The JWs stopped by my house a couple weeks ago on a Saturday morning. I knew that with others most likely waiting for them out in the car they probably did not then have much time to engage in any serious conversation. So I let them talk while I feigned interest in what they had to say. I then said, "I find all you just told me to be very interesting. But I have to be leaving in just a few minutes and you probably do too. Can you stop back at another time when we both have more time to talk?" We then made an appointment to get together again last week.
When they returned I invited them in. I sat them down. I poured them both a glass of iced tea. I then asked them to remind me why exactly they had stopped by last week. When they told me they had done so to share with me the "good news of the kingdom" I asked them to explain to me just what that means. I asked them, "What exactly is this 'good news'?"
I then let them talk. They then went on to tell me how God intends to soon bring peace to the earth and make the earth a paradise. They never mentioned the name of Jesus Christ, and of course never said anything about his giving his life to buy us God's forgiveness for our sins.
I then asked them why the "good news" they just shared with me included nothing about Christians going to heaven.
I then listened again as they told me about how there are now two classes of Christians, very few of whom will go to heaven, and how the vast majority of faithful Christians will live on a paradise earth and be ruled over by the relatively few Christians ("144,000") who do go to heaven.
I then asked them if the "good news" they just shared with me is the same "good news of the kingdom" which Jesus told his disciples to preach.
I then listened to them as they told me that they believed it was in fact the same "good news of the kingdom" that Jesus said he wanted his followers to preach.
I then asked them if they believed that the "good news" which they just shared with me was the same good news which Christ's apostles preached in the first century. I waited for their answer.
They answered, "Yes."
I then read to them a few verses from the Bible which tell us of the "good news" preached by Christ's apostles and what exactly that "good news" was all about. Passages such as Acts 5:42; 8:35; 10:36,39,42,43; 20:2; Rom. 6:5 and 1 Cor. 15:1-4, 42-44,49. All these verses tell us that the "good news" preached by the apostles was all about "Jesus Christ." It was all about how he was the promised Messiah and how his death bought us God's forgiveness for our sins and bought eternal life for all who accept Jesus as their Lord. I showed them that the "good news" preached by the apostles never once mentioned a paradise earth. The "good news" preached by the apostles was all about Jesus Christ, what his death did for us, and how his resurrection gives us the assurance of a resurrection to heaven much like his own.
I then pointed out to the JWs that the apostle Paul said he preached, "Jesus Christ and him crucified and nothing else." (1 Cor. 2:2) He never once preached about a paradise earth. He only preached about the death of Christ and what his death bought for us, God's forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Christ in heaven.
I showed the JWs that the "Good News" preached by the apostles mentioned nothing about two classes of Christians, a heavenly class and an earthly class. For the Bible tells us that the apostles' "Good News" offered the same "one hope" for everyone who accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord. (Eph. 4:4) I then let them respond.
When they did their words condemned themselves. For they then told me that things have now changed. They said that when the apostles preached their version of the "Good News" in the first century things were different. They said that at that time everyone had the opportunity to go to heaven but today people no longer have that opportunity, today they said their "good news" offers people only an "earthly hope."
I then asked them to admit that, despite what they told me earlier, the "good news" JWs are preaching today is different than that which the apostles preached in the first century. For the "good news" that they just shared with me did not even mention Jesus Christ or his sacrificial death, even though Paul said he preached "nothing else." And their "good news" no longer offers the same "one hope" of a heavenly resurrection which the apostles offered to all those to whom they preached.
The JWs then said they may have slightly misspoke earlier when I understood them to say that the "good news" they now`share with others is exactly the same as the "Good News" that was preached by the apostles. They then admitted that their "good news" is a little bit different since we are now living so close to the end of this old world." They said, "The apostles lived at the time of Christ's first coming. But we today are living very close to the time of his return. So the good news we now preach is not really different than the good news the apostles preached. It is the same good news. Only its focus has changed due to the times we are now living in."
This guy seemed like a real spin master. I thought to myself, "Brooklyn (or is it now Patterson?) could really use this guy." But I did not let him off that easy. I reminded him that when I gave him a chance to share with me the good news of the JWs he did not once mention the name of Jesus Christ or tell me anything about his sacrificial death and what it bought for us. And I reminded him that he explained to me a completely different resurrection hope than the apostles shared with everyone they preached to. The other fellow, the quiet one, then chimed in, saying, "I don't mind admitting that the good news we preach today is somewhat 'new and improved' compared to the good news the apostles preached. Because we today have a better understanding of the Scriptures than Christians had two thousand years ago."
I then asked the other fellow if he agreed with that assessment. He said he did.
After getting them to admit that they are now preaching a "good news" that is different from the "good news" preached by the apostles I had them right where I wanted them. For they had now condemned themselves.
For now all I had to do is read to them the apostle Paul's words in Galatians 1:6-9, which I did.
There Paul wrote, "I am amazed that you are turning away so quickly and believing something different than the Good News. Really, there is no other Good News. But some people are confusing you; they want to change the Good News of Christ. We preached to you the Good News. So if we ourselves, or even an angel from heaven, should preach to you something different, we should be judged guilty! I said this before, and now I say it again: You have already accepted the Good News. If anyone is preaching something different to you, let that person be judged guilty!" (New Century Version)
I actually read this passage to them from their own Bible. It read very much the same.
I then told them that they both should be ashamed of themselves for 'changing the Good News of Christ,' by preaching by their own admission, a "different" good news, a good news that did not even mention Jesus Christ or his sacrificial death, and also by their own admission, a good news that directly contradicts the "one hope" teaching of the apostles. I then asked them to please leave my house and not return until they stop perverting the Good News of Jesus Christ. I told them that I will be glad to talk to them further if they are willing to consider the possibility that they are following false teachers.
They got up and left and seemed a little shaken up as they did. I have not yet heard back from any them. And I probably wont. But I planted some seeds which I hope will sprout later.
You may want to give this a try the next time JWs come calling. Request a return visit. Then ask them to briefly explain to you what their "good news" is all about. Then show them from the Scriptures that they are preaching "a different good news" than the apostles preached. And show them what Paul said in Galatians about anyone who preaches a "good news" different from the "Good News" which the apostles preached.