Who Else Preaches???

by Mister Biggs 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Mister Biggs

  Not that I am advocating one church over another. Rather, I'm just trying to make the point that other religions (such as the two cited below) have an organized preaching work.
  Jehovah's Witnesses use the reasonings of, "Who else carries out the commission to preach?" When you try to show them that others indeed do follow the commission to preach, they will then reason that they are not teaching Bible truths. Of course the definition of 'Bible truths' is open to interpretation. If someone believes what the Witnesses teach, then that someone would believe that the Witnesses teach Bible truths. The same can be said for Mormon's, Adventists, and so forth.
  Of course, how would any religious organization grow if it didn't preach in one capacity or another?

  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

  Key Facts and Figures

  Membership data December 31, 2000:
  Worldwide: 11,068,861
  U.S. (approximate): 5,208,827
  Non-U.S. (approximate): 5,860,034
  Female 53 percent
  Male 47 percent

  Number of Church units worldwide (congregations): 25,915

  Languages in which the basic Church curriculum text is available: 175

  The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ
  Copies published since 1830: 105,000,000
  Copies distributed in 2000: 5,700,000
  Languages in print: 100

  Seventh-Day Adventist

  SABBATH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL MINISTRIES
  Year: 2000
  Bible School Enrollments: 1,092,963
  Bible School Graduates: 481,160
  Lay Crusades and Seminars: 202,263
  Lay Bible Studies: 9,308,661
  Baptisms*: 1,092,890
  Pieces of Literature Distributed: 74,023,800
  Community Services Units: 135,787
  Ingathering Funds: 9,622,709
  Sabbath Schools: 120,261
  Sabbath School Membership: 14,548,496
  Percent of Church Membership: 124.48%

  2000 . . . . . . . . .
  Total Ingathering Funds 1908-2000 US: $608,643,478
  *Persons baptized as a direct result of outreach by lay members.
• 

  Yerusalyim

  I as a Catholic have engaged in the rather ineffiecient method of door to door ministry. Rather We are called to witness first and foremost with our lives.

  YERUSALYIM
  "Vanity! It's my favorite sin!"
  [Al Pacino as Satan, in "DEVIL'S ADVOCATE"]
• 

  Almost There

  I was discussing religion with a friend at my sons' basketball game. A gentleman was sitting behind us and joined the conversation. Upon leaving he asked if he could come by my house to continue the discussion. I agreed.

  He called to confirm the appointment and asked if my husband would be interested in joining the discussion, because he was going to bring his wife. My husband agreed.

  He turned out to be a baptist minister. His visit was very interesting and he shared scriptures in the bible and asked us if we wanted to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We told him, "No". He said he understood, because of my JW background. He ended with a lovely prayer for my family.

  And did not even invite us to his church. I asked him what church did he pastor, he told me (but still did not invite us). My husband (who is a baptist), told him that we would visit sometime (which we have).

  Even though, I do not believe in the Bible God. I was really impressed with him.

  The witnesses are definitely wrong, about being the only people who witness. Because talking with most Christians, evangelism is definitely a part of their faith.
• 

  LittleToe

  I can follow that.
  In the Free Church of Scotland, that I attend, I hear the word "witness" mentioned more often than I did at the Kingdumb hall.

  I have seen much evidence of gentle "informal witnessing".
• 

  truthseeker1

  Arn't you guys afraid of going into other churches?
  I always heard that the religous leaders eat children, murder babies and all that.
• 

  RR

  Well as a Bible Student, we witness all the time. Of course we don't go door to door every weekend. However we do get together at least once a month and canvass the area.

  We may have a presentation [film] and invite the public to attend. Most of the personal contacts come in the form of visiting individuals who have expressed interest in our group. Perhaps they ordered something from one of our advertisements, or heard one of our radio or televison programs.

  But unlike the Witnesses, we don't impose on people every week.

  The best method is always what the Witnesses call "incidental witness".
• 

  Kenneson

  One day one of St. Francis' friends asked Francis to teach him how to preach. So they took off in the Italian village and walked through it. The friend protested. "I thought we were going to preach."
  Francis replied, "We just did." "Preach the gospel and when necessary use words."

  If you want to know who a person is look at what he is and does, not so much what he says. The mouth has a tendency to lie, but its hard to fool what you are and do. The best sermon preached is the example you are. You've got to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk.
• 

  Unclepenn1

  It occurred to me recently, while the JW's always take credit for the worldwide preaching, it's funny how their numbers of growth in foreign cultures are always where the people there have already been exposed to Christianity. In other words, some missionaries go in there, teach people about Christ, spend years translating the Bible in to the language of the people, build churches, then the Witnesses come in as ferocious wolves and steal and mislead the sheep and then take full credit for the worldwide preaching work (as if others werent already there before them) Next time I encounter a dub and they tell me they are the only ones doing this work, I will have to inquire as to how the Bible was translated into 3,000 languages (or something like that). Did the WTB&TS do all this laborious work over the ages?

  Penn
• 

  Adonai438

  JWs are the only ones ministering huh ? Then how did Christianity spread through out the whole world from Israel this last 1800+ years or so without them? They may not like or believe in Christianity but it has spread through the witness of it's people. JWs are barely over 100 years old.
  I believe most Christians 'preach' and all bear some kind of witness.
  There are diferent biblical ways to share ones faith and none is better than the other--- ie:door to door is not the only kind that is right or should be done.
  Most Christian churches although they were the first ones to go door to door do not any longer because of the mistaken association. Instead we have opted for less intrusive ways like street ministry, flyers, movies, music, free concerts, free food-- We share our faith in action and love-- not out of a need to log in hours! Not only that but we also care about the physical needs of the world and have missions, shelters, counseling centers, food shelves, and third world country work. JWs don't share their 'faith' in action and don't truly love their fellow man enough to help them even if they don't agree. Loving is a far more powerful witness for God than a magazine!
  And then there is the most important witness of living to follow Christ. Every person that calls themselves a christian is witnesing-- it's just what kind of witness are you showing? Are you showing a love for others and love for God or are you showing your sinful side more often than not. The world sees that and draws conclusions about God based on that. One should really draw there conclusions about God from the Bible and it's evidence but observation is powerful and does weigh in most of the time.