John Wesley na Historia ya Umethodisti — Sehemu ya 1: Watu Wanaoitwa Wamethodisti ni Akina Nani?John Wesley and the History of Methodism — Unit 1: Who Are the People Called Methodists?

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Mpende Bwana Mungu wako kwa moyo wako wote, na kwa roho yako yote, na kwa akili zako zote." Hii ndiyo amri iliyo kuu, tena ya kwanza. "Na ya pili inafanana nayo, nayo ni hii, Mpende jirani yako kama nafsi yako." (Mathayo 22:37-39, SUV)"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

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

1. Kueleza jina "Methodisti" lilitoka wapi na lilimaanisha nini lilipotumiwa mara ya kwanza.1. Explain where the name "Methodist" came from and what it meant when it was first used.

2. Kumweleza John Wesley kwa sentensi chache na kusema jinsi Umethodisti ulivyoanza kama vuguvugu la mwamko ndani ya Kanisa la Uingereza.2. Describe John Wesley in a few sentences and say how Methodism began as a renewal movement inside the Church of England.

3. Kutaja mafundisho makuu ya Wesley: wokovu kwa wote, neema itutangulizayo, kuhesabiwa haki kwa imani, kuzaliwa upya, uhakika wa wokovu, na utakatifu wa moyo na wa maisha.3. State the central Wesleyan teachings: salvation for all, grace that goes before us, justification by faith, the new birth, assurance, and holiness of heart and life.

4. Kutaja makanisa makuu ya familia ya Wesley yenye misimamo ya kihafidhina leo na kusema yanavyohusiana.4. Name the main churches of the conservative Wesleyan family today and say how they are related.

5. Kutoa maelezo ya haki ya pingamizi mbili dhidi ya Umethodisti, na jibu la Kiwesley kwa kila moja.5. Give a fair statement of two objections to Methodism, and the Wesleyan answer to each.

Sauti ya Kozi HiiThe Voice of This Course

Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya mapokeo ya Wesley, kwa wanafunzi walio ndani yake au wanaotaka kuyaelewa. Ni ya kihafidhina na ya kiinjili. Inashikilia kwamba Biblia ni Neno la Mungu lililovuviwa na ndiyo mamlaka yetu ya mwisho, na inakiri Mungu mmoja katika nafsi tatu, Baba, Mwana na Roho Mtakatifu. Kozi hii inaposema "sisi" au "mapokeo yetu," inamaanisha makanisa ya Wesley-Utakatifu (Wesleyan-Holiness) na Wamethodisti wa kiinjili wanaodumisha mafundisho ya John Wesley.This course is written from inside the Wesleyan tradition, for students who belong to it or want to understand it. It is conservative and evangelical. It holds that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and our final authority, and it confesses one God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When the course says "we" or "our tradition," it means the Wesleyan-Holiness churches and the evangelical Methodists who keep the doctrine of John Wesley.

Si kila kanisa lenye jina Methodisti linalodumisha mafundisho hayo. Baadhi ya makanisa ya zamani ya Kimethodisti yameathiriwa na ualimu wa kiliberali wa kitheolojia, unaotilia shaka mamlaka ya Maandiko. Tunalieleza jambo hili kwa uaminifu, wala hatulikubali. Wakristo wengine, na wanahistoria wengi, wanamwona Wesley na vuguvugu lake tofauti na tunavyomwona sisi. Tunaeleza mitazamo yao kwa haki kisha tunatoa jibu letu. Maandiko yasema, "Jaribuni mambo yote; mkaze lile lililo jema" (1 Wathesalonike 5:21).Not every church that carries the name Methodist keeps that doctrine. Some older Methodist bodies have been shaped by theological liberalism, which questions the authority of Scripture. We describe this honestly and we do not adopt it. Other Christians, and many historians, see Wesley and his movement differently from the way we do. We state their views fairly and then give our answer. Scripture says, "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Kwa Nini Kuanza na Jina?Why Begin with a Name?

Wengi wenu mnachunga makanisa yenye neno Methodisti, Wesleyan, Nazarene au Free Methodist kwenye ubao wa jina. Watu wanaoitwa Wamethodisti ni akina nani, na kwa nini wana jina hili? Jina hili halikuchaguliwa na Wamethodisti wa kwanza. Walipewa na watu wengine, na lilikusudiwa kuwa dhihaka.Many of you pastor churches with the word Methodist, Wesleyan, Nazarene or Free Methodist on the sign. Who are the people called Methodists, and why do they have this name? The name was not chosen by the first Methodists. It was given to them by others, and it was meant as a joke.

Jina LilikotokaWhere the Name Came From

Mwishoni mwa miaka ya 1720, kikundi kidogo cha wanafunzi kilikutana katika Chuo Kikuu cha Oxford huko Uingereza. Waliomba pamoja, walisoma Biblia, walishiriki Meza ya Bwana mara nyingi, walifunga siku fulani, na kuwatembelea wafungwa na maskini. Walifuata ratiba kali ya kila siku. Wanafunzi wengine waliwacheka na kuwapa majina kadhaa ya utani. Moja la majina hayo lilikuwa "Wamethodisti," neno linaloashiria njia yao makini ya kuishi (kwa Kiingereza, "method" ni njia au utaratibu). Jina jingine la utani lilikuwa "Holy Club" (Kikundi Kitakatifu). Kipindi kijacho kinasimulia habari zao.In the late 1720s a small group of students met at Oxford University in England. They prayed together, studied the Bible, received the Lord's Supper often, fasted on certain days, and visited prisoners and the poor. They kept a strict daily schedule. Other students laughed at them and gave them several nicknames. One of these was "Methodists," a word pointing to their careful method of living. Another nickname was the "Holy Club." The next unit tells their story.

Kwa wakati, Wamethodisti wa kwanza walilikubali jina hilo. Wesley alijali jina hilo kidogo kuliko maisha ambayo Maandiko yanaeleza.In time the first Methodists accepted the name. Wesley cared less about the name than about the life that Scripture describes.

Maisha hayo yalikuwaje? Mwaka 1742 Wesley alichapisha kijitabu kifupi kiitwacho The Character of a Methodist (Tabia ya Mmethodisti). Hoja yake kuu ni kwamba Mmethodisti wa kweli ni mtu anayempenda Mungu kwa moyo wote na kumpenda jirani yake kama nafsi yake. Hili ndilo fundisho kamili la mstari wetu mkuu. Wesley alisema kwamba Wamethodisti hawakutambulishwa kwa maoni maalum, wala kwa mtindo wa ibada, wala kwa desturi za nje. Walitambulishwa kwa upendo, upendo ambao ni zawadi ya Roho Mtakatifu na unaoonekana katika maisha matakatifu. Umethodisti si hasa mkusanyiko wa kanuni au muundo wa kanisa. Kiini chake ni njia ya wokovu na njia ya maisha, iliyozikwa katika upendo wa Mungu.What did that life look like? In 1742 Wesley published a short tract called The Character of a Methodist. Its main point is that a true Methodist is a person who loves God with all the heart and loves his neighbor as himself. This is exactly the teaching of our key verse. Wesley said that the Methodists were not marked out by special opinions, by a style of worship, or by outward customs. They were marked by love, a love that is the gift of the Holy Spirit and that shows itself in a holy life. Methodism is not mainly a set of rules or a church structure. At its heart it is a way of salvation and a way of life, rooted in the love of God.

John Wesley kwa UfupiJohn Wesley in Brief

John Wesley alizaliwa mwaka 1703 katika kijiji cha Epworth, Uingereza, na alifariki mwaka 1791. Alikuwa kasisi wa Kanisa la Uingereza. Alisomea Oxford, alifundisha huko, na akawa kiongozi wa wanafunzi wa Oxford waliotajwa hapo juu. Mwaka 1738 alipata uzoefu wa uhakika wa imani uliobadilisha mahubiri yake, na kuanzia mwaka 1739 alisafiri kote Uingereza na Ireland, akihubiri kwa makutano na kuwapanga walioamini katika vikundi vidogo. Vipindi vijavyo vitatoa maelezo zaidi.John Wesley was born in 1703 in the village of Epworth, England, and he died in 1791. He was a priest of the Church of England. He was educated at Oxford, taught there, and became a leader of the Oxford students just described. In 1738 he had an experience of assurance of faith that changed his preaching, and from 1739 he traveled through Britain and Ireland, preaching to crowds and organizing those who believed into small groups. Later units give the details.

Wesley hakukusudia kamwe kuliacha Kanisa la Uingereza, na aliishi na kufa akiwa mmoja wa makasisi wake. Ndugu yake Charles aliandika maelfu ya nyimbo zilizowafundisha watu imani. George Whitefield, rafiki kutoka Oxford, alihubiri kwa nguvu nyingi pande zote mbili za Atlantiki. Wahubiri walei, wengi wao wafanyakazi wa kawaida, walipeleka ujumbe katika vijiji ambavyo hakuna mchungaji aliyefika. Kutokana na kazi hii zilitokea jumuiya (societies), madarasa (classes) na vikundi vya kuungama (bands) huko Uingereza, na baada ya Vita vya Uhuru vya Marekani, kanisa huru huko Marekani mwaka 1784. Katika karne ya kumi na tisa, vuguvugu la Utakatifu lilizaa makanisa mapya kama Wesleyan Methodist (1843), Free Methodist (1860) na Church of the Nazarene (1908). Kila moja litakuwa na kipindi chake.Wesley never intended to leave the Church of England, and he lived and died as one of its priests. His brother Charles wrote thousands of hymns that taught the people the faith. George Whitefield, a friend from Oxford, preached with great power on both sides of the Atlantic. Lay preachers, mostly working men, carried the message into villages where no clergyman went. Out of this work came societies, classes and bands in Britain, and after the American Revolution an independent church in America in 1784. In the nineteenth century the Holiness movement produced new churches such as the Wesleyan Methodists (1843), the Free Methodists (1860) and the Church of the Nazarene (1908). Each of these will have its own unit.

Wamethodisti Waliamini NiniWhat Methodists Believed

Wesley alikuwa mtu wa vitendo, na hakujiona kuwa mvumbuzi wa mafundisho mapya. Alisema kwamba alifundisha imani ya Biblia na ya kanisa la kwanza, kama Kanisa la Uingereza lilivyoipokea. Hata hivyo, kweli fulani zinajitokeza katika mahubiri yake, nazo zikawa alama za mapokeo haya. Kozi hii itazirudia mara nyingi.Wesley was a practical man, and he did not think of himself as an inventor of new doctrine. He said that he taught the faith of the Bible and of the early church, as the Church of England had received it. Still, certain truths stand out in his preaching, and they became the marks of the tradition. This course will return to them often.

Maandiko kwanza. Wesley alijieleza kuwa mtu wa kitabu kimoja. Aliandika Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament (Maelezo ya Ufafanuzi juu ya Agano Jipya) ili kuwasaidia wasomaji wa kawaida, na mahubiri yake yamejaa Maandiko. "Maandiko yote yamevuviwa na Mungu, yafaa kwa mafundisho, na kwa kuonya, na kwa kurekebisha, na kwa kuadibu katika haki" (2 Timotheo 3:16). Mapokeo yetu yanafundisha kwamba Biblia ndiyo kanuni ya mwisho ya imani na maisha.Scripture first. Wesley described himself as a man of one book. He wrote Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament to help ordinary readers, and his sermons are full of Scripture. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Our tradition teaches that the Bible is the final rule of faith and life.

Wokovu ni kwa wote. Wesley alifundisha kwamba Kristo alikufa kwa ajili ya kila mtu, na kwamba Mungu anawaalika wote kwa dhati waokolewe. "Jambo hili ni jema, nalo lakubalika mbele za Mungu Mwokozi wetu; ambaye anapenda watu wote waokolewe, na kufikia ujuzi wa kweli" (1 Timotheo 2:3-4). Hii ndiyo kweli iliyowapeleka Wamethodisti mashambani na barabarani kuhubiri kwa yeyote aliyetaka kusikiliza.Salvation is for all. Wesley taught that Christ died for every person, and that God sincerely invites everyone to be saved. "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3-4). This is the truth that sent the Methodists into fields and streets to preach to anyone who would listen.

Neema hututangulia. Wesley alifundisha kwamba hakuna awezaye kumgeukia Mungu bila msaada wa Mungu. Dhambi imetuharibu kwa undani sana hata hatuwezi kujiokoa wenyewe. Lakini Mungu hatuachi peke yetu. Neema yake huja kwanza, ikiamsha dhamiri na kumvuta mwenye dhambi kwa Kristo. Hii inaitwa neema itutangulizayo (prevenient grace), neno linalomaanisha "neema inayokuja kabla." Kwa sababu yake, kila mtu anaweza kuitikia injili, na kila mtu anawajibika kwa jibu lake.Grace goes before us. Wesley taught that no one can turn to God without God's help. Sin has damaged us so deeply that we cannot save ourselves. But God does not leave us alone. His grace comes first, awakening the conscience and drawing the sinner toward Christ. This is called prevenient grace, a word that means "grace that comes before." Because of it, every person is able to respond to the gospel, and every person is responsible for the response.

Kuhesabiwa haki kwa imani. Tunakubaliwa na Mungu si kwa matendo yetu bali kwa imani katika Kristo, aliyekufa kwa ajili ya dhambi zetu. "Maana mmeokolewa kwa neema, kwa njia ya imani; wala hii haikutokana na nafsi zenu; ni kipawa cha Mungu; wala si kwa matendo, mtu awaye yote asije akajisifu" (Waefeso 2:8-9). Hapa Wesley alisimama pamoja na Wanamatengenezo.Justification by faith. We are accepted by God not by our works but by faith in Christ, who died for our sins. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Here Wesley stood with the Reformers.

Kuzaliwa upya na uhakika wa wokovu. Kuhesabiwa haki ni yale Mungu anayotutendea sisi. Kuzaliwa upya ni yale Mungu anayotenda ndani yetu. Roho Mtakatifu hutoa uzima mpya, naye pia humshuhudia mwamini kwamba yeye ni mtoto wa Mungu. "Roho mwenyewe hushuhudia pamoja na roho zetu, ya kuwa sisi tu watoto wa Mungu" (Warumi 8:16). Wesley alifundisha kwamba Mkristo anaweza kujua kuwa ameokoka.The new birth and assurance. Justification is what God does for us. The new birth is what God does in us. The Holy Spirit gives new life, and He also witnesses to the believer that he is a child of God. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16). Wesley taught that a Christian may know that he is saved.

Utakatifu wa moyo na wa maisha. Mungu hasamehi tu; hubadilisha. Wesley alifundisha kwamba lengo la wokovu ni kufanywa upya katika mfano wa Mungu na kufanywa mkamilifu katika upendo. Makanisa ya Nazarene na Wesleyan yanafundisha kwamba Mungu anaweza kuusafisha moyo wa mwamini kabisa, kwa imani, kwa ghafla, kama kazi ya pili ya neema baada ya kuzaliwa upya. Baadhi ya Wamethodisti wameelewa "ukamilifu wa Kikristo" wa Wesley kama ukuaji wa taratibu zaidi. Kozi ya 3 inalishughulikia jambo hili kwa uangalifu. Mapokeo yetu yanaelekea mtazamo wa kwanza, na tunauwasilisha wa pili kwa haki. Mitazamo yote miwili inakubali kwamba utakatifu ndio kusudi la injili na kwamba hatupaswi kusimama kabla ya kuufikia.Holiness of heart and life. God does not only forgive; He changes. Wesley taught that the goal of salvation is to be renewed in the image of God and made perfect in love. Nazarene and Wesleyan churches teach that God can cleanse the believer's heart entirely, by faith, in a moment, as a second work of grace after new birth. Some Methodists have understood Wesley's "Christian perfection" as a more gradual growth. Course 3 treats this carefully. Our tradition leans toward the first view, and we present the second fairly. Both views agree that holiness is the purpose of the gospel and that we must not stop short of it.

Jinsi Wesley Alivyopima Mafundisho YakeHow Wesley Judged His Teaching

Waandishi wa kisasa mara nyingi huzungumza juu ya "Wesleyan quadrilateral" (pembenne ya Wesley), kanuni ya sehemu nne: Maandiko, mapokeo, akili na uzoefu. Ni muhtasari wenye manufaa, lakini tunapaswa kuutumia kwa tahadhari. Neno hilo lilibuniwa katika karne ya ishirini na msomi Albert Outler. Wesley mwenyewe hakulitumia kamwe. Wanahistoria wanabishana jinsi ya kulisoma. Wengine wanasema linaweka vyanzo vinne vya mamlaka vilivyo sawa. Wengine wanasema kwamba Wesley aliweka Maandiko kwanza na kutumia vitatu vingine kuyaelewa na kuyatumia, si kuyasahihisha.Modern writers often speak of the "Wesleyan quadrilateral," a four-part rule of Scripture, tradition, reason and experience. It is a useful summary, but we should use it with care. The word was coined in the twentieth century by the scholar Albert Outler. Wesley himself never used it. Historians debate how to read it. Some say it puts four sources of authority side by side. Others say that Wesley put Scripture first and used the other three to understand and apply it, not to correct it.

Sisi tunafuata usomaji wa pili, na tunadhani maneno na matendo ya Wesley mwenyewe yanauunga mkono. Alipima kila kitu kwa Biblia. Mapokeo yalimsaidia kuona jinsi kanisa lilivyosoma Biblia. Akili ilimsaidia kuifikiria kwa uwazi. Uzoefu uliithibitisha katika maisha ya waumini. Lakini kama uzoefu haukupatana na Maandiko, Wesley aliuweka kando. Hili lina maana kwa wachungaji leo. Tunathamini kazi ya Roho moyoni, lakini hatuamini hisia inayopingana na Neno.We follow the second reading, and we think Wesley's own words and practice support it. He tested everything by the Bible. Tradition helped him to see how the church had read the Bible. Reason helped him to think clearly about it. Experience confirmed it in the lives of believers. But if an experience did not agree with Scripture, Wesley set it aside. This matters for pastors today. We value the work of the Spirit in the heart, but we do not trust a feeling that contradicts the Word.

Familia ya Wesley LeoThe Wesleyan Family Today

Makanisa yaliyotokana na vuguvugu la Wesley ni mengi, na yanatofautiana katika muundo na wakati mwingine katika mafundisho. Kwa madhumuni ya kozi hii, mkondo mkuu wa kihafidhina unajumuisha yafuatayo.The churches that come from Wesley's movement are many, and they differ in structure and sometimes in doctrine. For the purposes of this course, the conservative mainstream includes the following.

• Church of the Nazarene (Kanisa la Nazarene), mojawapo ya madhehebu makubwa zaidi ya Utakatifu, lenye makanisa katika kila bara.• The Church of the Nazarene, one of the largest of the Holiness bodies, with churches on every continent.

• The Wesleyan Church (Kanisa la Wesleyan), lililoundwa kutokana na Wesleyan Methodists na kundi la Pilgrim.• The Wesleyan Church, formed from the Wesleyan Methodists and a Pilgrim body.

• Free Methodist Church (Kanisa la Free Methodist), lililoanza mwaka 1860.• The Free Methodist Church, which began in 1860.

• Global Methodist Church (Kanisa la Global Methodist), lililoundwa mwaka 2022 na Wamethodisti wa kiinjili walioondoka katika United Methodist Church au waliotarajia kuondoka.• The Global Methodist Church, formed in 2022 by evangelical Methodists who left the United Methodist Church or hoped to leave it.

• Makanisa ya Kimethodisti ya Amerika ya Kusini na Afrika yanayodumisha mafundisho ya Wesley. Iglesia Metodista de México ni moja mnaloweza kulijua.• Methodist churches in Latin America and Africa that keep Wesley's doctrine. The Iglesia Metodista de México is one that you may know.

United Methodist Church, iliyoundwa Marekani mwaka 1968, ni kanisa kubwa la Kimethodisti ambalo limegawanyika katika miaka ya karibuni kuhusu maswali ya mafundisho ya Biblia, hasa kuhusu ndoa na mamlaka ya Maandiko. Tunasimulia habari hii katika Kipindi cha 9, kama historia. Tunashikilia kwamba mafundisho ya Maandiko ndilo swali la ndani zaidi chini ya mabishano yote kama hayo.The United Methodist Church, formed in the United States in 1968, is a large Methodist body that has been divided in recent years over questions of biblical teaching, especially about marriage and the authority of Scripture. We tell this story in Unit 9, as history. We hold that the doctrine of Scripture is the deeper question under all such disputes.

Maswali Wanayouliza Wanahistoria na WakosoajiQuestions Historians and Critics Ask

Je, Umethodisti ulikuwa kanisa au vuguvugu?Was Methodism a church or a movement?

Wanahistoria hawakubaliani kuhusu alichotaka Wesley. Wengine wanasema kwamba siku zote alikusudia kulifanya upya Kanisa la Uingereza na kamwe kuanzisha kanisa. Wengine wanasema kwamba matendo yake, kama kuwaweka wakfu wahudumu kwa ajili ya Marekani mwaka 1784, yanaonyesha kwamba kanisa tofauti lilikuwa mwishowe matokeo ya kimantiki. Pande zote mbili zina kweli kiasi. Wesley alitaka mwamko, na alibaki katika Kanisa la Uingereza maisha yake yote. Lakini makoloni ya Marekani yalipopoteza makasisi wao wa Kianglikana kwa sababu ya vita, aliona hitaji ambalo kanisa lake halingeweza kulitimiza, naye akachukua hatua. Tunashikilia kwamba Umethodisti ulianza kama vuguvugu la mwamko na ukawa kanisa kwa sababu utume ulihitaji hivyo. Moyo wa Wesley siku zote ulikuwa kwa ajili ya roho za watu.Historians disagree about what Wesley wanted. Some say that he always meant to renew the Church of England and never to found a church. Others say that his actions, such as ordaining ministers for America in 1784, show that a separate church was in the end the logical result. Both are partly right. Wesley wanted renewal, and he stayed in the Church of England all his life. But when the American colonies lost their Anglican clergy in the war, he saw a need that his own church could not meet, and he acted. We hold that Methodism began as a movement of renewal and became a church because the mission required it. Wesley's concern was always for souls.

Je, Umethodisti ulibadilisha taifa?Did Methodism change a nation?

Mwanahistoria Mfaransa Élie Halévy alisema mwanzoni mwa karne ya ishirini kwamba Umethodisti ulisaidia kuzuia Uingereza isipatwe na mapinduzi ya vurugu kama yale ya Ufaransa, kwa kuwapa watu wanaofanya kazi tumaini na nidhamu. Wanahistoria wa baadaye, akiwemo E. P. Thompson, walisema kinyume chake: kwamba Umethodisti uliwafundisha maskini kukubali hali yao na hivyo kuwadhuru. Wanahistoria wengine wamejibu kwamba Wamethodisti walijenga shule, walihudumia wagonjwa na maskini, na kuwafundisha wafanyakazi wengi kuwa wasemaji na viongozi. Wesley mwenyewe alisema na kuandika dhidi ya biashara ya watumwa, na alitoa pesa zake nyingi kwa maskini. Jambo muhimu zaidi ni kwamba lengo la Wesley halikuwa kuunda siasa. Lilikuwa kuwaleta watu kwa Kristo na kwa utakatifu. Mabadiliko ya jamii yalifuata, kama tunda la mioyo iliyobadilishwa.The French historian Élie Halévy argued in the early twentieth century that Methodism helped to keep England from the kind of violent revolution seen in France, by giving working people hope and discipline. Later historians, including E. P. Thompson, argued the opposite: that Methodism taught the poor to accept their situation and so harmed them. Other historians have answered that Methodists built schools, cared for the sick and the poor, and trained many working men as speakers and leaders. Wesley himself spoke and wrote against the slave trade, and he gave much of his own money to the poor. The more important point is that Wesley's goal was not to shape politics. It was to bring people to Christ and to holiness. Social change followed, as the fruit of changed hearts.

Pingamizi Mbili na Majibu YetuTwo Objections and Our Answers

Pingamizi la 1: Umethodisti ni hisia tu. Katika siku za Wesley, wakosoaji katika Kanisa la Uingereza waliwaita Wamethodisti "enthusiasts" (wenye shauku kupita kiasi), yaani watu wanaodai kuongozwa na Mungu bila msingi wowote thabiti. Leo wengine husema vivyo hivyo juu ya mafundisho yoyote kuhusu uhakika wa wokovu na kuzaliwa upya.Objection 1: Methodism is only emotion. In Wesley's day, critics in the Church of England called the Methodists "enthusiasts," meaning people who claimed to be moved by God without any sound basis. Today some say the same of any teaching on assurance and the new birth.

Jibu letu. Wesley alilichukulia shtaka hili kwa uzito. Hakufundisha kwamba hisia ni uthibitisho wa wokovu. Alifundisha kwamba uhakika hutegemea kwanza ahadi za Maandiko kisha ushuhuda wa ndani wa Roho, na kwamba tunda la Roho huthibitisha vyote viwili. "Basi, mtawatambua kwa matunda yao" (Mathayo 7:20). Pia aliandika na kuhubiri dhidi ya ushabiki na dhidi ya madai ya ufunuo maalum unaozidi Biblia. Mmethodisti anapaswa kuwa na moyo wa moto na akili safi.Our answer. Wesley took this charge seriously. He did not teach that feelings are the proof of salvation. He taught that assurance rests first on the promises of Scripture and then on the inner witness of the Spirit, and that the fruit of the Spirit confirms both. "By their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:20). He also wrote and preached against fanaticism and against the claim to special revelation that goes beyond the Bible. A Methodist is to be warm in heart and clear in mind.

Pingamizi la 2: Fundisho la utakatifu huleta kiburi au wokovu kwa matendo. Wakosoaji wa Reformed wanasema kwamba waumini wakiweza kufanywa watakatifu, watajivuna, na kwamba injili ya neema iko hatarini.Objection 2: A teaching of holiness leads to pride or to salvation by works. Reformed critics say that if believers can be made holy, they will boast, and that the gospel of grace is in danger.

Jibu letu. Wesley alikubali kwamba wokovu ni kwa neema kwa njia ya imani peke yake na kwamba hakuna anayeupata kwa kustahili. Alifundisha kwamba utakatifu wenyewe ni zawadi inayopokelewa kwa imani, na kwamba kadiri mtu anavyojazwa upendo wa Mungu ndivyo anavyozidi kuwa mnyenyekevu. "Si kwamba nimekwisha kulipata hilo, au kuwa nimekwisha kukamilishwa; lakini nafuata" (Wafilipi 3:12). Fundisho la Wesley si "nimefika" bali "mimi ni wa Mungu kabisa, na lazima niendelee." Vipindi vijavyo, hasa katika Kozi ya 3, vinatoa jibu kamili.Our answer. Wesley agreed that salvation is by grace through faith alone and that no one earns it. He taught that holiness itself is a gift received by faith, and that the more a person is filled with God's love, the more humble he becomes. "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on" (Philippians 3:12). The Wesleyan teaching is not "I have arrived" but "I belong wholly to God, and I must go on." Later units, especially in Course 3, give the full answer.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mchungaji katika mji unaokua anahudumia kanisa dogo lenye neno Methodisti kwenye ubao wake. Wanandoa vijana wanatembelea, na baadaye mke anamwuliza, "Kuwa Methodisti kunamaanisha nini? Je, ni jina tu, kama jina la ukoo?"A pastor in a growing town serves a small church that has the word Methodist on its sign. A young couple visits, and afterward the wife asks him, "What does it mean that you are Methodist? Is it just a name, like a family name?"

Kwanza, mchungaji hamjibu kwa orodha ya kanuni. Anamwambia kwamba jina lilianza kama dhihaka na likawa wito, na kwamba linaelekeza kwenye maisha ya upendo kwa Mungu na kwa jirani.First, the pastor does not answer with a list of rules. He tells her that the name began as a joke and became a calling, and that it points to a life of love for God and neighbor.

Pili, anaeleza kwa sentensi rahisi kwamba Kristo alikufa kwa ajili ya kila mtu, kwamba tunaokolewa kwa imani na kuzaliwa upya kwa Roho, na kwamba Mungu anataka kutufanya watakatifu.Second, he explains in plain sentences that Christ died for everyone, that we are saved by faith and born again by the Spirit, and that God wants to make us holy.

Tatu, anawaalika wanandoa hao wajiunge na kikundi kidogo ambapo wanaweza kujifunza kweli hizi pamoja na wengine, kama Wamethodisti wa kwanza walivyofanya.Third, he invites the couple to join a small group where they can learn these truths with others, as the first Methodists did.

Nne, anaendeleza mazungumzo kuwa wazi. Kama wanatoka kanisa lenye mtazamo tofauti, anawaheshimu kama ndugu na dada katika Kristo.Fourth, he keeps the conversation open. If they come from a church with a different view, he honors them as brothers and sisters in Christ.

MuhtasariSummary

Jina "Methodisti" lilianza Oxford mwishoni mwa miaka ya 1720 kama jina la utani kwa kikundi kidogo kilichoishi kwa njia kali ya sala, masomo na huduma. John Wesley (1703-1791), kasisi wa Kianglikana, akawa kiongozi wao, na pamoja na ndugu yake Charles, George Whitefield na wahubiri walei wengi aliongoza vuguvugu la mwamko lililoenea Uingereza na Marekani. Wesley alifundisha mamlaka ya Maandiko, wokovu kwa wote, neema itutangulizayo, kuhesabiwa haki kwa imani, kuzaliwa upya, uhakika wa wokovu, na utakatifu wa moyo na wa maisha. Anaeleweka vyema kama mtu wa kitabu kimoja aliyetumia mapokeo, akili na uzoefu kutumikia Maandiko. Familia ya makanisa yake leo inajumuisha makanisa ya Nazarene, Wesleyan, Free Methodist na Global Methodist na makanisa mengi ya Kimethodisti Amerika ya Kusini na Afrika. Wanahistoria wanauliza kama Umethodisti ulikuwa kanisa au vuguvugu, na kama ulisaidia au ulidhuru maskini wanaofanya kazi. Wakosoaji wanaulaumu kwa hisia na kwa fundisho la utakatifu linalopelekea kiburi. Tunajibu kutoka kwa Maandiko na mafundisho ya Wesley mwenyewe.The name "Methodist" began at Oxford in the late 1720s as a nickname for a small group who lived by a strict method of prayer, study and service. John Wesley (1703-1791), an Anglican priest, became their leader, and with his brother Charles, George Whitefield and many lay preachers he led a renewal movement that spread through Britain and America. Wesley taught the authority of Scripture, salvation for all, prevenient grace, justification by faith, the new birth, assurance, and holiness of heart and life. He is best understood as a man of one book who used tradition, reason and experience to serve Scripture. His family of churches today includes the Nazarene, Wesleyan, Free Methodist and Global Methodist churches and many Methodist churches in Latin America and Africa. Historians ask whether Methodism was a church or a movement, and whether it helped or harmed the working poor. Critics charge it with emotion and with a holiness doctrine that leads to pride. We answer from Scripture and Wesley's own teaching.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• John Wesley, The Character of a Methodist (Tabia ya Mmethodisti) (1742).• John Wesley, The Character of a Methodist (1742).

• John Wesley, The Journal of John Wesley (Shajara ya John Wesley).• John Wesley, The Journal of John Wesley.

• John Wesley, Sermons on Several Occasions (Mahubiri Mbalimbali), hasa "Salvation by Faith" (Wokovu kwa Imani) na "The Scripture Way of Salvation" (Njia ya Maandiko ya Wokovu).• John Wesley, Sermons on Several Occasions, especially "Salvation by Faith" and "The Scripture Way of Salvation."

• John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament (Maelezo ya Ufafanuzi juu ya Agano Jipya) (1755).• John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament (1755).

• John Wesley, The Nature, Design, and General Rules of the United Societies (Asili, Kusudi na Kanuni za Jumla za Jumuiya Zilizoungana) (1743).• John Wesley, The Nature, Design, and General Rules of the United Societies (1743).

• Charles Wesley, nyimbo, katika A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (Mkusanyiko wa Nyimbo kwa Matumizi ya Watu Wanaoitwa Wamethodisti) (1780).• Charles Wesley, hymns, in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780).

• Holiness Through the Ages (Utakatifu Katika Karne Zote) (Coleman, Danielson na Parry), kitabu cha kiada cha CTS.• Holiness Through the Ages (Coleman, Danielson and Parry), the CTS textbook.

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