Meet Them on Common Ground
LEAD THEM TO HOLY GROUND

Remove obstacles instead of creating them.

We could start out by saying, "You people worship the wrong god!" But that would inspire defensiveness and hostility. We have not only attacked his or her understanding of doctrinal matters, but have also attacked God Himself, in the eyes of the Witness.

The Apostle Paul could have fired accusations at the pagan men of Athens, condemning them for worshipping false gods and idols, but, instead, he commended them: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious."

And then, rather than focus on the most abhorrent aspects of their idolatry, he sought common ground: "For as I walked around and observed your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you." (Acts 17:22,23 NIV)

Taking a similar approach, we might tell JWs that we, too, know and worship the God of the Bible and recognize that his name is Yahweh or Jehovah -- perhaps mentioning a hymn of praise that features the name Jehovah or the expression Hallelujah!

Then, having established common ground, we could go on to explain that our relationship with God is through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, rather than through an organization.

The question at issue then becomes, "Does the Watchtower Society truly represent God?"