Q:
I haven't been attending meetings at the Kingdom Hall for a couple of years now,
so when I went to the memorial this past April the elders told me that they are
concerned about me and that I need to return to the meetings at the Kingdom Hall
which they said is our place of worship. My question to you is, can we worship
Jehovah without attending the meetings? I find it more discouraging to attend
than to stay away, but I do care about my relationship with Jehovah.
________________________
A:
Referring to the Kingdom
Hall as "our place of worship" betrays a lack of understanding of what true worship
is according to the Scriptures, and demonstrates to what extent we have been influenced by
the religions of this world who view their church buildings and temples as their
places of worship.
J. F. Rutherford, then president of the
Watch Tower Society, gave in 1935 the name
"Kingdom Hall" to a meeting place of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hawaii,
and from that
time on this name has been popularly used by Jehovah’s Witnesses for their
meeting halls. (w84 2/1 p. 25 par. 14) The Kingdom Halls, as well as other
places used for our gatherings, are considered to be our place of worship,
as has often been explained in the Watchtower. One such article, entitled Do You Respect Your Place of
Worship?, wrote: "For millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses, there is
no place closer to their heart than their regular place of worship, the Kingdom
Hall. They show proper respect for that place. They manifest an industrious
spirit in caring for it, and they strive always to use it properly. May you too
follow the admonition that Jehovah himself gives: 'Guard your feet whenever you
go to the house of the true God.'—Ecclesiastes 5:1." (w93 6/15 p. 31)
Another article likewise stated: “The Kingdom Hall is our place of worship.
We are there at the invitation of Jehovah and his Son, Jesus Christ. In that
sense, we are guests at Jehovah’s house. (Psalm 15:1; Matthew 18:20) Are
you a good guest when you come to the Kingdom Hall? To be such, we must show due
consideration and respect not only for the host but also for the other guests."
(w89 6/15 p. 16) (Bold added)
Is it true that the Kingdom Halls are "our regular place of worship," "the
house of the true God"? When we attend the meetings, are we guests at
Jehovah's house? Can we worship Jehovah away from the Kingdom Hall?
Of course, we all know that there were no "Kingdom Halls" in the first century.
Early Christians met together in private homes; and it should be noted that
neither the meetings nor the homes in which they gathered were ever referred
to in the Christian Greek Scriptures as a place of worship. (Some modern
translations, such as The New English Bible, use "place of worship" at
James 2:2, where James uses the Greek word synagogue, which meant a
bringing together in fellowship, such as Paul describes in Hebrews 10:25.
See Footnote below.)
Since the days of Solomon, the true God was worshiped at the temple in
Jerusalem, "the city that Jehovah had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to
put his name there." (1 Kings 14:21) But with the coming of the Messiah there
was going to be a change, as Jesus told the Samaritan woman in his conversation
with her at the well. The account in John relates: "The woman said to [Jesus]:
'Sir, I perceive you are a prophet. Our forefathers worshiped in this mountain;
but you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where persons ought to
worship.' Jesus said to her: 'Believe me, woman, The hour is coming when
neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you people worship the Father.
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation
originates with the Jews. Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when
the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for,
indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him. God is a Spirit,
and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.'” (John 4:19-24;
Acts 8:27, 35-38)
After the new covenant became operative at Pentecost, Jehovah would no longer be
worshiped at the temple in Jerusalem, just as Jesus had foretold. Does that mean
that the temple, where God had been worshiped, was now replaced by private
homes, or large church buildings, or even Kingdom Halls? Are our Kingdom Halls a
place of worship? The understanding of this, which Jesus includes as worshiping
the Father with "truth," seems to be one of God's "sacred secrets," for it
appears that very few have an understanding of this vital feature of true
worship under the new covenant. (Col 1:24-27; Luke 10:21)
God's temple is no longer any physical material building, as the apostle Paul
explains: "Do you not know that you people are God’s temple, and that the spirit
of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy
him; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] you people are." (1 Cor.
3:16,17) Also, "What! Do you not know that the body of you people is [the]
temple of the holy spirit within you, which you have from God? Also, you do not
belong to yourselves, for you were bought with a price. By all means, glorify
God in the body of you people." (1 Cor. 6:19,20)
Instead of the Kingdom Hall being our place of worship, we worship Jehovah in
our bodies, which is his temple. We glorify God every day in everything we do,
rather than just at the meetings during the week at the Kingdom Hall. (Rom.
12:1) Seeing that we have God's holy spirit dwell in us, we must keep ourselves
physically, morally, and spiritually clean. After all, it is the holy spirit
within us that teaches us and enables us to "worship the Father with spirit and
truth," something we would never want to lose. (John 14:25,26; 1 Cor. 2:7,
10-14) Consider how Paul explains this further in his letter to the congregation
in Ephesus: "You are no longer strangers and alien residents, but you are fellow
citizens of the holy ones and are members of the household of God, and you have
been built up upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, while Christ
Jesus himself is the foundation cornerstone. In union with him the whole
building, being harmoniously joined together, is growing into a holy temple for
Jehovah. In union with him you, too, are being built up together into a
place for God to inhabit by spirit." (Eph. 2:19-22)
Please note that God's holy temple, which is all of his people, consists of two
parts, the foundation and the rest of the building that is built
upon that foundation. The entire
foundation consists of a cornerstone which is Jesus, (as the cornerstone is
always placed first, and determines where the building is erected), and includes
the apostles and other holy ones along with Jesus. All the "living stones" of
the foundation are chosen and placed in their respective positions by God, as it
is his temple. They do not choose themselves. (Rom. 9:11; Phil. 2:13; 2 Tim.
1:9) These are the ones who will rule together with Jesus in God's kingdom. They
are the "holy ones" that the prophet Daniel saw in vision whose time arrives to
receive the kingdom; and the ones who Jesus refers to as "my brothers." (Isa.
28:16; Dan. 7:13,14, 27; Matt. 19:27,28; 25:40, 45,46; 1 Peter 2:4,5; Rev.
14:1-3; 20:6) Many accept Jesus as "their savior," but know nothing of God's
temple and its foundation, without which it is not possible to worship God.
(Matt. 7:21-23) The first 120 "living stones" of the foundation of God's temple
were placed with the outpouring of the holy spirit at Pentecost, which then
continued to be added to throughout the centuries until every last stone has
been put in its place, which, according to John's vision in the revelation, will
be accomplished when the last ones are sealed just prior to the outbreak of the
great tribulation. (Rev. 7:1-4)
After having started to lay the foundation at Pentecost, Jehovah immediately
built upon that foundation by adding about 3,000 souls, persons who responded to
Peter's call to repentance and "be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for
forgiveness of [their] sins." (Acts 2:1-21, 37-42) A foundation is limited in
size; but the structure that is built upon it is only limited in height by what
the foundation can carry, as is evident by modern sky scrapers. All of Jehovah's true worshipers
are members of his holy temple, whether they are a part of the foundation, or
the numberless others who are built upon the foundation. Since this is God's
temple, he being the builder of it, and it being his only arrangement for
rendering sacred service, Jehovah does not accept worship outside his temple. (2
Tim. 2:19; Heb. 3:4-6; 11:10; Rev. 7:14,15) Anyone who argues against God having
a people who are his temple; nor accepts the foundation upon which the temple
has been built; does so because he is neither part of God's temple, nor does he
have God's spirit which teaches a person about his temple where we "worship the
Father with spirit and truth."
Since the Kingdom Hall is not Jehovah's house, and neither a place of worship,
then why are we encouraged in the Scriptures "not to forsake the gathering of
ourselves together, as some have the custom"? Because, as Paul explains, it is
in order to encourage one another, "to consider one another to incite to love
and fine works, . . . and all the more so as [we] behold the day drawing near."
(Heb. 10:23-25) When we consider the condition that Paul foretold would exist among God's people in the "last days," even in your own
congregation, then we can all agree that we do need each other for
encouragement, and to build one another up in love and fine works. (2 Tim. 3:1-7) We are supposed to be able to find this at our
meetings, among our brothers. We certainly won't find it in the world! (1 John
3:13-18)
It can be said that Jehovah's holy spirit is at the Kingdom Hall when we, who
are his temple and have his holy spirit, are in attendance. It is not as though
the holy spirit resides in the Kingdom Hall and remains there after the doors
are locked and everyone has gone home; like in the case of the tent of meeting
in the wilderness, or the temple in Jerusalem; where Jehovah's presence was
indicated by the ark of the covenant. Even if you are the only one in your
congregation who has God's holy spirit―because
you are the one who listens to Jehovah and obeys him―then
his holy spirit can be said to be there at the meeting on account of your
presence. Jesus said that "at that time," in the conclusion of the system of
things, "the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father." (Matt. 13:43; Mal. 3:17,18) As your steadfastness and loyalty to
Jehovah becomes known, others may feel drawn to you, for their and your own
encouragement. (John 6:44) If we accept that people of the world are drawn to us
on account of the truth, then why not also our brothers in our congregations?
Even when the entire congregation is putting their trust in the "unrighteous
deception" of the "man of lawlessness," keep in mind that you are God's temple,
and you are recognized as such by Jesus and your heavenly Father, as was true in
the congregations of Thyatira and Sardis in the first century. (2 Thess. 2:3,4,
9,10; Rev. 2:24; 3:1, 4,5) Isn't it on account of having God's spirit that you
have come to understand the truth pertaining to God, and so you continue to
worship him with spirit and truth, in spite of much opposition? (John 16:1-4)
Jesus said that "where there are two or three (or a dozen, or a hundred)
gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst." (Matt. 18:19,20) A
congregation that Jesus recognizes as belonging to God, and of which he is the
head, can be as small as two or three, or as large as may fit into an
auditorium. But that is only true if they are build upon the foundation that God
has laid. Another thing, don't let others intimidate you by telling you that you
are no longer considered to be one of Jehovah's people because of not attending
the meetings at the Kingdom Hall. They are saying that because of their mistaken
belief that the Kingdom Hall is our place of worship, and that you cannot
worship Jehovah if you are not there. Perhaps it may even be that you are the
only one in attendance who Jehovah recognizes as belonging to him. (Jude 21) By
all means, if at all possible, and if you are able to bear it, continue to
attend the meetings with your congregation at the Kingdom Hall. It may be on
your account that God's spirit is at the Kingdom Hall. Or in time you may find
that there are others just like you, who are likewise holding on to their
integrity to Jehovah.
Footnote:
In the Greek Septuagint the two words ekklesi′a,
meaning “assembly” or “congregation,” and synagoge′ (a bringing together) are
used interchangeably. The word “synagogue” eventually took on the meaning of the
place or building where the assembly was held. However, it did not completely
lose its original meaning, for the Great Synagogue was not a large building but
an assembly of noted scholars, credited with settling the Hebrew Scripture canon
for the Palestinian Jews. It is said to have had its beginning in the days of
Ezra or of Nehemiah and to have continued until the time of the Great Sanhedrin,
about the third century B.C.E. James uses the word in the sense of a Christian
meeting or public gathering.—Jas 2:2. (it-2 p. 1050 Synagogue)
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