Karama za Roho na Muhtasari wa JumlaThe Gifts of the Spirit and Synthesis
Roho humpa kila mwamini karama ili kulijenga kanisa; iliyo kuu kuliko zote ni upendo; na kazi yake yote inaishia katika kumtukuza KristoThe Spirit gives a gift to every believer to build the church; the greatest of all is love; and His whole work ends in glorifying Christ
1. Kwa habari ya karama za rohoni1. Concerning spiritual gifts
Paulo anaanza mafundisho yake makuu juu ya jambo hili kwa kusema, "Ndugu zangu, kwa habari ya karama za rohoni, sitaki mkose kufahamu" (1 Wakorintho 12:1). Karama ya rohoni ni uwezo ambao Roho Mtakatifu humpa mwamini kwa ajili ya kumtumikia Mungu na kwa mema ya kanisa. Si sawa na kipaji cha asili, ingawa Mungu anaweza kuchukua uwezo wetu wa asili na kuutumia; karama ya rohoni ni zawadi ya Roho Mwenyewe, inayotolewa kwa ajili ya kazi ya mwili wa Kristo. Paulo anaweka vipimo viwili tangu mwanzo kabisa. Kwanza, hakuna mtu anayenena kwa Roho wa Mungu anayemlaani Yesu, na "hakuna mtu awezaye kusema, Yesu ni Bwana, isipokuwa kwa Roho Mtakatifu" (1 Wakorintho 12:3); chochote kinachomtukuza Yesu kama Bwana kina alama ya Roho. Pili, karama hugawanywa kama Roho apendavyo, "akimgawia kila mtu peke yake kama apendavyo" (1 Wakorintho 12:11). Hatujichagulii karama yetu kama kutoka kwenye rafu; Roho huigawa kulingana na hekima yake.Paul opens his great teaching on this subject by saying, "now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant" (1 Corinthians 12:1). A spiritual gift is an ability the Holy Spirit gives to a believer for the service of God and the good of the church. It is not the same as a natural talent, though God may take up our natural abilities and use them; a spiritual gift is the Spirit's own bestowal, given for the work of Christ's body. Paul lays down two tests at the very start. First, no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever curses Jesus, and "no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost" (1 Corinthians 12:3); whatever exalts Jesus as Lord bears the mark of the Spirit. Second, the gifts are distributed as the Spirit chooses, "dividing to every man severally as he will" (1 Corinthians 12:11). We do not select our own gift as from a shelf; the Spirit assigns it according to His wisdom.
2. Karama kwa kila mwamini2. A gift for every believer
Ni faraja kubwa kujifunza kwamba Roho humpa kila mwamini karama, si wahubiri na viongozi peke yao. Paulo anasema "kila mmoja hupewa ufunuo wa Roho" (1 Wakorintho 12:7), naye Petro anakubali: "kila mmoja kwa kadiri alivyoipata karama, mtumiane karama hiyo" (1 Petro 4:10). Hakuna kiungo kisicho na kazi katika mwili wa Kristo ulio mzima, hakuna mtu asiye na njia fulani ya kutumika aliyopewa na Roho. Maana yake ni kwamba wewe, yeyote yule ulivyo, umepewa kitu cha kumfanyia Mungu ambacho hakuna mwingine anayeweza kukifanya sawasawa kama wewe. Karama nyingine ni za kimya na zimefichika, nyingine zinaonekana na wote; lakini kila mojawapo inatoka kwa Roho yule yule, wala hakuna hata moja inayopaswa kukaa bila kutumika. Kamwe tusiseme, kwa sababu karama yetu ni ndogo au haionekani, kwamba hatuna cha kutoa; Roho ametupa karama, naye aliitoa kwa makusudi ili itumike.It is a great comfort to learn that the Spirit gives a gift to every believer, not only to preachers and leaders. Paul says "the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man" (1 Corinthians 12:7), and Peter agrees: "as every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another" (1 Peter 4:10). There is no idle member in a healthy body of Christ, no one without some Spirit-given way of serving. This means that you, whoever you are, have been given something to do for God that no one else can do quite as you can. Some gifts are quiet and hidden, others are seen by all; but every one of them comes from the same Spirit, and not one of them is to lie unused. We must never say, because our gift is small or unseen, that we have nothing to offer; the Spirit has given us a gift, and He gave it on purpose to be used.
3. Karama zilizotolewa ili kulijenga kanisa3. Gifts given to build the church
Kwa nini Roho anatoa karama hizi? Paulo anatuambia waziwazi: zinatolewa "kwa kufaidiana" (1 Wakorintho 12:7), yaani, kwa faida ya wote. Karama si vitu vya kuchezea kwa ajili ya furaha yetu wenyewe, bali ni vyombo vya kutumiwa kwa ajili ya kulijenga kanisa. Paulo analinganisha kanisa na mwili wenye viungo vingi, kila kimoja kikivihitaji vingine, "ili kusiwe na faraka katika mwili; bali viungo vitunzane kwa nafsi moja" (1 Wakorintho 12:25). Jicho haliwezi kuuambia mkono, "Sina haja nawe." Hivyo karama zimekusudiwa kutuunganisha pamoja, kila kiungo kikitoa kile ambacho vingine vinakosa, mpaka mwili wote unakuwa na nguvu. Karama inayotumiwa kwa kujionyesha, au inayofichwa kwa ajili ya nafsi, imegeuzwa kutoka katika kusudi lake. Roho hutoa ili kujenga, na kipimo cha karama yoyote ni kama inawatumikia na kuwaimarisha watu wa Mungu.Why does the Spirit give these gifts? Paul tells us plainly: they are given "to profit withal" (1 Corinthians 12:7), that is, for the profit of all. The gifts are not toys to be played with for our own pleasure, but tools to be used for the building up of the church. Paul compares the church to a body with many members, each needing the others, "that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another" (1 Corinthians 12:25). The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of thee." So the gifts are meant to knit us together, each member supplying what the others lack, until the whole body grows strong. A gift used for show, or hoarded for self, has been turned from its purpose. The Spirit gives in order to build, and the test of any gift is whether it serves and strengthens the people of God.
4. Mitazamo miwili isiyo sahihi4. Two wrong attitudes
Kwa sababu bado tu wenye dhambi, mitazamo miwili isiyo sahihi huingia kimyakimya kuhusu karama, naye Paulo anaonya dhidi ya yote miwili. Wa kwanza ni kiburi. Wale walio na karama za kujionyesha, karama zinazovuta umati, wanaweza kuanza kujiona bora kuliko ndugu zao, kana kwamba karama ilikuwa nishani waliyoistahili badala ya amana waliyokabidhiwa. Lakini Paulo anauliza, "Una nini usichokipokea?" (1 Wakorintho 4:7); hakuna nafasi ya kujisifu katika karama ambayo hatukuistahili. Mtazamo wa pili usio sahihi ni kinyume chake: wale walio na karama za kimya wanaweza kuzidharau na kuzizika, wakisema kwamba sehemu yao haina maana. Hili pia Paulo analirekebisha, kwa maana "Mguu ukisema, Kwa kuwa mimi si mkono, mimi si wa mwili; si kwamba kwa sababu hiyo si wa mwili?" (1 Wakorintho 12:15). Karama iliyofichika inahitajika sawasawa na ile maarufu. Basi hatupaswi kujisifu katika karama kubwa wala kuizika karama ndogo, bali kwa unyenyekevu na uaminifu tutumie chochote ambacho Roho ametupa.Because we are still sinners, two wrong attitudes creep in around the gifts, and Paul warns against both. The first is pride. Those who have the showy gifts, the gifts that draw a crowd, may begin to think themselves better than their brethren, as if the gift were a medal earned rather than a trust given. But Paul asks, "what hast thou that thou didst not receive?" (1 Corinthians 4:7); there is no room for boasting in a gift we did not earn. The second wrong attitude is the opposite: those with quieter gifts may belittle them and bury them, saying their part does not matter. This too Paul corrects, for "if the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?" (1 Corinthians 12:15). The hidden gift is as needful as the famous one. So we are neither to boast in a great gift nor to bury a small one, but humbly and faithfully to use whatever the Spirit has given.
5. Karama iliyo kuu ni upendo5. The greatest gift is love
Katikati kabisa ya mafundisho yake juu ya karama, Paulo anasimama ili kuweka jambo moja juu ya zote. Anasema kwamba hata kama angeweza kunena kwa lugha za wanadamu na za malaika, au kujua siri zote na maarifa yote, au hata kuutoa mwili wake uungue, lakini hana upendo, angekuwa si kitu na isingemfaidia kitu (1 Wakorintho 13:1-3). Upendo ni mkuu kuliko kila karama. Karama siku moja zitakoma, kwa maana unabii utabatilika na maarifa yatatoweka tutakapomwona Mungu uso kwa uso, "upendo haupungui neno wakati wo wote" (1 Wakorintho 13:8). Upendo huvumilia, hufadhili; hauhusudu wala haujivuni; haujivuni kwa kiburi; hautafuti mambo yake; huvumilia yote, huamini yote, hutumaini yote, hustahimili yote. Na kwa hiyo karama iliyo kuu si uwezo wa kustaajabisha zaidi, bali ni upendo unaopaswa kutawala matumizi ya kila karama. Kanisa lililojaa karama lakini tupu kwa upendo ni kitu chenye kelele na kuvuma; kanisa ambamo upendo unatawala hugeuza karama zake zote kwa utukufu wa Mungu. Ndiyo sababu Paulo, baada ya kuorodhesha karama, anauita upendo "njia iliyo bora mno" (1 Wakorintho 12:31). Karama ni vyombo vya muziki, lakini upendo ndio muziki wenyewe; bila huo vyombo vilivyo bora kabisa hutoa kelele tu. Anatutaka tuzitake sana karama, lakini tuufuate upendo kuliko zote, kwa maana upendo ndiyo neema moja itakayodumu kuliko mbingu na nchi na kukaa milele pamoja na Mungu.Right in the middle of his teaching on gifts, Paul stops to set one thing above them all. He says that if he could speak with the tongues of men and of angels, or understand all mysteries and all knowledge, or even give his body to be burned, and yet had not love, he would be nothing and would profit nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Love is greater than every gift. The gifts will one day cease, for prophecies will fail and knowledge will vanish away when we see God face to face, "but charity never faileth" (1 Corinthians 13:8). Love is patient and kind; it does not envy or boast; it is not puffed up; it seeks not its own; it bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. And so the greatest gift is not the most spectacular ability but the love that should govern the use of every gift. A church full of gifts but empty of love is a noisy, clanging thing; a church where love rules turns all its gifts to the glory of God. This is why Paul, having listed the gifts, calls love "a more excellent way" (1 Corinthians 12:31). The gifts are the instruments, but love is the music; without it the finest instruments make only noise. He would have us earnestly desire the gifts, yet pursue love above them all, for love is the one grace that will outlast heaven and earth and abide forever with God.
6. Karama zilizoorodheshwa katika Warumi 126. The gifts listed in Romans 12
Paulo anatupa orodha ya mfano ya karama katika Warumi 12, na anamwagiza kila mwamini aitumie yake. "Basi kwa kuwa tuna karama zilizo tofauti kwa kadiri ya neema tuliyopewa" (Warumi 12:6), anataja kadhaa. Kuna unabii, ambao kwetu maana yake ni kulitangaza na kulieleza Neno la Mungu kwa uaminifu. Kuna huduma, karama ya utumishi wa vitendo, kama ule ambao mashemasi walichaguliwa kuutoa. Kuna kufundisha, karama ya kuifanya kweli iwe wazi kwa wengine. Kuna kuonya (kutia moyo), karama ya kuwatia moyo na kuwaamsha watakatifu, karama ambayo Barnaba, mwana wa faraja, alikuwa nayo kwa wingi. Kuna kukirimu, kufanywe "kwa unyofu"; kuna kusimamia, karama ya uongozi, kufanywe "kwa bidii"; na kuna kurehemu, kufanywe "kwa furaha" (Warumi 12:8). Hakuna mwamini aliye nazo zote, wala hakuna aliyeachwa bila yoyote; kila mmoja anapaswa kuigundua karama yake na kuimimina kwa ajili ya mema ya kanisa.Paul gives us a sample list of gifts in Romans 12, and bids each believer use his own. "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us" (Romans 12:6), he names several. There is prophecy, which for us means the faithful declaring and explaining of God's Word. There is ministry, the gift of practical service, such as the deacons were chosen to render. There is teaching, the gift of making the truth plain to others. There is exhortation, the gift of encouraging and stirring up the saints, the gift that Barnabas, the son of encouragement, so richly had. There is giving, to be done "with simplicity"; there is ruling, the gift of leadership, to be done "with diligence"; and there is showing mercy, to be done "with cheerfulness" (Romans 12:8). No believer has them all, and none is left without any; each is to find his gift and pour it out for the good of the church.
7. Neno kuhusu karama leo7. A word on the gifts today
Mahali popote karama zinapojadiliwa, swali huibuka kama zote zinaendelea leo kama zilivyokuwa wakati wa mitume. Tulilitafakari swali hili mapema kwa uangalifu, wala hatuhitaji kulifungua tena kwa urefu hapa; waumini wenye moyo mnyofu wana mitazamo tofauti, na makanisa yetu huoneshana upendo na hayagawanyiki juu ya jambo ambalo Maandiko hayalifanyi kuwa kipimo cha ushirika. Kilicho muhimu zaidi ni kipimo ambacho Roho Mwenyewe anatoa: chochote kilicho cha Roho kwa kweli kitamtukuza Kristo kama Bwana, kitapatana na Maandiko, na kitatawaliwa na upendo. Shika hilo kwa nguvu, na uitumie karama ambayo Mungu amekupa, vyovyote utakavyohitimisha juu ya hayo mengine. Roho hakutoa karama zake ili kuanzisha mabishano, bali ili kulijenga kanisa na kumtukuza Bwana Yesu kupitia watu wanaotumikiana katika upendo.Wherever gifts are discussed, the question arises whether all of them continue today as they did in the apostles' time. We considered this question earlier with care, and need not reopen it at length here; sincere believers hold different views, and our churches extend charity to one another and do not divide over what Scripture does not make a test of fellowship. What matters most is the test the Spirit Himself gives: whatever is truly of the Spirit will exalt Christ as Lord, will accord with the Scriptures, and will be governed by love. Hold fast to that, and use the gift God has given you, whatever you conclude about the rest. The Spirit did not give His gifts to start arguments, but to build the church and to glorify the Lord Jesus through a people serving one another in love.
8. Kazi nzima ya Roho8. The whole work of the Spirit
Tunapoifunga kozi hii, hebu tuyakusanye yote katika mtazamo mmoja, kwa maana nyuzi zote zinakutana kuelekea mwisho mmoja. Tulianza kwa kujifunza Roho ni nani: Nafsi, si nguvu tu, wala si kiumbe duni bali ni Mungu Mwenyewe, Nafsi ya tatu ya Uungu mmoja. Tulifuatilia kazi yake katika Agano la Kale, kuja kwake kwa utimilifu siku ya Pentekoste, na kazi yake katika wokovu wetu, akitoa kuzaliwa upya, akikaa ndani, akitia muhuri, na kumhakikishia kila mwamini. Tulijifunza kwamba anaweza kuzimishwa, kuhuzunishwa, na kukufuriwa, na kwa hiyo anapaswa kutendewa kwa uchaji wa upole. Tulimwona kama Msaidizi wetu, akitusaidia katika maombi, katika taabu, na katika kazi ndefu ya wokovu wetu. Tulimtazama akizaa tunda lake ndani yetu, na akitoa karama zake kwa ajili ya kulijenga kanisa. Na katika yote hayo inapita uzi mmoja wa dhahabu, jambo lile lile ambalo Yesu alisema Roho angefanya: "Yeye atanitukuza mimi" (Yohana 16:14). Roho hajielekezi Mwenyewe; anamwelekeza Kristo. Kwa hiyo fundisho hili lote linaishia katika wito mmoja wa kimatendo. Jisalimishe kwa Roho. Ujazwe Roho. Zaa tunda la Roho. Itumie karama ambayo Roho amekupa. Na katika yote hayo mwache afanye kazi yake aliyoichagua, akimtukuza Bwana Yesu Kristo ndani yako, "tukiishi kwa Roho, na tuenende kwa Roho" (Wagalatia 5:25). Kujifunza fundisho hili ni vizuri, lakini kuliishi ni bora zaidi, kwa maana Roho hakutolewa ili aeleweke tu bali ili atiiwe na kufurahiwa. Mungu aliyetupa Roho wake Mwenyewe na amfundishe kila mmoja wetu kwenda sambamba naye, mpaka siku ile kazi aliyoianza ndani yetu itakapofikishwa kwenye utukufu wake kamili na wa mwisho.As we close this course, let us gather the whole into one view, for the threads run together to a single end. We began by learning who the Spirit is: a Person, not a force, and not a lesser being but God Himself, the third Person of the one Godhead. We traced His work through the Old Testament, His coming in fullness at Pentecost, and His work in our salvation, giving the new birth, indwelling, sealing, and assuring every believer. We learned that He may be quenched, grieved, and blasphemed, and so He is to be treated with tender reverence. We saw Him as our Helper, aiding us in prayer, in trouble, and in the long work of our salvation. We watched Him bear His fruit in us, and give His gifts for the building of the church. And through all of it runs one golden thread, the very thing Jesus said the Spirit would do: "He shall glorify me" (John 16:14). The Spirit does not point to Himself; He points to Christ. So the whole of this doctrine ends in a single, practical call. Yield to the Spirit. Be filled with the Spirit. Bear the fruit of the Spirit. Use the gift the Spirit has given you. And in all of it let Him do His chosen work, glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ in you, "for if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). To study this doctrine is good, but to live it is better, for the Spirit was not given merely to be understood but to be obeyed and enjoyed. May the God who has given us His own Spirit teach each of us to walk in step with Him, until the day when the work He began in us is brought to its full and final glory.
Kutoka Mimbari ya Dkt. CookFrom Dr. Cook's Pulpit
Neno kuhusu karama zilizo watu — Waefeso 4:11, ambapo neno kuu ni wengineA word on the gifts that are persons — Ephesians 4:11, where the keyword is someKuna orodha moja ya karama ambayo bado hatujaiweka mbele yetu, nayo ni ya ajabu, kwa maana ndani yake karama si uwezo bali ni watu. Kristo alipopaa juu, Paulo anasema, aliwapa wanadamu vipawa; na "alitoa wengine kuwa mitume, na wengine kuwa manabii, na wengine kuwa wainjilisti, na wengine kuwa wachungaji na waalimu" (Waefeso 4:11). Lizingatie neno dogo linalopita katika mstari huo wote: wengine. Si wote ni mitume, si wote ni wainjilisti, si wote ni waalimu; Bwana aliyefufuka hugawa karama hizi kama apendavyo, akiwapa kanisa watu wengine kwa kazi moja na wengine kwa kazi nyingine. Na watu hawa wenye karama wenyewe ni zawadi ya Kristo — Mfalme aliyepaa akiwagawia watu wake viongozi kama mshindi anavyogawa nyara za ushindi wake.There is one list of gifts we have not yet set before us, and it is a remarkable one, for in it the gifts are not abilities but people. When Christ ascended on high, Paul says, He gave gifts to men; and "he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" (Ephesians 4:11). Mark the little word that runs through the verse: some. Not all are apostles, not all are evangelists, not all are teachers; the risen Lord hands out these gifts as He pleases, giving some men to the church for one work and some for another. And these gifted men are themselves Christ's gift — the ascended King distributing leaders to His people as a conqueror distributes the spoils of his victory.
Naye aliwatoa kwa kusudi lililo wazi, lililotajwa katika pumzi inayofuata: kuwakamilisha watakatifu kwa kazi ya huduma na kuujenga mwili wa Kristo, hata sisi sote tufikie ukomavu na tusiwe tena watoto wachanga, tukitupwa huku na huku na kila upepo wa elimu (Waefeso 4:12-14). Huduma hizi si majukwaa ya watu wachache wakuu ili wapate kusifiwa; zipo ili kuufanya mwili wote ukue na kuudumisha katika umoja. Karama ya rohoni, ya aina yoyote ile, haitolewi kamwe ili kumwonyesha yule aliye nayo, bali ili kuwatumikia na kuwaimarisha wengine wote. Mmisionari mmoja huko India aitwaye Gordon Maxwell aliwahi kumwomba msomi mmoja wa Kihindu amfundishe lugha, na mtu huyo akakataa: “Hapana, Bwana (Sahib), sitakufundisha. Hakuna mtu anayeweza kuishi nawe asiwe Mkristo.” Maisha yake yalimbeba Kristo waziwazi kiasi kwamba yaliwavuta wengine kwake bila neno. Hilo ndilo kusudi la karama za Bwana — si ili zisifiwe, bali ili kulijenga kanisa lake na kuwavuta watu kwake Mwenyewe.And He gave them for a plain purpose, stated in the next breath: to equip the saints for the work of the ministry and to build up the body of Christ, until we all come to maturity and are no longer children tossed about with every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:12-14). These offices are not platforms for a few great men to be admired; they exist to make the whole body grow up and to keep it in unity. A spiritual gift, of whatever kind, is never given to display the one who has it, but to serve and strengthen everyone else. A missionary to India named Gordon Maxwell once asked a Hindu scholar to teach him the language, and the man refused: “No, Sahib, I will not teach you. No man can live with you and not become a Christian.” His life so plainly carried Christ that it drew others toward Him without a word. That is what the Lord's gifts are for — not to be admired, but to build His church and to draw men to Himself.
Kwa hiyo usipoteze nguvu zako ukitamani ungekuwa na karama ya mwingine, wala usiionyeshe kwa majivuno ile uliyo nayo. Itafute karama ambayo Roho ameiweka ndani yako, na uimimine mahali inapostahili — katika kuujenga mwili, katika kuwatumikia watu wa Mungu, ili Kristo atukuzwe na kanisa lake lifikishwe kwenye ukomavu katika upendo.So do not waste your strength wishing you had another's gift, nor parade the one you have. Find the gift the Spirit has placed in you, and pour it out where it belongs — in the building up of the body, in the service of the people of God, that Christ may be glorified and His church brought to maturity in love.