Arnold's Blog: HOW TO WITNESS TO JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

Jehovah's Witnesses do not do door-to-door visitation work because of any hatred for God, the JW at your door is hoping to please God through hours of fruitless service. The JW at your doorstep is someone who has lost his way in his search for God and needs to be directed to "the way." (John 14:6)

Jehovah’s Witnesses often do not know where to turn because the Watchtower organization has convinced them that the whole world is evil and that every religious group other than their own is satanic. Jehovah’s Witnesses who no longer accept or believe Watchtower teachings and policies, or are no longer convinced, often stay active (even zealous) in attendance and proselytizing because disagreeing with or leaving the Watchtower organization will mean being shunned by JW family and friends (He probably doesn't believe there is anywhere else to go, and it may also appear to him that friendship and fellowship will be scarce outside the Organization).

Watchtower teachings in many areas (morality, family responsibilities, etc.) are correct and have a positive effect. (Consider Proverbs 13:13) This, along with continual study (using Watchtower publications), fellowship, and involvement, keeps most Jehovah’s Witnesses convinced that the Watchtower organization is the truth. But Watchtower theology is much like a house of cards; when a Jehovah’s Witness realizes that the Watchtower organization is wrong on a point (even a minor point) he begins to see other errors.

Knowing what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe is one thing but knowing how to relate to them personally and how to deal with Jehovah’s Witnesses that you meet in public places, social situations, work, school, and at your doorstep is quite another thing. Here are some suggestions:

· When a Jehovah’s Witness comes to your door let him go through his presentation without interruption on your part. When he finishes disregard what he said and share your testimony. Tell him what the Lord Jesus Christ means to you and share your salvation experience. Then ask him to share his testimony and insist that he tell you about his personal experience with Jesus Christ. This will throw him off his track. If he should try to give some sort of testimony this is a good sign that you may be able to eventually reach him with the truth. If he should get angry or upset and leave, the Lord can use your testimony to work on his heart.

· When dealing with Jehovah’s Witnesses you meet in public places, social situations, work, school, etc., remember that a personal testimony is a powerful evangelistic tool, and you should look for opportunity to share your testimony ASAP.

· Be extremely patient with Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Consider Matthew 21:28-31 & John 16:12) Disappointment is inevitable if you expect to convert someone overnight. Don’t be surprised if it is necessary to go over the same point numerous times, and don’t be surprised if it takes a long time for a Jehovah’s Witness to recognize that his faith is misplaced or see that at least a few Watchtower teachings are wrong.

· Never use witnessing as opportunity to show off your intellect or Bible knowledge, and keep in mind that there is no canned approach that applies to every circumstance and each individual Jehovah’s Witness.

· Regular personal Bible study to develop your knowledge and understanding of Bible doctrines along with familiarity with Watchtower teachings is important if you wish to be effective in leading them out of darkness and into the truth and avoid being deceived yourself, and it is important to spend time in prayer before each encounter with a Jehovah’s Witness.

· When responding to Jehovah’s Witnesses that come to their door many Christians like to use what could be called the Invasion or Blitzkrieg method of evangelism: They want to attack and destroy every heresy in the Jehovah’s Witnesses belief system quick, fast, and in a hurry. While a Christian may feel that he scored a victory by winning an argument this rarely yields good results as far as leading anyone to Christ. It would be better to focus on one or two issues each time you meet with a Jehovah’s Witness and not force him to digest more than he can take in one sitting. If you would do this, and if you are friendly and respectful to him, he is more likely to ponder the information you give him instead of shrugging it off (as you might do if someone attacked every point of your belief system all at once), and he is more likely to make an appointment to return and discuss other issues with you and possibly keep returning (which is what you should want him to do). I also like to illustrate the point this way: I like fried chicken, and I find it difficult to turn down a chicken dinner, but I do not want anyone to throw pieces of chicken at me or beat me over the head with a drumstick.

· It is important to be kind and respectful to Jehovah’s Witnesses and find a common ground, such as their commitment to God (even though they have an obviously heretical view of God) and respect for Bible standards (even though they have a twisted view of Scripture and believe in salvation by works). Note Paul's approach to the Athenians in Acts 17:22-23. Was he hostile or argumentative with the Athenians, and did he expect them to meet him where he was at in knowledge and spirituality? No, he found a common ground and approached them from there.

· Remember that the objective is to win hearts and minds, not win arguments or be right, and the goal is the eventual salvation of lost souls. A Christian who is argumentative or hostile with Jehovah’s Witnesses will only convince them that they are right; it is usually better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

· Make sure you respect the Bible as the authority for your claims or statements. (Do not say: My pastor says..., I have always said..., etc.)

· Do not be afraid to say no. If you don't want him to think of you as a prospect and be that much more determined to win you over (instead of being receptive to the truth) then don't buy anything or accept anything free. You can give a polite refusal and still converse with him.

· Do not be intimidated by their attitude that they are more spiritual or knowledgeable than you are. Since they are the ones trying to sell you something let them be the ones that must prove themselves to you.

· Speak with conviction. (Acts 4:13) Why should someone consider your message if you do not sound convinced of it yourself?

· Avoid answering leading questions (What do you think about world conditions? Have you ever wondered...? What do you think about... [some news item]? Do you think there is a solution to the crime problem, or a way to feel secure? Etc...), as they use these questions to discern how best to win you over.

· If he tries to quote a whole list of Bible passages out of context all at once, insist that you be allowed to pause and read each passage aloud in context (include perhaps about 4 or 5 verses preceding and maybe 4 or 5 verses following the passage.). This forces him to consider his proof texts in relation to immediate context, which he may have never done before, and hopefully he might start doing this on his own.

· Do not pretend to have all the answers. (You do not.)

· Do not put on a pretense. Remember that they are quick to spot hypocrisy.

· Since you do not already know all about his beliefs and his organization, do not pretend that you do.

· Since you do not like to be patronized or demeaned you should give him the same courtesy that you want from others.

· Show concern for a Jehovah’s Witness, buy him a cup of coffee, look for opportunity to demonstrate kindness to him, etc... Show him that you love and care about him despite disagreeing with him. As with other cults, most Jehovah’s Witnesses were lured through love-bombing and need to see that there are caring people outside of the Watchtower Organization.

· Express your humanness. The Watchtower Organization demands such a high standard of perfection that meeting someone who is secure in his faith despite being less than perfect can make a good impression.

· Appeal to their insecurity. While they appear assured and confident, inside they are troubled by questions and doubts and often feel trapped. You should try to steer the conversation beyond minor issues and debatable points and toward matters of the heart and spirit and try to carefully undermine the authority of the Watchtower Society for them to be more open to the true Gospel (but do not directly attack their founders or leaders).

· It is a good idea to be prepared to use the New World Translation in discussions with Jehovah’s Witnesses. For personal Bible reading and Bible study I recommend the KJV and not the NWT. But Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the NWT is the most accurate translation and, ironically, the NWT often counters Watchtower teachings more effectively than the KJV.

· Many Christians think the key to leading Jehovah’s Witnesses out of darkness and into the truth is to merely show them Bible passages and win arguments, but this idea is far removed from reality. Let's look at a typical scenario: During a discussion with a Jehovah’s Witness you and the Jehovah’s Witness agree that the Holy Bible is the final authority and his attitude and behaviour clearly indicate that he is sincere in his claim to believe the Bible and respect the Bible as the final authority. So, it appears that helping him see through Watchtower errors is just a matter of showing him passages of Scripture. You or the Jehovah’s Witness bring up a Bible teaching with which he disagrees, or he brings up a Watchtower teaching, and you happen to know a Bible passage that makes the truth crystal-clear. But when you show him a Bible passage, he gives you an extremely flawed (yet sincere) explanation or dismisses your point entirely. Then he counters this by showing you a passage of Scripture and giving you a flawed interpretation. Then you show him another Bible passage and he either gives you a flawed interpretation or dismisses your point entirely, and he shows you another Bible passage and gives a flawed interpretation, and the discussion becomes a game of Bible ping pong. What happened? The JW sincerely believes that the Bible is the final authority and he sincerely believes that Watchtower teachings are Bible teachings and that the Watchtower Society is God's channel of truth. In his indoctrination a subtle switch was made from reliance on the word of God to reliance on the words of men (Watchtower publications). He is severely discouraged from studying the Bible independently of the Watchtower Organization and Watchtower publications, and for JWs Bible study means studying Watchtower publications. The Jehovah’s Witness is continually taught at meetings and in Watchtower publications how to respond to most arguments (even Scriptural reasons from Christians), he is continually taught Watchtower explanations of Scriptures and reasons to trust Watchtower insights as superior, and he has been taught (programmed) to look at the Watchtower organization through rose coloured glasses. When you show a Bible passage to the Jehovah’s Witness his conditioned and preprogrammed mind automatically replaces what the passage says with what the Watchtower Society says it means.

· Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Watchtower heresies because they have been taught (programmed) to trust Watchtower leadership and Watchtower publications to think for them, to not critically analyze Watchtower teachings, and to avoid or ignore criticisms of the Watchtower organization and Watchtower teachings. On the other hand, they feel compelled and obliged to answer sincere questions and help non-JWs understand and accept "the truth," Watchtower teachings, which is why good questions are an effective means of persuading them to think and start seeing the fallacies of Watchtower teachings and the truths of Scripture. For example, asking a Jehovah’s Witness to show you where the Bible says that Jesus Christ is Michael the Archangel instead of dogmatically asserting that Jesus Christ is not an angel could make him start wondering about this himself.

Remember to pray for Jehovah's Witnesses and pray for the potential convert who will eventually come to your door.

Why Reach Out to Jehovah's Witnesses? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvI4-4BoHlo

Witnesses of Jehovah (1986 movie) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxIl45CcxjA

Witness at your Door/The Witness goes out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyYnvk8NWB8

Fred and Kate Gholson leave the Truth in 1986 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXHrDyKJ048

EVALUATING THE "NEW WORLD TRANSLATION" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtqstNm5WI4

How to Witness to Jehovah's Witnesses, John Ankerberg Show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCwrMTFdEjI

Facts On Jehovah’s Witnesses (1992 John Ankerberg Show) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEjvP-ZxD0k&t=2373s

Witnesses For Jesus, Inc. https://www.4witness.org/

AnswerJW.com http://www.answerjw.com/

MM Outreach, Inc. http://www.mmoutreachinc.com/

TowerWatch Ministries http://towerwatch.com/