Why Should a Religion Come to Your Door?

HOUSE-to-house discussion of religion seems strange to many people today, but it would not seem strange to Jesus or to his apostles. How do we know that it would not seem strange to them? Because both Jesus and the apostles used this method, teaching in every way possible.

The Scripture says of the apostles: “Every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus.” Paul said: “I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house.”—Acts 5:42; 20:20, NW.

Why did first-century Christians go directly to the homes of the people? They went there to preach the truth. How else would the people hear? Certainly not from their religious leaders who were so concerned with tradition that they attacked Jesus over a hand-washing custom, but so inaccurate that they rejected him as the Messiah! It was through contact with the apostles and disciples, not through the established religious leaders, that the people learned the truth. The same is true today.—Matt. 15:1-3.

Religious leaders today, like those in Jesus’ time, are concerned with their traditions, with social problems, with political issues and with ancient rituals, but their people still do not know the truth. The Bible, which they are supposed to teach, is the most popular, though often the least-read book. In many lands almost every home has a Bible, but relatively few people have a real knowledge of what it teaches or how it applies today.

The urgency mounts. Even people who go to church are not really getting the truth, and many other people have been turned away by religion’s present emphasis on philosophy, sociology and psychology instead of on sound doctrine. How are these persons to be reached? The way Jesus and the apostles reached such persons—by going to their homes, to their places of business and out into the busy thoroughfares.

Over a half-million persons do this today. More take this activity up all the time. Their purpose is to aid you. They want to come face to face with everyone who will listen to sound doctrine. They point to the difference between what is taught in today’s churches and what the Bible really says. In doing this they are obeying God. They are following Jesus’ command that “this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for the purpose of a witness to all the nations, and then the accomplished end will come.”—Matt. 24:14, NW.

This is a proper work. It is at the very foundation of Christianity. It is something all Christians should be doing. And what should you do when someone comes to your door with Bible truth? Will you listen? Will you let him show you how the Bible really does apply to our day and why it is so important that he will take his own time to bring this message to you? Since this work is commanded by God, it most certainly would be a wise thing for all persons to do so.

Read the Bible to Understand It

“Above all things get wisdom; whatever else you get, get understanding,” commands God’s Word, the Bible. How can you apply this counsel to your Bible reading?

THE Bible is the only Book authored by God. It contains God’s thoughts. We need to get these thoughts to gain everlasting life. Since there is more to getting God’s thoughts than running the eyes across lines of print, we must understand what we read. Not only that but we must understand God’s thoughts the way he wants us to understand them. So we ought to read the Bible, then, to understand it God’s way. Do you?

One way to tell whether you are reading God’s Word to understand it is to answer two questions. What translation of the Bible do you generally use for Bible study? Why do you use it—because you know it is among the most helpful in making God’s Word understandable, or just because you have long been accustomed to using it?

Readers of the most widely used English translation of the Bible, the King James Version, often find that they stick to this translation because they are familiar with it and unfamiliar with modern translations. They prefer the beautiful Shakespearean language, perhaps, and do not want to see it changed.