The words of Fred Franz 1975….
So you see the Lord Jesus Christ was acting as the head of the congregation and taking action directly; without consulting anybody here on earth what He could do or what He could not do. And He acted in that way with regard to Saul and Barnabas, and they were both apostles of the Antioch congregation, and so they went out to the work and had great success. And in the course of time they completed their first missionary tour, and where did they go? Where did they report? [To a Jerusalem based governing body perhaps?] Well there’s a record, you can read it for yourself in the closing of verses of the 14th chapter of Acts. They went back to Antioch, to the congregation there and the account says, “they related things in detail to them, to this congregation that had committed them to the undeserved kindness of God for the work they had performed”.
So there’s where they reported! So, the record also says, now they stayed in Antioch “not a little time”. Well note what happened. All of a sudden something occurs and Paul and Barnabas they go up to Jerusalem. Well, what’s the matter? What brings them to Jerusalem?
Well, is it the body of the apostles and the other elders of the Jerusalem congregation that have summoned them up there and said, look here! We have heard that two men have gone out on a missionary tour and you’ve finished it and you haven’t come up here to Jerusalem to report to us! Do you not know who we are? We’re the council of Jerusalem! Don’t you recognize the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ? If you don’t come up here in a hurry we’re going to take disciplinary action against you!
Is that what the account says?
Well if they had acted that way toward Paul and Barnabas because they reported to the congregation by means of which the Holy Spirit had sent them out. [Which was in Antioch, not Jerusalem.] then this coulcil of Jerusalem and other elders of the Jewish Congregation would have put themselves above the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ!
It is clear that Paul, Barnabas nor the church in Antioch were never under any control of any central council in Jerusalem or anywhere else.
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Jehovah's Witnesses used to believe that there was a Governing Body in Jerusalem at the time of the apostles. But there's been "new light" - that is no longer the case!
The September 16-22 study article, ‘Feeding Many Through the Hands of a Few” says this: “Christ’s miracle of the loaves and fishes is held aloft as a foregleam of his intentions to appoint only a small group of men over the spiritual feeding work.” The article discusses the “apostles and older men” as being FORERUNNERS to the Governing Body arrangement. Russell and his associates (pre 1914) are precluded from representing the appointed channel through which Christ would feed his sheep.
This rather begs the question, if the apostles and older men in Jerusalem were only the forerunners to the Governing Body arrangement, then when did the Governing Body arrangement start?
The September 23-29 study article also has “new light”. It begins by sweeping aside the previous understanding that the faithful slave was appointed in 33 C.E., and goes on to explain how the words of the “prophecy” began to be fulfilled only after 1914. The faithful slave is identified specifically as being “a small group of anointed brothers” currently comprising the Governing Body as a “composite slave.” The article concludes by boldly insisting that Christ WILL appoint the Governing Body, along with a few other anointed Christians, “over all his belongings” when he comes in judgment during the Great Tribulation.
I know it’s difficult for Witnesses to keep up to date with all the changes being introduced by their Governing Body, but one thing must be clear by now – all attention must be taken away from 1914 and everybody must get focused on the Great Tribulation to come and believe absolutely everything those 8 men at headquarters tells them. LM
No matte how they answer this question, the 'ol jw two step or the complete dance around it or the name calling and the accusations abound they will throw, the simple answer is this and this is what they are taught. Straight forward "No, true Christianity was restored in the 1800s when our organization started" This is quoted from another JW's answer, however the answer is a bit misleading. It should say No, true Christianity was restored in the 1800s when our organization started, according to the leaders of the Watchtower. This is in direct conflict with what the Bible teaches. The closest the Bible comes to calling something an organization is Christ's Body, the Church, the body of believers known as Christians who's head is Jesus. Not some earthly organization acting on behalf of a God that they reference to by an earthly made up name. By the name of Jesus we are saved, by his name alone as there is no other name in heaven or on earth. Jesus, my God, your God, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins. Jesus is an organization made up of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit all three make up the one true God, an organization of one.
No, true Christianity was restored in the 1800s when our organization started
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