers, and talking to professed believers, I've found that many mainstream christians don't really have any better of a mental grasp on it than the JW's. For instance, I've heard Jesus referred to as the Father and even called Father during prayer. It seems they've confused the persons in an attempt to keep from dividing the substance.

Now: As for being associated with the person that started this thread (CCR), I must say that I was also ignorant of previous personality clashes and ongoing arguments, and don't have a clue as to whether this person is christian. I responded because, like Little Toe, I wanted to state my position regarding the Lord Jesus Christ. I also wanted others on the board to know that there are xjw's that have been found by the Truth (a person, not a religous persuasion). He is real, He is alive, and He's waiting for each one of us to come to Him for salvation, but we can only come to Him if the Father draws us. That was the sole purpose for my entrance into this thread.

PB

169

X-JWs Who are now bible Christians

by clash_city_rockers in

jw
friends

hi folks,.

i'm just sort of taking role call to all those x-dubs who are now brothers and sisters in christ.

i think it is wise for us to rise up and be counted so that we know who each other are.

PointBlank

Hi ccr,

I was a JW for 24 years. It's a long story, but at the age of 37 I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and became a member of the body of Christ. The process didn't involve a religion, denomination, church, pastor, priest, or set of rules or regulations. My salvation was totally by grace through faith, not of my own efforts or righteousness. In fact, it was quite a surprise because as everyone knows we were taught that anything of a mystical/supernatural nature is demonic.

Someone in this thread (I don't remember who) made the claim "no trinity, no salvation." I have to take issue with that statement. When the Lord brought me to salvation, it wasn't because I believed in the trinity. It happened after being brought to a depth of repentance that was incredible. I had asked to see myself as He sees me. And what I saw was not appealing at all. This kind of repentance caused me to bottom out, and when I hit rock bottom, God was there. With all the religious rhetoric aside, it finally dawned on me why humankind needs God's Son, and I accepted that the Lord Jesus was/is my savior, master, messiah. The question wasn't "do you believe in the trinity." The question was "do you accept my Son?" I could only answer this question from the depth of my soul when I understood exactly why I needed Him. It's one thing to have an intellectual belief in Jesus Christ. It's an altogether different phenomenon when that intellectual belief is transformed to heartfelt acceptance. And what's truly wonderful is that the whole salvation process is the work of God from beginning to end.

31

New to the board

by PointBlank in

jw
friends

i've been lurking for a few days, trying to get a feel for the board.

h2o used to be my regular hangout.

boy, has that place changed.

PointBlank

Hi guys!

I want to thank all of you who took the time to welcome me to the board. It's been quite some time since I've been an active participant on a BB. I'm still in the process of learning how this one works. Like some of you here I think I like the format of H2O better. It's difficult and time consuming to open each and every thread. Lots of times on H2O the decision to read a thread rested on who was responding. Can't depend upon that here because we have to open the thread just to see who's responding. Nevertheless, I appreciate the welcome.

If any of you would be so kind, I would be interested in knowing some of the details of your journey beyond the Watchtower. It's always fascinating to gleam another's path.

31

New to the board

by PointBlank in

jw
friends

i've been lurking for a few days, trying to get a feel for the board.

h2o used to be my regular hangout.

boy, has that place changed.

PointBlank

Hi all,

I've been lurking for a few days, trying to get a feel for the board. H2O used to be my regular hangout. Boy, has that place changed. I don't recognize very many monikers from there, but I hope to learn about some of you.

I was a JW for 24 years. I've been DA'ed for around 4 or 5 years now. That's good enough for now. I'm hoping some of you will introduce yourselves.

Linda

46

My Experience Today with My Brother

by Reborn2002 in

jw
friends

well, my brother and his wife came over to my parent's house to visit today while i was home.. to make a long story short, while my brother and his wife were chatting with my mother in the living room, my 1 and a half year old nephew reilly walked into the kitchen where i was making a caesar salad.. he walked over towards me and was smiling, how can any normal adult resist the innocent smile of a child who is your relative?

i picked him up and gave him a huge hug, and told him i loved him.. as i was holding my nephew in my arms, my brother walked into the room.

he was smack dab in the middle of an in-depth conversation about jehovah with my mother and his wife, and i admit i was rolling my eyes listening to him spew about the "truth" and "the only means for salvation in the last days of this wicked system" even though when i confronted him with info on the un, blood, russell gravesite, rape changes, exclusivity, etc, he had no response for me because he was dumbfounded and lost for words.

PointBlank

Dear Reborn,

Your story broke my heart. Even after being involved with the WT organization for most of my life, I'm still amazed at some of the words and actions that can come from some of them (JW's). After being out for several years, it's now a simple task to recognize a tree by its fruit. Your brother was dead wrong. And the truly frightful thing is that he <i>will</i> live to regret it.

I'm so sorry for your pain.
Linda