by Bang 12 Replies latest jw friends
Yea, Verily!!! Nor did you have to read some cock-eyed religious summary by a brain-dead idiot to tell you what it meant, and why you should not like it, how bad it is, and why you need to go door-to-door telling others not to like it.
I dunno, obviously none of you have had the professors I have, if you don't like it, which I didn't...you're the devil...ok maybe not the devil, but I pissed my prof off just the same...lol
Dearest Bang... may you have peace!
The false doctrine that the preaching of the good news should be done from house-to-house is a misinterpretation of Paul's words that "I did not keep from teaching you publicly... and from house to house."
What Paul MEANT was... he went into the synagogues (because that is where he was SENT by my Lord), as well as to the houses of those he was SPEAKING to. If you read the Acts of the Apostles, you will find that Paul went to various one's houses... and either stayed with them or spoke well into the wee hours of the night (remember Eutychus falling out the window?).
They did NOT, however, go knocking on folks doors randomly. How do we know this? Because the instruction of my Lord was to "search out those deserving". Now, the Society directs that such ones, those who are "deserving", are those who willingly listen to them and receive them. That is incorrect. Those who are "deserving" are those who my Lord, by means of his spirit, DIRECTS his disciples to! I give you: the Ethiopian eunuch... Cornelius... the men that Paul laid his hands on... etc. These people were chosen... by GOD, through CHRIST... and not by men. For it is God, through Christ, who deems such ones 'deserving', for He shows mercy upon whomever HE wishes to show it.
Now, say a disciple was 'sent' to such one, and that one did not receive them 'kindly'. It was THEN that they were to 'shake the dust off their feet'. Why? Because they were there at the request of THEIR heart... just as it was said of Cornelius, "YOUR prayers have been heard." You see, the good news... about the CHRIST... and NOT about the 'kingdom"... is a response to those who are 'seeking, asking, knocking'. ALL such ones receive a response... however, not all such ones 'receive' it.
If you believe that the commission was to go knocking on folks houses at random, to teach them false doctrine and propaganda... which I, too, at one time believed (although I did not know it to be false), then you have been misled. Just as I once was. But, you don't have to continue to be. You CAN... 'hear him knocking and open to him... and 'take the evening meal with him'. It's entirely YOUR choice... based on what's in YOUR heart... and whether YOU 'hear' the invitation... and get the sense of it.
John 6:48-56; Revelation 3:17-22
Again, I bid you peace.
A slave of Christ,
SJ
To further what you have written AGuest,
The instruction is to also promote the trust in the message that was delivered. Upon receipt of the Good News the householder was then able to share this. "Do not go from house to house" includes a trust in what has been done, that a Good seed was planted. I'll certainly not be going from house to house in the sense of jw ministry - aside from the statement, there isn't an example to follow regarding the way jws spread their message - as there plainly is for the other Way.
And I think the idea of seeking better accomodations would not have even been an issue - that sounds like it comes from the distrust in the world of jwism. However, in a spiritual sense, seeking other accomodations might have been a temptation.
And elders kid,
The wages are simply more food and drink - I suppose you could consider that they would want more of this food and drink, but I don't think it's about chastising the greedy.
Bang
Edited by - Bang on 18 June 2002 18:40:13
