Is it ok to boast?

[Matthew9969]

The WTBTS on a regular basis boast of how many of them there are, how many hours they work, how they are the only ones to do this or that. They really really like to boast of themselves, even speak more of themselves and their governing body than Jehovah or Jesus. Is this ok according to the bible?

James 4:16 - But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

Jeremiah 9:23 - Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise [man] glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty [man] glory in his might, let not the rich [man] glory in his riches:

Proverbs 27:2 - Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 - This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.   (Read More...)

Proverbs 27:1 - Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Ephesians 2:8 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:

1 Corinthians 4:7 - For who maketh thee to differ [from another]? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive [it], why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received [it]?

2 Corinthians 11:30 - If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.

Psalms 94:4 - [How long] shall they utter [and] speak hard things? [and] all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

2 Corinthians 10:12-18 - For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.   (Read More...)

Ephesians 2:9 - Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:   (Read More...)

James 3:5 - Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

James 4:13-16 - Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:   (Read More...)

Proverbs 25:14 - Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift [is like] clouds and wind without rain.

[Matthew9969]

I take it then that those verses don't apply to the Jehovahs Witnesses? It is ok for them to boast?

[Evacuated]

 

5 hours ago, Matthew9969 said:

Jehovahs Witnesses? It is ok for them to boast?

Judge for your self:

2 Cor 12:9: 

But he said to me: “My undeserved kindness is sufficient for you, for my power is being made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly, then, I will boast about my weaknesses, in order that the power of the Christ may remain over me like a tent."

Jer 9:24

"“But let the one boasting boast about this:That he has insight and knowledge of me,That I am Jehovah, the One showing loyal love, justice, and righteousness in the earth,For in these things I take delight,” declares Jehovah."

Is 61:6

"As for you, you will be called the priests of Jehovah;They will call you the ministers of our God. You will eat the resources of the nations,And about their glory you will boast."

Heb 3:6

"but Christ was faithful as a son over God’s house. We are His house if, indeed, we hold on firmly to our freeness of speech and the hope of which we boast down to the end."

1 Cor 1:31

"so that it may be just as it is written: “The one who boasts, let him boast in Jehovah"

2 Cor 1:12

"For the thing we boast of is this, our conscience bears witness that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with holiness and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but with God’s undeserved kindness"

Gal 6:14

"But may I never boast, except in the torture stake of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been put to death with regard to me and I with regard to the world"

Ps 34:2

"I will boast in Jehovah;The meek will hear and rejoice."

 

[TrueTomHarley]

Let's see, GF....You quoted 8 scriptures. Matt quoted 15.

You lose.

Especially do you lose if @Witnesscomes along and quotes 90. True, they will not be relevant and for that reason must be discounted 4 to 1. But what remains will still be enough to clobber the both of you put together 

[Evacuated]

3 minutes ago, TrueTomHarley said:

Let's see, GF....You quoted 8 scriptures. Matt quoted 15.

Look geezer.......................................... you think that that's all I got?

One of them alone is enough to dosh the rest.                     Where do you come from anyway????????

[Witness]

3 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

True, they will not be relevant and for that reason must be discounted 4 to 1.

How will you know they wouldn't be relevant, if you choose not to read them anyway?

Here's one made easy for you:  Matt 7:5

If JWs boasting was in unchangeable truth, Matthew 9969 would most likely have a different view.  The contradictions made on the website in various articles concerning pride and boasting is enough to make one's head spin.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Evacuated]

 

4 hours ago, AllenSmith said:

no update reported

Very interesting set of figures for the USA.

Does the "no update" comment mean no increase or that the figures for the previous year were not given?

[TrueTomHarley]

11 hours ago, Witness said:

Here's one made easy for you:  Matt 7:5

Who would have thought scriptures could be weaponized?

[Matthew9969]

8 hours ago, AllenSmith said:

Question: Is it ok to boast? By Matthew9969

 

 

 

 

This question would be determined by its characterization of the word “Boast”. Then, what would be the claim compared to other factual religious statistics, or does the word boast, to be used as sarcasm to illustrate an unworthy concept.

 

 

According to a 2012 review by the National Council of Churches, the five largest denominations are:^[18]

 

 

• The Catholic Church, 68,202,492 members

   

• The Southern Baptist Convention, 16,136,044 members

   

• The United Methodist Church, 7,679,850 members

   

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6,157,238 members

   

• The Church of God in Christ, 5,499,875 members

   

·         Information in the Yearbook is kept up to date in two regular electronic updates each year. Access to this Internet data is provided through a unique pass code printed inside the back cover.

 

 

·         Total church membership reported in the 2011 Yearbook is 145,691,446 members, down 1.15 percent over 2011.

 

 

·         Top 25 U.S. churches reported in the 2012 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches: 

 

 

·         The Catholic Church 68,202,492, ranked 1 [ranked 1 in 2011], down 0.44 percent. 

 

 

·         Southern Baptist Convention 16,136,044, ranked 2 [ranked 2 in 2011], down 0.15 percent. 

 

 

·         The United Methodist Church 7,679,850, ranked 3 [ranked 3 in 2011], down 1.22 percent. 

 

 

·         The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 6,157,238, ranked 4 [ranked 4 in 2011], up 1.62 percent. 

 

 

·         The Church of God in Christ 5,499,875, ranked 5 [ranked 5 in 2011], no update reported. 

 

 

·         National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. 5,197,512, ranked 6 [ranked 6 in 2011], up 3.95 percent. 

 

 

·         Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 4,274,855, ranked 7 [ranked 7 in 2011], down 5.90 percent. 

 

 

·         National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. 3,500,000, ranked 8 [ranked 8 in 2011], no update reported. 

 

 

·         Assemblies of God 3,030,944, ranked 9 [ranked 9 in 2011], up 3.99 percent. 

 

 

·         Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 2,675,873, ranked 10 [ranked 10 in 2011], down 3.42 percent. 

 

 

·         African Methodist Episcopal Church 2,500,000, ranked 11 [ranked 11 in 2011], no update reported.  

 

 

·         National Missionary Baptist Convention of America 2,500,000, ranked 11 [ranked 11 in 2011], no update reported.  

 

 

·         The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod (LCMS) 2,278,586, ranked 13 [ranked 13 in 2011], down 1.45 percent. 

 

 

·         The Episcopal Church 1,951,907, ranked 14 [ranked 14 in 2011], down 2.71 percent.

 

 

·         Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. 1,800,000, ranked 15 [ranked 17 in 2011], up 20 percent. 

 

 

·         Churches of Christ 1,639,495, ranked 16 [ranked 15 in 2011], no update reported. 

 

 

·         Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America 1,500,000, ranked 17 [ranked 16 in 2011], no update reported. 

 

 

·         The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church 1,400,000, ranked 18 [ranked 18 in 2011], no update reported.  

 

 

·         American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. 1,308,054, ranked 19 [ranked 19 in 2011], down 0.19 percent. 

 

 

·         Jehovah’s Witnesses 1,184,249, ranked 20 [ranked 20 in 2011], up 1.85 percent. 

 

 

·         Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) 1,074,047, ranked 21 [ranked 22 in 2011], down 0.21 percent. 

 

 

·         Christian Churches and Churches of Christ 1,071,616, ranked 22 [ranked 23 in 2011], no update reported. 

 

 

·         Seventh-day Adventist Church 1,060,386, ranked 23 [ranked 24 in 2011], up 1.61 percent. 

 

 

·         United Church of Christ 1,058,423, ranked 24 [ranked 21 in 2011], down 2.02 percent. 

 

 

·         Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. 1,010,000, ranked 25 [ranked 25 in 2011], no update reported. 

 

 

·         Total membership in top 25 churches: 145,691,446, down 1.15 percent. 

 

 

Romans 5:1-2 Context: The Triumph of Faith

 

 

1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

 

 

In all my years of discussions with people of all faiths, it is only the Joe's who constantly remind everyone of how many of them there are, how many people show up at the memorial, how many hours they spend in field service, and worst of all boast that they are the only religion that provides charity. I believe you misunderstood the meaning of my post

 

[TrueTomHarley]

3 minutes ago, Matthew9969 said:

and worst of all boast that they are the only religion that provides charity.

I don't think that is the case.

[Witness]

On 10/17/2017 at 4:11 AM, TrueTomHarley said:

Who would have thought scriptures could be weaponized?

Who would have thought?

God.  Jesus. The Prophets. The Apostles. 

 Jer 23:29; Jer 5:14; Rev 11:3,5;Hos 6:5; Matt 24:50,51; 2 Cor 10:4,5; 2 Cor 6:7;  

Eph 6:17; Rev 1:16; Heb 4:12; 1 Tim 1:18; 2 Tim 2:3; Rev 19:11,14; 17:14

etc. 

The Beast/Watchtower boasts of using scriptures as weaponry; which you already know as the “silver sword”.  However they twist the scriptures, it is used to “kill” through disfellowshipping. 

And yes, Matthew 9969 is right about the boasting.  It is an inherent characteristic of the Beast.

Rev 13:5-7,9,10; 11:7; 13:7;12:11; 6:9,11; 19:8 

Using scriptural weaponry, the Beast/Man of Lawlessness is revealed, “the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” Thess 2:1-4,8-11…

This “breath” is Holy Spirit given the “two witnesses” (symbolic for "truth") who are “killed” by the Beast.  John 20:22  

Yes, scriptures, the Word of God, can be weaponized by Holy Spirit. 

Mal 3:1; Mat 10:40,20; Luke 21:15; Rev 22:16,6; Zech 4:6,14

 

 

 

[JW Insider]

On 10/17/2017 at 7:24 AM, TrueTomHarley said:

On 10/17/2017 at 7:20 AM, Matthew9969 said:

and worst of all boast that they are the only religion that provides charity.

I don't think that is the case.

@Matthew9969 We rarely talk about charity except for those related to us in the faith. But if we have limited resources for charity, then surely this is not unreasonable:

• (Galatians 6:10) 10 So, then, as long as we have the opportunity, let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to us in the faith.

When we have spoken about charity, we don't claim to be the only ones who provide charity, although I know we have been quick to demean charitable organizations and religions who think that by their great works alone they will make it through the narrow gate. But this too may be based on some scriptural reasoning:

• (Matthew 7:22) 22 Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not . . . perform many powerful works in your name?’

I recall counsel against giving to charitable organizations, especially religious charitable organizations. Whenever I asked my parents about it they would say that we were the only religion that provides TRUE charity.

I don't recall much counsel against giving to charity after about 1990, and it seems to be about that time that we began more regularly announcing our own charitable works after disasters, and always regularly adding the fact that we not only gave to support our brothers in need and the rebuilding of local Kingdom Halls, but that there was more than enough left over to help non-JWs. I never lived in Oklahoma, but we had friends in OKC, and I was baptized at an assembly in Tulsa. Back in the 60's and early 70's, from our congregation in Missouri we sometimes helped out when Oklahoma had a bad tornado, and would take a pickup truck loaded with some old clothes, canned goods, 2x4s and a few squares of shingles. But I remember that the brother driving (who owned a small construction company) would just dump any bags of clothes that no one wanted and would even bring back any of the 2x4's or squares of shingles, which we could have given to those non-JWs who needed them much more. But except for some out-of-style neckties, and my old plaid suits that my mother wanted to give away anyway, I had no personal stake in the charity. And as I think about it, the brother who drove his truck had every right to hold back what the brothers didn't need. It was never his purpose to give to non-JWs. I questioned it at the time, but as I look back now, I have no problem with what he did.

But I do remember that even then, the experiences of such events retold at the Circuit Assemblies almost always "bragged" that the brothers had given so much that we had plenty left over to give to other needy persons. I recall one such CA announcement about a tornado site that we were personally involved with, and the announcer never made the claim that we had plenty of leftovers to give to non-JWs, which was correct (sort-of). But the same announcement had at least a minute devoted to the fact that others had seen how well we looked after each other and how these onlookers had even come up to us and praised us for our cooperation and diligence putting God's love into action. It didn't occur to me then, but, over the years, having seen how these experiences are developed for assemblies especially, I now wonder whether onlookers had actually used any of those words.

I would have to agree that bragging of an unnecessary nature has undoubtedly been behind several of such experiences. But there is also an element of wanting to build one another up, and show the positive side of every experience. Pointing out the numbers of hours and placements and number of pioneers can seem unnecessary too, but these are also encouragements. A brother at Bethel (D.Songer) actually used all these numbers adjusted seasonally and compared them with the timing of various literature campaigns to decide how many of any particular book, booklet or magazine to print. It therefore helped maximize the efficiencies of scale in production, but also avoided unnecessary waste.  This can be considered to be a part of being a good steward.