"So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I disciplined my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." (1 Corinthians 9:26-27)

When Paul says he might be disqualified, he doesn't mean he could lose his salvation, but rather that he could lose his privilege of telling others about Christ. It's easy to tell others how to live and then not take our own advice. We must be careful to "practice what we preach". 

Ambassador; Noun:  an authorized messenger or representative. Usually an official of the highest rank sent for a specific mission.

Christ’s Example: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10)

Our Command:

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

 “And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15)

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”. (Matthew 28:19)

“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”” (Romans 10:14-15)

Concerning Non-believers:

“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.” (Ephesians 4:17-19)

Today’s Topic: Jehovah Witnesses & the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society (WTB&TS)

Facts about the founders and leaders:

·         Charles T. Russell founded the Jehovah’s Witness movement in the late 1800’s. As a teen he rejected his Presbyterian roots, joined a more liberal Congregational Church, & then left this group as well. He denied that Christ was God, as well as the biblical teachings on hell and eternal punishment. Russell had no Bible training, but borrowed and built upon various teachings that were popular at the time. For example, Adventism influenced his denial of hell, and aroused his interest in endtime prophecies. From this he also borrowed the belief that Christ returned invisibly to the world in 1874, and that 1914 was the year the world would be destroyed

·         In 1879 Russell started his own magazine, Zion's Watchtower and Herald of Christ's Presence (now known as The Watchtower), to promote his doctrines. People were drawn to Russell's sensational endtime predictions, and the organization grew.

·         In 1906 Russell's wife successfully sued for divorce because of "his conceit, egotism, domination and improper conduct in relation to other women," and won a settlement of $6,036.  The court severely censured Russell and called his conduct "insulting," "domineering" and "overbearing" to a degree which made life intolerable to a sensitive Christian woman.

·         In 1913, Russell unsuccessfully sued The Brooklyn Daily Eagle for libel when that paper exposed his fraudulent attempts to sell ordinary wheat at the exorbitant price of $60 a bushel, claiming it was "Miracle Wheat.''

·         He claimed and warned dramatically that Armageddon would strike in 1914. When 1914 came and went, he changed the date to 1915. Russell died in 1916, leaving his followers doubting and confused by his predictive failures.

“For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:31-33)

The Bible warns us that many false prophets will come claiming to speak for God (Matthew 7:15; 1John 4: 1). Thankfully, it also provides a practical test for identifying false prophets. Deuteronomy 18:22 says: “If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared.”

·         In 1916 Joseph Franklin Rutherford then took control of the organization. He also used the threat of Armageddon to intimidate JWs. He published a book which predicted that in 1918 God would destroy churches and millions of their members, and claimed that by 1920 every kingdom would be swallowed up in anarchy. Rutherford taught that the only way to escape the impending judgment and destruction was to join the Watchtower organization.

·         Under the leadership of Nathan H. Knorr the WT Society put away date setting for a time and switched to a different strategy. Since many of their teachings could be refuted by key verses in the King James Bible, Knorr set out to publish a different Bible for JWs to use. Called the New World Translation (NWT), it blatantly altered many verses to support Watchtower doctrine. The single best example of this is John 1: 1, which in the King James Version clearly declares Jesus' deity-"the Word was God." JWs deny the deity of Christ, so the NWT renders this phrase "the Word was a god." The translation committee responsible for the NWT was kept anonymous, undoubtedly to cover up their complete lack of scholarly qualifications. None of the men who worked on this project had any formal training in the biblical languages, except for Frederick Franz. He was chairman of the committee and had studied Greek for two years at the University of Cincinnati without graduating, and was only self-taught in Hebrew. After Knorr's death, Franz became the Watchtower Society's new President.

Facts about the cult:  

·         They aren’t allowed to participate in the following: taking blood transfusions, celebrating birthdays or holidays (including Christmas, Easter, and Mother's Day), voting, flag saluting, or military service.  Through these restrictions, they build a wall between themselves and the rest of society

·         They claim to be the “only organization God is using today to teach His truth and speak for Him. “

Non-biblical Beliefs

·         The Nature of God. The Bible teaches that there is only one true God (Isa.43:10-11; 44:6,8). Father, Son and Holy Spirit are identified as distinct Persons within the one Triune Godhead (Matt.3:16-17; 2 Cor.13:14). Throughout the New Testament the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as the Father are separately identified as God. Each has divine attributes and acts as God (Son: Mark 2:5-12; John 20:28; Heb. l :8; Holy Spirit: Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 3:17-18).

They deny the triune nature of God and teach that such a belief is inspired by Satan and teaches that Jehovah, the name of the one true God, corresponds only to God the Father. JWs also deny that Jesus is God (see next point). They deny the Holy Spirit is a person, and instead teach he is merely God's active force, similar to electricity.

·         Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh, and is the Creator of all things (John 1: 1 -3,14; Col.1: 16). While never less than God, at the appointed time He laid aside the glory He shared with the Father and took on a human nature (John 17:3-5; Phil. 2:6-11; Col. 2:9). Following his death, Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave, appeared to and was recognized in his body by over 500 people. This fact was crucial to both the preaching and faith of the early church (Luke 24:39; John 2:19-21; I Cor. 15:6, 14).

They deny the deity of Jesus Christ and teach that Jesus is a created being who existed as Michael the archangel before being born as a perfect man. JWs believe that after Jesus was buried, God disposed of his physical body. He was raised a spiritual creature and "materialized" to make himself visible. Now in heaven he is once again known as Michael the archangel.

·         Salvation. The Bible teaches that the atoning work of Christ alone provides the solution for man's sin problem. Jesus Christ took the personal sins of all men-past, present and future-in his own body on the tree (I Pet. 2:24), and as perfect God and perfect man he fully met the demands of Divine justice for us (Rom. 3:22-26). Therefore, any and all who receive him by simple faith (John 1:12; Acts 16:31), can be forgiven, declared righteous and restored to fellowship with God (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:24-26).

They teach that only an elite group of Witnesses, known as "the 144,000," or the "anointed ones" are presently credited with Christ's righteousness. Only the 144,000 are born again and expect to reign with Christ in heaven. For the vast majority of remaining JWs, known as the "other sheep" or the "great crowd," the atoning sacrifice of Christ only provides a chance at eternal life on earth.

·         The Bible also teaches that we are saved by grace alone apart from any self-righteous works (Eph.2:8-9). There is nothing we can do to contribute to our salvation because apart from Jesus Christ we are "dead in our sins" (Eph. 2:1,5).

They teach that salvation "will depend on one's works." A person must first "come to Jehovah’s organization for salvation and then comply with everything they teach. In this way, a relationship with the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, rather than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, is presented as the basis of salvation.

·         The Soul & Eternal Punishment. The Bible teaches that the human soul continues to exist consciously after death (Is.14:9-11; Luke 16:19-31; Rev 6:9-11). Those who have rejected God's gift of eternal life will suffer conscious eternal punishment (Matt. 25:41,46; Rev. 14:10,11; 20:10,15).

They deny eternal punishment and teach that the soul cannot exist apart from the body. JWs believe that death ends all conscious existence. Hell refers to the grave and those who are ultimately judged by God will be annihilated and simply cease to exist.

·         The Bible. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit's anointing enables individual Christians to understand God's Word and properly apply it to their lives ( I John 2:27).

They teach that the Bible can only be interpreted by the Watchtower Society and no individual can learn the truth apart from them.

Conclusion

In a sense they are more like lost sheep than ravenous wolves, because they’ve been deceived by an organization with a history of false prophecies and doctrines. JWs truly believe that if they leave the Watchtower Society they will be destroyed at Armageddon. They need our love and compassion, and our desire for them, as for everyone else, should be that they come to a true knowledge of what the Bible teaches, and the understanding that Jesus Christ alone can guarantee salvation. Only through a personal relationship with him can we receive forgiveness and eternal life.

What Does It Mean to Have a Relationship With God?

• 2/3 born-again Christians (64%) accept Jesus Christ as their Savior before their 18th birthday
  
  
• 1/8 born-again people (13%) made their profession of faith while 18 to 21 years old
  
  

Mark 10:15 tells us:

 “Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  

The purer our hearts, and less defiled, the more clearly we can see why we need to accept Christ as our savior.  The older we get, the more people, Satan, and our own hearts try to convince us that other things will satisfy us (beauty, wealth, love, popularity).  We can get tempted to believe that being a Christian is fine, as long as it doesn't take over your life and turn you into a Jesus freak.  However, God begs to differ:

“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)

Sometimes it doesn't seem or feel that easy to be close to Him, or let Him direct every single step we take.

Some excuses we may tell ourselves might be:

- “I don’t have extra time to spend with God”

- “I know I should be spending time with God, but I just don’t know how”

- “I've done too much wrong to get close to God”

- “Why would He even want to spend time with me”

The truth is, although it may seem really hard, it actually is easy.  we just weren't meant to do it on our own.  God sent His Son to come and take the punishment for our sins, and gave us the precious gift of His Holy Spirit to help and guide us.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor [besides Himself], who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans -- I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)

“But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative -- and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit -- he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.  "I am leaving you with a gift -- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:26-27)

It’s not the kind of thing you can just check off when you’re done like washing the dishes, or going to an appointment.  It’s time spent building a relationship.  Sharing what on your heart and listening to what’s on His.  It’s falling in love with the One who loves you most.  You wouldn't call your friend, talk to them, or hang out with them just to check that off of your social list of things to do.  The same goes for God and He’s a better friend than anyone else you know.

How Can I Get Closer to God?

WIDTH

- Make Christ a part of your everyday life.  Spend time with Him EVERY day.

- Pray regularly.  Talk to God when you wake up every morning.  Ask Him to help you with all your needs, big or small, and pray for the needs of others.  It doesn't have to be long or full of ‘Christian’ words, just straight from your heart to God’s.  Pray before you go to sleep and thank Him for everything that day.  Also, pray whenever you feel led to pray.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 says: “Pray without ceasing.”

- Spend time in God’s Word.  Read God’s love letter in the morning, before you go to sleep, or both.  Start with something that grabs your interest - not the genealogy of the tribes of Judah, or the instructions for building the temple.  Try rereading the Bible stories of Moses, David, Jonah, Elijah, and Paul that you might remember from preschool.  Their stories might now take on new meaning as you have grown.  Try out Psalms or Proverbs - they’re great to read everyday.  Or try the life of Christ in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).  Make it fun, not like homework.  Even different translations can help you understand more clearly.

- Take time to learn with others (like in a small group).

LENGTH

- Closeness with Christ doesn't happen overnight.  Just as with your best friend, the longer you develop your relationship with Him, the closer you will get to Him.

DEPTH

- Don’t fall or go for fluffy, surface-level, Christianity like Jesus loves me or John 3:16.  Let God into the deepest parts of you - your thoughts and feelings, your strengths and weaknesses, your sins and successes, your fears and joys.  Go beyond the surface with God.  Search his word for the deep things He wants to teach you about himself.  1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”  This means that God wants us to mature in our walk with Him.


What Separates Me from a Relationship With God?

Matthew 5:48 says: “Be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”  Obviously, we are not perfect nor will we ever be perfect, but our goal should be to please God in all that we do.  He longs to be the foundation of our lives in everything from what we say, who our friends are, what we do, and how we dress.  We should long to please Him by doing what is right in His sight.  Psalm 139: 23-24 says: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me; and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wickedness in me; And lead me to eternal life.”  If the Holy Spirit (God) lives in us, we should want to make His home (our body) clean and pleasing to Him.  Filling ourselves with trash is like making the King of Kings live in a dump.  If we want to have a better relationship with God, we have to do some major cleaning.  

Steps to purifying or cleansing our hearts:

• Pray about it:
  
  

“The LORD is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him sincerely” (Psalm 145:18)

Begin with a humble spirit and tell God that you want Him to clean out your heart.

• Identify it:
  
  

“Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust.  Follow anything that makes you want to do right.  Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.” (2 Timothy 2:22)

What things in your life trash your heart?

Maybe those things include:

           -what you see on the internet

-which friends you hang out with

-what movies or shows you watch

- what music you listen to

-your thoughts

-your attitude

-your words

• Clean it out:
  
  

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9)

Confess your sin to God and then allow the Holy Spirit to work in your heart and remove the debris.

He was often doubted,

"Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.  Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm."