The conversations went much like I expected, having had
many such conversations, but there were a few points that stood out for me.
The first team I noticed were outside the tube station in
Theydon Bois where my son lives. This was at 7:30am, just as the morning
commuter rush hour was getting going. This cart couple were well dressed, as
always, and made no attempt to interact with us as we passed, as always. My
immediate thought was why were they there at that time and place bearing in
mind that no one had the time to stop and chat at that point in their days?
I think the most likely reason was that they didn’t
expect anyone to stop, which was the whole point of choosing that time
and place. Many former-Jehovah’s Witnesses have confessed that they hated going
door-to-door and much preferred the carts as they were not expected to talk to
anyone unless it was a member of the public who initiated the contact. In which case they were most likely interested in what they had to say and less likely
to be abusive.
They could spend the whole time not interacting and
looking at their phones or chatting to the other member.
By parking themselves in such an unlikely spot this
seriously reduced even further the likelihood of anyone wanting to
speak to them, so they could easily get their time in without effort.
Though most Publishers (as the rank-and-file Jehovah’s Witness is known within
the organisation) no longer need to report hours spent on the carts etc., I
believe the more-full time Pioneers still do.
I asked another couple, set up in the centre of London,
if they had participated in the recent memorial celebration. They had, and I
inquired as to whether they had partaken of the bread and wine. Not
surprisingly, they hadn’t and, to further the conversation, I asked them why
they hadn't.
They gave the standard answer that they did not feel that
they were meant for heaven and so did not come under the covenant symbolised by
the bread and wine. I asked them how they reconciled this refusal with what
Jesus had said in John 6 v 53
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you
Does their refusal to partake mean they have no life in
them, that they are dead? They responded, as I had heard others do so, by
saying that Jesus was talking to His disciples, the ones who were heaven bound,
and so this did not apply to them.
I pointed out that Jesus was actually talking in the
synagogue to the Jews who he had just fed as part of the feeding of the 5000,
and not to His apostles.
This appeared to come as surprise to this couple and it
was clear from their body language that they had no
intention of continuing the discussion now that I had pointed this out.
This sort of response really shows up their reliance on
the teachings of the Governing Body rather than what it
really says in the Bible. Because what I had said contradicted their teachings
they considered it clearly wrong and so did not deserve to be countered or
considered.
I tried another approach with the next couple and after a
short discussion I asked them if they would say that Jesus was
their “Lord”, could they say, “Jesus is Lord”. For the average
Christian this should be no problem, if He’s not your Lord then you’re not a
Christian! Romans 10 v 9 literally says
…if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord…you will be saved,
but these two were unable to say this simple phrase.
They kept saying that Jesus was
their "leader", but even when pushed on the point they
refused to state that He was their "Lord". I am reminded of what
the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12 v 3
..and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit
I find that some Jehovah’s Witnesses are averse to giving
concrete answers to any questions put to them by the likes of myself as they
seem to fear being caught out. This is in line with much of their literature
which often says a lot without being specific. But what were they worried
about? The Bible literally says that being able to say that Jesus
is "Lord" is what leads to being saved.
In my studies into the Watchtower organisation, I have
found that they give lip service to Jesus being Lord, and give Him
little of the honour He is due. This inability to say He is
their "Lord" is symptomatic of this.
Christians have nothing to lose by sticking to the Bible,
if you fear being caught out then there’s something wrong with
what you believe. If you believe the truth then it will set you free, so says
John 8 v 31, 32.
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Trying to debate the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses can be very frustrating, but we are called to tell people about the gospel, and it is up to the Holy Spirit to do the real work of breaking through to the heart. Who knows what seeds we may sow when talking with them, and what fruit these may bring forth in the years to come. We need to continue to pray for all the people we talk to and keep on chatting with them, however frustrating it may be.
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