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God Has an Organization

DOES the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ have a visible organization representing him on the earth in these days? If so, which is it? Certainly, he would not have many organizations, all teaching doctrines and dogmas at variance with one another. “God is a God, not of disorder, but of peace,” wrote Christ’s apostle Paul. (1 Cor. 14:33) So, which is the organization that most evidently reflects the God of peace and truth?

As we examine the claims of the various religious sects, we do well to keep in mind Jesus’ warning that not all professing to worship God as his followers would prove to be truly servants of God. Said he: “Many will say to me in that day [of judgment], ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.”—Matt. 7:22, 23.

The whole imposing façade of Christendom’s religious sects, great and small, does indeed appear to be outwardly beautiful, with its claims to sanctity and to be doing the work commissioned by Christ. But what results from investigation behind that front? Do Christendom’s church organizations stand up under the searching light of God’s requirements? Have the powerful works they have performed been done in harmony with the principles of righteousness and truth?

THE CRITERION

Christ Jesus did not leave his followers without a dependable test whereby profession of Christianity could be determined to be true or false. The identifying mark of true Christianity, the criterion by which religious organizations may be properly judged, was expressed by Jesus, as recorded at John 13:35: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.”

Here is a test we can justly apply to every religious group that professes to be subject to Jesus Christ! Would you say that persons who go out on the battlefields and kill fellow church members because they happen to be of a different nationality meet that test? Is it a demonstration of love among themselves? You must agree that it is not. Then, ask yourself if members of your denomination have been and are guilty of such conduct. If yes, then they fail to measure up to the standard set by Christ. And organizations that condone such lack of love do not represent the God of peace.

And what about those religious groups whose members ignore the Bible’s direction to avoid friendship with the world and get involved in the feuds and rivalries of political parties? (Jas. 4:4) Members of the same religious group belong to opposing parties and by their very membership condone the fights and the name-calling that mark the scramble for political office. Do members of your congregation engage in such political skirmishing against one another? If they do, then the organization in which they claim to worship cannot be the congregation of Christ, the Prince of Peace, who declared of his genuine followers: “If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, on this account the world hates you.”—John 15:19.

There are other groups of so-called followers of Christ who withdraw from the world, it is true, but who indulge in a religion of contemplation, whether within the walls of a monastery or outside. But, are they obedient to the mandate given by Christ to all true Christians: “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations”? (Matt. 28:19) If they fail to obey this commandment, then it is manifest that they do not love Christ. (John 14:15) And it follows that they are no part of the organization under Christ that represents God on earth today.

IDENTIFYING GOD’S ORGANIZATION

But is there an organization among men that does measure up to the requirements of God’s Word, the Bible? Is there an organization whose members are drawn together in love for one another, in total disregard of class, race, nationality, language or other distinctions? And does such organization engage in a worldwide preaching and teaching program, extending to the poorest citizens the opportunity to advance in Bible knowledge? Yes, there is such an organization—only one! It is the organization of Jehovah’s witnesses, well known by their preaching work in 197 lands.

What are the facts to prove this? Consider a few of them. Within the congregation of Jehovah’s witnesses in any area there is no class distinction. The poorer and the more prosperous members mingle freely and serve together as preachers and teachers of God’s Word. All Witnesses have equal opportunity to speak up in congregational Bible discussions. When the Witnesses come together for their large assemblies they eat together, worship together and associate as one great happy family—just as though they had known one another all their lives. People on the outside marvel at the fact that they ‘have love among themselves.’

In another respect the Witnesses conform to what the Bible presents as the true image of the organization that would be doing God’s will on earth. They are engaged in preaching the good news of God’s kingdom world wide, stressing that that Kingdom—and not the United Nations or any other human organization—is the sole hope for suffering humankind. Besides heralding this hope to the ends of the earth as foretold (Matt. 24:14), Jehovah’s witnesses are also busied in the work of teaching appreciative persons about Christ’s commands, making disciples of them. This public ministry, too, was foretold as a vital service of Christ’s genuine followers.—Matt. 28:19, 20.

Thus it may be seen that the Witnesses are not a group of people who come together once a week to listen to a brief sermon and then go home and forget all about it. No, they are an active people, each one a minister of the good news, having a keen sense of his personal responsibility to preach and teach. They do not leave it to one in their congregation to do all the preaching. They know it is God’s purpose that each one preached to should, in turn, become a preacher of the good news to someone else. They fully appreciate these words of the apostle Paul: “The things you heard from me . . . these things commit to faithful men, who, in turn, will be adequately qualified to teach others.”—2 Tim. 2:2.

People are amazed at how even young men and women are trained in the congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses to know and use their Bibles effectively. These young people have not spent several years at a college studying theology and human philosophies. But they can explain to people what is God’s will for men and show them how to apply God’s Word in their lives. They credit God as their Teacher, shunning all pride in human learning.—Isa. 54:13.

Should not the whole congregation of Christians on earth today be witnesses of God and of Christ? Christ Jesus himself devoted his life to witnessing about God and his purposes—so much so that he received the official title “the Faithful Witness.” (Rev. 1:5) He, in turn, informed his disciples: “You will be witnesses of me . . . to the most distant part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) This is precisely the work to which Jehovah’s witnesses, collectively and individually, are devoted. They have dedicated their lives to God, and so they have taken upon themselves the obligation to be his witnesses.—Isa. 43:10-12.

Yes, Jehovah’s witnesses in their congregations around the world fit the description in the Bible of the organization on earth that would be representing God and Christ in these critical “last days.” (2 Tim. 3:1) But are you one of them? You can be, but the opportunity is now greatly reduced, for the time is short. It is urgent for you to act so that you may be aligned with the people who are serving the interests of God’s kingdom today, because soon God’s judgment is to be executed upon the wicked and all impostors who profess to be God’s servants. (2 Tim. 3:13) Delaying to act will prove to be fatal. But swift action can open up for you many happy privileges in the service of God’s earthly organization, as well as hope of survival through the Armageddon crisis that now confronts the whole human race.