Worshiping God With Truth
For worship to be acceptable to God, it must be based on truth. (John 4:23) The Bible identifies true worshipers as belonging to “the congregation of the living God, a pillar and support of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15) The ones making up the congregation of God not only believe the truth of God’s Word but also live in harmony with it and defend it, making it known throughout the earth.—Matthew 24:14; Romans 10:9-15.
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES are well-known for their Bible educational work, now being done in more than 200 lands. They study the Bible and teach it as the truth, without incorporating the diluting influence of human philosophies. Are you acquainted with their Bible-based teachings? Many hesitate to listen to Jehovah’s Witnesses because of the negative information that circulates against them. But honesthearted people are invited to decide for themselves whether what the Witnesses preach is the truth or not. Such a vital decision should not be based on hearsay. Many who have conducted their own personal investigation of the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses have benefited greatly.
Knowledge of the Truth Dispels Fear
Consider, for example, the case of Eugenia. She was reared in a strict Catholic household. Her father was one of the organizers of the papal visit to Mexico in 1979. While visiting friends, Eugenia came in contact with Jehovah’s Witnesses. With their help she began to analyze more closely what the Bible says. She recalls: “At first, fear began to well up. I had found the truth! But this meant that most of my prior beliefs were wrong. My family, my friends, people whom I loved—they were all wrong. I was nervous. I kept asking myself how my family would react to what I had newly discovered. As time passed and with Jehovah’s help, I began to adjust to this overwhelming experience. One day I decided to confide in a family friend, a professor of theology. I told him all about my desire to find the truth. Then he noted, ‘If you want to know the truth, look for Jehovah’s Witnesses.’”
As Eugenia had feared, her family put her out of the house. The Witnesses, however, continued to give her spiritual help. She comments: “I was strengthened to take a stand for the truth. I realized that it was something worth fighting for. The welcome I received from Jehovah’s Witnesses was so important. I felt loved within the Christian congregation. Getting close to God’s organization helped me to overcome the fear of having to stand alone.”
Consider another example. Sabrina grew up accustomed to having regular family discussions about the Bible. In fact, they developed a form of ‘family religion.’ She made it a practice to associate with members of various religions to expose their errors. When one of Jehovah’s Witnesses offered her a Bible study, she readily accepted with the intention of disproving their beliefs. She recalls: “After studying for more than a year, I became afraid of losing ‘my truth.’ I had found it easy to expose the deceit of the many religions that I had been involved with, but it was not so easy this time.”
Sabrina’s fear made her discontinue her study of the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. But then she felt spiritually empty. She decided to resume the study and eventually came to accept this newfound truth. Sabrina progressed to the point of wanting to share with others what she was learning. She even requested to accompany the Witnesses in their house-to-house ministry. Sabrina explains: “Before receiving approval to preach with Jehovah’s Witnesses, I was asked: ‘Do you really want to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses?’ ‘No!’ I answered. Fear welled up in me again.” Finally, after continuing to attend all the meetings and observing God’s people and how they apply Bible principles, Sabrina came to the conclusion that it was really the truth. She was baptized and is now a full-time evangelizer.
Why So Different?
Someone might ask, ‘Why are the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses so different from other religions?’ A brief look at what the Witnesses believe will help you to see that they are sincere Christians, conscientious students of the Bible. We encourage you to look up in your own Bible the texts in the summary of their basic beliefs shown above.
By taking a closer look at what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe and how they adhere to what the Bible teaches, you can be blessed with the freedom that the truth provides. (John 17:17) There is no reason to fear the truth. Remember Jesus’ promise: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”—John 8:32.
[Box on page 6]
SOME BASIC BELIEFS OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
◯ Jehovah is the almighty God. His personal name appears more than 7,000 times in the earliest manuscripts of the Bible.—Psalm 83:18.
◯ Jesus Christ is God’s Son, who came to earth to give his life for humankind. (John 3:16, 17) Jehovah’s Witnesses follow the teachings of Jesus Christ as they are found in the Gospels.
◯ The name Jehovah’s Witnesses is based on Isaiah 43:10, which says: “‘You are my witnesses,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.”
◯ The Kingdom that people pray for in the “Our Father” prayer is a heavenly government that will soon take away all the suffering and pain in the world to make room for the Paradise that the Bible promises.—Isaiah 9:6, 7; Daniel 2:44; Matthew 6:9, 10; Revelation 21:3, 4.
◯ Everyone who does the will of God has the opportunity to enjoy the Kingdom blessings eternally.—John 17:3; 1 John 2:17.
◯ Christians must mold their behavior by what the Bible says. They must endeavor to be honest, to live a clean, moral life, and to show love to their neighbor.—Matthew 22:39; John 13:35; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.
[Picture on page 5]
Jehovah’s Witnesses make known Bible truth to people in over 200 lands