📖 Matendo ya Mitume — Somo la Kina — Sehemu ya 7: Kutoka Mwito wa Makedonia hadi Kilima cha Mars (Matendo 16:6–18:22)📖 Acts Intensive — Unit 7: Macedonian Call to Mars Hill (Acts 16:6–18:22)

I. Milango Iliyofungwa na Maono Yaliyo WaziI. Closed Doors and an Open Vision

Safari ya pili ya kimisionari inaanza kwa mfululizo wa milango iliyofungwa. Paulo na Sila, pamoja na Timotheo aliyejiunga nao, walisafiri kuelekea magharibi kupitia nyanda za juu za Asia Ndogo. Walikuwa wakijaribu kuhubiri katika jimbo la Asia — eneo la pwani ya magharibi lenye miji kama Efeso, Pergamo, na Smirna. Luka anasema kwa urahisi tu, "wakiisha kukatazwa na Roho Mtakatifu wasilihubiri lile neno katika Asia" (Matendo 16:6, SUV). Wakageuka kuelekea kaskazini, Bithinia. "Roho hakuwaruhusu" (Matendo 16:7, SUV). Milango miwili ilifungwa kwa nguvu, nao wakajikuta katika bandari ya Troa bila mpango wowote na, kwa jinsi ilivyoonekana, bila uongozi wowote.The second missionary journey begins with a series of closed doors. Paul and Silas, joined by Timothy, traveled west across the high country of Asia Minor. They were trying to preach in the province of Asia — the western coastal region with cities like Ephesus, Pergamum, and Smyrna. Luke says simply, "They were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia" (Acts 16:6, NKJV). They turned north to Bithynia. "The Spirit did not permit them" (Acts 16:7, NKJV). Two doors slammed shut, and they ended up at the port of Troas with no plan and apparently no guidance.

Nataka tusimame kidogo kwenye milango hiyo miwili iliyofungwa. Baadhi ya watu wacha Mungu kuliko wote katika historia ya kanisa wamesimama hasa kwenye njia panda kama hiyo. Walikuwa na uhakika wa mwito wao. Walikuwa na uhakika wa Injili. Walikuwa wamelipa gharama ili kufika hapo walipofika. Na Roho akasema hapana. Baadhi yenu mnaosoma haya mmeketi katika Troa yenu wenyewe usiku huu, mkijiuliza kwa nini kila mlango mliouegemea umebaki umefungwa. Endelea kusoma. Katika Matendo, milango iliyofungwa kwa kawaida ni maandalizi ya milango mikubwa zaidi. Bwana alikuwa akimwongoza Paulo mbali na bara moja na kumwelekeza kwenye bara jingine. Yale mara mbili ya "hapana" yalikuwa njia ya Bwana ya kuleta "ndiyo" moja mezani.I want to stop on those two closed doors. Some of the godliest men in church history have stood at exactly that crossroads. They were sure of the call. They were sure of the gospel. They had paid the price to come this far. And the Spirit said no. Some of you reading this are sitting at your own Troas tonight, wondering why every door you have leaned into has held shut. Read on. Closed doors in Acts are usually setups for bigger ones. The Lord was steering Paul away from a continent and toward a continent. The two no's were the Lord's way of getting one yes onto the table.

Usiku ule mtu mmoja wa Makedonia alisimama mbele ya Paulo katika maono akimsihi, "Vuka, uje Makedonia, utusaidie" (Matendo 16:9, SUV). Angalia neno mara katika mstari unaofuata. "Basi alipokwisha kuyaona maono hayo, mara tukataka kutoka kwenda Makedonia" (Matendo 16:10, SUV). Angalia pia kiwakilishi sisi ("tukataka"). Hadi hapa Luka ameandika wao. Kuanzia Troa na kuendelea, Luka yumo katika kikundi. Tabibu kutoka Antiokia — mtu anayeandika Injili ya Luka na kitabu cha Matendo — anajiunga na kikundi cha wamisionari huko Troa, na Bwana anapata mwanahistoria wake mwenyewe ndani ya mashua. Injili ilikuwa karibu kuvuka kutoka Asia na kukanyaga ardhi ya Ulaya kwa mara ya kwanza, na mtu ambaye angeandika kumbukumbu yake alikuwa akienda pamoja nao ili aandike yaliyotokea.That night a man of Macedonia stood before Paul in a vision and pleaded, "Come over to Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9, NKJV). Notice the word immediately in the next verse. "Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia" (Acts 16:10, NKJV). Notice also the pronoun we. Up until this point Luke has written they. From Troas onward Luke is on the team. The physician from Antioch — the man writing the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts — joins the missionary party at Troas, and the Lord ends up with His own historian on the boat. The gospel was about to step from Asia onto European soil for the first time, and the man who would write the record was going along to take notes.

II. Lidia, Kijakazi, na Tetemeko la ArdhiII. Lydia, a Slave Girl, and an Earthquake

Paulo na wenzake walishuka Neapoli, kisha wakatembea kuelekea bara hadi Filipi, koloni la Kirumi katika Makedonia. Filipi haikuwa na sinagogi — hapakuwa hata na wanaume Wayahudi kumi mjini. Kwa hiyo siku ya sabato wamisionari walishuka kando ya mto nje ya lango la mji, ambapo, kwa jinsi ilivyoonekana, palikuwa na mahali pa kusali pa kikundi kidogo cha wanawake wamchao Mungu. Hapo Paulo alikutana na mwongofu wa kwanza wa Ulaya katika historia ya kanisa. "Na mwanamke mmoja, jina lake Lidia, mwenye kuuza rangi ya zambarau, wa mji wa Thiatira, mtu amchaye Mungu, akatusikiliza; ambaye Bwana alimfungua moyo wake, ayaangalie maneno yaliyonenwa na Paulo" (Matendo 16:14, SUV). Soma kiwakilishi hicho. Bwana alimfungua moyo wake. Lidia hakuufungua moyo wake mwenyewe kwa juhudi zake. Alimsikia Paulo akihubiri, na Bwana akafanya kazi ile ya upasuaji ndani ya kifua chake. Mstari huu unasisitiza waziwazi hatua ya neema ya Mungu iliyotangulia katika itikio la Lidia. Wakristo wa mapokeo ya Kireformed (Wakalvini) na Waarminia wanaeleza kwa njia tofauti uhusiano kati ya hatua hiyo ya Mungu na itikio la mwanadamu, lakini wote wanapaswa kuuacha msisitizo wa Luka usimame: Bwana alimfungua moyo wake ili aiangalie Injili. Alibatizwa pamoja na nyumba yake, naye akasisitiza kuwakaribisha Paulo, Sila, Timotheo, na Luka nyumbani kwake. Kanisa la Ulaya lilizaliwa nyumbani mwa Lidia.Paul and his party landed at Neapolis and walked inland to Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia. Philippi had no synagogue — there were not even ten Jewish men in town. So on the Sabbath the missionaries went down to the riverside outside the city gate, where there was apparently a place of prayer for a small group of God-fearing women. There Paul met the first European convert in church history. "Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul" (Acts 16:14, NKJV). Read that pronoun. The Lord opened her heart. Lydia did not pry her own heart open with effort. She heard Paul preach, and the Lord did the surgical work inside her chest. The verse plainly emphasizes God’s gracious initiative in Lydia’s response. Reformed and Arminian Christians explain the relationship between that divine initiative and the human response differently, but both should allow Luke’s emphasis to stand: the Lord opened her heart to heed the gospel. She was baptized with her household, and she insisted on hosting Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke in her home. The European church was born in Lydia's house.

Upinzani wa kwanza ulikuja kutoka mahali pasipotarajiwa. Paulo na wenzake walipokuwa wakienda mahali pa kusali, kijakazi mmoja mwenye pepo wa uaguzi — pepo wa chatu, Luka anamwita, pepo yule yule aliyedhaniwa kukaa katika chumba maarufu cha uaguzi (orakli) cha Delfi — aliwafuata kwa siku nyingi, akipiga kelele, "Watu hawa ni watumishi wa Mungu Aliye juu, wanaowahubiri ninyi njia ya wokovu" (Matendo 16:17, SUV). Alikuwa akisema kweli. Hilo ndilo lililokuwa tatizo. Pepo yule yule aliyekuwa akinena kupitia Pithia huko Delfi kwa karne nyingi sasa alikuwa akiwapa wamisionari Wakristo kibali chake, na Paulo, hatimaye akiwa amechoshwa, aligeuka akamwambia pepo yule moja kwa moja, "Nakuamuru kwa jina la Yesu Kristo umtoke" (Matendo 16:18, SUV). Naye akatoka. Chanzo cha mapato cha mabwana zake kikatoweka ghafla. Paulo na Sila waliburutwa mbele ya mahakimu, wakapigwa kwa fimbo, na kutupwa katika gereza la ndani, miguu yao ikiwa imefungwa kwa mkatale.The first opposition came from an unexpected source. As Paul and his party went out to pray, a slave girl with a spirit of divination — a python spirit, Luke calls it, the same spirit that was thought to inhabit the famous oracle of Delphi — followed them around for many days, shouting, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17, NKJV). She was telling the truth. That was the problem. The same demonic spirit that had spoken through Pythia at Delphi for centuries was now putting its endorsement on the Christian missionaries, and Paul, finally exasperated, turned and addressed the spirit directly. "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her" (Acts 16:18, NKJV). And it came out. Her masters' meal ticket was suddenly gone. Paul and Silas were dragged before the magistrates, beaten with rods, and thrown into the inner prison with their feet in stocks.

Soma sentensi inayofuata kwa makini. "Lakini usiku wa manane Paulo na Sila walikuwa wakiomba na kumwimbia Mungu nyimbo za kumsifu, na wafungwa wengine walikuwa wakiwasikiliza" (Matendo 16:25, SUV). Migongo yao ilikuwa imeharibika na kutapakaa damu. Miguu yao ilikuwa imefungwa kwenye mkatale wa mbao. Walikuwa wamepigwa kwa fimbo za Kirumi, kinyume na haki zao za uraia, bila kesi yoyote. Kwa kila kipimo cha kibinadamu walikuwa na haki yote ya kuwalaani mahakimu, kuwalaani mabwana wa yule kijakazi, na kujilaani wenyewe kwa kuondoka Antiokia hapo mwanzo. Badala yake, usiku wa manane, katika gereza la ndani, Paulo na Sila walianza kuimba.Read the next sentence carefully. "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" (Acts 16:25, NKJV). Their backs were a bloody mess. Their feet were locked in wooden stocks. They had been beaten with Roman rods, in violation of their citizenship, without a trial. By every human reckoning they had every right to be cursing the magistrates, cursing the slave girl's owners, cursing themselves for ever leaving Antioch. Instead, at midnight, in the inner prison, Paul and Silas began to sing.

III. Nyuzi Tatu za FidlaIII. Three Strings on a Violin

Nataka kukusimulia hadithi ambayo imekaa nami tangu nilipoisikia. Usiku wa tarehe 18 Novemba 1995, Itzhak Perlman, mpiga fidla mashuhuri, alipanda jukwaani kutoa tamasha katika ukumbi wa Avery Fisher Hall, jijini New York. Perlman alipatwa na ugonjwa wa polio alipokuwa mtoto. Ana vyuma vya kushikilia miguu yote miwili na hutembea kwa magongo mawili. Kumtazama akivuka jukwaa ni jambo la kuvutia lenyewe — polepole, kwa maumivu, kwa heshima. Anafika kwenye kiti chake, anaketi kwa uangalifu, analaza magongo yake sakafuni, anafungua vibanio vya miguu yake, anarudisha mguu mmoja nyuma, ananyoosha mwingine mbele, na hapo tu ndipo anaichukua fidla. Wasikilizaji usiku ule waliketi kwa heshima kubwa wakati alipokuwa akijongea na kujiandaa.I want to tell you a story that has stayed with me ever since I heard it. On the night of November 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the great violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. Perlman had been struck with polio as a child. He has braces on both legs and walks with two crutches. To watch him cross the stage is itself a sight — slow, painful, dignified. He reaches his chair, sits down carefully, lays his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs, tucks one foot back, extends the other forward, and only then picks up the violin. The audience that night sat reverently while he made his way and got himself ready.

Kisha akaanza kupiga. Alikuwa amemaliza mistari michache ya kwanza ya muziki wakati uzi mmoja wa fidla yake ulipokatika. Sauti ya kukatika kwake ilivuma ukumbini kama mlio wa risasi. Hapakuwa na shaka yoyote ni nini kilichotokea. Wasikilizaji walitazamia jambo lililo wazi — kwamba Perlman angefunga tena vibanio vya miguu yake, angechukua magongo, na kuchechemea kutoka jukwaani kwenda kutafuta fidla nyingine. Hakufanya hivyo. Aliketi pale kwa muda akiwa amefumba macho. Kisha akamwashiria kiongozi wa okestra aanze tena. Okestra ilianza, na Itzhak Perlman akaupanga upya wimbo ule kichwani mwake na kupiga tamasha zima (concerto) kwa nyuzi tatu.Then he began to play. He had finished the first few bars when one of the strings on his violin broke. The sound of it snapping went off in the hall like gunfire. There was no mistaking what it was. The audience expected the obvious — Perlman would put the clasps back on his legs, pick up the crutches, and limp his way off stage to find another violin. He didn't. He sat there a moment with his eyes closed. Then he signaled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra started, and Itzhak Perlman recomposed the piece in his head and played the entire concerto on three strings.

Yeyote anayeifahamu fidla anajua kwamba jambo hilo haliwezekani. Perlman alijua haliwezekani. Wasikilizaji walijua haliwezekani. Lakini usiku ule Perlman alikataa kulijua. Ungeweza kumwona akibadilisha sauti, akigeuza, akizirekebisha nyuzi alipokuwa akipiga, akipata kutoka kwa nyuzi zile tatu sauti ambazo hazijawahi kuwepo ndani yake. Alipomaliza palikuwa na ukimya mrefu ukumbini, kisha ukumbi wote ukalipuka kwa makofi. Perlman aliinua upinde wake ili kutuliza ukumbi, akasema kwa sauti ya chini, "Mnajua, wakati mwingine ni kazi ya msanii kugundua ni muziki kiasi gani bado unaweza kuutengeneza kwa kile kilichokubakia."Anyone who knows the violin knows that is impossible. Perlman knew it was impossible. The audience knew it was impossible. But that night Perlman refused to know it. You could watch him modulating, changing, retuning the strings as he played, finding sounds in those three strings that had never been there before. When he finished there was a long silence in the hall, and then the place came apart with applause. Perlman raised his bow to quiet the room and said quietly, "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."

Hiyo ndiyo mahubiri ya Matendo 16:25. Paulo na Sila walikuwa wamebakiwa na nyuzi tatu. Migongo yao ilikuwa uzi mmoja. Matumaini yao ya huduma yenye mafanikio huko Ulaya yalionekana kama uzi mwingine. Uhuru wao ulikuwa wa tatu. Nyuzi tatu ndizo zote walizokuwa nazo. Nao wakatengeneza muziki kwa kile kilichowabakia. Nchi ikatetemeka kuwajibu. Milango ya gereza ikafunguka. Minyororo ikaanguka kutoka kwa kila mfungwa. Mlinzi wa gereza, akihofia maisha yake, akauchomoa upanga wake ili ajiue. Paulo akapaza sauti, "Usijidhuru, maana sisi sote tupo hapa" (Matendo 16:28, SUV). Mlinzi akaingia mbio, akaanguka akitetemeka, akawaleta nje, na akauliza swali ambalo kila mhubiri husubiri maisha yake yote kuulizwa: "Bwana zangu, yanipasa nini nifanye nipate kuokoka?" (Matendo 16:30, SUV). Paulo akatoa jibu rahisi kuliko yote katika Agano Jipya. "Mwamini Bwana Yesu, nawe utaokoka pamoja na nyumba yako" (Matendo 16:31, SUV). Mlinzi akawaosha majeraha yao. Wakamhubiri neno yeye na nyumba yake yote. Nyumba yote ikabatizwa saa ile ile. Mtu ambaye alikuwa karibu kujiangukia upanga wake sasa alikuwa akiandaa chakula cha usiku wa manane kwa ajili ya watu aliokuwa amewafunga kwenye mkatale.That is the sermon of Acts 16:25. Paul and Silas were down to three strings. Their backs were one. Their hopes for a successful European mission looked like another. Their freedom was the third. Three strings was all they had. And they made music with what they had left. The earth shook in answer. The prison doors were thrown open. The chains fell off every prisoner. The jailer, fearing for his life, drew his sword to kill himself. Paul shouted, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here" (Acts 16:28, NKJV). The jailer rushed in, fell down trembling, brought them out, and asked the question every preacher waits a lifetime to be asked: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30, NKJV). Paul gave the simplest answer in the New Testament. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:31, NKJV). The jailer washed their wounds. They preached the word to his whole house. The whole house was baptized that same hour. The man who had been about to fall on his sword was setting out a midnight meal for the men he had locked in stocks.

Rafiki, kila mtu anayesoma somo hili atapoteza uzi mahali fulani njiani. Milton alipofuka macho akaandika shairi lake kuu kabisa baada ya kushindwa kuona. Beethoven alipoteza uwezo wa kusikia akatunga Simfoni ya Tisa baada ya kushindwa kuisikia okestra ikiipiga. Pasteur alipooza akiwa na umri wa miaka arobaini na sita na akagundua tiba ya kichaa cha mbwa baada ya kupatwa na kiharusi. Helen Keller alikuwa kiziwi, kipofu, na asiyeweza kusema — na baadaye akatoa mihadhara katika mabara matano. Msalaba ulionekana kama kushindwa kwa wanafunzi. Ulionekana kama kushindwa kwa ulimwengu. Bila shaka ulijisikia kama kushindwa kwa Yesu. Mungu akaufanya kuwa ushindi wake mkuu kabisa. Uzi wako unapokatika, usiite huo kuwa mwisho wa muziki. Mtunzi wa muziki bado yumo katika shimo la okestra, naye amekuwa akitunga nyimbo za nyuzi tatu tangu Kalvari.Friend, every person reading this lecture is going to lose a string somewhere along the way. Milton went blind and wrote his greatest poem after he could not see. Beethoven lost his hearing and composed the Ninth Symphony after he could not hear the orchestra play it. Pasteur was a paralytic at forty-six and found the cure for rabies after a stroke. Helen Keller was deaf, blind, and unable to speak — and went on to lecture on five continents. The cross looked like defeat to the disciples. It looked like defeat to the world. It must have felt like defeat to Jesus. God made it His greatest victory. When your string snaps, do not call it the end of the music. The Author of the score is still in the orchestra pit, and He has been writing pieces for three strings since Calvary.

IV. Thesalonike na BeroyaIV. Thessalonica and Berea

Asubuhi baada ya tetemeko, mahakimu walituma ujumbe wafungwa waachiliwe. Paulo, ambaye hadi wakati huo hakuwa ametumia uraia wake wa Kirumi, ghafla akautaja. "Wametupiga hadharani bila kutuhukumu, na sisi tu Warumi, wakatutupa gerezani; na sasa wanatutoa kwa siri? Sivyo hivyo! Na waje wenyewe watutoe" (Matendo 16:37, SUV). Mahakimu, waliposikia neno Warumi, walikuja wenyewe kuomba radhi. Paulo na Sila waliondoka mjini heshima yao ikiwa salama, na kanisa la Filipi likiwa limepandwa nyumbani mwa Lidia. Kwa njia, Luka alibaki nyuma huko Filipi kwa miaka kadhaa — neno sisi linalofuata katika Matendo halitaonekana mpaka Matendo 20.The morning after the earthquake the magistrates sent word to release the prisoners. Paul, who had not used his Roman citizenship until now, suddenly produced it. "They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out" (Acts 16:37, NKJV). The magistrates, when they heard the word Roman, came to apologize personally. Paul and Silas left town with their dignity intact and the Philippian church planted in Lydia's house. Luke, by the way, stayed behind in Philippi for several years — the next we in Acts will not show up until Acts 20.

Paulo, Sila, na Timotheo walisafiri kuelekea magharibi kwa Njia ya Egnatia hadi Thesalonike. Sabato tatu katika sinagogi, wakihojiana nao kutoka katika Maandiko, wakifunua na kueleza jinsi ilivyompasa Kristo kuteswa na kufufuka katika wafu, na wengi wakaamini — wakiwemo Wayunani wengi sana waliomcha Mungu na wanawake wa vyeo si wachache. Wayahudi wasioamini walichochea kundi la watu, wakamburuta Yasoni (mwenyeji wa Paulo) mbele ya wakuu wa mji, na wakatumia maneno ambayo huenda ndiyo sifa kuu kuliko zote iliyowahi kutolewa kwa kanisa la kwanza. "Watu hawa waliopindua ulimwengu wamefika huku nako" (Matendo 17:6, SUV). Ndugu zangu, malalamiko hayo hayo na yafunguliwe dhidi yetu pia.Paul, Silas, and Timothy traveled west on the Egnatian Way to Thessalonica. Three Sabbaths in the synagogue, reasoning from the Scriptures, opening and explaining how Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and many believed — including a great many devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. The unbelieving Jews stirred up a mob, dragged Jason (Paul's host) before the city rulers, and used the line that may be the highest compliment ever paid to the early church. "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too" (Acts 17:6, NKJV). Brothers, may the same complaint be filed against us.

Baada ya kufukuzwa kutoka Thesalonike usiku, wamisionari walisafiri hadi Beroya. Watu wa Beroya walikuwa na tabia tofauti. "Watu hawa walikuwa waungwana kuliko wale wa Thesalonike, kwa kuwa walilipokea lile neno kwa uelekevu wa moyo, wakayachunguza maandiko kila siku, waone kwamba mambo hayo ndivyo yalivyo" (Matendo 17:11, SUV). Ningependa kuandika Matendo 17:11 juu ya kila mlango wa shule ya Jumapili katika kila kusanyiko nchini Meksiko. Watu wa Beroya walimsikia Paulo, wakayapeleka maneno hayo nyumbani, wakaenda kwenye Maandiko wakiwa wamefungua Biblia zao ili kuyapima yale aliyosema mtume. Hawakuwa wepesi wa kudanganyika, wala hawakuwa wenye mashaka ya dharau. Walikuwa wanafunzi. Alama ya kanisa la Kiberoya si kwamba hukubali neno la kila mhubiri kana kwamba ni Injili; bali ni kwamba hulipima neno la kila mhubiri kwa Injili. Wengi waliamini huko Beroya — mpaka lile kundi lile lile la wafanya fujo kutoka Thesalonike lilipofika kuchochea ghasia huko pia. Ndugu wakampandisha Paulo mashua kwenda Athene.Run out of Thessalonica by night, the missionaries traveled to Berea. The Bereans were of a different temperament. "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11, NKJV). I want to print Acts 17:11 over every Sunday school door in every congregation in Mexico. The Bereans heard Paul, took it home, and went to the Scriptures with open Bibles to test what the apostle had said. They were not gullible and they were not cynical. They were students. The mark of a Berean church is not that it accepts every preacher's word as gospel; it is that it tests every preacher's word against the gospel. Many believed at Berea — until the same Thessalonian rabble showed up to stir up trouble there too. The brothers got Paul on a boat for Athens.

V. Mtu wa Maono katika Mji wa SanamuV. The Man of Vision in a City of Idols

Athene. Mji mkuu wa kielimu wa ulimwengu wa kale. Miaka mia tano baada ya Sokrates na Plato kujadiliana katika mitaa ile, semina za kifalsafa zilikuwa bado zikiendelea kila alasiri sokoni. Na Paulo alipokuwa akiwasubiri Sila na Timotheo wamfikie, alitembea katika mji, na Luka anatupa sentensi ambayo inapaswa kumsumbua kila Mkristo anayesafiri. "roho yake ikachukizwa ndani yake alipoona mji umejaa sanamu" (Matendo 17:16, SUV). Kigiriki kinasema roho yake ilipatwa na paroxysmos — chimbuko lile lile la neno la ule ugomvi na Barnaba, isipokuwa safari hii shabaha ilikuwa ibada ya sanamu. Athene ilikuwa imeitwa mji wa kidini kuliko yote duniani. Mwandishi wa kejeli wa Kirumi Petronius alitania kwamba eneo lake mwenyewe la Italia lilikuwa limejaa miungu kiasi kwamba ilikuwa rahisi kukutana na mungu kuliko kukutana na mtu; Athene ingeweza kujivuna vivyo hivyo. Palikuwa na sanamu za Apolo, mungu wa nuru. Sanamu za Bakus, mungu wa divai. Sanamu za Afrodite, mungu mke wa mapenzi. Sanamu za Mars, mungu wa vita. Na, ili tu wawe salama, katika mitaa iliyo chini ya Akropoli, madhabahu iliyoandikwa Kwa Mungu Asiyejulikana — hawakutaka kumwacha mungu yeyote nje ya orodha na kumkosea.Athens. The intellectual capital of the ancient world. Five hundred years after Socrates and Plato had argued in those streets, the philosophical seminars were still going on every afternoon in the marketplace. And while Paul waited for Silas and Timothy to catch up with him, he walked through the city, and Luke gives us a sentence that should haunt every Christian who travels. "His spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols" (Acts 17:16, NKJV). The Greek says he was paroxysmed — same root as the disagreement with Barnabas, except this time the target was idolatry. Athens had been called the most religious city in the world. The Roman satirist Petronius joked that his own corner of Italy was so full of gods that it was easier to meet one than a man; Athens could have made the same boast. There were statues for Apollo, the god of light. Statues for Bacchus, the god of wine. Statues for Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Statues for Mars, the god of war. And, just to be safe, in the streets below the Acropolis, an altar inscribed To the Unknown God — they had not wanted to leave any deity off the list and offend it.

Paulo alihubiri katika sinagogi, kisha sokoni kila siku pamoja na yeyote aliyekuwa tayari kusikiliza. Wanafalsafa Wastoiki na Waepikureo walimsikia wakamdhihaki. "Je! Mpayukaji huyu anataka kusema nini?" (Matendo 17:18, SUV). Neno la Kigiriki lililotafsiriwa mpayukaji kwa maana yake halisi ni mwokota mbegu — neno la mtaani kwa ajili ya ombaomba anayechakura sokoni akiokota mabaki ya chakula yaliyoanguka. Walikuwa wakimwita Paulo mtu asiye na makao ya kielimu, mtu aliyeokota mawazo machache yaliyotawanyika na kujaribu kuyaunganisha kuwa dini. Shutuma hiyo hiyo huelekezwa kwa wahubiri waaminifu katika kila karne. Ipokee kama sifa.Paul preached in the synagogue, then in the marketplace daily with whoever would listen. The Stoic and Epicurean philosophers heard him and sneered. "What does this babbler want to say?" (Acts 17:18, NKJV). The Greek word translated babbler literally means seed-picker — a slang term for a beggar who scratches around the marketplace picking up dropped scraps of food. They were calling Paul intellectually homeless, a man who had picked up a few stray ideas and was trying to assemble them into a religion. The same accusation gets thrown at faithful preachers in every century. Take it as a compliment.

Walimpandisha hadi Areopago — Kilima cha Mars, jabali lililochomoza ambapo baraza la mji lilikutana chini ya anga wazi. Paulo alisimama katikati yake akatoa mojawapo ya mahubiri yaliyotungwa kwa uangalifu mkubwa kuliko yote katika historia ya wanadamu. "Enyi watu wa Athene, katika mambo yote naona ya kuwa ninyi ni watu wa kidini sana. Kwa maana nilipokuwa nikipita na kuviangalia vitu vyenu mnavyoviabudu, naliona madhabahu moja iliyoandikwa, KWA MUNGU ASIYEJULIKANA. Basi, yeye mnayemwabudu bila kumjua, huyo ndiye ninayewahubiri ninyi" (Matendo 17:22–23, SUV). Paulo alianzia pale walipokuwa. Alitumia maandishi ya madhabahu yao wenyewe, washairi wao wenyewe, makundi yao wenyewe ya mawazo. Alimhubiri yule Mungu asiyejulikana waliyekuwa wakimkisia. Aliwaambia kwamba Mungu huyu aliumba ulimwengu na vitu vyote vilivyomo. Aliwaambia kwamba Mungu huyu hakai katika mahekalu yaliyojengwa kwa mikono. Aliwaambia kwamba Mungu huyu aliweka nyakati na mipaka ya kila taifa ili wapate kumtafuta na kumwona. Aliwaambia kwamba Mungu huyu ameweka siku atakayouhukumu ulimwengu kwa mtu yule aliyemfufua katika wafu.They brought him up to the Areopagus — Mars Hill, the rocky outcropping where the city council met under the open sky. Paul stood in the middle of it and gave one of the most carefully crafted sermons in human history. "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you" (Acts 17:22–23, NKJV). Paul started where they were. He used their own altar inscription, their own poets, their own categories. He preached the unknown God they had been guessing at. He told them this God had made the world and everything in it. He told them this God did not dwell in temples made with hands. He told them this God had set the times and boundaries of every nation so that they might seek Him and find Him. He told them this God had appointed a day on which He will judge the world by a Man whom He raised from the dead.

Alipotaja ufufuo, wasikilizaji waligawanyika kwa njia tatu. Wengine walifanya dhihaka. Wengine walisema, "Tutakusikiliza tena katika habari hii" (Matendo 17:32, SUV) — itikio hatari kuliko yote, kwa sababu ni "hapana" ya adabu. Na wengine waliamini — akiwemo mjumbe wa baraza aitwaye Dionisio Mwareopago, mwanamke aitwaye Damari, na wengineo. Athene haikuona uamsho mkubwa. Paulo hakuhubiri huko mara ya pili. Lakini wale wachache walioamini walikuwa mbegu ya kanisa la Ugiriki. Bwana hakuipima huduma ile kwa ukubwa wa umati. Aliipima kwa uaminifu wa mhubiri.At the resurrection the audience split three ways. Some mocked. Some said, "We will hear you again on this matter" (Acts 17:32, NKJV) — the most dangerous response of all, because it is a polite no. And some believed — including a member of the council named Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others. Athens did not see a great revival. Paul did not preach there a second time. But the few who believed were the seed of the Greek church. The Lord did not measure that ministry by the size of the crowd. He measured it by the faithfulness of the preacher.

VI. Miezi Kumi na Minane KorinthoVI. Eighteen Months at Corinth

Paulo aliondoka Athene akasafiri maili hamsini (kilomita 80 hivi) kuelekea magharibi hadi Korintho — mji wa bandari, mji wa mabaharia, mrithi wa sifa mbaya ya zamani: Korintho ya Kigiriki, iliyoangamizwa na Roma karne mbili kabla, ilikuwa imejulikana, Strabo anasema, kwa hekalu la Afrodite lenye makahaba elfu moja wa ibada. Kitenzi cha Kigiriki kukorintisha kilimaanisha kuishi maisha ya uchafu wa kimaadili kama mfereji wa maji machafu. Ikiwa Athene ilikuwa mji mkuu wa kielimu wa ulimwengu, Korintho ilikuwa mtaa wake wa uasherati. Paulo aliwasili Korintho, kama alivyokiri mwenyewe baadaye, katika hofu na kutetemeka sana. Alikaa miezi kumi na minane.Paul left Athens and traveled fifty miles west to Corinth — a port city, a sailor's town, heir to an old reputation: Greek Corinth, destroyed by Rome two centuries earlier, had been famous, Strabo says, for a temple of Aphrodite with a thousand cult prostitutes. To Corinthianize a verb in Greek meant to live like a moral sewer. If Athens was the intellectual capital of the world, Corinth was its red-light district. Paul arrived in Corinth, by his own later admission, in fear and much trembling. He stayed eighteen months.

Huko Korintho Paulo alikutana na marafiki wawili wa muhimu sana kimkakati kuliko wote aliowahi kuwapata. Akila na Prisila — wakimbizi Wayahudi waliokuwa wamefukuzwa kutoka Roma kwa amri ya mfalme Klaudio dhidi ya Wayahudi — walikuwa na biashara ya kushona mahema. Paulo, naye akiwa mshona mahema kwa kazi yake, aliungana nao, na wote watatu wakafanya kazi bega kwa bega wakishona ngozi na turubai ya manyoya ya mbuzi, huku mtume akihubiri kila sabato. Angalia mfano huu wa kazi. Mwanatheolojia mkuu kuliko wote katika historia ya kanisa alijipatia riziki kwa mikono yake ili asiwe mzigo wa kifedha kwa makanisa machanga. Paulo atautaja mfano huo miaka mingi baadaye anapowaambia wazee wa Efeso, "mikono yangu hii imetumika kwa mahitaji yangu na ya wale waliokuwa pamoja nami" (Matendo 20:34, SUV).In Corinth Paul met two of the most strategically important friends he ever made. Aquila and Priscilla — Jewish refugees who had been expelled from Rome by the emperor Claudius's edict against the Jews — had a tentmaking business. Paul, also a tentmaker by trade, joined them, and the three of them worked side by side stitching leather and goat-hair canvas while the apostle preached every Sabbath. Notice the labor model. The greatest theologian in church history made his living with his hands so he would not be a financial burden on the new churches. Paul will refer to that pattern decades later when he tells the Ephesian elders, "These hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me" (Acts 20:34, NKJV).

Sinagogi la Korintho lilimfukuza baada ya mgogoro wa kawaida, na Paulo akahamisha huduma yake jirani — kihalisi kabisa — kwenye nyumba ya Mmataifa mmoja mchaji Mungu aitwaye Yusto, ambaye mlango wa nyumba yake ulikuwa kando kabisa ya mlango wa sinagogi. Krispo, mkuu wa sinagogi, aliongoka pamoja na nyumba yake yote. Bwana alimtokea Paulo usiku mmoja akampa sentensi ambayo imewafariji wachungaji elfu kumi waliokata tamaa. "Usiogope, bali nena, wala usinyamaze; kwa sababu mimi nipo pamoja nawe, wala hapana mtu atakayekushambulia ili akudhuru; kwa maana mimi nina watu wengi katika mji huu" (Matendo 18:9–10, SUV). Nina watu wengi katika mji huu. Bwana aliwajua watu wake huko Korintho kabla Paulo hajajua majina yao. Rafiki, Bwana anapokupanda katika mji, anakupanda katikati ya watu wake, hata kama bado hujakutana nao. Hubiri. Kaa. Ana watu wengi katika mji wako ambao bado huwajui.The Corinthian synagogue ejected him after the usual conflict, and Paul moved his ministry next door — literally — to the house of a God-fearing Gentile named Justus, whose front door was right beside the synagogue door. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, was converted along with his entire household. The Lord appeared to Paul one night and gave him a sentence that has comforted ten thousand discouraged pastors. "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city" (Acts 18:9–10, NKJV). I have many people in this city. The Lord knew His people in Corinth before Paul knew their names. Friend, when the Lord plants you in a city, He plants you among His people, even if you have not yet met them. Preach. Stay. He has many in your city you do not yet know.

Baada ya miezi kumi na minane, liwali mpya wa Akaya, mtu aitwaye Galio, aliitupilia mbali kesi ambayo Wayahudi wa Korintho walimletea dhidi ya Paulo, akiamua kwamba ilikuwa ni mabishano ya kitheolojia ya Kiyahudi na si shauri la jinai la Kirumi. Paulo alikaa siku kadhaa zaidi, kisha akasafiri kwa merikebu kwenda Shamu pamoja na Akila na Prisila. Alisimama kwa muda mfupi huko Efeso akaahidi kurudi. Akasafiri hadi Kaisaria, akapanda Yerusalemu kulisalimu kanisa, kisha akarudi Antiokia. Safari ya pili ya kimisionari ikawa imekwisha. Makanisa matatu yalikuwa yamepandwa Makedonia (Filipi, Thesalonike, Beroya) na mawili Akaya (Athene, Korintho). Injili ilikuwa imevuka kutoka Asia kuingia Ulaya, na Ulaya haikuwa tena kama ilivyokuwa.Eighteen months in, the new proconsul of Achaia, a man named Gallio, threw out the case the Corinthian Jews brought against Paul, ruling that it was a Jewish theological dispute and not a Roman criminal matter. Paul stayed several more days, then sailed for Syria with Aquila and Priscilla. He stopped briefly at Ephesus and promised to return. He sailed for Caesarea, went up to Jerusalem to greet the church, and went back to Antioch. The second missionary journey was over. Three churches had been planted in Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea) and two in Achaia (Athens, Corinth). The gospel had crossed from Asia into Europe, and Europe was never the same again.

VII. Mafundisho Matatu ya Kwenda Nayo NyumbaniVII. Three Lessons Home

Kwanza, milango iliyofungwa si "hapana" ya Mungu — kwa kawaida ni njia yake ya kuzunguka. Roho aliifunga Asia na Bithinia kwa nguvu ili aweze kuifungua Makedonia. Baadhi yenu mmetumia mwaka uliopita mkiutazama mlango uliofungwa na kujisikia kuachwa. Huenda umesimama katika Troa yako mwenyewe. Msubiri yule mtu wa Makedonia. Bwana hakupoteza bure maili za Paulo, wala hapotezi zako.First, closed doors are not God's no — they are usually His detour. The Spirit slammed Asia and Bithynia shut so He could open Macedonia. Some of you have spent the past year staring at a closed door and feeling abandoned. You may be standing at your own Troas. Wait for the man of Macedonia. The Lord did not waste Paul's miles, and He is not wasting yours.

Pili, nyuzi tatu zinatosha. Paulo na Sila katika gereza la Filipi, migongo yao ikiwa imechanwa, ni kielelezo kwa kila Mkristo ambaye maisha yake yameacha kwenda kama alivyopanga. Nyuzi za maisha yako zinapokatika, usiiache tamasha. Imba usiku wa manane. Bwana amekuwa akitunga nyimbo za fidla zenye nyuzi tatu tangu Kalvari, naye hajamaliza na yako.Second, three strings is enough. Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail with their backs torn open are the model for every Christian whose life has stopped going to plan. When the strings of your life snap, do not give up the concert. Sing at midnight. The Lord has been writing pieces for three-string violins since Calvary, and He is not finished with yours.

Tatu, Injili ni kwa ajili ya sokoni, sinagogini, na katika ukumbi wa baraza. Paulo alihubiri kando ya mto kwa wanawake, gerezani kwa mlinzi wa gereza, katika masinagogi kwa Wayahudi, sokoni kwa wanafalsafa, juu ya Kilima cha Mars kwa baraza la mji, na katika karakana ya mshona mahema kwa watu wa kazi. Hakuna tabaka la watu ambalo Injili haiwezi kulifikia, wala hakuna mazingira ambamo Injili haistahili kuwemo. Bwana na atupe ujasiri wa Paulo wa kuingia katika mkutano wa maombi na katika idara ya falsafa, katika mtaa wa mabanda na katika baraza la seneti, tukiwa na ujumbe ule ule usiopunguzwa — Yesu na ufufuo.Third, the gospel is for the marketplace, the synagogue, and the senate house. Paul preached at a riverside to women, in jail to a jailer, in synagogues to Jews, in the marketplace to philosophers, on Mars Hill to the city council, and in a tentmaker's shop to working people. There is no class of people the gospel cannot reach, and no setting the gospel does not belong in. May the Lord give us the courage of Paul to walk into both the prayer meeting and the philosophy department, the slum and the senate, with the same uncompromised message — Jesus and the resurrection.

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