The next time Jehovah’s Witnesses come to your door will you hide behind the curtain and pretend you’re not home? Will you open the door but tell them, “No thank you. I have my own religion” and send them on their way? Or will you see them as people for whom Christ died, invite them in, and share the gospel with them using the approaches you have learned?

What would Jesus have you do? I trust that he will give you compassion for these people and confidence that if you step out in faith the Holy Spirit will empower you to share the gospel with them effectively. Granted, they won’t all come to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but some of them will. (p. 295)

Expanding your opportunities (pp. 295-296)

When you think about encountering Jehovah’s Witnesses, you naturally tend to think almost exclusively in terms of the usual scenario in which two of them come to your front door while they happen to be canvassing your neighborhood as part of their door-to-door field service ministry. This is a very convenient witnessing opportunity. They seek you out and ask to talk to you about God!

What if they bypass your home? Does this end your opportunities to put into practice what you have learned? Not at all. Consider expanding your opportunities to witness to Jehovah’s Witnesses and others with Watchtower backgrounds.

Talk to people you already know (pp. 296-300)

 Active Witnesses (pp. 296-297)

Do you have any family members, friends, co-workers, or neighbors who are Jehovah’s Witnesses? There’s no reason why you can’t take the initiative in talking to them. If they are active Witnesses, they should be happy to talk with you. It will probably be refreshing to them to get into a Bible conversation without having to experience a lot of rejection going door-to-door trying to find someone who is interested in talking with them. There’s another incentive for them to meet with you—they can count the time they spend with you on their monthly field service report.

Witness children (p. 297)

If you have contact with Jehovah’s Witness children, be aware that they are not allowed to participate in birthday or holiday activities, patriotic observances, competitive sports, and many other normal childhood activities. They are not even allowed to develop close friendships with “worldly” people (non-Witnesses).

Because of these restrictions, Witness children often feel ostracized or humiliated.

Since they are minors and under the authority of their parents, you are limited in what you can do.

I recommend that you go out of your way to let Witness children know that you understand that their family’s religion has restrictions, that you know they have abide by them, and that you realize that can be hard to deal with at times. Ask them to alert you to any acceptable alternative activities in which they would like to participate. Let them know that regardless of these issues, you will always consider yourself their friend and that you are more than willing to listen if at any time they would find it helpful to talk any of this over with you.

Take the opportunity to discuss these issues with their parents, and show them all unconditional Christian love.

Inactive Witnesses (pp. 297-298)

Some Jehovah’s Witnesses are relatively inactive, attending meetings sporadically and rarely, if ever, going door-to-door. They have been trained in Watchtower doctrines and understand the Watchtower mindset. Try to find out why they are inactive. Don’t grill them. Listen more than you talk.

You may be the only person in their life who really cares about them and understands what they are going through. If you’ve studied my book, you are in a unique position to minister to them.

Study Questions

  1. Total honesty time. The next time Jehovah’s Witnesses come to your door, what do you think you will really do? (p. 295)
  • Pull the curtains and pretend you’re not home.
  • Turn them away at the door, saying, “No, thank you. I have my own religion.”
  • Pray for them to go to a pastor’s door so he can share the gospel with them.
  • Invite them in and try one or more of the approaches presented in my book.
  • If the latter, what topic do you feel most comfortable discussing, and what approach would you want to try?
  1. Do you have any relative, co-worker, customer, or acquaintance who is an active or currently inactive Jehovah’s Witness? Are you now willing to use one or more of the approaches to try to get through to them with the real gospel? (pp. 296-298)
  1. Do you have any contact with a Jehovah’s Witness child—as a teacher, tutor, or day care worker, perhaps, or through some contact they have with your own children? (p. 297)
  • Having read my book, are you now better informed as to why they aren’t allowed to come to birthday parties, celebrate holidays, or come to one of your church’s youth programs?
  • What can you do to show them and their parents genuine Christian love?
  • Do you know their parents? Could you start a conversation with them and use one of the book’s approaches to share the gospel with them?
  • If they won’t discuss spiritual matters with you, how can you show them Christian love rather than ignoring them?

 

 

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