Jump to content
JWTalk - Jehovah's Witnesses Online Community

Sepie93

Full Access Users
  • Posts

    957
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    2

Sepie93's Achievements

  1. I was thinking about the instructions the elders give in regard to this new arrangement and this thread.. and I have to say that I can understand both sides here.. Although I did say in an earlier post that I hate it to be micromanaged, I have to come forward and say that I also recognize and deeply respect the authority the elders have in Sheperding and taking care of the congregation. Although the GB gave this new instruction, it does not mean that all other principles in the Bible are all of a sudden erased. We still don't want to stumble or hurt others. An example: with the beard update, it was clearly said that a brother can choose. But that does not mean at all costs. In my congregation, there is a brother whom I know has difficulty with brothers having beards due to his background. Now, this brother really tried to apply the instruction and really worked on his feelings. So after a chat with him, I decided that I could wear a beard with a clear conscience. But would it be Christ-like to wear a beard and stumble this brother? No. The apostle Paul was clear about things that might stumble someone, and to avoid thinking like: "because I have the right, this brothers has to adapt, and I just don't care." As a BOE, they know the sheep well. It might be true that the GB gave a certain instruction. But this instruction did not cover all the details. What if, in a particular congregation, brothers and sisters really stumble when a brother does not wear a tie for less than 7 minutes while conducting the meeting? What if in this congregation friends chat with each other more about the tie-less conductor instead of the spiritual food provided at this meeting? It wouldn't be Christ-like, nor loving to just push and push and be insensitive to their feelings. As appointed brothers, we want to serve the friends. In other words, we want to put our own interest aside in order to be there for the friends. Maybe these brothers are wrong in their feelings, but that doesn't annul our personal responsibility to still take their stance and feelings into consideration. Given this information, it would be loving, maybe even necessary for a BOE to request this less-than-7-minutes-tie-meeting of the servants conducting it. It might very well be a way of serving your friends in the congregation. It's the same with beards. If my beard stumbles someone, Christian love should motivate me to shave. If a sisters' make-up stumbles someone or a group, Christian love should motivate her to go without. If in a congregation people are sensitive to a just less than 7 minutes field service meeting without a tie, Christian love should still motivate us to just wear it. I think if we focus more on what the needs of others are and less of what our individual rights might be, we are more useful in every way. And let Jehovah and Jesus take care of situations within congregations that need to change[emoji3590] Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk
  2. It's true that the instructions need to be followed. But that is also the case for elders themselves, of course. Even with the most simple instructions, some elders or BOE still tend to find ways to complicate it. It's not that I'm complaining, and I know that even in these cases, it's 100% with the best of intentions. Some aren't even aware of this. An example: when the beard update was published, an elder (not in my congregation) said: nice update, but(!) in our field, it's still not acceptable to wear a beard... what?[emoji28] It's totally fine when this brother, or even a group of brothers, feels this way. But it will not annul the update we received as a worldwide brotherhood, including the ones within "their" congregations. Maybe it's due to the Dutch culture, but I for sure would at least ask the details about such a claim[emoji28] This is what I love about these recent updates. The GB is actually telling us to use our individual sound mind as Christians and Bible based conscience. And they trust the brothers and sisters in this. Personally, I always get a little itchy when I feel I'm being micromanaged. Especially when I ask details and the reaction is along the lines of: because we (elders) said so. In this regard, I really love the decision our BOE made. They said: well, the GB was clear. Having a part in the program in congregation meetings: (the Dutch translation of the announcement): wear a suit/tie or dress. We will not add anything else to what the brothers said. (In Dutch, we don't really use the word "meetings" for field service meetings. We call it differently. So, at least for the Dutch, the announcement was only speaking about meetings as a congregation[emoji28]) Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk
  3. I've heard from brothers from the branch here: don't expect any further instructions from the branch when it comes to the announcement about clothes. The update said it all. So... I think that's the only thing we will get haha[emoji28] Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk
  4. Yesterday, I spoke with some elders in my congregation, and it was a very good conversation about the recent changes. We have been so used in the organization to have certain "black and white" reasoning, "allowed - not allowed," etc. But with this update, the GB is really saying: brothers and sisters, use your own conscience and sound reasoning. The elders were also very, very careful when we spoke about "correcting" brothers about their clothes. One said: am I posting my personal opinion about what I think is casual or not? My opinion is not more important or even true than the opinion of a brother or sister in the congregation. Of course, there are boundaries, but we as elders have to be even more careful now not to put our own opinion on the friends, because we were used to think in a certain way. I really loved to taste the humility of these brothers[emoji3590] Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk
  5. What I really appreciate about this update is the way we see the difference between the texts in 1st Corinthians and 2 John. Honestly, I always thought and understood it this way from my personal study. So, to see it "in print" right now is an affirmation for me how diligent the brothers are to follow Biblical instruction and are not "conservative" when it comes to their own views. They follow Jehovahs time to clear things up. Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk
  6. May I ask what you consider "worldly"? Just curious[emoji6] Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk
  7. Yes.. so.. they need some special care. Using gloves while handling these is not a bad idea[emoji1787] Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk
  8. Hahah that's really nice! How did you dry them good enough to use them? Once I tried to dry some Aji Charipitas (Orgininally from Peru) using the oven, but it didn't work out[emoji28] Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk
  9. I also love them, but the ones I'm trying to grow now are a little too much for me also haha.. But we have some friends from Sri Lanka in my congregation, so I hope I can make them happy with it[emoji16] Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk
  10. Hi friends! I hope this is the right place, but I'm growing some hot peppers this year[emoji16] I'm trying to grow Carolina Reapers and Trinidad Scorpions. Does anyone here have some experience with growing hot peppers?[emoji892] if so, what are your tips and tricks? Today, one little Carolina Reaper sprouted. This in itself is a huge accomplishment. Now, trying to keep it alive[emoji1787] Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk
  11. I'm amazed.. Because in my hall NO brother decided to grow a beard. There were already a few with a beard, but I really thought that it would be more of a hype.. but no..[emoji2371] So, I've decided to give it a try.. If it's nothing, its easy to get rid of[emoji1787] Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk
  12. I thought the same thing. Also, the humility and trust these friends need to have in Jehovah's arrangement. I mean, just imagine. There is a recommendation for a certain thing and this particular subject is put down by the GB. Then, still, you have to preach our current understanding when talking to people. So, it requires a whole lot of trust in Jehovah's arrangement and the FDS Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-S911B met Tapatalk

Sepie93 last won the day on June 20 2022

Sepie93 had the most liked content!

4 Followers

About Sepie93

Member's Public Information

  • Gender
    Brother
  • First Name
    Sebastian
  • Displayed Location
    The Netherlands
  • Publisher
    Yes
  • Baptized
    Yes

How I Found the Truth

  • How I found the Truth
    My parents were already witnesses, so I have been brought up as a witness, but made the decision to get baptized in 2009, when I was 16 years old.

Recent Profile Visitors

3,150 profile views

About JWTalk.net - Jehovah's Witnesses Online Community

Since 2006, JWTalk has proved to be a well-moderated online community for real Jehovah's Witnesses on the web. However, our community is not an official website of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is not endorsed, sponsored, or maintained by any legal entity used by Jehovah's Witnesses. We are a pro-JW community maintained by brothers and sisters around the world. We expect all community members to be active publishers in their congregations, therefore, please do not apply for membership if you are not currently one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

JWTalk 23.8.11 (changelog)