The April, 1997, issue of Our Kingdom Ministry contains an article entitled, "Directing Students to the Organization Behind Our Name." Throughout the article, Witnesses are told a number of ways they can encourage and help new "students"-prospective converts-become actively involved in the organization.
According to the article, "students make better spiritual progress and grow to maturity more rapidly when they recognize Jehovah's organization and associate with it." The article backs up this statement by pointing to Acts 2:42, which reads "they continued devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to association together." While this article does say that early Christians spent time together, it does not say they associated closely with an organization, or even followed an organization's teachings. It says they followed the teachings of the apostles. And the apostle Peter exhorted new Christians to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18) But more importantly, we are never told that these early Christians went around telling others to associate with their new-found organization. Instead, the apostles and early Christians told people about Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus didn't tell his disciples to be Jehovah's Witnesses; He told them to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8). Jesus told people to follow him; he never told people to follow an organization.
Unfortunately, the name of Jesus Christ isn't mentioned in article-not even once. In contrast, the word "organization" is mentioned no less than 15 times. This is appropriate, however, from an organization that tells people "to receive everlasting life in earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it." (The Watchtower, February 15, 1983, pp. 12-13). But Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) Jesus also said "My Father will honor the one who serves me." (John 12:26) Eternal life only comes through serving Jesus-not by association with an organization.