Bridge of Reason

  The ‘good news’ of the Watch Tower kingdom is not the Gospel that evangelicals see in the Bible. A fact the Society readily admits: ‘ But the Kingdom witnessing of Jehovah's Witnesses since 1914 has been something far different from what Christendom missionaries have published both before and since 1914.’ - The Watchtower, 1 October 1980, p.28 Of course, the only Gospel is the gospel proclaimed by Jesus in Luke 24:45-48 and Paul at 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. It concerns Jesus' death, his sacrifice for the sin of mankind, his burial and his resurrection. THE WATCHTOWER'S 'GOOD NEWS' According to the Watch Tower interpretation of Luke 12:32 , o nly a 'little flock' inherit the kingdom. Their understanding of Revelation 7:1-8 and Revelation 14:1-5 , limits this little flock to 144,000 who are ‘spiritual Jews.’ ‘ The 12 tribes mentioned in Revelation chapter 7 must refer to this spiritual Israel for several valid reasons. The listing does not match that...

  People are looking for answers. One of the key attractions of a cult is certainty, the claim they have all the answers, a plan that is God’s plan. When someone leaves a cult this is one of the hardest things to deal with, letting go of the plan. There is an apparent uncertainty as the plan is taken away and replaced with simple trust in Jesus in a Western Church that often seems to fail in offering focus and direction. Something I have warned about over the years is the danger of being an ‘ex,’ allowing your past to define you. Let’s be frank here, the fault lies with the church that fails to have that focus, making some fall back on an identity defined by their past. Focus and direction are there in the Bible but churches can get so caught up in putting on programmes, events that attract unbelievers, serving the wider community, it can forget it’s primary purpose – making disciples. Are your surprised this is the church’s primary purpose? Perhaps you have been told the primary...

In my last post we looked at cults’ claims to exclusive authority to speak for God. So, what is God supposed to have said to them? There’s a plan, a purpose, something the church has totally lost until someone came along at just the right time to restore, clarify, and bring it to the world. When you see someone offering a system instead of a Saviour you should turn and run. Here are two examples. We learn from Jehovah’s Witnesses that there is a big flock and a little flock. The little flock governs from heaven the big flock live eternally on paradise earth. Of course, the men who brought this message belong to the little flock. They have the important places in God’s purposes, while the rest should be glad the little flock is there. The little flock ‘govern’ because when Jesus says ‘kingdom,’ he means ‘government.’ Of course, Isaiah wrote, ‘the government will be upon his [the S aviour’s] shoulder’ (Isaiah 9:6), but Jesus preached one kingdom. We learn from Mormons that God’s pur...

A Weekly Bible Reading for Bridge Builders The Richmond Briefing has been a weekly feature of the Reachout web site for five years and is now available on the blog. To find out more and read earlier briefings go here Reading – Great Ones and Little Ones (Matthew 18) There is something so human about the question, you have to smile. Along comes this amazing Jesus who walks on water, heals the sick and raises the dead. He begins to talk about his kingdom and offers you a place in it. It is human nature to wonder, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” The disciples are thinking the way the world thinks, of ambition, endeavour, accomplishment and status. The kingdom Jesus describes is characterised by entirely different principles. 18:2-4 Greatness in this kingdom is realised only by having the faith of a child. It is impossible without total dependence on God as a child depends on a parent. When Jesus called Israel they refused him and stood at a distance in judgeme...

A Weekly Bible Reading for Bridge Builders The Richmond Briefing has been a weekly feature of the Reachout web site for five years and is now available on the blog. To find out more and read earlier briefings go here Reading – Greatness and Servanthood (Mark 9:33-50) During his ministry in Galilee Jesus lived in Capernaum (Mt.4:13), probably in the house belonging to Peter and Andrew (Mk.1:29) and in this passage we witness the small talk and speculations people indulge in on their way home after a busy time. The subject under discussion had been who was the greatest among the disciples. Jesus knew this but still asked the question, “What were you arguing about on the road?” In this way he invited discussion and created a teaching opportunity. How often do we ask questions as we witness? Or do we rush in to tell the other person how we see things? Questions serve to demonstrate our interest and not just our ignorance and can create all sorts of opportunities to discuss the ki...

A weekly Bible reading for Bridge Builders The Richmond Briefing has been a weekly feature of the Reachout web site for five years and is now available on the blog. To find out more and read earlier briefings go here Reading – Citizenship  (Matthew 16:17:14-27) Jesus, Peter, James and John came down from the mountain where kingdom glory had shined so fully and were met with a scene familiar enough to us even today; a dispute over religion. Mark tells us that a large crowd had gathered and the teachers of the law were arguing with the disciples. A possessed young man had been brought to them to be healed and they had failed to do it; a practical problem that ‘religion’ had failed to solve and an ensuing argument about why. How embarrassing and how all-too-typical! “If you have faith...” These words of Jesus can, and often do fill us with guilt for being faithless. When things don’t go well for us, prayers are not answered, answers don’t seem to come we look inward and qu...