...and you're the kind of person who wants to engage in some dialogue about the utmost importance of knowing who Jesus is, here's a good set-up:
YOU SAY: I hear you sharing a message about the end of the world or about how important morality or the Word of God is. But I already believe in those things, too.
THEY SAY: Then perhaps we could ask you to consider if you believe that God has an organization here on earth which is doing the work of building the Kingdom?
YOU SAY: Yes, I worship Jesus and anyone else who does so in Spirit and truth belongs to the church.
THEY SAY: Well -- the guidelines for what we believe should come from the bible. Many kinds of churches follow man's traditions. An example of this would be the Trinity... do you believe in this teaching?
YOU SAY: According to some groups, the teaching of the Trinity is controversial. It's relatively a side issue, considering what differences we might have in our beliefs about who Jesus is. Would you mind reading a passage in 1 Corinthians that talks about Jesus, with me?
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.1 cor 15:12-19
YOU SAY: Do you see that without the correct idea of resurrection, we are all left in our sins... according to that teaching, that witness. So what we think about Jesus can mess up the formula of redemption.
THEY SAY: [A long diatribe on their beliefs that Jesus was not God, however "a god". They take you to scriptures like Proverbs 8. They take you to Colossians 1 and try and prove that he was only helping Jehovah in making creation. When they are done....]
YOU SAY: I believe that, just like the Father, Jesus is fully YHWH God. Did you know that the deity of Jesus Christ is written right into the Ten Commandments?
THEY SAY: That's interesting, I've never heard that before.
YOU SAY: Yes, it is, and while we flip there, this is just the icing on the cake to show you how I see that Jesus is written all over the bible as being YHWH God, as well as being described so, explicitly, in my bible's translation. Let me ask you: Does Jesus get Jehovah's glory? Additionally, is Jesus, if served (latreuo) and worshiped (proskyneo), therefore an idol?
Can I revere Jesus as a divine Lord? Can I call Him not only a god, but my god?
If inappropriately given too much proskyneo, does He become...
--an idol?
--an image?
--a false god?
--Ex 23:24 “Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices.”
--Ex 20:3 “You shall have no other gods (466) before me.”
gods (#466) - elohiym - the most common Hebrew word translated “God “ in the OT. When in plural form, can be translated as divine rulers or judges, angels, gods, or men who represent God.
before me - panah - to turn, presence, in front of, front.
--Ex 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on earth or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, YHWH your God, am a jealous God.”
idol - pasal - to carve, cut; idol, whether carved, cut, cast, or made of wood.
bow down - hawah - to prostrate oneself, bow down, crouch; to do obiesance, worship. Denotes act of respect before one’s superior in position, and essentially signifies submission. This term is especially used in the sense of worshiping a diety. It signifies to honor God w/ prayers even without prostrating the body. Those who use this mode of salutation, however, fell upon their knees and touched the ground with their foreheads. The equivaent Greek word proskyneo, to worship.
worship - Abad - to serve, minister, worship; to do work, do. Denotes service or work which may be directed toward things, or flax or toward people. In a specialized sense, Abad means to serve YHWH as a Levite. The Septuagint uses Latreuo, to serve, for the exclusive service provided by the priests.
--Col 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God...”
image - eikon - to be like, resemble, representation, likeness, figure, copy, reflection, appearance, manifestation, embodiment. It implies what is derived from an archtype, which is cast as a direct expression of something. Used of idols (rom 1:23) art (mt 22:20) OT law (heb 10:1) Christ (2 cor 4:4,6). In the book of Revelation, eikon of the beast symbolizes the idolatrous devotion shown by his followers.
--Ex 20:23 “Do not make any gods (466) to be alongside me.”
alongside - et - with, to, upon, beside, among, against.
--John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.”
--Ex 23:13 “Do not invoke the names of other gods (466); do not let them be heard on your lips.”
invoke - zakar - to remember, recollect, reflect upon, to mention, declare, proclaim, to commemorate.
--Col 1:28 “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” (Col 4:3 says that ‘we’ “proclaim the mystery of Christ.”)
It's just a starting point. I have a lot more stuff I've found which uses the Old Testament passages to illuminate who Jesus is. The goal with the JWs is to use the bible to show them who Jesus is, with respect of course.
Then you have to go back to that famous, great question that Josh McDowell asks in his books: If Jesus is not God, then the only alternative is that He must be a lunatic.
