Ask the Elder Dem for Help

1. How Jehovah na show da his people really important to him?

JEHOVAH really love his people and he care for them. He give his son Jesus to die for them. And he even tell the elder dem to take care of his people. (Acts 20:28) God na make Jesus the head for the congregation. And he want the elder dem to treat his people good. Jesus want dem to protect God people, so da nothing can spoil their friendship with Jehovah.—Isa. 32:​1, 2.

2. According to Ezekiel 34:​15, 16, who dem Jehovah can really want help?

² Jehovah care for all his people dem, but he can really want help his people dem who suffering. And he can use the elder dem to help his people who make mistake. (Read Ezekiel 34:​15, 16.) Even though Jehovah know da we need help, he want for us to ask for it. Jehovah want us to pray to him for help and he also want for us to ask the elder dem in the congregation for help. Eph. 4:​11, 12.

3. Wetin we will talk about in this article?

³ In this article, we will learn about some thing dem Jehovah na do for us to get help from the elder dem when our friendship with Jehovah getting weak. We will also answer this question dem: What time we mon ask the elder dem for help? Why we want ask the elder dem for help? And how they will help us? Even if our friendship with Jehovah strong now-now and we not need to ask the elder dem for help, this article can help us to be grateful for the thing dem Jehovah na do. It will also help us to know what to do the day we need help from the elder dem.

WHAT TIME WE MON ASK THE ELDER DEM FOR HELP?

4. Why we can say da James 5:​14-16, 19, 20 talking about spiritual sickness? (Also see the pictures.)

⁴ The disciple James explain how Jehovah can use the elder dem to help us. He say: “Is there anyone sick among you? Let him call the elders of the congregation.” (Read James 5:​14-16, 19, 20.) The other verse dem in this chapter show da James wor talking about spiritual sickness or when somebody friendship with Jehovah spoil. For example, James not tell the sick person to call the doctor but he say they mon call the elder dem. He also say the sick person can get well when Jehovah forgive their sins. The same thing we can do when we want for the elder dem to help us, da almost the same thing we can do when we feeling sick. For example, when somebody sick they can go to the doctor and tell the doctor what happening to them. Then they can do what the doctor say. Da the same way when we get spiritual sickness we mon go to the elder dem and tell them what happening to us. Then we can follow the advice they will give us from the Bible.

5. How we can know if our friendship with Jehovah getting weak?

⁵ James chapter 5 encourage us to talk with the elder dem when we see da our friendship with Jehovah getting weak. So it good to ask for help before our friendship with God spoil. The Bible warn us da if we not careful, we will be lying to ourself da we get strong friendship with Jehovah when we not get it. (Jas. 1:22) Da the same thing happen to some Christian dem in Sardis. And Jesus tell them da they wor not making Jehovah happy again. (Rev. 3:​1, 2) How we can know if we still get strong friendship with Jehovah? One way da to compare how we feeling about Jehovah now-now to how we wor feeling about him when we just get baptize. (Rev. 2:​4, 5) We can also ask ourself this question dem: ‘I can still enjoy reading the Bible and thinking good-good about it? I can still attend all the meeting? I can still prepare for meeting? I can enjoy going field service the same way I use to enjoy it before? I can still look at money and enjoyment the same way Jehovah look at it?’ If your answer for any of this question dem da no, then it like your friendship with Jehovah getting weak. And if you not do something about it, it will get worse. So we mon ask the elder dem for help if we not able to make our friendship with Jehovah strong on our own or if we na do something da Jehovah not like.

6. Wetin somebody who commit serious sin suppose to do?

⁶ Some sins can be so serious da they can move us from the congregation if we not repent. So if we commit serious sin, we want tell one of the elder dem about it. (1 Cor. 5:​11-13) Anybody who na commit serious sin not able to fix their friendship with Jehovah on their own. So, for Jehovah to forgive our sin we mon show da we really sorry for what we na do. (Acts 26:20) And one way we can do this one da to tell the elder dem da we na commit serious sin.

7. Who them suppose to ask the elder dem for help?

⁷ The elder dem can help people who na commit serious sin and they can also help people who feel da their friendship with Jehovah getting weak. (Acts 20:35) For example, some people can be thinking da it too hard to fight wrong desire. Why? Da because before some of them learn the truth, maybe they use to take drugs, look at naked people picture or video or their hand wor in boyfriend and girlfriend business. So, ask the elder dem to help you. You can talk with one elder who you free with and he will tell you the thing dem you suppose to do to overcome wrong desire. He will also help you to know da you can make Jehovah happy if you continue to obey him. Eccl. 4:12) Maybe you feeling bad because you continue to fight wrong desire. The elder dem will help you to see da the way you ask for help, it mean you really want make Jehovah happy. And it also show da you humble. 1 Cor. 10:12.

8. You think da every mistake we make we mon tell the elder dem? Explain.

⁸ You think da every mistake we make we mon tell the elder dem? No. For example, suppose you say something bad to your brother or sister, or you get vex with them bad way? You not need to tell the elder dem about it. You can just follow Jesus advise and make peace with the person. (Matt. 5:​23, 24) You can also study about some quality dem like mildness, patience, and self-control da will help you in the future when the same thing happen. But if you still finding it hard to solve the problem, you can ask one of the elder dem for help. When Euodia and syntyche wor having problem with each other, Paul ask one brother in the congregation to help them to settle their problem. Da the same way the elder dem in your congregation can help you.—Phil. 4:​2, 3.

WHY WE MON ASK THE ELDER DEM FOR HELP?

9. Why we mon not be shame to ask the elder dem for help? (Proverbs 28:13)

⁹ Faith and courage will help us to be able to ask the elder dem for help when we commit serious sin or when we feel da we not able to fight wrong desire. We mon not be shame to ask the elder dem for help. Why? Because Jehovah na give us the elder dem to help us to continue to get strong friendship with him. So when we ask the elder dem for help, it can show da we trust Jehovah and we want obey him. It also show da we really need his help for us to continue doing the right thing. (Ps. 94:18) And we can be sure da Jehovah will forgive us if we tell the elder dem what we na do and stop doing the bad thing. Read Proverbs 28:13.

10. Wetin can happen if we try to hide our sin?

¹⁰ When we sin and tell the elder dem about it, Jehovah can forgive us and we can get good friendship with him again. But if we try to hide it, our problem can get worse. For example, when King David sin, he try to hide it. And because of da, he wor discourage and he wor not having good friendship with Jehovah again. (Ps. 32:​3-5) When we sick or when we hurt ourself and we not do anything about it, the sickness or the sore will get worse. Da the same way when we sin and we not do anything about it, our problem will get worse. Jehovah not want this one to happen to us. So he say da we mon “set matters straight” by going to the elder dem to help us to get good friendship with him again.—Isa. 1:​5, 6, 18.

11. When we commit serious sin and hide it, how it can affect other people?

¹¹ If we commit serious sin and hide it, it can affect other people too. It can make Jehovah to take some of his spirit from the congregation and it can also disturb the peace the brother and sister dem enjoying. (Eph. 4:30) So, if we know da somebody in the congregation commit serious sin, we mon encourage them to tell the elder dem about it.a When the person not do it, then we ourself mon tell the elder dem. When we not do it, then we too sinning against Jehovah. (Lev. 5:1) Because we love Jehovah, we will tell the elder dem if somebody commit serious sin. When we do this one, we will be protecting the brother and sister dem in the congregation and we will even be helping the person to get good friendship with Jehovah again.

HOW THE ELDER DEM CAN HELP US?

12. How the elder dem can help somebody who friendship with Jehovah not too strong again?

¹² The Bible say da the elder dem mon help people who friendship with Jehovah not too strong again. (1 Thess. 5:14) If you commit sin, the elder dem can ask you some question dem to know how you feeling and what in your heart. (Prov. 20:5) Maybe you shame to talk with the elder dem about what happen. But you can help them if you tell them all the thing da happening to you and what giving you hardtime. Don’t be scare da you will say something da not correct. (Job 6:3) Remember da the elder dem will not be quick to judge you. But they will listen to you good-good so da they can know the whole truth before they give you advice from the Bible. (Prov. 18:13) The elder dem know da it can take time to help somebody who make mistake. So maybe they will talk with you more than one time before they know how to help you.

13. How the elder dem prayer and their advice from the Bible can help us? (Also see the pictures.)

¹³ When you go to the elder dem, they will not make you to feel too bad about what you na do but they will pray for you. Jehovah will listen to their prayer. Because their prayer get power, it will comfort you and give you strength in the way da you wor not even expecting it. They will also help you by “applying oil to [you] in the name of Jehovah.” (Jas. 5:​14-16) This “oil” da the truth from the Bible. So the elder dem will read some Bible verse dem to you da can comfort you, and help you to get good friendship with Jehovah again. (Isa. 57:18) Their advice from the Bible can give you the strength to continue doing what Jehovah want you to do. The elder dem can help you so you can hear Jehovah telling you say: “This is the way. Walk in it.”—Isa. 30:21.

14. According to Galatians 6:​1, how the elder dem can help somebody who take “false step”? (Also see the pictures.)

¹⁴ Read Galatians 6:1. When any Christian take “false step”, he not doing what Jehovah want him to do. This false step can mean da the person not make good decision or they commit serious sin. Because the elder dem love people, they can “try to readjust such a man in a spirit of mildness.” The Greek word they use to translate “readjust” wor also use to talk about the way they can put somebody bone back together when it break. The person who putting the bone back together, can take their own time so the person can’t feel too much pain. Da the same thing the elder dem can do when they helping somebody who commit serious sin, so da the person can’t feel bad too much about theirself. The Bible also tell the elder dem to keep eye on theirself. Da mean, when the elder dem helping somebody, they mon remember da they not perfect and they can make mistake too. They mon not think da they righteous more than the person they trying to help. But they mon be humble and show da they sorry for the person.—1 Pet. 3:8.

15. Wetin we mon do when we get problem?

¹⁵ We mon trust the elder dem. Jehovah na teach the elder dem to not explain people problem to other people and how to give advice from the Bible so they can’t talk their own thing. And they na learn da they suppose to continue helping us to bear our problem dem. (Prov. 11:13; Gal. 6:2) Even though the elder dem get different-different qualities and some of them na stay long being elder and some of them not stay long yet, we can still talk with any of them when we get problem. But we mon not go from elder to elder just because we want one of them to tell us what we want hear. If we do it, we will be just like people who only want for people to tell them what they want hear, instead of what the Bible say. (2 Tim. 4:3) If we explain our problem to any elder, he will first ask us if we na tell different elder about it and what kindna advice da elder give. And because he remember da he not know everything, he will ask his friend elder for advice.—Prov. 13:10.

WETIN EACH OF US SUPPOSE TO DO?

16. Wetin we suppose to do?

¹⁶ Da true, the elder dem can give us advice and help us when we get problem but they will not tell us what to do. Each of us suppose to show to Jehovah da we love him and we want make him happy by what we can say and do. And with Jehovah help we able to make good decisions and continue to be faithful to him. (Rom. 14:12) Da the reason why the elder dem will not tell us what to do. But they can use the Bible to help us understand what Jehovah think about the problem. Then they can leave it with us to make our own decision. So when we follow their advice from the Bible, we will learn how to think like Jehovah and make good decisions.—Heb. 5:14.

17. Wetin we mon try our best to do?

¹⁷ We want tell Jehovah thank you plenty for taking care of us the way good shepherd can take care of his sheep! Jehovah also sent Jesus “the fine shepherd,” to die for us so da we can live forever. (John 10:11) Jehovah also na give us the elder dem to take care of us in the congregation. He fulfil his promise da say: “I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and they will feed you with knowledge and insight.” (Jer. 3:15) So when we feel da our faith getting weak or when we commit sin, we mon not be scare to ask the elder dem for help. Let try our best to benefit good-good from the help da Jehovah giving us through the elder dem.