Comments You Will Not Hear at the 12-21-03 WT Study Review comments will be in black and parentheses ()
WT quotes will be in
red and quotes ""Quotes from other sources will be in
blue
?HANDLE GOD?S WORD ARIGHT?
" Do your utmost to present yourself approved to God, a workman with nothing to be ashamed of, handling the word of truth aright."?2 TIMOTHY 2:15 "Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple."?2 Timothy 2:15 (MSG) Opening Comments
Beginning of 3 part series on improving in "making disciples."
The WTS is seeing the real numbers dropping. But who is at fault, them? No, the publishers. In the same vein of saying abused wives cause their abuse, the WTS says the publishers are the cause of the drop in real numbers.
Does the change in the Theocratic Ministry School address this lack of skill in the publishers? Sisters only give maybe 2 or 3 talks a year. Is that often enough to develop skill using the Bible? With pre-written outlines, do men learn how to use the Bible or the publications. Quotes from WT publications dominate the outlines. Do long-time JWs really train anyone nowadays. Has the pioneer assist program proven effective? Have you ever had the book study overseer offer to work with you in field service and give helpful pointers or tips?
Does the WTS itself handle the Word of God aright? How many scriptures are quoted in this article? Most are snippets or citations. Do you look them all up to make sure they are in context?
What is the tool the WTS really uses? The Bible or the WT?
START OF ARTICLE Workers need tools to help them get their jobs done. Just having any tool, though, is not enough. A worker needs the right tool, and he (she) must use it in the proper way. (Illustration) If while building a shed, for instance, you wanted to fasten two boards together, you would need more than a hammer and nails. You would have to know how to drive a nail into wood without bending the nail. Attempting to drive a nail into wood without knowing how to use a hammer would be very difficult, even frustrating. But tools handled properly help us to accomplish tasks with satisfying results.Who is the Great Carpenter? Jesus or the WTS?
Watchtower 1981 February 15 pp.17-19 Do We Need Help to Understand the Bible? We all need help to understand the Bible, and we cannot find the Scriptural guidance we need outside the "faithful and discreet slave" organization.Our Kingdom Ministry September 2002 (For Britain) p. 8
5 God's Appointed Channel: Bear in mind that our heavenly Father has an appointed channel of communication, "the faithful and discreet slave." That "slave" has the responsibility to determine what information is made available to the household of faith, as well as "the proper time" for it to be dispensed. This spiritual food is available only through the theocratic organization. We should always look to God's appointed channel for reliable information, not to a network of Internet users. ? Matt.24:45.
http://quotes.jehovahswitnesses.com/channel.htm
As Christians, we have a work to do. It is a work of paramount importance. Jesus Christ urged his followers to ?seek first the kingdom." (Matthew 6:33) How can we do that? One way is by being zealous in the Kingdom preaching and disciple-making work. Having our ministry firmly rooted in God?s Word is another. Good conduct is a third way. (Matthew 24:14, 28:19,20; Acts 8:25; 1 Peter 2:12) To be effective and happy in this Christian work assignment, we need suitable tools (plural? more than the Bible is necessary?) and knowledge of how to handle them properly. In this respect, the apostle Paul set an outstanding example as a Christian laborer, and he encouraged fellow believers to imitate him. (1 Corinthians 11:1, 15:10) So, then, what can we learn from Paul, our fellow worker? Paul?A Zealous Kingdom Proclaimer (instead of Publisher/book salesperson) What kind of worker was Paul? He certainly was zealous. Paul exerted himself strenuously, spreading the good news over a wide area around the Mediterranean area. Giving a reason for his enthusiastic proclamation of the Kingdom, this untiring apostle said: "If, now, I am declaring the good news, it is no reason for me to boast, for necessity is laid upon me. Really, woe is me if I did not declare the good news!" (1 Corinthians 9:16) Was Paul interested in saving only his own life? No. He was not a selfish person. Rather, he desired that others too benefit from the good news. He wrote: "I do all things for the sake of the good news, that I may become a sharer of it with others."?1 Corinthians 9:23.(First 2 fully quoted scriptures in this article If the WTS bothers to completely quote a scripture, ask yourself why and look at it more closely.)
Yes, Paul was not a selfish person. He wasn?t just making sure of his own salvation. He knew that his primary reason to preach should be to help others. Too many JWs today aren?t concerned about starting Bible studies. Their salvation is assured just by putting in their time each month.
The apostle Paul was a modest worker who realized that he could not rely solely on his personal skills. Just as a carpenter needs a hammer, Paul needed the proper tool to inculcate God?s truth in the hearts of his listeners. What tool did he primarily use? It was God?s Word, the Holy Scriptures. Similarly, the entire Bible is the primary tool we use to help us make disciples.Do JWs primarily use the Bible in their preaching work. After giving their presentation, perhaps using one scripture, do they invite them to sit down and share more scriptures or use a WTS publication with its pre-selected scriptures?
Paul knew that handling God?s Word properly involved more than quoting from it. He used "persuasion." (Acts 28:23) How? Paul successfully employed God?s written Word to convince many to accept Kingdom truth. He reasoned with them. For three months in a synagogue in Ephesus, Paul was "giving talks and using persuasion concerning the kingdom of God." While "some went on hardening themselves and not believing," others listened. As a result of Paul?s ministry in Ephesus, "the word of Jehovah kept growing and prevailing."?Acts 19:8,9,20.Do JWs reason with the Bible or a WT publication? The Bible says or "the book says"?
Should that scripture read "the word of Jehovah"?
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/7831/jehovah.html
As a zealous Kingdom proclaimer, Paul ?glorified his ministry.? (Romans 11:13) How? He was not interested in self-promotion; nor was he ashamed to be known publicly as one of God?s fellow workers. Instead, he viewed his ministry as an honor of the highest order. Paul handled God?s Word skillfully and effectively. His fruitful activity provided incentive for others, helping to motivate them to accomplish their ministry more fully (buzzword). In this way too, his ministry was glorified.Are JWs today "ashamed to be known publicly as one of God?s fellow workers"? If not, why does the WTS have to encourage them to keep their badges on after an assembly? Do young JWs readily identify themselves at school or does the WTS have to "encourage" them to do so. Do adult JWs readily identify themselves as JWs at work?
w94 9/1 p. 19 Beware of Boasting The statement of a member of the music group the Beatles is also well-known: "We?re more popular than Jesus Christ now." While some viewed such comments as having been said innocently, others saw those who uttered them as role models of self-promotion worthy to be followed. w98 5/15 p. 20 Will we allow those who are blinded by Satan to intimidate and dishearten us and make us feel ashamed of the good news? Will we permit lies about the truth to affect our regular meeting attendance and our preaching activity? Like Paul, we can glorify our work as ministers by making frequent and effective use of the Word of God. In all features of our field ministry, our goal should be to share something from the Scriptures with as many people as possible. How can we do this with persuasion? Consider three important ways: (1) Direct attention to God?s Word in a way that creates respect for it. (2) Tactfully explain and apply what the Bible says. (3) Reason from the Scriptures in a way that is convincing.Our goal really ends up being putting as much time in as possible without talking to anyone.
Awake 1990 5/22 pp. 12-14 Five Common Fallacies?Don?t Be Fooled by Them! *see below Present-day Kingdom proclaimers have tools that were not available to Paul during his ministry. These include books, magazines, brochures, handbills, tracts, and audio and video recordings. In the past century, testimony cards (idiot cards), phonographs, sound cars, and radio broadcasts were also used. Of course, our best tool is the Bible, and we need to make good and proper use of this indispensable tool.Is the Bible really the best tool? Would Paul have been more effective if he had books, magazines, brochures, handbills, tracts, audio and video recordings?.
w95 8/1 p. 16 This magazine, The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah?s Kingdom, is the principal instrument employed by the "slave" in the teaching work. w89 3/15 p. 22 The Watchtower is the principal instrument used by the "slave" class for dispensing spiritual foodMerriam Abridged Dictionary Main Entry: 1 in·stru·ment Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin instrumentum, from instruere to arrange, instruct
Date: 14th century
2 a : a means whereby something is achieved, performed, or furthered b : one used by another as a means or aid : DUPE , TOOL
Did the early Christians need all those man-made publications?
(Picture shows Paul with a scroll in the marketplace talking to a woman. Did the Christians routinely carry parts of the Bible with them? What does the historical record show?)
Our Ministry Must be Rooted in God?s WordBased on the quotes above, does the WTS root its teachings in the Bible or its "prinicipal instrument" the Watchtower?
How can we use God?s Word as an effective tool? By heeding these words of Paul directed to his coworker Timothy: "Do your utmost to present yourself approved to God, a workman with nothing to be ashamed of, handling the word of the truth aright." (2 Timothy 2:15) What is entailed in "handling the word of truth aright?" The Greek word rendered "handling aright" literally means "straightly cutting" or "to cut a path in a straight direction." Only in Paul?s admonition to Timothy is that term used in the?You the one preaching ?Be neutral in the world?s affairs? associate with the UN??
http://www.randytv.com/secret/unitednations.htm
"You the one preaching ?Do not commit immorality? protect child abusers with the WTS 2-witness rule?
http://www.watchtowerinformationservice.org/childabuse.htm
"You the one preaching ?do not lie,? say theocratic lying/strategy is allowed.
http://www.freeminds.org/psych/whylie.htm
w87 2/1 p. 30 Attend the 1987 "Trust in Jehovah" District Convention The purpose of all the features of the program, we may be sure, will be to strengthen our trust in Jehovah as well as in the visible organization he is using at the present time . w87 12/1 p. 22 He stressed to the students the need of trusting fully in Jehovah and his visible organization, as well as individually proving trustworthy. What results can we expect from handling God?s Word aright? Consider the power that the written Word of God can have on the lives of honesthearted (buzzword) individuals.God?s Word Has Transforming Power When accepted as authoritative, the message of God?s Word exerts a dynamic influence that helps people to make remarkable changes in their lives. Paul had seen God?s word in action and had witnessed its good effect upon those who had become Christians in ancient Thessalonica. He therefore told them: "We also thank God incessantly, because when you received God?s word, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but, just as it truthfully is, as the word of God, which is also at work in you believers." (1 Thessalonians 2:13) For those Christians?indeed, for all true followers of Christ?the puny logic of man is no match for the supreme wisdom of God (Isaiah 55:9) The Thessalonians "accepted the word under much tribulation with joy of holy spirit" and became examples to other believers.?1 Thessalonians 1:5-7.
That includes the puny logic of the WTS. Carefully examine, what the teach according to the Scriptures as you would any human source.
The Word of God is dynamic, as is its Source, Jehovah. It comes from "the living God," the one by whose word "the heavens themselves were made," and that word always 'has success in that for which it is sent.' (Hebrews 3:12; Psalm 33:6; Isaiah 55:11) One Bible scholar commented: "God does not separate himself from his Word. He does not disown it as if it were a foreign thing to him. ?Therefore it is never dead matter, insensible to what is done with it; for it is a bond of union with the living God."And who might this Bible scholar be? Why doesn?t the WT give his name and the source and page number? Why should we accept this quotation as authoritative?
How powerful is the message emanating from God's Word? It has tremendous power. Fittingly, Paul wrote: "The word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints and their marrow, and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart."-Hebrews 4:12.But not without the organization to help interpret it.
w85 6/1 p. 20 To turn away from Jehovah and his organization, to spurn the direction of "the faithful and discreet slave," and to rely simply on personal Bible reading and interpretation is to become like a solitary tree in a parched land. w67 10/1 p. 587 Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible . For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah?s visible organization in mind. The message in God's written Word is "sharper than any two-edged sword." Thus, it has such tremendous penetrating power that it exceeds any human instrument or tool (especially the WT). The Word of God pierces the innermost parts of a person and can change him inwardly, affecting how he thinks and what he loves, making him an acceptable, godly worker. What a powerful tool!Acceptable to God or acceptable to the WTS. Does God have a rule against beards on men?
The Word of God exposes what a person really is at his core as compared with what he thinks he is or what he allows others to see. (1 Samuel 16:7) Even a wicked person can sometimes shroud his inner self with a covering of benevolence or piety. Evil ones put up false fronts for wicked reasons. Proud people masquerade with mock humility while yearning to hear the applause of men. By laying bare what is really in the heart however, God's Word can powerfully move a humble individual to strip off the old personality and "put on the new personality which was created according to God's will in true righteousness and loyalty." (Ephesians 4:22-24) The teachings of God's Word can also transform the timid of heart into bold Witnesses of Jehovah and zealous Kingdom proclaimers.-Jeremiah 1:6-9. Another apostate warning? "Even a wicked person can sometimes shroud his inner self with a covering of benevolence or piety. Evil ones put up false fronts for wicked reasons. Proud people masquerade with mock humility while yearning to hear the applause of men." The transforming power of God's Word has a good effect on people everywhere. For example, Kingdom proclaimers from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, preached in the province of Kompong Cham twice a month. After hearing others of the clergy speak against Jehovah's Witnesses, a local pastor arranged to meet with the Witnesses the next time they visited the province. She barraged them with questions about the celebrating of holidays and listened closely as they reasoned with her from the Scriptures. Then she exclaimed: "I know now that what my fellow pastors said about you is not true! They claimed that you don't use the Bible, but this morning that's all you have used!"Does using the Bible prove one has the truth from God? How often has the WTS condemned other religions?
Romans 10:2-3 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God; but not according to accurate knowledge; 3 for, because of not knowing the righteousness of God but seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. This woman continued her Bible discussions with the Witnesses and did not allow threats of removal as pastor to stop hen She mentioned her Scriptural discussions to a friend, who then began to study the Bible with the Witnesses (study a publication).. The friend became so enthusiastic about what she was learning that at one of the services at the church she attends, she was moved to say, "Come, study the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses!" Soon thereafter, the former pastor and others also began studying the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses.Did they get baptized? I think not. The WTS leaves that out. Did you ever give an experience at a convention/assembly? Then you know how the CO/DO edits it for public consumption.
The power of God's Word is also illustrated in the case of Paulina, a woman in Ghana. A full-time Kingdom proclaimer (regular pioneer/buzzword) held a Bible study with her in the book Knowledge That Leads to Evedasting Life. Paulina was involved in a polygamous marriage and saw the need to make changes, but her husband and all her relatives violently opposed her. Her grandfather, a high-court judge and a church elder, tried to dissuade her by resorting to a misapplication of Matthew 19:4-6. The judge sounded authoritative, but Paulina quickly realized that this was similar to Satan's twisting of the Scriptures when he tempted Jesus Christ. (Matthew 4:5-7) She recalled Jesus' clear statement on marriage, to the effect that God created humans male and female, not male and females, and that the two, not the three, were to become one flesh. She stuck to her decision and was finally granted the customary divorce from the polygamous marriage. Soon, she was a happy baptized Kingdom proclaimer.Yes, soon she was happy.
Keep on Handling God?s Word Aright God's written Word is indeed a powerful tool for our use in helping others to make changes in their lives in order to draw close to Jehovah. (James 4:8) Just as skilled workers use tools to achieve good results, may it be our determination to put forth earnest effort to use God's Word, the Bible, skillfully in our God-given work as Kingdom proclaimers (instead of publishers which sounds like a book salesperson).How can we handle the Scriptures more effectively in our disciple-making work? One way is by developing our abilities as convincing teachers. Please direct your attention to the next article, for it suggests ways to teach and help others to accept the Kingdom message.
Concluding CommentsThis is just the first of 3 articles on being better teachers of the Bible. I find that the biggest problem is that few JWs read the Bible in context. Thus they do not learn whole concepts from the Bible but only WT doctrine with snippets to support it. And will the average JW ever have time with 5 weekly meetings, preparing and traveling to them, 10 hours "suggested" time in the ministry, family studies, etc., etc.
You cannot use the Scriptures convincingly if you are really relying on the WTS publications. Can the average JW conduct a Bible study without a publication?
Can the average JW tell you what the 66 Bible books are and their writers? I remember asking a brother who wrote the book of Ruth and he said Ruth?.arrrgh! Here is a hard trivia question, though Paul was not married, did he have family, how do we know? What 2 brothers of Jesus wrote books of the Bible?
w99 4/1 p. 21 Who Molds Your Thinking? Honest persuasion is not the same thing as hidden propaganda.Does the WTS keep things hidden, like child molesting, what disfellowshipping really entails, what not taking blood really means, that lying is allowed under "theocratic" situations?
Acts 17:11 (MSG) They were treated a lot better there than in Thessalonica. The Jews received Paul's message with enthusiasm and met with him daily, examining the Scriptures to see if they supported what he said. *Awake 5/22/90 pp. 12-14 Five Common Fallacies?Don?t Be Fooled by Them! FALLACY NUMBER 1 Attacking the Person This type of fallacy attempts to disprove or discredit a perfectly valid argument or statement by making an irrelevant attack on the person presenting it.Consider an example from the Bible. Jesus Christ once endeavored to enlighten others regarding his coming death and resurrection. These were new and difficult concepts for his listeners. But rather than weigh the merits of Jesus? teachings, some attacked Jesus himself, saying: "He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to him?"?John 10:20; compare Acts 26:24, 25.
How easy it is to label someone "stupid," "crazy," or "uninformed" when he or she says something we don?t want to hear. A similar tactic is to attack the person with a subtle dose of innuendo. Typical examples of this are: "If you really understood the matter, you wouldn?t have that point of view" or, "You only believe that because you?re told to believe it."
But while personal attacks, subtle and not so subtle, may intimidate and persuade, never do they disprove what has been said. So be alert to this fallacy!
FALLACY NUMBER 2 Appealing to Authority This form of verbal intimidation is accomplished by invoking the testimonials of so-called experts or famous people. Of course, for advice it is only natural to look to people who know more about something than we do. But not all appeals to authority are based on sound reasoning.(Doesn?t the WTS do this and then fail to give the information to check the source?)
Suppose your doctor tells you: "You have malaria." You reply: "How do you know, doctor?" How unreasonable it would be for him to say: "Look, I am a doctor. I know far more about these things than you do. Take my word for it, you have malaria." While his diagnosis is likely correct, reasoning that you have malaria simply because he says so is fallacious. It would be far more advantageous for him to discuss the facts: your symptoms, blood-test results, and so forth.
Another example of an intimidating appeal to authority is described at John 7:32-49. There we learn that police officers were sent to arrest Jesus Christ. They were so impressed by his teaching, however, that rather than arrest him, they told their superiors: "Never has another man spoken like this." In reply, Jesus? enemies said: "You have not been misled also, have you? Not one of the rulers or of the Pharisees has put faith in him, has he?" Note that no attempt was made to refute Jesus? teaching. Rather, the Jewish leaders appealed to their own authority as "experts" in the Law of Moses as the reason to disregard whatever Jesus said.
Realize, too, that even legitimate experts?like everyone else?may be biased. A highly credentialed researcher may claim that smoking tobacco is harmless. But if he or she is employed by the tobacco industry, is not such "expert" testimony suspect?
FALLACY NUMBER 3 ?Join the Crowd? Here the appeal is to popular emotions, prejudices, and beliefs. People generally like to conform. We tend to shrink at the thought of speaking out against prevailing opinions. This tendency to view the majority opinion as automatically correct is used with potent effect in the ?join-the-crowd? fallacy. But while others may think or do something, does that mean you should? Besides, popular opinion just isn?t a reliable barometer of truth. Over the centuries all kinds of ideas have been popularly accepted, only to be proved wrong later. Yet, the ?join-the-crowd? fallacy persists. The rallying cry, ?Everybody is doing it!? moves people to take drugs, commit adultery, steal from employers, and cheat on taxes.The fact is, everybody doesn?t do those things. And even if they did, that would be no reason for you to do so. The advice given at Exodus 23:2 thus serves as a good general rule of conduct: "You must not follow after the crowd for evil ends."
FALLACY NUMBER 4 Either/Or Reasoning This fallacy reduces what may be a wide range of options to only two. For example, a person may be told: ?Either you accept a blood transfusion or you will die.? Jehovah?s Witnesses often run into such reasoning because of their Bible-based decision to ?abstain from blood? in any form. (Acts 15:29) The weakness of this line of reasoning? It excludes other valid possibilities. The facts show that there are alternative treatments, and most operations can be performed successfully without blood. Skilled doctors often operate with a minimal loss of blood. Another possibility is the use of nonblood fluids, plasma volume expanders. Furthermore, many have taken blood transfusions and died. By the same token, many have refused blood and lived. The hole in the either/or reasoning is thus a gaping one.So when presented with either/or reasoning, ask yourself , ?Are there really only two possible choices? Might there be others??
FALLACY NUMBER 5 Oversimplification Here a statement or argument ignores relevant considerations, oversimplifying what may be a complex issue.Granted, there is nothing wrong in simplifying a complicated subject?good teachers do it all the time. But sometimes a matter is simplified to the point of distorting truth. For example, you may read: ?Rapid population growth is the cause of poverty in developing countries.? There?s an element of truth in that, but it ignores other important considerations, such as political mismanagement, commercial exploitation, and weather patterns.