Continuing from the article:
When the Watchtower claims they are the only group that preach, what is really meant is that Jehovah's Witnesses are the only people that preach the Watchtower interpretation of God's Kingdom, principally from "house to house".
The Watchtower places great emphasis on the 'house to house' ministry, yet
Mark 13:10 simply says "Also, in all the nations the good news has to be preached first." It does not dictate how this is to be done. Though the house to house work is an acceptable way to preach, it is never indicated scripturally as a sign of who God's followers would be. In fact, house to house is not even prescribed as the way to preach. A close look at the scriptures that the Watchtower uses to specify house to house preaching is enlightening.
Though the Watchtower makes constant reference to the 'house to house' work this is not how early Christians preached. In the New World Translation there are over 30 references to Jesus disciples preaching in the synagogues, marketplace and temple and only 3 that use the term 'house to house'. For example:
Mark 1:39 "And he did go, preaching in their synagogues throughout the whole of Gal´i·lee and expelling the demons."
Acts 9:19-20 "He got to be for some days with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately in the synagogues he began to preach Jesus, that this One is the Son of God."
The only time that the term "house to house" is used in regards to preaching to unbelievers was when Jesus sent out the 70 disciples. On this occasion Jesus stated
"Do not be transferring from house to house."
Luke 10:1-7 "After these things the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. "Wherever YOU enter into a house say first, 'May this house have peace.' And if a friend of peace is there, YOUR peace will rest upon him. But if there is not, it will turn back to YOU. So stay in that house, eating and drinking the things they provide, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not be transferring from house to house. (Ek oikia eis oikia)""
The Watchtower quotes two other Scriptures from Acts to indicate a person should preach "house to house," yet neither of these scriptures leads to such a conclusion.
"The principal way in which that work would be done became evident immediately after the day of Pentecost 33 C.E. "Every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus." (Acts 5:42) Some 20 years later, the apostle Paul was engaging in the house-to-house ministry, for he reminded Christian elders from the city of Ephesus: "I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house."-Acts 20:20." Watchtower 1991 Jan 15 p.11
The Greek used at Acts 5:42 and Acts 20:20 is not Ek oikia eis oikia, but rather Kata oikos. For this reason most Bible translations render this "in every house", "at home" or "in their homes". The New World Translation uses the phrase "house to house" at Acts 20:20, though the footnote acknowledges that the Greek word means "in private houses".
At Acts 20:17-20, Paul is not discussing preaching to unbelievers but rather teaching those who already were Christians. He says;
"However, from Mi·le´tus he sent to Eph´e·sus and called for the older men of the congregation. When they got to him he said to them: "YOU well know how from the first day that I stepped into the [district of] Asia I was with you the whole time, slaving for the Lord with the greatest lowliness of mind and tears and trials that befell me by the plots of the Jews; while I did not hold back from telling YOU any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching YOU publicly and from house to house."
A more accurate way to understand these scriptures in
Acts is "we were teaching you at your homes" similar to the way Witnesses hold congregation book studies. Paul here relates his past activity in teaching "the older men of the congregation" privately within Christian homes. Early Christians did not have Churches but met in homes, and it is to this that Paul was referring.
Romans 16:5 "and [greet] the congregation that is in their house.
"Colossians 4:15 "Give my greetings to the brothers at La·o·di·ce´a and to Nym´pha and to the congregation at her house."
In 1972, Watchtower acknowledged that Acts 20:20 does not apply to door to door preaching. Hence, Organization for Kingdom-Preaching and Disciple-Making page 56 footnote used the following quote from Doctor Robertson, showing that kai kat' oikous was used to indicate preaching to existing Christians such as Aquila and Priscilla.
"...and from house to house (kai kat' oikous). By (according to) houses. It is worth noting that this greatest of preachers preached from house to house and did not make his visits merely social calls. He was doing kingdom business all the while as in the house of Aquila and Priscilla (1 Cor. 16:19)."
Only seven years later, in 1979, the Watchtower went back to using Acts 20:20 to indicate that Jehovah's Witnesses must preach door to door.
click here:
Do only Jehovah's Witnesses follow Jesus' command to Preach (jwfacts.com)
Also, sorry about the long post, but I needed to get those points across.