Only a few will find it

I met with the Jehovah's Witnesses for quite a while until, I guess they finally determined that I was never going to convert to their religion, and was a waste of time. I attended services at the Kingdom Hall a few times, and there is much about the JWs to admire. I don't know about those at the top of the organization, and realize there might be some serious corruption there (true of many organizations, religious or otherwise), but the rank-and-file Jehovah's Witnesses could be a model for what Christians should do, living their faith in ways that have to be uncomfortable.

While the Scriptures tell us that we should be out spreading the Gospel, bring the message of Christ to people everywhere, most Christians pride themselves on being quiet Christians, keeping their faith to themselves, while blending in with the World. Not wanting to be pushy, they accept that their faith is something to be hidden away in the privacy of their homes; in effect, something to be ashamed of.

The JWs don't do that, to their credit. It must be incredibly difficult to go door-to-door, often putting up with insults and rejection today, while slated for execution in areas controlled by Germany 70 years ago. Consider also that they could have more easily hidden among the general population than the Jews, but many of them had the courage not to deny Christ, as the Apostle Paul once did, and to faith imprisonment and death.

That said, I don't accept that their faith is grounded on the truths of Scripture. However, they believe it is, and they apparently believe more strongly than most Christians do. Will a strong faith in an incorrect understanding of Scripture be enough for salvation or will it condemn them? I have an opinion, but I suppose I could be wrong. At any rate, it's not my decision to make.
 
Ken Anderson said:
I met with the Jehovah's Witnesses for quite a while until, I guess they finally determined that I was never going to convert to their religion, and was a waste of time. I attended services at the Kingdom Hall a few times, and there is much about the JWs to admire. I don't know about those at the top of the organization, and realize there might be some serious corruption there (true of many organizations, religious or otherwise), but the rank-and-file Jehovah's Witnesses could be a model for what Christians should do, living their faith in ways that have to be uncomfortable.

While the Scriptures tell us that we should be out spreading the Gospel, bring the message of Christ to people everywhere, most Christians pride themselves on being quiet Christians, keeping their faith to themselves, while blending in with the World. Not wanting to be pushy, they accept that their faith is something to be hidden away in the privacy of their homes; in effect, something to be ashamed of.

The JWs don't do that, to their credit. It must be incredibly difficult to go door-to-door, often putting up with insults and rejection today, while slated for execution in areas controlled by Germany 70 years ago. Consider also that they could have more easily hidden among the general population than the Jews, but many of them had the courage not to deny Christ, as the Apostle Paul once did, and to faith imprisonment and death.

That said, I don't accept that their faith is grounded on the truths of Scripture. However, they believe it is, and they apparently believe more strongly than most Christians do. Will a strong faith in an incorrect understanding of Scripture be enough for salvation or will it condemn them? I have an opinion, but I suppose I could be wrong. At any rate, it's not my decision to make.
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Just a couple of things.
I know a few JW’s and they’re pretty much studied up before they knock on doors. I mean, the kind of studied up that they could turn the normal Christian into an ecumenical pretzel in a debate.

Unlike many Denominations, there’s one thing that I have never heard a JW do: tell someone they’re going to hell if they don’t believe in the manner that the JW’s do.
There’s probably a few out there but I haven’t met one yet. My “friend” Susan, an older Taiwanese JW that visits with us about once a month,
knows I’m a teacher/preacher and admittedly just likes to come by with a trainee to say hi.
Personally, I think it’s kind of Malachi 3:16 kind of thing going on because all we generally talk about is God’s / Jehovah’s love for His children.

Now, so far as your question; Above all else, God is Just.
God makes it abundantly clear (Isaiah 55:8) that His thoughts are not our thoughts so when it comes to even opining about well, I won’t.
 
Bobby Cole said:
Just a couple of things.
I know a few JW’s and they’re pretty much studied up before they knock on doors. I mean, the kind of studied up that they could turn the normal Christian into an ecumenical pretzel in a debate.

Unlike many Denominations, there’s one thing that I have never heard a JW do: tell someone they’re going to hell if they don’t believe in the manner that the JW’s do.
There’s probably a few out there but I haven’t met one yet. My “friend” Susan, an older Taiwanese JW that visits with us about once a month,
knows I’m a teacher/preacher and admittedly just likes to come by with a trainee to say hi.
Personally, I think it’s kind of Malachi 3:16 kind of thing going on because all we generally talk about is God’s / Jehovah’s love for His children.

Now, so far as your question; Above all else, God is Just.
God makes it abundantly clear (Isaiah 55:8) that His thoughts are not our thoughts so when it comes to even opining about well, I won’t.
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Never knew much about the JW's or the SDA's. I wonder whats the difference?
 
Marie Mallory said:
Never knew much about the JW's or the SDA's. I wonder whats the difference?
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Good question.
I do recommend a good read on that and many other similar differences between the denominations but with that recommendation I also offer up a sort of caveat because the author is a hard core and well studied up Baptist who takes no prisoners so to speak.

My own beliefs do not necessarily align with all of his but Walter Martin’s ‘Kingdom of the Cults” does give some insight of what differences may be found between some of the denominations.
 
Throw in the Mormons who study up and are then given a 2 year mission in their youth. Lots of stories there.
The most important thing is to spread the 'Good News' of what Jesus did to save us, his new covenant of love, that he sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us if we will hear him and that God loves us. We are not alone.
The old Covenant was one of LAWS.
So many churches use fire and brimstone to frighten people into being good, going to church once a week, not eating fish on Fridays ( :rolleyes: )... Following Christ is the way of a true Christian.
The fact that there are so many huge expensive churches to inspire us to go to God seem not to be serving the poor in love over the decades IMO.
 
Mary Stetler said:
Throw in the Mormons who study up and are then given a 2 year mission in their youth. Lots of stories there.
The most important thing is to spread the 'Good News' of what Jesus did to save us, his new covenant of love, that he sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us if we will hear him and that God loves us. We are not alone.
The old Covenant was one of LAWS.
So many churches use fire and brimstone to frighten people into being good, going to church once a week, not eating fish on Fridays ( :rolleyes: )... Following Christ is the way of a true Christian.
The fact that there are so many huge expensive churches to inspire us to go to God seem not to be serving the poor in love over the decades IMO.
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A story I think I wrote about before on our other location:

It is said that when his students and critics alike were viewing DaVinci’s rather fresh interpretative painting of “The Last Supper”, they all oohed and ah’d particularly at the way he meticulously painted the lace cloth covering the table.
After several minutes of hearing their praises, Leonardo grabbed a rag, went to the painting and furiously destroyed the laced table whilst screaming, “The face ! Look at His face !!

Now, whether or not that really happened is still debatable but nevertheless, it is indeed a good example of what not only we Christians do but many other sects do as well.
Rather than focusing on Jesus Christ and the scriptures, the vast majority of believers see the “lace” or rather as I see it, the parasitic entities that feed off of the Gospel and drain it of nearly all of the strength it truly holds.

Many believe that the high steeples, gold tapestries and colored glass windows are there to glorify God not realizing that only when our hearts are filled and focued with Him is He truly glorified by us.
 
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Bobby Cole said:
A story I think I wrote about before on our other location:

It is said that when his students and critics alike were viewing DaVinci’s rather fresh interpretative painting of “The Last Supper”, they all oohed and ah’d particularly at the way he meticulously painted the lace cloth covering the table.
After several minutes of hearing their praises, Leonardo grabbed a rag, went to the painting and furiously destroyed the laced table whilst screaming, “The face ! Look at His face !!

Now, whether or not that really happened is still debatable but nevertheless, it is indeed a good example of what not only we Christians do but many other sects do as well.
Rather than focusing on Jesus Christ and the scriptures, the vast majority of believers see the “lace” or rather as I see it, the parasitic entities that feed off of the Gospel and drain it of nearly all of the strength it truly holds.

Many believe that the high steeples, gold tapestries and colored glass windows are there to glorify God not realizing that only when our hearts are filled and focued with Him is He truly glorified by us.
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Amen!
 
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