Saturday, October 15
We are members belonging to one another.—Eph. 4:25.
Are you a young person? If so, be assured that you, as a part of Jehovah’s worldwide congregation, are really appreciated. In many countries, a large number of those getting baptized are young people. How encouraging it is to see so many youths joining the ranks of those who have decided to serve Jehovah! As a youth, do you enjoy being with other young people? Likely you do. A certain happiness comes from enjoying pleasant times with those of our own age. However, whether we are young or old and regardless of our background, God wants us to be united in worshipping him. The apostle Paul wrote that God’s will is that “all sorts of people should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” (1 Tim. 2:3, 4) At Revelation 7:9, we find the description of God’s worshippers who come out of “all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues.” w14 12/15 3:1, 2
10 points that I was thinking about:
1. "We are members belonging to one another"
No... I no longer belong in this cult! (Proudly inactive and faded. I'm still officially a member though, but there is nothing I can do about that as disassociating myself would result in being shunned by still-in family members)
2. "Are you a young person?"
Yes, I still am (but I wasted a large part of my youth in this freaking cult!)
3. "If so, be assured that you, as a part of Jehovah’s worldwide congregation, are really appreciated."
That's NOT how I felt while I was still in! I felt used, taken advantage of, taken for granted, undervalued, and UNDER-APPRECIATED. You could NEVER do enough! Everything is conditional and forced. I had to put up with many difficult situations and people and this resulted in a whole shitload of negative feelings!
4. "In many countries, a large number of those getting baptized are young people."
How many are born-in / had parents convert when they are still young and how many are fresh recruits? Do the math!
5. "How encouraging it is to see so many youths joining the ranks of those who have decided to serve Jehovah!"
Same point as #4. The question is how many will ACTUALLY stay as 2/3rds eventually end up leaving! (source: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/26/a-closer-look-at-jehovahs-witnesses-living-in-the-u-s/)
6. "As a youth, do you enjoy being with other young people? Likely you do."
Yes, but there were hardly any in my cong!
7. "A certain happiness comes from enjoying pleasant times with those of our own age."
Being a liberal and open-minded JW, I did not share the same interests with the few young ones in my cong and could not relate to them!
8. "However, whether we are young or old and regardless of our background, God wants us to be united in worshipping him."
If God REALLY wanted us to be united in worshipping him, then WHY the heck did he come up with such a confusing book which has resulted in countless different interpretations and MORE than 40,000+ denominations???
9. The apostle Paul wrote that God’s will is that “all sorts of people should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.”
8 million+ out of 7.5 BILLION people DOES NOT represent "all sorts of people" to a satisfactory degree!
10. At Revelation 7:9, we find the description of God’s worshippers who come out of “all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues.”
Does the Governing Body consist of members from "all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues???"