fter 12 years as a devout Jehovahs Witness, Rudy Gonzalez encountered the spirit-led faith of his friend David Reyes. So compelling was his friends scripture-based presentation that Rudy prayed to receive Christ on the spot.

But when he woke up the next morning, his 20th birthday, Rudy had grave doubts about his decision. Fortunately, the Jehovahs Witnesses had instilled in him a deep reverence for the Word of God. So Rudy and his motheranother devotee of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WBTS)decided to check it out for themselves.

They took all the books they had received in the preceding dozen years of Kingdom Hall teachings and packed them in a box. They placed the King James Bible on the kitchen table and for five months read it only. At the end of that time, and with the Holy Spirits guidance, Rudy was convinced that he had been badly deceived by the Theocratic Kingdom School and that David had introduced him to the true gospel. Rudys mother was the first person he had the joy of introducing to Christ.

The Gonzalez family had emigrated from Mexico to San Antonio, Texas. When Rudy was 9 years old, his father found work in Chicago, leaving his mother and three brothers to fend for themselves in a Latino neighborhood in San Antonio. Unable to speak English or drive a car, Mrs. Gonzalez was an easy target for those who came knocking.

"The Jehovahs Witnesses came around," Rudy said. "They made themselves available, took my mother shopping." It wasnt long before they were having regular Bible studies in the Gonzalez home and both Rudy and his mother became fully convinced that the teachings they were hearing were true.

Mrs. Gonzalez was baptized at the Kingdom Hall, and she and Rudy began "publishing" (Witnesses term for door-to-door sharing) every other Saturday.

"I probably knocked on every door in west-side San Antonio," Rudy said.

Growing up as a member of a cult was not easy, Rudy recalls, but he saw it as no hardship since he was absolutely sold out to the Watchtower teachings.

"Jehovahs Witnesses place a set of demands on their followers that are hard to live by. They make you stand out in the community." Rudy listed some examples: "No Christmas, no birthdays, no pledge of allegiance, no weddings outside the Kingdom Hall, no community prayers." When people ask a Jehovahs Witness why they dont celebrate holidays or other traditions common to the culture, they are taught to use that as an opportunity to witness, he said.

Like his fellow adherents, Rudy was "proud and self-assured that Jehovahs Witnesses had the truth and that everyone else was in ignorance." His job as a follower of the Theocratic Kingdom was to enlighten the world.

Falsehoods from Jehovahs Witnesses
There is no trinity. There is one God, namely Jehovah, but the Holy Spirit and Jesus are not divine. The spirit is nothing more than a depersonalized force. And Jesus, originally created as the archangel Michael, is the "adopted" son of God.

Jesus did not die on a cross or return in human form after His death. Jesus died on a pole (torture stake) with both hands nailed together above His head. Jesus appeared only in spirit form after His death.

Heaven has different levels. The "heavenly class"144,000 faithful Jehovahs Witnesses whose salvation was won through the blood of Jesus on the torture stakewas chosen long ago. Heaven is full. These "anointed ones," who are in heaven with Jehovah, co-rule with Jesus the "paradise on earth" that is created after Judgment Day.

There is no assurance of salvation; the only hope is to earn eternal paradise. The faithful Jehovahs Witness multitudes that remain must work hard "publishing" to secure a spot in restored paradise, a place of perfect peace and harmony. These "other sheep" will repopulate the world at the end of time where they will live eternally. Jesus and Jehovah will reign but not be there bodily.

There is no hell. Satan, the demons and all people who do not embrace the teachings of the Theocratic Kingdom will be annihilated.

There is no salvation apart from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Jehovahs Witnesses consider the WBTS to be Jehovah Gods only channel of accurate biblical interpretation. Association with a Kingdom Hall is the only hope for paradise.

Rudys mother was the first of many Jehovahs Witnesses he has introduced to the truth of the gospel of Jesus. Understanding where they are coming from has been vital to his success as a genuine witness.

"I dont use words that derail communication," Rudy said. "I dont ask about church involvement or worship experience. These are alien concepts to Jehovahs Witnesses. If I use these terms, they will think Im ignorant and wont take me seriously."

Christian distinctive
What we call church, they call Kingdom Hall.

The sermon is called a discourse.

Sunday worship and prayer meeting go by the name Theocratic Kingdom School.

Rudy lives by these four principles gleaned from 27 years of genuine witnessing to Jehovahs Witnesses:

Let the Holy Spirit guide.

"Above and beyond everything else, Jehovahs Witnesses deny the personality and power of the Holy Spirit. I believe the Spirit indwells, giving the Christian power and discernment. When I talk with them I ask the Spirit for discernment as I look for scriptures. This is a spiritual work: God does the work; God brings conviction; we dont win people," Rudy said.

Rudy rejects the canned approach: "I know the Roman Road like the back of my hand, but, because they do everything by repetition and rote, I prefer spontaneous conversation."

Let love motivate.

"Do I love this person who I am sharing Christ with or is he a target, a trophy?" This is the question Rudy asks himself every time he shares the gospel. "I view them as people whom Jesus died for on the cross and I ask God to give me love for them." Jehovahs Witnesses dont knock on doors out of love but from a fear of Jehovah and in an effort to make it into paradise, Rudy said. "We must genuinely love and pray for them."

Stay focused on Jesus.

"Avoid getting sidetracked. Keep the conversation focused on the person of Jesus ChristWho He is and what He did on the cross. Jehovahs Witnesses like to do biblical gymnastics to impress you with how much scripture they can quote. This will only confuse the issue," Rudy said.

Agree on a scripture translation.

The success or failure of a genuine witness hinges on this: "If you can get them to set aside the New World Translation (NWT) Biblewhich supports most of their doctrinesyou have a chance at getting somewhere," Rudy said. Heres how he does it: "I ask to see their NWT. I turn to the copyright page and point out that the date is from the 1950s or 60s. Then I ask them what translation Jehovahs Witnesses used prior to that time. If they know their history, theyll know it was the King James Version. At that point I ask if they would mind if we used the same version and if they agree, we both use a King James Bible."

Fortunately, Jehovahs Witnesses believe the Bible. Rudy has proved over and over that they are not beyond convincing if they hear a compelling argument. If he cant convince a Jehovahs Witness to put away the NWT, Rudy says there is little chance of making any headway. Although Rudy is a Greek scholar and able to dispute the faulty translation of the NWT, arguing translation is too complex for most Christians.

"If there is no point of agreement on scripture, there is no point in continuing the discussion. I dont recommend going down that road," he said. With a sincere offer to pray for the Witness, Rudy closes the discussion.

The underlying assumption in all of the above is this: "We must be people who read our Bible, who know what we believe, and who know why we believe what we do," Rudy said. "Im comfortable with my Bible. I know how to find key passages."

Rudy, Interfaith Evangelism Team director for the North American Mission Board, recommends anyone wanting to witness to Jehovahs Witnesses should read the Belief Bulletin published by the Interfaith Evangelism Team of the North American Mission Board for in-depth information about what they believe and the Christian response to those doctrines. Belief Bulletins are available online at www.namb.net/evangelism or can be ordered through LifeWay Christian Resources at 800-448-8032.

Connie Cavanaugh is a writer and speaker living in Cochrane, Alberta.