📖 Mpango wa Huduma ya Mashemasi kwa Familia — Sehemu ya 7: Uanafunzi na Uinjilisti katika Familia Alizokabidhiwa📖 Deacon Family Ministry Plan — Unit 7: Discipleship and Evangelism within Assigned Families

Katika Sehemu ya 6 tuliona utunzaji endelevu wa shemasi — huduma yake ya kutembelea na ya maombi. Lakini utunzaji huo kamwe si lengo lenyewe. Shemasi si mgeni rafiki tu wala mfanyakazi mpole wa ustawi wa jamii; yeye ni mtumishi wa Kristo, na lengo lake la ndani kabisa kwa kila familia iliyo chini ya utunzaji wake ni la kiroho. Anatamani kuwaona waamini walio kati yao wakikua na kuwa wanafunzi imara na waliokomaa, na waliopotea kati yao wakimwamini Kristo. Kwa hiyo, katika kutembelea na kuomba kwake kote kumefumwa makusudi mawili makuu ya kiroho: uanafunzi na uinjilisti.In Unit 6 we saw the ongoing care of the deacon — his ministry of visitation and prayer. But that care is never an end in itself. The deacon is not merely a friendly visitor or a kindly social worker; he is a servant of Christ, and his deepest aim for every family in his care is a spiritual one. He longs to see the believers among them grow into strong, mature disciples, and the lost among them come to faith in Christ. Woven through all his visiting and praying, then, are two great spiritual purposes: discipleship and evangelism.

Somo: huduma ya shemasi ya uanafunzi na uinjilisti katika familia alizokabidhiwa.Subject: the deacon's ministry of discipleship and evangelism within his assigned families.

Hoja kuu: Zaidi ya kukidhi mahitaji ya familia zake, shemasi hujitahidi kuwafanya kuwa wanafunzi — wanafunzi wenye alama ya kujitoa, ya kukiri, na ya utayari wa kubeba gharama — na kuwaleta kwa Kristo waliopotea kati yao.Proposition: Beyond meeting his families' needs, the deacon labors to make disciples of them — disciples marked by commitment, confession, and a willingness to bear the cost — and to win the lost among them to Christ.

Tutatafakari alama tatu za mwanafunzi ambazo shemasi anatafuta kuzijenga, kisha mzigo wa kiinjilisti anaoubeba kwa ajili ya waliopotea.We will consider the three marks of the disciple the deacon seeks to build, and then the evangelistic burden he carries for the lost.

I. Alama ya MwanafunziI. The Disciple's Mark

Neno “mwanafunzi” linaonekana tena na tena katika Agano Jipya. Maana yake ni mtu anayejifunza — mtu anayefuata mafundisho na mtindo wa maisha wa mwingine. Mwanafunzi si mwanafunzi wa darasani tu; yeye ni mwigaji wa mwalimu wake. Na mwanafunzi wa kweli hubeba alama ya Bwana wake.The word “disciple” appears over and over in the New Testament. It means a learner — one who follows the teaching and lifestyle of another. The disciple is not only a pupil; he is an imitator of his teacher. And a true disciple bears his Master's mark.

Lengo la kiroho la shemasi kwa familia zake ni hili hasa: kwamba kila nafsi kati yao ibebe alama isiyo na shaka ya kuwa mali ya Kristo. Anajali miili yao na mizigo yao, lakini zaidi ya yote anatamani kuwaona wakiwa na alama ya kuwa mali ya Bwana mwenyewe — wanafunzi wa kweli. Kutoka katika maneno ya Kristo katika Mathayo 10 tunaweza kupata alama tatu za mwanafunzi wa namna hiyo, na shemasi hujitahidi kuona zote tatu zikiundwa katika familia anazozihudumia.The deacon's spiritual aim for his families is exactly this: that every soul among them should bear the unmistakable mark of belonging to Christ. He cares for their bodies and their burdens, but most of all he longs to see them branded as the Lord's own — true disciples. From the words of Christ in Matthew 10 we may draw three marks of such a disciple, and the deacon labors to see all three formed in the families he serves.

II. Alama ya Kwanza: KujitoaII. The First Mark: Commitment

Alama ya kwanza ni kujitoa. Yesu alisema tumpende Bwana Mungu wetu kwa moyo wetu wote, kwa roho yetu yote, na kwa akili zetu zote. Kutangaza upendo wetu kwa Mungu ni jambo zuri, lakini halina maana yoyote kama hakuna kujitoa nyuma yake. Hatari kubwa ni dini iliyo pana lakini isiyo na kina. Mara nyingi kuna hamu kubwa kumhusu Mungu — watu watakaobishana kuhusu Mungu, kujifunza kuhusu Mungu, na kutafuta msaada kwa Mungu — huku kina cha kujitoa halisi kikibaki chembamba kwa kusikitisha, kama mto wenye upana wa maili moja na kina cha inchi moja. Kazi ya shemasi ni kusaidia kuziongoza familia zake kutoka katika hamu ya juu juu hadi katika uanafunzi halisi wa kujitoa.The first mark is commitment. Jesus said we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. To declare our love for God is a fine thing, but it means nothing if there is no commitment behind it. The great danger is a religion that is wide but shallow. There is often much interest in God — people who will debate about God, study about God, and seek help from God — while the depth of real commitment remains pathetically thin, like a river a mile wide and an inch deep. The deacon's task is to help lead his families out of shallow interest and into genuine, committed discipleship.

Mkristo aliyejitoa ni Mkristo mtendaji, anayetumika kwa furaha — si kwa sababu ya wajibu, si kwa sababu ya hatia, bali kwa sababu ya upendo.A committed Christian is an active Christian, one who serves joyfully — not out of duty, not out of guilt, but out of love.

Kujitoa kwa namna hiyo hujionyesha pia katika bidii na uaminifu — matarajio matakatifu yanayotazamia mambo makuu kutoka kwa Mungu, na uaminifu kwa kanisa linalokusanyika. Kusema kwamba mtu hahitaji kukusanyika pamoja na kanisa ili awe Mkristo ni sawa na kusema kwamba mtu hahitaji kuwa mwaminifu ili kudumisha ndoa. Shemasi huonyesha kwa mfano wake uanafunzi huu wa kujitoa, wa utendaji na wa uaminifu, na kwa upole huziita familia zake kupanda hadi kwenye uanafunzi huo.Such commitment shows itself also in enthusiasm and loyalty — a holy expectancy that looks for great things from God, and a faithfulness to the gathered church. To say one need not gather with the church to be a Christian is rather like saying one need not be faithful to keep a marriage. The deacon models this committed, active, loyal discipleship, and gently calls his families up into it.

Na huwaita kupanda hadi huko hasa kwa mfano wake. Shemasi ambaye yeye mwenyewe ni Mkristo wa Jumapili tu hatawainua kamwe familia zake juu zaidi ya alipopanda yeye; lakini yule ambaye kujitoa kwake kunaonekana wazi — katika huduma, katika uaminifu, katika furaha — huinua kiwango chote kwa kuishi hivyo tu mbele yao. Tunazaa kile tulicho zaidi sana kuliko kile tunachosema.And he calls them up into it chiefly by example. A deacon who is himself only a Sunday Christian will never lift his families higher than he has climbed; but one whose own commitment is plain — in service, in faithfulness, in joy — raises the whole standard simply by living it before them. We reproduce what we are far more than what we say.

III. Alama ya Pili: KukiriIII. The Second Mark: Confession

Alama ya pili ni kukiri — kumkubali Kristo waziwazi mbele ya wengine. Bwana mwenyewe aliifanya kuwa mstari wa kutenganisha.The second mark is confession — the open owning of Christ before others. The Lord Himself made this a dividing line.

Siku zote kumekuwa na shinikizo la kujichanganya na umati na kuepuka matatizo. Mtu mmoja mashuhuri, alipoulizwa kama alikuwa Mkristo, aliwahi kujibu, “Ndiyo, lakini si kwa namna ya kuudhi” — akimaanisha kwamba hakuwahi kuuruhusu Ukristo wake uingilie marafiki aliokuwa nao wala anasa alizozipenda. Kinyume chake, mwanafunzi wa kweli humkubali Kristo waziwazi na bila kuomba radhi. Ukiri huu hufanywa kwa njia mbili. Hufanywa kwa maisha, kwa maana haiwezekani kutenganisha ushuhuda na mtindo wa maisha; katika kila analofanya, mwamini huwavuta watu kwa Yesu au huwafukuza mbali naye. Kwa nini Kristo alete tofauti katika maisha ya wengine wakati haleti tofauti inayoonekana katika maisha yetu wenyewe? Tena hufanywa kwa midomo, kwa maana hatupaswi kuwa waoga mno au kuona aibu kuwaeleza wengine waziwazi habari za Bwana. Shemasi huzisaidia familia zake kuwa wakiri jasiri na thabiti, ambao maisha yao na maneno yao kwa pamoja yanamwelekea Kristo.There has always been a pressure to blend in with the crowd and avoid trouble. A well-known man, asked whether he was a Christian, once answered, “Yes, but not offensively so” — meaning that he never let his Christianity interfere with the friends he kept or the pleasures he loved. The true disciple, by contrast, owns Christ openly and without apology. This confession is made in two ways. It is made by the life, for it is impossible to divorce a witness from a lifestyle; in everything he does a believer is either drawing people toward Jesus or driving them away. Why should Christ make a difference in others' lives when He makes no visible difference in our own? And it is made by the lips, for we must not be too timid or ashamed to tell others plainly of the Lord. The deacon helps his families become bold and consistent confessors, whose lives and words alike point to Christ.

IV. Alama ya Tatu: GharamaIV. The Third Mark: Cost

Alama ya tatu ni utayari wa kubeba gharama, kwa maana kumfuata Yesu hakujawahi kuwa bila gharama. Ulimwengu uliomchukia Bwana huwachukia wanafunzi wake pia; Petro anatukumbusha kwamba Kristo aliteswa kwa ajili yetu, “akawaachia kielelezo, mfuate nyayo zake” (1 Petro 2:21). Gharama hiyo inaweza kuangukia mahali kadhaa. Inaweza kugusa familia zetu, kwa maana Kristo alionya kwamba hakuja kuleta amani bali upanga, hata kumfitini mtu na watu wa nyumbani mwake (Mathayo 10:34–36); waamini wapya wengi wamekutana na upinzani mkali zaidi nyumbani. Inaweza kugusa maslahi yetu ya kidunia, kwa maana tukipenda kitu chochote zaidi ya Bwana, anaweza kutuomba tukiweke chini — kama vile alivyowahi kumwomba Ibrahimu amtoe Isaka, na yule kijana tajiri mtawala mali zake zote. Na inaweza kugusa hata uhai wenyewe, kwa maana Kristo alisema kwamba asiyeuchukua msalaba wake na kumfuata hamstahili, na kwamba atakayeipoteza nafsi yake kwa ajili yake ataiona (Mathayo 10:38–39).The third mark is a willingness to bear the cost, for following Jesus has never been without cost. The world that hated the Master hates His disciples too; Peter reminds us that Christ suffered for us, “leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). That cost may fall in several places. It may touch our families, for Christ warned that He came not to bring peace but a sword, even setting a man at odds with his own household (Matthew 10:34–36); many a new believer has met the hardest opposition at home. It may touch our worldly interests, for if we love anything more than the Lord, He may ask us to lay it down — as He once asked Isaac of Abraham, and all his riches of the rich young ruler. And it may touch even life itself, for Christ said that whoever does not take up his cross and follow Him is not worthy of Him, and that whoever loses his life for His sake will find it (Matthew 10:38–39).

Shemasi huziandaa na kuzitia nguvu familia zake ili kuihesabu gharama hii kwa uaminifu, ili wamfuate Kristo hata inapokuwa vigumu na hata inapogharimu. Mwanafunzi aliyehesabu gharama mapema hataanguka shida zinapokuja.The deacon prepares and strengthens his families to count this cost honestly, so that they will follow Christ even when it is hard and even when it is costly. A disciple who has counted the cost beforehand will not fall away when the trouble comes.

Hii ndiyo sababu mafundisho ya kweli kuhusu gharama ni tendo la upendo lenyewe. Shemasi anayeziahidi familia zake Ukristo rahisi na wa starehe huwaandalia kujikwaa katika shida ya kwanza; lakini yule anayewaambia ukweli — kwamba njia ni tukufu lakini si rahisi siku zote — huwapa mizizi itakayoshika. Hawatishi ili wamkimbie Kristo; huwaandaa kumfuata mpaka nyumbani kabisa.This is why honest teaching about the cost is itself an act of love. A deacon who promises his families an easy, comfortable Christianity sets them up to stumble at the first hardship; but one who tells them the truth — that the path is glorious but not always easy — gives them roots that will hold. He does not frighten them away from Christ; he prepares them to follow Him all the way home.

V. Kuwatafuta Waliopotea: Shemasi Kama Mvuvi wa Roho za WatuV. Seeking the Lost: The Deacon as Soul-Winner

Shemasi hujitahidi kujenga wanafunzi — waliojitoa, wanaokiri, na walio tayari kubeba gharama. Lakini kazi yake ya kiroho ina lengo la pili kuu: pia huwatafuta waliopotea kati ya familia zake, ili nao wamjie Kristo. Hatupaswi kamwe kudhani kwamba kila mtu tayari anamjua Bwana; wengi hawamjui. Na shemasi ana moyo ule ule wa Bwana wake:The deacon labors to build disciples — committed, confessing, and ready to bear the cost. But his spiritual work has a second great aim: he also seeks the lost among his families, that they too may come to Christ. We must never assume that everyone already knows the Lord; most do not. And the deacon shares his Master's own heart:

Shemasi yuko katika nafasi ya pekee ya kuwafikia waliopotea, kwa sababu watu wengi humjia Kristo si kupitia mgeni bali kupitia rafiki. Kati ya watu wengi walioponywa na Yesu katika Injili, wengi kabisa waliletwa kwake na wengine; ni wachache tu walioipata njia ya kumfikia peke yao. Ndivyo ilivyo hata sasa: mara nyingi watu huletwa kwa Yesu na wale ambao tayari wanawajua na kuwapenda. Shemasi, anayezijua familia zake na aliyejipatia imani yao, ndiye rafiki wa namna hiyo hasa — na, kwa kuwa ni mshiriki asiye mchungaji, mara nyingi ana mlango wa kuwafikia ambao hakuna mhubiri anaoupata.The deacon is uniquely placed to reach the lost, because most people come to Christ not through a stranger but through a friend. Of the many people healed by Jesus in the Gospels, the great majority were brought to Him by others; only a handful found their way to Him alone. So it is still: people are most often brought to Jesus by those who already know and love them. The deacon, who knows his families and has earned their trust, is exactly such a friend — and, being a layman, he often has an access that no preacher enjoys.

Kwa hiyo shemasi hutazamia milango iliyo wazi, hujenga uhusiano, na husema habari za Kristo — kibinafsi, kwa upendo, na waziwazi. Huwaombea waliopotea kwa majina yao. Hukumbuka kwamba wapendwa wa familia zake ambao hawajaokoka siku moja watakabiliana na umilele, na kwamba Yesu si jibu moja tu bali ndiye jibu pekee. Na, kama Andrea aliyemleta kwanza ndugu yake Simoni kwa Yesu (Yohana 1:41–42), huwaleta kwa Mwokozi, kwa maana wamwaminije yeye wasiyemsikia (Warumi 10:14)? Huu ndio uinjilisti ndani ya Mpango — si programu baridi ya kuwafikia wageni, bali kufurika kwa kawaida kwa shemasi anayezipenda roho zilizo chini ya utunzaji wake kiasi kwamba hawezi kuziacha ziangamie.So the deacon watches for open doors, builds the relationship, and speaks of Christ — personally, lovingly, and plainly. He prays for the lost by name. He remembers that his families' unsaved loved ones will one day face eternity, and that Jesus is not merely an answer but the only answer. And, like Andrew who first brought his brother Simon to Jesus (John 1:41–42), he brings them to the Savior, for how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard (Romans 10:14)? This is evangelism within the Plan — not a cold program of strangers, but the natural overflow of a deacon who loves the souls in his care too much to let them perish.

Uinjilisti wa namna hiyo kwa kawaida ni kazi ya subira. Shemasi anaweza kupanda kwa miaka mingi kabla hajavuna, akiomba na kupenda na kungoja wakati mbegu inapoota mizizi katika moyo mgumu. Hapaswi kulazimisha, lakini pia hapaswi kunyamaza; yeye huuacha mlango wazi, huudumisha uhusiano kuwa wa joto, na huendelea kunena habari za Kristo kadiri Roho anavyompa nafasi. Mwishowe ni Mungu anayeokoa; lakini hupendezwa kumtumia rafiki mwaminifu kuwaleta waliopotea karibu na neema yake.Such evangelism is usually patient work. The deacon may sow for years before he reaps, praying and loving and waiting while the seed takes root in a hard heart. He need not be pushy, but neither may he be silent; he simply keeps the door open, keeps the relationship warm, and keeps speaking of Christ as the Spirit gives opportunity. In the end it is God who saves; but He is pleased to use a faithful friend to bring the lost within reach of His grace.

HitimishoConclusion

Utunzaji wa shemasi hufika mpaka rohoni. Hutembelea na huomba, kama Sehemu ya 6 ilivyoonyesha; lakini pia hufanya wanafunzi na hufanya uinjilisti, akitamani kuona kila mtu katika familia zake akibeba alama ya Bwana — waliookoka wakikua kuwa wanafunzi waliojitoa, wanaokiri na wanaobeba msalaba, na waliopotea wakiletwa nyumbani kwa Kristo. Huu ndio upeo wa juu kabisa wa Mpango wote. Shemasi anaweza kukidhi kila hitaji la kimwili la familia na bado akawa ameshindwa kuwahudumia, ikiwa hakuwahi kujali roho zao; lakini shemasi anayefanya wanafunzi na kuwaleta waliopotea anafanya kazi ile ile ya Kristo, aliyekuja kutafuta na kuokoa.The deacon's care reaches all the way to the soul. He visits and he prays, as Unit 6 showed; but he also disciples and evangelizes, longing to see every person in his families bear the Lord's mark — the saved growing into committed, confessing, cross-bearing disciples, and the lost brought home to Christ. This is the highest reach of the whole Plan. A deacon might meet every physical need a family has and still have failed them, if he never cared for their souls; but the deacon who makes disciples and wins the lost is doing the very work of Christ, who came to seek and to save.

“Basi enendeni, mkawafanye wanafunzi,” Bwana aliamuru. Shemasi mwaminifu hulitii agizo hilo kuu si kati ya mataifa ya mbali, bali kati ya familia chache alizokabidhiwa kuzitunza. Kwa hayo, kiini cha kazi yake ya kiroho kimewekwa. Hata hivyo familia hizo hizo zitapita pia katika maji mengi — ugonjwa, msiba, na siri nzito — na jinsi shemasi anavyohudumu wakati wa dharura, anavyolinda yale anayoambiwa kwa siri, na anavyojua wakati wa kuomba msaada ndilo somo tutakalolishughulikia katika Sehemu ya 8.“Go therefore and make disciples,” the Lord commanded. The faithful deacon obeys that great commission not among far-off nations, but among the handful of families entrusted to his care. With this, the heart of his spiritual work is set. Yet those same families will also pass through deep waters — sickness, tragedy, and hard secrets — and how the deacon ministers in crisis, guards what is told him in confidence, and knows when to call for help is the subject we take up in Unit 8.

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