- Joined
- Feb 9, 2004
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- 17,078
WHAT IF THEY ARE AT THE DOOR NOW?
SHARE your Christian TESTIMONY
* Share your Christian testimony.
* No special preparation is needed.
* Tell them how Jesus has made Himself real to YOU.
* Talk about what Christ has done in YOUR life.
Jehovah's Witnesses have NO ARGUMENT to REFUTE your testimony. It happened to YOU!
The typical Jehovah's Witness has a distant relationship with God -- through an organization.
Your testimony may remind them of the New Testament where believers EXPERIENCED GOD instead of just reading about Him in one publication after another.
Then ask the JW to return another time to HELP you with your QUESTIONS about their beliefs. (That's usually the only way they'll agree to come back.)
Read the rest of this file before they return, so you'll be prepared.
"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."
(1 Corinthians 3:6 NIV)
Even if you never see them again, the message you give them is not wasted
Are JWs at the bottom of your street, heading your way?
Read through Romans ch. 8 with them.
* Tell them it's one of your favorite passages.
* Ask to hear it read in THEIR Bible.
Only a few comments are needed, as suggested here:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, [ SAY: "Many people feel condemned." (Many JWs feel condemned, though they won't admit it. Their organization teaches only "the anointed remnant" -- approx. 8000 elderly JWs -- are "in [union with] Christ" in the sense Romans chapter 8 describes.) ] because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. [ SAY: "Imagine being in a situation where you cannot please God no matter how hard you try. Everyone is in that situation until they receive Christ:" ]
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. [ SAY: "So, people CAN please God only when the Spirit comes to live in them." ]
But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. [ SAY: "What a blessing it is that God adopts us as his children by sending his Spirit to live in our hearts!" (JWs believe only the 8000+ of "the anointed remnant" experience this, while 14,000,000 others follow their "spirit-directed organization.") ]
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. [ Unfamiliar with verses 1-14, many JWs will recognize 15-17 as quoted in their publications concerning "the anointed remnant." Millions of JWs learn to respond to such New Testament promises by saying "That does not apply to me, for I am one of the 'other sheep' and not begotten of God's spirit." - Life Everlasting-In Freedom of the Sons of God (1966) page 153 ] SAY: "So, we are all condemned, unable to please God no matter how hard we try, until God sends the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, adopting us as His children."
They will try to hide their reaction, but Romans 8:1-17 proves devastating to JWs who grasp its meaning.
Vs.8-9 shows we either "belong to Christ" or "cannot please God." It does not allow for a secondary class of 'other sheep' sanctified by an organization.
Not just indoctrinated, but also trained, drilled and rehearsed
Whether they are relatives, workmates, or strangers visiting your doorstep, Jehovah's Witnesses are difficult to talk to.
And this is no accident. They are thoroughly indoctrinated.
Following the complete program of congregation meetings and personal study, a JW who does all the assigned homework ends up reading approximately 3,000 pages each year from Watchtower Society publications. That includes 24 semimonthly Watchtower magazines of 32 pages each, an equal number of Awake! magazines, 12 monthly Our Kingdom Ministry internal publications of 4 or 8 pages each, plus one or more books, brochures and/or booklets -- the typical year's output from the organization's printing factories.
It also includes re-reading "study" material a second time when underlining answers in each paragraph in preparation for meetings, and re-reading that material a third and perhaps even a fourth time during the course of those meetings. There are usually two or three "study articles" in each issue of The Watchtower that receive such close close attention and repetitive reading in preparation for Sunday morning Watchtower Study meetings. There is also a book studied paragraph-by-paragraph at Congregation Book Study meetings typically held every Tuesday evening. And there are other books used in preparing assignments for the Theocratic Ministry School on Thursday or Friday evenings.
Even Witnesses who don't do much or any of the assigned reading do find themselves sitting through nearly five hours of meetings each week. Besides question-and-answer coverage of "study" materials, these meetings consist mostly of lectures and staged discussions.
Both the aforementioned "School" and the Service Meeting feature many roll-playing demonstrations, with one JW playing the part of YOU and another playing himself or herself calling at your door or speaking to you in less formal circumstances.
These demonstrations on the platform in front of the Kingdom Hall audience show Jehovah's Witnesses how to present their message effectively. They learn how to handle, not just their prepared message of the week, but also the objections, questions, and arguments that YOU are most likely to bring up.
By rotation, nearly all active JWs take turns acting one part or another in these demonstrations, actually trying out the various approaches and learning to overcome objections and defeat arguments raised by non-Witnesses.
In addition to the sessions at Kingdom Hall meetings, similar practice sessions are held when groups meet for door-to-door work and even in homes when families prepare for this activity.
So, the chances are that a clever argument you have thought of to share with the next JW who calls, may well be an argument he or she has already heard, practiced, and learned how to defeat.
READ MORE TOPICS AND ADVICE HERE...[link]
SHARE your Christian TESTIMONY
* Share your Christian testimony.
* No special preparation is needed.
* Tell them how Jesus has made Himself real to YOU.
* Talk about what Christ has done in YOUR life.
Jehovah's Witnesses have NO ARGUMENT to REFUTE your testimony. It happened to YOU!
The typical Jehovah's Witness has a distant relationship with God -- through an organization.
Your testimony may remind them of the New Testament where believers EXPERIENCED GOD instead of just reading about Him in one publication after another.
Then ask the JW to return another time to HELP you with your QUESTIONS about their beliefs. (That's usually the only way they'll agree to come back.)
Read the rest of this file before they return, so you'll be prepared.
"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."
(1 Corinthians 3:6 NIV)
Even if you never see them again, the message you give them is not wasted
Are JWs at the bottom of your street, heading your way?
Read through Romans ch. 8 with them.
* Tell them it's one of your favorite passages.
* Ask to hear it read in THEIR Bible.
Only a few comments are needed, as suggested here:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, [ SAY: "Many people feel condemned." (Many JWs feel condemned, though they won't admit it. Their organization teaches only "the anointed remnant" -- approx. 8000 elderly JWs -- are "in [union with] Christ" in the sense Romans chapter 8 describes.) ] because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. [ SAY: "Imagine being in a situation where you cannot please God no matter how hard you try. Everyone is in that situation until they receive Christ:" ]
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. [ SAY: "So, people CAN please God only when the Spirit comes to live in them." ]
But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. [ SAY: "What a blessing it is that God adopts us as his children by sending his Spirit to live in our hearts!" (JWs believe only the 8000+ of "the anointed remnant" experience this, while 14,000,000 others follow their "spirit-directed organization.") ]
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. [ Unfamiliar with verses 1-14, many JWs will recognize 15-17 as quoted in their publications concerning "the anointed remnant." Millions of JWs learn to respond to such New Testament promises by saying "That does not apply to me, for I am one of the 'other sheep' and not begotten of God's spirit." - Life Everlasting-In Freedom of the Sons of God (1966) page 153 ] SAY: "So, we are all condemned, unable to please God no matter how hard we try, until God sends the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, adopting us as His children."
They will try to hide their reaction, but Romans 8:1-17 proves devastating to JWs who grasp its meaning.
Vs.8-9 shows we either "belong to Christ" or "cannot please God." It does not allow for a secondary class of 'other sheep' sanctified by an organization.
Not just indoctrinated, but also trained, drilled and rehearsed
Whether they are relatives, workmates, or strangers visiting your doorstep, Jehovah's Witnesses are difficult to talk to.
And this is no accident. They are thoroughly indoctrinated.
Following the complete program of congregation meetings and personal study, a JW who does all the assigned homework ends up reading approximately 3,000 pages each year from Watchtower Society publications. That includes 24 semimonthly Watchtower magazines of 32 pages each, an equal number of Awake! magazines, 12 monthly Our Kingdom Ministry internal publications of 4 or 8 pages each, plus one or more books, brochures and/or booklets -- the typical year's output from the organization's printing factories.
It also includes re-reading "study" material a second time when underlining answers in each paragraph in preparation for meetings, and re-reading that material a third and perhaps even a fourth time during the course of those meetings. There are usually two or three "study articles" in each issue of The Watchtower that receive such close close attention and repetitive reading in preparation for Sunday morning Watchtower Study meetings. There is also a book studied paragraph-by-paragraph at Congregation Book Study meetings typically held every Tuesday evening. And there are other books used in preparing assignments for the Theocratic Ministry School on Thursday or Friday evenings.
Even Witnesses who don't do much or any of the assigned reading do find themselves sitting through nearly five hours of meetings each week. Besides question-and-answer coverage of "study" materials, these meetings consist mostly of lectures and staged discussions.
Both the aforementioned "School" and the Service Meeting feature many roll-playing demonstrations, with one JW playing the part of YOU and another playing himself or herself calling at your door or speaking to you in less formal circumstances.
These demonstrations on the platform in front of the Kingdom Hall audience show Jehovah's Witnesses how to present their message effectively. They learn how to handle, not just their prepared message of the week, but also the objections, questions, and arguments that YOU are most likely to bring up.
By rotation, nearly all active JWs take turns acting one part or another in these demonstrations, actually trying out the various approaches and learning to overcome objections and defeat arguments raised by non-Witnesses.
In addition to the sessions at Kingdom Hall meetings, similar practice sessions are held when groups meet for door-to-door work and even in homes when families prepare for this activity.
So, the chances are that a clever argument you have thought of to share with the next JW who calls, may well be an argument he or she has already heard, practiced, and learned how to defeat.
READ MORE TOPICS AND ADVICE HERE...[link]