Sun, Sep 30th - 3:17PM

The Wrong Message

I was raised in the Watchtower cult, and all my life I had been taught that Jehovah’s Witnesses have the only true Christian religion because, unlike the churches of Christendom, Jehovah’s Witnesses adhere strictly to the Bible, true Christians have love among themselves, and God’s clean organization stands out compared to the churches of Christendom. As I got older I realized that, although there are good people among the Jehovah’s Witnesses, we were no better than the people we condemned; we were just trained to look at the Watchtower Organization through rose coloured glasses. After I disassociated myself from the Watchtower Organization I was burnt out on religion and avoided church for a long time, but I still wondered if any church or denomination was the right one, and eventually I learned that what I needed was a personal experience with Jesus Christ.

When you try to help or witness to Jehovah’s Witnesses be extremely patient and keep in mind that Jehovah’s Witnesses look at the Watchtower Organization through rose coloured glasses.

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” (Matthew 23:15) While the Jehovah’s Witnesses are right to emphasize proselytizing, they have the wrong message. The Gospel being proclaimed by Jehovah's Witnesses is the re-establishment of God’s kingdom commencing with the invisible return of Christ in 1914. The Gospel preached by Christ, the Apostles, and Bible-believing Christians throughout Christian history is the death, burial, and literal resurrection of Jesus Christ through which sinners are justified (declared righteous) through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ when they repent. (John 3:13-15; Acts 4:15-19; I Corinthians 15:1-4) Salvation is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and is through the finished work of Calvary, not the shed blood of Jesus Christ and additional supplements. (John 3:13-16; Acts 2:21; 10:43; Romans 4:5; 5:1-2,8-11; I Corinthians 15:1-4; II Corinthians 5:17-18; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5-6; Hebrews 5:9; I Peter 1:3; I John 5:20) Faith and repentance can be described as the two sides of the same coin, as they are inseparable; repentance is the turning from sin to God, and faith is the turning to Jesus Christ (God in the flesh) for salvation. (Acts 20:21) Repentance is part of saving faith; it is the effective agent for forgiveness and remission of sins. (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 13:3; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30-31; consider Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 55:6-7; 57:15; 66:2) Is believing in Jesus Christ sufficient for salvation or must we combine faith and good works to qualify for salvation? Note that the New Testament says that salvation is by faith alone without works almost two hundred times. (Consider John 3:15; 5:24; 11:25; 12:46; 20:31; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 3:20; 4:5; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; etc..; also, compare Acts 16:31 with Acts 16:34 and note that believing in Jesus and believing in God are presented as identical acts) "Exercising faith" by doing good works is not what saves. Good works follow salvation but are not the cause of salvation. While genuine faith produces good works, it is faith alone that brings salvation and not good works. (John 3:16, 18; Romans 1:16-17; 4:5; I Corinthians 3:13-15; II Thessalonians 1:8-10; Titus 1:16; I Peter 1:3-10; James 2:14-16; consider Isaiah 64:6)

“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:2) Like the Pharisees of old, the so-called Jehovah’s Witnesses replace true faith and genuine spirituality with self-righteousness. Self-righteousness makes someone insist that he is just as good as, or better than, those people in the churches instead of recognizing that he is a sinner that cannot save himself and needs the grace of God just as much as those people in the churches.

For more information about Jehovah’s Witnesses visit:

Witnesses For Jesus, Inc. www.4witness.org  

AnswerJW.com www.answer.com  

MM Outreach Inc. www.mmoutreachinc.com  

TowerWatch Ministries www.towerwatch.com  

 Six Screens of the Watchtower www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com

Fri, Sep 21st - 2:43AM

Pharisees & Sadducees

 “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6) “Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:12)

Even though Christ never denied, disobeyed, or contradicted Scripture the professed Bible-believers of that day despised and rejected Him because He contradicted and disputed their pet theories and man-made measurements of spirituality. In the first century the Pharisees were fundamental, ultra-conservative legalists and the Sadducees were religious liberals that denied fundamental teachings of Scripture and were guided by secular considerations. The leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees still impacts religious circles and is a serious threat to sound Biblical Christianity. Have you been affected? You might be surprised. Try applying questions like these to specific beliefs, teachings, and issues:

· What does the Bible say about this, and what would be your response if an unbeliever asked why you believe this or why something is true or false or right or wrong? (Proverbs 2:6; Matthew 15:3, 8-9; 22:29; II Timothy 2:14-15; 3:16)

· How important is this in relation to other matters and what Bible truths and principles or standards apply? (Matthew 23:24; Romans 14:1-13; I Timothy 1:5-7; note that Romans 14 is not a denial of the need for church discipline, as some suppose, but is dealing with conscientious differences of opinion.)

· Was this true in the distant past and will this be true in the distant future? (Psalm 33:11; 119:89; Proverbs 19:21; Ecclesiastes 1:9-10; James 1:17)

· Do you find it necessary to use the arguments of the world? (Psalm 33:10; Romans 12:2; I Corinthians 1:20; 2:5; Colossians 1:9; 2:8)

 Further reading:

“From Liberty to Legalism” by Timothy S. Morton www.biblebelievers.com/Morton_legalism-liberty.html

“Pharisees and Sadducees” by J. C. Ryle www.gracegems.org/23/Ryle_pharisees_and_sadducees.htm    

Sat, Sep 15th - 11:53PM

Patriarchy

Ignoring and confusing gender roles and distinctions has a negative impact on society in general and destroys relationships, while Biblical patriarchy utilizes the differences between the sexes to the best advantage. The normal portrayal of patriarchy in modern media associates it with the oppression of women, and the normal portrayal of feminism associates it with the liberation and freedom of women. However, patriarchy enables the sexes to complement each other while feminism fosters a competitive spirit between the sexes and works against the best interests of women. The egalitarian socialism of feminism causes frustration, confusion, and resentment by ignoring the reality of natural differences, while Biblical patriarchy recognizes the compatibility between functional subordination and equality of being. Equals do not complement each other, equals compete. The assertiveness and defiance of women encouraged by feminism arouses the insecurities and defensiveness of men while ignoring the natural weakness of men for the respect of women.

Feminism encourages women to trade their complementary role for equality and mimic the sexual attitudes, behavior, and aggressiveness of men and thus relinquish their natural power, while Biblical patriarchy makes women the civilizing and stabilizing influence over men. While immodesty and promiscuity make women cheap and disposable and encourage abuse, raising women to the status of moral superiority over men compels men to respect women. Promiscuity reduces the female body to a worthless trinket and gives women the same status as community towels instead of compelling men to respect and cherish women.

Feminists continually portray male conveniences as advantages for women. Artificial insemination reduces women to the status of incubators instead of making motherhood honorable. Birth control is used to eliminate the necessity of commitment and stability in a relationship and keep sexual intercourse from being seen as sacred and beautiful. Abortion eliminates the responsibilities of fatherhood while leaving women physically and emotionally scarred, while respect for life encourages commitment. Condoms deny some female desires and pleasure while eliminating male obligations instead of fostering commitment. Feminism makes abortion, birth control, and other male conveniences important to discourage female inhibition and encourage licentiousness and thus supposedly empower women, while biblical patriarchy condemns such practices which tend to degrade women and reduce or eliminate male responsibilities.

The myth about male and female sexual equality makes women more vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and neglect. While each gender has just as strong a libido as the other, and both sexes desire sex and affection, their responses and priorities tend to differ. As a general rule, men trade affection for sex and women trade sex for affection.

Patriarchy is not greater than other Bible doctrines, but it is being actively attacked by both unbelievers and professing Christians as a major part of the attack on the family, and this has bred false doctrines and seduced many believers. (Isaiah 3:12; Jeremiah 5:31; 6:10, 16) Have you been affected? You might be surprised. Try applying questions like these to specific beliefs and issues concerning gender roles and distinctions: What does the Bible say about this, and what Bible truths or principles apply? (Psalm 33:4; 119:105,130; 146:3-6; Proverbs 2:6; 3:5-7; Colossians 2:8; II Timothy 2:14-16; 3:16) Was this true in the distant past and will this be true in the distant future? (Psalm 33:11; 119:89; Proverbs 19:21; Ecclesiastes 1:9-10; James 1:17) Do you find it necessary to use the arguments of the world to defend or justify your beliefs or choices concerning gender roles and distinctions? (Psalm 33:10; Romans 12:2; I Corinthians 1:20; 2:5; Colossians 1:9; 2:8)

God designed and ordained the man to be the Lord's representative in the home, church, and society. (I Corinthians 11:3-12; Ephesians 5:23-25; Joshua 24:15; II Samuel 10:12; I Kings 2:2-3; etc....) The man is the image and glory of God in terms of authority while the woman is the glory of man. While both genders are of equal value as persons in creation and redemption, God ordained distinct gender roles for male and female and patriarchy was established in the beginning before sin entered the world and is reaffirmed in the New Testament. (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18; Romans 7:2; I Corinthians 11:3,7-9; Ephesians 5:22-28; I Timothy 2:12,13; I Peter 3:1-6) The God ordained sphere of dominion for a woman is the home and that which is connected to the home; as the helper and representative of her husband (or father, if single), this may include activity in the community. (Genesis 2:18; Proverbs 31:10-31; Titus 2:4-5) Even though an unmarried woman has more flexibility in applying the principle that women were created for a domestic calling her exceptional situation of singleness should not redefine the social roles of men and women. (Genesis 2:18; I Timothy 5:14; etc.) Certainly, there are women who are wise and capable, but the issue is not who qualifies, the issue is obedience to the Lord's arrangement and standards. (Psalm 33:4,10-11; Proverbs 2:6; 13:13; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Matthew 4:4; II Timothy 2:14-16; 3:16)

Women in leadership positions and authority over men is not progress. (Isaiah 3:12; Jeremiah 31:22; Romans 1:26; I Corinthians 11:3, 7; 14:34-37; I Timothy 2:11-14) For example, Deborah being a leader in Israel did not mean that this was progress or normative; this was the result of the extremely bad spiritual and moral climate in Israel. (Judges 4:4-5; 5:7-8) Consider also that the Nineteenth Amendment created a gender gap, encouraged women to transfer dependence from husband or father to the government, encouraged men to neglect or forsake their duties and responsibilities as men, and encouraged grown people of both sexes to act like spoiled children dismissing reality in pursuit of utopian dreams. It is generally bad on church and society and destructive to relationships when gender distinctions are ignored or confused. (I Corinthians 11:3-12; it must be noted that P-R-A-Y & P-R-O-P-H-E-S-Y do not spell "pastor" or "lead" or other synonyms thereof that liberals try to read into the text. Further study is encouraged.) The egalitarian socialism of feminism is a curse. (Isaiah 3:12; Jeremiah 31:22)

It is important to proclaim patriarchy as an essential part of God's design for society and relationships and oppose the anti-family/anti-reproduction/anti-life mindset that is infecting the society in which we live. (Genesis 1:28; 2:18; Psalm 127:3-5; 128:3,4; Proverbs 24:11-12; Jeremiah 29:6; I Corinthians 11:3; I Timothy 4:1-3; 5:14; etc.)