This morning, while waiting for Lorraine in a local shopping centre, I had the opportunity to pray for a lady with a hip problem who had walked stiffly and sat near me on a padded, circular seat. Her pain had been apparent in her stilted walk, so after a moment or two, I asked her what the problem was. A hip needs to be replaced, she replied, but there was a long wait before the operation would take place. I asked her if she believed in God, and her reply was, “Yes, I am a Jehovah’s Witness.”
I replied softly: ‘I am a Christian minister, and during my travels I have seen the Lord Jesus heal many people.” I asked: “Would you mind if I quietly prayed for you now?” I told her that Jesus came to die for everyone and that during his ministry he also healed everyone, and that he does still.
“I would like that,” she responded quietly. So I held her hand and ministered healing to her in the Name of the Lord Jesus. The lady thanked me and then rose to her feet and slowly walked away. Lorraine had joined us and quietly prayed as well. And that was that.
I am aware that many Christians regard JW’s as spiritual ‘lepers’ due to their errors in doctrine, but I pray for whoever I can, whenever I can, wherever I can. (I had mentioned to the lady that I did not agree with some of the JW beliefs, but that I had enjoyed a chat with two of them who recently knocked on our front door. He was courteous to me, and I returned his courtesy. We discussed some points, disagreed on many, and parted amicably. The thought that stuck in my mind then and sticks now is the lack of any ugly reaction due to differences in doctrine.
I’m fairly certain that the JW’s are running some kind of course in “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. Maybe they are feeling the pressure that’s now being applied to fundamentalists of various kinds worldwide. A missionary once told me that missionaries from many denominations enjoyed fellowship while out in the field, but while back home on breaks reflect the attitudes of their differing church denominations by staying very much apart.
So, without minimizing our doctrinal differences, maybe we should see our home countries as mission fields and perhaps even love one another. Your response? “JWs?” “SDAs?” “Perish the thought!” Or, “Not a bad idea.” One can only hope. Or, even better, Hope and Pray.