In the last days there will be a witness to all the inhabited earth........

by holly 97 Replies latest jw friends

  • AK - Jeff
    AK - Jeff

    Holly -

    Even if we accept the JW version of this ; i.e.; 1- that we are living in the last days 2- that the preaching means open evangelicalism door to door as they do it - there are still serious matters of thought here.

    I spent 35 years + doing the JW version of 'preaching'. Mostly I spent time walking, riding, sitting in the car, knocking on empty doors or not at homes. When I did speak with someone, I was not interested in witnessing to the sacrificial value of Jesus' ransom and the person accepting Jesus as Savior - I was interested in, 1- placing literature, 2- starting a book study to study said literature, 3- making return visits or conducting book studies so that the person who took such literature would come to the Kingdom hall and study more witness literature.

    And I was efective at that work - I 'aided' at least 10 persons to become witnesses. But I aided no one to develop a personal relationship with God and His Son, Jesus. I helped them to become robotic and nuerotic in doing as told by an organization - but not in reliance on the Bible as a personal guide. I steered them away from trusting Jesus own words that he 'is the way and the truth and the life'. How could I have done otherwise - I was believing that the organization was the path to my salvation too. Oh yes, Jesus gets some token mention. But he is clearly taught to be a Mediator to only the annointed ones. Other sheep have no Mediator in Jesus, by watchtower teaching.

    Many are preaching the good news that Christ Jesus is the 'way and the truth and the life'. Jehovah's witnesses are teaching that the Watchtower is the pathway to life - if you try and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ apart from the witness faith - in their eyes you have turned away from the 'truth'.

    Since leaving the Watchtower organization, I have had many try and 'witness' to me in their own ways, and highlight the value of Jesus Christ - I think that constitutes preaching the real 'good news'.

    Enough said -

    Jeff

  • truth_about_the_truth
    truth_about_the_truth

    Jeff,

    Amen. Couldn't have expressed it better myself.

  • adelmaal
    adelmaal
    adelmaal ... please! Do your own thing ... my points here are for holly.

    As are mine. You responded to my comments and I merely explained my position. Did you not expect a response to a comment regarding my post. Actually, I believe my screen name was specifically metioned in your post that I responded to. Was it not? No need to answer That was rhetorical.

  • AK - Jeff
    AK - Jeff

    Right on Ademaal! No rhetoric.....

    Jeff

  • adelmaal
  • adelmaal
    adelmaal
    Since leaving the Watchtower organization, I have had many try and 'witness' to me in their own ways, and highlight the value of Jesus Christ - I think that constitutes preaching the real 'good news'.

    Great minds think alike You basically in a nutshell said what I was trying to say earlier. Just couldn't seem to spit it out in one sentence.

  • Pole
    Pole

    Leo,

    Pole....The thing is, the NT shows that in the first century, Christians believed they were already living in the "last days".

    Absolutely. They were megalomaniac too.

    Pole

  • AlmostAtheist
    AlmostAtheist

    So far it sounds like there are 4 schools of thought running on this thread about preaching in the last days:

    1. Preaching today only by jw's matt 24:14 - preaching would occur
    2. Preaching today by all matt 24:14
      matt 18:20 - where 2 or 3 are gathered, I am there
    3. Preaching in 1st century only, long since completed matt 24:14 - preaching to whole world
      1thes 1:8 - preaching has reached 'every place'
      acts 2:17 - Peter called his time 'the last days'
    4. Bible is not to be relied upon anyway

    (I didn't include anyone's reasoning that didn't have a scripture backing it up. Please correct me if I missed anything)

    Would anyone that subscribes to one of these lines (or another one) want to add some scriptures to beef up their position?

    Dave

  • holly
    holly

    i was a born again christian for 17 years. baptised and preaching - although as a preaching born again i was rare. most people go to church and thats it. they may tell a few family and friends - some dont even do that. one church i went to had to have two services - one for older people who couldnt understand this born again movement, and one for the younger dance in the isle types. i worked with older people for several years. when they mentioned the split services and this 'new born again thing', i asked them 'do they actually tell you what it means, that you have to ask jesus into your heart and forgive you for your sins so you can be born again into gods kingdom - do the born again christians actually talk to you about their believes'. you know what - they didnt - not one of them. in a whole congregation the elderly were bewilered by the 'new movement'. and out of the people i mixed with in church, many were just church goers who thought they could live as they liked - they just had to attend church to assure their place in heaven. for the more sincere, some thought that they had to live their lives right, by gods commands, but didnt know what it was to be born again. some were born again - but thought as jesus forgives anything, they could keep doing wrong and saying sorry. i know a born again woman who lives with her boyfriend (but isnt doing anything - they apparently sleep seperately!), but fully believes as long as she keeps apologizing, shes on her way to heaven. and the church know about her living with her boyfriend but do and say nothing. and some born agains are really really sincere and do try to live by bible standards - but push them on issues like who are the meek who inherit the earth, and you will get a different story each time. then theres those who tell me they are christians but dont go to church. im deaf so go to deaf club every week and there are few non church going self professing christians. in ten years not one of them has witnessed to me. ive even asked 'what do you believe then'. 'oh im a christian, but i dont go to church bec you dont need to go to church to worship god'. but they never tried to save me. then i asked someone only last week, 'youre a christian, who are the meek who inherit the earth'. 'oh thats us she said, we are going to heaven, then god will make a new earth and put us all back on it'. and the scriptures to back that...............are not there.

    try asking a vicar or pastor and the answers are just as confusing. the catholics are way off line of scripture. what they teach breaks commands of the very bible they preach from. the break away movements have allowed unscriptural stuff to creep in also. and they all preach hell as a place of everlasting torment or everlasting awareness of being cut off from god (views vary)

    so the church have had it with me. i renounce it completely - and according to what born agains believe, that puts me in line for everlasting torment in hell. i would become an athiest before i could believe that any church has gods true message. thats not to say some arent sincere. many are. and many of my friends who remain in the church are just as confused by differing answers as i always was.

    some say it is not an organisation that has the truth, but its individuals preaching. what are they preaching? most individuals just preach jesus saves. they couldnt give a theological arguement backed by scripture if they tried. 'and this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come' matt 24:14 new international version. It does not say 'preaching jesus will save you from your sins, it says gospel of the kingdom. what is the kingdom?

    You know i asked, who these people were preaching - and got a variety of answers. so can anyone tell me 'what is the kingdom'?

    thank you

    holly

  • a friend in need
    a friend in need

    holly ... I understood you studied with JWs recently. Are you seriously asking what the 'kingdom' is???

    If you studied, I would imagine it to be one of the first things you'd learn .

    Ever notice on the front of every Watchtower : " announcing Jehovah's Kingdom".

    If you are serious, I will answer you.

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