Huduma ya Kichungaji, Uinjilisti na Misheni ya Ulimwengu ya Kiwesley — Sehemu ya 7: Misheni za Kiwesley: Coke, Asbury na Jumuiya za KimisionariWesleyan Pastoral Ministry, Evangelism, and Global Missions — Unit 7: Wesleyan Missions: Coke, Asbury, and the Missionary Societies

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Basi, enendeni mkawafanye mataifa yote kuwa wanafunzi, mkiwabatiza kwa jina la Baba, na la Mwana, na la Roho Mtakatifu; mkiwafundisha kuyashika yote niliyowaamuru ninyi; na tazama, mimi nipo pamoja nanyi siku zote, hata ukamilifu wa dahari." (Mathayo 28:19-20, SUV)"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

Ukimaliza kipindi hiki, utaweza:When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Kueleza kwa nini fundisho la Kiwesley linatoa sababu kubwa ya misheni: upendo wa Mungu kwa watu wote na mwito wa kueneza utakatifu.1. Explain why Wesleyan doctrine gives a strong reason for missions: God's love for all people and the call to spread holiness.

2. Kueleza maneno ya Wesley kuhusu ulimwengu kuwa parokia yake yalimaanisha nini, na jinsi Wesley alivyotuma wahubiri Amerika.2. Describe what Wesley's phrase about the world being his parish meant, and how Wesley sent preachers to America.

3. Kusimulia hadithi ya Thomas Coke na misheni za kwanza za Methodisti katika Visiwa vya Magharibi ya Hindi (West Indies).3. Tell the story of Thomas Coke and the first Methodist missions to the West Indies.

4. Kueleza sehemu ya Francis Asbury katika kupeleka Umethodisti katika nchi mpya, na kwa nini hiyo ilikuwa kazi ya kimisionari.4. Explain Francis Asbury's part in sending Methodism across a new country, and why that was missionary work.

5. Kutaja jumuiya za kwanza za kimisionari za Methodisti, na kujibu pingamizi kuu dhidi ya misheni za Kiwesley.5. Name the first Methodist missionary societies, and answer the main objections to Wesleyan missions.

Sauti ya Kozi HiiThe Voice of This Course

Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya mapokeo ya Kiwesley ya kiinjili, kwa ajili ya wachungaji walio ndani yake au wanaotaka kuyaelewa. Tunashikilia kwamba Biblia ni mamlaka ya mwisho yaliyopuliziwa. Pale wanahistoria au Wakristo wengine wanapoleta maswali magumu, tunayaeleza kwa haki kisha tunatoa jibu letu. Hadithi ya misheni inajumuisha imani kuu na pia kushindwa kwa binadamu, na tunasimulia yote mawili.This course is written from inside the evangelical Wesleyan tradition, for pastors who belong to it or want to understand it. We hold that the Bible is the inspired and final authority. Where historians or other Christians raise hard questions, we state them fairly and then give our answer. The story of missions includes great faith and also human failure, and we tell both.

Kwa Nini Wawesley Wanatuma WamisionariWhy Wesleyans Send Missionaries

Kila mapokeo ya Kikristo yanayoamini Biblia yana sababu ya kutuma wamisionari. Mapokeo ya Kiwesley yana sababu maalum zinazotokana na fundisho lake yenyewe.Every Christian tradition that believes the Bible has a reason to send missionaries. The Wesleyan tradition has special reasons that come from its own doctrine.

Mungu anawapenda watu wote. Wawesley hufundisha upatanisho kwa wote: Kristo alikufa kwa ajili ya kila mtu, si kwa baadhi tu (tazama Kozi 2, Kipindi cha 2). Yohana 3:16 inasema Mungu aliupenda "ulimwengu." 1 Timotheo 2:3-4 inasema Mungu Mwokozi wetu "anataka watu wote waokolewe, tena waifikie kweli." Ikiwa hili ni kweli, basi hakuna watu, kabila wala taifa lililo nje ya ofa ya injili. Mmisionari wa Kiwesley anaweza kumwambia mtu yeyote, "Kristo alikufa kwa ajili yako."God loves all people. Wesleyans teach universal atonement: Christ died for every person, not only for some (see Course 2, Unit 2). John 3:16 says God so loved "the world." First Timothy 2:3-4 says God our Savior "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." If this is true, then no people, tribe or nation is outside the offer of the gospel. A Wesleyan missionary can say to anyone, "Christ died for you."

Mungu tayari anafanya kazi. Wawesley hufundisha neema itangulizayo (tazama Kozi 2, Kipindi cha 3). Kabla mmisionari hajafika kijijini, Roho Mtakatifu amekuwa akiwavuta watu kumwelekea Mungu. Mmisionari haleti Mungu mahali ambapo hayupo. Anatangaza kile ambacho Mungu tayari anachochea mioyoni, na anaweza kutarajia jibu.God is already at work. Wesleyans teach prevenient grace (see Course 2, Unit 3). Before a missionary arrives in a village, the Holy Spirit has already been drawing people toward God. The missionary does not bring God to a place where He is absent. He announces what God is already stirring in hearts, and he can expect a response.

Lengo ni utakatifu. Vuguvugu la Methodisti lilikiona kusudi lake kuwa kueneza utakatifu wa kimaandiko. Mmisionari hatafuti maamuzi tu. Anatafuta wanafunzi walio zaliwa upya na wanaokua katika upendo (Mathayo 28:19-20 inasema "wafanye wanafunzi" na "mkiwafundisha kuyashika yote"). Ndiyo maana misheni za Kiwesley daima zimejenga shule, madarasa na makanisa pamoja na kuhubiri.The goal is holiness. The Methodist movement saw its purpose as spreading scriptural holiness. A missionary does not only seek decisions. He seeks disciples who are born again and grow in love (Matthew 28:19-20 says "make disciples" and "teaching them to observe all things"). This is why Wesleyan missions have always built schools, classes and churches along with preaching.

Bwana anaamuru. Nyuma ya sababu hizi zote kuna amri ya Yesu katika Mstari Mkuu, na ahadi yake katika Matendo 1:8 kwamba Roho angewafanya watu wake mashahidi "hata mwisho wa nchi." Paulo aliuliza, "Tena watahubirije usipokuwapo aliyetumwa?" (Warumi 10:14-15, imetajwa hapa kwa marejeo).The Lord commands it. Behind all these reasons stands the command of Jesus in the Key Verse, and His promise in Acts 1:8 that the Spirit would make His people witnesses "to the end of the earth." Paul asked, "How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" (Romans 10:14-15, cited here by reference).

"Ulimwengu ni Parokia Yangu""The World Is My Parish"

Tarehe 11 Juni 1739, wakati alipokuwa akifungiwa nje ya mimbari nyingi za Kianglikana, Wesley aliandika katika Journal (Shajara) yake kwamba aliutazama ulimwengu wote kama parokia yake. Alimaanisha kwamba aliitwa kuhubiri injili popote watu wanapoihitaji. Alikuwa Mwanglikana aliyewekwa wakfu, lakini hakuruhusu mipaka ya parokia kuzuia ujumbe. Hii ndiyo mzizi wa misheni za Kiwesley. Haukuwa mpango wa jumuiya bali njia ya kuona.On 11 June 1739, at the time he was being shut out of many Anglican pulpits, Wesley wrote in his Journal that he looked upon all the world as his parish. He meant that he was called to preach the gospel wherever people needed it. He was an ordained Anglican, but he would not let parish borders stop the message. This is the root of Wesleyan missions. It was not a plan for a society but a way of seeing.

Katika mahubiri yake "The General Spread of the Gospel" (Kuenea kwa Jumla kwa Injili), Wesley pia alionyesha tumaini kwamba ujuzi wa Bwana utaijaza dunia, kama Maandiko yanavyoahidi (tazama Habakuki 2:14). Aliamini kwamba Mungu angetumia njia za kawaida, ikiwa ni pamoja na kuhubiri kwa watu wake, kulitimiza hilo.In his sermon "The General Spread of the Gospel," Wesley also expressed the hope that the knowledge of the Lord would fill the earth, as Scripture promises (see Habakkuk 2:14). He believed that God would use ordinary means, including the preaching of His people, to bring this about.

Jitihada ya kwanza ya kimisionari ya Wesley mwenyewe haikufanikiwa. Alikwenda koloni la Georgia mwaka 1735 kama mchungaji, akitumaini pia kuwafikia wenyeji, na akarudi mwaka 1737 akiwa na wasiwasi na shaka kuhusu imani yake mwenyewe (tazama Kozi 1, Kipindi cha 3). Aldersgate mwaka 1738 ilimbadilisha. Mmisionari ambaye yeye mwenyewe hajajua msamaha na uhakika wa Kristo ana kidogo cha kutoa. Misheni za Kiwesley huanza na moyo uliobadilishwa.Wesley's own first missionary effort was not a success. He went to the colony of Georgia in 1735 as a clergyman, hoping also to reach native peoples, and returned in 1737 troubled and unsure of his own faith (see Course 1, Unit 3). Aldersgate in 1738 changed him. The missionary who has not himself known the forgiveness and assurance of Christ has little to give. Wesleyan missions begin with a changed heart.

Kutuma Wahubiri AmerikaSending Preachers to America

Jumuiya za Methodisti zilikuwa zimeanza katika makoloni ya Amerika kupitia waumini wa kawaida waliohamia huko. Wesley alituma wahubiri wake rasmi wa kwanza mwaka 1769: Richard Boardman na Joseph Pilmore (pia huandikwa Pilmoor). Mwaka 1771 Francis Asbury na Richard Wright walijitolea kwenda. Asbury alikuwa na umri wa miaka ishirini na sita hivi na alikuwa mhubiri muumini wa kawaida huko Uingereza.Methodist societies had begun in the American colonies through laypeople who moved there. Wesley sent his first official preachers in 1769: Richard Boardman and Joseph Pilmore (also spelled Pilmoor). In 1771 Francis Asbury and Richard Wright volunteered to go. Asbury was about twenty-six years old and had been a lay preacher in England.

Mapinduzi ya Amerika yalipokuja, wahubiri wengi wa Kiingereza wa Wesley walirudi nyumbani. Asbury alichagua kubaki. Uchaguzi huu ulikuwa na umuhimu mkubwa. Alibaki na Wamethodisti wa Amerika kupitia miaka ya vita na shaka, na alizishikilia jumuiya pamoja.When the American Revolution came, most of Wesley's English preachers went home. Asbury chose to stay. This choice mattered greatly. He remained with the American Methodists through years of war and suspicion, and he held the societies together.

Thomas CokeThomas Coke

Thomas Coke (1747-1814) alizaliwa Wales na kusomea Oxford. Alikuwa mchungaji wa Kianglikana, na baadaye alijiunga na Wesley na kuwa msaidizi wake wa karibu. Alikuwa mtu mwenye nguvu nyingi na hamu isiyotulia ya kuona injili ikifika mahali papya.Thomas Coke (1747-1814) was born in Wales and educated at Oxford. He became an Anglican clergyman, and later joined Wesley and became his close helper. He was a man of great energy and a restless desire to see the gospel reach new places.

Coke na Amerika. Baada ya Mapinduzi, Wamethodisti wa Amerika hawakuwa na wachungaji waliowekwa wakfu ambao wangeweza kuwapa sakramenti. Wachungaji wa Kanisa la Uingereza walikuwa wameondoka kwa wingi. Mwaka 1784 Wesley alimweka wakfu Coke kuwa msimamizi (superintendent) kwa kazi ya Amerika, na aliwaweka wakfu Richard Whatcoat na Thomas Vasey kuwa wazee. Coke alisafiri hadi Amerika pamoja nao. Katika Mkutano wa Krismasi huko Baltimore mnamo Desemba 1784, Kanisa la Methodist Episcopal lilipangwa (tazama Kozi 1, Kipindi cha 6). Coke na Asbury waliwekwa wakfu kuwa wasimamizi wa pamoja, na Asbury aliwekwa wakfu na kuchaguliwa na wahubiri.Coke and America. After the Revolution, the American Methodists had no ordained ministers who could give them the sacraments. The Church of England clergy had mostly left. In 1784 Wesley ordained Coke as a superintendent for the American work, and he ordained Richard Whatcoat and Thomas Vasey as elders. Coke traveled to America with them. At the Christmas Conference in Baltimore in December 1784, the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized (see Course 1, Unit 6). Coke and Asbury were set apart as joint superintendents, and Asbury was ordained and elected by the preachers.

Coke na misheni. Coke mara nyingi huitwa baba wa misheni za Methodisti. Alitayarisha mpango wa kusaidia misheni kwa watu ambao hawakuwahi kusikia injili, na alitoa fedha na nguvu zake mwenyewe kwa ajili yake. Mnamo Desemba 1786 alisafiri na kikundi kidogo cha wamisionari, akikusudia kwenda Nova Scotia. Dhoruba zilitoa meli nje ya njia, nao wakatua kwenye kisiwa cha Antigua katika Visiwa vya Magharibi ya Hindi siku ya Krismasi. Umethodisti ulikuwa tayari upo Antigua kupitia Nathaniel Gilbert, mwenye shamba aliyekutana na Umethodisti huko Uingereza, na kupitia waumini Waafrika waliokuwa wameendelea kuzikutanisha jumuiya. Kikundi cha Coke kilikuta shamba tayari kwa mavuno. Huu ni mfano mzuri wa neema itangulizayo ikifanya kazi: Mungu alikuwa huko kabla yao.Coke and missions. Coke is often called the father of Methodist missions. He drew up a plan for supporting missions to peoples who had never heard the gospel, and he gave his own money and strength to them. In December 1786 he sailed with a small group of missionaries, intending to go to Nova Scotia. Storms drove the ship off course, and they landed on the island of Antigua in the West Indies on Christmas Day. Methodism was already present in Antigua through Nathaniel Gilbert, a planter who had encountered Methodism in England, and through African believers who had kept the societies meeting. Coke's party found a field ready for the harvest. This is a good example of prevenient grace at work: God had been there before them.

Kuanzia hapo Visiwa vya Magharibi ya Hindi vikawa shamba kubwa la misheni la Methodisti. Coke alivuka Atlantiki mara nyingi kutembelea na kutia moyo kazi hiyo. Wamisionari walihubiri kwa watumwa na huru vilevile. Wenye mashamba mara nyingi waliwapinga, kwa sababu kuwafundisha watumwa kusoma, kuabudu na kujiona kuwa wameumbwa kwa mfano wa Mungu kulionekana kuwa tishio kwa mfumo wa utumwa.From that point the West Indies became a major Methodist mission field. Coke crossed the Atlantic many times to visit and encourage the work. The missionaries preached to enslaved and free people alike. The planters often opposed them, because teaching enslaved people to read, to worship and to see themselves as made in God's image seemed a threat to the slave system.

Safari ya mwisho ya Coke. Katika miaka yake ya sitini, Coke aliweka moyo wake juu ya misheni kwenda Ceylon (sasa Sri Lanka) na Mashariki. Alisafiri Desemba 1813 pamoja na kikundi cha wamisionari. Alikufa baharini mwaka 1814 wakati wa safari. Wenzake waliendelea na kuanza kazi huko Ceylon. Kaburi lake lilikuwa bahari, lakini maono yake yaliendelea.Coke's last journey. In his sixties, Coke set his heart on a mission to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and the East. He sailed in December 1813 with a company of missionaries. He died at sea in 1814 during the voyage. His companions went on and began the work in Ceylon. His grave was the ocean, but his vision continued.

Francis Asbury na Safari ya Kimisionari Kupitia Bara ZimaFrancis Asbury and the Missionary Journey Across a Continent

Asbury anakumbukwa kama askofu na mpangaji, lakini lazima aonekane pia kama mmisionari. Alivuka taifa changa tena na tena akiwa juu ya farasi, akienda vijijini, mashambani na makazi ya magharibi ambapo hapakuwa na kanisa. Hakuoa, na aliishi kwa urahisi. Journal (Shajara) yake inaandika shida za safari, ugonjwa, maombi yake na kuhubiri kwake kwa urahisi. Alikufa mwaka 1816.Asbury is remembered as a bishop and organizer, but he must also be seen as a missionary. He crossed a young nation again and again on horseback, going to villages, farms and the western settlements where no church existed. He did not marry, and he lived simply. His Journal records the hardships of travel, illness, his prayers and his plain preaching. He died in 1816.

Mbinu ya Asbury ilikuwa hii: aliwaamini wahubiri wasafiri ("wapanda-farasi wa mzunguko," circuit riders) waliopanda mzunguko wa mahali pa kuhubiri, wakaunda madarasa, na wakaendelea, wakiacha viongozi waumini wa kawaida kuendeleza kukutana kwa vikundi (tazama Kipindi cha 9). Aliweka wahubiri mahali walipo watu, na watu walikuwa wakihamia magharibi. Misheni ya Asbury ilikuwa kwenye mpaka wa nchi yake mwenyewe. Misheni hazihitaji kuvuka bahari ili ziwe misheni. Matendo 1:8 inazungumza juu ya Yerusalemu, Uyahudi, Samaria na mwisho wa nchi. Yote ni mashamba ya misheni.Asbury's approach was this: he trusted traveling preachers (the "circuit riders") who rode circuits of preaching places, formed classes, and moved on, leaving lay leaders to keep the groups meeting (see Unit 9). He placed preachers where the people were, and the people were moving west. Asbury's mission was to the frontier of his own country. Missions need not cross an ocean to be missions. Acts 1:8 speaks of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the end of the earth. All are mission fields.

Jumuiya za KimisionariThe Missionary Societies

Wafuasi wa Wesley walihitaji shirika la kutuma, kusaidia na kutunza wamisionari. Jumuiya kadhaa ziliibuka.Wesley's followers needed an organization to send, support and care for missionaries. Several societies arose.

Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society (Uingereza). Baada ya kifo cha Coke, kazi aliyoianza ilipelekwa katika shirika pana zaidi. Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society ilipangwa rasmi mwaka 1813 na ilisaidia misheni katika Visiwa vya Magharibi ya Hindi, Afrika, Asia na Pasifiki.The Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society (Britain). After Coke's death, the work he had begun was carried into a wider organization. The Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society was formally organized in 1813 and supported missions in the West Indies, Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church (Marekani). Ilianzishwa New York mwaka 1819, ilisaidia misheni miongoni mwa mpaka wa Amerika na watu wa asili, na baadaye ng'ambo.The Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church (United States). Founded in New York in 1819, it supported missions among the American frontier and native peoples, and later overseas.

Mfano wa mapema wa misheni ndani ya taifa jipya ulikuwa kazi ya John Stewart, mtu huru Mwamerika Mweusi, aliyeanza kuhubiri miongoni mwa watu wa Wyandot huko Upper Sandusky, Ohio, mwaka 1816. Huduma yake inaonyesha kwamba misheni za Methodisti wa mwanzo hazikufanywa na Wazungu wa Ulaya tu. Wamarekani Weusi, watu wa asili na wanawake daima wamekuwa na sehemu kubwa katika hadithi.An early example of a mission within the new nation was the work of John Stewart, a free African American man, who began preaching among the Wyandot people at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, in 1816. His ministry shows that early Methodist missions were not only carried out by white Europeans. African Americans, native peoples and women have always had a large part in the story.

Katika miaka ya baadaye makanisa ya Utakatifu (Holiness) yaliunda bodi zao za misheni, kama Kipindi cha 8 kinavyoeleza. Mfano ulikuwa ule ule: makanisa yaliyoamini utakatifu na neema kwa wote yalihitaji muundo wa kutuma wafanyakazi na kuwasaidia.In later years the Holiness churches formed their own mission boards, as Unit 8 explains. The pattern was the same: churches that believed in holiness and universal grace needed a structure to send out workers and to support them.

Maswali Wanayouliza Wanahistoria na WakosoajiQuestions Historians and Critics Ask

Swali 1: Je, Wesley mwenyewe alijitoa kwa misheni?Question 1: Was Wesley himself committed to missions?

Baadhi ya wanahistoria wanaonyesha kwamba Wesley alielekeza nguvu zake Uingereza na hakuanzisha jumuiya ya kimisionari. Jumuiya rasmi zilikuja baada ya kifo chake. Wanauliza kama misheni kweli zilikuwa sehemu ya maono ya awali ya Methodisti.Some historians point out that Wesley focused his energy on England and did not found a missionary society. The formal societies came after his death. They ask whether missions were truly part of the original Methodist vision.

Jibu letu. Ni kweli kwamba jumuiya zilikuja baadaye. Lakini Wesley aliwatuma Boardman, Pilmore, Asbury na wengine Amerika, alibariki mipango ya Coke, na alimweka wakfu Coke kwa kazi ng'ambo. Kauli yake kuhusu ulimwengu kuwa parokia yake na tumaini lake la kuenea kwa injili vinaonyesha moyo wake. Maono ya vuguvugu huonekana katika inachofanya pamoja na miundo inayojenga. Wamethodisti wa mwanzo walikuwa watu wa kutumwa muda mrefu kabla ya kuwa jumuiya ya kutuma.Our answer. It is true that the societies came later. But Wesley sent Boardman, Pilmore, Asbury and others to America, blessed Coke's plans, and ordained Coke for work abroad. His statement about the world being his parish and his hope for the spread of the gospel show his heart. A movement's vision is seen in what it does as well as in the structures it builds. The early Methodists were sent people long before they were a sending society.

Swali 2: Je, misheni zilikuwa chombo cha himaya na utumwa tu?Question 2: Were missions just a tool of empire and slavery?

Wakosoaji wanasema kwamba wamisionari wa Magharibi walikuja pamoja na majeshi na wafanyabiashara, walichukua utamaduni wa mkoloni, na wakati mwingine walinufaika na mifumo isiyo ya haki. Hili ni shtaka zito.Critics say that Western missionaries came with armies and traders, took the culture of the colonizer, and sometimes benefited from unjust systems. This is a serious charge.

Jibu letu. Hatupaswi kukana kwamba baadhi ya wamisionari walishiriki upofu wa wakati wao, au kwamba misheni na himaya wakati mwingine zilichanganyikana. Mwanahistoria wa haki pia anabainisha kwamba wamisionari wengi walihubiri kwa watumwa, walifundisha kusoma, walipinga ukatili, na walipingwa na wenye mashamba wenye nguvu kwa ajili ya hilo. Wamethodisti wenyewe wakati mwingine walidhoofisha msimamo wao: kanuni ya awali ya Methodisti wa Amerika dhidi ya utumwa ilisimamishwa muda mfupi baada ya kupitishwa. Hatutetei kila tendo. Tunashikilia kipimo cha Maandiko: injili ni kwa kila taifa, na hakuna utamaduni wala serikali inayoimiliki. Misheni za Kiwesley za baadaye zilijifunza kuwaweka viongozi wa mahali mbele (tazama Kipindi cha 8).Our answer. We should not deny that some missionaries shared the blind spots of their time, or that missions and empire were sometimes entangled. A fair historian also notes that many missionaries preached to the enslaved, taught reading, opposed cruelty, and were opposed by powerful planters for it. Methodists themselves sometimes weakened their stand: the early American Methodist rule against slavery was suspended soon after it was passed. We do not defend every act. We hold to the standard of Scripture: the gospel is for every nation, and no culture or government owns it. Later Wesleyan missions learned to put local leaders forward (see Unit 8).

Swali 3: Je, ni sawa kutuma wamisionari wakati dini zote zinaelekeza kwa Mungu?Question 3: Is it right to send missionaries when all religions lead to God?

Baadhi ya Wakristo na wengi wengine leo husema wazo la kuwabadilisha watu wa imani nyingine ni kiburi.Some Christians and many others today say the idea of converting people of other faiths is arrogant.

Jibu letu. Tunawaheshimu watu wote na tunakutana nao kwa upendo, si nguvu. Lakini Agano Jipya hufundisha kwamba wokovu unapatikana katika Kristo (tazama Matendo 4:12; Yohana 14:6). Ikiwa hilo ni kweli, ukimya si fadhili. Upendo unahitaji kuambia. Na fundisho la Kiwesley la neema kwa wote hufanya injili kuwa mwaliko kwa kila mtu, si dai la ubora.Our answer. We respect all people and we meet them with love, not force. But the New Testament teaches that salvation is found in Christ (see Acts 4:12; John 14:6). If that is true, silence is not kindness. Love requires telling. And the Wesleyan doctrine of universal grace makes the gospel an invitation to every person, not a claim of superiority.

Swali 4: Wamisionari walikufa wakiwa vijana. Je, gharama ni kubwa mno?Question 4: Missionaries died young. Is the cost too high?

Wamisionari wa mwanzo kwenda Visiwa vya Magharibi ya Hindi na Afrika mara nyingi walikufa kwa magonjwa baada ya muda mfupi. Wengine huuliza kama ilikuwa busara kuwatuma.Early missionaries to the West Indies and to Africa often died of disease within a short time. Some ask whether it was wise to send them.

Jibu letu. Gharama ilikuwa ya kweli, na kazi nzuri ya kimisionari leo inajumuisha afya makini, mafunzo na utunzaji. Lakini Paulo alihesabu maisha yake kuwa si kitu kwake mwenyewe ili aweze kumaliza mwendo wake na huduma aliyoipokea kutoka kwa Bwana Yesu (Matendo 20:24, imetajwa kwa marejeo). Kanisa huwaheshimu waliotoa maisha yao. Pia hujifunza, na huwatayarisha wafanyakazi vizuri zaidi.Our answer. The cost was real, and good missionary work today includes careful health, training and care. But Paul counted his life of no value to himself if he could finish his course and the ministry received from the Lord Jesus (Acts 20:24, cited by reference). The Church honors those who gave their lives. It also learns, and it prepares workers better.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Kanisa dogo la watu arobaini hivi katika mji wa milimani linaambiwa na mchungaji wake kwamba dhehebu lina sadaka ya misheni. Shemasi anapinga: "Sisi ni maskini mno. Hatuna wamisionari. Misheni ni kwa makanisa makubwa."A small church of about forty people in a mountain town is told by its pastor that the denomination has a mission offering. A deacon objects: "We are too poor. We have no missionaries. Missions are for large churches."

Mchungaji anaweza kufundisha kutoka kipindi hiki kwa hatua.The pastor can teach from this unit in steps.

Kwanza, anaonyesha kwamba misheni zilianza na mwanzo mdogo: kikundi cha Wamethodisti waumini wa kawaida katika makoloni, kijana juu ya farasi, meli iliyopelekwa na dhoruba. Mungu huwatumia watu wadogo.First, he shows that missions began with small beginnings: a group of lay Methodists in the colonies, a young man on a horse, a storm-driven ship. God uses small people.

Pili, anafundisha Matendo 1:8. Kanisa lina Yerusalemu yake (mji wake mwenyewe), Uyahudi (vijiji vya karibu), Samaria (watu tofauti nao) na mwisho wa nchi. Anaomba kanisa litaje mahali pamoja katika kila moja.Second, he teaches Acts 1:8. The church has a Jerusalem (its own town), a Judea (nearby villages), a Samaria (people unlike them) and an end of the earth. He asks the church to name one place in each.

Tatu, anaanza zawadi ya misheni ya kila mwezi, hata iwe ndogo. Kila familia ilete kile iwezacho. Anaeleza kwamba sarafu kutoka kwa kanisa maskini inakaribishwa na Mungu, kama sarafu za mjane zilivyokuwa (Marko 12:41-44).Third, he begins a monthly missions gift, however small. Every family brings what it can. He explains that a coin from a poor church is welcome to God, as the widow's coins were (Mark 12:41-44).

Nne, anauliza wilaya au mkutano jinsi kanisa linavyoweza kushiriki katika kazi inayofanywa tayari, na anawaomba wamisionari au wafanyakazi wazawa watembelee na waandike.Fourth, he asks the district or conference how the church can share in the work already being done, and he asks missionaries or national workers to visit and to write.

Tano, anaomba pamoja na kanisa kwa ajili ya kutuma. Huenda Bwana atamwita mtu kutoka miongoni mwa vijana wao wenyewe.Fifth, he prays with the church for sending. Perhaps the Lord will call someone from among their own young people.

MuhtasariSummary

Misheni za Kiwesley zinasimama juu ya amri ya Kristo, upatanisho kwa wote, neema itangulizayo na lengo la kueneza utakatifu. Neno la Wesley kwamba ulimwengu ulikuwa parokia yake lilieleza maono haya, naye alituma wahubiri Amerika kuanzia 1769. Francis Asbury alibaki katika Mapinduzi na alipeleka Umethodisti katika taifa linalokua. Thomas Coke, aliyewekwa wakfu kuwa msimamizi na Wesley mwaka 1784, alipanga kanisa la Amerika pamoja na Asbury, aliongoza misheni za kwanza za Methodisti kwenda Visiwa vya Magharibi ya Hindi baada ya kutua Antigua mwaka 1786, na alikufa baharini mwaka 1814 akielekea Ceylon. Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society ilipangwa mwaka 1813 na jumuiya ya kimisionari ya Methodist Episcopal mwaka 1819. Wakosoaji wanauliza kama Wesley alijitoa kwa misheni, kama misheni zilitumikia himaya, kama kutuma wamisionari ni kiburi na kama gharama ni kubwa mno. Tunajibu kutoka Maandiko na historia, tukikiri kwa uaminifu kushindwa na kushikilia injili kwa mataifa yote.Wesleyan missions rest on the command of Christ, universal atonement, prevenient grace and the goal of spreading holiness. Wesley's word that the world was his parish expressed this vision, and he sent preachers to America beginning in 1769. Francis Asbury stayed through the Revolution and carried Methodism across a growing nation. Thomas Coke, ordained as superintendent by Wesley in 1784, organized the American church with Asbury, led the first Methodist missions to the West Indies after landing in Antigua in 1786, and died at sea in 1814 on his way to Ceylon. The Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society was organized in 1813 and the Methodist Episcopal missionary society in 1819. Critics ask whether Wesley was committed to missions, whether missions served empire, whether sending missionaries is arrogant and whether the cost is too high. We answer from Scripture and history, honestly admitting failures and holding to the gospel for all nations.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• John Wesley, Journal (Shajara) (maelezo ya tarehe 11 Juni 1739).• John Wesley, Journal (the entry of 11 June 1739).

• John Wesley, mahubiri "The General Spread of the Gospel" (Kuenea kwa Jumla kwa Injili).• John Wesley, sermon "The General Spread of the Gospel."

• Francis Asbury, Journal (Shajara).• Francis Asbury, Journal.

• John Wesley, Notes on the New Testament (Maelezo juu ya Agano Jipya), kuhusu Mathayo 28 na Matendo 1.• John Wesley, Notes on the New Testament, on Matthew 28 and Acts 1.

• John Wesley, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection (Maelezo Rahisi Kuhusu Ukamilifu wa Kikristo) (1766).• John Wesley, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection (1766).

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