I am sure that you have either heard this or even said this, “Well, you know what they say.” Maybe you have fallen into the trap of believing what another says because “they” said it was true or not. There is also that group of “Theys” that are the “them”. I have this question, who are “them” and what is so powerful in the wisdom of what “they” say?

Let me fill you all in on a very unique friendship I have been cultivating over the past couple months. I will change his name for the sake of this article, but this is a real life person. Back in February of this year I was home taking some time to rest from work. I was sitting there doing a whole lot of nothing and then it happened. The “They,” in this instance a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses, parked their car across from my house and started walking up to the front door.

Well my two “guard dogs”, and I use that term loosely, started barking up a storm. I knew who “they” were and at first wanted to just say, “no thanks” and get back to doing nothing, but as I approached the door I felt I would be responsible for this lost opportunity. I opened the door and there “they” were. “They” asked the normal Jehovah’s Witness questions and I asked them if they would agree that Jesus was the only way to eternity with Jehovah. “Bill” asked if I was a Christian. I said yes and asked him for the best scripture for defense of his position. He directed me to Psalm 83:18, and I opened my copy of the Message to that Psalm and began to read from verse one. He quickly wanted me to read only verse 18 but I told him that if we read the Bible with the dot, dot, dot method, then both our Bibles say that there is no God.

The look on his face was interesting. I told him that context was crucial. If you know anything about real estate, “they” say it is all about LOCATION, the same thing goes with the Bible. Context is vital. Well, we continued to chat for the next half hour or so and when our time was close to an end, I told him I believed that he was sincere but VERY lost. I also told him that I had not had a good spiritual work out in quite a while and I thanked him for that. That got another interesting look from Bill. We said our good bye’s and he asked if he could come back? I agreed that it would be interesting, if nothing else to do it again.

In this particular case, the “They” of the story were a couple of devout Jehovah’s Witnesses. If I had just closed the door and said “no thanks,” they would have gladly gone on to the next house and tried there. Since they were at my house though, why not keep the neighbors safe for another day? Well, I thought for sure Bill would never come back. When we parted ways I left him with this thought; “Thank you for coming today, Bill. I want you to know that I will be praying for you and as I see it, you are being led away by a cult.”

After “They” left, I, of course, thought of so many other things I could have said, but I knew that “They” would never be back. On one hand I felt that I had spoken the truth in a loving way but on the other hand, I hoped “They” would be back for another visit. I find it fascinating how our gracious God is the God of the second chance.

Fast forward a few weeks and guess who shows up at my door? That’s right campers, Bill with his wife this time. They always come in pairs and this time I had the husband and wife for another extended chat. When we picked up our conversation this time, we just continued on the subject we were on the last time we met. He had many more questions for me and I tried to return to the basics. When Jesus is the center of the argument and you keep Him there, then things can get interesting. Again, as we parted ways I encouraged him to consider the perfect way Jesus lived and died to cover my sins by His death on a Roman cross. I prayed that “They” would come back someday but was sure that was the last I would see of Bill.

Well you guessed it. This past Saturday Bill was back with yet another sidekick. You see, I have seen Bill three times and three different assistants. That means that 4 different Jehovah’s Witnesses have been presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ and “They” came to me. The old term, “Easy as shooting fish in a barrel” sort of comes close. This time Bill was prepared to challenge my question of Jesus’ death on a cross. He showed me his literature about the proper word for cross actually means stake. I told him that I would gladly grant him his point if he would agree that Jesus was the sinless son of God and co-eternal and coequal.

That just wouldn’t do. He asked how I could believe in the Bible as being without error and not argue about what kind of stick or cross it was. Again I asked how “They” could believe anything about the Bible since all the prophecies about the birth, life, death and resurrection were true. If, and I believe since, “They” are wrong, don’t I have the obligation to try to keep as many of “Them” from hell as possible?

This whole encounter did happen and I pray it continues. I realize I might be considered special to some folks, I rather find it comforting just being “Exquisitely Ordinary!” God can do great things through ordinary folks.

It came to me that even Jesus was concerned what “they” said about Him. In Mark 8:27 and following. In the Message it reads like this, “As they walked, He asked, ‘Who do the people say I am?'” Some say ‘John the Baptizer’ they said. Others say ‘Elijah.’ Still others say ‘one of the prophets.’ He then asked, “And you– what are you saying about me? Who am I?”

I guess I had never thought about it that way. The old adage, “Sticks and stones….” has to do what others say, but Jesus is all concerned with what I have to say about who He is. Whatever others, “Theys and Thems”, might say about Jesus, what say you?

Your fellow servant in HIS service, Tim Meyer