Why Do Jehovah's Witnesses Preach From Door to Door?

Many people claim that the house to house work (also called "door to door" because of our canvasing apartments as well) that what Jehovah's Witnesses do is unscriptural, but if you take a look at Luke chapter 10, you will see that the house to house ministry is spelled out quite clearly by Jesus himself. It was also described at Matthew 10:5-11:1, Mark 6:7-13, and Luke 9:1-6.

Jesus said: "Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you all." (Matthew 28:18-19) He also said: "And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14) But he did not say these things and then just leave it to us to figure out how to do it. No, but we are given very specific instructions and an example of how it is carried out.

Biblical Instructions For Preaching House to House

Jesus was the one who gave the command to preach from house to house. Read Luke chapter 10. The Bible says: "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. Then he began to say to them: '...Go forth...Wherever you all enter into a house say first, "May this house have peace...Do not be transferring from house to house"'" So we go to houses seeking someone to listen to our message and we preach it to them thoroughly, not transferring to another house until we have preached the message thoroughly or we are rejected. If they do not listen, we move on to the next house. Indeed, in two places the Scriptures say that first century Christians did the house to house preaching work. —Luke 10:1-7; Acts 5:42; 20:20

So Jesus sent seventy disciples (not just the apostles) off to preach "by twos", and he himself said to go into houses to preach the message. Are these "houses of worship"? No, because there is only one person of concern in the house, a "friend of peace." Jesus also said "Do not be transferring from house to house." So while we call it the "house to house work", this does not mean we just move from house to house saying simply "repent, for the kingdom of God is near." But we are to actually enter into the house with the householder's permission. Jesus said: "Wherever you all enter into a house say first, 'May this house have peace.' And if a friend of peace is there, your all's peace will rest upon him. But if there is not, it will turn back to you all. So stay in that house, eating and drinking the things they provide, for the worker is worthy of his wages." He also said, "He that listens to you all listens to me. And he that disregards you all disregards me. Moreover, he that disregards me disregards him that sent me forth." —Luke 10:16

Instructions for Being Rejected

But if the whole territory rejects us, such as one person who told me he gathered his neighbors together and kicked our brothers out of his neighborhood, here is what Jesus said: "But wherever you all enter into a city and they do not receive you all, go out into its broad ways and say, 'Even the dust that got stuck to our feet from your all's city we wipe off against you all. Nevertheless, keep this in mind, that the kingdom of God has come near.' I tell you all that it will be more endurable for Sod'om in that day than for that city." —Luke 10:8-15

Return with Rejoicing

And what happens when we're done with the preaching work for the day? The seventy returned to Jesus "with joy", declaring: "Lord, even the demons are made subject to us by the use of your name." And what is the purpose of our preaching work? Jesus said: "I began to behold Satan already fallen like lightning from heaven. Look! I have given you all the authority to trample underfoot serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will by any means do you all hurt." (Luke 10:17-20) Yes, it is to defeat Satan and his poisonous spirit servants who have no authority to hurt us directly, but yet we are to rejoice, not for having power over the wicked things, but because we have everlasting life. Thus we gain the joy of knowing that we have everlasting life.

Rewarded with Truth

After those words, Jesus then praised his Father in heartfelt prayer and then blessed all of us, saying "I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have carefully hidden these things from wise and intellectual ones, and have revealed them to babes. Yes, O Father, because to do thus came to be the way approved by you." Yes, we have the joy and are assured that the preaching work is approved by Jehovah God himself and instituted by Jesus Christ himself. —Luke 10:21

And Jesus concluded a blessing saying that his servants who do this work would know what the relationship between him and his Father is, saying: "All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and who the Son is no one knows but the Father; and who the Father is, no one knows but the Son, and he to whom the Son is willing to reveal him." —Luke 10:22

Who Is to Blame for the House to House Ministry?

So if people want to blame someone for the thoroughness of our ministry and for our going from house to house, they should blame Jesus, not us. Indeed, Jehovah's Witnesses alone have the blessing, because they alone do the preaching work in the way Jesus commanded.

So why do other Christians not preach as Jehovah's Witnesses do? The reason is that most nominal Christians don't put much thought into the Scriptures if they read them at all, and their leaders don't know how to motivate their congregations to do the preaching from house to house. Many have tried and very few succeed and still don't get many of their members to do so, thus often end up hiding the fact that they're supposed to do it all, ignoring the meaning of such Scriptures, and even calling those that do "dangerous cults". But is it really a dangerous cult that does what Jesus Christ himself directed Christians to do?

Also view the following link:
Ways [Jehovah's Witnesses] Use to Share the Good News

Ministry to the Public