Vol. 8, No. 4, 1991

The Director's Chair

Craig Branch

"If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food and one of you says to them, `Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" (James 2:15-16).

"But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in Him. Little children let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth," (I John 3:17-18).

Just when we begin to coast along, thinking we are really beginning to have it all together, God sends us a rude awakening to teach us that we are still "the chiefest of sinners."

I recently had contact with a woman who was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. Her mother and sisters were all very active, faithfully doing their door-to-door work and attending all the meetings.

After twenty-five years this woman rebelled against the perverted Jehovah's Witness god and organization. She had constantly been made to feel that she just wasn't good enough, couldn't measure up to God's approval.

She had been abused psychologically, having never been shown unconditional love, and having never been allowed to develop any professional career as that was frowned upon in the Watchtower organization.

She felt worthless. This is a frequent story in the Watchtower Society. So she rebelled for a time, living out a wild lifestyle, married someone who abused her, divorced and felt worse than ever.

As with so many people she is a sinner and makes wrong choices and is responsible for the consequences of those choices. But she is also the victim of a lie, of a corrupt, exploitive and evil system - the Watchtower.

Guilt drove her back to the Watchtower. For the next two years the most incredible scenario occurred. One would almost have to have seen it to believe it.

This girl would have to sit on the back row of several meetings each week and no one would even talk to her or acknowledge her existence - for two years! After this "probation" she was readmitted.

But she had had enough. She walked away and made the same mistakes again. In her second marriage, she gave birth to a boy. Her husband beat her up and left them.

She took a job as a bank teller, but the bank was taken over by another bank, and she had little job security. This was finally too much for her.

She went into suicidal depression and was hospitalized. By God's grace she had a Christian psychiatrist and counselor who referred her to our office.

After two meetings, she was very receptive to learn about the Watchtower's deception and unchristian nature. The load of fear, guilt, and anxiety was beginning to lift as she heard about the true God and His grace.

She was living with a well-meaning Christian man who had let his emotions cause poor judgments.

One of the solutions was to have her and her son move into a Christian family's home. There she would be removed from the guilt of a wrong arrangement, and would receive encouragement, and a wonderful witness of real Christian love and home until she could get back on her feet.

I felt that this would be no problem at all. Our house was occupied at the time, so I went to a very good church, a very ministry active church - one that stresses evangelism, discipleship, missions and ministry, very confident of locating plenty of homes that would be available.

I was shocked and discouraged. I was referred to the "mercies ministry" and was met with, "We really don't have anyone signed up for temporary housing - have you tried a shelter?"

I didn't understand. Here is a church with 3600 active members - many very affluent and I was asked to consider a shelter.

When I questioned this, the response was, "Do you realize we receive several calls a day? There was this one woman who wouldn't leave when the family asked and they finally had to get the police to get her out."

Well my thoughts were and still are - so what if we get several calls a day. What opportunities to follow Christ's example and see His redemptive power wrought in these situations. So what if there are occasional people who will try to take advantage - that goes with the territory.

Jesus said, "The Son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many," (Matthew 20:28).

Paul said, "Though I am free from all men I have made myself a slave to all that I might win the more," (I Corinthians 9:19).

Luke reminds us what the church is supposed to be all about; "And they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with anyone who might have need," (Acts 2:45; see also Acts 4:32-35).

The result, "The Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved," (Acts 2:47b).

God's grace abounds even in our sin. I put the word out through our church newsletter and received three calls to meet the need.

A short while ago, this former Jehovah's Witness prayed to receive Christ. She has quite a ways to go and so now I am asking you to "count the cost."

Please commit to prayer for the restoration of this woman and her son as well as the many other cult victims the Lord sends us.

We are all in this together.