If you feel that is what you must do to be accepted by Jehovah then go ahead. I will not judge you even if you judge me.
We stand or fall before the Lord and the judgement of men is nothing really. Go ahead and do what men say to do. They have interfered with you conscience to make you think that you are doing wrong if you do not go from door to door. You better do it if it has effected your conscience.
Of course I believe we must obey what Jesus said, we must do.
I don't believe the Bible was written to be taken and twisted into whatever we want it to be, or to pick and choose the parts we like, and dismiss what we don't like, as so many do today.
I quoted the scriptures for you, but what did you have to say about them? ... Nothing.
Those are Jesus' commandments. Not mine, nor the men who publish the Watchtower.
When Jesus was on earth, he said the fields are white for harvesting, and there was a need for more workers in the field. Beg the master for more workers. John 4:35
(Matthew 9:35-38)
35 And Jesus set out on a tour of all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of the Kingdom and curing every sort of disease and every sort of infirmity. 36 On seeing the crowds, he felt pity for them, because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples: “Yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”
When he left the earth, there were only 120 disciples who remained faithful (Acts 1:15). They however multiplied, as they engaged in the Lord's work of taking the message to all the villages, towns, and to the most distant part of the earth (Acts 1, 2). As far as I know, they did not reach Russia. Nor Putin. Nor did they reach many parts of Africa, Australia, North and South America, etc.
So maybe you don't think the Lord is interested anymore in spreading the good news to these nation, tribes and people?
Yes. The men you refer to have said, this is what is to be done, and they preach it too - far and wide.
They remind me of when Jesus said, this was the reason he came to earth... at least one reason, and said that there was a need for others to join in this work... in other words to do it.
What those men are doing is proving that they are obedient to the Christ, and I gladly join them... After studying the Bible.
Do you really think that Jehovah's Witnesses are two year olds, and don't know what Jesus said, because they cannot read?
Come on Brian. You've disappointed me. Not that it surprises me though, based on what I have seen.
Have you not read... (Matthew 24:14) . . .And
this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: “
All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”
Acts 20:20
. . .
I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house.
Acts 5:42
.And
every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus.
2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word; be at it urgently in favorable times and difficult times; reprove, reprimand, exhort, with all patience and art of teaching.
No Brian. It is not men we are following. It is the faithful and true witness of God.
I am just being a follower of that one, and the example of the cloud of witnesses.
(Revelation 12:11) . . .And they conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and
because of the word of their witnessing, and they did not love their souls even in the face of death.
(Revelation 12:17) . . .So
the dragon became enraged at the woman and went off to wage war with the remaining ones of her offspring, who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness concerning Jesus.
It's of course your choice to not follow those examples, in being obedient to the Christ.
Did you know, we are commanded to obey Christ's annointed followers, and the appointed men.
(Hebrews 13:17) . . .
Be obedient to those who are taking the lead among you and be submissive,. . .
You didn't know that?
Take note that everything I am showing you here is scripture. I have not opened a single Watchtower, to quote anything, so please tell me what words of men you think I am following.
That's the reason this is so lengthy.
Also, saying you are not judging me, and then saying that
I am doing what men say to do, because they have interfered with my conscience to make me think that I are doing wrong if I do not go from door to door, is indeed a contradiction.
You have judged me. Have you not? Yes you have.
It seems that the arrangement was in place since the time of the apostles..............weeds and all.
Are you by any chance referring to Judas, as a weed?
Putting one's ideas on the text, would only result in twisting the truth of what Jesus said.
Jesus gave a series of illustrations in Matthew 13. Evidently, all of them related to after his death, and related to the kingdom, with regard to his anointed ones - that would be after the Christian congregation was formed in 33 CE.
We all do our thing and your thing seems to be to ignore what the Watchtower has written and that shows changed doctrines.
You don't need the approval of the forum rules to read that stuff I posted.
I guess you are just being wise and listening to your mentors who tell you not to read such things.
Your own research is good up to a point I guess.
In a way, we all do our own thing, because indeed I have made the doing of God's will "my own thing". In that, I have a burning desire to share the truth with my neighbor, even though most are apathetic. So I really do delight in the work Christ gave his followers to do.
It seems clear to me, you don't understand what I said, and if you don't understand what the rules say, you would not understand at all.
Yes.
Wisdom is the prime thing. Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding (Proverbs 4:5)... and yes. I do listen to the wise servant (Matthew 24:45). After all they are entrusted with the responsibility to provide food at the proper time, and have kept loyal servants of the true God free from the Babylonish teaching, and idolatry in all the false religions making up Babylon the great.
How can one have a relationship with God, when they teach God dishonoring teachings - like Hellfire, Trinity, Immortal soul, etc?