“Call the Elders”

1. How Jehovah don show say e really value im worshippers?

JEHOVAH love all im servants and e de care for them the way shepherd de care for im sheep. E allow make im special son die for them and e give them elders for congregation to care for them. (Acts 20:28) God want make the elders treat im servants for kind way. The elders de follow the direction of Jesus as them de encourage their brothers and sisters and de help them to fit hold Jehovah tight.—Isa. 32:1, 2.

2. As e dey for Ezekiel 34:​15,16, which kind people de really hungry Jehovah to help?

² Jehovah really de care for all im servants, but e de really hungry-am to help the ones wey de suffer. E de use the elders to help people wey their friendship with-am don weak. (Read Ezekiel 34:​15, 16.) But e want make we go meet them make them help us when we need their help. For that kind time, Jehovah no only want make we pray to-am, e still want make we go meet the elders wey be the “shepherds and teachers” for congregation to help us.—Eph. 4:​11, 12.

3. How all of us de gain when we understand how the elders de help us for congregation?

³ For this article, we go talk about how Jehovah de use the elders to help brothers and sisters wey their friendship with Jehovah don de weak or don weak. We go answer this three questions: (1) When we suppose ask the elders for help? (2) Why we need to ask the elders for help? (3) How the elders de help us? Even if our friendship with Jehovah really dey tight now and we no need help from the elders, the answer to this three questions go help us value the way Jehovah de use the elders to help us for congregation, and e go still help us know wetin we go do when we need their help.

WHEN WE SUPPOSE “CALL THE ELDERS”?

4. How we know say the sickness wey James 5:​14-16, 19, 20 talk about concern our friendship with Jehovah? (Still check the picture.)

⁴ James wey be Jesus disciple explain how Jehovah de use the elders to help us. E talk say: “E get any of una wey de sick? Make e call the elders for the congregation.” (Read James 5:​14-16, 19, 20.) For here, James de talk about person wey im friendship with Jehovah don weak. How we know this one? James talk say make the person wey get this kind sickness call the elders for congregation for help, no be doctor. James still talk say this person go well when them forgive im sins. This one show say the sickness concern im friendship with Jehovah. For example, for person wey sick to fit well, e go need to go meet doctor, explain how the sickness de worry-am, and e go need to follow all the direction wey the doctor give-am. Na so e still be when our friendship with Jehovah don weak. We need to go meet the elders, tell them the problem, and follow the advice wey them give us from Bible.

5. How we fit know if our friendship with Jehovah don de weak?

⁵ For James chapter 5, James de encourage us to meet the elders anytime wey we feel say our friendship with Jehovah no too strong again. So e really dey important make we get help from elders before we put hand for anything wey go spoil our friendship with Jehovah. We go need to tell ourself the truth. Bible warn us say we fit de think say we dey tight with Jehovah even though say we don dey far from-am. (Jas. 1:22) Na wetin some Christians for Sardis be de think, but Jesus make-am clear to them say them don dey far from Jehovah. (Rev. 3:1, 2) How we fit know if our friendship with Jehovah still dey strong? One way na to compare the way we de put body for Jehovah worship when we just baptize with how we de do now. (Rev. 2:4, 5) We fit ask ourself say: ‘I de enjoy my personal Bible reading and de think deep about wetin I read as I be de do before? I de attend all congregation meeting? And before I attend meeting, I de prepare for all the meeting parts? I de put body for preaching like before, or I de use all my time for other things? Na how to enjoy myself or how to make money I de always think about?’ If the answer to any of this question na yes, e fit mean say our friendship with Jehovah don de weak, and if we no do anything about-am, e fit continue to weak more-more. If we don try and we no fit help ourself or if e don make us fall for serious sin, make we call the elders make them help us.

6. Wetin person wey commit serious sin go need to do?

⁶ Some sin really dey serious sotey e fit make them remove person from congregation if e no gree repent. If person don commit this kind sin, e go need to go meet the elders. (1 Cor. 5:​11-13) Any brother or sister wey commit serious sin need help from the elders to fit get better friendship with Jehovah again. Jehovah go forgive our sins only if we do things wey really ‘show say we don repent.’ (Acts 26:20) And one way wey we fit show say we don repent if we commit serious sin, na to go meet the elders.

7. Which other people still need to ask the elders for help?

⁷ No be only people wey commit serious sin elders de help. Them still de help people wey their friendship with Jehovah don de weak. (Acts 20:35) For example, e fit de hard you to control the way body de push you to put hand for some kind things wey no good. E fit even hard you more if you be de take hard drugs, watch naked people film or picture, or if you don put hand for sex wey no clean before you baptize and start to serve Jehovah. You no need to struggle alone. No fear to ask the elders make them help you. You fit decide to tell any elder wey go sofri listen to you as you de tell-am how you de feel. E go give you better advice about how you fit continue to fight temptation and win, and e go still help you dey sure say Jehovah dey with you as you de do your best to obey-am. (Eccl. 4:12) And if you don tire because you de continue to struggle with the bad things wey de come your mind, the elders go help you see say na better thing you do as you ask for help and this one show say you dey humble and say you value your friendship with Jehovah.—1 Cor. 10:12.

8. We need to go meet elders for every mistake wey we make? Explain.

⁸ We no need to go meet the elders for every mistake wey we make. For example, you fit don talk something wey really pain another brother or sister, or you fit don even shout for-am as you de talk. Instead make you go report the matter to the elders, e go good make you follow Jesus advice to go make peace with your brother or sister. (Matt. 5:​23, 24) You fit do research to learn how person fit dey gentle, patient, and de control imself so that you go fit show this kind better character another time. But if you don try well-well and una no fit solve the problem, you fit ask any elder for help. For the letter wey apostle Paul write to the Christians for Philippi, e tell one brother to help Euodia and Syntyche to settle their quarrel. So elder for your congregation fit help you too.—Phil. 4:2, 3.

WHY WE NEED TO CALL THE ELDERS?

9. Why we no go allow shame make us no call the elders? (Proverbs 28:13)

⁹ We need strong faith and strong heart to fit go meet the elders make them help us when we commit serious sin or when we don de tire to fight the bad things wey de come our mind. Make we no allow shame make us no call the elders. Why? Because Jehovah don give us the elders to help us make we fit hold-am tight. So when we go meet the elders to help us, we de show say we trust Jehovah and ready to obey-am. We still de show say we really need Jehovah to help us make we no fall for sin. (Ps. 94:18) And if we don commit sin, we fit dey sure say Jehovah go forgive us if we go tell the elders wetin we don do and stop to do the bad thing.—Read Proverbs 28:13.

10. Wetin fit happen if we de try to hide our sins?

¹⁰ When we confess our sins to the elders, Jehovah go forgive us and we go be im friend again. But if we hide our sin, we fit make our condition worse. When King David try to hide the sins wey e commit, im friendship with Jehovah suffer, e feel sad, and e even sick. (Ps. 32:​3-5) When person get wound and e no treat-am, the wound go just de worse more-more. Na so e still be when person commit serious sin. The more e hide-am from the elders, the more the problem go de worse. Jehovah no want make this one happen to us, so e want make we go tell the elders so that them go fit help us to be im friend again.—Isa. 1:5, 6, 18.

11. If person hide serious sin, how this one fit affect the congregation?

¹¹ If we hide any serious sin wey we commit, e fit affect the congregation. How? We fit make holy spirit no flow well for the congregation again and e fit still cause other problems for our brothers and sisters. (Eph. 4:30) Apart from that one, if we know say person for congregation don commit serious sin, we need to encourage the person to go tell elders about the matter. If after some time, the person no gree tell the elders wetin e don do, then we go need to go tell the elders by ourself. But if we join-am hide the sin, e mean say we too don sin against Jehovah. (Lev. 5:1) So, because we love and hold Jehovah tight, e go move us to tell the elders wetin we know. This one go make the congregation clean and help the person wey commit serious sin to get better friendship with Jehovah again.

HOW THE ELDERS DE HELP US?

12. How elders de help people wey their friendship with Jehovah don weak?

¹² Bible encourage elders to help people wey their friendship with Jehovah don weak. (1 Thess. 5:14) If you do something wey don affect your friendship with Jehovah, elders fit ask you some questions to really understand wetin you de think and how you de feel. (Prov. 20:5) E fit no dey easy for you to talk to the elders, maybe because you be person wey de shame or you de shame to talk about wetin happen. But you fit help the elders when you tell them wetin be the real problem. And make you no fear say you fit talk wetin no correct. (Job 6:3) The elders no go quick judge you for wetin you talk. But them go sofri listen to you and understand wetin really happen before them use Bible advice you. (Prov. 18:13) The elders know say to care for Jehovah sheep wey de sick de take time, so them know say them fit meet with you pass one time to fit give you the help wey you need.

13. When the elders pray with us and give us advice from Bible, how this one fit help us? (Still check the picture.)

¹³ When you call the elders and talk to them, the elders no go make you feel say you dey useless because of wetin you don do. Instead, them go pray with you. E fit surprise you to see how Jehovah go listen to their prayer wey “get power” and how e go make your mind come down. Another thing wey the elders go do to help you na to rub you “oil with Jehovah name.” (Jas. 5:​14-16) This “oil” na the truth for Bible. So the elders go discuss Bible verses wey fit make your mind come down and help you get better friendship with Jehovah again. (Isa. 57:18) The advice wey them go give you from Bible fit help you continue to do wetin Jehovah want. E go just be like say you de hear Jehovah voice wey de tell you say: “This na the road. Follow-am.”—Isa. 30:21.

14. As e dey for Galatians 6:1, how the elders de help person wey don “make mistake”? (Still check the picture.)

¹⁴ Read Galatians 6:1. For this verse, apostle Paul talk say Christians fit “make mistake.” This one fit happen when brother or sister no de do wetin Jehovah want make e do. E fit be say the person make wrong decision or for some situation, even commit serious sin. But because of the love wey the elders get, them go “sofri help this kind person to dey the correct way” again. The Greek word wey them translate as “sofri help” de describe how doctor de help to set bone wey don shift comot from im position so that the bone go heal again. Just as better doctor de sofri set bone wey don break for gentle way so that the pain no go too much, na so the elders de dey kind when them de help people wey don “make mistake.” Bible still advice elders say ‘make them watch theirself so that something no go tempt them.’ As elders de use Bible help other people to make better decision, them still de remember say them no dey perfect and say them fit make mistake too. So them go need to dey careful and no ever think say them better pass the person wey them de help. Instead, them go dey humble and feel for the person.—1 Pet. 3:8.

15. Wetin we suppose do if we get problem?

¹⁵ We fit trust the elders for our congregation. Why? Because them don train them to keep our personal matter private. Another thing be say, the advice wey them de give na from Bible, no be their own idea, and them don teach them say them need to continue to help us with our problems. (Prov. 11:13; Gal. 6:2) Na true say elders get different-different better character and some don be elder for long time, but we fit ask any of them to help us when we get problem. E dey important make we no go de meet different-different elders for advice for one particular matter until we see the one wey go tell us wetin we want hear. If we do like that, we go be like people wey Bible talk say them only want de listen to “wetin go sweet them for ear” instead of “the correct teaching” from Bible. (2 Tim. 4:3) When we meet one elder and tell-am our problem, e fit ask us if we don tell other elders before and e fit still ask us about the advice wey them give us. And because say e dey humble, e fit ask another elder for advice.—Prov. 13:10.

DECISION WEY EACH OF US GO NEED TO MAKE

16. Which decision each of us go need to make by ourself?

¹⁶ Na true say na elders work to care for Jehovah sheep, but them no go make decision for us. Na each of us go decide to live our life the way Jehovah want. All of us go answer to Jehovah for all the things wey we talk and do. But with help from Jehovah, we go fit de make better decision and continue to dey faithful to Jehovah. (Rom. 14:12) So elders no go decide for us, instead them go use Bible help us understand how Jehovah de see the matter and allow us to make our own decision. When we think deep about their advice and follow-am, this one go help us “train” our “mind” to make better decisions.—Heb. 5:14.

17. Wetin Jehovah want make we do?

¹⁷ We really thank Jehovah say e de sofri care for us the way shepherd de care for im sheep! Jehovah send our “better shepherd,” Jesus, make e die for us so that we go fit get life wey no go end. (John 10:11) Jehovah still give us the elders for congregation to care for us as e don promise say: “I go give una shepherds wey I love from my heart, and them go feed una with knowledge and deep sense.” (Jer. 3:15) So anytime wey we feel-am say our faith don de weak or we commit sin, make we no fear to call the elders for congregation to help us. If we do like this, we go really gain from the elders wey Jehovah don give us to help us for congregation.