Luke 15:4 Has this ever happened in your congregation?

by pleaseresearch 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  pleaseresearch

  Luke 15:4

  New International Version
  

  "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

  
  

  I may be reading into this wrong but... I would love to hear one day of a meeting being put together on the fly because all the elders had to leave 5 minutes before to help a lost sheep (Brother or Sister)

  
  

  I mean how loving would it be. Sure the meeting will be put together by ministerial servants and ordinary publishers, but to know the body of elders did as Luke is saying... I would love to hear that story one day. But we all know that would never happen :)
  
  
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  LevelThePlayingField

  pleaseresearch - I'm going to be the first person here to respond and so "No". The elders in my hall did actually leave the meeting, about 22 years ago and help a brother who was in distress. Yes, it actually happened. A brother, no MS or elder, just a lowly publisher, I knew him personally. He didn't have a lot of time in the ministry because he worked full time as a truck mechanic. He became mentally ill and went into the ER at a local hospital. The local elders dropped everything (three elders) and drove to that hospital and did whatever brother Lopez needed at the time. He was hospitalized for 3 weeks before being released, but yes, to answer your question, in my congregation, those elders missed their parts for that night, the MS's had to take up that responsibility some how, (can't remember how that was done), and took care of brother Lopez.

  Now, here's the thing though. I would bet by the comments that follow, that this experience is very far and few in between...
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  Diogenesister

  [ crickets]
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  Pete Zahut

  "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

  
  I don't think they left 99 sheep to check up on me but after 25 years in the same Hall as a regular attender, service goer, socially popular...the Elders didn't call on me until 3 years after my last meeting (Memorial 2008). An Elder (former close friend) showed up with the Circuit Overseer and said they missed me. (sniff)
  

  You should have seen the C.O's face and the look he gave the Elder when I said " Couldn't have missed me too much....I haven't been to the meeting in 3 years but this is the first time anyone has come to check on me and my phone hasn't exactly been ringing off the wall either".

  I gave him an ear full of what happened to our family and why we left and he looked truly stunned and sorry. After discussing everything for about 30 minutes, he got up to leave and asked me if I'd like the latest issues of the Watchtower and Awake.

  Me: " Are you serious??? After everything I just told you and all we've been through, why would you think I'd ever want to read those magazines again??"

  He and the Elder just skedaddled out the door to the 4 or 5 other sheep they left "unattended" in the car while they checked up on me the "one lost sheep". Haven't heard from anyone again.
  
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  atomant

  Thems elders was probably looking for any excuse to leave the meeting and make themselves look like heros.Atom ants to the rescue.
  
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  millie210

  Seems to me that if this was the true religion, that Levels experience related in his post would be the common one.

  Bible principle = elders.

  Instead it seems to have been an isolated occurrence of 3 men doing the right thing.

  Oh, and they happened to be elders also.
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  Divergent

  No, and thankfully not in my case. I would be insulted if I was labelled a "lost sheep" in the first place! Awake - yes, lost - not at all!!!
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  elbib

  I have seen just the opposite.

  In a wedding feast, when the elders saw one lost sheep (D/F), they created a pandemonium over it, arguing with the host (JW) that that the lost sheep should be asked to leave or else the whole of JW invitees would leave.
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  joe134cd

  Can't say I've seen it. Not that I'm complaining but it's coming up my 3rd anniversary of walking out. Not one elders visit so far.
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  Xanthippe

  How about if they actually put into practice the parable of The Good Samaritan and helped people who are suffering, sick, depressed, instead of being like the one who crosses the road and walks on by leaving the man bleeding in the road.