One of the most effective passages with regard to coming to Jesus for forgiveness is John 5:39-40. Have one of the Witnesses read aloud Jesus’ statement to the Pharisees: “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” Ask the Witnesses to explain to you what mistake Jesus said the Pharisees were making. Pray silently that they will realize that they are making the exact same mistake. Continue reading
Tag: John 5:39-40 (page 1 of 2)
Key Scripture: “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40)
The objective of The Come to Jesus Approach is to help Jehovah’s Witnesses see their need to come to Jesus Christ personally in order to obtain salvation.
The problem
How would you react if someone told you that you need to pray to Michael the archangel and ask him to forgive your sins? That’s how Jehovah’s Witnesses feel if we tell them they need to come to Jesus for forgiveness. It’s only God we should pray to. Only God can forgive sin. And they think Jesus is Michael, not God. For the same reason, Witnesses would consider it sinful and idolatrous to try to have a personal relationship with Jesus. (pp. 73-74)
If you try to address the issue by showing them Jesus is God, the need to come to him for salvation often gets forgotten aside amidst controversy over the deity of Christ or over the Trinity doctrine. You can avoid this problem by bypassing identity issues in order to focus attention on the Witnesses’ need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. (p. 74) Continue reading
Click image to access this “Bible Teach” chapter on the Watchtower’s website
After the discussion of the Watchtower doctrine that Jesus is a created being, the rest of “Bible Teach” Chapter 4 covers Jesus’ life and ministry. Most of this you can agree with and continue to build bridges. However, there are some points you will want to challenge.
Assertion #4: Jesus preached the same message that the Watchtower does today Continue reading
In last week’s post, I warned you not to invite ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses to come to church with you too early in the process. The reason is that Watchtower indoctrination gives Witnesses a fear of and disdain for churches. They consider them to be false and satanic.
However, there may come a time when an ex-Witness has progressed to the point where he or she wants to visit your church.
Here’s how you can help. Continue reading
Imagine for a moment that you owe someone a staggering amount of money—let’s say a billion dollars. There is no way that you would ever be able to pay it off. In order for you to be rescued from this predicament, a very wealthy and generous person would have to pay it for you.
Of course, the sin debt we owe to God is not monetary, but moral. Nevertheless, the principle is the same. No amount of good deeds on our part would be sufficient to atone for our sins. We need a Savior whose righteousness far exceeds our own. Continue reading
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