Elders​—Be ‘Strengthening Aids’

16. (a) How can elders assist fellow Christians to regain power? (b) What caution do elders need to exercise when giving encouragement and counsel?

¹⁶ Congregation elders especially should be alert to assist members who show signs of faltering. Isaiah 35:3 offers fine counsel in saying: “Strengthen the weak hands, you people, and make the knees that are wobbling firm.” But how can you elders do your part in that? For one thing, be observant. Discover the real cause for an apparent slowdown. Offer practical, Scriptural suggestions that are tailor-made for that person. But be careful. You want to encourage, not discourage, your brother.a Therefore, do not impose your conscience on someone else, or pressure the individual into following your solution, or brand him as an immature Christian if he is reluctant to adopt your personal view. Elders must base their counsel and encouragement on the Bible. They would not want to slow down their fellow runners by piling on them unnecessary congregational rules.​—Contrast Matthew 11:28, 29 with Matthew 23:2-4.

17. How can elders counter Satan’s tactics that are designed to slow down fellow Christians?

¹⁷ Elders can set fine examples as followers of Christ by being quick to commend members of the congregation. Make them feel sincerely wanted and needed! Satan’s system is always more than ready to make the Christian feel inadequate. At this point in their race for life, our brothers need, not critics, but friends to cheer them on to victory. For example, when a middle-aged sister had to stop pioneering, her heart burned with a desire to get back into full-time service. But she could not because of financial circumstances. Although he meant well, an elder asked her in a rather critical way: “When are you going to pioneer again?” Her terse reply surprised him: “When my husband can pay the rent.” What the elder failed to realize, but later learned, was that her pioneering was financed mainly by the earnings of her husband. But when his employer took on more and more work that was questionable for a Christian, her husband’s conscience moved him to seek other employment. At his age, jobs were not easily found. So he had to settle for a much lower-paying job; hence, it was necessary for his wife to work full time.

18. In what way can elders be a “strengthening aid”?

¹⁸ From the foregoing experience, are we to understand that elders should hesitate to counsel fellow Christians? No. Rather, when counsel or encouragement is needed, elders should discern their brothers’ actual circumstances and not just look at the surface appearances. (James 2:15, 16) In this way, elders can be a “strengthening aid” in their congregation.​—Colossians 4:11.