Historia ya Kanisa — Sehemu ya 1: Kwa Nini Historia ya Kanisa?Church History — Unit 1: Why Church History?

Yesu aliyasema kabla lolote kati ya hayo halijatokea. "Nitalijenga kanisa langu; wala milango ya kuzimu haitalishinda." Alipoyasema, alikuwa na wafuasi labda mia moja na ishirini. Hakuwa na majengo, hakuwa na bajeti, hakuwa na makasisi, hakuwa na mtaala, hakuwa na kanuni za imani, hakuwa na vitabu vya marejeo. Alikuwa na kikundi cha wavuvi, mtoza ushuru, mwenye shaka, mtu mwenye hasira za haraka, mwizi, na mchanganyiko wa wavuvi, wanawake, na watu waliokuwa wamepagawa na pepo hapo zamani. Aliwaambia kwamba wangejenga kitu ambacho milango ya kuzimu isingeweza kukivunja.Jesus said it before any of it happened. "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." When He said it, He had perhaps a hundred and twenty followers. He had no buildings, no budget, no clergy, no curriculum, no creeds, no concordances. He had a fishing crew, a tax collector, a doubter, a hothead, a thief, and an assortment of fishermen, women, and former demoniacs. He told them they were going to build something the gates of hell could not break.

Karne ishirini baadaye bado tupo hapa, tukitazama nyuma karne ishirini za vita, tauni, mateso, mafarakano, kashfa, uamsho, na urejesho, na kanisa ni kubwa zaidi, pana zaidi, na limeenea ulimwenguni kote kuliko wakati mwingine wowote. Ahadi ilisimama. Hiyo ndiyo mada nzima ya kozi hii. Historia ya Kanisa si hadithi ya dini fulani. Ni habari ya jinsi Yesu alivyoitimiza sentensi moja ya ahadi yake kwa miaka elfu mbili. Tunasoma stakabadhi zake.Twenty centuries later we are still here, looking back at twenty centuries of warfare, plague, persecution, schism, scandal, revival, and recovery, and the church is bigger and broader and more global than it has ever been. The Promise held. That is the whole subject of this course. Church History is not the story of a religion. It is the story of how Jesus has kept one sentence of His promise across two thousand years. We are reading the receipts.

"Nitalijenga kanisa langu." — Yesu"I will build my church." — Jesus

Karibu kwenye Historia ya Kanisa katika Seminari ya Kitheolojia ya Chapala. Sehemu kumi. Karne ishirini. Mjenzi Mmoja. Tutasonga kutoka Siku ya Pentekoste katika Sehemu ya 1 hadi kulipuka kwa Ukristo wa Kusini mwa Dunia katika Sehemu ya 10. Njiani tutakutana na mitume, mashahidi wa imani waliouawa, watu wa ibada ya ndani ya kiroho, watawa, wamisionari, akina mama, mahakimu, wanatheolojia, watafsiri, madhalimu, na waumini wengi wa kawaida ambao majina yao hatutayajua kamwe lakini ambao utii wao uliufanya mstari usikatike.Welcome to Church History at Chapala Theological Seminary. Ten units. Twenty centuries. One Builder. We will move from the Day of Pentecost in Unit 1 to the explosion of Global South Christianity in Unit 10. Along the way we will meet apostles, martyrs, mystics, monks, missionaries, mothers, magistrates, theologians, translators, tyrants, and a great many ordinary believers whose names we will never know but whose obedience kept the line unbroken.

Kabla hatujaingia katika karne ya kwanza, maswali matatu ya utangulizi yanastahili kujibiwa.Before we walk into the first century, three preliminary questions deserve an answer.

Kwa nini tujifunze historia ya kanisa hata kidogo?Why study church history at all?

Kuna sababu nne. Kwanza, ujumbe wa Kikristo una mizizi katika historia. Hatuabudu wazo la kifalsafa. Tunamwabudu seremala Myahudi aliyetembea katika barabara za Galilaya chini ya liwali Mrumi anayejulikana, aliyesulubiwa juu ya kilima kinachojulikana nje ya mji unaojulikana, na aliyetoka katika kaburi linalojulikana. Ukristo ni wa kihistoria kwa namna ya pekee, na kanisa linalopoteza historia yake linapoteza mshiko wa ujumbe wake lenyewe. Pili, historia ya kanisa ni habari ya jinsi Roho Mtakatifu alivyoendelea kutenda kazi kupitia wanaume na wanawake wa imani. Tunajifunza Mungu anachofanya kwa kutazama alichokwisha kufanya. Tatu, bila kuyajua yaliyopita, hatuwezi kujielewa wenyewe. Nyimbo tunazoimba, kanuni za imani tunazozikiri, makundi ya mawazo tunayofikiria nayo, hata orodha ya vitabu vya Biblia tunayosoma — yote hayo yalitufikia kupitia historia. Nne, kuyajua yaliyopita hutuzuia tusirudie makosa yake. Uzushi hujirudia. Mateso hurudi tena. Mitindo ya kiroho ya muda mfupi yote imeshatokea kabla, na kwa kawaida iliishia vibaya. Mchungaji anayeijua historia ya kanisa hatapoteza msimu mzima akikimbiza kile ambacho karne ya tatu ilikwisha kukizika.Four reasons. First, the Christian message is rooted in history. We do not worship a philosophical idea. We worship a Jewish carpenter who walked Galilean roads under a known Roman governor, who was crucified on a known hill outside a known city, and who walked out of a known tomb. Christianity is uniquely historical, and a church that loses its history loses its grip on its own message. Second, the church's history is the story of how the Holy Spirit has continued to act through men and women of faith. We learn what God does by watching what He has done. Third, without knowing the past, we are unable to understand ourselves. The hymns we sing, the creeds we recite, the categories we think with, even the canon we read — all of these came to us through history. Fourth, knowledge of the past keeps us from repeating its mistakes. Heresies recycle. Persecutions recur. Spiritual fads have all happened before, usually badly. The pastor who knows church history will not waste a season chasing what the third century already buried.

Historia ya kanisa ilianza lini?When did church history begin?

Takriban mwaka 30 B.K., Siku ya Pentekoste. Baadhi ya vitabu vya kiada hurudi nyuma hadi kwenye maagano ya Agano la Kale, na hawakosei kufanya hivyo — kanisa halianzi kutoka mwanzo kabisa bila msingi. Lakini kama jumuiya ya pekee yenye utume wa pekee, kanisa linaanza Pentekoste, Roho Mtakatifu alipowashukia wanafunzi huko Yerusalemu na roho elfu tatu zikaongezwa katika mchana mmoja. Kuanzia wakati huo muhimu wa mageuzi, habari tunayoifuatilia ni simulizi moja inayoendelea ya kupanuka, upinzani, kufafanua imani, na kufanywa upya.About AD 30, on the Day of Pentecost. Some textbooks reach back to the Old Testament covenants, and they are not wrong to do so — the church does not begin from scratch. But as a distinct community with a distinct mission, the church begins at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples in Jerusalem and three thousand souls were added in a single afternoon. From that hinge moment forward, the story we are tracking is one continuous narrative of expansion, opposition, definition, and renewal.

Uti wa mgongo wa kozi hii ni nini?What is the spine of this course?

Zaidi ya kufuata mpangilio wa nyakati, kozi hii inabeba uzi mmoja wa pekee unaotokana na fani yangu mwenyewe ya masomo. Shahada yangu ya uzamivu ni katika uhubiri, na utafiti wangu umejikita katika historia ya uhubiri. Makubaliano ya kihistoria katika fani hiyo yanataja karne nne kuwa vipindi vya uhubiri mkuu usio wa kawaida: karne ya kwanza, karne ya nne, karne ya kumi na sita, na karne ya kumi na tisa. Tutakapozifikia karne hizo tutatulia na kuitazama mimbari kwa makini. Mimbari si jambo pekee ambalo kanisa hufanya, lakini ni mojawapo ya mambo ambayo kanisa hufanya vizuri zaidi linapokuwa na afya kuliko wakati wowote, na karne nne ambazo lilihubiri kwa nguvu zaidi ndizo karne nne tutakazokawia kuzitafakari. Sehemu ya 1 ni ya kwanza kati yake. Sehemu ya 3 itakuwa ya pili. Sehemu ya 7 ya tatu. Sehemu ya 9 ya nne. Sehemu nyingine sita ni kiunganishi, na kiunganishi nacho ni muhimu. Lakini karne nne za mimbari ndizo uti wa mgongo.Beyond the chronological march, this course carries one distinctive thread that comes from my own field of study. My doctorate is in preaching, and my research has focused on the history of preaching. The historical consensus in that field names four centuries as periods of unusually great preaching: the first century, the fourth century, the sixteenth century, and the nineteenth century. When we reach those centuries we will pause and look closely at the pulpit. The pulpit is not the only thing the church does, but it is one of the things the church does best when she is healthiest, and the four centuries when she preached most powerfully are the four centuries we will linger over. Unit 1 is the first of them. Unit 3 will be the second. Unit 7 the third. Unit 9 the fourth. The other six units are the connective tissue, and the connective tissue matters too. But the four pulpit centuries are the spine.

Paulo aliwaandikia Wagalatia kwamba "ulipowadia utimilifu wa wakati, Mungu alimtuma Mwanawe" (Wagalatia 4:4). Maneno hayo yanavutia sana. Mungu hakumtuma Yesu katika historia bila mpango. Alisubiri mkusanyiko maalum wa mazingira. Mazingira matatu kati ya hayo yanaonekana kwa msomaji yeyote wa Agano Jipya, na yanaeleza kwa nini injili ilienea jinsi ilivyoenea katika karne ya kwanza.Paul wrote to the Galatians that "when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son" (Galatians 4:4). The phrase is striking. God did not send Jesus into history at random. He waited for a particular convergence of circumstances. Three of those circumstances are visible to any reader of the New Testament, and they explain why the gospel spread the way it did in the first century.

1. Lugha ya Kigiriki1. Greek language

Karne tatu kabla ya Kristo, Aleksanda Mkuu aliushinda ulimwengu uliojulikana na akaacha nyuma Kigiriki cha kawaida kilichokuwa lugha ya mawasiliano ya pamoja ya mashariki mwa Bahari ya Mediterania. Kigiriki cha Koiné — Kigiriki cha kawaida — kilizungumzwa katika masoko ya Antiokia, bandari za Korintho, mitaa ya Efeso, na masinagogi ya Rumi. Kufikia karne ya kwanza msafiri mwenye Kigiriki cha kutosha angeweza kusafiri kutoka Hispania hadi Shamu na kueleweka. Mitume waliandika kwa Kigiriki hicho. Agano Jipya ni Agano Jipya la Kigiriki. Injili ilienea juu ya mgongo wa lugha iliyokuwa tayari mahali pake.Three centuries before Christ, Alexander the Great conquered the known world and left behind a common Greek that became the lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean. Koiné Greek — common Greek — was spoken in the markets of Antioch, the docks of Corinth, the streets of Ephesus, and the synagogues of Rome. By the first century a traveler with passable Greek could move from Spain to Syria and be understood. The apostles wrote in that Greek. The New Testament is a Greek New Testament. The gospel spread on the back of a language already in place.

2. Barabara za Kirumi2. Roman roads

Karne mbili kabla ya Kristo, Warumi walianza kujenga mfumo mpana zaidi wa barabara ambao ulimwengu wa kale ulikuwa haujawahi kuuona. Kufikia karne ya kwanza, maili elfu hamsini za barabara za Kirumi zilizojengwa kwa mawe zilienea kutoka kitovu cha milki. Pax Romana — Amani ya Kirumi — ilimaanisha kwamba barabara hizo zililindwa na zilikuwa salama kwa kiasi cha kutosha. Msafiri angeweza kuondoka Antiokia kwa miguu na kufika Rumi bila kuvuka mpaka wowote. Paulo alifanya hivyo hasa, mara kadhaa. Injili ilienea juu ya mgongo wa mfumo wa barabara uliokuwa tayari mahali pake.Two centuries before Christ, the Romans began building the most extensive road system the ancient world had ever seen. By the first century, fifty thousand miles of paved Roman road radiated out from the empire's center. The Pax Romana — the Roman Peace — meant that those roads were patrolled and reasonably safe. A traveler could leave Antioch on foot and reach Rome with no border crossings. Paul did exactly that, several times. The gospel spread on the back of a road system already in place.

3. Sinagogi la Kiyahudi3. Jewish synagogue

Karne nyingi za kutawanyika kwa Wayahudi — diaspora — zilikuwa zimepanda masinagogi ya Kiyahudi karibu katika kila mji mkubwa wa milki. Masinagogi hayo yalikuwa yamesoma Agano la Kale kwa Kigiriki (Septuajinti) kwa karne mbili. Yalikuwa yamekusanya kandokando yao Mataifa wamchao Mungu waliopenda imani ya Kiyahudi ya Mungu mmoja lakini hawakuwa tayari kubeba mzigo kamili wa sheria. Kila mahali Paulo alipofika katika mji mpya, alikuwa na kusanyiko lililokuwa tayari: Wayahudi walioyajua Maandiko na Mataifa waliokuwa tayari wameyaamini nusu. Injili ilienea juu ya mgongo wa mfumo wa kidini uliokuwa tayari mahali pake.Centuries of Jewish dispersion — the diaspora — had planted Jewish synagogues in nearly every major city of the empire. These synagogues had read the Old Testament in Greek (the Septuagint) for two centuries. They had drawn around themselves a fringe of God-fearing Gentiles who admired Jewish monotheism but were unwilling to take on the full burden of the law. Wherever Paul arrived in a new city, he had a ready-made congregation: Jews who knew the Scriptures and Gentiles who already half-believed them. The gospel spread on the back of a religious framework already in place.

Maandalizi matatu. Lugha moja, mfumo mmoja wa barabara, mtandao mmoja wa masinagogi. Hakuna hata kimoja kilichokuwa cha Kikristo. Vyote vilimtumikia Kristo. Hivi ndivyo Mungu alivyofanya kazi siku zote: huandaa udongo muda mrefu kabla ya kuidondosha mbegu. Baadhi yenu mnamwombea mtu anayeonekana kuwa hafikiki. Tazama kandokando ya maisha yake. Huenda barabara zimekwisha kujengwa. Huenda msamiati umekwisha kuwekwa mahali pake. Huenda shahidi tayari yumo chumbani. Mbegu za Mungu huanguka mahali ambapo Mungu ameandaa udongo.Three preparations. One language, one road system, one synagogue network. None of them was Christian. All of them served Christ. This is the way God has always worked: He prepares the soil long before He drops the seed. Some of you are praying for someone who seems unreachable. Look around at his life. The roads may be already laid. The vocabulary may be already in place. The witness may already be in the room. God's seeds fall where God has prepared the soil.

Matendo 2 ni cheti cha kuzaliwa cha kanisa la Kikristo. Mazingira ni sikukuu ya Kiyahudi siku hamsini baada ya Pasaka. Wanafunzi wamekusanyika katika chumba cha juu huko Yerusalemu — wapata mia moja na ishirini — wakisubiri ahadi ambayo Kristo aliyefufuka alikuwa ameitoa kabla ya kupaa kwake: "Mtapokea nguvu, akiisha kuwajilia juu yenu Roho Mtakatifu" (Matendo 1:8). Karibu saa tatu asubuhi, kusubiri kulikwisha. Ikaja sauti kama ya upepo wa nguvu ukienda kasi. Ndimi za moto zikakaa juu ya kila mmoja wao. Wakajazwa Roho Mtakatifu na wakaanza kunena kwa lugha nyingine, na mahujaji waliokusanyika kutoka kila pembe ya milki wakaisikia injili kila mmoja kwa lugha yake mwenyewe.Acts 2 is the birth certificate of the Christian church. The setting is a Jewish feast day fifty days after Passover. The disciples are gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem — about a hundred and twenty of them — waiting on a promise the resurrected Christ had made before His ascension: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8). At about nine in the morning, the wait ended. There came a sound like a rushing mighty wind. Tongues of fire rested on each one of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, and pilgrims gathered from every corner of the empire heard the gospel each in his own tongue.

Petro alisimama ili kuhubiri. Mtu ambaye siku hamsini na tatu kabla alikuwa amemkana Kristo mbele ya kijakazi sasa alisimama hadharani na kumhubiri Kristo aliyesulubiwa na kufufuka kwa umati wenye uadui. Alinukuu Yoeli 2 kuhusu kumwagwa kwa Roho, Zaburi 16 kuhusu ufufuo, Zaburi 110 kuhusu Bwana aliyepaa, na akafikia hitimisho lake: "Basi nyumba yote ya Israeli na wajue yakini ya kuwa Mungu alimfanya Yesu huyo mliyemsulibisha kuwa Bwana na Kristo" (Matendo 2:36). Umati ulipouliza wafanye nini, Petro alisema, "Tubuni mkabatizwe kila mmoja wenu kwa jina lake Yesu Kristo, mpate ondoleo la dhambi zenu" (Matendo 2:38). Roho elfu tatu waliamini na kubatizwa siku ile.Peter stood up to preach. The man who fifty-three days earlier had denied Christ to a servant girl now stood in the open and preached Christ crucified and risen to a hostile crowd. He quoted Joel 2 on the outpouring of the Spirit, Psalm 16 on the resurrection, Psalm 110 on the ascended Lord, and reached his conclusion: "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). When the crowd asked what they should do, Peter said, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). Three thousand souls believed and were baptized that day.

Hubiri hilo ni kumbukumbu ya kwanza ya karne kuu ya kwanza ya uhubiri wa Kikristo. Angalia sifa nne. Lilikuwa limetiwa nguvu na Roho: Petro alijazwa Roho Mtakatifu kabla hajafumbua kinywa chake, na kujazwa huko ndiko kulikombadilisha mtu huyo kutoka mkanaji hadi mpiga mbiu. Lilikuwa limejaa Maandiko: Petro alihubiri Agano la Kale likitimizwa katika Kristo, maandiko matatu katika dakika tatu, bila kuomba radhi na bila maneno ya kujaza nafasi. Lilikuwa limemlenga Kristo: tangu mwanzo hadi mwisho mada ilikuwa Yesu — maisha yake, kifo chake, ufufuo wake, kutukuzwa kwake. Na lilikuwa linadai mwitikio: Petro alimalizia kwa hukumu na mwito. Hubiri la kwanza katika historia ya kanisa liliweka kielelezo. Karne nne kuu za uhubiri zinapoanza, zote zinarudi kwenye alama hizo nne.That sermon is the first artifact of the first great century of Christian preaching. Notice four features. It was Spirit-empowered: Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit before he opened his mouth, and that filling is what changed the man from a denier to a herald. It was Scripture-saturated: Peter preached the Old Testament fulfilled in Christ, three texts in three minutes, with no apology and no padding. It was Christ-centered: from beginning to end the subject was Jesus — His life, His death, His resurrection, His exaltation. And it was response-demanding: Peter ended with a verdict and a call. The first sermon in church history set the pattern. When the four great centuries of preaching get going, they all return to those four marks.

Kanisa la Yerusalemu lilikua haraka. Waumini "wakawa wakidumu katika fundisho la mitume, na katika ushirika, na katika kuumega mkate, na katika kusali" (Matendo 2:42). Walikuwa na mali kwa shirika. Waliabudu kila siku katika nyua za hekalu na kula pamoja majumbani. Karibu wote walikuwa Wayahudi — Wayahudi walioongoka walioamini kwamba Yesu ndiye Masihi aliyeahidiwa tangu zamani. Hapakuwa bado na washiriki wa Mataifa, hapakuwa na majengo ya kanisa, hapakuwa na Agano Jipya, hapakuwa na makasisi waliotengwa na waumini wa kawaida, hapakuwa na liturujia rasmi. Kulikuwa tu na fundisho la mitume, kuumega mkate, maombi, na kuongezwa kila siku kwa waumini wapya kadiri Bwana alivyowavuta.The Jerusalem church grew quickly. The believers "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42). They held property in common. They worshipped daily in the temple courts and ate together in homes. They were almost entirely Jewish — converted Jews who believed Jesus was the long-promised Messiah. There were no Gentile members yet, no church buildings, no New Testament, no clergy distinct from the laity, no formal liturgy. There was only the apostles' teaching, the breaking of bread, prayer, and the daily addition of new believers as the Lord drew them in.

Mateso ya kwanza dhidi ya kanisa la Kikristo hayakutoka Rumi. Yalitoka kwa viongozi wa dini ya Kiyahudi, walioiona harakati hiyo mpya kuwa uzushi uliohitaji kukomeshwa kabla haujaenea. Chanzo cha mlipuko alikuwa Stefano, mmoja wa mashemasi saba walioteuliwa katika Matendo 6 kusimamia ugawaji wa chakula kwa wajane wahitaji wa Kiyunani. Stefano mwenyewe alikuwa mhubiri aliyejazwa Roho, na hubiri lake katika Matendo 7 lilikuwa marudio mapana ya historia ya Agano la Kale lililoishia kwa shtaka la wazi: "Enyi wenye shingo ngumu, msiotahiriwa mioyo wala masikio, siku zote mnampinga Roho Mtakatifu; kama baba zenu walivyofanya, na ninyi ni vivyo hivyo" (Matendo 7:51). Umati ukamkokota nje ya mji na kumpiga kwa mawe. Stefano alikufa akiwaombea wauaji wake, shahidi wa kwanza wa Kikristo aliyeuawa kwa ajili ya imani.The first persecution against the Christian church did not come from Rome. It came from the Jewish religious authorities, who saw the new movement as a heresy that needed to be stamped out before it spread. The flashpoint was Stephen, one of the seven deacons appointed in Acts 6 to manage food distribution to needy Hellenistic widows. Stephen was a Spirit-filled preacher in his own right, and his sermon in Acts 7 was a sweeping rehearsal of Old Testament history that ended in a frontal accusation: "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you" (Acts 7:51). The crowd dragged him out of the city and stoned him. Stephen died praying for his murderers, the first Christian martyr.

Pembeni mwa tukio hilo, akishika mavazi ya wale waliokuwa wakiua, alisimama Farisayo kijana aitwaye Sauli wa Tarso. Alikubali mauaji hayo. Kitabu cha Matendo kinatuambia kwamba siku ile ile kukatokea mateso makubwa juu ya kanisa lililokuwako Yerusalemu, na waumini wakatawanyika — "isipokuwa mitume" (Matendo 8:1). Sauli akaingia nyumba kwa nyumba, akiwakokota Wakristo na kuwatia gerezani. Hata hivyo, matokeo hayakuwa kuangamizwa kwa kanisa. Matokeo yalikuwa kuenea kwa kanisa.Standing at the edge of that scene, holding the coats of the executioners, was a young Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus. He approved of the killing. The book of Acts tells us that on that very day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and the believers scattered — "except the apostles" (Acts 8:1). Saul went house to house, dragging Christians off to prison. The result, however, was not the destruction of the church. The result was the spread of the church.

Waumini waliotawanyika waliichukua injili pamoja nao kila mahali walipokimbilia. "Basi wale waliotawanyika wakaenda huko na huko, wakilihubiri neno" (Matendo 8:4). Filipo alihubiri Samaria, kisha katika njia ya jangwani kwa afisa wa Kushi, kisha kuelekea pwani ya Mediterania. Waumini wengine wasiotajwa majina walikwenda kaskazini hadi Foinike, magharibi hadi Kipro, na mashariki hadi Antiokia ya Shamu. Huko Antiokia walianza kufanya jambo ambalo halijawahi kufanyika: waliwahubiri Mataifa injili, si Wayahudi wenzao tu. Kanisa la makabila mengi likazaliwa — na huko Antiokia, kwa mara ya kwanza katika historia, wanafunzi waliitwa Wakristo (Matendo 11:26).The scattered believers carried the gospel with them everywhere they ran. "Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:4). Philip preached in Samaria, then on the desert road to an Ethiopian official, then up the Mediterranean coast. Other unnamed believers went north to Phoenicia, west to Cyprus, and east to Antioch in Syria. There at Antioch they began doing something unprecedented: they preached the gospel to Gentiles, not just to fellow Jews. A multi-ethnic church was born — and at Antioch, for the first time in history, the disciples were called Christians (Acts 11:26).

Neno hilo "Mkristo" lenyewe ni hubiri. Linaashiria wakati ambapo harakati hiyo isingeweza tena kuelezwa kama dhehebu la Kiyahudi. Ilikuwa kitu kipya ulimwenguni: jumuiya iliyotambulishwa si kwa kabila, eneo, au taratibu za hekalu, bali kwa ukiri wa pamoja wa Mtu Mmoja. Mateso yalijaribu kuliua kanisa huko Yerusalemu; badala yake yalilipa kanisa makao makuu mapya huko Antiokia na jina jipya lililodumu.That word "Christian" is itself a sermon. It marks the moment when the movement could no longer be described as a Jewish sect. It was something new in the world: a community defined not by ethnicity, geography, or temple ritual, but by a shared confession of one Person. Persecution had tried to kill the church in Jerusalem; instead it gave the church a new headquarters in Antioch and a new name that stuck.

Na kisha alikuwepo Sauli. Farisayo kijana aliyesimama wakati Stefano alipopigwa kwa mawe alikutana na Kristo aliyefufuka Mwenyewe katika njia ya Dameski, akapofuka kwa siku tatu, akabatizwa na mwanafunzi mwenye hofu aitwaye Anania, na akageuzwa kuwa mtume Paulo. Mtesaji akawa mmisionari. Mtu aliyekuwa akiwakokota Wakristo gerezani punde angetumia robo karne akipanda makusanyiko ya Kikristo kote katika eneo la Mediterania. Mateso ya kwanza hayakuliangamiza kanisa. Yalilipanua kanisa na kumwongoa adui yake mkuu.And then there was Saul. The young Pharisee who had stood at Stephen's stoning was met on the Damascus road by the risen Christ Himself, blinded for three days, baptized by a frightened disciple named Ananias, and turned into the apostle Paul. The persecutor became the missionary. The man who had hauled Christians to prison would soon spend a quarter century planting Christian congregations across the Mediterranean. The first persecution did not destroy the church. It expanded the church and converted its chief enemy.

Kufikia takriban mwaka 49 B.K., kanisa lilikabiliwa na mgogoro wake mkubwa wa kwanza wa kitheolojia. Mataifa walikuwa wakiingia kwa wingi. Baadhi ya waumini wa Kiyahudi, hasa wale waliotoka katika kundi la Mafarisayo, walisisitiza kwamba waongofu wa Mataifa lazima watahiriwe na kuishika sheria ya Musa ili waokolewe. Paulo na Barnaba walikuwa wametoka tu katika safari yao ya kwanza ya kimisionari wakiripoti kuongoka kwa ajabu kwa Mataifa huko Galatia, nao walipinga kwa nguvu. Ubishi huo usingeweza kumalizwa huko Antiokia. Mitume na wazee walikutana Yerusalemu ili kuamua.By about AD 49, the church faced its first major theological crisis. Gentiles were pouring in. Some Jewish believers, particularly those who had come out of the Pharisee party, insisted that Gentile converts must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses to be saved. Paul and Barnabas had just returned from their first missionary journey reporting astonishing Gentile conversions in Galatia, and they pushed back hard. The dispute could not be settled in Antioch. The apostles and elders convened in Jerusalem to decide.

Mtaguso wa Yerusalemu (Matendo 15) ni mojawapo ya bawaba kuu za historia ya kanisa. Petro alizungumza kwanza, akisimulia maono yake na kuongoka kwa nyumba ya Kornelio, na akahitimisha kwamba Mungu alikuwa amewapa Mataifa Roho Mtakatifu "vilevile kama alivyotupa sisi; wala hakufanya tofauti yo yote kati yetu na wao, akiwasafisha mioyo yao kwa imani" (Matendo 15:8–9). Paulo na Barnaba waliripoti ishara na maajabu ambayo Mungu alikuwa amefanya kati ya Mataifa. Kisha Yakobo, ndugu wa Bwana kwa upande wa mama na kiongozi wa kanisa la Yerusalemu, akatoa uamuzi: Mataifa wasingetakiwa kutahiriwa wala kuishika sheria ya Musa. Wangeombwa tu kujiepusha na mambo ambayo yangewakwaza bila sababu ndugu zao Wayahudi katika milo ya pamoja.The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) is one of the great hinges of church history. Peter spoke first, recounting his vision and the conversion of Cornelius's household, and concluded that God had given the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles "just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:8–9). Paul and Barnabas reported on the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles. Then James, the Lord's half brother and the leader of the Jerusalem church, gave the verdict: Gentiles would not be required to be circumcised or to keep the Mosaic law. They would only be asked to abstain from things that would needlessly offend their Jewish brothers in shared meals.

Uamuzi wa mtaguso ulibadilisha kila kitu. Ulimaanisha kwamba Ukristo usingekuwa dhehebu ndani ya Uyahudi bali imani kwa ajili ya ulimwengu wote. Ulimaanisha kwamba wokovu ulikuwa, kwa uthabiti na bila shaka, kwa neema kwa njia ya imani na si kwa kufuata kabila au taratibu za kidini. Ulisafisha njia kwa miaka thelathini iliyofuata ya utume wa Paulo na kwa karne ishirini zilizofuata za Ukristo wa Mataifa. Bila Mtaguso wa Yerusalemu, hakuna historia ya kanisa nje ya Israeli. Pamoja nao, milango ilifunguka kwa kila taifa.The council's decision changed everything. It meant that Christianity would not be a sect within Judaism but a faith for the whole world. It meant that salvation was, finally and decisively, by grace through faith and not by ethnic or ritual conformity. It cleared the runway for the next thirty years of Pauline mission and for the next twenty centuries of Gentile Christianity. Without the Jerusalem Council, there is no church history beyond Israel. With it, the doors swung open to every nation.

Jambo moja dogo linastahili kuangaliwa kwa sababu linaashiria yatakayokuja. Mtaguso haukuwanyamazisha watu waliopinga matokeo yake. Kulikuwa na waumini Mafarisayo walioendelea kufundisha tohara baada ya mtaguso; Paulo alitumia maisha yake yote yaliyobaki akiandika barua kupinga ushawishi wao huko Galatia na Filipi. Mzozo wa kwanza wa kanisa ulimalizwa na mtaguso, lakini haukunyamazishwa na mtaguso. Mtindo huo utajirudia katika kila karne. Mitaguso huuchora mstari, lakini mstari huo bado unapaswa kutetewa katika mimbari, katika barua, na katika maisha.One detail deserves attention because it foreshadows what is to come. The council did not silence the men who disagreed with its outcome. There were Pharisee believers who continued to teach circumcision after the council; Paul spent the rest of his life writing letters to combat their influence in Galatia and Philippi. The first church controversy was settled by a council, but it was not silenced by a council. That pattern will repeat in every century. Councils define the line, but the line still has to be defended in pulpits and letters and lives.

Hapa ndipo tunapopunguza mwendo. Karne ya kwanza inasimama kichwani mwa karne nne kuu za uhubiri, nayo inastahili kutazamwa kwa makini kabla hatujaendelea. Ni nini kilichoifanya karne ya kwanza kuwa kuu mimbarini? Mambo matatu.This is where we slow down. The first century stands at the head of the four great centuries of preaching, and it deserves a careful look before we move on. What made the first century great in the pulpit? Three things.

1. Wahubiri walikuwa wamemsikia Yesu1. The preachers had heard Jesus

Petro, Yohana, Yakobo, na wahubiri wengine wa kitume walikuwa wametembea na Yesu kwa miaka mitatu. Walikuwa wamemsikia akihubiri katika masinagogi ya Galilaya na juu ya vilima vya Galilaya. Walikuwa wameisikia mifano moja kwa moja kutoka kinywani mwake. Walikuwa wamerekebishwa naye faraghani. Walipohubiri, walihubiri yale waliyoyaona na kuyasikia (1 Yohana 1:3). Paulo, ambaye hakuwa ametembea na Yesu alipokuwa duniani, alinyakuliwa hadi mbingu ya tatu na akapewa ufunuo wa moja kwa moja, naye anasema hakuipokea injili yake "kwa mwanadamu wala sikufundishwa na mwanadamu, bali kwa ufunuo wa Yesu Kristo" (Wagalatia 1:12). Mimbari ya karne ya kwanza ilikuwa na uwazi wa moja kwa moja ambao hakuna karne ya baadaye ingeweza kuulingana. Watu waliokuwa ndani yake walikuwa wamesimama karibu kiasi cha kuweza kumgusa Chanzo.Peter, John, James, and the other apostolic preachers had walked with Jesus for three years. They had heard Him preach in Galilean synagogues and on Galilean hillsides. They had heard the parables firsthand. They had been corrected by Him in private. When they preached, they preached what they had seen and heard (1 John 1:3). Paul, who had not walked with the earthly Jesus, was caught up to the third heaven and given a direct revelation, and he says he did not receive his gospel "from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:12). The first-century pulpit had a directness no later century could match. The men in it had stood within arm's length of the Source.

2. Wahubiri walikuwa wamempokea Roho Pentekoste2. The preachers had received the Spirit at Pentecost

Uhubiri uliojazwa Roho si jambo jipya la Agano Jipya — manabii wa Agano la Kale nao walihubiri katika nguvu za Roho. Lakini Pentekoste iliashiria enzi mpya. Roho sasa alimwagwa juu ya wote wenye mwili, juu ya wana na binti, juu ya vijana na wazee. Mhubiri wa karne ya kwanza ndiye aliyekuwa wa kwanza kunufaika na kumwagwa huko. Soma hubiri la Petro siku ya Pentekoste, hubiri lake hekaluni, hubiri la Stefano, hubiri la Paulo huko Athene — unasoma jumbe zilizotolewa na watu wenye upepo wa Mungu katika mapafu yao. Roho aliyepuliza Pentekoste ndiye Roho yule yule aliyewabeba Spurgeon na Wesley karne kumi na nane baadaye, lakini karne ya kwanza ndipo alipoanzia.Spirit-filled preaching is not a New Testament novelty — the Old Testament prophets preached in the power of the Spirit too. But Pentecost marked a new era. The Spirit was now poured out on all flesh, on sons and daughters, on young and old. The first-century preacher was the first beneficiary of that outpouring. Read Peter's sermon at Pentecost, his sermon at the temple, Stephen's sermon, Paul's sermon at Athens — you are reading messages delivered by men with the wind of God in their lungs. The Spirit who breathed on Pentecost was the same Spirit who carried Spurgeon and Wesley eighteen centuries later, but the first century is where He started.

3. Wahubiri walihubiri wakati Agano Jipya likiandikwa3. The preachers preached as the New Testament was being written

Jambo hili ni rahisi kulikosa. Petro na Paulo walihubiri bila Agano Jipya. Walihubiri Agano la Kale likitimizwa katika Kristo, na walipokuwa wakihubiri, Agano Jipya lilichukua umbo chini ya mikono yao. Barua za Paulo zilikuwa mahubiri kwa njia ya barua kwa makusanyiko aliyokuwa ameyaanzisha. Waraka wa kwanza wa Petro ulikuwa hubiri kwa waumini waliotawanyika. Injili ziliandikwa ili uhubiri wa kitume usipotee mitume walipokufa. Karne kuu ya kwanza ya uhubiri ni karne ambayo maandishi yenyewe ya Agano Jipya yalikuwa yakiandikwa. Kila karne kuu ya baadaye ya uhubiri imekuwa ni kurudi kwenye maandishi hayo. Karne ya kwanza haikuhitaji kurudi kwake. Karne ya kwanza ndiyo iliyokuwa ikiyazalisha.This is easy to miss. Peter and Paul preached without a New Testament. They preached the Old Testament fulfilled in Christ, and as they preached, the New Testament took shape under their hands. Paul's letters were sermons-by-mail to congregations he had founded. Peter's first epistle was a sermon to scattered believers. The Gospels were written down so that the apostolic preaching would not be lost when the apostles died. The first great century of preaching is the century in which the very text of the New Testament was being written. Every later great century of preaching has been a return to that text. The first century did not need to return to it. The first century was producing it.

Mahubiri matano ya kukumbukaFive sermons to remember

Ikiwa hutakumbuka jambo lingine lolote kutoka sehemu hii, yakumbuke mahubiri haya matano ya karne kuu ya kwanza ya uhubiri: Petro siku ya Pentekoste (Matendo 2), hubiri la siku ya kuzaliwa lililotiwa nguvu na Roho. Petro hekaluni (Matendo 3), ambapo kuponywa kwa kiwete kwenye mlango uitwao Mzuri kulikuwa nafasi ya kuhubiri ufufuo. Stefano mbele ya Baraza Kuu (Sanhedrini) (Matendo 7), lililofuatilia mkondo mzima wa historia ya ukombozi na kuishia katika kifo cha kishahidi. Paulo huko Athene (Matendo 17), aliposimama juu ya kilima cha Areopago (Mars Hill) na kuwahubiri wanafalsafa wa Kiyunani Mungu asiyejulikana, akiwanukulia washairi wao wenyewe. Paulo kwa wazee wa Efeso (Matendo 20), hubiri la kuagana huko Mileto, ambapo Paulo alitangaza kwamba hakujiepusha na kuwahubiri shauri lote la Mungu. Mahubiri matano. Wasikilizaji watano tofauti. Mazingira matano tofauti. Roho mmoja. Kristo mmoja. Kielelezo kimoja ambacho karne ya pili ingekirithi, karne ya nne ingekiboresha, karne ya kumi na sita ingekirejesha, na karne ya kumi na tisa ingekizidisha.If you remember nothing else from this section, remember these five sermons of the first great century of preaching: Peter at Pentecost (Acts 2), the Spirit-empowered birthday sermon. Peter at the temple (Acts 3), where the lame man healed at the Beautiful Gate became an occasion for preaching the resurrection. Stephen before the Sanhedrin (Acts 7), which traced the whole arc of redemptive history and ended in martyrdom. Paul at Athens (Acts 17), where he stood on Mars Hill and preached the unknown God to Greek philosophers, quoting their own poets back at them. Paul to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20), the farewell sermon at Miletus, where Paul declared he had not shunned to declare the whole counsel of God. Five sermons. Five different audiences. Five different settings. One Spirit. One Christ. One pattern that the second century would inherit, the fourth century would refine, the sixteenth century would recover, and the nineteenth century would multiply.

Kanisa la karne ya kwanza halikuendeshwa na makasisi waliovaa majoho. Liliendeshwa kutoka majumbani — na katika nyumba hizo wanawake walibeba sehemu kubwa ya mzigo. Lidia, mtu wa Mataifa mchaji wa Mungu na mfanyabiashara wa nguo za rangi ya zambarau, alilikaribisha kusanyiko la kwanza la Ulaya nyumbani kwake huko Filipi (Matendo 16). Fibi, aliyeitwa mhudumu (shemasi wa kike) wa kanisa lililoko Kenkrea, aliibeba barua ya Paulo kwa Warumi (Warumi 16:1–2). Yunia anatajwa miongoni mwa mitume katika Warumi 16:7. Priskila na mumewe Akila walikaribisha makanisa ya nyumbani huko Korintho, Efeso, na Rumi. Apolo, mtu mwenye ufasaha wa maneno, alipotokea Efeso akihubiri injili isiyokamilika, ni Priskila na Akila waliomchukua kando na kumweleza njia ya Mungu kwa usahihi zaidi (Matendo 18:24–26). Jina la Priskila limeorodheshwa kwanza katika marejeo mengi ya Agano Jipya — mpangilio ambao katika ulimwengu wa kale ulionyesha umashuhuri. Kanisa la karne ya kwanza lilifuma karama za wanawake ndani ya kitambaa cha utume wake kwa njia ambazo karne iliyofuata, chini ya shinikizo la kijamii, ingezirudisha nyuma kwa sehemu. Tutaufuatilia uzi huo kwa makini katika kozi yote.The first century church was not run by clergy in robes. It was run out of homes — and in those homes women carried much of the load. Lydia, a Gentile God-fearer and dealer in purple cloth, hosted the first European congregation in her home in Philippi (Acts 16). Phoebe, called a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae, carried Paul's letter to the Romans (Romans 16:1–2). Junia is named among the apostles in Romans 16:7. Priscilla and her husband Aquila hosted house churches in Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome. When the eloquent Apollos turned up in Ephesus preaching an incomplete gospel, it was Priscilla and Aquila who took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately (Acts 18:24–26). Priscilla's name is listed first in most New Testament references — an order that in the ancient world signaled prominence. The first-century church wove women's gifts into the fabric of its mission in ways that the next century, under social pressure, would partially withdraw. We will follow that thread carefully across the course.

Kufikia takriban mwaka 70 B.K., kanisa la karne ya kwanza lilikabiliwa na mitikisiko miwili mikubwa. Wa kwanza ulikuwa kuangamizwa kwa Yerusalemu na majeshi ya Kirumi chini ya Tito. Hekalu ambamo Petro na Yohana waliwahi kuhubiri lilibomolewa kabisa, ukuhani ukatawanyika, na mfumo wa dhabihu uliokuwa umetambulisha ibada ya Kiyahudi kwa miaka elfu moja ukakoma milele. Ukristo, uliozaliwa Yerusalemu, sasa haukuwa na kitovu Yerusalemu. Kitovu kilikuwa kimekwisha kuhamia Antiokia na kilikuwa kikielekea Rumi.By about AD 70, the first-century church faced two seismic shocks. The first was the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies under Titus. The temple where Peter and John had once preached was leveled, the priesthood scattered, and the sacrificial system that had defined Jewish worship for a thousand years was ended forever. Christianity, which had been born in Jerusalem, now had no center in Jerusalem. The center had already moved to Antioch and was moving toward Rome.

Mtikisiko wa pili ulikuwa wa polepole lakini wenye uzito uleule: mitume walikuwa wakifa. Yakobo ndugu yake Yohana aliuawa kwa upanga na Herode Agripa katika Matendo 12. Petro na Paulo waliuawa kwa ajili ya imani huko Rumi chini ya Nero karibu mwaka 64–67 B.K., Petro akisulubiwa kichwa chini (kwa mapokeo) na Paulo akikatwa kichwa. Yakobo ndugu wa Bwana alitupwa kutoka ukuta wa hekalu na kupigwa kwa marungu hadi kufa karibu mwaka 62 B.K. Kufikia mwisho wa karne alikuwa amebaki Yohana peke yake; kitabu cha Ufunuo kinamhusisha na uhamishoni katika kisiwa cha Patmo katika Bahari ya Aegea, ingawa kumbukumbu ya kifo chake mwenyewe si ya hakika sana. Kufikia takriban mwaka 100 B.K., kizazi cha mitume chenyewe kilipoondoka jukwaani, enzi ya mitume ilikuwa imekwisha. Watu waliotembea na Yesu walikuwa wameondoka. Watu waliokuwa wameuweka msingi walikuwa wameondoka. Maandiko — tunayoyaita Agano Jipya — sasa yalikuwa kiungo cha maandishi chenye mamlaka zaidi cha kanisa na chimbuko lake lenyewe, ingawa si kiungo pekee; kumbukumbu za mdomo, mapokeo yaliyobebwa katika ibada, makanisa yenye uhusiano wa moja kwa moja na mitume, na maaskofu na wazee ambao mitume wenyewe walikuwa wamewaweka, wote nao waliubeba ushuhuda huo ulio hai mbele.The second shock was slower but just as decisive: the apostles were dying. James the brother of John was beheaded by Herod Agrippa in Acts 12. Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome under Nero around AD 64–67, Peter crucified upside down (by tradition) and Paul beheaded. James the Lord's brother was thrown from the temple wall and clubbed to death around AD 62. By the end of the century only John was left; Revelation associates him with exile on the Aegean island of Patmos, though the record of his own death is less certain. By around AD 100, as the apostolic generation itself passed from the scene, the apostolic age was over. The men who had walked with Jesus were gone. The men who had laid the foundation were gone. Scripture — what we call the New Testament — was now the church's most authoritative written connection to its own origins, though not its only one; oral memories, traditions carried in worship, churches with direct apostolic ties, and the bishops and elders the apostles themselves had appointed all carried that living witness forward as well.

Na kanisa halikuanguka. Kanisa liliendelea kukua. Sehemu zinazofuata za kozi hii zitafuatilia kilichotokea baadaye: Mababa wa Kitume waliokuwa wamewajua mitume na kutafuta kuyahifadhi na kuyapitisha mafundisho yao kwa kizazi kilichofuata (Sehemu ya 2), mateso yaliyojaribu iwapo kanisa lingeweza kustahimili kukosa kibali cha kifalme (pia Sehemu ya 2), uzushi uliojaribu iwapo kanisa lilijua kile hasa lilichokiamini (Sehemu ya 3), na kazi ya polepole yenye gharama ya kufafanua imani iliyozaa kanuni za imani tunazozikiri hadi leo.And the church did not collapse. The church kept growing. The next units of this course will trace what happened next: the Apostolic Fathers who had known the apostles and sought to preserve and transmit their teaching to the generation that followed (Unit 2), the persecutions that tested whether the church could survive the loss of imperial favor (also Unit 2), the heresies that tested whether the church knew what it actually believed (Unit 3), and the slow, costly work of definition that produced the creeds we still recite today.

Mchungaji anayesoma Matendo kama historia ya kanisa badala ya kama kitabu cha Biblia kilichofungwa anapata kanuni nne za kazi zitakazomsaidia kila Jumatatu asubuhi ya huduma yake.The pastor who reads Acts as church history rather than as a closed Bible book gets four working principles that will serve him every Monday morning of his ministry.

Kwanza, mateso si mwisho. Kanisa linapopoteza nafasi, tazama mahali waumini waliotawanyika wanapofikia. Mateso ya Yerusalemu yaliyolitawanya kanisa yaliupa ulimwengu Antiokia. Kila mlango unaofungwa Mungu huutumia kufungua mwingine. Mchungaji anayeingiwa na hofu kwa kila kikwazo hajasoma Matendo 8 kwa makini ya kutosha.First, persecution is not the end. When the church loses ground, watch where the scattered believers land. The Jerusalem persecution that scattered the church gave the world Antioch. Every closing door God uses to open another. The pastor who panics at every setback has not read Acts 8 carefully enough.

Pili, Mungu huandaa udongo kabla ya kuidondosha mbegu. Utimilifu wa wakati si muujiza wa mara moja tu — ni kielelezo. Kabla Mungu hajatenda katika jamii yako, amekwisha kujenga barabara, kupanda msamiati, na kuweka mashahidi mahali pao. Kazi yako si kutengeneza utayari. Kazi yako ni kuutambua.Second, God prepares the soil before He drops the seed. The fullness of time is not a one-time miracle — it is a pattern. Before God moves in your community, He has already laid roads, planted vocabulary, and stationed witnesses. Your job is not to manufacture readiness. Your job is to recognize it.

Tatu, mitaguso hufafanua lakini hainyamazishi. Swali la kimafundisho linapomalizwa katika kanisa lako, tarajia wanaopinga kuendelea kufundisha. Jiandae kwa hilo. Mstari uliokuwa wazi huko Yerusalemu mwaka 49 B.K. ulipaswa kutetewa huko Galatia, huko Filipi, huko Rumi, katika kila mji Paulo aliotembelea. Kufafanua kweli na kutetea kweli ni kazi tofauti, na kanisa linahitaji kufanya zote mbili.Third, councils define but do not silence. When a doctrinal question is settled in your church, expect the dissenters to keep teaching. Plan for it. The line that was clear at Jerusalem in AD 49 had to be defended in Galatia, in Philippi, in Rome, in every city Paul visited. Defining truth and defending truth are different jobs, and a church needs to do both.

Nne, mimbari unayosimama nyuma yake imetokana na ile ya Petro siku ya Pentekoste. Unapofungua Biblia yako ili kuhubiri Jumapili hii, unafanya hasa kile Petro alichofanya akiwa na gombo la Yoeli mikononi mwake. Roho aliyemjaza ndiye Roho anayekujaza wewe. Kristo aliyemtangaza ndiye Kristo unayemtangaza. Maandiko aliyokuwa nayo chini ya kidole gumba chake ndiyo maandiko yaleyale uliyo nayo chini ya chako, pamoja na sehemu iliyobaki ya Agano Jipya aliyosaidia kuliandika. Kuna mwendelezo mkubwa zaidi kati ya hubiri lako na lake kuliko ulivyo kati ya hubiri lako na wimbo maarufu wa wiki iliyopita. Simama katika mstari huo. Hubiri kana kwamba umesimama ndani yake. Kwa sababu ndivyo ulivyo.Fourth, the pulpit you stand behind is descended from Peter's at Pentecost. When you open your Bible to preach this Sunday, you are doing exactly what Peter did with the scroll of Joel in his hands. The Spirit who filled him is the Spirit who fills you. The Christ he proclaimed is the Christ you proclaim. The text he had under his thumb is the same text you have under yours, plus the rest of the New Testament he helped write. There is more continuity between your sermon and his than there is between your sermon and last week's pop song. Stand in that line. Preach as if you stand in it. Because you do.

Tulianza sehemu hii kwa sentensi ambayo Yesu aliisema huko Kaisaria Filipi kwa kikundi kidogo cha wafuasi ambao wengi wao hawakujua kusoma. "Nitalijenga kanisa langu; wala milango ya kuzimu haitalishinda."We began this unit with a sentence Jesus spoke in Caesarea Philippi to a small group of mostly illiterate followers. "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

Katika kozi hii yote iliyobaki tutaitazama sentensi hiyo ikijaribiwa dhidi ya kila kitu ambacho kuzimu ingeweza kuitupia. Wafalme wa Kirumi watajaribu kuiua. Wazushi watajaribu kuifafanua upya. Wabarbari watajaribu kuivamia na kuishinda. Wanasiasa watajaribu kuiteka. Wanatheolojia watajaribu kuieleza kupita kiasi. Wanamatengenezo watalazimika kuirejesha. Wamisionari watalazimika kuibeba kuvuka bahari. Waliberali watajaribu kuipunguza nguvu. Mateso yatajaribu kuinyamazisha. Kila karne itaitupia Ahadi kitu kipya, na kila karne itashindwa kuivunja.Across the rest of this course we will watch that sentence get tested against everything hell could throw at it. Roman emperors will try to kill it. Heretics will try to redefine it. Barbarians will try to overrun it. Politicians will try to capture it. Theologians will try to over-explain it. Reformers will have to recover it. Missionaries will have to carry it across oceans. Liberals will try to dilute it. Persecution will try to silence it. Every century will throw something new at the Promise, and every century will fail to break it.

Hiyo si propaganda. Hiyo ni kumbukumbu ya kihistoria ya karne ishirini. Kanisa ambalo Yesu alisema angelijenga lipo hapa, kubwa zaidi na limeenea ulimwenguni kote kuliko wakati wowote katika historia yake, likiwa na waumini wengi zaidi Afrika na Asia na Amerika ya Kusini kuliko wakati wowote uliopita, na milango ya kuzimu bado haijalishinda. Karibu kwenye Sehemu ya 1. Faulu mtihani huu, nasi tutakutana na karne ya pili katika Sehemu ya 2 — karne ya Mababa wa Kitume, mateso makuu, na utetezi wenye gharama wa imani ambayo mitume walikuwa wameikabidhi muda mfupi tu uliopita.That is not propaganda. That is the historical record of twenty centuries. The church Jesus said He would build is here, larger and more global than at any point in its history, with more believers in Africa and Asia and Latin America than ever before, and the gates of hell still have not prevailed. Welcome to Unit 1. Pass this examination, and we will meet the second century in Unit 2 — the century of the Apostolic Fathers, the great persecutions, and the costly defense of a faith the apostles had only just delivered.