“you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find our whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
~ Deuteronomy 13:3
Hi James and Ellen,
Ask your dad and/or ma if a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses have ever tried to invite themselves into their house to talk to them about what they think that your dad and/or ma should believe. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe what the Bible says about Jesus. Jehovah’s Witnesses do believe that a Jesus lived on planet Earth about 2000 years ago. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that this Jesus was the archangel Michael – not God the Son. There are other groups like Jehovah’s Witnesses – such as Mormons and Christian Scientists, who also do not believe that Jesus is God the Son. Groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and Christian Scientists are called sects or cults. A group that does not believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son is not accepting what God the Holy Spirit over about 1600 year period had guys write in the sixty-six books that ended up becoming the Biblical canon. When about 3500 years ago Moses scribed the Pentateuch – which is the first five books of the Bible, there were groups of guys like Jehovah’s Witnesses. Moses – in Deuteronomy 13, is passing on God’s instructions to God’s specially chosen guys and gals– who were the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, as to what to do with any guy who did not teach what God expected to be taught from His Word – the Torah. What do you think that God wanted done with guys – such as false prophets or guys who would use dreams, who thought that they could predict what will happen in the future? What do you think that God wanted done with bros, sons, sisters, wives and close friends who led guys, gals and kids to follow a god who is not the one true God? What do you think that God wanted done with guys who were not God’s specially chosen guys who wanted a guy or gal to accept their god instead of the one true God? Because God wanted His specially chosen guys and gals to believe only in Him, what do you think that God wanted His specially chosen guys and gals to do to guys and gals who wanted His specially chosen guys and gals to worship their inanimate gods? Ask your dad and/or ma what they believe that God wanted done to false prophets, dream prognosticators, ill-advised wives, foolish sons, imprudent daughters, impulsive bros, wannabee friends and vile guys who were not God’s specially chosen guys, who wanted God’s specially chosen guys and gals to believe in their beliefs and gods instead of believing in and following the one true God.
How do you think that God wants your grandmaa and/or grandpaa and your dad and/or ma to respond to guys and/or gals who are Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and Christian Scientists? Do you think that God wants your grandmaa and/or grandpaa and your dad and/or ma to react in the same way to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and Christian Scientists as He wanted the guys who He specially chose for Himself to react to the guys who wanted His specially chosen guys to believe in their personal idol god instead of Him? Your grandmaa and grandpaa know guys and gals who believe that there are spirits living in inanimate objects. The guys and gals who believe that spirits live in inert objects – such as in rocks, trees, bowls, amulets, rings, etc., are called animists. When your grandmaa and grandpaa lived in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, your grandmaa and grandpaa would see – when they went to Santa Cruz’ central plaza, vehicles parked in front of the Catholic Church that was on the main plaza. The hoods of the vehicles would be covered with a handwoven blanket. The blanket would be covered with different things – such seeds and herbs, a tiny house, bills and coins, maybe a handmade doll, etc. Why do you think that guys and gals would cover the hood of their vehicles with a colorful blanket and then park their vehicle in front of the Catholic Church that is situated on Santa Cruz’ main plaza. Some guys and gals in Bolivia believe that if a priest blesses what they have put on the colorful blanket that is covering the hood of their vehicle that they will receive what is being blessed – such as having a good harvest, getting a new house, earning and/or receiving extra money, having a baby, etc.. . . do you think that these guys and gals are believing in an incarnated guy whose name is Jesus Christ and what Jesus Christ has done for them or do you think that these guys and gals are believing in what a priest’s blessing will do for them? Your grandmaa and grandpaa know guys and gals who believe that there are spirits on planet Earth who expect these guys and gals to serve them. Some indigenous Mayan guys and gals here in Guatemala offer sacrifices to spirits on altars that they have hidden in places in the woods. When your grandmaa and grandpaa were administrators of the rural resident training center in Concepción, Ñuflo de Chávez in Bolivia, your grandmaa and grandpaa had a couple ask your grandmaa and grandpaa if it would be okay for them to visit an herb doctor who they knew. Bolivian herb doctors are very much like witchdoctors in other planet Earth places. The couple told your grandmaa and grandpaa about a guy who they knew who had gone to an herb doctor. This couple told your grandmaa and grandpaa how the herb doctor had run his hand down the guy’s arm who was visiting him. When the herb doctor opened his hand, the herb doctor’s hand was covered with ash – which the herb doctor called the evil that he had taken from the body of the guy when he had run his hand down the guy’s arm. Your grandmaa and grandpaa told the couple not to go to the herb doctor as your grandmaa and grandpaa believe that it is wrong to visit an herb doctor for healing an ailment.
Why do you think that God lets guys, gals and kids live who do not acknowledge that He is the one true God? Verse 3 tells God’s specially chosen guys and gals that “you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find our whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Deuteronomy 13 (125)