I stopped by to visit one my congregants this morning (actually, he's now homebound and no longer attends). He is a very lonely man; he lives with his son who cares for him and his wife (who has Alzheimer's), but is quite the talker and there aren't that many people who have that kind of time. Also, because he has a somewhat abrasiveness personality, he may have rubbed some people the wrong way in the past, which also contributes to the loneliness factor.

Well, while we were sitting on his front porch talking, I noticed there was a SUV full of Jehovah Witnesses driving through the neighborhood. They were only stopping at certain houses (the nearest I could tell), but when they came by the house where we were sitting, the driver rolled down his window and asked my congregant (by name) how he was doing. To my horror, the congregant yell back, "Stop by when you get the chance." The JW, of course, stopped the vehicle and began coming toward us. It turns out that the JW is also this man's mailman.

The congregant introduced me to the JW as his pastor. I held my tongue (they weren't talking religion) until the JW tried to give him literature. I politely (but directly) told the JW that I was the man's pastor and that I would appreciate it if he did not stop by his house anymore nor give him any literature. The JW asked, "Why not?" and this started a long conversation. My congregant grabbed my arm midway through and asked us not to argue. I basically spent most of my time bearing witness to the deity of Christ and the need to repent and trust in Him for forgiveness of his sins and not depend upon logging door-to-door hours and handing out literature for salvation.

As a side note, I mentioned to the JW that Charles Taze Russell and Arius were false teachers. He told me he had never heard of Arius. I told him that I had gone to a JW website years ago where Arius was listed as one of the "great teachers." He said that was a real JW website and said those were "apostates." I am wondering if anyone more familiar with JWs knows about this and can shed more light on it.

The JW eventually became frustrated and disappointed and left. I spent a long time talking to my congregant after that. He isn't the most discerning fellow, but he knew the JWs were wrong. He also took the literature after I asked him not to (he said he would put it in the trash later), and even praised the JW (while he was there) that it was so nice they went door to door and invited people to go to church with them (that's how lonely he is). I kept telling him again and again they were teaching false doctrine (which he did not dispute), but I could not get him to see the great danger they pose in leading others astray.

Have any of the rest of you had anything like this happen to you in your churches? How have you combated JW and similar teachings in your area? I am thinking of hosting a teaching series on JW with an eye to witnessing to them when they come door to door. Any thoughts?

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Tim Phillips
Pastor, Midlane Park Presbyterian Church (ARP)
Louisville, KY
Husband of Scottish Lass
My Blog: Gairney Bridge
My Facebook/My Avatar

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

"Wherever the gospel is preached, it is as if God Himself came into the midst of us." ~ John Calvin

Wow- thats quite a situation/confrontation. Will be interesting to hear the responses here.

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Luke
PCA
Orlando, FL

I had a JW come to my door. He actually was trying to get away from me! I think I would be their cure for going house to house spreading their garbage! "No, don't make me go talk to her! She has too many "

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sarah
WI
OPC
My Pastor's Sermons: Mark Jenkins...he's awesome!!!

The local Kingdom Hall's Kool-Aid brigade has been hitting my neighborhood HARD over the past few weeks. I'm waiting for them to knock when I'm at home. On several occasions I have seen them out and about in twos and ties, knocking on neighbors' doors, but always when I'm out jogging. (I'm interested in engaging them, but not so much that I would initiate a conversation out on the street.)

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Nathan Tyler
Reformed Baptist
University of Toronto (Student: Hons. B.A. in Philosophy)
Ontario, Canada

1689'er

http://nathantyler.wordpress.com

I like JWs, they make a tasty snack before dealing with Mormons for a full course meal. preparation can be helpful however and you can start here: Jehovah's Witnesses | Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry

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Robert K. "Kelly" Brumbelow
In Inquirer's class at Grace Presbyterian (PCA) Cedartown, GA
Cedartown, Georgia

Dear Lord and Father of mankind, Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind, In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise. - John Greenleaf Whittier 1807-1892

Some good discussion here. I've come across JWs at various times, and I think they reach people like the congregant mentioned because they are friendly. One has to wonder what would happen if the pastor was not there. Tim, do you feel comfortable that your congregant is indeed a believer? I know that had to be a difficult situation, because you basically were being held back in saying what needed to be said.

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Solus Christus,
Jeff, Emmanuel Outreach Church (North Carolina)



" [T]he prophet of God sometimes may teach treason against kings, and yet neither he nor such as obey the word, spoken in the Lord’s name by him, offend God." -John Knox

In honesty, Jeff. I have my concerns. He is old and his memory is going and he does not always say things well. He is very forgetful. He once told me while I was speaking to him over the phone that, "God sent His Son to this earth to show us how to live and for us to follow His example," as if that were the substance of the gospel. I corrected him quickly, of course, and I've been direct with him about the gospel (as I was today after the JW left). He gives the right "answers" (in a broadly evangelical sense) when pressed ("Jesus died for my sins so I can go to heaven when I die"). When I try to correct him, he simply says, "Uh-huh." He is able to attend church anymore and watches a lot of Charles Stanley on TV -- interpret that how you will. In fact, he watches entirely too much TV now that I think about it, but he is old and lonely. I go over and play chess with him and talk to him about these things when I can; I wish others in the congregation would do likewise (I spoke about this with the elders today).

Tim,

It sounds like you're doing what you can to handle the concerns you have about him. I'll certainly keep your situation in my prayers, as it must be difficult. The fact that he is elderly and lonely does make him susceptible not only to people like JWs, but also those who might try to do him physical harm. Working in the court system, I've unfortunately seen that kind of thing.

I appreciate what you're doing for your congregant. It's a blessing to know someone who is committed to doing the Lord's work, and hopefully your elders will follow suit.

Southwest Missouri where my wife's family lives is crawling with them. After several long sittings of conversations, here are my thoughts:

You have to understand that they're trained to reject all other literature than that which is distributed by the Watchtower Society. They even have their own Bible version, as with many such groups. One of the most effective methods of witness that I have found is to use their own Bible against them. Have them read a verse in the Old Testament and agree with you that the passage is speaking about Jehovah. Now move to the New Testament citation of the same passage where the Apostles or author of Hebrews, etc. clearly calls Christ the subject of the passage. James White lists a whole bunch of these "comparison texts" here.

Jehovah's nature is another effective point to discuss. The Watchtower really does not appear to distribute much teaching at all on Jehovah's nature. Build a biblical picture of God's character from their own Scriptures that will very quickly expose the ineffective weakling deity they worship for what it is. Their system is highly dualistic and frankly holds no comfort for them (God is just a little bit stronger than Satan).

Point them to the Reformed Confessions. Your average JW is taught to believe that they are the only church with a unified system of doctrine that members are held to. Reformed Christians have a great advantage because many of the normal JW criticisms of evangelicals, etc. don't fly with us. We sing Jehovah's Psalter (they don't)! We have historically been opposed to the celebration of Roman holy days! The regulative principle of worship may strongly resonate with JW's. This may begin to effect that little crack of doubt in the Watchtower Society that never told them there was anyone out there like this...

Finally, the Word is powerful. Even in the perverted form they have in the New World Translation, it can shine through and convert hearts. I don't believe a certain methodology as I have listed above is the effective means of conversion in itself, but I simply list them as strategic counsel in these conversations. God bless your witness to and against them.

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Bryan Peters
Providence Reformed Church (URCNA)
Des Moines, Iowa

Doctrinal truth should be preached always, openly, without compromise, and never dissembled or concealed. There is no offence in it; it is the staff of uprightness.
~Martin Luther~

I once had a JW come into my house for a discussion. When pressing him from the Gospel of John regarding the deity of Christ he said "that is just your translation". So I pulled my Greek NT from the bookshelf and showed him the original, to which he said "that is just your translation".

Needless to say we didn't get much farther.

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Bob, elder, RBC Louisville. 1689 LBCF

"... Of such also, or of those who make a credible profession of being such, all those particular churches consist, which constitute our Lord's visible kingdom. ... Consequently, all the subjects of His government must have spiritual dispositions, , and yield spiritual obedience- obedience proceeding from an enlightened understanding, an awakened conscience, and a renewed heart."- Abraham Booth 1788

Have the JW's changed John 5:23 yet?

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Bryan
Deacon, PCA
Tampa, FL

Here's the online version of the New World Translation if anyone wants to compare.

Read the Bible Online: New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures - Jehovah's Witnesses Official Web Site

John 1:1 In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god

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Norm
IA PCA

In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. Ephesians 1:4-5

Read Hebrews 1:6 in the NWT. Ask the JW who is the subject and what is being given to the subject, or more specifically "let all Gods angles do what to him"? Is it worship? Also note in the '61 NWT the word was worship... I know as I have one.

If anything is being worshiped, as commanded by God, it's either idolotry or worship to God. So what's going on.

Regarding this older man, I would say you continue doing just as you are. Guarding the sheep, loving the sheep, and feeding the sheep. However I'd engage the JW, despite his requests. False docterine must meet a stiff rebuke with ALL authority.

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John Weathersby
Calvary Chapel
New Mexico

"For I decided to know nothing among you except
Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2)".

When I found out my young niece was a JW through my mother, I told her I can order some video DVD's on JW and their errors, John Ankerburg show. The DVD came in but my niece refused to watch it. There goes my $30. Having my niece to miss our birthday celebrations and Christmas, her absence was alien to all of my family. Later, my niece and her husband agreed to accept the DVDs after constant suggestions from my mother. I haven't heard anything more. They're still JW.
My mother was raised in a Presbyterian environment and still struggles between Calvinism and General Baptists. General Baptists are Arminian and Particular Baptists are Calvinists. It's not easy for her to filter out the differences between the two when she watches TV frequently especially when the shows are, mostly if not all, Arminian.
I manage to get my Southern Baptist, the General Baptists, sister to aggree to hear me out on the religion our generation followed. We had great conversations but my corrections were upsetting to her regarding to "Regeneration precedes Faith" instead of "faith precedes regeneration". Sadly, her ordained minster (?) (Sunday school teacher) husband never heard of Arminianism in his entire life, he thought I was crazy and out of my mind for teaching such alien doctrines. I'm now keeping my distance since I was called, "crazy" and he lost interest in his own brother in law's interpretation of Calvinism. I couldn't approach him along the lines of what he was told and lost a lot in translation, and offered to discuss things first-hand instead of by hearsay.
Standard apologetic: Grace is a "free gift", but it ain't either free, nor a gift, if we do something to receive it.
He preaches a semi-Pelagian false "gospel" with no recognition of it's relationship to other theologies. We have before us the example of denominations like the SBC where ministers complete seminary without seeming to learn anything about doctrine. Or, the AoG where ministers don't go to seminary with the same result ! That's what I mean about we "proclaim" the Gospel of Grace. Can't give it to anybody disinterested. They got to want to hear it. Ain't like Fundies suppose that if you just harangue people they'll eventually "accept Jesus".
------------------Should I continue to do just what I am?

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Dao
PCA
Atlanta, GA

"Free will," says Charles Spurgeon, "has carried many souls to hell but never a soul to heaven."

Just to follow up on this: the congregant called me this morning and we had a LONG conversation. He called all happy because he had read the JW literature and said "there wasn't a word in it that he disagreed with" (of course, the popular JW literature is very vague on lots of matters, which I explained to him). I asked him if the literature said anything about Jesus Christ, and he admitted that he did not think it did. I asked him what he thought of a religious group going around supposedly spreading "good news" without once mentioning the name of Jesus Christ, and he admitted it was not good. I also went over the gospel with him again, because he started again with the "Jesus as example" nonsense. I kept going back to the need for the cross and he admitted this was true. The JW literature apparently talked about bad things happening and God not causing them or intervening, and he whole-heartedly agreed with this. I discussed the selling of Joseph into slavery and the crucifixion of Jesus and spoken about God ordaining this things for His greater purposes. He also spoke about "loving his neighbor" (he was being critical of my strong stand against JWs, I perceived), and I told him it wasn't loving to allow a friend to go around peddling false doctrines that would send souls to hell. He reluctantly agreed with me, I think.

I am going back to visit, D.V., at the end of this week. We have been blessed to have a visitor to our church who has experience working with cults (used to work with Walter Martin and the CRI). He actually volunteered to go to the man's house, not knowing him and not really knowing the background/story. So keep us in your prayers and we'll see how this goes.

Sounds like you are already doing what I would suggest:

1. Keep teaching the truth from Scripture. Answer every JW objection he or they may raise.

2. Out perform the "kindness" of the JWs. Have others from your congregation visit this man. Put the JWs to shame when it comes to "good works".

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Seth Stark
Member, Communion Presbyterian Church (ARP), Irvine, CA
Biola University, Graduate Student, M.A. - Science and Religion
Seth's Blog

I like Paul Washer's approach:

A Jehovah's Witness knocks on my door. "Hi I'm a Johoveh's Witness."
Paul "Well come on in, I am too!"

"I'm the Jehovah Witness, they're a liar, I'm not gonna let them steal that name from me."

Lol..

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Nick Jenkins
Pilgrim Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Lapeer, MI

When serving as an Elder, a few of us noticed an influx of Word of Faith heresy in people's prayer requests, advice to others and reading material. A positional paper warning the congregation was written, distributed and put on our website. It was revised & improved to make it gentler (the initial was like a lab report the second more of an essay) It got a bit of backlash, but it effectively warned the whole crew what the main points of defective teaching were and who some of the main propagators of it were. We had a Q & A session one evening and a sermon was presented to hit upon the really destructive points that one could be duped with. It's not JW, but WoF is a cult of false teachers, so maybe the same approach could be used.

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Rich Koster
1689'er
Browns Mills NJ USA
Often Goofy Reformed Eccentric
Romans 7:14-25

That's a good one!