my visit to the Kingdom Hall

Today I attended a meeting at Bonnie's Kingdom Hall.  Yes, they are called meetings, not services (nor mass, obviously).  The meeting was as follows:

Song from songbook (accompanied by canned piano music)
Prayer, lead by an elder brother
Talk given by Brother Erickson called, "The Resurrection Hope"
Song from songbook
Watchtower discussion (from study edition)
Talk given by Brother Erickson called "Receive God's Spirit not the Worlds Spirit"
Song from songbook
Prayer

When I entered the Kingdom Hall, I was immediately greeted by Bonnie.  She proceeded to introduce me to a ton of people, and show me around the Kingdom Hall.  What does a Kingdom Hall look like?  Basically it looks like a place of study, a college.  The building was a Pentacostal church, and in 1997 the Witnesses purchased the building and completely gutted and decorated.

The main room has a bunch of folding chairs.  They face a stage.  On the left side is a indoor, decorative fern.  Next to the fern is a table with two chairs (similar to a table in an apartment).  Above the table is a Bible verse: Acts 20:24, "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." 

Then in center stage is an arch with curtains and a podium.  The podium is where those speaking stand.  On the right side of the stage was a living room set.  A couch, chair, table and picture above the couch.  The furniture was VERY nice - gold adorned.  Another fern stands on the right side of the stage.  And there ya have the main lecture room. 

They have many classrooms, and I don't believe there were windows in the entire building.  There is a kitchen and an office.  I also found out that their meetings occur at 1pm because another group of Witnesses come from 9:30 am until 12:00.  They share the place and each year switch the time of the meetings.  In 2010 the Cherry Hill Witnesses (Bonnie's group) will switch to 9:30am. 

I was very intrigued and captivated by Brother Erickson's talk titled, "The Resurrection Hope."  It was a wonderful commentary on why Christians should believe in a resurrection.  Three main reasons he states are as follows:

1) Free us from morbid fear of death
2) Loyal endurance (Timothy 6:12) "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
3) Courage to do God's will, by keeping our integrity

Brother Erickson spoke of how death is only sleeping.  That only a loving God would make hope of an "after life" possible. Therefore, he would not let us down.   Since Jesus was always with God, the three days he was in sleeping death were very lonely for Jehovah God.  Brother Erickson put a very interesting twist on the resurrection story.  He also stated that Jehovah's purpose was NOT for humans to die.  In fact, "death was the penalty (of Satan screwing things up in Eden), not the purpose of God," Erickson stated. 

During the Watchtower discussion there were male members that carried microphones around.  As each question was posed by an Elder Brother using the podium, an audience member was selected and a microphone placed in front of their mouth.  It was a bit like a reality TV show.  Since all witnesses are in attendance in the Kingdom Hall, quite often little ones answered the questions.  There were people of all ages and races at the meeting.  The Watchtower discussion used a different Watchtower.  It is called the study edition, and it is separate from the publication that is passed out to non-witnesses.  It is much more in depth, and similar to my Wednesday Bible studies with Bonnie.

The Watchtower discussion article was titled, "Do You Value What Jehovah Has Done To Deliver You?"  The article illustrated many ideas regarding sin and that death is NOT natural.  We were not meant to die.  Jehovah God created man to live forever, as the care takers of the Earth.  So when people say an older person died of natural causes, they are missing the point.  Death isn't natural.

Merkilee, one of the Witnesses that has accompanied Bonnie at my Bible studies, made a great comparison of diseases.  She said that people line up and wait in line for a crazy amount of time for the H1N1 vaccine.  The rate at which one gets H1N1 is well under 80%.   More like 50%.  And most survive.  But people still feel compelled to be assured that they don't get the illness. However, the genetic defect: sin, is not taken as seriously.  And there is a 100% rate of getting this disease.  All have sinned (Romans 3:23), therefore, all will die.  Merkilee questioned why people aren't lining up outside of the Kingdom Hall to hear the truth.  For in the truth is the cure.

I was rather surprised at the participation the young people provided.  Little ones (3 and up) were answering questions.  They participated in the entire meeting (1 hour and 45 minutes).  I just can't imagine my girls doing the same.  Of course they spend only 15 minutes at church, and then attend Sunday school. 

Then Brother Erickson returned to the podium and spoke on, "The Spirit of the World versus the spirit of God".  Three ways we can see the spirit of the world in our lives today:

1) Satan influencing entertainment industry
2) Greed and materialism
3) Rebelion against Bible principals

The big question was, "are we slowly becoming poisoned by the spirit of the world?"  Brother Erickson was very good at illustrating the above points, and how they effect our lives today.  I am greatly moved by the ways of the world and how they influence our children.  I am disgusted at the entertainment that is available on TV and in movies these days.  In fact, our girls have never been to a movie because Jim and I like to make sure they only view certain shows.  I am also concerned with what other children are exposed to, and how it will effect my girls. 

He had us read 1 Corinthians 2:1-4, which states:

"When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so what you faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

Then in verse 12, "We have not received the spirit of the world by the Spirit who is of God, that we may understand was God has freely given us."  And again in 14 and 15:

"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually dis-concerned.  The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment.  'For who has known the mind of the lord that he may instruct him?'  But we have the mind of Christ."

How do we cultivate the holy spirit?  Brother Erickson said the following:

1) Pray to Jehovah
2) Read and Study Jesus Christ, asking, "What Would Jesus Do?"
3) Doing what Jehovah would want

The "spirit of the world" is so influential, it has become an instinctive behavior.  It is in the air.  Brother Erickson said it takes time to learn a new diet (i.e. filing our bodies with the holy spirit), so we need to take the time necessary to do what Jehovah would wish.  We also must be humble, as noted in James 1:22.  "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."  We need to fill our lives with the Holy Spirit so that we aren't influenced by the spirit of the world.  God's spirit can provide the morals and values needed to give us a foundation that is critical in warding off the spirit of the world.


Brother Erickson concluded the meeting with a song and a prayer. 

My brain hurt at the end of the meeting.  It felt like a college lecture course.  But I must admit I thouroughly enjoyed the meeting.  I was happy to feel comfortable and genuinely accepted.  I told Jim that the people there reminded me of our church.  They are a small congregation (100 members) that all know each other.  Members introduced themselves to me, and genuinely seemed to be interested in who I was.  They were very loving and caring...not to mention people with great senses of humor!

I will probably join on a week that the speaker isn't a "big wig" in the community.  Usually the Watchtower is discussed much longer than we discussed it today.  I felt very welcome, and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to experience something different.