discipleshiip

Discipleship To Who?

There is a website over at e-watchman.com where a former-Jehovah’s Witness by the name of Robert King writes numerous thought-provoking articles.

This person, like myself, are viewed – by Watch Tower definition as Apostates. Yet, Mr. King is still a captive to that organization as his writings uphold the organization as Jehovah’s Earthly organization.

When one reads from the many articles Mr. King has written, he largely subscribes to most of what the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society teaches. (I am not saying that the Watch Tower is entirely wrong, but in error on key prophecies upon which the organization believes is true and hinges upon).

Mr. King primarily critiques Awake! and Watch Tower articles and Governing Body decisions. I find this very strange from a person who is no longer in the organization but still believes that it is God’s earthly organization. It is almost as if he cannot fully detach himself from that organization.

Either the organization is true and Jehovah’s organization or it is false and it is not. Mr. King plays it safe. If Jehovah did have an organization on earth, surely it would not advertise and dispense error as only truth can issue from him through His Son who is the truth. (John 14;6)

The Master said at John 8:31-32:

If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Discipleship and attachment are not to organizations, never has been. Discipleship is to the person of The Christ and none other.

Mr. King and many others, who are you a disciple of? For example, who told you that there is an earthly organization? Jesus or men? Who told you that there is a remnant of 144000 on earth today? Jesus or men? 

Like Jehovah said to the man Adam at Genesis 3:11:

Who told you that you were naked?

It is men who are telling other men that they are naked and without knowledge, faith, and insight if they do not accept what they say. The Most High God through His Christ tells us that we clothe ourselves when we listen to Him through his ONLY approved spokesman. (Matthew 3:17; Luke 9:35; Matthew 6:30)

This is one thing many in captivity to religious organizations and religious concepts and teachings have not come to realize. They think they are disciples of the Christ when the reality is that they are disciples of the organization that holds them captive.

This can be easily tested: Speak contrary, think differently, believe otherwise, question or challenge the teachings of the captive organization and see what that organization does to you. It is an organization of men who are acting upon you, not your true Master, Purchaser, and Owner. The organization will treat you as if it gave up its life in your behalf. The organization has taken ownership of another’s sheep.

Those who are Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, are disciples of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Charles Taze Russell is held as a cornerstone; as it is the organization he founded. I maintain that discipleship has not to Christ. It is the organization of the Watch Tower that leads and directs those in the congregations below. Failure to live up to the baptismal vow each Jehovah’s Witness has taken will lead to disfellowshipmentt from the organization.

Thus, it is not the Christ who accepts and disposes of his sheep, but men who think they have the authority to accept and dispose of sheep that is not theirs to accept or dispose of.

I have written in several articles that the baptismal vow all Jehovah’s Witnesses take is not to The Most High God, but to the organization. Read the vow for yourself in the June 1, 1985 issue of the Watchtower, page 29 below and notice that one is a Jehovah’s Witness (Witness of Jehovah) only if they are associated with the “spirit-directed organization.” There is no mention of the Holy Spirit. It it’s place we see spirit-directed organization. This also implies that one is not viewed as a servant of the Most High God if they are not “associated” with the organization.

The organization places itself in a position where it does not belong. Only The Son of God decides who and who are not his. (Matthew 7:21-23)

Neither did our Lord and Master instruct us to take a vow to anyone or anything. Vow taking is nothing but enlistment into human organizations so as to be controlled. It is being taken into captivity.

Here is the second part of that baptismal vow from the June 1, 1985 issue of the Watchtower, page 29:

Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with God’s spirit-directed organization?

All religious organization should be rejected. Such a rejection does not make one godless of faithless as these organizations would like to “paint it.” No, it makes you godly and faithful.

Our ears should not be turned to listening to religious organizations, but to listening to our only teacher and leader, The Son of God who is The Christ. (Matthew 23:8-12 and Luke 9:35)

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R. Jerome Harris

No one of importance. A disciple (student) of Christ apart from the established religious systems who reasons, thinks and concludes matters for myself. Something is not right with the state of religion in the world. The real dichotomy is that we live in a world so full of religion, yet is an evil, immoral, and dangerous place to live. A mental and spiritual separation from this world that Jesus said his kingdom is no part of is the first step to a "break-through" to freedom and entry into a much larger spiritual world where God and Christ resides and the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of God can be accessed.

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  1. The Jehovah’s Witnesses Bible based religion has a central creed of Jesus return or second coming ‘invisibly’ in the month of October 1914.The entire evolution of their intricacies of doctrine is based on this false belief.
    Same as all religions?….Except that the New York city based Watchtower is oppressive cult-like with severe shunning and break-up of families for those who dissent over doctrine.
    They have a complex prohibition of ‘whole’ blood transfusion that gets men,women,children killed.
    Moreover,the Watchtower is fabulously bloated with wealth with virtually NO public charity to compensate for their tax free status.
    Be informed about this group when they knock on your door.

    Danny Haszard

    1. I was one of JWs for more than 20 years. The claim of that organization and many others is that their religion is Bible-based. I am concerned that ones religion is not Christ-based. People are being duped into thinking that what one is to believe is supposed to be Bible-based. Rather, it should be based on what Christ taught. God sent His Son as The Word of God, not a book men fashioned and gave the name “Bible’ to.

      Oppressing people is not a signature of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society only. It is a signature of all religious organizations. Each one has been guilty – and still guilty – of some heinous act(s) committed against the human family.

      The Catholic Church as been guilt of the Crusades, The Spanish Inquisition and endorsing the African Slave Trade. Not to mention the widely advertised sex abuse scandals and cover ups.

      The Protest denominations are just as bad. They too, had a heavy hand in the African Slave Trade that violently reduced other human beings to servitude to another of a different skin color, stripped away their African ancestry and identity and imposed European-conceived religion upon them.

      The so-called Christian nations today continually engage in deadly warfare falsey teaching within their Churches that God is with them. They do not trust God to deal with their enemies even though the currency in one nation says “In God We trust.”

      Many pick on the Watch Tower out of an emotional dislike for them. Yet, it should not be just the Watch Tower that one should be looking at. One should be looking at the entire system of religion that men gave the title of “Christianity” to. Neither God or His Christ told anyone to establish such a thing.

      When JWs knock on your door, do not diss or shun them, but first listen to them and then “intelligently’ engage them in a dignified (not emotional or arrogant manner) and put them to the test. (1 John 4:1)

      If one is unwilling to do this, then one is not confident or sure about what THEY themselves believe.

      You just need to know what questions to ask. Ask a JW, “Where did the 1914 date come from?” Most will not be able to answer this question. Ask them to, “Reconcile what Jesus said at Matthew 24:36, Matthew 24:42 and Acts 1:7 with the establishment of the 1914 date? Jesus said only the Father knows such things, so how can a religious organization know dates that Jesus says is not humanly possible to know. Don’t let them skip off topic. They will not be able to answer you. They will either try to change the subject, say they will get back to you, or get away from you altogether. Why? Because you ask very good questions. It shows that you are a thinking person and it shows that their are many JWs who do not know what they thought they know. They feel very uncomfortable with thinking persons.

      It will be easier for them to label you as “apostate” or “wicked” rather than rationally entertain the questions they cannot answer. I make JWs very nervous because I make it a point of being polite and patient so as not to give them excuse to befoul me so as not to answer my questions to them.

      The idea is not to win arguments or emabass anyone, but to make one think and examine what one believes rather than parroting what someone told them.

      This applies to all persons within any religious organization.

  2. The statement is made:
    “Charles Taze Russell is held as a cornerstone; as it is the organization he founded.”
    There is much to be said about this, since the JWs have rejected the teaching of Russell.
    Russell was indeed the main founder of a legal entity, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; as he designed it, however, that legal entity was only to be a service to any one who wanted to use its services. He did not design it to be a central authority or to be busy-bodying in the affairs of local congregations. Russell was certainly not the founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization, since he preached against that kind of organization, and he also preached against the kind of Armageddon message that is preached by that organization. Russell was a non-sectarian who did not believe that any “outward organization” can scripturally claim to be the true church, and he certainly did not say that anyone had to join or look to any organization or else be eternally destroyed in Armageddon, as did Rutherford. Russell’s view of Armageddon was almost the opposite of the view that Rutherford taught, in that Russell did not believe that Armageddon was to eternally destroy unbelievers, but that it was to chastise the peoples in preparation for the kingdom blessings to follow.
    Russell viewed that the only authority over the church is Jesus and the apostles through the words written in the Bible; he preached against the idea of any human authority beyond that.

    1. I concede that the founder of the Watch Tower organization has been “partly” rejected, because if one reads from any of his writing, he would sound like an “Apostate’ by Watch Tower definition; but he has not been entirely rejected. The organization does cling tightly to the 1914 teaching that Mr. Russell adopted and brought with him during his association with the Second Adventist Movement when he established what has come to be known as The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.

      This 1914 teaching is the cornerstone upon which the organization was built. If this date proves to be in error, the organization will topple.

      Russell also viewed himself as “the” Faithful Slave and viewed the Watch Tower Magazine as “his.” Meaning that he controlled what went into it.

      Charles Taze Russell is still viewed as the founder of The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. How does the organization feel about him can be seen by the following statements that appear in their many publications. Here are a few;

      “Charles Taze Russell, an outstanding teacher who took the lead in the preaching work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, set an example in this regard.” From the “Speaking With Boldness” book

      “In the 1870’s Charles Taze Russell and his fellow unsectarian students of the inspired Scriptures discerned that the second coming of Christ would be invisible to human eyes, in the spirit, and that this coming would begin the period known as his “presence.” From the “Man’s Salvation” book 1975

      “Dedicated, baptized Christians, like Charles Taze Russell who became president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, were used [by God] to serve this notice, especially upon the nations of Christendom. These professed Christian nations spurned the notification and launched their first world war July 28, 1914.” From “The Paradise Restored” book 1972

      I could go on and on.

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