When a Jehovah’s Witness Comes A-Knocking.

ONE MAN’S OPINION

It is a rare person indeed who has not had a JW Come A-Knocking on their door. Most often this occurs on a Saturday and most often at an inconvenient time. It has occurred to me in the middle of yard work, getting ready for a bike ride with the grand kids or during the 4^th quarter of a much anticipated college football game. But the key is—I know that it will happen and have prepared for this divinely scheduled meeting.

What will be the focus of your discussion? The JW is well prepared for this meeting. My wife was a JW for years and often on their Wednesday night meeting they would have a door on stage and role play. A JW would knock and a ‘home owner’ would answer. Their conversation would be evaluated, critiqued and honed to “win” the conversation and result in a new JW “Bible Study.” Since the JW is prepared it will pay you to be prepared also.

What topic?

If you do a Google search, “how to witness to a jehovahs witness at your door,” you will get well over 600,000 hits. Many have good advice and the best ones will deal with just one topic—the deity of Jesus Christ.

Why this topic?

A correct understanding about Jesus is essential for salvation and the JW’s deny the deity of Christ, deny that He is God made flesh, deny that He is to be worshipped, and deny that it was God who shed His own blood on the cross for sinners. In their New World Translation they have mistranslated many passages of Scripture simply to make them agree with their false doctrines. In other words, they have a different Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4).

When you answer the door!

The JW will have an “Introduction.” Usually a question selected to get you to talk about what they want to talk about and to get you to agree to the points that they will make. Instead, you will turn the topic to the “Deity of Jesus Christ” and keep it on that subject.

When the JW perceives the conversation is not going their way, they may try to detour you into other issues such as the earthly kingdom of Christ. Insist that you stay on the issue of who Jesus is, because its importance is far greater than whether eternity is spent in heaven or on a heavenly earth ruled by Christ. Belief in these other issues will not determine where one spends eternity. Where one stands on who Jesus is, just might.

The Question!

Your google search will give you a multitude of verses to use to talk to a JW about  the deity of Jesus. Here is my choice. One question and 1 Bible reference.

Question. - Is Jesus equal with God? Their answer is NO! You will then take them to John 5 and read verses 1-24 focusing on verses 18 and 23. The context of Chapter 5:

Jesus has just healed a man on the Sabbath and told him to take up his bed and walk. The Pharisees see this as a violation of the Sabbath laws. The way Jesus answers their objection shows his deity.

John 5:18

“For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself EQUAL with God.”

It is best to have the JW read this verse. This makes sure he is concentrating on the word of God and not thinking about how to turn the conversation to his choice of topics.

Ask the JW, “Jesus calling God His father makes Jesus WHAT with God.”

The JW’s may counter with, “this is the Pharisees’ opinion that Jesus was making himself equal with God but they were wrong. Jesus is not God, therefore, he would not have meant anything of the sort.”

You can counter with, “the verse does not say this is the Jews’ opinion but it is in fact John’s commentary (under inspiration of the Holy Spirit) on why the Jews wanted to kill Jesus all the more.”

When you get to v. 23 have the JW read again.

John 5:23

“so that all will honor the Son EVEN AS they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”

In this verse emphasize “even as.” Other translations, including the WT’s New World Translation state “just as.”

Ask, “how does one honor the Father? By giving the Father the Title Almighty, through Worship, by praying to, etc. These things must be afforded to Jesus so that you honor the Son just as you honor the Father. If you do not honor Jesus, you are not honoring the Father who sent Him.”

What path the conversation takes is hard to say. When talking to JW's, it is easy to get sidetracked and move from one issue to another and jump around the Bible like the Knight jumps around the chess board. Many of these issues are of minor importance. Stick to the single issue that really matters: the deity of Christ. This will keep the conversation on the major focal point that separates JW's from Christians. It is OK to reiterate the question about honoring the Son just as you honor the Father. The Witness is more likely to remember the reference if it is repeated several times. You are looking to plant a single reference, a single verse, a single doubt in the Witnesses’ mind that the WT got it wrong.

Do not be afraid to say you haven’t all the answers. Jot down a verse the JW’s have brought up and ask if they will come back to discuss this verse. This will give you time to study WT doctrine and the Christian answer and the JW’s will be exposed to more Biblical truth. Don’t be surprised if the JW comes back with an older Witness, who is well versed in WT doctrine and may try to dominate the conversation.

Finally, remember that your only responsibility is to plant the seed. It is the Holy Spirit who works the change (see 1 Corinthians 3:6-7). The purpose of your discussions with the JW should be to reveal the truth with love, patience, and compassion. That is the role, which God has given every Christian (see 2 Timothy 2:24-26; 1 Peter 3:15-16). The person who does not care about the truth will not change. The person who does care about it will think about what you have to say and engage in further study. But ultimately it is the Holy Spirit who brings a person to the truth.

Above all, pray.