CULTS
Jehovah Witness

Jehovah Witness theology has many subtle (and not-so-subtle) nuances. Here are the basics of Watchtower doctrine: God is a single being, not a Trinity. He is not all-knowing or present everywhere.
First, God created Michael the Archangel, through whom God later created all "other things," such as the earth, the universe, and all mankind. This process took place over exactly 42,000 years. When it was time for the birth of a savior, Michael became a man, in the form of Jesus Christ.
He was without sin and kept every law of God. According to Jehovah's Witness theology. Jesus was put to death on a "torture stake." It is here that He bore the sins of all mankind (except for Adam). Later, Jesus rose from death in spirit, but did not rise in physical form. Jehovah's Witnesses who faithfully abide by God's organization on earth will be spared from eternal annihilation.
Followers are asked to maintain a modest appearance and demeanor, refusing to vote in government elections, salute the American flag, join the U.S. armed forces, or celebrate birthdays and Christmas.
Jehovah Witness and Christian theology actually have some basic similarities. Generally, they both teach that God is the Creator of everything, as opposed to naturalistic evolution, and they both share the belief that Jesus Christ will ultimately return to earth to destroy Satan and establish God's eternal kingdom. However, this is where the general similarities cease.
The Jehovah Witness teachings concerning Jesus Christ clearly contradict the teachings of the Bible. Multiple passages tell us that Jesus Christ, who existed as God, took the bodily form of a humble servant so that He could die on the cross in our place. He was not Michael the Archangel.
The NWT (New World Translation Of The Holy Scriptures), is not a legitimate translation, and merely reflects Jehovah Witness theology, especially its bias against the deity of Jesus Christ and the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. For example, John 1:1 in the NWT reads, "and the Word [Jesus] was a god." All other legitimate Bible translations say, "and the Word [Jesus] was God."
Through the Holy Spirit, all Christians are capable of interpreting and understanding the Holy Bible. As far as the Jehovah's Witness (WBTS – Watchtower Bible and Tract Society), claim that this is the only way to God and salvation, the Christian response is that all people who have accepted the free gift of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are saved. Salvation is "by grace through faith" in Jesus Christ alone. No amount of works or membership in any religious group is required for eternal life with God.
If a Jehovah's Witness leaves the organization, he is shunned in all ways. Outside the WBTS organization, "Christendom" is considered "demonic." Christianity is deemed "apostate," filled with pastors who are antichrists, in churches run by Satan, who support the earthly governments.

A Thought….
Many times we see those people who do things that are wrong or just plain stupid. They do these things and if they get away with them without hurting themselves or someone else, they figure it is alright. On these occasions they look both ways to see that no one saw them in their act. However, they forget to look one direction……up.
And, of course, Scripture tells us about this person in Proverbs 12:15: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.”

Know when to speak #14

Last month we learned that there was no way that man could save himself. We saw that he can not earn his way, buy his way, deceive his way, do anything to merit heaven on his own. This leaves him/her with quite a problem. If he/she leaves the issue there, the end result will not be pretty.
This prompts him to look elsewhere for the answer. A good idea would be to see how God deals with our problem.
There are numerous places throughout the Bible that tells him that God loves him. For example, Jeremiah 31:3b; “The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Or, look at 1 John 4:8b; “…for God is love.”
God will forgive iniquities, transgressions and sin, however, there is a flip side to this. He also says in Exodus 34:7b; …”Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.”
Man continues to have a problem. God loves him, but He will not let sin go unpunished. Since he can not earn, deserve or merit his way to heaven God must take care of this for him. He solves his/her problem in the person of Jesus Christ.
Who is Jesus? Answers to this question are countless. Some of the popular ideas are; He was a teacher, He was a prophet, He was a good man, and He didn’t do very many wrong things. You could say most anything you like, but when it comes down to the actual fact of the matter, Jesus was the infinite God man. That is, He was wholly God, and He was wholly man. And, when we make a statement like this we’d better be able to back it up with scripture. Let’s look at John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” From there go to verse 14, which says: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” And, since we are on a roll here, we might just add the verse from John 20:28, which says: “Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!” I think we’ve made our point. Now let’s examine what He did.
He died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins and to purchase a place in heaven for us. It’s much like a record book of sins. This book has every sin we have ever thought of or committed. When Jesus paid the price on the cross all of these sins were washed clean. Scripture points out our position before Christ in Isaiah 53:6: “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way.” When we receive Christ things change as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:17, which says: “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
It’s at this point we are offered a gift. Next month we’ll see how this gift is received as we discuss what faith is and isn’t.
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When there is nothing left but God, that is whenyou find out that God is all you need.
God said NO!
I asked God to take away my habit. God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up. I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. God said, No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary. I asked God to grant me patience. God said, No. Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness. God said, No. I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you. I asked God to spare me pain. God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me. I asked God to make my spirit grow. God said, No.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you
fruitful.
I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life. God said No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things. I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me. God said... Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.