P6 How to share the gospel with Jehovah Witnesses

2 John 12 "Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full."

For the past several days we have been comparing and contrasting Biblical Christianity to that of Jehovah Witnesses.  In this final post of the series, I want to give some tips for sharing the Gospel with Jehovah Witnesses.

A story about a conversation with a Jehovah Witness
One day I was working in the garage at a house we had rented when up drove a couple of nicely dressed people that I recognized immediately to be Jehovah's Witnesses.  They got out of their car and one of them came up to me and handed me a piece of literature.  On the brochure was an advertisement for a conference that contained this heading: "Come hear about how Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World." I politely told the person that their brochure conflicted with their theology.  The Jehovah Witness was puzzled and asked how that could be.  

So I took them to two passages of scripture, one of which is used by Jehovah Witnesses to show why they call themselves such and one which asserts the Deity of Jesus Christ:

1. Isaiah 43:10-11 “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. 11 “I, even I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me."

2. Titus 2:13 "looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus."

I told her that if Jesus Christ is to be the true Savior of the World, and being that the Bible asserts that Jehovah God Himself is the only Savior, then it stands to reason that Jesus Christ is God.  I wish I could report that the person had converted to faith in Christ, however she politely dismissed herself and moved on.  

Some tips to sharing the Gospel with Jehovah Witnesses

From the above conversation, as well as others that I have had over the years or from other people who have had similar experiences, here are some tips to think about:

1. Know the truth.  That is, know what the Bible says in four key areas: God, Christ, the Bible and Salvation.  It has been taught for years to bank tellers that in order to detect a counterfeit bill, you need to be very familiar with the details of a genuine one.  It is far better and more effective to know the scriptures and to know enough to communicate it than to have exhaustive knowledge of the opposing system.  Focusing on the Person and work of Jesus Christ is the key. 

2. Share the truth in love.  I think it is vital to follow John's prescribed pattern in 2 John of balancing out truth and love.  I usually will give the Jehovah Witness 5 minutes, but with the condition that they will give me 5 minutes to share the Gospel.  

3. Don't argue.  Jehovah Witnesses are sincere about what they believe.  In other experiences I've had, some have pressed their position so far as to actually begin to argue.  I have never found debate and argument to be an effective means of communicating the Gospel to them.  There is a time and place for such things, however in a one on one conversation with a Jehovah Witness I would say avoid argumentation.  Normally if a person, whether Jehovah Witness or not, is wanting to argue with you, they are likely not open to receiving what you have to say.  Its one thing to have a discussion where voices are kept at an even tone.  However if voices begin to raise and if it looks like either they are getting argumentative or if you feel like you could get argumentative, its best to excuse yourself and politely send them on their way.

4. Pray for them.  Prayer is so vital to any evangelistic discussion.  Be prayerful and if possible, have someone else be praying for that person and you as you talk.

5. Keep the conversation centered on Jesus Christ.  Of the four essentials that we have covered in this study (God, Christ, Salvation and the Bible), the one that explains the others or is the focus of the others is Jesus Christ.  When a Jehovah Witness tries to start off the conversation with trying to disprove the Trinity, steer them back to Jesus.  Why? Because the twin truths of Christ's Deity and Humanity lead to the necessity of the Doctrine of the Trinity, since affirmation of One God and the Deity of Christ are impossible without the Triune understanding of God's identity.  Focusing on Christ naturally has you pointing them to the Bible and to salvation, being that Jesus Christ is the focal point of Bible and the source of salvation to all who repent and believe by His grace.  

My prayer is that this blog series has been used by God to shed light and to equip you for when you here that knock at your door.