1-2. How the example of apostle Paul fit help elders today?

 APOSTLE Paul love e brothers. E really work hard to care for them. (Acts 20:31) Because of this one, the brothers and sisters love Paul no be small. One time, the elders from Ephesus know say they no go see Paul again. This one make them “start to really cry.” (Acts 20:37) For the same way, our elders de work hard and they love their brothers and sisters no be small. Them de do everything wey they fit do to help them. (Phil. 2:16, 17) But sometimes, no be everything wey elders want do de really easy for them to do. Wetin fit help them for this kind situation?

² This our elders wey de work hard fit think about the example of Paul. (1 Cor. 11:1) Paul no get power like angels. E no dey perfect and sometimes, to do the correct thing no de easy for Paul. (Rom. 7:18-20) And e still face different-different problem for e life. But, Paul no stop to work hard or stop to dey happy. When elders de follow the example wey Paul show, they go continue to serve Jehovah with joy even with the problems wey they get. Now, make we talk about how they go fit do this one.

3. Wetin we go talk about for this article, and which other thing we go learn?

³ For this article, we go talk about four things wey fit no easy for elders to do. They be: (1) to get time for preaching and other work wey they need to do, (2) to care for the brothers and sisters, (3) to still get joy even as them de make mistake, and (4) to work with other people even as the people de make mistake. We go still talk about wetin help Paul and how elders fit follow e example.

4. Sometimes, why e fit hard for elders to show better example for preaching work?

⁴ Why this one fit no easy? Elders get many work wey them de do apart from to be better example for preaching work. For example, many of them de do chairman for Life and Preaching meeting and them de conduct Congregation Bible Study. They fit still de give other talks. Them de do their best to train ministerial servants, and them de glad as them de encourage brothers and sisters. (1 Pet. 5:2) Some elders de join to build and maintain our Kingdom Halls and other buildings wey we de use worship Jehovah. Just like everybody for congregation, the number one work wey elders de do na to preach the good news.—Matt. 28:19, 20.

5. Which example Paul show as person wey de do the preaching work?

⁵ The example of Paul. Philippians 1:10 tell us why Paul succeed for e preaching work. For there, Paul talk say: ‘Make wuna dey sure of wetin dey important pass.’ Paul follow e own advice. E see the preaching work as work from God. And for many years, e take the preaching work as the number one thing for e life. Paul preach “for public and from house to house.” (Acts 20:20) Paul no preach for just one particular time for the day, or for just one particular day for the week. E preach with any chance wey e see! For example, when Paul de wait for e friends for Athens, e preach the good news to one group of important people and some of them listen. (Acts 17:16, 17, 34) Even when Paul dey for “prison” e preach to people wey dey around.—Phil. 1:13, 14; Acts 28:16-24.

6. Wetin Paul train other people to do?

⁶ Paul use e time well. Plenty times, e de invite other people to join-am for the preaching work. For example, the first time wey e travel go different-different place to preach, e carry John Mark. And for the second time, e carry Timothy. (Acts 12:25; 16:1-4) True-true, Paul do e best to teach this men how to arrange things for congregation, how to encourage brothers and sisters, and how to be better teacher.—1 Cor. 4:17.

7. How elders fit do wetin Paul talk for Ephesians 6:14, 15?

⁷ Wetin we learn? Elders fit follow Paul example when them dey ready to use any chance wey they see to preach, no be only to preach from house to house. (Read Ephesians 6:14, 15.) For example, they fit preach when they go buy something for outside, or for their work place. Or when them de help to build Kingdom Hall, they fit preach to people  wey dey around or people wey de sell things for them. Just like Paul, elders fit use the time wey them de spend for preaching to train other brothers and sisters, even ministerial servants.

8. Sometimes, wetin elder fit need to do?

⁸ Elders no suppose dey busy with congregation work or for circuit sotey they no get time to preach. So that they go fit get time to do all other things wey they need to do, they fit no gree accept more work. After they don think and pray about the matter, they fit see say if they accept more work they fit no get time to do other important things wey they need to do. And this things fit be to do their family worship every week, to do their best for the preaching work, or to train their children to preach. E fit hard for some people to talk say they no go accept more work for organization. But make them dey sure say, Jehovah understand say they still need to care for other things well.

9. Wetin fit hard for elders to do because of the plenty work wey they get?

⁹ Why this one fit no easy? Servants of Jehovah de face many problems. For this last days, all of us need encouragement, support, and comfort. And sometimes, some people need encouragement to help them make they no put hand for bad thing. (1 Thess. 5:14) The truth be say, elders no fit remove all the problems wey servants of Jehovah de face for life. Even with that one, Jehovah want make elders do everything wey they fit do to encourage and protect e people. Even though say elders dey busy, how they fit still find time to give the brothers and sisters the help wey they need?

10. Wetin 1 Thessalonians 2:7 talk say Paul do to care for servants of Jehovah?

¹⁰ The example of Paul. Paul always dey ready to praise other people and encourage them. Na good thing make elders follow Paul example to love their brothers and sisters, and dey kind to them. (Read 1 Thessalonians 2:7.) Paul tell e brothers and sisters say e love them and say Jehovah love them too. (2 Cor. 2:4; Eph. 2:4, 5) Paul treat the brothers and sisters for congregation as friends and e spend time with them. E show say e trust them as e tell them the things wey e de worry about, and e mistakes. (2 Cor. 7:5; 1 Tim. 1:15) But Paul no put mind for e own problems. Instead, e want help e brothers.

11. Why Paul give e brothers and sisters correction?

¹¹ Sometimes, Paul need to correct e brothers and sisters. But e no ever do this one because e de vex. E give them correction because e love them and e no want make they enter problem. E try to correct the brothers and sisters for the way e go easy for them to  understand. And e want make they accept the correction. For example, for the letter wey Paul write to the brothers for Corinth, e give them strong correction. After e write that letter, e send Titus to them. Paul really want know how they feel about the letter wey e send. Paul really dey happy when e hear say they accept the correction and they do wetin e talk!—2 Cor. 7:6, 7.

12. How elders fit encourage brothers and sisters?

¹² Wetin we learn? Elders fit follow Paul example when them de spend time with brothers and sisters for congregation. One way to do this one na to come meeting early so that they go fit talk with other people to encourage each other. We no need plenty time to tell our brothers and sisters wetin fit encourage them. (Rom. 1:12; Eph. 5:16) Elder wey de follow Paul example, go still use Bible to make the faith of e brothers and sisters dey strong and make them dey sure say God love them. E still de make sure say the brothers and sisters know say e love them. E de always talk with them and de find chance wey e go use praise them. When elder need to give correction, e go make sure say e follow wetin Bible talk. E go talk-am as e be, but e go still talk-am for kind way. Why? Na because e want make the brother or sister do wetin e talk.—Gal. 6:1.

13. How elder fit feel about e mistake?

¹³ Why this one fit no easy? Elders no dey perfect. Them de make mistake just like every other person. (Rom. 3:23) Sometimes, e no de easy for them to balance the way them de feel about their mistakes. Some fit de worry about their mistake sotey e go make them sad. Other people fit think say their mistake no dey important and say they no need to change anything for their life.

14. With wetin dey Philippians 4:13, as Paul dey humble, how this one help Paul to handle e mistakes?

¹⁴ The example of Paul. Because Paul dey humble, e know say e no go fit handle e own mistake by e self. E need the power wey God de give. Before, Paul really dey harsh for the way e suffer Christians. But after, e understand say the things wey e do dey bad, and e dey ready to change the way e de think and the kind person wey e be. (1 Tim. 1:12-16) With the help from Jehovah, Paul become elder wey get love, wey de feel for people, and wey dey humble. E know say e don do plenty bad things, but e no continue to think about them. Instead, e believe say Jehovah go forgive-am. (Rom. 7:21-25) E no expect say e no go ever do mistake. Instead, e work hard to make the way e de do things as  Christian de better, and e trust say Jehovah go help-am to succeed for e work.—1 Cor. 9:27; read Philippians 4:13.

15. How elders suppose de feel about their mistakes?

¹⁵ Wetin we learn? They no de make person elder because the person no de make mistake. Even with that one, Jehovah expect make they accept their mistake and work hard to make their character de better. (Eph. 4:23, 24) Elder suppose use the thing wey e de study for Bible to check e self and see the things wey e need to change for e life. And Jehovah go help-am to dey happy and be better elder.—Jas. 1:25.

16. Wetin fit happen if elder de put e mind for the mistakes of other people?

¹⁶ Why e fit no easy? As elders de spend plenty time with brothers and sisters for congregation, this one fit make-am easy for the elders to see their mistakes. If elders no dey careful, they fit vex, dey harsh, or no judge their brothers and sisters well. Paul warn Christians say na that kind thing Satan go want make they do.—2 Cor. 2:10, 11.

17. Wetin Paul think about e brothers and sisters?

¹⁷ The example of Paul. Paul de always think better things about e brothers and sisters. E really know their mistakes, because sometimes the things wey they do de affect-am. But Paul know say even if person do bad thing, that one no mean say the person na bad person. Paul love e brothers and sisters and e put e mind for their good character. If e de hard the brothers and sisters to do the correct thing, Paul de choose to think say they want do the correct thing but they just need help to do-am.

18. Wetin you learn from the way Paul help Euodia and Syntyche? (Philippians 4:1-3)

¹⁸ Make we talk about the example of how Paul help two sisters for the congregation for Philippi. (Read Philippians 4:1-3.) Maybe Euodia and Syntyche allow their mistakes to make them quarrel with each other. Paul no dey harsh and e no judge them anyhow. Instead, e put e mind for their fine-fine character. They be faithful sisters wey don hold Jehovah tight for long time. Paul know say Jehovah love them. Because Paul think good things about this sisters, this one move Paul to encourage them to make peace with each other. As Paul de put mind for the better character wey people get, this one help-am to continue to get joy, and continue to get strong friendship with the brothers and sisters for that congregation.

19. (a) Wetin fit make elders de think good things about brothers and sisters? (b) Wetin you fit learn from the picture of the elder wey de clean Kingdom Hall?

¹⁹ Wetin we learn? Elders, make wuna try to see the better character wey wuna brothers  and sisters get. Each person de make mistake, but each person get character wey we fit like. (Phil. 2:3) The truth be say, sometimes elders fit need to correct the way brother or sister de think. But like Paul, make elders try hard so that they no go de put their mind for the thing wey person talk or do wey no good. Instead, e go better make they put their mind for the way the person love Jehovah, the way e de endure as e de serve Jehovah, and the good things wey the person fit do. Elders wey de put their mind for the better character them wey other people get, go help their brothers and sisters to feel the love wey dey the congregation.

20. How elders fit continue to gain from the example of Paul?

²⁰ Elders, wuna go gain if wuna continue to study the example of Paul. For example, for Watch Tower Publications Index, you fit search for the topic wey be “Paul” and the small topic wey be “example for elders.” As you de read some of the things wey they write for there, ask yourself say: ‘How the example of Paul fit help me to continue to get joy as I de do my work well as elder?’

21. Wetin elders fit dey sure of?

²¹ Elders, make wuna remember say Jehovah no talk say make wuna dey perfect, but e say make wuna de do wetin e want. (1 Cor. 4:2) Jehovah de glad with the hard work wey Paul do and the way e hold-am tight. You fit dey sure say Jehovah still dey happy with the work wey you de do for e service. Jehovah no go ever ‘forget the things wey you don do and the love wey you show for e name as you help the holy ones and still de help them.’—Heb. 6:10.