xjwsforChrist

LOZ SAID

Many recent discussions here have highlighted the lies and the misdirection of the WTBS, who attempt to replace Christ as a mediator, with their Governing Body, and in so doing "shut up the kingdom before men". We agree, I think, that this is abhorrent to us all. Sadly, some phrases or arguments might suggest that we find the individual publishers, the 'captives of a concept', equally reprehensible.

What I'm hearing from Christ though is that we have to be careful that we don't overlook LOVE for those still trapped in her, or recently leaving her. From personal experience, I know that many, indeed most, are drawn to the WTBS in a search for 'truth', truth that they failed to find in the world's religions. We and they became witnesses because we sincerely believed that we were finding true worship of Almighty God. Our service as JWs was out of LOVE for that Most High God. NOT for a publishing company, but for the creator of the universe.

When those in her are either 'called' out, or 'driven' out, or simply 'find' their individual way out, upon coming out they need a spiritual refuge. They are distraught at 'where' to go, knowing the answers are not to be found in other religions, they need to find their way to 'whom' in a place of safety and trust. One of the reasons I love this forum is that it provides such a refuge. A place where those who still love the Most High God can come to and learn how to be able to draw close to Him and moreover, His son.

For any such reading here, who've found their way to us in the 'body of Christ', and those who go with us, I hope they can see that we accept their sincerity, and that we welcome them with understanding and LOVE. They've suffered enough 'judging' in their Kingdom Halls ruled by the harsh GB, so don't need to be afraid of finding such here, and can be assured of the opposite treatment from us.

Ezekiel 34 v 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

I have shared this as I heard it from Christ, and I offer thanks to Jah and Christ for it.

Loz x
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Don't let anyone put you down, and don't do it to yourself.

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"This is my son. LISTEN to Him!"

ATALOA SAID


Loz, I couldn't agree more with every word - what an absolutely wonderful post. This is something that has been on my heart as well (also, my conscience). A great reminder.

LOZ SAID

Thank you Ataloa, I didn't realise how much it was troubling my spirit actually, until our Lord brought it to my attention.

Loz x
_________________
Don't let anyone put you down, and don't do it to yourself.

ZOE SAID

Thank you for saying that Loz.

I used to be angry with the JW's themselves for the way they act towards those of us who no longer believe. Now I realize that was so wrong, now I feel extremely sad that they can't see the lies and that they are wasting their lives.

Love and patience is what we need to give them, not resentment, anger, intolerance and hate. They will not find Love, patience or tolerance in the Watchtower Org. thats for sure.
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*ZOE*

JUSTMOM SAID



Good morning my sister ..

This is truly beautiful and comforting. And YES our lord will surely do this.
He is " the whom" these ones can turn to for true healing. He is THE TRUTH that they have been ultimately searching for. They have allowed themselves to be found by HIM.
I am thankful for this! And I am grateful to have an opportunity to be used as a minister to these ones.

Thank you for sharing as you heard.
Love Justmom

CHARIKLO SAID




That will always be true for some, Zoe, perhaps...indeed, probably...even for most.

However, there is another sort of person among the Jehovah's Witnesses. There are those, largely but by no means all, elders, and perhaps extending to many elders' wives too, who revel in the sense of superiority and power that being a Jehovah's Witness gives them.

I know, for instance, that on JWN there are many who have encountered Witnesses like this, and who have suffered at their hands. I certainly did, from both elders and elders' wives. The Watchtower gives elders a total authority which is ostensibly supposed to come from Jehovah, whose power is delegated, they believe and assert, to the Governing Body and thence to the elders in each congregation.

This ladder-like system of delegation is the perfect cover for individuals with a psychological bent towards the exercising of an arbitrary type of authority that can in the hands of some rapidly degenerate towards tyranny. If an individual has an innate tendency towards bullying, woe betide the unwary congregation member who comes to their notice. Even with my brief experience I have observed this personally as it has happened to others, and have experienced it at close quarters myself. This tendency may and as experiences related on JWN make evident, extend to elders' wives, who, possessing no real direct powers of authority themselves, are even more likely to exert perhaps subtle, perhaps very obvious forms of bullying, showering with favours and exercising a sharply-targeted form of quasi-shunning demonstrated only among women.

Power is dangerous, and, as they say, always has a tendency to corrupt, while absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Watchtower system allows it elders to exercise absolute power.

An even more subtle and rather sad effect of the Watchtower's policies can be seen among Witnesses. They become brainwashed, unable to think properly for themselves, and because they are constantly being programmed and reprogrammed to think that only those within the Watchtower are going to be saved by Jehovah when the time comes, they come to see themselves as superior in some way over others, more deserving, better motivated, and inevitably closer to God. This is particularly damaging. They have to retain these damaging patterns of thought, to bolster up their own hope and expectation as the last day is delayed yearly ever longer.

This very sad effect even outlasts the otherwise inevitable disillusionment when an individual eventually sees through the Watchtower blather. Time and again in different and varied ways the sense that they are the ones who now see accurate truth can be encountered, and the classic sense of Witness superiority surfaces. It shows itself time and again. However, mercifully, it doesn't affect everyone, not even the majority of ex-Witnesses.

You're right, Zoe. Being angry with them isn't called for. Even if a person has been the direct target of the bullying or of the superior type of person, we can remember that all are products of the manipulative Watchtower. Still, bullies are bullies, and therefore culpable, and those who see themselves as the ones who are always right also have the choice of whether they are willing to abandon the last vestiges of Watchtower controlling techniques. Some choose not to, whatever the refuge they find, and they readily adopt a philosophy that upholds that abstract idea of exclusive or superior status.

Not all elders, by any means, behave in that autocratic way, and those who are honest and are willing to acknowledge the real nature of the Watchtower when they eventually realise it, such ex-elders are often very fine people. They're not rare, either, and it's encouraging whenever we encounter them, and it gives great grounds for hope. But let's just be a bit wary before we decide to have compassion on all JW's. It isn't always appropriate, and the problem isn't confined to those still obviously "in".

Perhaps it's a case of being able to take a man ...or woman! ...out of the Watchtower but that it's more difficult to take the Watchtower out of the man!

AGUEST SAID

Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:35 pm Post subject:
I have to agree with EVERYONE here, dear ones (peace to you!). We MUST show love, in spite of the conduct of our "enemies" (those who constitute US as enemies, and thus, in doing so, become our enemies)... because that is how we PROVE we are sons of God (Matthew 5:44-48).

At the same time, that love might also prompt us to call out one who claims a union with Christ (regardless of whether they profess an anointing with holy spirit) for their hypocrisy. NOT out of judgment or hatred, but out of a kind of "tough" love that says, "Hey, you can't have it both ways - you can't say you love God/Christ... and be hating your brother!"

Our dear Lord, then, pulled no punches when dealing with the "wolves", scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites, etc. He rarely called one out as an individual (although he didn't shy away from it, either), but he had NO problem calling out their GROUP conduct.

If a specific individual has done us some "wrong," we can must forgive them. We can, though, address the conduct... first, between ourself and the individual, then with 2 or 3 along with us, then through the congregation, then as if they are of the world. Or, if we think our brother has something against US... we should leave our gift at the altar and try to resolve it and THEN offer up our gift.

Holding onto personal issues with individuals, though... can be as damaging to US as to the individual. More, actually... because most who do us "wrong" have absolutely NO idea that they have. As our Lord said, the day would come when "those who kill you will THINK they are rendering an act of sacred service!" And I truly believe that that is the case with most JWs: they think, albeit erroneously, that they are being RIGHTEOUS by "hating" those they constitute as their enemies. Because that is what they've been TAUGHT to think.

If we act LIKE them, though, can we take issue WITH them? I don't see how... and not be styled hypocrites ourselves. So, unlike those who DO hold onto ills and grudges and hatreds, WE... HAVE to be the first to forgive. Because our dear LORD was the first to forgive... and he left US a pattern to follow: HIS steps, not our own.

So, it's a matter of balance... and love. Without love, the scales are tipped in the WRONG direction. The wonderful thing, though, is that we can never tip it TOO far in the OTHER direction, that of love... unless we tip it past love of Christ. Otherwise, though, there is no law against love... and so even if the one IS wrong... and has DONE wrong... WE can "cover" that error with OUR love, yes? Because love "covers a MULTITUDE of transgressions."

And that is the fulfillment of the Law that most JWs... and many exJWs... have not learned (because they were never taught): it is not our job to point the finger when another errs/sins. It is our job... to FORGIVE when they do! The WTBTS foments that thinking of Paul... that if you forgive someone their sins you are "condoning" them. That, however, is not true. Because my Lord forgave all MANNER of sins... but that didn't mean he condoned the conduct OR would engage in such himself. He just didn't judge those who DID. And neither should we.

The time has come for us to preach a RELEASE to the captives, not a further enslavement, yes? Because that was the PURPOSE of our dear Lord's coming in the FIRST place:

"[Jesus] returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and [b]recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

"Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:14-21

Forgiveness... and moving "past"... can be difficult sometimes. I know it can be for me, sometimes. But I just try to remember the MERCY shown to ME... that I was led OUT... and how I would feel if I hadn't been, but been left to "share in her sins" and thus "receive part of her plagues." OMG.

And so, for me, it is the mercy shown ME... that compels ME to show the same mercy to others, and particularly those in the WTBTS. That MAYBE somethine I say/do will "awaken" them, too! True, most of the time I am standing OUTSIDE the gate (hence, H2O, JWN, and even here)... but once a year I venture back INSIDE... just in case there is someone there who is "seeking, asking, knocking"... but not knowing "where" else to go.

As we all know, there is no WHERE... but only a WHOM. Who, though, will TELL them of that One, if not us? Sure, he will, at some point, if that is JAH's will. But I am not sure we are to sit back and wait for that to occur for them. I am not sure OUR desire for mercy upon THEM is shown that way.

Just my $.02 (okay, $.10 - LOLOLOL!) on this very excellent topic and thread.

Again, peace to you ALL!

YSSFS of Christ,

Shellama

TEC SAID

Thank you Loz, and everyone else. Love all that you shared.

I am learning much about love and forgiveness these days from our Lord. There are none of us who have not done wrong to others. When we can see and accept that about ourselves, it makes it so much easier to 'let go' of anger, hurt, resentment... and so forgive... from the heart... those who wrong us.

Peace to all,
tammy

LOZ SAID

Without love, the scales are tipped in the WRONG direction. The wonderful thing, though, is that we can never tip it TOO far in the OTHER direction, that of love... unless we tip it past love of Christ. Otherwise, though, there is no law against love... and so even if the one IS wrong... and has DONE wrong... WE can "cover" that error with OUR love, yes? Because love "covers a MULTITUDE of transgressions."

And that is the fulfillment of the Law that most JWs... and many exJWs... have not learned (because they were never taught): it is not our job to point the finger when another errs/sins. It is our job... to FORGIVE when they do! The WTBTS foments that thinking of Paul... that if you forgive someone their sins you are "condoning" them. That, however, is not true. Because my Lord forgave all MANNER of sins... but that didn't mean he condoned the conduct OR would engage in such himself. He just didn't judge those who DID. And neither should we.

Yes, I believe this covers the essence of what Christ is teaching us. We know that our Lord even prayed for those who put Him to death, He allowed that they didn't know what they did, and warned us not to "judge, lest we be judged". He gave us a model to follow, and as sons we must follow Him. That doesn't mean condoning anyone's wrongdoing. As He said "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" and none were, nor are now. To their own master, we are told, each will stand or fall.

We who are here as has been said, have been shown mercy, on that basis and on the basis of the example of Christ, I can't judge another who may be trapped in or leaving the WTBS, but can only offer them compassion and mercy also, and hope and pray that they find their way to peace with Jah and Christ.

Loz x
_________________
Don't let anyone put you down, and don't do it to yourself.

CHARIKLO SAID

Yes, your mission is clear, Shelby.

You feel a calling, and you are called to make sure that the REAL Good News reaches those within the Watchtower.

Meanwhile, there are nevertheless Watchtower wolves, inside among its ranks and outside too. Fortunately, you are wished up and made of tough stuff, so you won't forget the need to be as cunning as a serpent while being as wise as a dove.

As, indeed, we all need to be.

AGUEST SAID

Wink at both dear Char and dear Loz! Peace to you both, my dear sisters!

YSSFS of Christ,

Shellama (sending a wink and wish for peace to dear tec, too!)

CHARIKLO SAID

Btw, Shelby, I meant wised up. The iPad, though, unlike the WT, likes magic and insisted on having you wished up!

I'll let your imagination play with what that might mean! Nothing to do with me, blame the iPad!

AGUEST SAID

I totally got what you meant, dear one... iPad typo and all - LOLOLOL!

Peace!

YSSFS of Christ,

Shellama

LOZ SAID

Attending the KH last night made me think about this thread and what I've been hearing in regard to the JWs.

The atmosphere that permeated the hall isn't easy to put into words, it left me with an overwhelming sadness for the people in there. For a start the total lack of Spirit gave it the air of some kind of boring political conference with some 'sales' pitching thrown in. Facial expressions seemed to convey a mix of tolerant disinterest and depressing inevitability. Even the speaker and those praying over the emblems seem to absolutely lack any enthusiasm or feeling.

I'm sure that the changes in my own perspectives allowed me a more objective and distanced view, but, it was so easy to see how those meetings ended up making me physically ill and failed so completely to feed me spiritually. THAT'S how they look, I've actually understood as I'm typing.....spiritually malnourished, and like lost sheep without a shepherd!

Moreover, it's visible that they are burdened and bowed down by the weighty rules of the GB, striving to please, counting hours, swallowing down the doubts that arise in their hearts, tired and disappointed.

I will continue praying that genuine lovers of Jah and Christ will take steps to escape.

Loz x[/i]
_________________
Don't let anyone put you down, and don't do it to yourself.