Recently I spoke with a familiar young man (not the one I ran across in the doctor’s office I mentioned on the "Tis the Season" thread).  Listening to him was like going back in time and listening to myself regurgitate the assembly garbage.  He said that we should not forsake the gathering of ourselves together....(he attends several meetings every week).  He told me that he and his friends just want to obey the Bible and practice Christianity just like they did in the first century.   When I asked if he is trying to earn favor with God he said we can’t earn His favor.  He said that there have always been people who truly served God, but that God raised up his ministry in these last days to show the way more perfectly to the whole world.  He said that anyone who sincerely seeks God will eventually agree with his church.  He added that the leaders at the highest level of his ministry have God’s anointing.  He said that his leaders give direction in many areas of life so that people will not mess up their lives like so many in ‘the world’ do.  When I asked him about people that leave his ministry he said that according to his leaders the number one reason people leave is sexual sin.  He really wanted to get together and study the Bible with me.  Since I had already gone that route I told him that while I still believe in Christ as my Savior I do not feel compelled to join him.

I am happy to report I didn’t feel the least bit guilty.

Jack

Oh, I failed to mention some important information about the ‘familiar young man’.  He was a Jehovah’s Witness who came to my door on Saturday morning.  So, with the exception of some doctrinal issues, he sounded pretty familiar.  The same claim of exclusive anointing on his ministry, the same loyalty to his leaders and the same hectic meeting schedule.  Actually, he only had meetings on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  His Sunday meetings are ONLY in the afternoon.  He has no activities on Mondays, Wednesdays or monthly NOP’s on Fridays.  I guess the Watchtower Society is pretty lax compared to the Assembly.  

He mentioned that he spends 10 hours per week serving God, and that was the national average for JW's.  So it looks like GG's workers were not the only one keeping tabs on their own good works for the sake of 'accountability'.  He said the Watchtower organization is organized just like the church was in the first century.

Sounds familiar.

Jack

Re: JW's meeting only Sunday afternoon.

Don't the JW's have their meeting Sunday afternoon so they can go door to door Sunday morning.  It helps them hit more heathen, and those annoying "born-agains" probably won't be home.

We had a ex JW  share his testimony to our sunday school class. His Grandfather and Father were both JWs who moved up in the system and he followed their example, eventually ending up where they print the "Watchtower".(which he said every good JW aspires too) Many of their members never develope their personal talents because of their intense involvement, menial low paying jobs are the norm, but those in leadership were doing just fine financially. Many of his peers had closet drinking problems. The similiarities to the assembly was uncanny, ecspecially the overall appearance of being wholesome and squeaky clean.

I was told of a sister who read something about fields in her morning time Bible reading and believed that the Lord was speaking to her about getting a job in a particular location in Ottawa.
And then there was this other sister who, about 2 months ago, heard from the Lord that He was going to remove GG's poison from the stew, even as the poison was removed from the stew that the young prophets had made for Elisha and company.

BTW - Ottawa was not influenced by GG.  

Marcia

I have contact with many JW's, and have had long conversations with several of them over the years.  My conclusion is that,  overall, the JW leadership is less controlling than the Assembly used to be.

The Watchtower organization is far more established, and its members know what is expected of them early on, so the leadership doesn't have to use as much personal coercion to keep the wheels turning.  They still meddle, just not as much as the LB's did in the Assemblies that I am familiar with.  (I have visited a dozen, but know the "ins'n'outs of 8 or so)

Had the Assembly continued,  I think it would have evolved into an organization similiar to Watchtower, or the ICOC.  But God.........heard the cries of his children, and delivered them from bondage!  Praise His Name!

Nevertheless, if you want to totally creep yourself out, read personal accounts from JW's.   I have a heart for these people, because I understand where they are coming from, having lived in the same way for most of my adult life.

Brent

When Oral Roberts made that claim that God would strike him dead if he did'nt come up with the cash, a columist in STL suggested that Oral not raise that money so when God struck him dead the general public would take Gods statements about "anything" seriously