My Kingdom Hall Experience Part 4
The following is my experience of attending a Kingdom Hall for five weeks straight. After each meeting and discussion with the Jehovah's Witnesses I wrote out my thoughts. Names have been changed for obvious reasons. All information is accurate and honest as possible.
As I pinned the "God's Word is Truth" convention invite to my bulletin board, I reflected on how I got to this point. Several years ago when God saved me, I started street witnessing. I would go to a nearby bus/trolley stop and talk to people about Jesus. Many Jehovah's Witnesses would gather at this stop also. I started to study their beliefs and ask them many questions. For a good year and half I would have regular conversations with one man on the identity of Jesus and the nature of God. It always fascinated me how the Jehovah's Witnesses would just sit at the bus stop, barely speak to anyone and maybe give out one or two magazines. I would try to make my time there as productive as possible by passing out gospel tracts and getting into conversations.
It was during this time when I decided to first go to the Watchtower's annual District convention. I stood outside the convention one year with a sign that read, "Jesus Christ is God". I knew their doctrine about Jesus very well but I didn't know the way they think. When Jehovah's Witnesses hear someone say, "Jesus Christ is God", they think the person believes Jesus is the Father. The Watchtower does not accurately explain the Trinity position and describes it in Modalistic terms. Modalism is the doctrine that God exists in three modes at different times. So, Jesus would be the Father and the Holy Spirit. This belief is heretical. I like to ask the Jehovah's Witnesses, "How do you think I can believe Jesus is God without believing he is the Father?".
The following year I stood outside of their convention with a handmade sign that said, "4Jehovah.org". I was very bold in my proclamation of the true Good News and used a bull horn. Again, I did not understand how Jehovah's Witnesses think. When they see someone outside their convention with a bull horn they view that as persecution and it validates that they are truly in the truth.
The next year I decided to use a different approach. I had four signs professionally made, two big and two small ones. The two small signs had only a website on it while the bigger ones asked a question about the Watchtower's history and the Bible. I also had a banner made which read, "Read the Bible not the Watchtower". The Christians who held the signs did not say one word. This turned out to be very effective. I was still avoided like the plague but many Jehovah's Witnesses read the signs.
This year I planned on having 6 more big signs made and 6 small ones. As I thought about the signs that I would have made, I also thought about the meetings I was currently having with the Jehovah's Witnesses. I was very unsure what I would do come convention weekend. If our studies continued until then, I didn't see how I could stand with a sign and not be recognized. Unless, I somehow went incognito and they did not recongnize me.
Jane is a third generational Jehovah's Witness, she is also a Pioneer. Jehovah's Witnesses are required to go door to door (or into service as they call it) at least fifteen minutes a month. A Jehovah's Witness who is a Pioneer, goes into field service 70 hours a month. Jane's mother must be proud of her daughter, she is a pioneer at 20 years old!
When I originally walked up to Jane and her brother I didn't expect to be invited to their Kingdom Hall nor for them to come over or even that they would return after the first visit. I also didn't expect to start to care about them as much as I have. I sort of felt bad that I was attending the Kingdom Hall while planning an outreach to the Jehovah's Witness convention. I began to wish I had more time until the convention weekend. I was willing to go through a Watchtower publication with Jane while inserting doubt by asking questions. My only goal was to insert doubt in the Jehovah's Witnesses minds towards the Watchtower as much as possible. There was so much I wanted to say to them, but the LORD was teaching me to be patient.
The Watchtower teaches that ANYONE who opposes them is someone who has turned their back on Jehovah and His organization. These individuals are to be avoided at all cost. There are many people who have NOT turned their back on Jehovah yet they do not agree that God has a visible organization today. My concern at this point is that I will be labeled by this specific Kingdom Hall as an opposer who has turned away from Jehovah. But, if these Jehovah's Witnesses will for a second consider anything that I have told them, they will see that I love Jehovah and His word. My issue is with the Governing Body. But to question the Governing Body is to question Jehovah himself.
Throughout these past several weeks I felt God teaching me to just listen for his voice. He kept reminding me through passages that He was going to be with me and guide me.
"Cease striving and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold". Psalm 46:10-11
"For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death". Psalm 48:14
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil , for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me". Psalm 23:4
In Psalm 46:10, Cease Striving literally means Let Go, Relax. Why is it so difficult to just let go, relax and let God take complete control over the situation? I continued to analyze the situation and what the final outcome would be. Would I just trust God, let Him guide me and trust whatever happens is His will? Or would I continue to analyze all of the factors and take the matter into my own hands?
As I pinned the "God's Word is Truth" convention invite to my bulletin board, I reflected on how I got to this point. Several years ago when God saved me, I started street witnessing. I would go to a nearby bus/trolley stop and talk to people about Jesus. Many Jehovah's Witnesses would gather at this stop also. I started to study their beliefs and ask them many questions. For a good year and half I would have regular conversations with one man on the identity of Jesus and the nature of God. It always fascinated me how the Jehovah's Witnesses would just sit at the bus stop, barely speak to anyone and maybe give out one or two magazines. I would try to make my time there as productive as possible by passing out gospel tracts and getting into conversations.
It was during this time when I decided to first go to the Watchtower's annual District convention. I stood outside the convention one year with a sign that read, "Jesus Christ is God". I knew their doctrine about Jesus very well but I didn't know the way they think. When Jehovah's Witnesses hear someone say, "Jesus Christ is God", they think the person believes Jesus is the Father. The Watchtower does not accurately explain the Trinity position and describes it in Modalistic terms. Modalism is the doctrine that God exists in three modes at different times. So, Jesus would be the Father and the Holy Spirit. This belief is heretical. I like to ask the Jehovah's Witnesses, "How do you think I can believe Jesus is God without believing he is the Father?".
The following year I stood outside of their convention with a handmade sign that said, "4Jehovah.org". I was very bold in my proclamation of the true Good News and used a bull horn. Again, I did not understand how Jehovah's Witnesses think. When they see someone outside their convention with a bull horn they view that as persecution and it validates that they are truly in the truth.
The next year I decided to use a different approach. I had four signs professionally made, two big and two small ones. The two small signs had only a website on it while the bigger ones asked a question about the Watchtower's history and the Bible. I also had a banner made which read, "Read the Bible not the Watchtower". The Christians who held the signs did not say one word. This turned out to be very effective. I was still avoided like the plague but many Jehovah's Witnesses read the signs.
This year I planned on having 6 more big signs made and 6 small ones. As I thought about the signs that I would have made, I also thought about the meetings I was currently having with the Jehovah's Witnesses. I was very unsure what I would do come convention weekend. If our studies continued until then, I didn't see how I could stand with a sign and not be recognized. Unless, I somehow went incognito and they did not recongnize me.
Jane is a third generational Jehovah's Witness, she is also a Pioneer. Jehovah's Witnesses are required to go door to door (or into service as they call it) at least fifteen minutes a month. A Jehovah's Witness who is a Pioneer, goes into field service 70 hours a month. Jane's mother must be proud of her daughter, she is a pioneer at 20 years old!
When I originally walked up to Jane and her brother I didn't expect to be invited to their Kingdom Hall nor for them to come over or even that they would return after the first visit. I also didn't expect to start to care about them as much as I have. I sort of felt bad that I was attending the Kingdom Hall while planning an outreach to the Jehovah's Witness convention. I began to wish I had more time until the convention weekend. I was willing to go through a Watchtower publication with Jane while inserting doubt by asking questions. My only goal was to insert doubt in the Jehovah's Witnesses minds towards the Watchtower as much as possible. There was so much I wanted to say to them, but the LORD was teaching me to be patient.
The Watchtower teaches that ANYONE who opposes them is someone who has turned their back on Jehovah and His organization. These individuals are to be avoided at all cost. There are many people who have NOT turned their back on Jehovah yet they do not agree that God has a visible organization today. My concern at this point is that I will be labeled by this specific Kingdom Hall as an opposer who has turned away from Jehovah. But, if these Jehovah's Witnesses will for a second consider anything that I have told them, they will see that I love Jehovah and His word. My issue is with the Governing Body. But to question the Governing Body is to question Jehovah himself.
Throughout these past several weeks I felt God teaching me to just listen for his voice. He kept reminding me through passages that He was going to be with me and guide me.
"Cease striving and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold". Psalm 46:10-11
"For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death". Psalm 48:14
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil , for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me". Psalm 23:4
In Psalm 46:10, Cease Striving literally means Let Go, Relax. Why is it so difficult to just let go, relax and let God take complete control over the situation? I continued to analyze the situation and what the final outcome would be. Would I just trust God, let Him guide me and trust whatever happens is His will? Or would I continue to analyze all of the factors and take the matter into my own hands?
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