Baadhi ya maandishi haya bado hayajatafsiriwa kwa Kiswahili; sehemu hizo zinaonyeshwa kwa Kiingereza.

Kusoma mitazamo tofauti ya kiteolojia. Masomo ya kihistoria yanaeleza mitazamo ya waandishi wake, ikiwemo mapokeo ya Kiarminiani na ya Kireformed au ya Kikalvini. Kujumuishwa hakufanyi msimamo wa mwandishi kuwa fundisho thabiti la CTS. Soma pamoja na Maandiko na nyenzo zilizopangwa. Jibu lenye hoja kutoka mtazamo mwingine wa kiinjili linapaswa kupimwa kwa hoja zake, si kuadhibiwa kwa sababu tu linatofautiana na mwandishi. Ikiwa alama ya kompyuta inakataa jibu kama hilo, omba CTS ilipitie.

Masomo Yaliyopangwa ya Uzamili (yote matano)

Wanafunzi wa M.Div. na Th.M. husoma masomo yote matano yaliyopangwa na kufanya mtihani wake tofauti baada ya kuanzishwa. Ukurasa wa mtihani unaeleza kanuni ya sasa; ukamilishaji halali wa awali unabaki halali.

Heshima ya Hiari (chagua matatu)

Heshima ni ya hiari kwa kila programu. Wanafunzi wa Cheti na wa Shahada ya Mshiriki wanaweza kusoma masomo matatu ya heshima bila mtihani wa masomo ya lazima. Heshima haichukui nafasi ya mtihani wowote wa Uzamili.

The Master's textbook test: read The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government and the Directory for Public Worship (1645), then take its test: twenty fill-in-the-blank questions, drawn from forty; eighteen right passes. Each answer is marked right or wrong at once. Correct answers and explanations are available after the attempt passes. It is separate from the reading test on the five digests below: passing one does not pass the other. On the M.Div. and Th.M. tracks both tests are being introduced; each test's page says whether it is in force yet. Until then any student may take them, and a pass is kept in your record.

The Master's reading test: separate from the honors invitation below. Honors asks you to read any three of these digests; the Master's test covers all five. It has twenty fill-in-the-blank questions, four from each reading, drawn from forty; eighteen right passes. Each answer is marked right or wrong at once; correct answers and explanations are available after the attempt passes. You may try again after a short wait. The test is being introduced: its page says whether it is in force yet. Until then any student may take it, and a pass is kept in your record.

Chaguo la heshima: Kamilisha masomo matatu yoyote kati ya matano yaliyo hapa chini. Masomo haya yanaongeza kozi na hayachukui nafasi ya sehemu zake wala mitihani yake.

Kwenye tovuti hii: Kila moja ya masomo matano ni muhtasari wa Seminari ya Kitheolojia ya Chapala, ulioandikwa na CTS, unaopatikana hapa kwenye tovuti — kila mmoja unafunguka moja kwa moja kutoka ukurasa huu, bila kupakua chochote. Kila kadi inataja kitabu ambacho muhtasari wake umetokana nacho.

Yaliyochaguliwa: 0 kati ya 3

Somo la 1 · The Church and Its Officers

Christ the Head, and the Officers He Gives

A CTS digest of Westminster Assembly, The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government (1645), sections 1–6

The Westminster Assembly opens its plan of church government with Christ, “upon whose shoulders the government is.” It describes one visible church made up of believers and their children, sets aside apostles and prophets as offices that have ceased, and outlines the ordinary offices of pastor, teacher or doctor, ruling elder and deacon, which Presbyterian churches around the world still follow.

MUHTASARI WA CTSSoma muhtasari wote — unafunguka hapa hapa

Muhtasari wa Seminari ya Kitheolojia ya Chapala — muhtasari asilia ulioandikwa na CTS, unaopatikana kwa Kiingereza, Kihispania na Kifaransa, unaosomeka bila mtandao. Huu ni muhtasari wa CTS, si maandishi kamili ya chanzo asilia.

Kristo, Kichwa, na Watumishi AnaowapaChrist the Head, and the Officers He Gives

Somo la Seminari ya Kitheolojia ya Chapala — sehemu za kwanza za Form of Presbyterial Church-Government ya Westminster: utawala wa Kristo juu ya kanisa lake, kanisa linaloonekana, na ofisi za mchungaji, mwalimu, mzee na shemasiA Chapala Theological Seminary reading — the opening sections of the Westminster Form of Presbyterial Church-Government: Christ’s rule over his church, the church visible, and the offices of pastor, teacher, elder and deacon

Muhtasari wa CTS wa sehemu ya 1–6 ya Mkutano wa Westminster, The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government (1645). Chanzo asilia kiko katika umma (public domain); nukuu fupi zifuatazo zimetoka humo.A CTS digest of sections 1–6 of the Westminster Assembly, The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government (1645). The original is in the public domain; the short quotations below are from it.

Form of Government §§1–6Form of Government §§1–6
Chanzo cha msingiPrimary source
16451645
Mkutano wa WestminsterWestminster Assembly

Neno kabla ya kusoma. Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya mapokeo ya Matengenezo na ya Kipresbiteri, na inayawasilisha kwa huruma. Form of Presbyterial Church-Government ni hati ya kihistoria. Si sheria ya kila kanisa la Kipresbiteri leo, wala si sera ya CTS. Isome kama mzee wa Kipresbiteri angeisoma: kama jaribio la makini la kuacha Maandiko yaongoze namna kanisa linavyoongozwa. Pale makanisa mengine yanapoona mambo kwa namna tofauti, tutasema hivyo kwa haki. A word before you read. This course is written from within the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, and it presents that tradition sympathetically. The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government is a historical document. It is not the law of every Presbyterian church today, and it is not CTS policy. Read it the way a Presbyterian elder would: as a careful attempt to let Scripture shape how the church is led. Where other churches see things differently, we will say so fairly.

1.Mkutano huko Westminster1.An Assembly at Westminster

Mnamo Julai 1643, katikati ya vita vya wenyewe kwa wenyewe kati ya Mfalme Charles I na Bunge, wachungaji na watumishi wapatao 120 na washiriki walei 30 walikusanyika katika Abasia ya Westminster huko London. Bunge lilikuwa limewaita kushauri kuhusu matengenezo ya Kanisa la Uingereza katika ibada, mafundisho na utawala. Katika vuli hiyo Uingereza ilifanya mkataba na Skotlandi, Solemn League and Covenant, ulioahidi kanisa lililofanyiwa matengenezo “kulingana na Neno la Mungu” na kwa mfano wa makanisa bora yaliyofanyiwa matengenezo. Skotlandi ilituma wajumbe kwa Mkutano, miongoni mwao Alexander Henderson, Samuel Rutherford, George Gillespie na Robert Baillie. Mijadala kuhusu utawala wa kanisa ilikuwa mirefu na migumu zaidi katika Mkutano mzima. Kikundi kidogo cha Wajitegemea (Independents), “Ndugu Wapinzani” (Dissenting Brethren), kilishikilia kwamba kila usharika unapaswa kujitawala wenyewe. Wengine, walioitwa Waerastia (Erastians), walitaka Bunge liwe na neno la mwisho juu ya nidhamu ya kanisa. Wengi waliamini kwamba Maandiko yanafundisha utawala wa wazee wanaokutana katika mabaraza. Form ilikamilika mwaka 1644 na kuidhinishwa na Mkutano Mkuu wa Kanisa la Skotlandi mwezi Februari 1645. Nchini Uingereza haikutekelezwa kikamilifu kamwe. Skotlandi, na baadaye duniani kote, ikawa mojawapo ya maandishi ya msingi ya utaratibu wa kanisa la Kipresbiteri, pamoja na Maungamo ya Imani ya Westminster na katekisimu.In July 1643, in the middle of a civil war between King Charles I and Parliament, about 120 ministers and 30 lay members gathered at Westminster Abbey in London. Parliament had called them to advise on the reform of the Church of England in worship, doctrine and government. That autumn England made a treaty with Scotland, the Solemn League and Covenant, which promised a church reformed “according to the Word of God” and to the example of the best reformed churches. Scotland sent commissioners to the Assembly, among them Alexander Henderson, Samuel Rutherford, George Gillespie and Robert Baillie. The debates on church government were the longest and hardest of the whole Assembly. A small group of Independents, the “Dissenting Brethren,” held that each congregation should govern itself. Others, called Erastians, wanted Parliament to keep the final word over church discipline. The majority believed that Scripture teaches government by elders meeting in assemblies. The Form was finished in 1644 and approved by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in February 1645. In England it was never fully put into practice. In Scotland, and later around the world, it became one of the founding texts of Presbyterian church order, alongside the Westminster Confession of Faith and the catechisms.

2.Kristo, Ambaye Serikali Iko Begani Mwake2.Christ, upon Whose Shoulders the Government Is

Form haianzi na kamati wala kanuni. Inaanza na Yesu Kristo. Dibaji ni sentensi moja ndefu iliyosukwa kutoka Isaya 9 na Waefeso 1 na 4. Kristo ndiye “ambaye serikali iko begani mwake.” Ana “mamlaka yote mbinguni na duniani.” Baba amemfanya “kichwa juu ya vitu vyote kwa ajili ya kanisa.” Akiisha kupaa, “alipokea karama kwa ajili ya kanisa lake, akalipa watumishi” kwa kuwajenga watu wake. Hii ndiyo kanuni ya kwanza ya utawala wa Kipresbiteri: kanisa lina Mfalme mmoja na Kichwa kimoja tu. Watumishi wake si wamiliki wa kanisa, na si mawakala wa dola. Ni watumishi wanaotekeleza utawala wa Kristo kwa Neno lake. Waskoti walikuwa wamejifunza hilo kwa njia ngumu. Mwaka 1596 Andrew Melville alimwambia Mfalme James VI kwamba kulikuwa na “wafalme wawili na falme mbili” nchini Skotlandi, na kwamba katika ufalme wa Kristo mfalme alikuwa mshiriki tu. Fundisho la “haki za taji za Mkombozi” lingeumba maisha ya kanisa la Skotlandi kwa karne nyingi. Mzee wa Kipresbiteri leo bado anaanzia hapa. Baraza la wazee (session) halikutani kufanya apendavyo, bali kuuliza Kichwa cha kanisa kimesema nini.The Form does not begin with committees or rules. It begins with Jesus Christ. The Preface is one long sentence woven from Isaiah 9 and Ephesians 1 and 4. Christ is the one “upon whose shoulders the government is.” He has “all power given unto him in heaven and in earth.” The Father has made him “head over all things to the church.” Having ascended, he “received gifts for his church, and gave officers” for building up his people. This is the first principle of Presbyterian polity: the church has only one King and Head. Its officers are not owners of the church, and they are not agents of the state. They are servants who carry out Christ’s rule by his Word. The Scots had learned this the hard way. In 1596 Andrew Melville told King James VI that there were “two kings and two kingdoms” in Scotland, and that in Christ’s kingdom the king was only a member. The doctrine of the “crown rights of the Redeemer” would shape Scottish church life for centuries. A Presbyterian elder today still begins here. The session does not meet to do what it likes, but to ask what the Head of the church has said.

3.Kanisa Moja, Makutaniko Mengi3.One Church, Many Congregations

Sehemu ya 2 inatoa madai matatu mafupi. Kwanza, kuna “kanisa moja la jumla linaloonekana” katika Agano Jipya. Pili, huduma, maneno ya Mungu (Maandiko) na maagizo hupewa na Kristo kwa kanisa hilo lote, “hadi kuja kwake mara ya pili.” Tatu, pia kuna makanisa ya mahali pamoja yanayoonekana. Katika kanisa la kwanza haya yaliundwa na “watakatifu wanaoonekana,” yaani, watu waliofikia umri wa kukiri imani kwa Kristo na utii kwake, “pamoja na watoto wao.” Kila kifungu kina uzito. Neno “linaloonekana” lina maana kwamba kanisa tunaloweza kuliona na kulipanga si sawa na kundi lisiloonekana la wateule wote, ambalo Mungu peke yake analijua. Neno “la jumla” lina maana kwamba kila usharika wa mahali unahusika na kitu kikubwa kuliko wenyewe. Hii ndiyo mizizi ya imani ya Kipresbiteri kwamba makutaniko yanapaswa kuunganishwa katika utawala wa pamoja, ambao somo linalofuata linaufafanua. Maneno “pamoja na watoto wao” yanatayarisha njia kwa ubatizo wa watoto wachanga, ambao tutaukuta katika Somo la 4. Makanisa ya Kibaptisti na ya Kikongregesheni yanakubali kwamba kuna kanisa moja la ulimwengu mzima, lakini kwa kawaida huliona kutaniko la mahali kama kanisa pekee linaloonekana duniani lenye mamlaka, na huhesabu kuwa washiriki wale tu wanaokiri imani wao wenyewe.Section 2 makes three short claims. First, there is “one general church visible” in the New Testament. Second, the ministry, the oracles (the Scriptures) and the ordinances are given by Christ to that whole church, “until his second coming.” Third, there are also particular visible churches. In the early church these were made up of “visible saints,” that is, people old enough to profess faith in Christ and obedience to him, “and of their children.” Each phrase matters. The word “visible” means that the church we can see and organize is not the same as the invisible company of all the elect, which only God knows. The word “general” means that every local congregation belongs to something larger than itself. This is the root of the Presbyterian conviction that congregations should be joined together in a common government, which the next reading develops. The phrase “and of their children” prepares the way for infant baptism, which we will meet in Reading 4. Baptist and Congregational churches agree that there is one universal church, but they usually see the local congregation as the only visible church on earth with authority, and they count as members only those who profess faith for themselves.

4.Watumishi Waliokoma, Watumishi Wanaobaki4.Officers Who Ceased, Officers Who Remain

Sehemu ya 3 inawagawa watumishi wa kanisa katika makundi mawili. Wengine walikuwa “wa kipekee, kama mitume, wainjilisti, na manabii, ambao wameisha kukoma.” Wengine ni “wa kawaida na wa daima”: wachungaji, walimu, watawala wengine wa kanisa, na mashemasi. Watumishi wa kipekee waliweka msingi wa kanisa, wakatoa Neno lililovuviwa, na kupanda makutaniko ya kwanza. Watumishi wa kawaida wanaendelea kujenga juu ya msingi huo katika kila kizazi. Tofauti mbili na mapokeo mengine zinaonekana mara moja. Kwanza, orodha haina askofu anayetawala watumishi wengine. Makanisa ya Kiaskofu (Episcopal), kama Ushirika wa Kianglikana, yanashikilia kwamba maaskofu wa mfululizo kutoka kwa mitume wanahitajika kuweka wakfu na kutawala; Wapresbiteri wanajibu kwamba katika Agano Jipya “askofu” (msimamizi) na “mzee” ni majina ya ofisi moja. Pili, makanisa mengi ya Kipentekoste na ya karismatiki yanaamini kwamba Mungu bado anawapa mitume na manabii leo, na baadhi hutoa vyeo hivi kwa viongozi. Wapresbiteri hawakani kwamba Roho bado anatoa karama za kufundisha, kuongoza na kuinjilisha. Wanashikilia kwamba ofisi za msingi, zenye mamlaka ya kutoa ufunuo mpya, zilimalizika na enzi ya kitume, ili kanisa sasa litawaliwe na Maandiko yaliyokamilika.Section 3 divides church officers into two groups. Some were “extraordinary, as apostles, evangelists, and prophets, which are ceased.” Others are “ordinary and perpetual”: pastors, teachers, other church-governors, and deacons. The extraordinary officers laid the foundation of the church, gave the inspired Word, and planted the first congregations. The ordinary officers keep building on that foundation in every age. Two differences with other traditions appear right away. First, the list has no bishop ruling over other ministers. Episcopal churches, such as the Anglican Communion, hold that bishops in succession from the apostles are needed to ordain and to govern; Presbyterians answer that in the New Testament “bishop” (overseer) and “elder” name the same office. Second, many Pentecostal and charismatic churches believe that God still gives apostles and prophets today, and some give these titles to leaders. Presbyterians do not deny that the Spirit still gives gifts of teaching, leadership and evangelism. They hold that the foundational offices, with their authority to give new revelation, ended with the apostolic age, so that the church is now governed by the completed Scriptures.

5.Kazi ya Mchungaji, na Mwalimu au Daktari5.The Pastor’s Work, and the Teacher or Doctor

Sehemu ya 4 inatoa maelezo kamili ya kazi ya mchungaji. Anapaswa kuwaombea kundi lake na kuomba pamoja nalo, kama “kinywa cha watu mbele za Mungu.” Anapaswa kusoma Maandiko hadharani. Anapaswa kulilisha kundi kwa kuhubiri, ili “kufundisha, kuonya kwa hoja, kukemea, kuhimiza na kufariji.” Anapaswa kufundisha katekisimu, ambayo Form inaifafanua kama “kuweka wazi kanuni za kwanza” za imani, na inaiita sehemu ya kuhubiri. Anapaswa kuendesha sakramenti, kuwabariki watu kwa jina la Mungu, na kuwatunza maskini. Pia ana “mamlaka ya kutawala juu ya kundi.” Orodha hii ni kioo kizuri kwa mtumishi yeyote: sala na Neno la hadharani vinakuja kwanza. Kisha Form inamtaja mtumishi wa pili wa Neno, mwalimu au daktari. Kwa kufuata John Calvin, aliyesema kuhusu ofisi nne (mchungaji, daktari, mzee na shemasi), Mkutano ulisema kwamba palipo na watumishi kadhaa katika kanisa, yule aliye bora katika kufafanua Maandiko na kutetea mafundisho yenye afya anaweza kutumika kama mwalimu. Mtu kama huyo ana “matumizi bora kabisa katika shule na vyuo vikuu.” Hata hivyo, palipo na mtumishi mmoja tu, lazima afanye kazi yote. Leo Wapresbiteri wengi humwona profesa wa seminari kama mrithi wa ofisi hii.Section 4 gives a full job description for the pastor. He is to pray for and with his flock, as “the mouth of the people unto God.” He is to read the Scriptures publicly. He is to feed the flock by preaching, in order “to teach, convince, reprove, exhort, and comfort.” He is to catechise, which the Form defines as “a plain laying down the first principles” of the faith, and it calls catechising a part of preaching. He is to administer the sacraments, to bless the people from God, and to take care of the poor. He also has “a ruling power over the flock.” The list is a good mirror for any minister: prayer and the public Word come first. The Form then names a second minister of the Word, the teacher or doctor. Following John Calvin, who spoke of four offices (pastor, doctor, elder and deacon), the Assembly said that where a church has several ministers, one who excels in explaining Scripture and defending sound doctrine may serve as a teacher. Such a man is “of most excellent use in schools and universities.” Yet where there is only one minister, he must do the whole work. Today many Presbyterians see the seminary professor as the heir of this office.

6.Wazee na Mashemasi6.Elders and Deacons

Sehemu ya 5 ndiyo moyo wa utawala wa Kipresbiteri. Kama vile kulikuwa na “wazee wa watu” kando ya makuhani katika Israeli, ndivyo Kristo amewapa wengine katika kanisa lake, zaidi ya watumishi, “karama za kutawala.” Wanapaswa kuungana na watumishi katika kulitawala kanisa. Form inaongeza kwamba hawa ndio watumishi “ambao makanisa yaliyofanyiwa matengenezo kwa kawaida huwaita Wazee.” Leo mara nyingi huitwa wazee watawala (ruling elders), na watumishi huitwa wazee wafundishaji (teaching elders). Watumishi na wazee watawala hukaa pamoja kama sawa katika mabaraza ya kanisa. Utawala huu wa pamoja unalinda kanisa dhidi ya kutawaliwa na mchungaji mmoja na huwafanya washiriki wawakilishwe na watu waliowachagua. Sehemu ya 6 kisha inaeleza mashemasi, ambao ofisi yao pia ni ya daima. Si kazi yao kuhubiri wala kutoa sakramenti, bali “kutunza hasa kugawa kwa mahitaji ya maskini.” Makanisa yanatofautiana hapa pia. Makanisa mengi ya Kibaptisti yana ofisi mbili, mchungaji na shemasi, na kutaniko lenyewe hufanya maamuzi makuu. Form inasema tu kuhusu wanaume katika ofisi, kama kila hati ya wakati wake ilivyofanya. Makanisa ya Kipresbiteri leo yanatofautiana kuhusu kama wanawake wanaweza kuwa mashemasi, wazee au watumishi, na CTS inawaomba wanafunzi kuelewa kila mtazamo na sababu zinazotolewa kwa ajili yake.Section 5 is the heart of Presbyterian polity. As there were “elders of the people” beside the priests in Israel, so Christ has given some in his church, besides the ministers, “with gifts for government.” They are to join with the ministers in ruling the church. The Form adds that these are the officers “which reformed churches commonly call Elders.” Today they are often called ruling elders, while ministers are called teaching elders. Ministers and ruling elders sit together as equals in the courts of the church. This shared rule protects the church from the domination of one pastor and keeps the members represented by people they have chosen. Section 6 then describes the deacons, whose office is also perpetual. It does not belong to them to preach or to give the sacraments, but “to take special care in distributing to the necessities of the poor.” Churches differ here too. Most Baptist churches have two offices, pastor and deacon, and the congregation itself makes the main decisions. The Form speaks only of men in office, as every document of its time did. Presbyterian churches today differ on whether women may serve as deacons, elders or ministers, and CTS asks students to understand each view and the reasons given for it.

7.Kutoka 1645 hadi Leo7.From 1645 to Today

Sehemu hizi sita bado zinaumba makanisa ya Kipresbiteri duniani kote. Nchini Skotlandi baraza la wazee la kirk (kirk session) la mtumishi na wazee likawa kitengo cha msingi cha maisha ya kanisa. Amerika, Francis Makemie alisaidia kuunda presbiteri ya kwanza huko Philadelphia mwaka 1706, na Mkutano Mkuu wa kwanza ulikutana huko mwaka 1789 ukiwa na Form of Government yake mwenyewe. Presbyterian Church in America na Orthodox Presbyterian Church sasa huchapisha Book of Church Order (Kitabu cha Utaratibu wa Kanisa), na Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) huchapisha Book of Order. Nchini Meksiko, kazi ya kimisionari iliyoanza miaka ya 1870 ilikua na kuwa Kanisa la Kipresbiteri la Taifa la Meksiko (National Presbyterian Church of Mexico), ambalo Mkutano wake Mkuu uliundwa mwaka 1947; lina nguvu Chiapas, Tabasco na Yucatán na linatawaliwa na katiba yake mwenyewe. Kanisa la Kipresbiteri la Brazili (Presbyterian Church of Brazil) linafuatilia mizizi yake hadi kwa Ashbel Green Simonton, aliyefika mwaka 1859. Wapresbiteri wa Korea waliunda presbiteri yao ya kwanza mwaka 1907 na sasa wako miongoni mwa familia kubwa zaidi za Kipresbiteri duniani. Barani Afrika kuna makanisa makubwa ya Kipresbiteri nchini Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, Kamerun na Nigeria. Mchungaji au mzee anachukua nini kutoka kurasa hizi? Kwamba Kristo peke yake ndiye Kichwa, kwamba kila ofisi ni huduma, na kwamba watumishi, wazee na mashemasi wanahitajiana.These six sections still shape Presbyterian churches around the world. In Scotland the kirk session of minister and elders became the basic unit of church life. In America, Francis Makemie helped form the first presbytery in Philadelphia in 1706, and the first General Assembly met there in 1789 with its own Form of Government. The Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church now publish a Book of Church Order, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) a Book of Order. In Mexico, missionary work begun in the 1870s grew into the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico, whose General Assembly was formed in 1947; it is strong in Chiapas, Tabasco and the Yucatán and is governed by its own constitution. The Presbyterian Church of Brazil traces its roots to Ashbel Green Simonton, who arrived in 1859. Korean Presbyterians formed their first presbytery in 1907 and are now among the largest Presbyterian families on earth. In Africa there are large Presbyterian churches in Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria. What does a pastor or elder take from these pages? That Christ alone is Head, that every office is a service, and that ministers, elders and deacons need one another.

8.Kuyachukua Moyoni8.Taking It to Heart

Kwa tafakari. Kama Kristo ndiye “ambaye serikali iko begani mwake,” hilo linapaswa kubadilishaje namna bodi ya kanisa lako au baraza la wazee (session) linavyoomba na kuamua? Ni sehemu gani ya kazi ya mchungaji iliyoorodheshwa katika sehemu ya 4 unayoipuuza zaidi? Katika usharika wako, nani anayeshiriki kazi ya kutawala na nani anayewatunza maskini? Na ungemweleza vipi kwa haki rafiki Mbaptisti, Mmethodisti au Mpentekoste kwa nini Wapresbiteri hutawala kwa wazee? For reflection. If Christ is the one “upon whose shoulders the government is,” how should that change the way your church board or session prays and decides? Which part of the pastor’s work listed in section 4 do you most neglect? In your congregation, who shares the work of rule and who cares for the poor? And how would you explain fairly to a Baptist, Methodist or Pentecostal friend why Presbyterians govern by elders?

Chagua

Somo la 2 · Congregations and Assemblies

Many Congregations, One Government

A CTS digest of Westminster Assembly, The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government (1645), sections 7–13

The local congregation, its officers and its worship, and the three kinds of church assemblies: congregational, classical and synodical. The session may admonish members and keep the unrepentant from the Lord’s table, and the churches of Jerusalem and Ephesus are offered as proof that many congregations may live under one presbytery, the heart of Presbyterian polity.

MUHTASARI WA CTSSoma muhtasari wote — unafunguka hapa hapa

Makutaniko Mengi, Utawala MmojaMany Congregations, One Government

Somo la Seminari ya Kitheolojia ya Chapala — jinsi Form ya Westminster inavyopanga usharika wa mahali, watumishi wake na ibada yake, na kwa nini inaunganisha makutaniko chini ya presbiteri na sinodiA Chapala Theological Seminary reading — how the Westminster Form orders the local congregation, its officers and its worship, and why it joins congregations together under presbyteries and synods

Muhtasari wa CTS wa sehemu ya 7–13 ya Mkutano wa Westminster, The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government (1645). Chanzo asilia kiko katika umma (public domain); nukuu fupi zifuatazo zimetoka humo.A CTS digest of sections 7–13 of the Westminster Assembly, The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government (1645). The original is in the public domain; the short quotations below are from it.

Form of Government §§7–13Form of Government §§7–13
Chanzo cha msingiPrimary source
16451645
Baraza la wazee na presbiteriSession and presbytery

Neno kabla ya kusoma. Katika sehemu hizi wanateolojia wa Westminster wanahama kutoka ofisi hadi mabaraza. Wanaeleza usharika uliowekwa, mkutano wa watumishi wake (kile ambacho Wapresbiteri sasa wanakiita baraza la wazee, session), maagizo ya ibada, na mabaraza makubwa zaidi yanayounganisha makutaniko. Uthibitisho mrefu kuhusu Yerusalemu na Efeso mwishoni unaweza kuonekana mkavu, lakini unabeba dai kuu la utawala wa Kipresbiteri: kwamba makutaniko mengi yanaweza kuishi chini ya utawala mmoja wa pamoja wa wazee. A word before you read. In these sections the Westminster divines move from offices to assemblies. They describe the fixed congregation, the meeting of its officers (what Presbyterians now call the session), the ordinances of worship, and the larger assemblies that bind congregations together. The long proof about Jerusalem and Ephesus at the end may seem dry, but it carries the main claim of Presbyterian polity: that many congregations may live under one shared government of elders.

1.Kwa Nini Makutaniko Yaliyowekwa?1.Why Fixed Congregations?

Sehemu ya 7 inaanza kwa unyenyekevu. Ni “halali na yafaa” kuwepo makutaniko yaliyowekwa, yaani, kundi dhahiri la Wakristo wanaokutana pamoja kwa kawaida kwa ibada ya hadhara. Waumini wanapokuwa wengi mno kukutana mahali pamoja, wanapaswa kugawanywa katika makutaniko tofauti, ili maagizo yaendeshwe vizuri na washiriki waweze kutunzana. Wagawanywe vipi? Form inajibu: kwa kawaida “kwa mipaka ya makazi yao.” Kwa maneno mengine, kwa mtaa, au parokia. Sababu ni za vitendo na za kimaadili. Watu wanaoishi karibu wana wajibu wa upendo wa kila siku kwa wao kwa wao. Ushirika wa watakatifu unapaswa kupangwa “bila kupendelea watu,” si kwa tabaka, utajiri au ladha. Na mchungaji na watu wanapaswa kuishi karibu hivi kwamba waweze kutumikiana. Wazo hili la parokia lilitoka kwa makanisa ya taifa ya Uingereza na Skotlandi. Linatofautiana na “kanisa lililokusanywa” (gathered church) la Wajitegemea na Wabaptisti, ambapo waumini hufanya agano pamoja kwa hiari. Leo Wapresbiteri wengi pia huchagua kanisa lao kwa uhuru, lakini kanuni bado ina nguvu: usharika unakusudiwa kuwatumikia watu wanaouzunguka, na washiriki wake hawapaswi kujipanga kwa kupenda tu.Section 7 begins modestly. It is “lawful and expedient” that there be fixed congregations, that is, a definite company of Christians who ordinarily meet together for public worship. When believers grow too many to meet in one place, they should be divided into distinct congregations, so that the ordinances can be well administered and members can care for one another. How should they be divided? The Form answers: ordinarily “by the respective bounds of their dwellings.” In other words, by neighbourhood, or parish. The reasons are practical and moral. People who live near each other owe each other daily duties of love. The fellowship of saints should be ordered “without respect of persons,” not by class, wealth or taste. And pastor and people should live close enough to serve one another. This parish idea came from the national churches of England and Scotland. It stands in contrast to the “gathered church” of the Independents and Baptists, where believers covenant together by choice. Today most Presbyterians also choose their church freely, but the principle still has force: a congregation is meant to serve the people around it, and its members should not sort themselves only by preference.

2.Watumishi wa Usharika na Mkutano Wao2.The Officers of a Congregation and Their Meeting

Sehemu ya 8 inaorodhesha kile ambacho kila usharika unahitaji. Lazima awepo “angalau mmoja” anayefanya kazi katika neno na mafundisho na pia anayetawala, yaani, mchungaji. Wawepo wengine wa kuungana katika utawala, wazee watawala. Na wawepo wengine wa kuwatunza maskini, mashemasi. Idadi yao iwe inafaa ukubwa na hali ya usharika. Watumishi hawa wanapaswa kukutana “kwa nyakati zinazofaa na zilizowekwa” kwa utaratibu mwema wa kanisa, kila mmoja kulingana na ofisi yake. Katika mikutano hii, Form inasema, inafaa zaidi mchungaji “awe mwenyekiti” (moderate), yaani, aongoze mkutano. Hii ndiyo kirk session ya Skotlandi, inayoitwa katika makanisa mengi ya Kipresbiteri ya Kihispania consistorio. Mchungaji ndiye mwenyekiti, lakini hatawali peke yake; kila mzee ana kura moja. Mwenyekiti mwema huwasaidia wazee kuomba, kufikiri na kuamua pamoja, na hawatawali. Maneno “kwa nyakati zilizowekwa” pia ni ya hekima. Baraza la wazee linalokutana mara kwa mara, lenye ajenda na kumbukumbu, linaweza kulichunga kundi kwa uangalifu badala ya kuitikia migogoro tu.Section 8 lists what every congregation needs. There should be “one at the least” who labours in the word and doctrine and also rules, that is, a minister. There should be others to join in government, the ruling elders. And there should be others to care for the poor, the deacons. Their number should fit the size and condition of the congregation. These officers are to meet “at convenient and set times” for the good order of the church, each according to his office. In these meetings, says the Form, it is most fitting that a minister should “moderate,” that is, chair the meeting. This is the Scottish kirk session, called in many Spanish-speaking Presbyterian churches the consistorio. The minister moderates, but he does not rule alone; each elder has one vote. A good moderator helps the elders pray, think and decide together, and does not dominate them. The phrase “at set times” is also wise. A session that meets regularly, with an agenda and minutes, can shepherd the flock with care instead of reacting only to crises.

3.Maagizo ya Ibada3.The Ordinances of Worship

Sehemu ya 9 inatoa orodha fupi ya maagizo ya usharika: sala, shukrani, na kuimba zaburi; neno linalosomwa, hata pale ambapo hakuna ufafanuzi wa mara moja unaofuata; neno linalofafanuliwa na kutumiwa; kufundisha katekisimu; sakramenti; sadaka kwa ajili ya maskini; na kuwaruhusu watu waondoke kwa baraka. Orodha hii inaonyesha kile ambacho mara nyingi huitwa kanuni elekezi ya ibada (regulative principle). Maungamo ya Westminster (21.1) yanasema kwamba Mungu anaweza kuabudiwa kwa njia alizozichagua tu katika Maandiko, na si kwa uvumbuzi wa kibinadamu. Kwa hiyo ibada ya Kipresbiteri ni rahisi, inayojikita katika Neno na sala, ikiwa na sakramenti kama maneno yanayoonekana. Kusoma Maandiko hadharani kunaheshimiwa kama agizo lenyewe, si kama andiko la mahubiri tu. Baadhi ya makanisa yaliyofanyiwa matengenezo bado huimba Zaburi tu, kama Mkutano ulivyofanya. Wapresbiteri wengi leo huimba pia nyimbo na tenzi zilizo mwaminifu kwa Maandiko, na hutumia kanuni hiyo kwa maudhui ya ibada zaidi kuliko mtindo wake. Makanisa ya Kiaskofu hufuata kitabu cha sala kilichowekwa; makanisa ya Kipentekoste huthamini sifa za papo hapo na karama za kiroho. Swali la Kipresbiteri ni daima: Mungu ametuomba nini tunapokusanyika?Section 9 gives a short list of the ordinances of a congregation: prayer, thanksgiving, and the singing of psalms; the word read, even when no immediate explication follows; the word expounded and applied; catechising; the sacraments; a collection for the poor; and dismissing the people with a blessing. This list reflects what is often called the regulative principle of worship. The Westminster Confession (21.1) says that God may be worshipped only in the ways he has appointed in Scripture, and not by human inventions. Presbyterian worship is therefore simple, centred on the Word and prayer, with the sacraments as visible words. The public reading of Scripture is honoured as an ordinance by itself, not just as a text for the sermon. Some Reformed churches still sing only the Psalms, as the Assembly did. Most Presbyterians today also sing hymns and songs that are faithful to Scripture, and they apply the principle to the content of worship more than to its style. Episcopal churches follow a fixed prayer book; Pentecostal churches value spontaneous praise and spiritual gifts. The Presbyterian question is always: what has God asked of us when we gather?

4.Funguo na Aina Tatu za Mabaraza4.The Keys and Three Kinds of Assemblies

Sehemu ya 10 inasema kwamba Kristo ameweka utawala katika kanisa lake. Mitume walipokea “funguo” moja kwa moja kutoka kwa Yesu (Mathayo 16:19; 18:18), na Kristo bado anawapa baadhi ya watu karama za kutawala. Kanisa linaweza kutawaliwa kihalali na aina tatu za mabaraza: “ya kiusharika, ya kiklasisi na ya kisinodi.” Baraza la kiusharika ni baraza la wazee (session). Baraza la kiklasisi ni presbiteri; neno hilo linatoka kwa Kiholanzi na Kilatini classis, jina ambalo makanisa ya Kiholanzi yaliyofanyiwa matengenezo bado huitumia kwa chombo hiki. Baraza la kisinodi ni sinodi, mkutano mkubwa zaidi wa kanda au wa taifa, ambao Wapresbiteri wa baadaye waliutawaza na Mkutano Mkuu (General Assembly). Sehemu ya 11 kisha inasema kile ambacho mabaraza haya yote yanashirikiana. Yanaweza kumwita mbele yao mtu yeyote aliye ndani ya mipaka yao ambaye jambo la kanisa linamhusu. Yanaweza “kusikiliza na kuamua” kesi zinazoletwa mbele yao kwa utaratibu. Na yote yana mamlaka fulani ya adhabu za kikanisa, kama onyo, kusimamishwa na kutengwa. Hii ni mamlaka ya kiroho, si ya kiraia. Mabaraza ya kanisa hayawezi kumtoza mtu faini wala kumfunga. Silaha zao ni Neno, sala na nidhamu, zinazotumiwa kuwaleta wenye dhambi kwenye toba na kulinda kundi.Section 10 states that Christ has instituted a government in his church. The apostles received “the keys” directly from Jesus (Matthew 16:19; 18:18), and Christ still gives some people gifts for government. The church may lawfully be governed by three sorts of assemblies: “congregational, classical, and synodical.” The congregational assembly is the session. The classical assembly is the presbytery; the word comes from the Dutch and Latin classis, the name Dutch Reformed churches still use for this body. The synodical assembly is the synod, a larger regional or national meeting, which later Presbyterians crowned with a General Assembly. Section 11 then says what all these assemblies have in common. They may call before them any person within their bounds whom a church matter concerns. They may “hear and determine” causes that come before them in an orderly way. And they all have some power of church censures, such as admonition, suspension and excommunication. This is spiritual power, not civil. Church courts cannot fine or imprison anyone. Their weapons are the Word, prayer and discipline, used to bring sinners to repentance and to protect the flock.

5.Baraza la Wazee na Meza ya Bwana5.The Session and the Lord’s Table

Sehemu ya 12 inaeleza kazi ya baraza la wazee kwa karibu zaidi. Watumishi wake watawala wanaweza kumwita mshiriki yeyote mbele yao pale palipo na sababu ya haki. Wanaweza “kuchunguza ujuzi na hali ya kiroho” ya washiriki. Wanaweza kuonya na kukemea. Nchini Skotlandi hili lilileta desturi ya wazee kutembelea kila nyumba katika wilaya yao kabla ya ushirika, wakiuliza kuhusu sala ya familia na katekisimu. Kisha Form inabishana kwa urefu kwamba baraza la wazee linaweza kumzuia mtu asiyetengwa bado asishiriki meza ya Bwana. Inatoa sababu tatu. Kwanza, “agizo lenyewe halipaswi kutiwa unajisi.” Pili, Maandiko yanatuambia tujitenge na wale wanaoenenda bila utaratibu. Tatu, kuna hatari kubwa kwake yeye anayekuja isivyostahili na kwa kanisa lote. Wale wanaohukumu nani anafaa kupokea, inaongeza, wanaweza pia kuwazuia wasiostahili. Kwa Wakristo wengi wa kisasa hili linaonekana kuwa kali. Lakini Wapresbiteri wanaliona kuwa tendo la upendo: wazee hukesha juu ya roho kwa sababu “watatoa hesabu” (Waebrania 13:17). Lengo la kila kusimamishwa ni kurejeshwa. Sehemu hiyo inamalizika kwa kutambua kwamba makutaniko yanahitaji “msaada wa pande zote” kutoka kwa mengine, jambo linaloongoza moja kwa moja hadi presbiteri.Section 12 describes the work of the session more closely. Its ruling officers may call any member before them when there is just cause. They may “enquire into the knowledge and spiritual estate” of the members. They may admonish and rebuke. In Scotland this led to the custom of elders visiting every home in their district before communion, asking about family prayer and the catechism. The Form then argues at length that the session may suspend from the Lord’s table someone not yet excommunicated. It gives three reasons. First, “the ordinance itself must not be profaned.” Second, Scripture tells us to withdraw from those who walk disorderly. Third, there is great danger both to the one who comes unworthily and to the whole church. Those who judge who is fit to receive, it adds, may also keep back the unworthy. To many modern Christians this sounds harsh. But Presbyterians see it as an act of love: elders keep watch over souls because they “must give account” (Hebrews 13:17). The aim of every suspension is restoration. The section closes by noting that congregations need “mutual help” from one another, which leads straight into the presbytery.

6.Presbiteri na Kanisa la Yerusalemu6.The Presbytery and the Church at Jerusalem

Sehemu ya 13 ndiyo kitovu cha hoja. “Maandiko yanaonyesha presbiteri katika kanisa.” Presbiteri huundwa na watumishi na watawala wengine wa kanisa, wazee watawala, wanaotawala pamoja. Na “makutaniko mengi ya mahali pamoja yanaweza kuwa chini ya utawala mmoja wa kipresbiteri.” Mkutano unathibitisha hili kwanza kutoka Yerusalemu. Kanisa huko lilikuwa na waumini wengi kuliko wangeweza kukutana mahali pamoja; lilikuwa na mitume na wahubiri wengi, ambao wangehubiri mara chache kama kungekuwa na kutaniko moja tu; na lilikuwa na waumini wa lugha mbalimbali. Hata hivyo liliitwa kanisa moja, na wazee wake walikutana pamoja kwa matendo ya utawala (Matendo 15 na 21). Uthibitisho wa pili ni Efeso. Paulo alihubiri huko kwa miaka mitatu; walikuwepo Wayahudi na Wayunani; kulikuwa na kanisa katika nyumba ya Akula na Priskila. Hata hivyo Paulo alipoita “wazee wa kanisa” (Matendo 20:17), aliwasemesha kama wasimamizi wa kundi moja. Kutokana na mifano hii wanateolojia walihitimisha kwamba makanisa ya mahali hayakusudiwi kusimama peke yake. Yanashiriki wazee, yanasaidiana, na kujisalimisha kwa usimamizi wa pamoja. Ndiyo maana mshiriki wa kanisa la Kipresbiteri anaweza kukata rufaa ya uamuzi wa baraza la wazee kwa presbiteri, na ndiyo maana presbiteri huchunguza na kuweka wakfu watumishi.Section 13 is the centre of the argument. “The scripture doth hold out a presbytery in a church.” A presbytery is made up of ministers and other church-governors, the ruling elders, who govern together. And “many particular congregations may be under one presbyterial government.” The Assembly proves this first from Jerusalem. The church there had more believers than could meet in one place; it had many apostles and preachers, who would rarely preach if there were only one congregation; and it had believers of different languages. Yet it was called one church, and its elders met together for acts of government (Acts 15 and 21). The second proof is Ephesus. Paul preached there for three years; there were Jews and Greeks; there was a church in the house of Aquila and Priscilla. Yet when Paul called for “the elders of the church” (Acts 20:17), he spoke to them as overseers of one flock. From these examples the divines concluded that local churches are not meant to stand alone. They share elders, help each other, and submit to a common oversight. This is why a Presbyterian church member may appeal a session’s decision to the presbytery, and why presbyteries examine and ordain ministers.

7.Jinsi Wengine Wanavyotofautiana, na Tunachochukua7.How Others Differ, and What We Take

Makanisa mengine hupanga miunganiko yao kwa namna tofauti. Makanisa ya Kiaskofu huunganisha makutaniko chini ya askofu anayesimamia dayosisi. Makanisa ya Kimethodisti ni “ya kiunganifu” (connexional): mikutano ya watumishi na washiriki walei hutawala, na katika mapokeo ya United Methodist maaskofu huteua wachungaji kwa makanisa. Makanisa ya Kibaptisti na ya Kikongregesheni yanashikilia uhuru wa kanisa la mahali; yanashirikiana kwa hiari katika vyama na mikutano, lakini vyombo hivyo haviwezi kulipinga kutaniko. Makanisa ya Kipentekoste yanatofautiana sana, kutoka kwa maaskofu wa Church of God (Cleveland) hadi mtindo mchanganyiko wa Assemblies of God, wenye mabaraza ya wilaya na makutaniko ya mahali yanayojitawala. Wapresbiteri nchini Meksiko, Brazili, Korea na Afrika wanaishi sehemu ya 13 kila mwaka. Mabaraza yao ya wazee huripoti kwa presbiteri, presbiteri kwa sinodi, na sinodi kwa Mkutano Mkuu, kulingana na katiba zao na vitabu vyao vya utaratibu. Usharika wa vijijini Chiapas na kanisa kubwa huko Seoul vinaunganishwa na muundo ule ule wa wazee wanaokutana pamoja. Mchungaji au mzee anachukua nini kutoka kurasa hizi? Kwamba hakuna usharika unaopaswa kuwa kisiwa. Uwajibikaji ni zawadi, na presbiteri ni mahali pa kutoa na kupokea msaada, si mahakama tu.Other churches organize their connections differently. Episcopal churches join congregations under a bishop who oversees a diocese. Methodist churches are “connexional”: conferences of ministers and lay members govern, and in the United Methodist tradition bishops appoint pastors to churches. Baptist and Congregational churches hold to the autonomy of the local church; they cooperate freely in associations and conventions, but these bodies cannot overrule a congregation. Pentecostal churches vary widely, from the bishops of the Church of God (Cleveland) to the mixed model of the Assemblies of God, with district councils and self-governing local assemblies. Presbyterians in Mexico, Brazil, Korea and Africa live out section 13 every year. Their sessions report to presbyteries, presbyteries to synods, and synods to a General Assembly, according to their constitutions and books of order. A rural congregation in Chiapas and a large church in Seoul are joined by the same pattern of elders meeting together. What does a pastor or elder take from these pages? That no congregation should be an island. Accountability is a gift, and the presbytery is a place to give and receive help, not only a court.

8.Kuyachukua Moyoni8.Taking It to Heart

Kwa tafakari. Je, usharika wako unautumikia mtaa unamokutana, au zaidi watu wanaofanana na washiriki wake? Ikiwa unatumikia katika baraza la wazee au bodi, je, linakutana “kwa nyakati zinazofaa na zilizowekwa,” na je, kweli linachunguza hali ya kiroho ya kundi? Nidhamu ya kanisa inapaswa kutekelezwa vipi ili irejeshe na isiadhibu tu? Na ni msaada gani usharika wako ungeweza kutoa kwa makanisa jirani, au kupokea kutoka kwao? For reflection. Does your congregation serve the neighbourhood where it meets, or mostly people like its members? If you serve on a session or board, does it meet “at convenient and set times,” and does it truly enquire into the spiritual state of the flock? How should church discipline be practised so that it restores and does not merely punish? And what help could your congregation give to, or receive from, other churches near you?

Chagua

Somo la 3 · The Act of Ordination

Set Apart by the Laying On of Hands

A CTS digest of Westminster Assembly, The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government (1645), section 19 (ordinary rules 5–13; extraordinary rules 1–4)

The day a minister is ordained: a congregational fast, a sermon, searching questions to the candidate, promises from the people, and the laying on of hands by the presbytery. The Assembly also accepts earlier Church of England orders, requires careful records, forbids any payment, and makes emergency arrangements for ordaining ministers in a nation at war.

MUHTASARI WA CTSSoma muhtasari wote — unafunguka hapa hapa

Kuwekwa Wakfu kwa Kuwekewa MikonoSet Apart by the Laying On of Hands

Somo la Seminari ya Kitheolojia ya Chapala — kanuni za Westminster kwa siku ya kuweka wakfu, viapo vya mtumishi na watu, utunzaji wa kumbukumbu, na mipango ya dharura ya taifa lililo vitaniA Chapala Theological Seminary reading — the Westminster rules for the day of ordination, the vows of minister and people, the keeping of records, and the emergency arrangements of a nation at war

Muhtasari wa CTS wa sehemu ya 19 (kanuni za kawaida 5–13 na kanuni za kipekee 1–4) ya Mkutano wa Westminster, The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government (1645). Chanzo asilia kiko katika umma (public domain); nukuu fupi zifuatazo zimetoka humo.A CTS digest of section 19 (ordinary rules 5–13 and extraordinary rules 1–4) of the Westminster Assembly, The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government (1645). The original is in the public domain; the short quotations below are from it.

Form of Government §19Form of Government §19
Chanzo cha msingiPrimary source
16451645
Kuwekwa wakfuOrdination

Neno kabla ya kusoma. Form inamalizika kwa “Mwongozo wa Kuwaweka Wakfu Watumishi.” Kanuni zake za awali, ambazo hazimo katika somo hili, zinaeleza jinsi mgombea anavyochunguzwa na presbiteri na kuitwa na usharika. Hapa tunajiunga na hadithi siku ya kuweka wakfu yenyewe. Angalia jinsi kanisa zima linavyoshiriki: presbiteri, mhubiri, mgombea na watu wote wana kitu cha kufanya na kitu cha kuahidi. A word before you read. The Form ends with a “Directory for the Ordination of Ministers.” Its earlier rules, not included in this reading, describe how a candidate is examined by the presbytery and called by a congregation. Here we join the story on the day of ordination itself. Notice how the whole church takes part: the presbytery, the preacher, the candidate and the people all have something to do and something to promise.

1.Kuwekwa Wakfu Wakati wa Vita1.Ordination in a Time of War

Mkutano ulipoandika kanuni hizi, Uingereza ilikuwa vitani na yenyewe. Parokia nyingi zilikuwa zimepoteza watumishi wake. Baadhi ya makasisi walikuwa wameondolewa kwa kashfa au kwa uaminifu kwa mfalme; wengine walikuwa wamekimbia au kufa. Maaskofu, waliokuwa wakiwaweka wakfu watumishi katika Kanisa la Uingereza, walikuwa wameondolewa na Bunge. Hata hivyo majeshi, jeshi la majini na mamia ya makutaniko yalihitaji wahubiri. Swali lilikuwa la haraka: nani anaweza kumtenga mtu kwa huduma, na vipi? Jibu la Mkutano lilikuwa kwamba kuweka wakfu ni jukumu la presbiteri, yaani, watumishi na wazee wanaotenda pamoja, si askofu mmoja. Kuweka wakfu si kutoa neema kwa tambiko, wala tu mkataba wa kazi. Ni kutambuliwa na kuteuliwa kwa dhati na kanisa kwa mtu ambaye Kristo amempa karama na kumwita, kwa kufunga, sala na kuwekewa mikono, kama katika Matendo 13 na 1 Timotheo 4:14. Kanuni za somo hili zinaonyesha jinsi utambuzi huo ulivyopaswa kufanywa kwa uangalifu, katika nyakati za kawaida na katika dharura.When the Assembly wrote these rules, England was at war with itself. Many parishes had lost their ministers. Some clergy had been removed for scandal or for loyalty to the king; others had fled or died. The bishops, who had ordained ministers in the Church of England, had been set aside by Parliament. Yet the armies, the navy and hundreds of congregations needed preachers. The question was urgent: who may set a man apart for the ministry, and how? The Assembly’s answer was that ordination belongs to the presbytery, that is, to ministers and elders acting together, not to a single bishop. Ordination is not the gift of grace by a ritual, nor simply a job contract. It is the church’s solemn recognition and appointment of a man whom Christ has gifted and called, with fasting, prayer and the laying on of hands, as in Acts 13 and 1 Timothy 4:14. The rules in this reading show how carefully that recognition was to be made, both in ordinary times and in an emergency.

2.Mfungo, Mahubiri na Presbiteri2.A Fast, a Sermon, and the Presbytery

Kanuni ya 5 inaweka mandhari. Kuweka wakfu kutafanyika “katika kanisa ambalo yule atakayewekwa wakfu atalitumikia.” Mtumishi haendi kuwekwa wakfu katika kanisa kuu la mbali, bali miongoni mwa watu atakaowachunga. Siku hiyo usharika huweka “mfungo mtakatifu,” ili waombe kwa bidii baraka juu ya agizo la Kristo na juu ya kazi za mtumishi wake. Presbiteri inakuja mahali hapo, au angalau watumishi watatu au wanne hutumwa. Mmoja wao huwahubiria watu kuhusu ofisi na wajibu wa watumishi, na jinsi watu “wanavyopaswa kuwapokea kwa ajili ya kazi yao” (1 Wathesalonike 5:13). Utaratibu unafundisha. Kabla viapo vyovyote kutolewa, Neno linahubiriwa. Mtumishi na watu wote wanafundishwa huduma ni nini na wanadaiana nini. Makanisa mengi ya Kipresbiteri leo yanaendeleza mpangilio huu: tume ya presbiteri huja kwa kanisa la mahali, mtumishi mmoja huhubiri, mwingine hutoa agizo kwa mchungaji mpya, na mwingine agizo kwa usharika. Kufunga si jambo la kawaida sana sasa, lakini baadhi ya makanisa huko Korea na Afrika bado huuita usharika kwa sala ya pekee kabla ya kuweka wakfu.Rule 5 sets the scene. Ordination is to take place “in that church where he that is to be ordained is to serve.” The minister is not ordained in a distant cathedral, but among the people he will shepherd. On that day the congregation keeps “a solemn fast,” so that they may pray earnestly for a blessing on Christ’s ordinance and on the labours of his servant. The presbytery comes to the place, or at least three or four ministers are sent. One of them preaches to the people about the office and duty of ministers, and about how the people “ought to receive them for their work’s sake” (1 Thessalonians 5:13). The order is instructive. Before any vows are taken, the Word is preached. Both minister and people are taught what the ministry is and what they owe each other. Many Presbyterian churches today keep this pattern: a commission of the presbytery comes to the local church, one minister preaches, another gives a charge to the new pastor, and another a charge to the congregation. Fasting is less common now, but some churches in Korea and Africa still call the congregation to special prayer before an ordination.

3.Maswali Yanayoulizwa kwa Mtumishi3.The Questions Put to the Minister

Kanuni ya 6 inaorodhesha maswali yanayoulizwa “mbele ya usharika.” Mgombea anaulizwa kuhusu imani yake kwa Yesu Kristo, na kusadiki kwake kweli ya dini iliyofanyiwa matengenezo kulingana na Maandiko. Anaulizwa kuhusu “nia na malengo yake ya dhati” katika kutafuta wito huu. Anaulizwa kuhusu bidii yake katika kuomba, kusoma, kutafakari, kuhubiri, sakramenti na nidhamu. Lazima aahidi juhudi na uaminifu katika kutetea kweli ya injili na umoja wa kanisa “dhidi ya uzushi na mgawanyiko.” Lazima ajali kwamba yeye na familia yake wawe “mifano kwa kundi.” Lazima awe tayari, “kwa upole wa roho,” kujisalimisha kwa maonyo ya ndugu zake na nidhamu ya kanisa. Na lazima aazimie kudumu katika wajibu wake “dhidi ya taabu zote na mateso.” Maswali haya bado ni uchunguzi wa moyo unaopenya. Yanaunganisha mafundisho na maisha, ibada ya faragha na kazi ya hadhara, kweli na umoja. Vitabu vya kisasa vya utaratibu wa kanisa, Amerika Kaskazini, Meksiko, Brazili na Korea, huwauliza watumishi maswali yanayofanana sana, ikiwemo kama wanapokea Maungamo ya Westminster kuwa yanayo mfumo wa mafundisho yanayofundishwa katika Maandiko.Rule 6 lists the questions asked “in the face of the congregation.” The candidate is asked about his faith in Christ Jesus, and his persuasion of the truth of the reformed religion according to the Scriptures. He is asked about his “sincere intentions and ends” in seeking this calling. He is asked about his diligence in prayer, reading, meditation, preaching, the sacraments and discipline. He must promise zeal and faithfulness in maintaining the truth of the gospel and the unity of the church “against error and schism.” He must care that he and his family may be “examples to the flock.” He must be willing, “in meekness of spirit,” to submit to the admonitions of his brethren and the discipline of the church. And he must resolve to continue in his duty “against all trouble and persecution.” These questions are still a searching examination of the heart. They join doctrine and life, private devotion and public work, truth and unity. Modern books of church order, in North America, Mexico, Brazil and Korea, ask ministers very similar questions, including whether they receive the Westminster Confession as containing the system of doctrine taught in Scripture.

4.Ahadi za Watu4.The Promises of the People

Kanuni ya 7 inaelekea kwa usharika. Mgombea akiisha kujibu na kuahidi juhudi zake “kwa msaada wa Mungu,” mtumishi huwauliza watu kama wako tayari kumpokea “kuwa mtumishi wa Kristo.” Wanaahidi kumtii na kujisalimisha kwake “kama mwenye mamlaka juu yao katika Bwana” (Waebrania 13:17), na kumtegemeza, kumtia moyo na kumsaidia katika sehemu zote za ofisi yake. Kwa hiyo kuweka wakfu ni agano la pande zote. Mtumishi anaahidi uaminifu; watu wanaahidi msaada na roho ya kufundishika. Hili linaonyesha uwiano wa Kipresbiteri. Presbiteri inaweka wakfu, lakini usharika umemwita mtu huyo na sasa unampokea hadharani. Mapokeo mengine huweka uwiano huu kwa namna tofauti. Katika mapokeo ya United Methodist askofu humteua mchungaji kwa usharika. Katika makanisa ya Kibaptisti kutaniko la mahali humwita na kumweka wakfu mchungaji wake mwenyewe, mara nyingi kwa msaada wa wachungaji jirani, na linaweza pia kumwondoa kwa kura yake yenyewe. Wapresbiteri wanashikilia kwamba ridhaa ya watu na usimamizi wa presbiteri vyote vinahitajika. Mchungaji hawezi kulazimishwa juu ya usharika, na usharika hauwezi kumwondoa mchungaji tu bila presbiteri.Rule 7 turns to the congregation. After the candidate has answered and promised his endeavours “by the help of God,” the minister asks the people whether they are willing to receive him “as the minister of Christ.” They promise to obey and submit to him “as having rule over them in the Lord” (Hebrews 13:17), and to maintain, encourage and assist him in all parts of his office. Ordination is therefore a mutual covenant. The minister promises faithfulness; the people promise support and a teachable spirit. This reflects a Presbyterian balance. The presbytery ordains, but the congregation has called the man and now publicly receives him. Other traditions set this balance differently. In the United Methodist tradition the bishop appoints the pastor to the congregation. In Baptist churches the local congregation calls and ordains its own pastor, often with the help of neighbouring pastors, and may also dismiss him by its own vote. Presbyterians hold that both the people’s consent and the presbytery’s oversight are needed. A pastor cannot be forced on a congregation, and a congregation cannot simply remove a pastor without the presbytery.

5.Mikono, Sala na Agizo5.Hands, Prayer, and Charge

Kanuni ya 8 inaeleza tendo la kuweka wakfu lenyewe. Presbiteri, au watumishi waliotumwa nayo, wanamtenga mtu kwa dhati “kwa kumwekea mikono,” pamoja na sala fupi. Sala hiyo inashukuru kwa rehema ya Mungu kwa kumtuma Yesu Kristo, kwa kupaa kwake, na kwa karama alizozimimina: “mitume, wainjilisti, manabii, wachungaji na walimu.” Inamshukuru Mungu kwa “kumfaa na kumwelekeza mtu huyu kwa kazi hii kuu,” na kumwomba Bwana amjaze Roho Mtakatifu, ili apate “kujiokoa mwenyewe, na watu wake” (1 Timotheo 4:16). Kanuni ya 9 inaongeza agizo. Mhubiri anamhimiza mtumishi mpya kuzingatia ukuu wa kazi yake, hatari ya uzembe, na baraka ya uaminifu, na anawahimiza watu kushika ahadi yao. Kisha zaburi inaimbwa na mkutano unaruhusiwa kuondoka kwa baraka. Angalia kisichokuwepo. Hakuna kutiwa mafuta, hakuna kutoa mavazi maalumu, na hakuna dai kwamba neema hupita kupitia mfululizo usiokatika wa maaskofu. Makanisa ya Kiaskofu huona kuwekwa wakfu na askofu katika urithi wa kitume kuwa muhimu. Makanisa ya Kipentekoste mara nyingi huweka mikono kwa sala kwa ajili ya karama za kiroho. Wapresbiteri huweka mikono kama ishara ya sala ya kanisa na uteuzi wa Kristo.Rule 8 describes the act of ordination itself. The presbytery, or the ministers sent by it, solemnly set the man apart “by laying their hands on him,” with a short prayer. The prayer gives thanks for God’s mercy in sending Jesus Christ, for his ascension, and for the gifts he poured out: “apostles, evangelists, prophets, pastors, and teachers.” It thanks God for “fitting and inclining this man to this great work,” and asks the Lord to fill him with the Holy Spirit, so that he may “save himself, and his people” (1 Timothy 4:16). Rule 9 adds a charge. The preacher exhorts the new minister to consider the greatness of his work, the danger of negligence, and the blessing of faithfulness, and he exhorts the people to keep their promise. Then a psalm is sung and the assembly is dismissed with a blessing. Note what is absent. There is no anointing with oil, no giving of special robes, and no claim that grace passes through an unbroken line of bishops. Episcopal churches see ordination by a bishop in apostolic succession as essential. Pentecostal churches often lay on hands with prayer for spiritual gifts. Presbyterians lay on hands as a sign of the church’s prayer and Christ’s appointment.

6.Taratibu Nyingine, Kumbukumbu na Hakuna Fedha6.Other Orders, Records, and No Money

Kanuni ya 10 hadi 13 zinahusu mambo ya vitendo. Mtumishi aliyekwisha kuwekwa wakfu katika Kanisa la Uingereza hatawekwa wakfu tena, kwa kuwa kuwekwa huko wakfu kunashikiliwa kuwa “halali kwa msingi wake.” Bado lazima achunguzwe. Mkutano, ingawa uliukataa utawala wa maaskofu, haukukana kwamba watumishi waliowekwa wakfu nao ni watumishi wa kweli. Mtumishi kutoka Skotlandi au kanisa lingine lililofanyiwa matengenezo lazima alete “cheti cha kutosha” cha kuwekwa kwake wakfu, maisha yake, na sababu za kuhama kwake, naye pia lazima achunguzwe. Kanuni ya 12 inaitaka presbiteri kutunza kumbukumbu za uangalifu za kila kuweka wakfu: majina, vyeti, wakati na mahali, wazee waliomwekea mikono, na mgawo aliopewa. Kanuni ya 13 inakataza “fedha au zawadi” yoyote kupokelewa kwa ajili ya kuweka wakfu. Hii inalinda dhidi ya usimonia, dhambi ya Simoni mchawi aliyejaribu kununua uwezo wa kiroho (Matendo 8:18–20). Kila moja ya kanuni hizi bado inalitumikia kanisa. Presbiteri leo hutunza kumbukumbu za mikutano na orodha za watumishi, huchunguza wale wanaohama kutoka makanisa mengine, na kuweka wakfu bila ada. Utaratibu huo wa uangalifu unayalinda makutaniko dhidi ya walaghai na kuwalinda watumishi dhidi ya shaka.Rules 10 to 13 deal with practical matters. A minister already ordained in the Church of England is not to be ordained again, since that ordination is held “for substance to be valid.” He must still be examined. The Assembly, though it rejected rule by bishops, did not deny that ministers ordained by them were true ministers. A minister from Scotland or another reformed church must bring “a sufficient testimonial” of his ordination, his life, and the reasons he moved, and he must be examined too. Rule 12 requires presbyteries to keep careful records of each ordination: the names, testimonials, time and place, the presbyters who laid on hands, and the charge assigned. Rule 13 forbids any “money or gift” to be received for ordination. This guards against simony, the sin of Simon the magician who tried to buy spiritual power (Acts 8:18–20). Each of these rules still serves the church. Presbyteries today keep minutes and rolls of ministers, examine those who transfer from other churches, and ordain without fee. Such careful order protects congregations from impostors and protects ministers from suspicion.

7.Njia ya Kipekee, na Leo7.The Extraordinary Way, and Today

Kanuni nne za mwisho zinaeleza “njia ya kipekee.” Katika “dharura za sasa” za vita, presbiteri hazikuweza kuundwa bado zikiwa na mamlaka kamili, na watumishi wengi walihitajika kwa majeshi, jeshi la majini, na makutaniko yasiyo na mtumishi. Kwa hiyo Bunge lilipaswa kuteua watumishi wacha Mungu katika mji wa London au kandokando yake kama muungano wa kuweka wakfu, wakikaa “karibu iwezekanavyo na kanuni za kawaida.” Miungano kama hiyo ingeweza kuhudumia kaunti tulivu. Muungano huo ulikuwa “bila nia wala kusudi lingine” ila kuweka wakfu. Hapa tunaona kanuni ya hekima: utaratibu unalitumikia uzima wa kanisa, na katika dharura kanisa linaweza kurekebisha utaratibu wake likilinda kiini chake. Makanisa ya kimisionari mara nyingi yamekabiliwa na mahitaji kama hayo. Huko Korea, watumishi saba wa kwanza wa Kikorea waliwekwa wakfu wakati presbiteri ya kwanza ilipoundwa mwaka 1907. Nchini Meksiko, Brazili na Afrika, presbiteri zimehudumia vijiji vya mbali kwa wahubiri walei na watumishi wanaotembelea hadi wachungaji waweze kufundishwa. Mchungaji au mzee anachukua nini kutoka hili? Mtazamo wa juu wa wito wa huduma, pamoja na unyenyekevu; ahadi zinazowafunga mchungaji na watu; kumbukumbu za uaminifu; na kubadilika katika nyakati ngumu bila kuacha utaratibu wa kibiblia.The last four rules describe “the extraordinary way.” In the “present exigencies” of war, presbyteries could not yet be formed with full power, and many ministers were needed for the armies, the navy, and congregations with no minister. So Parliament was to appoint some godly ministers in or about the city of London as an association to ordain, keeping “as near to the ordinary rules” as possible. Similar associations could serve quiet counties. The association was “for no other intent or purpose” but ordination. Here we see a wise principle: order serves the church’s life, and in emergencies the church may adapt its order while keeping its substance. Mission churches have often faced similar needs. In Korea, the first seven Korean ministers were ordained when the first presbytery was formed in 1907. In Mexico, Brazil and Africa, presbyteries have provided for distant villages with lay preachers and visiting ministers until pastors could be trained. What does a pastor or elder take from this? A high view of the call to ministry, joined to humility; promises that bind both pastor and people; honest records; and flexibility in hard times without abandoning biblical order.

8.Kuyachukua Moyoni8.Taking It to Heart

Kwa tafakari. Kama wewe ni mtumishi, ungejibuje leo maswali ya kanuni ya 6, hasa kuhusu “nia na malengo yako ya dhati”? Kama wewe ni mshiriki wa kanisa, je, umeshika ahadi ambazo usharika wako ulimwahidi mchungaji wake? Kwa nini inaweza kuwa muhimu kwamba kuweka wakfu kufanyike katika kanisa ambalo mtumishi atalitumikia? Na kanisa lako linapokabiliwa na dharura, linawezaje kujirekebisha bila kupoteza uaminifu kwa Maandiko? For reflection. If you are a minister, how would you answer today the questions of rule 6, especially about your “sincere intentions and ends”? If you are a church member, have you kept the promises your congregation made to its pastor? Why might it matter that ordination takes place in the church where the minister will serve? And when your church faces an emergency, how can it adapt without losing faithfulness to Scripture?

Chagua

Somo la 4 · Holy Baptism

A Seal of the Covenant of Grace

A CTS digest of Westminster Assembly, The Directory for the Public Worship of God (1645), section 7: Of Baptism

The Westminster Directory orders the baptism of believers’ children: by a minister, before the congregation, with teaching on baptism as “a seal of the covenant of grace.” It grounds infant baptism in God’s promise to believers and their seed, denies that grace is tied to the moment of washing, and allows pouring or sprinkling. Baptist and Pentecostal differences are stated fairly.

MUHTASARI WA CTSSoma muhtasari wote — unafunguka hapa hapa

Muhuri wa Agano la NeemaA Seal of the Covenant of Grace

Somo la Seminari ya Kitheolojia ya Chapala — jinsi Directory for the Public Worship of God ya Westminster inavyoagiza ubatizo wa watoto wa waumini, inachofundisha ubatizo unamaanisha nini, na pale makanisa mengine yanapotofautianaA Chapala Theological Seminary reading — how the Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God orders the baptism of the children of believers, what it teaches baptism means, and where other churches differ

Muhtasari wa CTS wa sehemu ya 7 (“Kuhusu Kuendesha Sakramenti: na kwanza, Kuhusu Ubatizo”) ya Mkutano wa Westminster, The Directory for the Public Worship of God (1645). Chanzo asilia kiko katika umma (public domain); nukuu fupi zifuatazo zimetoka humo.A CTS digest of section 7 (“Of the Administration of the Sacraments: and first, of Baptism”) of the Westminster Assembly, The Directory for the Public Worship of God (1645). The original is in the public domain; the short quotations below are from it.

Directory for Worship §7Directory for Worship §7
Chanzo cha msingiPrimary source
16451645
UbatizoBaptism

Neno kabla ya kusoma. Wakristo wamekuwa wakitofautiana kuhusu ubatizo kwa miaka mia tano, na wasomaji wengi wa kozi hii wanashikilia ubatizo wa waumini tu, kwa kawaida kwa kuzamishwa. Somo hili linaeleza desturi ya Kipresbiteri ya ubatizo wa watoto wachanga kutoka ndani, kwa huruma na wazi kadiri tuwezavyo, kisha linaeleza mambo makuu ambayo Wabaptisti, Wapentekoste na makanisa mengine hutofautiana. Lengo ni kuelewa, si kushinikiza. Unaweza kutokubaliana na bado ukajifunza mengi kutokana na namna Directory inavyosema kuhusu uaminifu wa agano la Mungu. A word before you read. Christians have disagreed about baptism for five hundred years, and many readers of this course hold to the baptism of believers only, usually by immersion. This reading explains the Presbyterian practice of infant baptism from the inside, as sympathetically and clearly as we can, and then states the main points where Baptist, Pentecostal and other churches differ. The aim is understanding, not pressure. You may disagree and still learn a great deal from the way the Directory speaks of God’s covenant faithfulness.

1.Ibada kwa Mwongozo, Si kwa Kitabu cha Sala1.Worship by Directory, Not by Prayer Book

Mnamo Januari 1645 Bunge la Uingereza liliweka kando Kitabu cha Sala ya Pamoja (Book of Common Prayer) na kuweka mahali pake Directory for the Public Worship of God mpya, iliyotayarishwa na Mkutano wa Westminster. Kanisa la Skotlandi liliidhinisha mwezi uliofuata. Tofauti hiyo ilikuwa ya makusudi. Kitabu cha sala hutoa maneno yaliyowekwa ambayo mtumishi lazima ayasome. Mwongozo hutoa utaratibu, maudhui na kusudi la kila sehemu ya ibada, kisha humwamini mtumishi kuomba na kusema kwa maneno yake mwenyewe. Directory mara nyingi husema “kwa maana hii au inayofanana nayo.” Katika sehemu kuhusu ubatizo inamwambia mtumishi atumie “uhuru wake mwenyewe na hekima ya utauwa” katika kufundisha, kama mahitaji ya watu yanavyodai. Mtazamo huu unatokana na kanuni elekezi ya ibada (regulative principle): ibada lazima iwe na kile alichoagiza Mungu tu, lakini ndani ya mipaka hiyo mtumishi huomba kutoka moyoni, akiumbwa na Maandiko. Makanisa ya Kipresbiteri leo bado huchapisha miongozo ya ibada katika vitabu vyao vya utaratibu, na watumishi wengi nchini Meksiko, Brazili, Korea na Afrika hufuata mpangilio huu kwa karibu, hata wanapotumia pia fomu zilizochapishwa kwa sakramenti.In January 1645 the English Parliament set aside the Book of Common Prayer and put in its place a new Directory for the Public Worship of God, prepared by the Westminster Assembly. The Church of Scotland approved it the next month. The difference was deliberate. A prayer book gives fixed words that the minister must read. A directory gives the order, the content and the purpose of each part of worship, and then trusts the minister to pray and speak in his own words. The Directory often says “to this or the like effect.” In the section on baptism it tells the minister to use “his own liberty and godly wisdom” in teaching, as the needs of the people require. This approach flows from the regulative principle: worship must contain only what God has appointed, but within those limits the minister prays from the heart, shaped by Scripture. Presbyterian churches today still publish directories for worship, in their books of order, and many ministers in Mexico, Brazil, Korea and Africa follow this pattern closely, even when they also use printed forms for the sacraments.

2.Na Mtumishi, Mbele ya Usharika2.By a Minister, before the Congregation

Directory inaanza kwa kanuni mbili thabiti. Ubatizo “haupaswi kucheleweshwa bila ulazima,” na haupaswi kuendeshwa “na mtu wa faragha,” bali na mtumishi wa Kristo tu, wakili wa siri za Mungu. Hii ilikataa desturi ya mwishoni mwa Zama za Kati na ya Kianglikana ya ubatizo wa dharura na wakunga au ndugu, iliyotegemea hofu kwamba mtoto mchanga ambaye hajabatizwa hawezi kuokolewa. Wala ubatizo haupaswi kufanywa faraghani nyumbani, bali “mbele ya usharika,” ambapo watu wanaweza kuona na kusikia. Directory pia inakataa nafasi ya zamani ya mabirika ya ubatizo karibu na mlango wa kanisa, yaliyowekwa pale, inasema, “isivyofaa na kwa ushirikina.” Ubatizo ni tendo la hadhara la kanisa, si sherehe ya faragha ya familia. Mtoto huwasilishwa na baba, au rafiki Mkristo kama hayupo kwa lazima, baada ya mtumishi kujulishwa siku moja kabla. Angalia kisichokuwepo: hakuna wazazi wa kiroho (godparents) wanaotoa viapo mahali pa wazazi. Wajibu ni wa wazazi waumini na wa kanisa linalompokea mtoto.The Directory opens with two firm rules. Baptism is “not unnecessarily to be delayed,” and it is not to be administered “by any private person,” but only by a minister of Christ, a steward of the mysteries of God. This rejected the late-medieval and Anglican practice of emergency baptism by midwives or relatives, which rested on the fear that an unbaptized infant could not be saved. Nor is baptism to be done privately at home, but “in the face of the congregation,” where the people can see and hear. The Directory also rejects the old position of fonts near the church door, placed there, it says, “unfitly and superstitiously.” Baptism is a public act of the church, not a private family ceremony. The child is presented by the father, or by a Christian friend if he is necessarily absent, after notice is given to the minister the day before. Notice what is missing: there are no godparents taking vows in the parents’ place. The responsibility belongs to the believing parents and to the church that receives the child.

3.Ubatizo Unamaanisha Nini3.What Baptism Means

Kabla ya kubatiza, mtumishi anapaswa kufundisha kuhusu kuwekwa, asili, matumizi na makusudi ya sakramenti. Directory inatoa muhtasari tajiri. Ubatizo uliwekwa na Kristo. Ni “muhuri wa agano la neema,” wa kuunganishwa kwetu ndani ya Kristo na muungano wetu naye, wa msamaha wa dhambi, kuzaliwa upya, kufanywa wana na uzima wa milele. Maji yanawakilisha mambo mawili: damu ya Kristo, iondoayo hatia ya dhambi, na nguvu ya Roho ya kutakasa dhidi ya utawala wa dhambi. Kuosha kwa maji kunaashiria kutakaswa dhambi kwa damu ya Kristo, pamoja na kifo cha dhambi na kufufuka “kwa uzima mpya” kwa nguvu ya kifo na ufufuo wa Kristo (Warumi 6:4). Hapa mtazamo wa Matengenezo kuhusu sakramenti unaonekana wazi. Sakramenti ni ishara na muhuri. Kama ishara, inaionyesha injili kwa jicho. Kama muhuri, inathibitisha ahadi ya Mungu kwa imani, kama tohara ilivyokuwa “muhuri wa haki ya imani” kwa Abrahamu (Warumi 4:11). Wabaptisti kwa kawaida huzungumza juu ya ubatizo kama agizo la utii na ushuhuda wa hadharani. Wapresbiteri wanakubali kwamba ni vyote viwili, lakini wanaweka mkazo kwanza kwa yale ambayo Mungu anaahidi, na kisha kwa jibu letu.Before baptizing, the minister is to teach about the institution, nature, use and ends of the sacrament. The Directory gives a rich summary. Baptism was instituted by Christ. It is “a seal of the covenant of grace,” of our ingrafting into Christ and union with him, of the forgiveness of sins, regeneration, adoption and eternal life. The water represents two things: the blood of Christ, which takes away the guilt of sin, and the sanctifying power of the Spirit against the dominion of sin. Washing with water signifies cleansing from sin by the blood of Christ, together with the death of sin and rising “to newness of life” by virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 6:4). Here the Reformed view of the sacraments appears clearly. A sacrament is a sign and a seal. As a sign, it shows the gospel to the eye. As a seal, it confirms God’s promise to faith, as circumcision was “a seal of the righteousness of the faith” to Abraham (Romans 4:11). Baptists usually speak of baptism as an ordinance of obedience and public testimony. Presbyterians agree that it is both, but they place the emphasis first on what God promises, and only then on our response.

4.Waumini na Uzao Wao4.Believers and Their Seed

Kwa nini kubatiza watoto wachanga? Directory inajibu kwamba “ahadi imetolewa kwa waumini na kwa uzao wao” (Matendo 2:39). Watoto wa waumini, waliozaliwa ndani ya kanisa, wana “sehemu katika agano, na haki ya muhuri wake,” si pungufu kuliko watoto wa Abrahamu, kwa sababu agano la neema ni lile lile kwa msingi katika Maagano yote mawili. Katika Agano la Kale, watoto wachanga walipokea ishara ya agano ya tohara; katika Jipya, neema ya Mungu ni “nyingi zaidi kuliko hapo awali,” si pungufu. Kristo aliwakaribisha watoto wadogo, akiwakumbatia na kuwabariki, akisema kwamba “walio kama hao ufalme wa Mungu ni wao” (Marko 10:14). Kwa ubatizo, watoto wanapokelewa katika kanisa linaloonekana na kutofautishwa na ulimwengu. Directory hata inasema kwamba watoto kama hao ni “watakatifu kwa agano kabla ya ubatizo” (1 Wakorintho 7:14), na kwa hiyo wanabatizwa. “Federal” (kwa agano) linatoka katika Kilatini foedus, agano. Wakristo Wabaptisti wanajibu kwamba Agano Jipya linaamuru ubatizo baada ya toba na imani, kwamba kila mfano ulio wazi ni wa waumini, na kwamba jumuiya ya agano jipya inaundwa na wale wanaomjua Bwana. Makanisa ya Kipentekoste kwa kiasi kikubwa yanakubaliana na Wabaptisti, na kwa kawaida hubatiza kwa kuzamishwa. Pande zote mbili zinarejea Maandiko, na zote zinatafuta kumheshimu Kristo.Why baptize infants? The Directory answers that “the promise is made to believers and their seed” (Acts 2:39). Children of believers, born within the church, have “interest in the covenant, and right to the seal of it,” no less than the children of Abraham, because the covenant of grace is the same in substance in both Testaments. In the Old Testament, infants received the covenant sign of circumcision; in the New, the grace of God is “more plentiful than before,” not less. Christ welcomed little children, embraced and blessed them, saying that “of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). By baptism, children are received into the visible church and distinguished from the world. The Directory even says that such children are “federally holy before baptism” (1 Corinthians 7:14), and therefore they are baptized. “Federal” comes from the Latin foedus, covenant. Baptist Christians answer that the New Testament commands baptism after repentance and faith, that every clear example is of believers, and that the new covenant community is made up of those who know the Lord. Pentecostal churches mostly agree with Baptists, and usually baptize by immersion. Both sides appeal to Scripture, and both seek to honour Christ.

5.Neema Isiyofungwa na Wakati5.Grace Not Tied to the Moment

Mojawapo ya sentensi zenye uchungaji zaidi katika Directory inasema kwamba neema ya ndani ya ubatizo “haifungwi na wakati ule hasa” unapoendeshwa, na kwamba tunda lake na nguvu yake hufika “katika mwenendo mzima wa maisha yetu.” Ubatizo haufanyi kazi moja kwa moja, kana kwamba maji yenyewe yanamzaa upya mtoto. Wala si tupu, kana kwamba hakuna kilichoahidiwa. Mungu huutumia, kwa Roho wake na kupitia imani, wakati wowote apendapo. Directory inaongeza kwamba ubatizo wa nje si wa lazima kiasi kwamba mtoto mchanga anayekufa bila huo yuko katika hatari ya kuhukumiwa, isipokuwa wazazi wamelidharau agizo hilo. Hili liliwafariji wazazi wengi waliofiwa. Linapingana na mafundisho ya Kikatoliki ya Roma kwamba ubatizo kwa kawaida ni wa lazima kwa wokovu, na mtazamo wa Walutheri na Waanglikana wengine wa zama hizo. Maungamo ya Westminster (28.5–6) yanasema vivyo hivyo: neema na wokovu havijaungwa na ubatizo kiasi kwamba hakuna anayeweza kuokolewa bila huo, au kwamba wote wanaobatizwa wamezaliwa upya. Kwa hiyo mchungaji wa Kipresbiteri anaweza kubatiza kwa furaha, na kufariji kwa unyofu, bila kufanya ubatizo kuwa uchawi wala ishara tupu.One of the most pastoral sentences in the Directory says that the inward grace of baptism “is not tied to that very moment of time” when it is administered, and that its fruit and power reach “to the whole course of our life.” Baptism does not work automatically, as if the water itself regenerated the child. Nor is it empty, as if nothing were promised. God uses it, by his Spirit and through faith, whenever he pleases. The Directory adds that outward baptism is not so necessary that an infant who dies without it is in danger of damnation, unless the parents have despised the ordinance. This comforted many grieving parents. It stands against the Roman Catholic teaching that baptism is ordinarily necessary for salvation, and against the view of some Lutherans and Anglicans of that age. The Westminster Confession (28.5–6) says the same: grace and salvation are not so joined to baptism that no one can be saved without it, or that all who are baptized are regenerated. A Presbyterian pastor can therefore baptize with joy, and comfort with honesty, without making baptism either magic or a mere symbol.

6.Maneno, Maji na Sala6.Words, Water, and Prayer

Baada ya mafundisho, mtumishi anaelekea kwa usharika mzima na kuwahimiza wote “kutazama nyuma kwa ubatizo wao,” kutubu dhambi zao dhidi ya agano lao na Mungu, kuamsha imani yao, na kuutumia vizuri ubatizo wao. Baadaye Katekisimu Kubwa (Swali 167) ingeita hili “kuuboresha” ubatizo wa mtu. Kisha mtumishi anamhimiza mzazi amlee mtoto “katika malezi na maonyo ya Bwana” (Waefeso 6:4), na kuomba ahadi ya dhati. Anaomba Mungu aunganishe “ubatizo wa ndani wa Roho wake na ubatizo wa nje wa maji.” Anauliza jina la mtoto na kusema, “Nakubatiza kwa jina la Baba, na la Mwana, na la Roho Mtakatifu.” Anaposema, anabatiza kwa maji. Namna, inasema Directory, ni halali na yatosha kwa kumimina au kunyunyiza usoni mwa mtoto, “bila kuongeza taratibu nyingine yoyote.” Kwa hiyo hakuna ishara ya msalaba, hakuna mafuta, hakuna mshumaa na hakuna vazi jeupe. Sala ya shukrani inafuata, ikiomba kwamba mtoto, kwa wakati wake, aamini na ashinde dhidi ya “shetani, ulimwengu, na mwili.” Makanisa ya Kibaptisti na ya Kipentekoste, kinyume chake, huwazamisha waumini, mara nyingi mtoni au katika birika la ubatizo, baada ya ushuhuda wa kibinafsi.After the teaching, the minister turns to the whole congregation and urges everyone “to look back to their baptism,” to repent of their sins against their covenant with God, to stir up their faith, and to make right use of their baptism. Later the Larger Catechism (Q. 167) would call this “improving” one’s baptism. Then the minister exhorts the parent to bring up the child “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), and asks for a solemn promise. He prays that God would join “the inward baptism of his Spirit with the outward baptism of water.” He asks the name of the child and says, “I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” As he speaks, he baptizes with water. The manner, says the Directory, is lawful and sufficient by pouring or sprinkling on the face of the child, “without adding any other ceremony.” So there is no sign of the cross, no oil, no candle and no white robe. A prayer of thanksgiving follows, asking that the child may in time believe and prevail against “the devil, the world, and the flesh.” Baptist and Pentecostal churches, by contrast, immerse believers, often in a river or baptistery, after a personal testimony.

7.Ubatizo katika Makanisa ya Kipresbiteri Leo7.Baptism in Presbyterian Churches Today

Makanisa mengi ya Kipresbiteri bado yanafuata mpangilio huu. Katika Presbyterian Church in America, Kanisa la Kipresbiteri la Taifa la Meksiko, Kanisa la Kipresbiteri la Brazili, na makanisa makubwa ya Kipresbiteri ya Korea, Malawi, Kenya na Ghana, wazazi huwasilisha mtoto wao wakati wa ibada ya hadhara na kutoa viapo vya kumlea mtoto katika imani. Katika makanisa mengi usharika pia huahidi kusaidia. Watu wazima wanaokuja kwa imani kutoka nje ya kanisa hubatizwa kwa kukiri imani yao wenyewe; ubatizo wa watoto wachanga kamwe si aina pekee. Watoto waliobatizwa wachanga hufundishwa katekisimu na baadaye hukiri imani hadharani mbele ya baraza la wazee (session), ambalo huwakubali kwenye Meza ya Bwana. Baadhi ya Wapresbiteri huruhusu ubatizo kwa kuzamishwa mtu mzima anapoomba, kwa kuwa Directory inaita kumimina au kunyunyiza kuwa kunatosha lakini haikatazi kuzamisha. Mchungaji au mzee anachukua nini kutoka sehemu hii? Kwamba ubatizo ni tendo la hadhara la kanisa; kwamba maana yake inapaswa kufundishwa kila mara; kwamba unaelekeza zaidi kwa uaminifu wa Mungu kuliko kwa wetu wenyewe; na kwamba kila Mkristo anapaswa kuishi ubatizo wake siku baada ya siku.Most Presbyterian churches still follow this pattern. In the Presbyterian Church in America, the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico, the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, and the large Presbyterian churches of Korea, Malawi, Kenya and Ghana, parents present their child during public worship and make vows to raise the child in the faith. In many churches the congregation also promises to help. Adults who come to faith from outside the church are baptized on their own profession of faith; infant baptism is never the only kind. Children baptized as infants are taught the catechism and later make a public profession of faith before the session, which admits them to the Lord’s Supper. Some Presbyterians allow baptism by immersion when an adult asks for it, since the Directory calls pouring or sprinkling sufficient but does not forbid immersion. What does a pastor or elder take from this section? That baptism is a public act of the church; that its meaning should be taught every time; that it points to God’s faithfulness more than to our own; and that every Christian should live out their baptism day by day.

8.Kuyachukua Moyoni8.Taking It to Heart

Kwa tafakari. Hata uwe na mtazamo gani kuhusu nani anapaswa kubatizwa, unaweza kujifunza nini kutokana na msisitizo wa Directory juu ya ahadi ya agano la Mungu? Ingemaanisha nini kwako “kutazama nyuma” kwa ubatizo wako na kuutumia vizuri? Kanisa lako lingewezaje kufundisha ubatizo kwa uwazi zaidi kila unapoadhimishwa? Na Wakristo wanaotofautiana kuhusu ubatizo wa watoto wachanga wanawezaje kuzungumza kuhusu swali hilo kwa upendo na heshima? For reflection. Whatever your own view of who should be baptized, what can you learn from the Directory’s emphasis on God’s covenant promise? What would it mean for you to “look back” to your baptism and make right use of it? How could your church teach baptism more clearly each time it is celebrated? And how can Christians who differ on infant baptism speak of the question with charity and respect?

Chagua

Somo la 5 · The Lord’s Supper

Fed by Faith at the Lord’s Table

A CTS digest of Westminster Assembly, The Directory for the Public Worship of God (1645), section 8: Of the Lord’s Supper

The Westminster Directory orders the Lord’s Supper: celebrated frequently after the sermon, prepared for carefully, with a warning to the careless and a warm invitation to the weak. Communicants sit at a table; the elements are set apart by the Word and prayer, and believers receive Christ’s body and blood by faith. Catholic, Lutheran and Baptist views are compared fairly.

MUHTASARI WA CTSSoma muhtasari wote — unafunguka hapa hapa

Kulishwa kwa Imani kwenye Meza ya BwanaFed by Faith at the Lord’s Table

Somo la Seminari ya Kitheolojia ya Chapala — jinsi Directory for the Public Worship of God ya Westminster inavyoagiza Meza ya Bwana: maandalizi, onyo na mwaliko, meza, sala, mkate na kikombeA Chapala Theological Seminary reading — how the Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God orders the Lord’s Supper: preparation, warning and invitation, the table, the prayer, the bread and the cup

Muhtasari wa CTS wa sehemu ya 8 (“Kuhusu Kuadhimisha Ushirika, au Sakramenti ya Meza ya Bwana”) ya Mkutano wa Westminster, The Directory for the Public Worship of God (1645). Chanzo asilia kiko katika umma (public domain); nukuu fupi zifuatazo zimetoka humo.A CTS digest of section 8 (“Of the Celebration of the Communion, or Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper”) of the Westminster Assembly, The Directory for the Public Worship of God (1645). The original is in the public domain; the short quotations below are from it.

Directory for Worship §8Directory for Worship §8
Chanzo cha msingiPrimary source
16451645
Meza ya BwanaLord’s Supper

Neno kabla ya kusoma. Meza ya Bwana imewagawanya Wakristo kama ilivyowaunganisha. Sehemu hii ya Directory inaonyesha uelewa wa Matengenezo ukifanya kazi: si dhabihu inayotolewa tena, na si ukumbusho mtupu, bali ni mlo ambamo Kristo huwalisha waumini kweli kwa Roho wake kupitia imani. Unaposoma, angalia jinsi Directory inavyoshikilia pamoja onyo na karibu, heshima na furaha. A word before you read. The Lord’s Supper has divided Christians as much as it has united them. This section of the Directory shows the Reformed understanding at work: not a sacrifice offered again, and not a bare memorial, but a meal in which Christ truly feeds believers by his Spirit through faith. As you read, notice how carefully the Directory holds together warning and welcome, reverence and joy.

1.“Kuadhimishwa Mara kwa Mara”1.“Frequently to Be Celebrated”

Sehemu hii inaanza kwa kanuni na uhuru. Meza ya Bwana “inapaswa kuadhimishwa mara kwa mara.” Lakini mara ngapi, imeachwa kwa watumishi na watawala wengine wa kanisa wa kila usharika, kama watakavyoona inafaa zaidi kwa faraja na kujenga watu. Itakapofanyika, iwe “baada ya mahubiri ya asubuhi,” ili Neno lifafanue sakramenti na sakramenti iweke muhuri juu ya Neno. Nyuma ya hili kuna mjadala mrefu. John Calvin alitaka Meza ya Bwana kila Jumapili, lakini baraza la jiji la Geneva liliruhusu mara nne tu kwa mwaka. Nchini Skotlandi, baada ya Matengenezo, ushirika ukawa nadra, wakati mwingine mara moja kwa mwaka au pungufu, kwa sehemu kwa sababu ya maandalizi marefu ambayo kanisa lilidai na uhaba wa watumishi. Directory inasukuma kwa upole kuelekea kuadhimisha mara nyingi zaidi bila kulazimisha kanuni moja. Makanisa ya Kipresbiteri leo yanaonyesha tofauti ile ile. Mengi huadhimisha kila mwezi au kila robo mwaka; idadi inayoongezeka, Amerika Kaskazini na kwingineko, huadhimisha kila juma. Nchini Meksiko, Brazili na Korea Meza ya Bwana mara nyingi huwa kila robo mwaka au kila mwezi. Baraza la wazee (session) huamua, na swali inalopaswa kuuliza ni lile ambalo Directory inauliza: nini kitawafariji na kuwajenga watu hawa zaidi?The section opens with a principle and a freedom. The Supper “is frequently to be celebrated.” But how often is left to the ministers and other church-governors of each congregation, as they judge best for the comfort and edification of the people. When it is held, it should come “after the morning sermon,” so that the Word explains the sacrament and the sacrament seals the Word. Behind this lies a long debate. John Calvin wanted the Supper every Sunday, but the city council of Geneva allowed only four times a year. In Scotland, after the Reformation, communion became rare, sometimes once a year or less, partly because of the long preparation the church required and the shortage of ministers. The Directory pushes gently toward more frequent celebration without imposing one rule. Presbyterian churches today show the same variety. Many celebrate monthly or quarterly; a growing number, in North America and elsewhere, celebrate weekly. In Mexico, Brazil and Korea the Supper is often quarterly or monthly. The session decides, and the question it must ask is the one the Directory asks: what will best comfort and build up this people?

2.Kujiandaa Kuja2.Preparing to Come

Directory inasema wazi kwamba “wajinga na wenye kashfa” hawafai kupokea Meza ya Bwana. Pale sakramenti haiwezi kuendeshwa mara nyingi, onyo la hadhara litolewe Siku ya Bwana kabla, na mafundisho kuhusu Meza ya Bwana na kujiandaa kwa ajili yake yatolewe wakati huo au katika juma hilo. Hivyo wote wanaweza “kuja wakiwa wameandaliwa vizuri zaidi kwenye karamu hiyo ya mbinguni.” Nchini Skotlandi hili likawa msimu wa ushirika. Siku ya mfungo iliwekwa katikati ya juma, mahubiri yalihubiriwa Jumamosi, Meza ya Bwana ilifanyika Jumapili, na ibada ya shukrani ilifuata Jumatatu. Wazee walitembelea nyumba, na wale waliopatikana tayari walipokea ishara ndogo ya chuma, waliyoikabidhi mezani. Mikusanyiko hii inaweza kuvuta maelfu kutoka parokia nyingi. Mwaka 1801 msimu wa ushirika wa Kipresbiteri huko Cane Ridge, Kentucky, ukawa mojawapo ya uamsho mkuu katika historia ya Amerika. Makanisa machache hutumia ishara hizo leo, lakini kanuni inabaki. Baraza la wazee linalinda kukubaliwa mezani, na washiriki wanahimizwa kujichunguza wenyewe (1 Wakorintho 11:28). Maandalizi hayakusudiwi kutufanya tustahili, bali kutuweka tayari kupokea neema.The Directory states plainly that “the ignorant and the scandalous” are not fit to receive the Supper. Where the sacrament cannot be held often, public warning is to be given on the Lord’s Day before, and teaching about the Supper and preparation for it is to be offered then or during the week. In this way all may “come better prepared to that heavenly feast.” In Scotland this grew into the communion season. A fast day was kept during the week, sermons were preached on Saturday, the Supper was held on Sunday, and a thanksgiving service followed on Monday. Elders visited homes, and those found ready received a small metal token, which they handed in at the table. These gatherings could draw thousands from many parishes. In 1801 a Presbyterian communion season at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, became one of the great revivals of American history. Few churches use tokens today, but the principle remains. The session watches over admission to the table, and members are urged to examine themselves (1 Corinthians 11:28). Preparation is not meant to make us worthy, but to make us ready to receive grace.

3.Onyo na Karibu3.Warning and Welcome

Siku inapofika, baada ya mahubiri na sala, mtumishi hutoa onyo fupi la kuhimiza. Anasema kuhusu faida kuu ya sakramenti, na hitaji letu la kufanywa upya faraja na nguvu zetu “katika safari hii yetu na vita vyetu.” Tunapaswa kuja kwa maarifa, imani, toba na upendo, “kwa roho zenye njaa na kiu ya Kristo.” Kisha mtumishi hufanya mambo mawili, yote “kwa jina la Kristo.” Kwanza, huwaonya wajinga, wenye kashfa na wachafu, na wote wanaoishi katika dhambi inayojulikana kinyume cha dhamiri, wasithubutu kuja, kwa kuwa yeyote ale na kunywa isivyostahili hula na kunywa hukumu juu ya nafsi yake. Hili mara nyingi huitwa “kuzungushia meza uzio” (fencing the table). Pili, na “kwa namna ya pekee,” huwaalika na kuwatia moyo wote wanaohisi mzigo wa dhambi zao na hofu ya ghadhabu, na wanaotamani kukua katika neema, waje kwenye meza ya Bwana. Huwahakikishia “kustarehe, kuburudishwa na nguvu” kwa roho zao dhaifu na zilizochoka. Uwiano huu ni mzuri na wa hekima ya kichungaji. Meza si ya wenye kiburi wala wasiojali, bali ni hasa ya wanyonge, wenye taabu na wenye njaa. Wengi wanaojizuia na Meza ya Bwana kwa sababu wanahisi hawastahili ndio watu ambao Kristo anawaita.When the day comes, after the sermon and prayer, the minister gives a short exhortation. He speaks of the great benefit of the sacrament, and of our need to have our comfort and strength renewed “in this our pilgrimage and warfare.” We should come with knowledge, faith, repentance and love, “with hungering and thirsting souls after Christ.” Then the minister does two things, both “in the name of Christ.” First, he warns the ignorant, scandalous and profane, and all who live in known sin against conscience, not to presume to come, since whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment on himself. This is often called “fencing the table.” Second, and “in an especial manner,” he invites and encourages all who feel the burden of their sins and fear of wrath, and who long to grow in grace, to come to the Lord’s table. He assures them of “ease, refreshing, and strength” for their weak and weary souls. This balance is beautiful and pastorally wise. The table is not for the proud or the careless, but it is exactly for the weak, the troubled and the hungry. Many who hold back from the Supper because they feel unworthy are the very people Christ calls.

4.Kuketi Mezani4.Sitting at the Table

Kisha Directory inaeleza meza, “iliyofunikwa kwa heshima, na kuwekwa kwa urahisi” hata washiriki waweze “kuketi kuizunguka au mezani kwa utaratibu.” Undani huu ulikuwa na uzito mkubwa kwa Waskoti. Mwaka 1618 Makala Matano ya Perth (Five Articles of Perth) yalikuwa yamewataka Waskoti kupiga magoti wakati wa ushirika, kama Uingereza, na wengi walipinga, wakiogopa kwamba hilo lilidokeza kuabudu mkate. Kuketi mezani kulionyesha kwamba Meza ya Bwana ni mlo, mkusanyiko wa familia wa wageni kwa mwaliko wa Kristo, si dhabihu madhabahuni. Mkate uwe katika vyombo vinavyofaa, tayari kumegwa na kugawanywa; divai iwe katika vikombe vikubwa. Mtumishi kwanza hueleza kwa ufupi kwamba vitu hivyo, “ambavyo vingine ni vya kawaida,” sasa vimetengwa kwa matumizi haya matakatifu “kwa neno la kuwekwa na sala.” Kisha maneno ya kuwekwa husomwa kutoka Injili au kutoka 1 Wakorintho 11:23–27, ambayo mtumishi anaweza kuyafafanua na kuyatumia. Angalia msimamo wa Matengenezo hapa: vitu hivyo havitakaswi kwa fomula ya kikuhani, bali kwa Neno la Mungu na sala ya kanisa. Leo, katika makanisa mengi ya Kipresbiteri, wazee hubeba mkate na kikombe kwa washiriki katika viti vyao, lakini maana ya meza ni ile ile.Next the Directory describes the table, “decently covered, and so conveniently placed” that the communicants may “orderly sit about it, or at it.” This detail mattered greatly to the Scots. In 1618 the Five Articles of Perth had required Scots to kneel at communion, as in England, and many resisted, fearing it suggested worship of the bread. Sitting at a table showed that the Supper is a meal, a family gathering of guests at Christ’s invitation, not a sacrifice at an altar. The bread is to be in suitable vessels, ready to be broken and distributed; the wine is in large cups. The minister first explains briefly that these elements, “otherwise common,” are now set apart to this holy use “by the word of institution and prayer.” Then the words of institution are read from the Gospels or from 1 Corinthians 11:23–27, which the minister may explain and apply. Notice the Reformed conviction here: the elements are sanctified not by a priestly formula, but by God’s Word and the church’s prayer. Today, in most Presbyterian churches, the elders carry the bread and the cup to members in their seats, but the meaning of the table is the same.

5.Sala ya Shukrani5.The Prayer of Thanksgiving

Sala kuu inayofuata ina mienendo mitatu. Inaanza kwa kukiri kwa unyenyekevu taabu yetu, ambayo si mwanadamu wala malaika aliyeweza kutuokoa kutoka kwayo, na kumshukuru Mungu kwa ukombozi: upendo wa Baba, mateso na stahili za Mwana, na njia zote za neema, hasa sakramenti hii, ambayo kwayo Kristo na faida zake zote “zinatumiwa kwetu na kutiwa muhuri.” Kisha inakiri kwamba hakuna jina lingine chini ya mbingu ambalo kwalo tunaweza kuokolewa. Mwishowe, inamwomba Mungu atume Roho wake na kubariki vitu hivyo, “ili tupokee kwa imani mwili na damu ya Yesu Kristo,” na kulishwa naye, “apate kuwa mmoja nasi, nasi mmoja naye.” Hapa ndipo moyo wa fundisho la Matengenezo, lililofundishwa na Calvin na Maungamo ya Westminster (29.7). Kristo yuko kweli na anapokelewa kweli, si ndani ya mkate au chini yake kimwili, bali kiroho, kwa Roho Mtakatifu, kwa imani. Hii inatofautiana na fundisho la Kikatoliki la Roma la mageuzo ya kiini (transubstantiation) na dhabihu ya Misa, na mafundisho ya Kilutheri kwamba mwili wa Kristo upo ndani ya mkate, pamoja nao na chini yake. Pia inatofautiana na mtazamo wa ukumbusho ulioenea miongoni mwa Wabaptisti na Wapentekoste, unaoona Meza ya Bwana hasa kama kumbukumbu na kutangaza.The great prayer that follows has three movements. It begins with humble acknowledgment of our misery, from which neither man nor angel could deliver us, and thanks God for redemption: the love of the Father, the sufferings and merits of the Son, and all the means of grace, especially this sacrament, by which Christ and all his benefits “are applied and sealed up unto us.” It then professes that there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved. Finally, it asks God to send his Spirit and to bless the elements, so “that we may receive by faith the body and blood of Jesus Christ,” and feed upon him, “that he may be one with us, and we one with him.” Here is the heart of the Reformed doctrine, taught by Calvin and the Westminster Confession (29.7). Christ is truly present and truly received, not in or under the bread physically, but spiritually, by the Holy Spirit, to faith. This differs from the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation and the sacrifice of the Mass, and from the Lutheran teaching that Christ’s body is present in, with and under the bread. It also differs from the memorial view common among Baptists and Pentecostals, which sees the Supper chiefly as remembrance and proclamation.

6.Kumega, Kutoa na Kushukuru6.Breaking, Giving, and Giving Thanks

Kisha mtumishi huchukua mkate na kusema, kwa maneno haya au yanayofanana, kwamba kulingana na “kuwekwa, amri na mfano” wa Kristo anachukua mkate huu, anashukuru, anaumega na kuutoa. Directory inaeleza kwamba mtumishi mwenyewe pia anapaswa kushiriki; yeye pia ni mwenye dhambi anayelishwa kwa neema. Maneno yanafuata: “Twaeni, mle; huu ni mwili wa Kristo ulioumegwa kwa ajili yenu.” Vivyo hivyo huchukua kikombe na kusema, “nyweni nyote katika hiki.” Tofauti na desturi ya Zama za Kati, ambapo kikombe mara nyingi kilizuiliwa kwa watu, washiriki wote hupokea mkate na divai. Vitendo ni rahisi na vinavyoonekana: kuchukua, kushukuru, kumega, kutoa. Vinafuata alichofanya Yesu katika Karamu ya Mwisho. Wote wakiisha kupokea, mtumishi anaweza kuwakumbusha kwa ufupi neema ya Mungu katika Kristo na kuwahimiza waenende wakiistahili. Kisha hutoa shukrani za dhati kwa rehema tajiri ya Mungu, huomba msamaha “kwa mapungufu ya huduma yote,” na kuomba msaada wa Roho ili kuenenda katika nguvu za neema. Hata sadaka ya maskini inapaswa kupangwa isikatize ibada. Meza ya Bwana inaishia pale maisha ya Kikristo yanapoanzia: katika shukrani na utii.The minister then takes the bread and says, in these or similar words, that according to Christ’s “institution, command, and example” he takes this bread, gives thanks, breaks it and gives it. The Directory notes that the minister is himself to communicate; he too is a sinner fed by grace. The words follow: “Take ye, eat ye; this is the body of Christ which is broken for you.” In the same way he takes the cup and says, “drink ye all of it.” Unlike medieval practice, in which the cup was often withheld from the people, all communicants receive both bread and wine. The actions are simple and visible: taking, giving thanks, breaking, giving. They follow what Jesus did at the Last Supper. After all have received, the minister may briefly remind them of God’s grace in Christ and exhort them to walk worthy of it. Then he gives solemn thanks for God’s rich mercy, asks pardon “for the defects of the whole service,” and prays for the Spirit’s help to walk in the strength of grace. Even the collection for the poor is to be ordered so that it does not interrupt worship. The Supper ends where the Christian life begins: in thanksgiving and obedience.

7.Meza ya Bwana katika Makanisa ya Kipresbiteri Leo7.The Supper in Presbyterian Churches Today

Makanisa ya Kipresbiteri leo yanashika mistari mikuu ya Directory: Meza ya Bwana hufuata kuhubiri kwa Neno, maneno ya kuwekwa husomwa, sala ya shukrani huomba Roho, na wazee husaidia kuhudumu. Mengi hutumia vikombe vya kila mtu kwa sababu za afya; baadhi hutumia maji ya zabibu badala ya divai. Mengi huwaalika mezani waumini wote waliobatizwa walio washiriki wanaokubalika wa kanisa la kiinjili, si washiriki wa usharika wao tu. Hii inatofautiana na ushirika funge unaofanywa na baadhi ya makanisa ya Kibaptisti, hasa ya Landmark na mengi ya Wabaptisti wa Kimisionari, ambayo hupokea washiriki wa kanisa la mahali tu, na desturi ya Kikatoliki ya Roma na ya Kiorthodoksi. Nchini Korea, Brazili na Meksiko, ibada ya maandalizi juma moja kabla bado ni ya kawaida, na katika sehemu za Afrika wazee bado huwachunguza washiriki kabla ya Meza ya Bwana. Mchungaji au mzee anachukua nini kutoka sehemu hii? Kwamba Meza ya Bwana inapaswa kuadhimishwa mara nyingi na kujiandaliwa kwa uangalifu; kwamba meza lazima izungushiwe uzio lakini pia, na hasa, ifunguliwe kwa wanyonge; kwamba Neno na sala hutenga vitu hivyo; na kwamba katika mlo huu Kristo kweli hujitoa kwa watu wake kwa imani.Presbyterian churches today keep the main lines of the Directory: the Supper follows the preaching of the Word, the words of institution are read, a prayer of thanksgiving asks for the Spirit, and the elders help serve. Many use individual cups for health reasons; some use grape juice instead of wine. Most invite to the table all baptized believers who are members in good standing of an evangelical church, not only members of their own congregation. This differs from the closed communion practised by some Baptist churches, especially Landmark and many Missionary Baptist churches, which receive only members of the local church, and from Roman Catholic and Orthodox practice. In Korea, Brazil and Mexico, the preparatory service the week before is still common, and in parts of Africa elders still examine communicants before the Supper. What does a pastor or elder take from this section? That the Supper should be celebrated often and prepared for carefully; that the table must be fenced but also, and especially, opened to the weak; that the Word and prayer set the elements apart; and that in this meal Christ truly gives himself to his people by faith.

8.Kuyachukua Moyoni8.Taking It to Heart

Kwa tafakari. Je, unakuja kwenye meza ya Bwana “ukiwa na njaa na kiu” ya Kristo, au kwa mazoea? Je, umewahi kujizuia kwa sababu ulihisi hustahili, na mwaliko wa Directory unaisemeshaje hofu hiyo? Kanisa lako huadhimisha Meza ya Bwana mara ngapi, na linajiandaaje? Na ungemweleza vipi rafiki Mkatoliki, Mlutheri au Mbaptisti kile ambacho Wapresbiteri wanaamini hutokea mezani? For reflection. Do you come to the Lord’s table “with hungering and thirsting” for Christ, or out of habit? Have you ever held back because you felt unworthy, and how does the Directory’s invitation speak to that fear? How often does your church celebrate the Supper, and how does it prepare? And how would you explain to a Catholic, Lutheran or Baptist friend what Presbyterians believe happens at the table?

Chagua

Andika usomaji wako

Ukishasoma kikamilifu masomo matatu uliyochagua, andika jina lako na uthibitishe hapa chini. Kumbukumbu hii inatunzwa kwa uaminifu wako, kwenye kivinjari hiki; inaonekana kwenye cheti chako kama kwa heshima.

Jina lako

Kwa uaminifu wangu, nimesoma kikamilifu masomo matatu niliyochagua hapo juu.

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Somo la Heshima — limeandikwa

alithibitisha tarehe kuwa amesoma kikamilifu:

Chapala Theological Seminary · Presbyterian Polity, Worship, and Sacraments · present or print this page as your honors reading record.

Masomo Zaidi: Vitabu Three vya Uwanja wa Umma

Vitabu hivi three ni kwa masomo zaidi, kwa mwanafunzi anayetaka kuendelea kusoma. Si sehemu ya masomo ya heshima yaliyo hapo juu: hayo yanabaki kama yalivyo — muhtasari tano za CTS, mitatu yoyote ikisomwa kikamilifu na kuandikwa kwa uaminifu wako. Vyote three viko katika uwanja wa umma; kila kiungo kinafungua kitabu mtandaoni, na vingi vinapatikana pia katika Internet Archive au Project Gutenberg. Vingi viko kwa Kiingereza: kivinjari cha Chrome kinaweza kutafsiri ukurasa (bonyeza kitufe cha kulia cha kipanya, “Translate to…”; kwenye simu, menyu ya kivinjari).

The Form of Government · Online Text

1. The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government

Westminster Assembly · 1645

Read the whole Form in the online witness behind the textbook’s transcription, and compare its order of officers and assemblies with the textbook’s first two chapters.

Fungua somo ↗

The Directory for Worship · Online Text

2. The Directory for the Publick Worship of God

Westminster Assembly · 1645

Read the Directory as a whole, beside the textbook’s chapters on worship and the sacraments. It is a historical directory of worship, not the present standard of every Presbyterian church.

Fungua somo ↗

Worship at Home · The Family Directory

3. The Directory for Family Worship

Church of Scotland · 1647; structured transcription

Read the directions for worship in the household: prayer, the reading of Scripture and instruction. It carries the public Directory’s pattern into the home. The link opens the text as a structured data file.

Fungua somo ↗

Uthibitisho wa heshima: Kwa kuchagua masomo matatu hapo juu, unathibitisha kwamba umesoma muhtasari hiyo mitatu kikamilifu. Muhtasari hiyo imeandikwa na CTS na inaweza kuwa na dondoo fupi au marekebisho ya kazi zilizo katika uwanja wa umma.