Dear Jehovah's Witnesses,
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I received another visit from your associates this morning! For the sake of a more comfortable read, I will be referring to your associate/church members as "you" throughout this text. I always welcome a visit from those who believe in the Lord and so I don't have any issues with your congregational members visiting. If we all agree that God is Lord and no other, than we are close to being in agreement about many a good thing.
I really just wanted to touch on a few things that I find interesting and may be confusing at the same time. I would really like to know on which scripture you base your incessant door-knocking? I suppose, "take the gospel to all four corners of the earth." I see, that's a good thing for sure. However, I've noticed that instead of being well-received by a lost and dying world, you're unwelcome and unwanted almost entirely. I know that's not supposed to be such a surprise since the Bible already tells us that, "if they hate you, know that that they hated me first," and also, "you shall be persecuted for my name's sake." So that's been explained, I suppose.
You were outwardly surprised that I knew anything about the Bible this morning. Why would a total stranger be under the impression that I shouldn't know the things of the Kingdom just because you're knocking on my door instead of approaching me in the temple/church/synagogue? You said that you could see I had "actually read and studied God's word and know some real Biblical truths."
In the collectivistic co-culture of religion/faith, we should never allow ethnocentricism to factor into our thoughts or discussions as it can have a tendency to divide one group from another. You seemed to have the automatic assumption that your denomination gave you some kind of higher place in the world and thus, I was beneath you in some way to the degree that in your mind, you had already presumed I would need Biblical enlightenment. Okay, that could be something about just that one person. Or, it could be part of your teachings. After all, you knock on people's doors to give to them what you assume the person doesn't already have. God, faith, and/or belief.
God never called us to disrupt people's lives to share the gospel. In fact, He specifically put it in writing that "no man comes except he be drawn by the Spirit." I even told you that the Apostle Paul himself said that if he didn't have the Holy Spirit, "I have become a tinkling cymbal and a sounding brass." My exact words were, "if you don't come in the Spirit to a person being drawn, then you're just making noise and that's all they hear." But that truth seemed to fly right over your head. You were convinced that talking at people about religion is going to sway them to believe.
Finally, I would like to remind you that the gospel is for the lost. The good news is for those who don't know that they can have a helper, a Savior, peace, and guidance in these hard times. Returning to my house is a waste of the time you're putting into the deed you feel you are called to do. I have the gift of Salvation and have been baptized in the Spirit. The evidence is in the fact that while I spoke of the Kingdom, you held your tongue and listened intently, as the Bible says in Acts 6:10, "They were unable to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he[she] spake." In fact, it was the only time you were not interrupting me. If I spoke of mundane things, you interrupted but when I spoke of the Kingdom, you fell silent throughout. Romans 8:16 tells us "The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." If you couple that with "you shall know them by their fruits," then there shouldn't remain too awful many questions about whether I need to know God or not. I couldn't stop talking about Him this morning. What I'm trying to say with that is, we are Christians believing in the same God and having the same spirit who "works all in all," hence, we should know each other in a relatively short amount of time. I have always been able to sense the Spirit in someone, for I know my Jesus when I see Him.
Thanks for coming by guys, but I encourage you to know what Jesus' finished work on the cross is about. It's not about deeds and doing, but freedom and salvation. You can rest and let Him guide your paths.
Sincerely,
Already Saved! ✞
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I received another visit from your associates this morning! For the sake of a more comfortable read, I will be referring to your associate/church members as "you" throughout this text. I always welcome a visit from those who believe in the Lord and so I don't have any issues with your congregational members visiting. If we all agree that God is Lord and no other, than we are close to being in agreement about many a good thing.
I really just wanted to touch on a few things that I find interesting and may be confusing at the same time. I would really like to know on which scripture you base your incessant door-knocking? I suppose, "take the gospel to all four corners of the earth." I see, that's a good thing for sure. However, I've noticed that instead of being well-received by a lost and dying world, you're unwelcome and unwanted almost entirely. I know that's not supposed to be such a surprise since the Bible already tells us that, "if they hate you, know that that they hated me first," and also, "you shall be persecuted for my name's sake." So that's been explained, I suppose.You were outwardly surprised that I knew anything about the Bible this morning. Why would a total stranger be under the impression that I shouldn't know the things of the Kingdom just because you're knocking on my door instead of approaching me in the temple/church/synagogue? You said that you could see I had "actually read and studied God's word and know some real Biblical truths."
In the collectivistic co-culture of religion/faith, we should never allow ethnocentricism to factor into our thoughts or discussions as it can have a tendency to divide one group from another. You seemed to have the automatic assumption that your denomination gave you some kind of higher place in the world and thus, I was beneath you in some way to the degree that in your mind, you had already presumed I would need Biblical enlightenment. Okay, that could be something about just that one person. Or, it could be part of your teachings. After all, you knock on people's doors to give to them what you assume the person doesn't already have. God, faith, and/or belief.
God never called us to disrupt people's lives to share the gospel. In fact, He specifically put it in writing that "no man comes except he be drawn by the Spirit." I even told you that the Apostle Paul himself said that if he didn't have the Holy Spirit, "I have become a tinkling cymbal and a sounding brass." My exact words were, "if you don't come in the Spirit to a person being drawn, then you're just making noise and that's all they hear." But that truth seemed to fly right over your head. You were convinced that talking at people about religion is going to sway them to believe.
Finally, I would like to remind you that the gospel is for the lost. The good news is for those who don't know that they can have a helper, a Savior, peace, and guidance in these hard times. Returning to my house is a waste of the time you're putting into the deed you feel you are called to do. I have the gift of Salvation and have been baptized in the Spirit. The evidence is in the fact that while I spoke of the Kingdom, you held your tongue and listened intently, as the Bible says in Acts 6:10, "They were unable to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he[she] spake." In fact, it was the only time you were not interrupting me. If I spoke of mundane things, you interrupted but when I spoke of the Kingdom, you fell silent throughout. Romans 8:16 tells us "The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." If you couple that with "you shall know them by their fruits," then there shouldn't remain too awful many questions about whether I need to know God or not. I couldn't stop talking about Him this morning. What I'm trying to say with that is, we are Christians believing in the same God and having the same spirit who "works all in all," hence, we should know each other in a relatively short amount of time. I have always been able to sense the Spirit in someone, for I know my Jesus when I see Him.
Thanks for coming by guys, but I encourage you to know what Jesus' finished work on the cross is about. It's not about deeds and doing, but freedom and salvation. You can rest and let Him guide your paths.
Sincerely,
Already Saved! ✞
Man this post is awesome, super duper awesome! I have to share this on my facebook. I think you pretty much summed up the Jehovah witness experience in a nutshell, just about everyone has had a Jehovah Witness experience.
ReplyDeleteI think this should be printed out worldwide lol and each believer should have a few copies and every time a Jehovahs Witness comes to their door to hand out those papers we could hand them a copy of this. LOL. I'm totally going to try that. Print this and wait for them to show up. I love how you say they cut you off, they do that over here all the time, won't let a person get a word in, and mostly they think whatever you say they can trump that because just like you said here, "You seemed to have the automatic assumption that your denomination gave you some kind of higher place in the world and thus, I was beneath you in some way to the degree that in your mind, you had already presumed I would need Biblical enlightenment.'. Great post Kelline, my favorite.
WOW!!! That is the highest praise I've ever had for any post ever from anyone Sateigdra!! I am so grateful that I made a difference somewhere, or met someone else on common ground. I'd be highly honored to have this shared to your page or printed for your own use. Thank you so much for absolutely making my day!!
DeleteI just felt this way when they left. I was confused as to why the young man, Ben, keeps coming when I've more than proven (just by loving God and understanding His word) that I know Him intimately. But he keeps coming and bringing friends and I wonder if it's because they don't really know Jesus. I love having a conversation about God, anytime and anywhere, but I'm thinking, 'shouldn't they be out finding the lost and those who are obviously in a condition to need God more than any others?'
There's not much left I can say other than giving a deep debt of gratitude to you for agreeing so whole-heartily with me on this. I was a little worried that I'd get a religious fanatic telling me how wrong I am for not being in agreement with other believers. Well, I am in agreement, on a lot of things with regards to faith and the JWs. But I also know where they seem to be going wrong because they aren't doing anything like the Lord died to teach them. Who wants total strangers banging on their door during breakfast, lunch, dinner, or while they're in bed? I think JWs should be doing their work in a third world country where the need is much greater just to know that God is God and not a rock or a tree or a statue they erect because they've lived in isolated communities so long they don't know about God.
Anyway, I feel strongly about this and thought I'd share it. I'm so glad to see you enjoy it and agree! Thanks again Sateigdra!
Yeah this post was great, I shared it on facebook and got feedback there too, not too many because young folks look like they don't like to read lol, but the feedback this post got was favorable. I'm surprised more people haven't commented, I thought I was the only one who felt this way and then you post about it.
ReplyDeleteI think many would agree with this, and JW's really shouldn't be anywhere until they get a full understanding of the word because they come to thee door and say things that aren't fact, it's good that we are able to test the spirits but many who they go to don't and they welcome the JW's, the doctrine they come with contradicts the True Gospel, some things they say are right yet some is very very wrong, God said a little leaven leavens the whole lump so even if some of what they are saying is true we re not to accept them because they bring a false doctrine as long as it isn't the one we're taught the one Apostle Paul and the Disciples taught.
Perhaps Ben keeps coming to your door because you might be the one who can teach truth and perhaps the Lord is sending him to you relentlessly so he can get some Truth, hopefully he listens.
I think you're right about the feedback that stuff like this gets, young folks don't like reading, others don't like reading too much, and that leaves those who don't read anything having to do with the Lord. We really have our work cut out for us spreading the truth of the Gospel.
DeleteThere's one thing that the JWs don't believe in that settles it for me once and for all about allowing their doctrine near me and that's the fact that they don't believe in the trinity. In fact, they think that Jesus was a common man with no divinity whatsoever. When they were here the other morning and they would mention Jesus, it was obvious He was no different than Paul to them. They talked of Him as if He was just another disciple. I don't know how any faith-based denomination using the Holy Bible could be so wrong about Christ.
Did you know they also read their own Bible with the word "Jehovah" replacing every instance of the word "Lord" in the King James Version? They showed me that the other morning as well. It seems the devil has steered them from the path of truth by focusing them on something that's important, God's name, but not the issue of life or the meaning of it.
I tend to lean in the direction you're leaning in as well, Sateigdra, that Ben comes back to the light. I'm a very happy person when I'm among others and that's the Lord's spirit rising up in me to show the light of His joy to the world. I am very chatty, smiley, and without effort I tend to be a fun person to hang around. That's not me bragging, but instead is what God has revealed to me as to why folks seem drawn to me after meeting me. My personal views on myself aren't very good and I have low self-esteem. But God tells me different about myself by revealing these things when I'm with others. I think Ben is miserable and trapped in the religion that taxes his soul and mind, not to mention his body. These folks are like the mailman, nothing stops them from delivering the message. Hence, I respect their stamina and devotion but it's all for naught if they haven't the Holy Spirit.
Hi Kelline,
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I speak to all people who come to talk about God, and have had some very good discussions with both Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons. I find if any doctrine, or any part of that doctrine, is false then if you speak the truth in love then that word of truth has a power in itself. It is then up to the person whether they accept the truth or not. I can never know what any individual actually believes within their heart, and the fact that they are in a particular denomination may mean that they are truly seeking God. God wants for all to come to the knowledge of salvation through Jesus and I must share whatever I see in those scriptures with the whosoever, the Lord may have sent a person to my door for that very reason, or even for me to hear something from the scriptures (not doctrine), for the scriptures are God's voice.
Hi Brenda,
DeleteExactly. As I said in the beginning of my letter/post, "I always welcome a visit from those who believe in the Lord." I think Ben knows he's welcome and that's why he returns frequently. But there's no way I'll be swayed from believing in the Trinity nor will I accept a Bible written for one specific denomination as they carry with themselves. We compared scripture and as he read I realized his words were more than just a different transliteration. That's when he showed me the Jehovah's Witness version. We have to be open and loving but weary and careful at the same time. I suppose that's my stand. Thanks for great perception and loving kindness as always Brenda!! You're a great woman of God to be sure!(◕‿~)
Let's all pray for Ben eh? that he comes to a knowledge of the truth and that the seed planted will be watered, thank You Lord that where two agree as touching anything on Earth it shall be done for us by our Father in Heaven. We ask that Ben will know the truth of salvation in Jesus, be brought into your kingdom, that the seed planted be watered and that You Heavenly Father add the increase. Amen.
ReplyDeleteABSOLUTELY and amen, I agree!!! Thank you Brenda!!
DeleteAmen! I hope Ben does indeed come to the knowledge of the truth.
DeleteHi Kelline!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really nice bit. I also get the same visitors and I have the same sentiments that you have. Thanks for sharing. More than anything, this post reminded me of how blessed I am for having known the real God (or more likely, for having been found by the real God):)
Hi "nymphamorvictoria"
DeleteI'm glad it has been a blessing, truly. I don't mean to ever down another person's beliefs but these folks are a bit unusual in their behaviors about it. I still struggle with them and feel bad that they are so lost. However, they're convinced that they know better than we do because their book tells them so. I wish they'd look within!
Thanks for coming by! I hope that all is going well since you resigned at work! I've enjoyed the pictures of your niece and family! I hope all is well after the floods as well!