📖 Matendo ya Mitume — Somo la Kina — Sehemu ya 8: Efeso na Kuagana kwa Muda Mrefu (Matendo 18:23–21:16)📖 Acts Intensive — Unit 8: Ephesus and the Long Goodbye (Acts 18:23–21:16)

I. Apolo GatiniI. Apollos at the Pier

Safari ya tatu ya kimisionari inaanza kimya kimya. Paulo aliondoka Antiokia akapita njia ya bara kupitia Galatia na Frigia, akiwaimarisha wanafunzi katika kila mji alioupitia. Paulo alipokuwa bado njiani, Luka anaelekeza kamera yake Efeso na kumtambulisha mtu ambaye huduma yake itakwenda sambamba na ya Paulo kwa sehemu yote iliyobaki ya Agano Jipya. "Basi Myahudi mmoja, jina lake Apolo, mzalia wa Iskanderia, mtu mwenye elimu, hodari katika maandiko, akafika Efeso. Mtu huyo alikuwa amefundishwa njia ya Bwana; naye akiwa na bidii katika roho yake, akanena na kufundisha kwa usahihi habari za Bwana, ingawa alijua ubatizo wa Yohana tu" (Matendo 18:24–25, SUV).The third missionary journey opens quietly. Paul left Antioch and went over the inland route through Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the disciples in every city he passed through. While Paul was still on the road, Luke turns the camera to Ephesus and introduces a man whose ministry will run alongside Paul's for the rest of the New Testament. "Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John" (Acts 18:24–25, NKJV).

Apolo ni mmoja wa watu wanaovutia sana katika Agano Jipya. Alizaliwa Misri, katika mji uliojulikana kwa maktaba yake kubwa na mazingira yake ya kielimu. Alikuwa msomi, mwenye ufasaha, mwenye bidii. Biblia yake ilikuwa nzuri — aliyajua Maandiko ya Agano la Kale kikamilifu. Lakini alikuwa nyuma kwa kizazi kimoja. Habari za karibuni alizokuwa amezipata kutoka Yerusalemu zilihusu huduma ya Yohana Mbatizaji ya toba, naye alikuwa bado hajasikia habari za msalaba, ufufuo, Pentekoste, wala karama ya Roho Mtakatifu. Alihubiri kile alichokijua, na kile alichokijua hakikutosha.Apollos is one of the most fascinating figures in the New Testament. He was Egyptian-born, in a city famous for its great library and its intellectual climate. He was educated, articulate, fervent. His Bible was a good one — he knew the Old Testament Scriptures cold. But he was a generation behind. The latest news he had received from Jerusalem was about John the Baptist's ministry of repentance, and he had not yet heard about the cross, the resurrection, Pentecost, or the gift of the Holy Spirit. He preached what he knew, and what he knew was insufficient.

Akila na Prisila — wale wanandoa washona mahema ambao Paulo alikuwa amewaacha Efeso aliposafiri kwenda Shamu — walimsikia Apolo akihubiri katika sinagogi. Hawakusimama kumkemea mbele ya wasikilizaji wake. Hawakuandika kijitabu chenye kichwa Makosa ya Apolo wa Iskanderia. "walimchukua kando, wakamweleza njia ya Mungu kwa usahihi zaidi" (Matendo 18:26, SUV). Soma maneno hayo. Mhubiri msomi kuliko wote huko Efeso siku ile alifundishwa kwa faragha na mshona mahema na mkewe. Apolo aliendelea kuwa mmoja wa wahubiri wenye manufaa makubwa katika kanisa la kwanza — baadaye Wakorintho walimlinganisha na Paulo kwa sifa njema, na Paulo mwenyewe alimhesabu kuwa mtenda kazi mwenzake wa karibu. Hakuna hata moja la hayo lingetokea kama wanandoa wale wakimya waliokaa nyuma katika sinagogi wasingekuwa tayari kufanya kazi ile ngumu ya kumrekebisha mwalimu mashuhuri kwa faragha. Ufalme wa Mungu unaendeshwa na akina Akila na akina Prisila.Aquila and Priscilla — the tentmaking couple Paul had left behind in Ephesus when he sailed for Syria — heard Apollos preach in the synagogue. They did not stand up and rebuke him in front of his audience. They did not write a tract titled The Errors of Apollos the Alexandrian. "They took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately" (Acts 18:26, NKJV). Read those words. The most learned preacher in Ephesus that day was discipled in private by a tentmaker and his wife. Apollos went on to become one of the most useful preachers in the early church — the Corinthians later compared him favorably with Paul, and Paul himself considered him a close colleague. None of that would have happened if a quiet couple in the back of the synagogue had not been willing to do the awkward work of correcting a famous teacher in private. The kingdom of God runs on Aquilas and Priscillas.

II. Wanaume Kumi na Wawili wa Efeso na Njia MbiliII. Twelve Men in Ephesus and Two Ways

Hatimaye Paulo alifika Efeso. Alikuta jambo jingine ambalo halijakamilika. Wanaume kumi na wawili, wanafunzi wa vuguvugu lile lile lisilokamilika ambalo Apolo alikuwa akilihubiri, walikuwa wakiishi mjini. Paulo aliwauliza, "Je! Mlipokea Roho Mtakatifu mlipoamini?" Wakasema, "Hata kusikia kwamba kuna Roho Mtakatifu hatukusikia" (Matendo 19:2, SUV). Paulo akawauliza zaidi: "Basi mlibatizwa kwa ubatizo gani?" Wakasema, "Kwa ubatizo wa Yohana." Paulo akaeleza kwamba ubatizo wa Yohana ulikuwa ubatizo wa toba wa kuandaa njia kwa yule ajaye nyuma yake — Yesu mwenyewe. Wale wanaume kumi na wawili walisikiliza, wakabatizwa kwa jina la Bwana Yesu, na Paulo alipoweka mikono juu yao Roho Mtakatifu akaja juu yao, wakanena kwa lugha na kutabiri.Paul finally arrived at Ephesus. He found another piece of unfinished business. Twelve men, disciples of the same incomplete movement Apollos had been preaching, were living in the city. Paul asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They said, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit" (Acts 19:2, NKJV). Paul probed further: "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." Paul explained that John's baptism was a baptism of repentance preparing for the One who came after — Jesus Himself. The twelve men listened, were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus, and when Paul laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

Nataka kusimama na kuigeuza habari hii kuwa mahubiri, kwa sababu fundisho lake ni lile ambalo tunaendelea kulihitaji. Thomas Edison aliwahi kusema kwamba ilimbidi ashindwe mara elfu moja na mia moja ili kugundua balbu ya taa. Alikuwa akisema hivi: hakuwa ameshindwa; alikuwa amegundua tu njia elfu moja na mia moja za kutotengeneza balbu ya umeme. Kuna njia nyingi za kutookolewa. Wale wanafunzi wa Efeso katika Matendo 19 walikuwa wamegundua mojawapo. Walikuwa wametubu. Walikuwa wamebatizwa. Walikuwa wamejitenga na ulimwengu wenye dhambi. Walikuwa na bidii, wanyoofu, wakijitahidi kuishi maisha ya kumcha Mungu. Na bado hawakuwa wameisikia Injili. Palikuwa na barabara iliyokwenda karibu sana na barabara ya Injili, nao walikuwa wakitembea juu yake. Didache, kitabu cha kwanza kabisa cha mafundisho ya Kikristo tulicho nacho, kinaanza kwa maneno haya: Kuna njia mbili: kuna njia ya uzima na kuna njia ya mauti. Njia ya Yohana Mbatizaji ilikuwa barabara halisi, barabara ya lazima, barabara takatifu, lakini haikuwa barabara iliyoishia pale ambapo njia ya Yesu inaishia. Yohana alimwelekea Kristo. Yohana hakuwa Kristo.I want to stop and turn this scene into a sermon, because the lesson is one we keep needing. Thomas Edison once said that he had to fail one thousand one hundred times to discover the light bulb. He used to put it this way: he had not failed; he had simply discovered eleven hundred ways not to make an incandescent bulb. There are many ways not to be saved. The Acts 19 disciples at Ephesus had found one of them. They had repented. They had been baptized. They had separated themselves from a sinful world. They were earnest, sincere, trying to live a godly life. And they had not yet heard the gospel. There was a road that ran very close to the gospel road, and they were walking on it. The Didache, the earliest Christian teaching manual we have, opens with these words: There are two ways: there is the way of life and there is the way of death. The way of John the Baptist had been a real road, and a necessary road, and a holy road, but it was not a road that ended where the way of Jesus ended. John pointed to Christ. John was not Christ.

Marafiki, chukueni fundisho hili nyumbani. Si kila mtu aliyepata uzoefu wa kihisia ameokolewa. Si kila mtu aliyetubu dhambi zilizo wazi ameokolewa. Si kila mtu aliyebatizwa ameokolewa. Hitler alibatizwa. Stalin alibatizwa. Simoni yule mchawi alibatizwa, na baadaye Petro akamtazama akasema moyo wake haukuwa mnyoofu mbele za Mungu. Kuna barabara nyingi zinazofanana na barabara ya Injili ukiziona kwa mbali, na kumbe ni barabara tofauti unapokaribia vya kutosha kusoma kibao chake. Alama ya barabara ya Injili ni ile ile katika kila karne — Yesu Kristo ndiye njia pekee, na kweli, na uzima. Mtu haji kwa Baba ila kwa yeye. Wale wanafunzi kumi na wawili wa Efeso wangeweza kukaa miaka mingine thelathini katika sinagogi lile wakijifunza Agano la Kale kwa undani zaidi. Hakuna hata kimoja cha hayo kingewaokoa. Walihitaji kumsikia na kumpokea Kristo. Nasi pia, na kila mtu tunayemjua.Friends, take this lesson home. Not everyone who has had an emotional experience has been saved. Not everyone who has repented of obvious sins has been saved. Not everyone who has been baptized has been saved. Hitler was baptized. Stalin was baptized. Simon the sorcerer was baptized, and Peter looked at him afterward and said his heart was not right before God. There are many roads that look like the gospel road from a distance and turn out to be different roads when you get close enough to read the sign. The mark of the gospel road is the same in every century — Jesus Christ is the only way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through Him. The twelve Ephesian disciples could have spent another thirty years in that synagogue learning the Old Testament more thoroughly. None of it would have saved them. They needed to hear and receive Christ. So do we, and so does everyone we know.

Huenda ukashangaa kujua kwamba hata leo kuna jamii ndogo ya kidini ya watu makumi kadhaa ya maelfu, kuanzia Iraki na Irani hadi waliotawanyika ulimwenguni kote, ambao bado wanamheshimu Yohana Mbatizaji kama nabii wao mkuu kuliko wote. Wanaitwa Wamandayo (Mandaeans). Mojawapo ya vitabu vyao vitakatifu ni Kitabu cha Yohana. Bado hawajasikia. Utume wa Matendo 19 haujakwisha.You may be surprised to know that even today there is a small religious community of some tens of thousands of people, from Iraq and Iran to a worldwide diaspora, who still honor John the Baptist as their greatest prophet. They are called Mandaeans. One of their sacred books is the Book of John. They have not yet heard. The Acts 19 mission is not over.

III. Miaka Miwili katika Ukumbi wa TiranoIII. Two Years in the Hall of Tyrannus

Utaratibu wa Paulo huko Efeso ulikuwa ule ule kama mahali pengine kote. Aliingia kwanza katika sinagogi. Alihojiana na kuhubiri kwa miezi mitatu. Baadhi ya Wayahudi wa sinagogi walipojifanya wagumu na kuanza kuitukana Njia ile, Paulo aliwatenga wanafunzi wake akahamia ukumbi wa mihadhara uliokuwa mali ya mtu aitwaye Tirano. Maandishi ya Kimagharibi (Western text) ya Matendo yanaongeza habari kwamba Paulo alifundisha katika ukumbi huo kila siku kuanzia saa tano asubuhi hadi saa kumi alasiri — wakati wenye joto kali zaidi wa mchana katika eneo la Bahari ya Kati, wakati ambapo hata profesa mwenye bidii kuliko wote angekuwa akipumzika usingizini. Paulo alikodi saa za alasiri za ukumbi wa Tirano zilizokuwa tupu, akafundisha kwa muda wa saa tano kila siku, akaendelea kwa miaka miwili mizima. Luka anatoa muhtasari wa matokeo kwa mojawapo ya mistari ya ajabu kuliko yote katika Matendo. "Mambo hayo yakaendelea muda wa miaka miwili, hata wote waliokaa Asia wakasikia neno la Bwana Yesu, Wayahudi kwa Wayunani" (Matendo 19:10, SUV). Asia yote. Huenda roho laki moja. Kutoka katika ukumbi mmoja wa mihadhara uliokodiwa katika mji mmoja wa Bahari ya Kati. Ndugu zangu, msiidharau kazi ndogo ya kila siku. Miaka miwili katika darasa la kuazima ilihubiri Injili kwa jimbo zima.Paul's pattern was the same in Ephesus as it had been everywhere else. He went into the synagogue first. He reasoned and preached for three months. When some of the synagogue Jews hardened and began to slander the Way, Paul withdrew his disciples and moved to a lecture hall belonging to a man named Tyrannus. The Western text of Acts adds the detail that Paul taught in the hall daily from eleven in the morning to four in the afternoon — the hottest part of the Mediterranean day, when even the most diligent professor would be napping. Paul rented Tyrannus's empty afternoon hours, taught for five hours a day, and went on for two solid years. Luke summarizes the result with one of the most extraordinary lines in Acts. "And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10, NKJV). All of Asia. Probably a hundred thousand souls. From one rented lecture hall in one Mediterranean city. Brothers, do not despise the small daily work. Two years in a borrowed classroom evangelized a province.

Mungu alifanya miujiza isiyo ya kawaida kwa mikono ya Paulo katika miaka hiyo — leso na nguo za kazi zilizochukuliwa kutoka mwilini mwake na kupelekwa kwa wagonjwa ziliwaletea uponyaji, na pepo wakawatoka wale waliokuwa wamepagawa. Miujiza hiyo haikuwa uchawi, na Paulo hakuwahi kutoza malipo kwa ajili yake, lakini iliithibitisha Injili mpya katika mji uliojulikana kwa uchawi. (Efeso ulikuwa mji mkuu wa uchawi katika ulimwengu wa kale; neno maandishi ya Efeso lilimaanisha kanuni za kichawi katika milki ya Kirumi.) Bwana aliikabili nguvu ya kipagani ya mji huo katika uwanja wake wenyewe.God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul during those years — handkerchiefs and aprons taken from his body to the sick brought healing, and demons left those who had been demonized. The miracles were not magic, and Paul never charged for them, but they confirmed the new gospel in a city famous for sorcery. (Ephesus was the magic capital of the ancient world; the term Ephesian writings meant magical formulas in the Roman empire.) The Lord met the city's pagan strength on its own ground.

IV. Wana Saba wa SkewaIV. The Seven Sons of Sceva

Baadhi ya Wayahudi wapunga pepo waliokuwa wakizunguka-zunguka, walipoyaona hayo yote, waliamua kujaribu mbinu ya Paulo bila Kristo wa Paulo. Walianza kulitaja jina la Yesu kama neno la uchawi. Miongoni mwao walikuwa wana saba wa kuhani mkuu mmoja wa Kiyahudi aitwaye Skewa. Waliingia katika nyumba ya mtu aliyepagawa na pepo wakaijaribu kanuni hiyo. "Nawaapisha kwa Yesu yule anayehubiriwa na Paulo" (Matendo 19:13, SUV). Jibu la pepo ni sentensi ya kutisha kuliko zote katika kitabu cha Matendo. "Yesu namjua, na Paulo namfahamu; bali ninyi ni nani?" (Matendo 19:15, SUV). Kisha yule mtu mwenye pepo mchafu akawarukia wote saba, akawashinda nguvu, akawafukuza kutoka nyumbani wakiwa uchi na wenye majeraha yanayotoka damu.Some traveling Jewish exorcists, watching all this, decided they would try Paul's method without Paul's Christ. They started invoking Jesus's name as a magic word. Among them were the seven sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva. They walked into the house of a demonized man and tried the formula. "We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches" (Acts 19:13, NKJV). The demon's reply is the most chilling sentence in the book of Acts. "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" (Acts 19:15, NKJV). And then the man with the evil spirit jumped on all seven of them, overpowered them, and drove them out of the house naked and bleeding.

Ichukulieni habari hii kwa uzito mkubwa. Ulimwengu wa mapepo unatambua makundi mawili ya wanadamu: wale walio mali ya Kristo kweli kweli, na wale wasio mali yake. Hakuna kundi la tatu liitwalo mtumiaji wa kawaida wa jina la Yesu. Watu wa dini wanaoazima msamiati wa Kikristo kwa makusudi ya kitamaduni, wanaonukuu mistari ya Biblia kwenye kadi za Siku ya Mama, wanaosema Mungu ibariki Amerika kwenye michezo ya mpira — hakuna hata moja la hayo linalosajiliwa katika ulimwengu wa roho. Mapepo hayavutiwi na msamiati wetu. Yanataka kujua sisi ni mali ya nani tuliyenunuliwa kwa damu yake. Yesu namjua. Paulo namfahamu. Bali ninyi ni nani?Take that scene very seriously. The demonic world recognizes two categories of human beings: those who genuinely belong to Christ, and those who do not. There is no third category called casual user of Jesus's name. Religious people who borrow Christian vocabulary for cultural purposes, who quote Bible verses on Mother's Day cards, who say God bless America at football games — none of that registers in the spirit world. The demons are not impressed by our vocabulary. They want to know whose blood-bought property we are. Jesus I know. Paul I know. But who are you?

Hofu ya Bwana iliyowaangukia watu wa Efeso habari hiyo ilipoenea ilikuwa vuguvugu la uamsho lenye matokeo makubwa kuliko yote katika historia ya kipagani ya mji huo. Waamini wengi walikuja mbele wakaungama waziwazi matendo ya uchawi waliyokuwa wakijihusisha nayo. Kisha wakaleta vitabu vyao vya uganga na hati zao za mambo ya siri za uchawi — Luka anaviita vitabu vyao vya mambo ya uganga, maandiko ya kichawi yenye thamani kubwa kuliko yote katika ulimwengu wa kale — wakaviteketeza hadharani kwa moto mkubwa katika uwanja wa mji. Luka alihesabu thamani yake. "Wakahesabu thamani yake, wakaona ni vipande vya fedha hamsini elfu" (Matendo 19:19, SUV). Dinari hamsini elfu. Takriban mishahara ya miaka mia moja na hamsini ya kibarua wa kawaida. Utajiri wa nusu ya kizazi uliteketea kwa moshi alasiri moja kwa sababu Wakristo wa Efeso waliamua kwamba thamani ya ushirika wa kweli na Kristo ilikuwa kubwa kuliko thamani ya kitabu chochote walichokuwa nacho. "Hivyo ndivyo neno la Bwana lilivyozidi na kushinda kwa nguvu" (Matendo 19:20, SUV).The fear of the Lord that fell on Ephesus when the news got out was the most consequential revival movement in the city's pagan history. Many believers came forward and openly confessed the magical practices they had been dabbling in. Then they brought their grimoires and their occult scrolls — Luke calls them their books of curious arts, the most expensive magical texts in the ancient world — into the city square and burned them in a public bonfire. Luke counted the receipts. "They counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver" (Acts 19:19, NKJV). Fifty thousand denarii. About a hundred and fifty years of an average laborer's wages. The wealth of half a generation went up in smoke in one afternoon because the Ephesian Christians decided that the price of an honest fellowship with Christ was higher than the price of any book they owned. "So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed" (Acts 19:20, NKJV).

V. Demetrio Mfua FedhaV. Demetrius the Silversmith

Upinzani uliofuata haukutoka kwenye sinagogi bali kwenye chama cha wafanyabiashara. Uchumi wa Efeso ulitegemea hekalu lake la Artemi — mungu mke ambaye Warumi walimwita Diana — moja ya maajabu saba ya ulimwengu wa kale, lenye biashara ya utalii iliyostawi ya mahujaji, dhabihu, na vihekalu vya fedha. Mfua fedha mmoja aitwaye Demetrio, aliyejipatia riziki kwa kutengeneza vihekalu vidogo vya mungu mke huyo ili mahujaji wavichukue nyumbani, aliitisha mkutano wa chama cha mafundi. Alitoa hotuba ya wazi kabisa kuliko zote katika Matendo. "Enyi wanaume, mnajua ya kuwa utajiri wetu unapatikana kwa kazi hii. Tena mnaona na kusikia ya kuwa si katika Efeso tu, bali katika Asia yote kwa kadiri, Paulo huyo amewavuta watu wengi na kuwageuza akisema kwamba hiyo inayofanywa kwa mikono si miungu. Basi si kwamba kazi yetu hii iko hatarini kudharauliwa tu, bali pia hekalu la Diana, mungu mke aliye mkuu, litahesabiwa kuwa si kitu" (Matendo 19:25–27, SUV). Angalia mpangilio. Kazi yetu kwanza. Mungu mke baadaye.The next opposition came not from the synagogue but from the chamber of commerce. Ephesus's economy ran on its temple of Artemis — the goddess Romans called Diana — one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, with a flourishing tourist industry of pilgrims, sacrifices, and silver shrines. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made his living crafting miniature shrines of the goddess for pilgrims to take home, called a meeting of the trade guild. He gave the most candid speech in Acts. "Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised" (Acts 19:25–27, NKJV). Notice the order. Our trade first. The goddess second.

Kila mara Injili inapotishia chanzo cha mapato, watu huanza kumtetea mungu mke. Wafua fedha waliuchochea mji ukaingia katika wazimu, na kundi la watu likajaa katika ukumbi mkubwa wa michezo wa Efeso, wenye viti elfu ishirini na tano, wakipiga kelele kwa saa mbili, "Diana wa Waefeso ni mkuu!" Wengi wao, Luka anaeleza kwa ukavu, hawakujua hata kwa nini walikuwa wamekusanyika. Hatimaye karani wa mji aliituliza ghasia kwa kuonyesha kwamba malalamiko ya kisheria yalipaswa kupelekwa mahakamani, si kwa vurugu za kundi la watu, na mkutano ukatawanyika. Paulo hakuwahi hata kuletwa mbele ya kundi lile. Mmisionari yule mmoja ambaye mji ulitaka kumnyamazisha alikaa kimya alasiri ile akiomba katika makao yake.Whenever the gospel threatens an income stream, men start arguing for the goddess. The silversmiths whipped the city into a frenzy, and a mob filled the great Ephesian theater, twenty-five thousand seats, screaming for two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" Most of them, Luke notes drily, did not even know why they had come together. The town clerk eventually quieted the riot by pointing out that legal grievances had to be brought through the courts, not through mob violence, and the assembly dispersed. Paul was never even brought before the mob. The one missionary the city wanted to silence stayed silent that afternoon and prayed in his lodgings.

Mafundisho matatu kutoka katika ghasia ya Demetrio. Kwanza, Injili kweli huigharimu biashara kitu fulani. Ikiwa mahubiri yetu hayatishii chanzo chochote cha mapato mahali popote, huenda hatuhubiri Injili ile ile aliyoihubiri Paulo. Pili, makundi ya fujo kwa kawaida hulipiwa. Karibu kila mara kuna maslahi ya kifedha nyuma ya upinzani uliopangwa dhidi ya Ukristo, hata unapovikwa lugha ya kidini. Watafute wafua fedha walio nyuma ya ghasia. Tatu, Kristo ana enzi juu ya majukwaa ya watumishi wake. Alimpa Paulo jukwaa la Kilima cha Mars huko Athene. Alimzuia Paulo asipande jukwaa la ukumbi wa michezo wa Efeso. Bwana anajua ni lini tunapaswa kuhubiri na ni lini tunapaswa kukaa nyumbani na kuomba. Yote mawili ni mapenzi yake kwa kiwango kile kile.Three lessons from the Demetrius riot. First, the gospel really does cost the marketplace something. If our preaching does not threaten any income stream anywhere, we may not be preaching the same gospel Paul preached. Second, mobs are usually paid for. There is almost always a financial interest behind organized opposition to Christianity, even when it is dressed up in religious language. Look for the silversmiths behind the riot. Third, Christ is sovereign over His servants' platforms. He gave Paul the platform of Mars Hill in Athens. He kept Paul off the platform of the Ephesian theater. The Lord knows when we are to preach and when we are to stay home and pray. Both are equally His will.

VI. Eutiko na Mahubiri Marefu ya JumapiliVI. Eutychus and a Long Sunday Sermon

Hatimaye Paulo aliondoka Efeso, akapita Makedonia na Akaya, na baada ya miezi kadhaa ya huduma huko, akarudi kuelekea mashariki kwenda Yerusalemu pamoja na matoleo aliyokuwa akiyakusanya kutoka kwa makanisa ya Mataifa kwa ajili ya kuwasaidia maskini wa Uyahudi. Kikundi kilisimama Troa kwa juma moja. Siku ya kwanza ya juma — mabano madogo ya kimya ya Luka yanayoonyesha mabadiliko ya Wakristo wa kwanza kutoka Sabato kwenda Jumapili — waamini walikusanyika katika chumba cha juu ili kumega mkate na kumsikiliza Paulo, ambaye angeondoka asubuhi. Paulo alihubiri hadi usiku wa manane. Kijana mmoja aitwaye Eutiko — jina lake linamaanisha mwenye bahati, ambalo ni jina la kinaya kuliko yote katika Agano Jipya — alikuwa ameketi dirishani, ghorofa ya tatu juu. Chumba kilikuwa na joto. Taa nyingi zilikuwa zikiwaka. Paulo aliendelea kuhubiri. Eutiko alisinzia akapatwa na usingizi. Akaanguka kutoka dirishani, ghorofa tatu chini, akaokotwa amekufa.Paul finally left Ephesus, traveled through Macedonia and Achaia, and after several months of ministry there, headed back east toward Jerusalem with the offering he had been collecting from the Gentile churches for the relief of the Judean poor. The team stopped at Troas for a week. On the first day of the week — Luke's quiet little parenthesis that marks the early Christian transition from Sabbath to Sunday — the believers gathered in an upper room to break bread and hear Paul, who would be leaving in the morning. Paul preached until midnight. A young man named Eutychus — his name means fortunate, which is the most ironic name in the New Testament — was sitting on the windowsill, three stories up. The room was hot. There were many lamps burning. Paul preached on. Eutychus drifted off to sleep. He fell out the window, three floors down, and was picked up dead.

Paulo alishuka, akamkumbatia yule aliyekufa kama Eliya alivyomkumbatia mwana wa yule mjane katika 1 Wafalme 17, akalitangazia kanisa, "Msifanye ghasia, maana roho yake bado imo ndani yake" (Matendo 20:10, SUV). Kijana yule alikuwa hai. Wakamchukua nyumbani akiwa hai. Na Paulo, bila kupoteza wakati, akapanda tena juu, akamega mkate, akazungumza mpaka kulipopambazuka, kisha akatoka kwenda kwenye merikebu yake jua lilipochomoza. Luka, tabibu makini, anaweka sentensi ya mwisho ya kimya: "Wakamleta yule kijana hali yu hai, wakafarijika faraja kubwa" (Matendo 20:12, SUV). Binafsi bado sijamhubiri mtu yeyote mpaka akafa, ndugu zangu, lakini nimewahubiri baadhi mpaka wakalala usingizi. Bwana bado anawafufua wafu. Kadiri mahubiri yanavyokuwa marefu, ndivyo ishara inavyokuwa kubwa.Paul came down, embraced the body the way Elijah had embraced the widow's son in 1 Kings 17, and announced to the church, "Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him" (Acts 20:10, NKJV). The boy was alive. They carried him home alive. And Paul, having lost no time, went back upstairs, broke bread, talked until daybreak, and walked out to his ship at sunrise. Luke, the careful physician, includes the quiet last sentence: "And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted" (Acts 20:12, NKJV). I have not personally preached anyone to death yet, brethren, but I have preached some to sleep. The Lord still raises the dead. The longer the sermon, the greater the sign.

VII. Kuagana Huko MiletoVII. The Miletus Farewell

Kutoka Troa kikundi kilisafiri kuelekea kusini kufuata pwani ya Bahari ya Aegea. Paulo alikuwa ameazimia kupita Efeso bila kusimama ili asicheleweshwe — alikuwa akiharakisha kufika Yerusalemu kabla ya Pentekoste — lakini alisimama katika bandari ya Mileto akatuma waitwe wazee wa kanisa la Efeso. Wakashuka barabarani kuja kwake. Na Paulo akatoa mojawapo ya mahubiri ya upole na ya moyoni kuliko yote katika Agano Jipya.From Troas the team sailed south down the Aegean coast. Paul was determined to bypass Ephesus rather than be detained — he was racing to be in Jerusalem by Pentecost — but he stopped at the port of Miletus and sent for the Ephesian elders. They came down the road to him. And Paul preached one of the most personally tender sermons in the New Testament.

Aliwakumbusha huduma yake ya miaka mitatu kati yao — jinsi alivyomtumikia Bwana kwa unyenyekevu wote, kwa machozi mengi, katika majaribu. Jinsi ambavyo hakujiepusha kuwahubiri shauri lote la Mungu. Jinsi alivyofundisha hadharani na nyumba kwa nyumba. Jinsi ambavyo sasa alikuwa akienda Yerusalemu akiwa amefungwa na Roho, bila kujua yatakayompata huko, isipokuwa kwamba Roho Mtakatifu alimshuhudia katika kila mji kwamba vifungo na dhiki zilikuwa zikimngoja. Kisha akageukia agizo la kivitendo. "Jitunzeni nafsi zenu, na lile kundi lote nalo ambalo Roho Mtakatifu amewaweka ninyi kuwa waangalizi ndani yake, mpate kulichunga kanisa lake Mungu, alilolinunua kwa damu yake mwenyewe. Najua mimi ya kuwa baada ya kuondoka kwangu mbwa-mwitu wakali wataingia kwenu, wasilihurumie kundi" (Matendo 20:28–29, SUV). Mbwa-mwitu wangekuja, na baadhi yao — Paulo alikuwa mkweli kuhusu jambo hili — wangeinuka kutoka miongoni mwa wazee wenyewe, wakinena mapotovu ili kuwavuta wanafunzi wawafuate. Agizo hilo la kichungaji linamalizika kwa sentensi ambayo nimeisoma katika mazishi ya mhubiri mwema zaidi ya mmoja. "Kwa hiyo kesheni, mkikumbuka ya kuwa kwa muda wa miaka mitatu, usiku na mchana, sikuacha kumwonya kila mmoja wenu kwa machozi" (Matendo 20:31, SUV).He reminded them of his three-year ministry among them — how he had served the Lord with all humility, with many tears, in trials. How he had not shunned to declare to them the whole counsel of God. How he had taught publicly and from house to house. How he was now bound for Jerusalem under compulsion of the Spirit, not knowing what awaited him there except that the Spirit testified in every city that chains and tribulations awaited him. Then he turned to the practical charge. "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock" (Acts 20:28–29, NKJV). The wolves would come, and some of them — Paul was honest about this — would arise from among the elders themselves, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples. The pastoral charge ends with a sentence I have read at the funeral of more than one good preacher. "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears" (Acts 20:31, NKJV).

Miaka mitatu ya kuhubiri kwa machozi. Marafiki, huo ndio moyo wa huduma ya kichungaji, na karibu kila karne imeupoteza. D. L. Moody — mwinjilisti mkuu wa Amerika — aliwahi kuhubiri Jumapili moja usiku huko Chicago, akamaliza mahubiri yake kwa kusema, "Nataka mchukue nyumbani swali hili, 'Nifanye nini na Yesu?' na mrudi juma lijalo na jibu lenu." Hata ibada ilipokuwa ikifungwa palikuwa na ghasia nje. Magari ya zimamoto yalikuwa yakipita. Moto Mkuu wa Chicago wa mwaka 1871 ulikuwa ukianza. Watu wengi katika kusanyiko lile walipoteza maisha yao usiku ule. Moody hakuhubiri tena kamwe bila kutoa mwaliko wa Injili papo hapo. Aliisimulia habari hiyo kwa machozi kwa maisha yake yote yaliyobaki. Wazo la kufunga la kuagana kwa Paulo lilikuwa lile lile: nimemwonya kila mmoja usiku na mchana kwa machozi. Mimbari ya mchungaji, marafiki, imelowa machozi au iko tupu.Three years of preaching with tears. Friends, that is the heart of pastoral ministry, and almost every century has lost it. D. L. Moody — the great American evangelist — once preached on a Sunday night in Chicago and closed his sermon by saying, "I want you to take home the question 'What shall I do with Jesus?' and come back next week with your answer." Even as the service closed there was a commotion outside. Fire engines were rolling. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was beginning. Many of the people in that congregation lost their lives that night. Moody never preached again without an immediate gospel invitation. He told the story for the rest of his life with tears. The closing thought of Paul's farewell was the same: I have warned everyone night and day with tears. The pastor's pulpit, friends, is wet with tears or it is empty.

Paulo alipiga magoti pamoja nao wote akaomba. Luka anatupa sentensi inayovunja moyo kuliko zote katika kitabu chake. "Wakalia sana wote, wakamwangukia Paulo shingoni, wakambusu-busu, wakihuzunika hasa kwa ajili ya neno lile alilolinena, ya kwamba hawatamwona uso tena" (Matendo 20:37–38, SUV). Wanaume waliomsindikiza hadi merikebuni walikuwa watu aliowapenda na kufanya kazi kati yao kwa miaka mitatu. Hawakumwona tena kamwe. Mchungaji aliyeyajua majina ya watoto wao alipanda ngazi ya merikebu akasafiri kwenda Yerusalemu. Mbwa-mwitu walikuwa tayari wakikusanyika.Paul knelt down with all of them and prayed. Luke gives us the most heartbreaking sentence in his book. "Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more" (Acts 20:37–38, NKJV). The men who walked him to the ship were the men he had loved and labored among for three years. They never saw him again. The pastor who knew the names of their children walked up the gangplank and sailed for Jerusalem. The wolves were already gathering.

VIII. Barabara Ndefu ya Kwenda YerusalemuVIII. The Long Road to Jerusalem

Paulo alisafiri kuelekea kusini hadi Kosi, kisha Rodo, kisha Patara, ambapo kikundi kilipata merikebu ya kwenda pwani ya Foinike. Walitia nanga Tiro na kupakua shehena kwa siku saba. Tiro palikuwa na kanisa dogo. Waamini wa huko walimtabiria Paulo kwa uweza wa Roho kwamba asipande kwenda Yerusalemu. Soma jambo hili kwa makini. "wakamwambia Paulo kwa uweza wa Roho asipande kwenda Yerusalemu" (Matendo 21:4, SUV). Hata hivyo Paulo aliendelea. Roho alimwonya kupitia kwao lakini alikuwa amempa msukumo wa ndani wa kuendelea mbele. Wakati mwingine Bwana huwajulisha watumishi wake mapema yale yanayowangoja na bado anawataka waingie ndani yake. Kundi lote likapiga magoti pwani pamoja na wake zao na watoto wao, wakaomba pamoja, na Paulo akapanda merikebu.Paul sailed south to Cos, then Rhodes, then Patara, where the team caught a ship for the Phoenician coast. They put in at Tyre and unloaded cargo for seven days. Tyre had a small church. The believers there prophesied to Paul through the Spirit that he should not go up to Jerusalem. Read this carefully. "They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem" (Acts 21:4, NKJV). And yet Paul went on. The Spirit warned him through them but had given him personal compulsion to keep going. Sometimes the Lord lets His servants know in advance what awaits them and still requires them to walk into it. The whole company knelt on the beach with their wives and children, prayed together, and Paul boarded the ship.

Huko Kaisaria kikundi kilikaa siku kadhaa nyumbani mwa Filipo mwinjilisti — naam, Filipo yule yule wa Matendo 8, yule aliyembatiza towashi wa Kushi katika njia ya jangwani. Filipo alikuwa na binti wanne, mabikira, waliokuwa wakitabiri. Walipokuwa huko, nabii mmoja aitwaye Agabo alishuka kutoka Uyahudi — Agabo yule yule aliyetabiri njaa kule nyuma katika Matendo 11 — akauchukua mshipi wa Paulo, akajifunga mikono na miguu yake mwenyewe kwa mshipi huo, akasema, "Roho Mtakatifu asema hivi, Wayahudi walioko Yerusalemu watamfunga hivi mtu mwenye mshipi huu, na kumtia katika mikono ya Mataifa" (Matendo 21:11, SUV). Kundi lote likamsihi Paulo asipande. Paulo akawajibu kwa mojawapo ya sentensi za ujasiri kuliko zote ambazo mtu Mkristo amewahi kunena. "Mnafanya nini, kulia na kunivunja moyo? Kwa maana mimi ni tayari si kufungwa tu, bali hata kufa huko Yerusalemu kwa ajili ya jina la Bwana Yesu" (Matendo 21:13, SUV). Walipokosa kumshawishi, Luka anasema kwa urahisi tu, "tukanyamaza, tukisema, Mapenzi ya Bwana na yatendeke" (Matendo 21:14, SUV). Paulo akafunga mizigo yake akapanda kwenda Yerusalemu.At Caesarea the team stayed several days at the home of Philip the evangelist — yes, the same Philip from Acts 8, the one who had baptized the Ethiopian eunuch on the desert road. Philip had four virgin daughters who prophesied. While they were there, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea — the same Agabus who had prophesied the famine back in Acts 11 — took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles'" (Acts 21:11, NKJV). The whole company begged Paul not to go up. Paul answered them with one of the bravest sentences a Christian man ever spoke. "What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13, NKJV). When they could not persuade him, Luke says simply, "We ceased, saying, 'The will of the Lord be done'" (Acts 21:14, NKJV). Paul packed his luggage and went up to Jerusalem.

IX. Mafundisho Matatu ya Kwenda Nayo NyumbaniIX. Three Lessons Home

Kwanza, njia ya Yohana si njia ya Yesu. Toba bila imani si Injili. Ubatizo bila Kristo si wokovu. Dini inayoishia kwenye uzito wa kimaadili bado haijafika msalabani. Wale wanafunzi kumi na wawili wa Efeso walikuwa na bidii kwa miaka mingi. Bado walikuwa wamepotea. Ndivyo alivyo kila mtu tunayemjua aliye na dini bila kuokolewa.First, the way of John is not the way of Jesus. Repentance without faith is not the gospel. Baptism without Christ is not salvation. Religion that stops at moral seriousness has not yet arrived at the cross. The twelve Ephesian disciples had been earnest for years. They were still lost. So is everyone we know who is religious without being saved.

Pili, ufuasi wa faragha una umuhimu kuliko marekebisho ya hadharani. Akila na Prisila walimchukua Apolo kando. Hawakumwaibisha kutoka nyuma ya sinagogi. Walimweleza njia ya Mungu kwa usahihi zaidi kwa faragha. Ufalme unahitaji walezi wa wanafunzi wengi zaidi na wakosoaji wachache zaidi. Mhubiri mkuu ajaye katika kanisa lako huenda yuko vikombe vitatu vya kahawa tu mbali na kufundishwa, ikiwa mtu yuko tayari kufanya kazi ile ngumu na ya ukarimu ya kumchukua kando.Second, private discipleship matters more than public correction. Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos aside. They did not embarrass him from the back of the synagogue. They explained the way of God more accurately in private. The kingdom needs more disciplers and fewer critics. The next great preacher in your church may be three coffees away from being trained, if someone is willing to do the awkward, generous work of taking him aside.

Tatu, mwonyeni kila mtu usiku na mchana kwa machozi. Huduma ya Paulo ya miaka mitatu huko Efeso ilinyweshwa kwa machozi. Moody alihubiri maisha yake yote yaliyobaki kwa machozi baada ya usiku ule alipouchelewesha mwaliko. Bwana na arudishe machozi katika mimbari ya kisasa. Hakuna kitu adimu zaidi katika mahubiri yetu kuliko kuwalilia waliopotea. Na tukirudishe kabla Siku ile haijafika.Third, warn everyone night and day with tears. Paul's three-year Ephesian ministry was watered with tears. Moody preached the rest of his life with tears after the night he delayed an invitation. May the Lord put tears back into the modern pulpit. There is no scarcer commodity in our preaching than weeping for the lost. May we recover it before the Day comes.

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