Olketa Christian Shepherd, ‘Openem Waed Heart Bilong Iufala’!

“JEHOVAH hem Shepherd bilong mi. Mi bae no short long eni samting.” Witim datfala toktok, David talemaot hem barava trustim God. Jehovah leadim hem, long spiritual wei, long “field wea full long grass” and “olketa ples for rest wea garem staka wata,” hem leadim hem “long road bilong raeteous fasin.” Taem olketa enemy raonem hem, David kasem saport and encouragement, wea mekem hem sei long Jehovah: “Mi no fraetem eni nogud samting, bikos iu stap witim mi.” From hem garem barava Haefala Shepherd olsem, David hem disaed strong for “stap insaed long haos bilong Jehovah for olowe.”—Psalm 23:1-6.

Only-born Son bilong God tu feelim loving kea bilong Jehovah, and hem barava followim disfala kea taem hem deal witim olketa disaepol bilong hem taem hem long earth. So Bible tok abaotem hem olsem “disfala gudfala shepherd,” “nambawan shepherd,” and “chief shepherd.”—John 10:11; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 5:2-4.

Jehovah and Jesus Christ go ahed for shepherdim olketa wea lovem tufala. Diswan showaot, lelebet, long wei wea iumi garem olketa anda-shepherd wea waka insaed long kongregeson. Paul tok long olketa anda-shepherd hia taem hem sei: “Lukluk gud long iufala seleva and long evri sheep, wea holy spirit appointim iufala olsem olketa overseer, for shepherdim kongregeson bilong God, wea hem baem finis witim blood bilong Son bilong hem.”—Acts 20:28.

For shepherdim sheep followim example bilong Jehovah and Christ Jesus hem no isi samting, bat hem important distaem winim enitaem bifor. Tingim wan million Witness wea baptaes insaed thrifala year wea just go! Olketa niu wan olsem no garem datfala spiritual savve wea kamaot from planti year long waka. Tingim tu olketa pikinini Witness or olketa wea barava young yet. Olketa needim kea no from dadi and mami nomoa bat from olketa anda-shepherd long kongregeson tu.

Tru tumas, evri Christian feisim hevi from aotsaed, from pipol wea olketa waka and skul witim. Evriwan mas stragol for againstim strongfala test for followim wei bilong world for ova tumas. Long samfala kantri, olketa Kingdom pablisa maet feel wikdaon from wei wea pipol no interest long message bilong olketa. Planti pablisa garem bigfala problem saed long health. Olketa trabol saed long selen maet spoelem interest bilong samfala for lukaotem Kingdom firstaem. For tok stret, iumi evriwan—insaed diswan hem olketa wea longtaem long truth—needim and fit for kasem help bilong olketa loving shepherd.

Stretfala Samting for Muvim Olketa

Olketa first-century Christian kasem kaonsel olsem: ‘Openem waed heart bilong iufala’! (2 Corinthians 6:11-13) Hem gud sapos olketa Christian elder followim disfala advaes for kea for shepherding waka bilong olketa. Hao nao olketa savve duim olsem? And waswe long olketa ministerial servant, wea planti long olketa maet kamap shepherd?

Sapos olketa Christian elder bae kamap blessing long sheep, samting wea muvim olketa hem mas winim feeling bilong duty nomoa. Olketa kasem kaonsel: “Shepherdim sheep bilong God wea iufala lukaftarem, no from eniwan forcem iufala, bat long willing wei; no from love for kasem selen, bat from iufala barava want for duim.” (1 Peter 5:2) So gudfala wei for duim shepherding waka hem minim for willing and barava want for servem olketa narawan. (John 21:15-17) Hem minim for lukim need bilong olketa sheep and for kwik for help. Hem minim for showimaot olketa gudfala Christian fasin, wea iumi kolem olketa frut bilong spirit bilong God, taem iumi deal witim olketa narawan.—Galatians 5:22, 23.

Shepherding maet samtaem minim wei for visitim olketa brata long haos bilong olketa.a Bat olketa shepherd wea ‘openem waed heart bilong olketa’ duim moa samting. Diswan minim olketa duim moa samting winim wei for visit samtaem nomoa. Olketa mekius long evri chance for shepherdim olketa nara sheep tu.

Trainim Olketa Narawan for Kamap Shepherd

Eni brata, nomata hem haomas year, wea “trae for kasem waka bilong overseer, hem aftarem gudfala waka.” (1 Timothy 3:1) Planti ministerial servant showimaot finis olketa willing for trae for kasem moa privilege. So, olketa elder hapi for helpem olketa brata hia for tekem disfala important step for “kasem waka bilong overseer.” Diswan minim for trainim olketa for kamap gudfala shepherd.

Bikos olketa barava followim olketa hae standard bilong God, Christian kongregeson bilong Jehovah nating wikdaon from olketa false shepherd olsem kaen wea Ezekiel 34:2-6 hem storyim. Olketa barava luk nogud long eye bilong Jehovah and barava fitim nao. Olketa shud feedim sheep, bat olketa feedim olketa seleva nomoa. Olketa fail for strongim olketa wea sik, for healim olketa wea wikdaon, for bandagem olketa wea brek, or for helpem bak olketa wea olabaot or wea lus. Olketa duim samting olsem wolf and no shepherd, olketa putim hevi long olketa sheep. Olketa sheep wea olketa no lukaftarem ranawe nao, olketa wakabaot olabaot and no garem eniwan for kea for olketa.—Jeremiah 23:1, 2; Nahum 3:18; Matthew 9:36.

No olsem olketa shepherd wea no faithful, olketa Christian shepherd followim example bilong Jehovah. Olketa help for leadim olketa sheep go long spiritual “field wea full long grass” and “olketa ples for rest wea garem staka wata.” Olketa trae for leadim olketa “long road bilong raeteous fasin” taem olketa helpem olketa for minim gud Word bilong Jehovah and for followim long laef bilong seleva. Olketa savve duim diswan long gudfala wei bikos olketa “fit for teach.”—1 Timothy 3:2.

Planti taem olketa elder teach from platform long taem bilong kongregeson meeting. Nomata olsem, olketa elder teach long man wanwan tu. Hem tru, samfala teach gud winim narawan long wei for tok wanwan long man, bat olketa narawan garem moa savve for givim tok. Bat wei wea man hem no mas gud long wanfala wei for teach hem no minim man hem no fit for kamap wanfala teacher. Olketa elder iusim evri wei wea open long olketa for teach, long taem bilong shepherding tu. Samfala shepherding olketa duim thru long wei for arrangem firstaem. Bat planti shepherding savve kamap long enitaem tu, wea hem barava gud tu.

Olketa Shepherd and Teacher Evritaem

Wanfala doctor needim savve and experience for duim gud waka bilong hem. Bat olketa sikman bilong hem bae tinghae long wei wea hem showimaot kaenfala fasin, feeling for kea, and trufala interest. Olketa fasin hia mas kamap part long wei bilong hem. Semkaen fasin tu mas kamap part long wei bilong wanfala gudfala teacher and shepherd, part long hemseleva evriday. Wanfala trufala teacher bae redy for teachim olketa wea stap raonem hem enitaem need hem stap. Proverbs 15:23 hem sei: “Toktok wea man talem long barava taem bilong hem, hem gud tumas!” Datfala “barava taem” maet hem taem hem tok from platform, taem hem preach from haos tu haos, or taem hem story insaed Kingdom Hall or long telephone. Long sem wei, wanfala gudfala shepherd trae hard for showimaot gudfala fasin for kea evritaem, no long taem bilong shepherding kol nomoa. Bihaen hem ‘openem waed heart bilong hem,’ hem bae iusim gud evri chance for shepherdim olketa sheep, and givim olketa kea wea olketa needim long stretfala taem. Diswan nao mekem sheep for lovem hem.—Mark 10:43.

Wolfgang, wea distaem hem wanfala elder, hem tingim taem wanfala ministerial servant and waef bilong hem visitim famili bilong hem. Hem sei: “Olketa pikinini barava hapi long tufala and naesfala taem wea mifala garem. Olketa still tok abaotem.” Tru nao, disfala ministerial servant showimaot hem kea; hem ‘openem waed heart bilong hem.’

Nara wei for ‘openem waed heart bilong man’ hem for visitim olketa wea sik, sendem wanfala short leta for encouragem olketa, or ringim olketa long telephone—eniting for letem olketa savve hao iu kea! Givim help taem need kamap. Sapos olketa want for tok, lisin gud long olketa. Tok abaotem positive, interesting theocratic waka long lokol kongregeson or long nara ples. Helpem olketa for ting strong long nambawan future wea stap for olketa wea lovem Jehovah.—2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

For Join Witim Shepherding Kol

Taem iumi tingim goal bilong shepherding, hem klia hao wei for visit long haos bilong olketa brata, nomata hem important, hem part nomoa long wanem nao insaed disfala waka. Wanfala loving shepherd ‘openem waed heart bilong hem’ taem hem mekem olketa feel free for story long hem nomata long wea nao hem stap or long wanem taem. Wei for fren gud witim olketa brata wea hem mekem grow bae strongim trust bilong olketa hao nomata long taem bilong trabol, olketa no need for fraetem nogud samting, from olketa savve hao brata bilong olketa, datfala Christian shepherd, hem kea for olketa.—Psalm 23:4.

Tru nao, iufala evri Christian shepherd ‘openem waed heart bilong iufala.’ Showimaot trufala love for olketa brata bilong iufala—encouragem olketa, strongim olketa, buildimap spiritual saed bilong olketa long evri wei wea iu savve duim. Helpem olketa for stap strong long truth. (Colossians 1:23) Taem hem garem planti Christian shepherd wea ‘openem waed heart bilong olketa,’ sheep bae no short long eni samting. Olketa bae disaed strong, olsem David, for stap insaed haos bilong Jehovah for olowe. (Psalm 23:1, 6) Wanem moa bae wanfala loving shepherd hem wantem?

[Footnote]

[Box long page 30]

Olketa Christian Shepherd

• Barava willing for serve

• Feedim and kea for olketa sheep

• Helpem narawan for muv ahed for kamap olketa shepherd

• Visitim olketa sik wan and kea for olketa

• Stanbae for helpem brata bilong olketa long evritaem

[Piksa long page 31]

Nomata long field service, long meeting, or long party,

olketa elder evritaem olsem shepherd