"THEY WILL CERTAINLY FEED YOU" Chapter 12 :
12) Unlike those false shepherds, Christian overseers study and imitate Jesus' example........ But if you serve as an elder, are you firmly convinced that your instruction can be beneficial and true, reflecting knowledge and insight, only when you base it on God's Word and direction from the faithful and discreet slave class? If you sense that you are not as involved in a personal study program as you were previously, what will you do so that you can continue to be different from the false shepherds of Jeremiah's day?.........In his day, Jeremiah saw the need for the spiritual healing of his people. He asked: "Is there no balsam in Gilead? Or is there no healer there?" (Jer. 8:22)....However, there was no spiritual healing. Why? Jeremiah observed: "The prophets themselves actually prophesy in falsehood; and as for the priests, they go subduing according to their powers. And my own people have loved it that way." (Jer. 5:31) What about today?Can you not agree that there definitely is "balsam in Gilead"-yes, in your congregation? We can liken soothing balsam to the comfort that caring Christian shepherds provide by lovingly directing brothers to Scriptural principles, being upbuilding, and praying for them and with them.-Jas. 5:14, 15.
Elders, base your teachings on the direction from the GB first, and then the Bible. That is the reality, because corporate/organizational procedures supercede the scriptures. Make sure you study ALL the provisions from the GB, otherwise you could be a false shepherd!!
Peace,
DD