Roho Mtakatifu, Karama za Roho na Kupambanua — Sehemu ya 8: Kupambanua: 1 Yohana 4, 1 Wathesalonike 5, na Alama za EdwardsThe Holy Spirit, Spiritual Gifts, and Discernment — Unit 8: Discernment: 1 John 4, 1 Thessalonians 5, and Edwards' Marks

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Wapenzi, msiyaamini mausha yote, bali yajaribuni mausha hayo, kama yatokayo kwa Mungu; maana manabii wa uongo wengi wametokea duniani." (1 Yohana 4:1, SUV)"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

Utakapomaliza kipindi hiki, unapaswa kuweza:When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Kueleza kwa nini kanisa linalotarajia Roho aseme lazima pia lijifunze kupima kile linachosikia.1. Explain why a church that expects the Spirit to speak must also learn to test what it hears.

2. Kueleza amri za 1 Wathesalonike 5:19-21 na kueleza kwa nini Paulo anazitoa pamoja.2. State the commands of 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 and explain why Paul gives them together.

3. Kuorodhesha vipimo vya 1 Yohana 4 na vipimo vya jumuiya vya 1 Wakorintho 14.3. List the tests of 1 John 4 and the community tests of 1 Corinthians 14.

4. Kutaja alama tano chanya za Jonathan Edwards za kazi ya Roho na kusema alifundisha nini juu ya ishara ambazo hazithibitishi chochote zenyewe.4. Name Jonathan Edwards' five positive marks of a work of the Spirit and say what he taught about signs that prove nothing by themselves.

5. Kutumia orodha rahisi ya ukaguzi kwa unabii au dhihirisho katika kanisa la mahali, na kujibu pingamizi kwamba kupima kunamzimisha Roho.5. Apply a simple checklist to a prophecy or manifestation in a local church, and answer the objection that testing quenches the Spirit.

Sauti ya Kipindi HikiThe Voice of This Unit

Kipindi hiki kimeandikwa kutoka ndani ya mapokeo ya Kipentekoste ya kawaida, kwa ajili ya wanafunzi wanaoyashiriki. Ni cha kihafidhina na cha kiutatu (Utatu Mtakatifu). Tunaamini kwamba Roho Mtakatifu bado anasema, anatoa karama na anatembea kati ya watu wake. Kwa sababu hiyo hasa lazima tujifunze kutofautisha kweli na uongo. Ubatizo katika Roho na ushahidi wake hufundishwa katika Kozi ya 2, Vipindi vya 4 na 5, na hatuyarudii hapa. Wainjilisti wengine wanaona baadhi ya mambo haya kwa njia tofauti, na tunaeleza mawazo yao kwa haki kisha tunatoa jibu letu.This unit is written from inside the classical Pentecostal tradition, for students who belong to it. It is conservative and Trinitarian. We believe that the Holy Spirit still speaks, gives gifts and moves among His people. For that very reason we must learn to tell the true from the false. Spirit baptism and its evidence are taught in Course 2, Units 4 and 5, and we do not repeat them here. Other evangelicals see some of these matters differently, and we state their views fairly and then give our answer.

Kwa Nini Kanisa Lililojaa Roho Linahitaji KupambanuaWhy a Spirit-Filled Church Needs Discernment

Wapentekoste wanaamini kwamba Mungu anasema leo. Anasema kupitia Biblia kwanza kabisa. Pia anasema kupitia karama kama unabii, lugha pamoja na tafsiri, na maneno ya hekima na maarifa, na kupitia uongozi wa utulivu wa Roho katika maombi. Hii ni baraka kubwa. Pia ina hatari. Tukitarajia Mungu aseme, ni lazima pia tutarajie kwamba sauti nyingine zitajaribu kusema kwa jina lake. Sauti kama hiyo inaweza kutoka kwa adui, kutoka kwa shinikizo la umati, kutoka kwa tamaa za mnenaji mwenyewe, au kutoka kwa kosa la dhati.Pentecostals believe that God speaks today. He speaks through the Bible first of all. He also speaks through gifts such as prophecy, tongues with interpretation, and words of wisdom and knowledge, and through the quiet leading of the Spirit in prayer. This is a great blessing. It also carries a risk. If we expect God to speak, we must also expect that other voices will try to speak in His name. Such a voice may come from the enemy, from the pressure of a crowd, from a speaker's own wishes, or from an honest mistake.

Agano Jipya halifichi hatari hii. Yesu alionya juu ya manabii wa uongo wanaokuja wamevaa mavazi ya kondoo (Mathayo 7:15). Paulo aliwaonya wazee wa Efeso kwamba mbwa-mwitu wangeinuka hata kutoka kati yao wenyewe (Matendo 20:29-30). Yohana anasema kwamba "manabii wa uongo wengi wametokea duniani." Hakuna hata mmoja wa waandishi hawa anayejibu hatari hiyo kwa kufunga mlango kwa Roho. Wanalifundisha kanisa kupima.The New Testament does not hide this danger. Jesus warned of false prophets who come dressed as sheep (Matthew 7:15). Paul warned the elders of Ephesus that wolves would rise even from among their own number (Acts 20:29-30). John says that "many false prophets have gone out into the world." None of these writers answers the danger by closing the door on the Spirit. They teach the church to test.

Kuna njia mbili za kushindwa. Kanisa linalokubali kila kitu huamini kila neno linalosemwa kwa kujiamini, na watu wake hujeruhiwa. Kanisa lenye shaka huamini kitu hakuna na huruhusu kitu hakuna, na watu wake hufa njaa. Kupambanua ni njia kati ya hizo mbili. Neno hilo linamaanisha kutofautisha mambo: Roho wa Mungu na roho wengine, neno la kweli na neno lililochanganyika, na kinachojenga na kinachobomoa.There are two ways to fail. A gullible church believes every word that is spoken with confidence, and its people are wounded. A suspicious church believes nothing and permits nothing, and its people are starved. Discernment is the road between the two. The word means telling things apart: the Spirit of God from other spirits, the true word from the mixed word, and what builds up from what tears down.

Amri Mbili Zilizotolewa Pamoja: 1 Wathesalonike 5:19-21Two Commands Given Together: 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21

Paulo anaandikia kanisa changa lililompokea Roho kwa furaha: "Msimzimishe Roho; msitweze unabii; jaribuni yote, shikeni lililo jema." Anaendelea, "Jiepusheni na ubaya wa kila aina" (1 Wathesalonike 5:19-22).Paul writes to a young church that has received the Spirit with joy: "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good." He continues, "Abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22).

Angalia jinsi mistari hii inavyoshikamana. "Kuzimisha" ni kuzima moto. Kanisa linamzimisha Roho linaposimamisha kile anachofanya, labda kwa sababu ya hofu au kwa sababu ya uzoefu mbaya wa awali. "Kutweza unabii" ni kuuchukulia kuwa hauna thamani. Lakini Paulo hasimami hapo. Kwa pumzi ile ile anasema, "Jaribuni yote." Neno hilo linahusu unabii na pia mafundisho, wahubiri, uzoefu, muziki, na hisia zetu wenyewe. Kisha anasema la kufanya na matokeo: shika lililo jema, na uache kila namna ya ubaya.Notice how the verses fit together. To "quench" means to put out a fire. A church quenches the Spirit when it shuts down what He is doing, perhaps because of fear or because of an earlier bad experience. To "despise prophecies" means to treat them as worthless. But Paul does not stop there. In the same breath he says, "Test all things." The word covers prophecies and also teaching, preachers, experiences, music, and our own feelings. Then he says what to do with the results: keep what is good, and let go of every form of evil.

Somo kwa wachungaji ni kwamba Paulo anatoa amri zote mbili kwa watu wale wale. Hasemi, "Pima, na kwa hiyo utarajie kidogo." Hasemi, "Roho yumo ndani yake, kwa hiyo usipime." Kanisa lenye afya hukaribisha na kuchunguza. Tukifanya la kwanza tu, tunakuwa wazembe. Tukifanya la pili tu, tunakuwa baridi.The lesson for pastors is that Paul gives both commands to the same people. He does not say, "Test, and so expect little." He does not say, "The Spirit is in it, and so do not test." A healthy church welcomes and examines. When we do only the first, we become careless. When we do only the second, we become cold.

Vipimo vya 1 Yohana 4The Tests of 1 John 4

Yohana anaandika kwa makanisa yaliyosumbuliwa na walimu walioondoka katika ushirika na walikuwa wakifundisha vibaya juu ya Yesu. Wasomi wanajadili hasa walimu hao walikuwa nani. Wengi wanadhani walikana kwamba Kristo alikuja kweli katika mwili wa kibinadamu, au kwamba walimtenganisha mtu Yesu na Kristo wa kimungu, na wengine wanawaunganisha na namna za mapema za mawazo ya Kignosti. Wengine wanasisitiza maelezo tofauti. Hatuhitaji kutatua kila hoja ya mjadala huo, kwa sababu vipimo vya Yohana viko wazi, na vinasimama kwa umbo lolote hasa la kosa hilo.John writes to churches troubled by teachers who had left the fellowship and were teaching wrongly about Jesus. Scholars discuss exactly who these teachers were. Many think they denied that the Christ truly came in a human body, or that they separated the man Jesus from the divine Christ, and some link them to early forms of Gnostic thought. Others stress different details. We do not need to settle every point of that debate, because John's tests are clear, and they stand whatever the exact form of the error was.

Kipimo cha Yesu Kristo. Yohana anasema kila roho ikiriyo kwamba Yesu Kristo amekuja katika mwili inatoka kwa Mungu, na kila roho isiyokiri hivyo haitoki kwa Mungu (1 Yohana 4:2-3). Hii inamaanisha zaidi ya kurudia maneno. Inamaanisha kushikilia kweli yote juu ya Yesu, aliye Mungu kamili na mwanadamu kamili, aliyetufia na kufufuka. Katika kanisa la kiutatu, Roho siku zote anaelekeza kwa Mwana. Yesu alisema juu ya Roho, "Yeye atanitukuza mimi; kwa kuwa atatwaa katika yaliyo yangu, na kuwapasha habari" (Yohana 16:14). Ujumbe unaoweka mnenaji, malaika, mahali au mafundisho mapya katikati hauwezi kupita kipimo hiki. Paulo anafundisha kwa njia hiyo hiyo katika 1 Wakorintho 12:3.The test of Jesus Christ. John says that every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not is not from God (1 John 4:2-3). This means more than repeating words. It means holding the whole truth about Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, who died for us and rose again. In a Trinitarian church the Spirit always points to the Son. Jesus said of the Spirit, "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:14). A message that puts the speaker, an angel, a place or a new teaching at the center fails this test. Paul teaches in the same way in 1 Corinthians 12:3.

Kipimo cha mafundisho ya mitume. Yohana anasema kwamba wale wanaomjua Mungu huwasikiliza mitume (1 Yohana 4:6). Mafundisho ya mitume sasa yanaishi kwetu katika Agano Jipya. Kwa hiyo kila neno, liwe la kugusa kiasi gani, lazima likubaliane na Maandiko. Wakazi wa Beroya ni kielelezo chetu. Walilipokea neno "kwa nia yote, wakizichunguza Maandiko kila siku, waone kama mambo hayo ndivyo yalivyo" (Matendo 17:11).The test of apostolic teaching. John says that those who know God listen to the apostles (1 John 4:6). The apostles' teaching now lives for us in the New Testament. So every word, however moving, must agree with Scripture. The Bereans are our model. They "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11).

Kipimo cha upendo. Yohana anasema kwamba apendaye amezaliwa na Mungu, kwa sababu Mungu ni upendo (1 Yohana 4:7-8). Neno au dhihirisho linalozaa chuki, kiburi, dharau kwa waumini wengine au mgawanyiko katika kanisa halina alama ya Roho.The test of love. John says that the one who loves is born of God, because God is love (1 John 4:7-8). A word or a manifestation that produces hatred, pride, contempt for other believers or division in the church does not bear the mark of the Spirit.

Vipimo hivi vinahukumu ujumbe na tunda lake. Ndiyo maana Yohana anatupa vipimo kadhaa na si kimoja.These tests judge the message and its fruit. That is why John gives us several tests and not one.

Vipimo vya Jumuiya vya 1 Wakorintho 14The Community Tests of 1 Corinthians 14

Paulo aliwapa Wakorintho kanuni za mkutano. "Manabii wanene wawili watatu, na wale wengine wapime" (1 Wakorintho 14:29). Kupima hakuachwi kwa mtu mmoja. Kusanyiko, na hasa washiriki wake waliokomaa na viongozi, hupima yanayosemwa. Hili linalinda kanisa, na pia linamlinda mnenaji.Paul gave the Corinthians rules for the meeting. "Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge" (1 Corinthians 14:29). Testing is not left to one person. The congregation, and especially its mature members and leaders, weighs what is said. This protects the church, and it also protects the speaker.

Paulo anaongeza, "Na roho za manabii huwatii manabii" (14:32). Mtu anayesema hachukuliwi kama jani katika dhoruba. Anaweza kungoja zamu yake na kuacha. Hakuna anayeweza kusema, "Sikuweza kujizuia." Na mkutano mzima unapaswa kuakisi tabia ya Mungu: "Lakini yote yafanyike kwa adabu na kwa utaratibu" (14:40).Paul adds, "And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets" (14:32). A person who speaks is not carried away like a leaf in a storm. He can wait his turn and stop. No one can say, "I could not help it." And the whole meeting should reflect the character of God: "Let all things be done decently and in order" (14:40).

Paulo pia anatoa kusudi la unabii: "Bali yeye atabiriye huwaambia watu maneno ya kuwajenga, na kuwafariji, na kuwatia moyo" (14:3). Kusudi hilo lenyewe ni kipimo. Je, neno hili linajenga, linatia moyo na kufariji? Au linatisha, linaaibisha na kudhibiti?Paul also gives the purpose of prophecy: "But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men" (14:3). That purpose is itself a test. Does this word build up, encourage and comfort? Or does it frighten, shame and control?

Wasomi hawakubaliani juu ya jinsi ya kuelezea unabii wa Agano Jipya. Baadhi ya wasomi wainjilisti wanasema kwamba unabii wa kusanyiko unaweza kuwa mchanganyiko wa alichopewa na Mungu na alichoongeza mnenaji, ndiyo sababu lazima uhukumiwe. Wengine, wakiwemo Wapentekoste wengi, wanasema kwamba ujumbe unaweza kutoka kwa Mungu na bado ukasikika vibaya au kusemwa vibaya. Wapentekoste wanakubaliana na wanaoamini kukoma kwa karama kwamba hakuna unabii unaosimama kando ya Biblia kama Maandiko. Katika kila moja ya maoni haya amri ni ile ile, na katika kila moja Maandiko ndiyo hakimu wa mwisho.Scholars disagree about how to describe New Testament prophecy. Some evangelical scholars say that congregational prophecy could be a mixture of what God gave and what the speaker added, which is why it must be judged. Others, including many Pentecostals, say that a message may come from God and still be wrongly heard or wrongly spoken. Pentecostals agree with cessationists that no prophecy stands beside the Bible as Scripture. In each of these views the command is the same, and in each of them Scripture is the final judge.

Karama ya Kupambanua RohoThe Gift of Discerning of Spirits

Paulo anaorodhesha "kupambanua roho" miongoni mwa dhihirisho la Roho (1 Wakorintho 12:10). Wakristo wanaielewa kwa njia tofauti.Paul lists "discerning of spirits" among the manifestations of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:10). Christians understand it in different ways.

Wapentekoste wengi wanafundisha kwamba ni karama maalum, wanayopewa waumini fulani wakati fulani, kutambua kama ujumbe, mtu au dhihirisho linatoka kwa Roho wa Mungu, kwa roho mbaya, au kwa roho ya mwanadamu. Wainjilisti wengine wanadhani si karama tofauti bali hekima ambayo kila muumini hukua nayo kwa kuijua Maandiko. Wanaoamini kukoma kwa karama kwa kawaida wanasema kwamba namna ya kimiujiza ya karama hii imekoma na kinachobaki ni uamuzi wa kawaida wa kimafundisho.Many Pentecostals teach that it is a special gift, given to some believers at certain times, to recognize whether a message, a person or a manifestation comes from the Spirit of God, from an evil spirit, or from the human spirit. Some other evangelicals think it is not a separate gift but the wisdom that every believer grows into by knowing Scripture. Cessationists generally say that the miraculous form of this gift has ceased and that what remains is ordinary doctrinal judgment.

Jibu letu ni kwamba Maandiko yanaiorodhesha pamoja na dhihirisho nyingine, na kwamba zote zimetolewa "ili kufaidiana" (1 Wakorintho 12:7). Tunaipokea kwa shukrani. Paulo alipoitambua roho iliyokuwa ikifanya kazi ndani ya msichana mtumwa huko Filipi, na akatenda, tunaona aina hii ya kupambanua ikifanya kazi (Matendo 16:16-18). Lakini kuna onyo. Karama hiyo haichukui nafasi ya vipimo kamwe. Mtu anayesema "Najua tu" na hawezi kuonyesha jambo hilo kutoka Maandiko ndiye mtu ambaye neno lake lazima lipimwe. Karama hufanya kazi ndani ya mwili, na yenyewe iko chini ya uamuzi wa wengine (1 Wakorintho 14:29). Pia si sawa na shaka.Our answer is that Scripture lists it with the other manifestations, and that all of them are given "for the profit of all" (1 Corinthians 12:7). We receive it with thanks. When Paul recognized the spirit working in a slave girl at Philippi, and acted, we see this kind of discernment at work (Acts 16:16-18). But there is a warning. The gift never replaces the tests. A person who says "I just know" and cannot show the matter from Scripture is the very person whose word must be tested. The gift works inside the body, and is itself subject to the judgment of the others (1 Corinthians 14:29). It is also not the same as suspicion.

Jonathan Edwards na Alama za Kazi ya RohoJonathan Edwards and the Marks of a Work of the Spirit

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) alikuwa mchungaji wa Kanisa la Kongregasheni huko Northampton, Massachusetts, na mmoja wa wanafikra wakuu wa Uamsho Mkuu (Great Awakening). Hakuwa Mpentekoste na hakufundisha fundisho letu la ubatizo katika Roho. Tunamtumia kwa sababu alikuwa mchungaji makini aliyetetea uamsho huku akiuchunguza kwa karibu. Mwaka 1741 alichapisha The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God. Aliandika katikati ya mzozo. Wakosoaji wengine, kama mhubiri wa Boston Charles Chauncy, waliona katika uamsho msisimko na vurugu tu. Wapenda-shauku wengine waliamini kwamba kila msukumo na kila hisia kali lazima itoke kwa Mungu. Edwards aliwajibu wote wawili, na alijenga jibu lake juu ya 1 Yohana 4.Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was a Congregational pastor in Northampton, Massachusetts, and one of the leading minds of the Great Awakening. He was not a Pentecostal and did not teach our doctrine of Spirit baptism. We use him because he was a careful pastor who defended a revival while examining it closely. In 1741 he published The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God. He wrote in the middle of a quarrel. Some critics, such as the Boston minister Charles Chauncy, saw in the revival only excitement and disorder. Some enthusiasts believed that every impulse and every strong feeling must be from God. Edwards answered both, and he built his answer on 1 John 4.

Kisichoamua jambo. Edwards alifundisha kwamba mambo fulani, yakichukuliwa yenyewe, hayathibitishi kwamba kazi ni ya uongo. Ni hali isiyo ya kawaida au ya kushangaza ya matukio, athari kali kwa mwili, hisia kali na mawazo yaliyochochewa, ushawishi wa mfano wa watu wengine, na uwepo wa kosa au dhambi kwa baadhi ya wanaoshiriki. Mambo haya pia hayathibitishi kwamba kazi ni ya kweli. Kwa Wapentekoste hili ni la msaada sana. Mkutano wenye kelele si uthibitisho wa Mungu. Mkutano wa utulivu si uthibitisho wa Mungu. Kutetemeka, kulia au kuanguka kunaweza kutokea Roho anapofanya kazi, na kunaweza pia kutokea kwa sababu nyingine. Swali kamwe si "Ilikuwa ya ajabu kiasi gani?" bali "Inafanya nini, na inaelekeza wapi?"What does not decide the matter. Edwards taught that certain things, taken by themselves, do not prove a work is false. They are the unusual or surprising nature of the events, strong effects on the body, strong feeling and a stirred imagination, the influence of other people's example, and the presence of error or sin in some who take part. These things do not prove the work is true either. For Pentecostals this is very helpful. A loud meeting is not proof of God. A quiet meeting is not proof of God. Shaking, weeping or falling may happen when the Spirit works, and they may also happen from other causes. The question is never "How strange was it?" but "What is it doing, and what does it point to?"

Alama tano chanya. Edwards alipata ishara tano, zilizochukuliwa kutoka 1 Yohana 4, kwamba Roho wa Mungu anafanya kazi.Five positive marks. Edwards found five signs, taken from 1 John 4, that the Spirit of God is at work.

1. Inainua heshima ya watu kwa Yesu Kristo.1. It raises people's esteem of Jesus Christ.

2. Inafanya kazi dhidi ya dhambi na tamaa za dunia, na hivyo dhidi ya ufalme wa Shetani.2. It works against sin and worldly desires, and so against the kingdom of Satan.

3. Inaongeza heshima ya watu kwa Maandiko Matakatifu.3. It increases people's regard for the Holy Scriptures.

4. Inawaongoza watu katika kweli na si katika kosa.4. It leads people into truth and not into error.

5. Inazaa upendo kwa Mungu na upendo kwa watu wengine.5. It produces love for God and love for other people.

Hivi ni vipimo vile vile Yohana alivyotoa, vimewekwa kama orodha ya ukaguzi ya mchungaji. Wanahistoria na wanatheolojia wanatofautiana kuhusu kiasi cha kumtumia Edwards kwa vuguvugu za baadaye, na alishikilia maoni ambayo hatuyashiriki. Lakini tunaikaribisha alama hizo tano kwa sababu zinakubaliana na Maandiko. Dhihirisho linaloshindwa kuzipitia linapaswa kuwekwa kando, liwe la kuvutia kiasi gani. Kazi inayozipita inapaswa kupokelewa, ionekane isiyo ya kawaida kiasi gani.These are the same tests John gave, set out as a pastor's checklist. Historians and theologians differ in how far they apply Edwards to later movements, and he held views we do not share. But we welcome the five marks because they agree with Scripture. A manifestation that fails them should be set aside, however impressive. A work that passes them should be received, however unusual it looks.

Orodha Rahisi ya Ukaguzi kwa Kanisa la MahaliA Simple Checklist for the Local Church

Hii ni seti ya maswali ya vitendo kwa unabii, maono, au dhihirisho lolote kali. Yametolewa kutoka kwenye vifungu vilivyo hapo juu.Here is a practical set of questions for any prophecy, vision, or strong manifestation. They are drawn from the passages above.

1. Je, linamheshimu Yesu Kristo?1. Does it honor Jesus Christ?

2. Je, linakubaliana na Maandiko?2. Does it agree with Scripture?

3. Je, linajenga, linatia moyo na kufariji?3. Does it build up, encourage and comfort?

4. Je, linazaa upendo, utakatifu na matunda mema kwa mnenaji na kwa wasikilizaji?4. Does it produce love, holiness and good fruit in the speaker and in the hearers?

5. Je, linasemwa kwa utaratibu, na chini ya usimamizi wa viongozi wa kanisa?5. Is it spoken in order, and under the oversight of the church's leaders?

6. Je, mnenaji ni mnyenyekevu, anawajibika kwa wengine, na yuko tayari kusahihishwa?6. Is the speaker humble, accountable to others, and ready to be corrected?

7. Je, wakati unalithibitisha? Musa aliwafundisha Israeli kuangalia kama neno la nabii linatimia (Kumbukumbu la Torati 18:22).7. Does time confirm it? Moses taught Israel to watch whether a prophet's word came to pass (Deuteronomy 18:22).

Neno la ushauri linafaa hapa. Neno la kibinafsi halipaswi kamwe kuwa sababu pekee ya uamuzi mkubwa, kama ndoa, kuhama, zawadi kubwa, au kuondoka kanisani. Omba, ngoja, tafuta Maandiko na uulize wazee wenye hekima. Neno la kweli litastahimili kungoja. Neno likiwa halijathibitishwa, msahihishe mnenaji kwa upole na faraghani inapowezekana.A word of counsel belongs here. A personal word should never be the only reason for a major decision, such as marriage, a move, a large gift, or leaving a church. Pray, wait, search the Scriptures and ask wise elders. A true word will survive waiting. When a word is not confirmed, correct the speaker kindly and in private where possible.

Pingamizi na Majibu YetuObjections and Our Answers

Pingamizi la 1: Kupima kunamzimisha Roho. Wapentekoste wengine wanaogopa kwamba kuhoji neno kunaonyesha ukosefu wa imani. Jibu letu ni kwamba Paulo anatoa amri ya kupima katika sentensi ile ile ya amri ya kutomzimisha. Roho hana cha kuogopa kutoka kwa kweli. Kilicho kweli kitakuwa na nguvu zaidi kwa kuchunguzwa.Objection 1: Testing quenches the Spirit. Some Pentecostals fear that questioning a word shows a lack of faith. Our answer is that Paul gives the command to test in the same sentence as the command not to quench. The Spirit has nothing to fear from the truth. What is true will be stronger for being examined.

Pingamizi la 2: Wapentekoste wanaamini hisia, na njia salama ni kufunga mlango. Wanaoamini kukoma kwa karama, wengi wao wachungaji wacha Mungu, wanasema kwamba hatari ya kosa ni kubwa mno hata karama za unabii na lugha zisitumike kabisa. Tunaheshimu wasiwasi wao kwa mamlaka ya Maandiko. Hapa tunajibu kwamba Maandiko, na si hisia, ndiyo hakimu katika makanisa yetu. Pia tunajibu kwamba Paulo alikabili machafuko halisi ya Korintho si kwa marufuku bali kwa utaratibu: "Kwa hiyo, ndugu zangu, takeni sana kutabiri, wala msizuie kunena kwa lugha. Lakini yote yafanyike kwa adabu na kwa utaratibu" (1 Wakorintho 14:39-40). Matumizi mabaya ya karama ni sababu ya tahadhari, si sababu ya kuitupa karama. Kipindi cha 10 kinarudi kwenye swali hili.Objection 2: Pentecostals trust feelings, and the safe course is to close the door. Cessationists, many of them godly pastors, say that the danger of error is so great that the gifts of prophecy and tongues should not be practiced at all. We honor their concern for the authority of Scripture. Here we answer that Scripture, and not feeling, is the judge in our churches. We also answer that Paul met the real disorder in Corinth not with a ban but with order: "Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:39-40). The abuse of a gift is a reason for care, not a reason to discard the gift. Unit 10 returns to this question.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mnenaji mgeni anatoa maneno ya kibinafsi katika ibada ya katikati ya wiki. Kwa mke kijana anasema, "Bwana anasema mumeo si mwanamume anayekufaa." Mumewe ameketi kando yake. Chumba kinakuwa kimya, naye anaanza kulia.A visiting speaker gives personal words at a midweek service. To a young wife he says, "The Lord says your husband is not the man for you." Her husband is sitting beside her. The room goes silent, and she begins to cry.

Mchungaji kwanza anatuliza mkutano. Anamshukuru mnenaji kwa utayari wake na anasema, kama kanisa lifanyavyo kwa kila neno, kwamba litapimwa na halitakubaliwa mara moja. Kisha anakutana na wanandoa na mnenaji faraghani. Anauliza maswali ya orodha ya ukaguzi. Je, neno linamheshimu Kristo? Halikubaliani na Maandiko juu ya ndoa, ambayo inamwita mume na mke kuwa waaminifu kwa kila mmoja. Je, linajenga? Limejeruhi. Anawaambia wanandoa wazi kwamba neno hilo halijathibitishwa, na anaomba pamoja nao. Na mnenaji anasema kwa upole na kwa uthabiti, na anauliza ni nani anayesimamia huduma yake. Anaweka kanuni kwa kanisa: kuanzia sasa, wahudumu wageni wanamshirikisha mchungaji neno lolote la kibinafsi kabla ya kulisema.The pastor first calms the meeting. He thanks the speaker for his willingness and says, as the church does with every word, that it will be weighed and not accepted at once. He then meets the couple and the speaker privately. He asks the questions of the checklist. Does the word honor Christ? It does not agree with Scripture on marriage, which calls a husband and wife to keep faith with each other. Does it build up? It has wounded. He tells the couple plainly that the word is not confirmed, and prays with them. With the speaker he speaks kindly and firmly, and asks who oversees his ministry. He sets a rule for the church: from now on, visiting ministers share any personal word with the pastor before they speak it.

MuhtasariSummary

Kanisa linalotarajia Roho aseme lazima lipime kile linachosikia. Paulo anatuamuru tusimzimishe Roho na tusitweze unabii, na kwa pumzi ile ile tujaribu yote na kushika lililo jema. 1 Yohana 4 inatoa vipimo vya Yesu Kristo, mafundisho ya mitume na upendo. 1 Wakorintho 14 inaongeza hukumu ya kusanyiko, kujitawala kwa mnenaji, utaratibu na kujenga. Karama ya kupambanua roho ni karama halisi, lakini haichukui nafasi ya vipimo kamwe. Jonathan Edwards alifundisha kwamba matukio yasiyo ya kawaida, athari za mwili na hisia kali havithibitishi chochote vyenyewe, na akatoa alama tano chanya: heshima kwa Yesu Kristo, upinzani dhidi ya dhambi, heshima kwa Maandiko, mwelekeo kuelekea kweli, na upendo. Kanisa linalokaribisha na kuchunguza litakuwa wazi na salama pia.A church that expects the Spirit to speak must test what it hears. Paul commands us not to quench the Spirit and not to despise prophecies, and in the same breath to test all things and hold fast what is good. First John 4 gives the tests of Jesus Christ, apostolic teaching and love. First Corinthians 14 adds the judgment of the congregation, the self-control of the speaker, order and edification. The gift of discerning of spirits is a real gift, but it never replaces the tests. Jonathan Edwards taught that unusual events, bodily effects and strong feelings prove nothing by themselves, and gave five positive marks: honor to Jesus Christ, opposition to sin, regard for Scripture, a movement toward truth, and love. A church that welcomes and examines will be both open and safe.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• Jonathan Edwards, The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God (1741) (Alama Zinazotofautisha Kazi ya Roho wa Mungu), chanzo cha msingi.• Jonathan Edwards, The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God (1741), a primary source.

• Gordon D. Fee, God's Empowering Presence (1994) (Uwepo wa Mungu Unaowezesha).• Gordon D. Fee, God's Empowering Presence (1994).

• Max Turner, The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts (1996) (Roho Mtakatifu na Karama za Roho).• Max Turner, The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts (1996).

• Wayne Grudem, mhariri, Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? Four Views (1996) (Je, Karama za Miujiza ni kwa Leo? Maoni Manne).• Wayne Grudem, ed., Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? Four Views (1996).

• B. B. Warfield, Counterfeit Miracles (1918) (Miujiza ya Bandia), hoja ya kukoma kwa karama.• B. B. Warfield, Counterfeit Miracles (1918), a cessationist argument.

Wasilisha mtihani na uone kama umefauluSubmit Exam & Check Pass Anza upyaReset