I could care less what someone thinks about Jehovah's witnesses. Like I said many of the people who are not Jehovah's witnesses will say the most horrible things about them. The authorities of Jesus days didn't believe he was sticking to scripture. I've read 1 Corinthians 12, have you really?
1 Corinthians 12 what I agree with: What was the purpose of the congregation? To train and unite all believers. The Christians were not to be a large, unidentifiable, disassociated crowd of persons, each of whom had his own ideas and loyalties, keeping themselves separate from this world and living like dispersed aliens in a strange land. Though living as aliens and temporary residents in this old world, the Christians were to be as ‘living stones being built up into a spiritual house,’ “a holy nation, a people for special possession.” In other words, they needed to be gathered and fitted together to worship as a group, as a congregation, and this in a tangible way.—
1 Pet. 2:5-11.
A similar illustration of the congregation arrangement was used by Paul in explaining how both Israelites and non-Israelites were united in Christ, becoming a unity with common aims, obligations and identity. “Certainly, therefore, you are no longer strangers and temporary 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.” (
Eph. 2:19-21) Here Paul uses three different illustrations of individuals or things organized together to serve a common purpose. First, “fellow citizens of the holy ones,” which indicates a common sharing of certain rights, privileges and responsibilities and identity that such citizenship gives. With the illustration “members of the household of God” Paul shows the way all believing Christians were organized as a family unit. In every household there is a definite arrangement of things, and all must respect the family head and live up to the standards of the household. In comparing them to building stones “being harmoniously joined together,” ‘being built up together,’ Paul shows the need of a congregation. Within the framework of the congregation these “stones” could be shaped, smoothed and fitted. Only when united in the congregation as a body of people and not seeking isolation could they be God’s temple and serve to advance true worship, while being trained for their future assignments in the heavenly Kingdom organization.—
1 Cor. 3:16, 17; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16.
So the anointed Christians of the first century were to be assemblers, not dissenters, trying to serve God independently of each other. Since God’s heavenly arrangement was orderly and harmonious, surely the called-together group of God’s servants on earth would demonstrate this same harmony. If the greatly diversified wisdom of God was to be made known through the congregation, then this congregation needed to be well organized, harmonious, and not see its members separating from one another to seek their own interests.—
1 Cor. 14:33, 40; Eph. 3:10, 11.
A clear picture of the congregation organization established by God’s spirit and its purpose is outlined in the fourth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. First, he shows the responsibilities each anointed Christian had to others in a group, “putting up with one another in love, earnestly endeavoring to observe the oneness of the spirit.” Then, from verse 11 on, he mentions the organizational provision for this, namely, the congregation with the different features for oversight and teaching as gifts from Christ. “And he gave some [gifts] as apostles, some as prophets, some as missionaries, some as shepherds and teachers, with a view to the training of the holy ones for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ, until we all attain to the oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge of the Son of God.” So their being anointed with the spirit did not in itself change over these Christians to completeness in a miraculous and instantaneous manner. Rather, the spirit led them to the congregation, where, with the help of the spirit, the Word and the organization arrangements, they would become of one mind and be trained for the ministerial work.—
Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Cor. 1:10.
By their associating in the congregation the anointed ones both gave and received benefit. It was here in a most tangible way that they were “being harmoniously joined together,” and not merely in some sort of invisible spiritual way. In the congregation they were being made to cooperate through “every joint which gives what is needed, according to the functioning of each respective member in due measure,” which resulted in the “growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” The congregation organization did not stifle or quench love’s expression or make it mechanical as if according to rules, but rather trained and built up all in love and gave them opportunity to practice it.—
Eph. 4:16;2 Thess. 1:1-3; Rom. 1:9-13.