This message is specifically addressed to all those who are thinking of partaking this year with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
What are you going to do for the memorial this year? Especially now that you know what the leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses have been up to?
Jehovah God challenged the priests of Haggai’s day with two simple questions. (Check Haggai 2:10-14) Paraphrased, it goes like this:
‘If a priest carries clean and holy bread and wine, but along the way he gets dirty, what happens to the food he’s carrying?’
The priests answer, ‘the clean food gets dirty.’
Now Jehovah reverses the question. ‘Let’s say someone unclean happens to touch clean food? Does the food stay clean, or does it get dirty?’
Again the priests answer, ‘the clean food gets dirty.’
Now here’s the moral of the story: If your hands are grubby, then anything you touch will get dirty too. And here’s the deal as it relates to Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Watchtower Society.
Anointed elders (spiritual under-priests) taking the lead among Jehovah’s Witnesses have become spiritually contaminated. They’ve become unclean by their alliance with the UN. They’ve further befouled themselves by lying and trying to hide that alliance.
These same anointed elders have dealt shamelessly with sexual abuse cases in their midst. And they’ve attributed flawed policies to God! Their hands are grubby and blood-stained.
And worse, with twisted loyalty, they’ll argue the dill and cumin over the Society’s rights through to the highest courts of the land. Yet, in their congregations, they’ll trample weightier matters, justice and mercy, and the God-given rights of little sheep—underfoot.
Jehovah had a long-standing rule. Anybody unclean was absolutely forbidden from sharing in the Passover meal. The penalty was death.—see Numbers 9.
Jehovah’s standards have not changed with the Lord’s evening meal. The Apostle Paul made that perfectly clear. To the Corinthians who turned up for the Lord’s evening meal in an unclean state, he warned:
“This makes it impossible for you to eat the Lord’s supper . . . do you think you can show disrespect for the church of God . . ?”—1 Cor 11:20-34 Moffatt
The anointed leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses are spiritually unclean. They’re spiritually contaminated, unfit to handle sacred things! So any anointed who partakes within the Society sponsored memorial arrangements becomes a sharer with them.
Here’s the principle according to Paul: “Are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers . . .?”
So, if you’re anointed, and you partake while knowing what these men have been up to, you eat and drink judgment against yourself. You become a sharer in their contaminated body.
Paul said anointed ones should “discern the body.” And only if one discerned the body would he or she be in a fit state to partake.
Now think about this. If the meaning of that body was so unmistakably apparent, then you wouldn’t need to discern it would you?
So it follows that the meaning of the body is not patently obvious. It truly requires spiritual discernment to work these things out. And that’s the opportunity placed before each one now.
It would be far better for anointed ones to quietly celebrate the memorial in their homes this year—if possible, with others with that hope. That avoids becoming contaminated by sharing this most sacred meal with those who’ve spiritually and knowingly become unclean.
Post edited by: epignossis, at: 2005/03/23 19:44Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone thinks he has acquired knowledge of something, he does not yet know it just as he ought to know it. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by him - 1 Cor 8:1-3
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Phi
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Re:A Memorial Message - 2005/03/22 07:21While I certainly understand that many anointed ones may not wish to attend the memorial as arranged by the brothers at their congregation, I am not at all sure about the reasoning used in this article which judges attendance of the memorial at the Kingdom Halls to be a spiritually contaminating experience. I won't be attending. But not because I feel that to do so would make me a sharer of the sins of the leaders of the WTBTS.
For one thing the leaders are not ministering to us as priests any "sacrements". We don't recieve the bread and wine "from" them. It is not "contaminated" by them.
Paul's words about examining oneself in order to partake worthily were addressed to the individual. Christians were not encouraged to check whether or not their brother was "worthy" so that they could judge whether or not they would be contaminated by recieving the bread that he passed or the cup that he handed to them. The anointed leaders of the WTBTS may well not be worthy to partake, but that is their problem and Gods to judge.
The article stated: The anointed leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses are spiritually unclean. They’re spiritually contaminated, unfit to handle sacred things! So any anointed who partakes within the Society sponsored memorial arrangements becomes a sharer with them. Here’s the principle according to Paul: “Are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers . . .?” So, if you’re anointed, and you partake while knowing what these men have been up to, you eat and drink judgment against yourself. You become a sharer in their contaminated body.
I think this is perhaps misapplying the Scripture which refers to becoming a "sharer". I Cor 10:16 speaks of sharing in the body and blood of Christ. That is what is being 'shared', not any sins of our brothers or their body. Verse 18 speaks of the Israelites being sharers with the "altar', not with any sins of their brothers (which is why Jesus could take part in Israels festivals and celebrations during his life without becoming a sharer in apostate Israel's sins or of the sins of the religious leaders who were overseers of them). Paul then speaks of people of the nations and their sacrifices to demons. Their "sharing" according to Paul, was with the "demons", because that was the focus of their spiritual sacrifice, it was not with the other worshippers. So in the case of the memorial, the focus and meaning of that occassion is still Jesus body and blood in behalf of our sins. Partaking therefore makes us a "sharer" with Jesus, not our brothers. Of course, the experience is shared but that is not what Paul is refering to IMHO.
As for the idea of discerning the state of the spiritual body of Christ, which I believe is perhaps what was being alluded to at the close of this article, well, it is contaminated. There is nothing that anyone but Jesus can do about that, its his body, of which he is the "head". The body is sickly. But whether we choose to partake at the KH or elsewhere, that body which we are members of and cannot spiritually be separated from until Jesus himself removes those particular "body members", is still sickly. Jesus did not advocate spiritual amputation of spiritually sick sections of this body for fear of contamination any more than he suggested that his slaves try to separate the wheat from the weeds.
Personally, I feel that if someone chooses to partake at the Kingdom Hall and their heart is right before God they are not in any way contaminated and will partake "worthily". Just as will those righthearted ones who do so within the many arrangements of countless other wayward Christians religions.
That said, why anyone would want to partake at the Hall when that is not necessary is totally beyond me.
Much Philia.
Phi.
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Shiloah
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Re:A Memorial Message - 2005/03/22 09:16Just a test ... to see if this thread is showing up in the latest forum posts ... Peace
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Josh
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Re:A Memorial Message - 2005/03/22 13:53In the interests of brotherly love, in my opinion, each of Jehovah's anointed ones must do as their heart dictates. Be it partaking in the Hall or at home, what matters is the heart's intent not the place. After all how are we to know if God's Son is not leading them to remain or to leave? Each in his own place and with his/her own purpose as directed by God?
Let each man or woman do as the spirit of God in their heart and in the love of Christ and their brother dictates.
Josh
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polemotheos
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Re:A Memorial Message - 2005/03/22 14:48God's word says gather together for this event. Should this be done alone, I don't think so. Whether the gb are sinners or not they are still my brothers. I garentee I would be equally as stupid as them if not more so if I had as much power.
peace to those of the hope of paradise and those of the kingdom administration, Mars
Re:A Memorial Message - 2005/03/22 17:04Jesus still worshipped at the Temple and at the synagogues, despite the obvious corruption of the priests. Did he contaminate himself by doing so?
Interesting point Don. I guess it turned on motive. Jesus' motive in dealing with the Pharisees always was to secure their turnaround. Their uncleanness was a given.
But I think about the situation in Haggai and Zechariah. There did seem to be something about Zerubbabel and Joshua cleaning themselves up and them not letting themselves get spotted again Joshua especially.
I could imagine you would want to steer away from the mud and those who might sling it. In Jesus' case, he hadn't been told he was befouled. And he did have a specific job to achieve. I just wonder if that is in fact the spirit's job here. It sure won't get muddy. I know that might sound like a "leave it to Jehovah" type thing but I still come back to the words given to Joshua. I think that is a relevant timing for us now.
Just some more thoughts
Much love and spirit
ePig Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone thinks he has acquired knowledge of something, he does not yet know it just as he ought to know it. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by him - 1 Cor 8:1-3
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