Believers Armed and Dangerous

Luke 19:1-10 (ESV)
¹  He entered Jericho and was passing through.
²  And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.
³  And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.
⁴  So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.
⁵  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”
⁶  So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
⁷  And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
⁸  And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
⁹  And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
¹⁰  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

I’ve been looking at Zacchaeus lately.  What an interesting story.  Zacchaeus was the only person mentioned in the Bible to have been saved in the city of Jericho.  But, what a man to save.

According to verse one, Jesus was just passing through Jericho.  It wasn’t His destination but was a major city on the main road from eastern Palestine to Jerusalem.  According to Luke, Jericho was the last city He visited before entering Jerusalem to die on the cross, and Zacchaeus was the last to be saved.  You would think Jesus would make a major push to bring people into God’s Kingdom at the end of His earthly ministry.  But, only one man was saved? 

Zacchaeus was known by everyone in Jericho and by those regularly passing through.  According to Edersheim’s Life and Times of Jesus, there were so many Roman taxes archaeologists still haven’t been able to name them all.  And, Zacchaeus got a cut of everything that was collected.

He says in verse 8 that he would return any money he had received through defrauding taxpayers.  So, he had most likely been a cheat.  Tax collectors were seen as sinners in Jewish life.  Righteous Jews had nothing to do with them.  And Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector.

But, Zacchaeus received salvation this day and the change was obvious.  The man who had defrauded the people of Jericho was now giving half of his wealth to the poor.  Jewish law required a cheat pay back double any money he had made through fraud.  Zacchaeus gave back twice that.  The people of Jericho saw an immediate change in him.  Many must have questioned what caused the change in this chief tax collector.  Imagine the opportunities for telling people about how Jesus had moved in the life of Zacchaeus.

Jesus spoke to great crowds during His earthly ministry: 5,000 men at one time.  But, most often, Jesus shared one-on-one with people.  Individuals were saved and changed.  Others saw the change in them and wanted that new life as well.  Such is God’s plan and the story of our faith.  The gospel is most often shared with individuals.

Paul was saved by an individual encounter with Jesus and millions have found salvation through Paul’s letters.  Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John Whitefield, John Wesley, D.L. Moody, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and Greg Laurie all had personal encounters with Jesus and through them millions have heard the good news God has for them.  Most of these men were led to Christ by an individual Christian.

Who knows, maybe all of Jericho was saved through the witness of Zacchaeus.  Thousands of travelers passed through this great city on their way to Jerusalem.  Think of how many heard the good news from the townspeople.  Jesus wasn’t holding back when He shared with Zacchaeus.  He had a greater plan.  He isn’t holding back with you either. 

We are the Zacchaeuses of our Jerichos.  Those who knew us before we met Christ can see the change.

Keep your eyes open.  You may be a Zacchaeus, or you might be the person God uses to bring one to Christ.

Romans 10:9 (ESV)
⁹  because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

I was an agnostic until I was 21.  I had been raised in a home with a religious mother but a non-religious father.  We would go to church once in a great while, but my parents said they didn’t want to influence us in what path to take, so they presented, really, no path at all.  I remember attending Catholic mass with my mother a few times in my teens, but I was really not impressed.  When I asked sincerely where Cain got his wife, the priest said, “We don’t ask those sorts of questions.”  I felt a blind faith was an empty faith, so I didn’t darken the door of a church for a long time.

When I met my wife, hers was a strong and genuine Christian family, and I began to attend church with them.  By that time, I had come to the mistaken conclusion that Christianity was some sort of club.  Most people I’d seen who attended church were good people.  I wanted to be a good person, too, so I began to attend church.  I was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church, but my view of Christianity hadn’t changed.  I thought these folks who said you needed to be, “born again,” were just mouthing words someone else had coached them to say.  It was a sort of game I understood and eventually learned to play myself.

In 1975, Jerry, a Jehovah’s Witness, was hired at work.  Shortly thereafter he asked who the “born again” Christians were.  I raised my had, and nearly every day after that he would raise one problem or other about what Christians believed.  For a while, I went to my wife’s parents for answers for Jerry.  They eventually gave me a copy of Walter Martin’s “Kingdom of the Cults,” where the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses were laid out plainly and how they differed from historic biblical Christianity.

At one point, Jerry and I began to talk about salvation and what it meant.  Martin’s book laid the biblical position out clearly for me: salvation required turning control of my life over to Jesus Christ.  I thought, “That’s great.  I’ll share this with Jerry.”  But, God said, “Read it again.”  I had never really done it myself, turned my life over to God’s control.  I was unwilling to let anyone control my life but me, so I said, “no” to God.

Well, after about six months of consciously fighting with God for my future, he finally threw me up against the wall and made it very clear what my choices were.  He showed me the dark destination I was headed for.  I saw what needed to be done and grudgingly  turned my life, hook, lie, and sinker, over to Him.

It was the best decision I’ve ever made.  My life was forever changed, and I now know what it means to have a personal one-on-one relationship with the God of the universe.

The reason I’m writing this is that I don’t think I’m the only one who thought Christianity was less than it is.  Maybe you think that still.  It’s not a club like the Lions or Elks.  It’s the proverbial hospital for sinners.  Jesus, its Head, is the one and only source for forgiveness of the sin in our lives and reaches out to us all to have a personal relationship with Him.  We only need to make Him Lord of our lives, not a Character we know about and talk about.  Knowing about someone is not the same as knowing someone.  He’s real.  His gift of salvation and forgiveness is real.  The peace and joy that accompany His forgiveness is real.  If you haven’t taken advantage of it, there’s no time like the present.  Just ask Him to take charge of your life and follow Him.

I spent much of the last couple of days discussing the evidence for Christianity with an atheist on FaceBook.  The point I made that he was most resistant to face, and actually never did, was the fact that Christianity began in the very city where Christ was crucified, where all the witnesses to His execution lived, where the proclaimers’ stories of His resurrection could be most easily refuted if their tales were false, and where there were both Roman and Jewish leaders who were more than willing to disprove those stories..

The example I used in our discussion was this, “Suppose we went back to Dallas in January of 1964 and proclaimed JFK had been risen from the dead?  What would be the chance of building a following of 5000 within just a few short days as the disciples of Christ did?”

Just like our example, the Church of Jesus Christ was founded only a few weeks after His death by those claiming His resurrection.  These were men who were so frightened of the authorities that most of them hid while Jesus was killed, laid in the tomb, and rose from the dead.  They were certainly changed men when they stood in the temple proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection just a few short weeks later. 

All but one of these men died a horrible death.  Peter was crucified upside down because he refused to die as his Master had.  Thomas was run through with a spear as he preached the gospel in India and continued to preach until he died of his wound.  Andrew was crucified  on an “X” shaped cross and preached to his executioners and standers by until he died of his wounds.  Bartholomew was skinned alive but, as with the others, told of Jesus during the ordeal.  And, those are just a few examples.  Yet, none of these men ever denied the story they told of a risen Christ.  What do you suppose happened that took frightened men and changed them into bold proclaimers of a truth they were all willing to painfully die for?

Should someone ever tell you they doubt whether Christianity is true, ask them how they think the Church began, tell them about how hard it would be to start the church in the city of Jerusalem where Jesus was executed;  about the men who were once frightened but then stood courageously proclaiming a truth they died for.

There are a lot of reasons we know Christianity is true.  These are simple and easy to understand.

Acts 17:10-11 (ESV)
¹⁰  The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.
¹¹  Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

 

Imagine that.  The Apostle Paul himself came to Berea and preached the gospel.  But the Bereans wanted to check out his teaching and went to the Scriptures to see if what he taught was true. 

We should learn a couple of things from this passage of Scripture: firstly that the Scriptures are the standard of truth and doctrine and, secondly, that those who checked out Paul’s teachings were called “noble.”  Noble because they examined what was being taught to make sure it lined up with God’s Word.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, it is our task to examine what we are taught on blogs, in books, and even from the pulpit to make sure what we’re hearing is accurate and stands in line with what we already know to be true: Scripture.

It’s interesting that Paul’s first letter to Thessalonica, where he received a rather poor reception (Acts 17:1-9), includes the instruction to test everything and hold fast to what is good (1 Thess. 5:19-21).  So, it’s our task to examine the spiritual food we receive just as we should check much of the physical food we consume.

This is not to say everything you read, hear, or see should be counted as false teaching.  We can go far afield thinking there are false teachers under every bush and behind every pulpit.  Walter Martin used to use the example of training bank tellers to spot counterfeit bills.  The trainers didn’t show them counterfeit money.  They had them handle real cash constantly so that when a counterfeit bill crossed their palm, they didn’t even have to look down.  They were so familiar with the real thing, that they could spot a counterfeit immediately.

Like them, we should make ourselves so familiar with the Truth, the real thing, that we can spot a counterfeit immediately.

Let us study to show ourselves approved of God, workmen who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 3:15)

 

Acts 17:1-9 (ESV)
¹  Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.
²  And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
³  explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
⁴  And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.
⁵  But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.
⁶  And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,
⁷  and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
⁸  And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things.
⁹  And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 (ESV)
¹⁹  Do not quench the Spirit.
²⁰  Do not despise prophecies,
²¹  but test everything; hold fast what is good.

2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)
¹⁵  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Hebrews 5:12-14 (NKJV)
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

 

     A friend asked the other day, “What is and what is not biblical discipleship?”  I thought that was a good question to address here. 

Discipleship is following Jesus’ words in Mark 12:28-31 where He tells each of us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Most Christians understand the love-with-all-our-heart part pretty well.  Discipleship certainly involves showing God’s love to our fellow man.  But, how about loving God with our minds?  When we share Christ or disciple one another, shouldn’t we be accurate in what we say or teach?

If we don’t know why we believe our faith is true, we are in danger of straying.  We run the risk of misinforming or misleading others.   Paul warns us in 2 Cor. 11:3-4 that there is another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel.  A little later in the same book, he tells us to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).  How does a disciple know if he’s in or outside the faith if he doesn’t know what the faith is to begin with and why he should believe it?

Jude 3-4 says, we are to earnestly contend for the faith against those who would pervert it.  Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:14-15 that we’re supposed to have answers for what we believe.  It seems a disciple should be able to readily share and defend the faith (2 Tim. 4:1-6).

I’m not trying to discourage believers from sharing.  Personal testimony of how a life was changed by the blood of Christ is an effective way to witness.  My experience, however, has been that questions arise, people misunderstand the gospel, false beliefs need to be corrected (2 Tim 3:16-17).  To be able to address those issues, we need a better understanding.

The instructions and warnings in Scripture aren’t directed solely at the leadership of the church either.  They were given to the rank and file as well.  Leaders aren’t filled with the Spirit and able to share their faith after they become leaders.  They become leaders because they are first filled with the Spirit and able to share their faith (1 Tim. 3:1-7).  A disciple should be able to do that if he’s known Christ for any length of time.  It’s not a blind faith.  It’s true, and we should act like it.

It’s Easter time, and we’re all being encouraged to invite our friends and neighbors to church to hear the Gospel.  That’s a great thing to do, a good way to introduce people to Christ, and we will certainly see people come to know the Lord.  People need to hear the story of how Jesus, once pronounced dead, rose again to show His power over sin. 

Is discipleship just leading people to church, though, or is it leading them to Christ?  Have our churches given up on us sharing the truth with our friends and settled for having us invite them to church? 

We are the church, not that building down on Main Street.  Christ Himself sent us into the world to preach the gospel, but not only that, we are to make disciples.  How do we make disciples if our own discipleship lacks a full understanding of what the Bible teaches?  My pastor said it well when he asked, “Are we coworkers with Christ or just customers sitting in church?” 

Are all Christians disciples?  Discipleship is not passive.  It is dynamic.  It is to love God, to be filled with His Spirit, and to follow the commands and instructions He gives us in Scripture.  Then we are to share that with others, both believers and non-believers.  God is the Object of our praise and love, but He should also be the source of instruction in our lives.  A well informed Christian is an effective witness.

We have the truth.  The world is gaining on us not because it’s right, but because the church is less informed and less willing and able to defend what it believes than the world.  Let’s fight back!  Let’s make an effort to know what we believe and why we believe it well enough to stand against the flaming darts of the evil one and take the offensive Sword in hand (Eph 6:13-18).  Let’s put on the full armor of God, the full armor of discipleship.  Let’s go into all the world and preach the gospel by being and making disciples.

If you need help becoming a better disciple, seek out someone you see in the church who can help you.  If you’re already confident and well informed in your faith, seek out someone to invest your time in.  It will help you and them become better disciples.

 

Mark 12:28-31 (ESV)
²⁸  And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
²⁹  Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
³⁰  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
³¹  The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 (ESV)
³  But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
⁴  For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV)
⁵  Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

Jude 1:3-4 (ESV)
³  Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
⁴  For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3:14-15 (ESV)
¹⁴  But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
¹⁵  but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

2 Timothy 4:1-5 (ESV)
¹  I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:
²  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
³  For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
⁴  and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
⁵  As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
¹⁶  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
¹⁷  that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 (ESV)
¹  The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
²  Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
³  not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
⁴  He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,
⁵  for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?
⁶  He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
⁷  Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
¹⁸  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
¹⁹  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
²⁰  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 Ephesians 6:13-18 (ESV)
¹³  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
¹⁴  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
¹⁵  and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
¹⁶  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
¹⁷  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
¹⁸  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

I just can’t seem to get my mind out of Phil 2:5-10 lately.  Maybe it’s because it speaks of a character trait that is so obviously absent from my life: humility.

Phil 2:5-11 tells us that Jesus existed in the very form of God.  He was God Himself.  Yet He was willing to leave that role as God and come to earth as a man and die on the cross for us.

Think about that for a moment.  The God of the universe, Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son, the One who spoke and a universe so large it takes light 15 billion years to travel across it, that incredibly powerful God, came to earth as a servant and washed the feet of men.  Not only that, but He was happy to do so (Heb. 12:1-2).

Now, God tells us to be humble (James 4:10).  The difficult part for us in all this is that the Holy Spirit tells us at the beginning of the Philippians passage that we are to have this same mind, this same attitude of humility that God the Son had in coming to earth as a man, washing the feet of men, and dying on the cross.

This humility, of course, must come from our love for our Lord.  But, are we really willing to humble ourselves?  Are we willing to get our hands dirty, get down in the muck, work with people who offend us, take on tasks we might think are beneath us?  Are we willing to forgive those who have wronged us even if they don’t ask us to and haven’t shown any sign of remorse?  We’re supposed to do just that, you know (Matt 6:14-15).

So, this week, how about we try, you and I, to take a step down from our tower of pride and do a job no one else wants to do that would glorify our Lord.  Maybe it’s something someone would never see, and keep it just between us and God.  Let’s give that a try.  It would be nice to build up a little secret treasure in heaven.  And, God says He’ll bless us for it.  Let’s let this mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus.

 

Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV)
⁵  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
⁶  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
⁷  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
⁸  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
⁹  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)
¹  Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
²  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

James 4:10 (ESV)
¹⁰  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV)
¹⁴  For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
¹⁵  but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

For today’s blog, I thought I’d republish the text of a letter of mine which was published recently in the local paper.  It’s on the impossibility of a true separation of Church and State in America:

“It is impossible for the United States to have actual separation of church and state.  The analogy would be something like little Johnny and Mary are in the back seat of the family car.  Mary says, “Johnny’s touching me,” and Johnny accuses Mary of the same.  Mom tells them to stop touching each other but gives governing authority to Johnny.  He decides what touching is, who can touch whom, and is given the ability to punish Mary if she breaks any of Johnny’s regulations.  That’s not separation and not very fair, is it?  But, it’s the same system of separation of church and state we have today.  The state is in control of that separation.  The State tells us what we can and cannot do in practicing our faith and where.  If you don’t think this is true, how about we let the church take its turn at controlling what separation looks like.

“Separation of Church and State, as I’m sure the advocates know, is not in the Constitution but was a decision of the Supreme Court.  Supreme Court decisions and even at least one Constitutional amendment have been overturned.  Let’s treat “Separation” with that in mind, and give the subject a little more thought before getting on our high horses and pointing fingers.”

So, when someone argues with you about prayer in school, Bible classes in government offices, or that nativity scenes on public lands should be prohibited on the basis of Separation of Church and state, remember this idea is from an interpretation of the Constitution by the Supreme Court, not in the Constitution itself.

The basis of the Supreme Court’s decisions regarding separation of Church and State is a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists in 1802.  He used the phrase, “separation of Church and State” but meant that government should be separated from the Church, not the other way around.  

Here is a link to the Jefferson letter:

https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html

 

Years ago we used to see “WWJD” bracelets, bumper stickers, hats, rings, and other paraphernalia expressing “What Would Jesus Do.”  Those were great.  We should always follow the example of Jesus and what He would do.  But, I think WWJD often came up short.  Jesus suffered ridicule, torture, and persecution as results of His message.  Eventually he died a horrible death for us.  That’s what Jesus did.  Is that the humility and attitude we see in ourselves today?  Is that what WWJD means to us?

On the grand scale, God’s plan is simple: to make heaven as full as possible and hell as empty as possible.  And, He will use our pain and suffering to accomplish it if needed.  Maybe this Christian thing isn’t so much about us as it is about Him.

I’d like to suggest an additional slogan to WWJD: TIAM (This Isn’t About Me).  Over the years, I’ve seen Christians leave a Bible-teaching, Spirit-filled church for such reasons as they didn’t like the color of the carpet, the pastor’s accent, the sexual orientation of those enter the church doors, the music was too loud, too rock and roll, the people didn’t dress the way they thought they should, and such.

A change of view might be in order.  Maybe the Christian ideal is that church should be a place for us to minister God’s love, not criticize God’s people.  A wise pastor once told me, the soldiers on the front lines are too busy fighting the battles to complain.  If you’re complaining and finding fault, maybe you should move to the front lines.  Get involved.

Years ago, I was thinking of leaving the church we were attending.  The reason was so foolish I don’t even remember why.  I called a friend and pastor, who told me you don’t leave a church unless God is calling you somewhere else.  Just because you’re unhappy where you are doesn’t mean God is telling you to leave.  Good advice.  Maybe we need to get more involved and see if the reasons we’re upset have good planning behind them and are furthering God’s kingdom.

Sometimes it’s not our happiness that brings people to Christ.  During the Roman persecution, thousands came to Christ having seen how Christians died in the Roman Circus.  Most believers stood strongly for their faith and died bravely without denying that faith.  The Roman citizenry saw this and many believed there must be something in it for those brave souls to die both willingly and terribly.  The citizens sought Christ and came to know Him.

The word “happy” appears in only eight verses in the ESV Old Testament, “happiness” only twice, and neither appears in the New Testament.  “Joy” appears in 179 verses spread across the entire Old and New Testaments.  Maybe we’re looking at our place in Christianity wrongly.  Joy in our walk with Christ is important.  Our happiness, not so much.

Our lives are to be given as sacrifices to God (Rom 12:1-3).  That’s what WWJD means.  Let’s work on that and TIAM together.

 

Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)
¹  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
²  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

Often we are stumped when Jehovah’s Witnesses come to our door and ask all sorts of questions.  With a little preparation beforehand, there are ways the Holy Spirit can use us to open their eyes and maybe see what God has to say about the Watchtower’s false teachings:

When they come to your door, say something like, “I have a question.”  They are programmed to answer questions and will be anxious to answer yours.  Ask them, “This guy online says the Watchtower teaches Jesus wasn’t raised in the same body that died on the tree (don’t use the word, ‘cross’ or they’ll get you off on another subject).  Is that true?”

You’ve done at least three important things with your question. 

• You’ve pointed out it is the Watchtower that teaches this false doctrine not the Bible.
• Your question directed the conversation to a subject you a prepared to deal with, 
• Questions make people think rather than just recite what they’ve been taught.

If you’re nervous and mess up the question, don’t worry.  God’s more interested in saving these folks than even you are.  He’ll work with you.  Silent prayer is good.

They are trained to take you to 1 Peter 3:18 where Scripture says Jesus was put to death in the flesh and made alive in the spirit.  Write in the margin of your Bible next to 1 Peter 3:18, “Revelation 1:10, ‘in the spirit doesn’t mean as a spirit.'”  Ask (you’re using a question again) the JW, “do you think in the spirit means as a spirit?”  If they persist, take them to Rev. 1:10 to show John was “in the spirit on the Lord’s day” and wasn’t a spirit.  So, “in the spirit” doesn’t mean what they think.  Jesus was put to death by the power of the flesh: man.  He was raised again by the power of the Spirit: God (Rom. 8:11)

Next, they might take you to Acts 10:40-41 where Scripture says Jesus appeared to many but not to everyone.  They will try to say He manifested Himself in temporary bodies so that He could strengthen the faith of His disciples.  Here are some of the verses they will use to back that up.  You can get them to take you to these verses by asking, “Where do you see that in Scripture?”  Make notes in the margins next to each of the passages below so you can answer them:

• 1 Cor. 15:45 says Adam became a living soul, and Jesus became a life giving spirit. There is nothing in the passage that would indicate this is an event which happened at the resurrection of Jesus.  More likely it is speaking of the time of the creation of Adam when Jesus, who was not in physical form at the time, gave life to Adam.

Next, they will show you portions of Scripture where Jesus was not recognized after His resurrection and try to tell you He manifested other bodies.  Make notes next to these passages so you’ll remember the answers you can give to your JW friend:

• John 20:11-16 — Mary didn’t recognize Him. –  She wasn’t looking at him while she was weeping.  She turned to see Him and then recognized Him (vs. 16).
• Luke 24:13-35 — The disciples on the road to Emmaus didn’t recognize Him. –  Their eyes were prevented from doing so.  It wasn’t Jesus in another body, it was their eyes that were veiled (vs. 16 & 31)
• John 21:4-14 — The disciples didn’t recognize Jesus when they were fishing. —  Comparing Scripture with Scripture, it may well have been their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him as in Luke 24.  It may also be a result of the terrific beating Jesus received prior to His crucifixion.  Isaiah says He was beaten more than any man (Isa. 52:14).

And, that’s about all the JW’s have to offer.  Here are some passages you might ask them to explain, though:

• John 2:18-22 — Jesus predicted He would raise His own body from the grave. Ask the JW if Jesus ever lied and if this is what the Watchtower teaches.
• Luke 24:36-39 — Jesus showed the disciples (except for Thomas) His body of flesh and bone and even proclaimed that He was NOT a spirit. Ask the JW if Jesus deceived His disciples here or did the Watchtower deceive him.
• John 20:26-28 — Jesus shows Himself to Thomas and asks Thomas to examine His body to see that He was raised from the dead. Ask the JW if Jesus deceived Thomas.

If the JW asks you something you can’t answer, tell him you will write it down and have an answer for him the next time he comes.  Write it down in front of him.  Check it out through your own study or drop me a note.  I can probably help.

Keep him on topic.  “That’s interesting, but we haven’t finished with this passage yet,” or “Let’s talk about that next time,” are good ways to keep the conversation on track.

The verses I’ve listed above that JWs use are straight from their manual of what to say.  These are the very verses they will use.  Be prepared for these passages.

So, with a little note taking in the margins of our Bibles and some patience with a brainwashed individual or two, we can now share the Gospel with our JW neighbors and maybe even see them respond.  If you’re anxious to try this, you can spot them in town with their magazine racks.  Walk up and ask, “This guy online says…..”  Share with them the Truth, and love them.

I have talked with Jehovah’s Witnesses for over 45 years and have yet to see one come to the Lord on the doorstep.  It usually takes time for the Holy Spirit to work on them.  Our job is not to save people, that’s the job of the Holy Spirit.  Our job is to plant and water.  God brings forth the increase (1 Cor 3:7).  Love them.  Most JWs come to Christ through the love of Christians.

 

1 Peter 3:18 (ESV)
¹⁸  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Revelation 1:10 (ESV)
¹⁰  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet

Romans 8:11 (ESV)
¹¹  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Acts 10:40-41 (ESV)
⁴⁰  but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear,
⁴¹  not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:45-48 (ESV)
⁴⁵  Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
⁴⁶  But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.
⁴⁷  The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.
⁴⁸  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.

John 20:11-16 (ESV)
¹¹  But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.
¹²  And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
¹³  They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”
¹⁴  Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
¹⁵  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
¹⁶  Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

 Luke 24:13-35 (ESV)
¹³  That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,
¹⁴  and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
¹⁵  While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.
¹⁶  But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
¹⁷  And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.
¹⁸  Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
¹⁹  And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
²⁰  and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.
²¹  But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.
²²  Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,
²³  and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.
²⁴  Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
²⁵  And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
²⁶  Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
²⁷  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
²⁸  So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther,
²⁹  but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them.
³⁰  When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.
³¹  And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.
³²  They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
³³  And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
³⁴  saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
³⁵  Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

 John 21:4-14 (ESV)
⁴  Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
⁵  Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.”
⁶  He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.
⁷  That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.
⁸  The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
⁹  When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.
¹⁰  Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
¹¹  So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.
¹²  Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
¹³  Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.
¹⁴  This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

 Isaiah 52:14 (ESV)
¹⁴  As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—

 Luke 24:36-39 (ESV)
³⁶  As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”
³⁷  But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.
³⁸  And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
³⁹  See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

John 20:26-28 (ESV)
²⁶  Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
²⁷  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
²⁸  Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

1 Corinthians 3:7 (ESV)
⁷  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

We often see Jehovah’s witnesses as a threat or as obnoxious people who knock on our doors early on Saturday mornings to ask us questions we can’t answer or comment on Bible verses we’ve never really looked at before.  Even more often, our response is something like, “No thanks,” or “I’m a Christian,” followed by a door slam. 

But, these folks may well be God’s answer to our prayers for some lost soul to talk with who wants to know about Jesus, who thinks the Bible is true, and who may well come right to our doors.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll lay out some of this cult’s basic beliefs, the verses they misuse to support those beliefs, and how to deal with them.

But, first I need to repeat some witnessing tips from an earlier blog:

• We are supposed to love these folks. Sure they’re lost.  But, like you and me, they are people for whom Christ died.
• We are to treat them with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15)
• One effective way to share our faith with them is to ask questions.

Also, we need to realize the mindset of the typical Jehovah’s Witness.

• She is certain the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (The organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses) is God’s channel of truth to mankind.
• She believes there is no other channel of truth except the Organization and the Bible, and when push comes to shove, the Bible wins out over the Organization.
• She also believes the Organization is absolutely correct in what it teaches today. So, if you quote Bible verses to them, they will compare your view to the Organization’s view and accept the Organization as correct.  After all, who are you to tell them what the Bible means?  They have God’s chosen organization to explain it to them.
• She is well trained to give programmed responses and not to think about alternatives.
• She is sincere in what she believes.

With this in mind, it may all seem pointless and a little frightening to share with them.  But, there are ways to handle their visits so they will walk away with something to think about, something the Holy Spirit will work on, and it doesn’t involve hours of study on our part.

So, next week, we’ll start by looking at what the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (“Watchtower” or “Organization” hereafter) teaches about the resurrection of Jesus, the verses they misuse to support their view, where they’re wrong, some easy responses to their error, and a way to direct them to what you are best prepared to talk about. 

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)
¹⁵  but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,