1. Kanuni ya Kwanza1. The First Principle

Kati ya kanuni saba tutakazojifunza katika kozi hii, hii ndiyo ya kwanza — na kama mchungaji atabobea katika moja tu, basi na iwe hii. Itoe maana kutoka ndani ya kifungu kabla hujaipeleka mimbarini. Neno la Kiyunani ni eksejesia (ufafanuzi wa kifungu): maana yake halisi ni kuongoza nje. Kinyume chake ni eisejesia: kuongoza ndani, yaani kusoma mawazo yetu wenyewe na kuyaingiza ukurasani. Kila kanuni nyingine katika kozi hii inasimama juu ya hii. Tukikosea hapa, hakuna nidhamu nyingine itakayotuokoa. Tukipatia hapa, tuna msingi unaodumu.Of the seven principles we will study in this course, this is the first — and if a pastor masters only one, let it be this one. Draw the meaning out of the text before you carry it into the pulpit. The Greek term is exegesis: literally, leading out. The opposite is eisegesis: leading in, reading our own ideas into the page. Every other principle in this course rests on this one. If we get this wrong, no other discipline will save us. If we get it right, we have a foundation that holds.

Hatari hii si ya kinadharia tu. Kila dhehebu potofu lililowahi kutokea lilitumia Biblia. Kila mwalimu wa injili ya mafanikio hunukuu sura na mstari. Kila mwanausasa anayekana miujiza hufungua kitabu kile kile kwenye vifungu vile vile. Kosa haliko katika maandishi. Kosa liko katika mwelekeo wa mtiririko. Je, tunaliacha Neno lituijaze maana ya Mungu, au tunalijaza kwa maana yetu?The danger is not abstract. Every cult that has ever appeared used the Bible. Every prosperity-gospel teacher quotes chapter and verse. Every modernist who denies the miracles opens the same book at the same passages. The error is not in the text. The error is in the direction of the flow. Are we letting the Word fill us with God’s meaning, or are we filling it with ours?

2. Maneno Mawili ya Kiyunani, Uchaguzi Mmoja wa Mchungaji2. Two Greek Words, One Pastor’s Choice

Eksejesia inatokana na kitenzi cha Kiyunani chenye maana ya kutoa nje, kuongoza mbele. Mfafanuzi wa kifungu huuliza swali moja, na swali moja tu: Mwandishi alikusudia wasomaji wake wa awali waelewe nini? Paulo alimwandikia Timotheo. Petro aliwaandikia waamini waliotawanyika katika Asia Ndogo. Musa aliwaandikia wana wa Israeli waliokuwa wakitoka Misri. Kabla hatujaweza kuyatumia maneno hayo kwa kanisa dogo huko Meksiko katika siku zetu, ni lazima tusikie kile ambacho masikio yale ya awali yalikuwa yakisikia.Exegesis comes from a Greek verb that means to draw out, to lead forth. The exegete asks one question and one question only: What did the author intend his original readers to understand? Paul wrote to Timothy. Peter wrote to scattered believers in Asia Minor. Moses wrote to the children of Israel coming out of Egypt. Before we can apply the words to a small church in Mexico in our day, we must hear what those original ears were hearing.

Eisejesia inatokana na mzizi ule ule lakini kwa kiambishi tofauti. Eis maana yake ni ndani. Badala ya kuongoza maana nje, mwingizaji wa maana husukuma maana ndani. Anakuja kwenye kifungu tayari akijua anachotaka kiseme. Anasoma siasa zake, uchungu wake, hobi yake ya kitheolojia, au wazo lake la mahubiri ya Jumapili na kuviingiza ukurasani, kisha anastaajabu jinsi Biblia inavyokubaliana naye waziwazi. Kifungu kinakuwa kioo kinachomwakisi mchungaji badala ya dirisha linalomfunua Mungu.Eisegesis comes from the same root with a different prefix. Eis means into. Instead of leading meaning out, the eisegete pushes meaning in. He comes to the text already knowing what he wants it to say. He reads his politics, his bitterness, his theological hobby, or his Sunday sermon idea into the page, and then he marvels at how clearly the Bible agrees with him. The text becomes a mirror reflecting the pastor instead of a window revealing God.

Kila mchungaji hufanya moja kati ya haya mawili kila Jumatatu asubuhi. Uchaguzi si kati ya eksejesia na kutofanya chochote. Ni kati ya eksejesia na eisejesia. Ukikataa kuchagua, umechagua eisejesia bila kujua.Every pastor does one or the other every Monday morning. The choice is not between exegesis and nothing. It is between exegesis and eisegesis. Refuse to choose, and you choose eisegesis by default.

Ufafanuzi mmoja unafaa kuwekwa hapa ili swali hili linaloongoza lisije likatumiwa vibaya baadaye katika kozi. Maandiko yana mwandishi wa kibinadamu na, kama Wakristo wanavyokiri, Mwandishi wa kiungu anayesimama nyuma yake — na maana ya kikanuni (ndani ya kanuni nzima ya Biblia) wakati mwingine inaweza kufika mbali zaidi kuliko kila kitu ambacho mwandishi wa kibinadamu alikuwa anakifahamu kwa ufahamu wake. Hosea hakujua kwamba alikuwa akiandika sentensi ambayo Mathayo angeihusisha na Kristo mtoto mchanga; wasikilizaji wa awali wa habari ya mwana-kondoo wa Pasaka hawakujua kwamba walikuwa wakitazama kivuli cha msalaba. Hii si ruhusa kwa mchungaji kubuni mahusiano ambayo kifungu hakiyaruhusu. Ni kutambua kwamba Maandiko, yanaposomwa katika kanuni nzima na chini ya uongozi wa Roho, yanaweza kwa haki kufunua zaidi ya kile ambacho mwandishi yeyote mmoja wa kibinadamu alikusudia kwa ufahamu wake — huku yasipingane kamwe na kile alichokusudia. Swali linaloongoza eksejesia linabaki lile lile kama siku zote: mwandishi alikusudia wasomaji wake wa awali waelewe nini? Maana yoyote ya ziada ya kikanuni lazima ifuatiliwe kupitia unabii halali au taipolojia (mifano-kivuli) ambayo Maandiko mengine yenyewe yanaithibitisha, si kudaiwa kwa werevu wa mfasiri mwenyewe.One clarification belongs here so this controlling question is not misapplied later in the course. Scripture has a human author and, Christians confess, a divine Author standing behind him — and canonical significance can sometimes reach further than everything the human writer was consciously aware of. Hosea did not know he was writing a sentence Matthew would apply to the infant Christ; the Passover lamb's original audience did not know they were watching a shadow of the cross. This is not license for the pastor to invent connections the text does not warrant. It is the recognition that Scripture, read across the whole canon and under the Spirit's guidance, can rightly disclose more than any one human author consciously intended — while never contradicting what he did intend. The controlling question for exegesis remains what it always was: what did the author intend his original readers to understand? Any further, canonical significance must be traced through legitimate prophecy or typology that the rest of Scripture itself warrants, not asserted by the interpreter's own ingenuity.

3. Wakaeleza Maana Yake3. They Gave the Sense

Picha iliyo wazi zaidi ya eksejesia katika Agano la Kale iko katika Nehemia 8. Watu walikuwa wamerudi kutoka Babeli. Ezra alileta gombo la Torati ya Musa. Walawi walisimama pamoja naye. Na mstari unaoeleza wito wetu unasema:The clearest Old Testament picture of exegesis is in Nehemiah 8. The people had returned from Babylon. Ezra brought out the scroll of the Law of Moses. The Levites stood with him. And the verse that defines our calling says:

Soma kwa sauti ya kusikilikana. Eleza maana. Wasaidie kufahamu. Hiyo ndiyo maelezo ya kazi ya mchungaji. Walawi hawakusukuma mawazo yao wenyewe ndani ya kifungu. Walitoa mawazo ya kifungu chenyewe na kuyakabidhi kwa watu waliokuwa wakisikiliza. Kufikia mwisho wa siku ile watu walilia, kwa sababu kwa mara ya kwanza maishani mwao walikuwa wamesikia kile ambacho Mungu alikuwa amesema kweli.Read distinctly. Give the sense. Help them understand. That is the pastor’s job description. The Levites did not push their own ideas into the text. They drew the text’s own ideas out and handed them to a listening people. By the end of that day the people wept, because for the first time in their lives they had heard what God had actually said.

Liunganishe hili na Ezra 7:10 kutoka sehemu yetu ya kwanza — Ezra alikuwa ameutia moyo wake kuitafuta sheria ya BWANA, na kuitenda, na kufundisha — nasi tuna picha kamili. Kuuandaa moyo, kujifunza kwa makini, utii binafsi, kisha mafundisho yanayoeleza maana. Hiyo ndiyo wiki ya mchungaji.Pair this with Ezra 7:10 from our first unit — Ezra had prepared his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach — and we have a complete portrait. Heart preparation, careful study, personal obedience, then teaching that gives the sense. That is the pastor’s week.

4. Eisejesia Kama Silaha — Shetani Nyikani4. Eisegesis Weaponized — Satan in the Wilderness

Ukitaka kuona eisejesia katika hali yake ya hatari kuliko zote, mtazame Ibilisi nyikani. Shetani haikani Biblia. Anainukuu. Katika jaribu la pili anamchukua Yesu juu ya kinara cha hekalu na kusema, Jitupe chini; kwa kuwa imeandikwa, “Atakuagiza malaika zake juu yako,” na “Mikononi mwao watakuchukua.” Shetani ananukuu Zaburi 91 neno kwa neno. Mistari ni ya kweli. Maneno ni ya kweli. Matumizi ni ya kishetani.If you want to see eisegesis in its most dangerous form, watch the devil in the wilderness. Satan does not deny the Bible. He quotes it. In the second temptation he takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and says, Throw Yourself down. For it is written, “He shall give His angels charge over you,” and “In their hands they shall bear you up.” Satan is quoting Psalm 91 word for word. The verses are real. The words are real. The application is satanic.

Zaburi 91 ilitolewa ili kumfariji mtoto wa Mungu anapotembea katika utii kwenye njia ambayo Mungu ameichora. Inaahidi ulinzi katika njia ya wajibu. Shetani anaung'oa mstari huo kutoka katika muktadha wake na kuutumia kuhalalisha onyesho la ujasiri ambalo lingemlazimisha Mungu kutenda. Anasoma maana yake mwenyewe na kuiingiza ukurasani. Hiyo ndiyo eisejesia — ikitumiwa kama silaha na mkuu wa giza mwenyewe.Psalm 91 was given to comfort God’s child when he walks in obedience along the path God has marked out. It promises protection in the line of duty. Satan rips the verse from its context and uses it to justify a stunt that would force God’s hand. He reads his own meaning into the page. That is eisegesis — weaponized by the prince of darkness himself.

Yesu habishani na Zaburi. Analeta kifungu kingine kinachokishikilia cha kwanza mahali pake: Tena imeandikwa, “Usimjaribu Bwana Mungu wako” (Kum 6:16). Jibu sahihi kwa mstari uliotumiwa vibaya kamwe si kuitupilia mbali Biblia. Jibu sahihi ni Biblia zaidi, muktadha zaidi, eksejesia ya makini zaidi. Maandiko hufasiri Maandiko.Jesus does not argue with the Psalm. He brings another passage that holds the first one in place: It is written again, “You shall not tempt the LORD your God” (Deut 6:16). The right answer to a misused verse is never to throw out the Bible. The right answer is more Bible, more context, more careful exegesis. Scripture interprets Scripture.

5. Aina Tatu za Eisejesia Utakazokutana Nazo Kanisani Mwako5. Three Eisegeses You Will Meet in Your Church

Majaribu matatu ya Shetani bado ni makosa yake matatu anayoyapenda zaidi. Mchungaji atakutana na yote matatu katika kusanyiko lake, na lazima awe tayari.Satan’s three temptations are still his three favorite errors. The pastor will meet all three in his congregation, and he must be ready.

Eisejesia ya mkate — Maandiko kwa ajili ya mwili. Shetani alisema, Amuru kwamba mawe haya yawe mikate. Mstari uliopotoshwa: kifungu chochote kinachoahidi baraka kikitolewa nje ya muktadha ili kuhakikisha afya, utajiri, na maisha rahisi. Yeremia 29:11 likiburutwa kwenye kila mazishi. Marko 11:24 (“Yo yote myaombayo”) likigeuzwa kuwa mashine ya kuuza bidhaa. 3 Yohana 2 (“ufanikiwe ... kama vile roho yako ifanikiwavyo”) likifanywa kuwa fundisho la utajiri. Yesu alijibu, Mtu hataishi kwa mkate tu, ila kwa kila neno litokalo katika kinywa cha Mungu. Biblia haikutolewa kamwe ili kunenepesha mwili. Ilitolewa ili kulisha roho.The bread eisegesis — Scripture for the body. Satan said, Turn these stones into bread. The verse twisted: any text that promises blessing pulled out of context to guarantee health, wealth, and an easier life. Jeremiah 29:11 hauled into every funeral. Mark 11:24 (“whatever things you ask”) turned into a vending machine. Three John 2 (“prosper as your soul prospers”) made into a doctrine of riches. Jesus answered, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The Bible was never given to fatten the flesh. It was given to feed the spirit.

Eisejesia ya hekalu — Maandiko ya kumlazimisha Mungu kutenda. Shetani alisema, Jitupe chini; Biblia inasema atakudaka. Mstari uliopotoshwa: ahadi ya ulinzi wa Mungu ikiporwa kutoka kwenye sharti lake la utii. Mkristo anayejiingiza katika madeni kisha anadai Wafilipi 4:19 (“Mungu wangu atawajaza ninyi kila mnachohitaji”). Ndoa iliyoharibiwa kwa uzinzi, kisha ikijaribiwa kuunganishwa kwa Warumi 8:28 (“mambo yote hufanya kazi pamoja ... katika kuwapatia mema”) kana kwamba utii ni hiari. Yesu alijibu, Usimjaribu Bwana Mungu wako. Ahadi za Mungu zinachukulia njia ya Mungu.The temple eisegesis — Scripture to force God’s hand. Satan said, Throw Yourself down; the Bible says He will catch You. The verse twisted: a promise of God’s protection wrenched away from its condition of obedience. The Christian who runs into debt and then claims Philippians 4:19 (“my God shall supply all your need”). The marriage destroyed by adultery, then patched with Romans 8:28 (“all things work together for good”) as if obedience were optional. Jesus answered, You shall not tempt the LORD your God. The promises of God assume the path of God.

Eisejesia ya falme — Maandiko ya kupata mamlaka nje ya njia ya Mungu. Shetani alisema, Haya yote nitakupa, ukianguka kunisujudia. Mstari uliopotoshwa: kifungu chochote kinachozungumza juu ya mamlaka, utawala, au ushindi kikilazimishwa kutumikia tamaa binafsi. Mchungaji anayenukuu Mwanzo 1:28 (“mkaijaze nchi, na kuitiisha”) ili kuhalalisha kujijengea himaya. Kiongozi anayenukuu Mathayo 16:19 (“funguo za ufalme”) ili kudai mamlaka juu ya maisha ya watu wengine. Yesu alijibu, Msujudie Bwana Mungu wako, umwabudu yeye peke yake. Njia ya mkato kwenda utukufuni daima hupita kando ya msalaba.The kingdoms eisegesis — Scripture to gain power apart from God’s way. Satan said, All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me. The verse twisted: any text that talks about authority, dominion, or victory pressed into the service of personal ambition. The pastor who quotes Genesis 1:28 (“subdue the earth”) to justify building an empire. The leader who quotes Matthew 16:19 (“the keys of the kingdom”) to claim power over other people’s lives. Jesus answered, You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only shall you serve. A short-cut to glory always runs past the cross.

6. Mapatano ya Faust6. The Faust Bargain

Kuna hekaya ya Kijerumani, kutoka mwanzoni mwa karne ya kumi na sita, kuhusu mtu msomi aitwaye Dkt. Johann Faust. Alitaka nguvu za kimiujiza. Alitia sahihi mkataba kwa damu yake mwenyewe: mtumishi wa Shetani angemtumikia kwa miaka ishirini na minne, na mwishoni Shetani angeimiliki nafsi yake. Kwa miaka ishirini na minne Faust alifurahia kila kitu alichokuwa ameomba. Kisha tetemeko la ardhi likaitikisa nyumba yake, na Ibilisi akaichukua nafsi yake.There is a German legend, from the early sixteenth century, of a learned man named Dr. Johann Faust. He wanted supernatural powers. He signed a contract in his own blood: Satan’s servant would serve him for twenty-four years, and at the end Satan would own his soul. For twenty-four years Faust enjoyed everything he had asked for. Then an earthquake shook his house, and the devil took his soul away.

Eisejesia ni mapatano ya Faust. Mchungaji au mwalimu anayepotosha Maandiko ili kupata anachotaka kwa huduma yake — umati mkubwa zaidi, mahubiri rahisi zaidi, fundisho linalowapendeza wafadhili wake, tafsiri inayobembeleza kiburi chake — anatia sahihi mkataba ambao kifungu chake cha mwisho hulipwa kwa nafsi za watu. Huenda ni nafsi yake mwenyewe. Mara nyingi ni za watu wengine. Yesu alisema waziwazi: Kwa kuwa mtu atafaidiwa nini, akiupata ulimwengu wote, kisha akapata hasara ya nafsi yake?Eisegesis is a Faust bargain. The pastor or teacher who twists Scripture to get what he wants for his ministry — bigger crowds, easier sermons, a doctrine that pleases his donors, an interpretation that flatters his pride — signs a contract whose final clause is paid in souls. Maybe his own. Often other people’s. Jesus said it plainly: What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?

7. Eksejesia Iliyofanywa kwa Usahihi — Yesu Jangwani7. Exegesis Done Right — Jesus in the Desert

Sasa igeuze picha. Mtazame Bwana akifanya eksejesia. Kila jibu lake kati ya yale matatu ni nukuu kutoka Kumbukumbu la Torati — kitabu ambacho Musa aliwaandikia Israeli walipokuwa ukingoni mwa Nchi ya Ahadi. Kila nukuu inagusa jambo lenyewe kabisa. Kila moja inashika maana yake ya awali. Kila moja inakataa kupotoshwa.Now turn the picture around. Watch the Lord do exegesis. Every one of His three answers is a quotation from Deuteronomy — the book Moses wrote to Israel on the edge of the Promised Land. Each quotation is exactly to the point. Each holds its original meaning. Each refuses to be twisted.

Kwa jaribu la mkate: Mtu hataishi kwa mkate tu, ila kwa kila neno litokalo katika kinywa cha Mungu (Kum 8:3). Musa alikuwa ameyasema haya kwa Israeli nyikani, ambapo Mungu aliwafundisha kwa njaa kwamba yeye peke yake ndiye anayewategemeza. Yesu, katika nyika yake mwenyewe, anayatumia kwa njia ile ile kabisa. Muktadha wa awali unalingana kikamilifu na hali mpya — kwa sababu Yesu hakuung'oa mstari kutoka mahali pake.To the bread temptation: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Deut 8:3). Moses had said it to Israel in the wilderness, where God taught them by hunger that He alone sustains. Jesus, in His own wilderness, applies it exactly the same way. The original context fits the new situation perfectly — because Jesus did not pull the verse out of its setting.

Kwa jaribu la hekalu: Usimjaribu Bwana Mungu wako (Kum 6:16). Musa alikuwa ameyasema haya kuhusu Masa, ambapo Israeli walimjaribu Mungu kwa kudai maji. Yesu anayatumia dhidi ya jaribio jingine la kumjaribu Mungu. Kanuni ile ile, matumizi yale yale.To the temple temptation: You shall not tempt the LORD your God (Deut 6:16). Moses had said it about Massah, where Israel had tested God by demanding water. Jesus uses it against another testing of God. Same principle, same application.

Kwa jaribu la falme: Msujudie Bwana Mungu wako, umwabudu yeye peke yake (Kum 6:13). Musa alikuwa ameyasema haya Israeli walipokuwa karibu kuingia katika nchi iliyojaa miungu ya kipagani. Yesu anayatumia dhidi ya mjaribu wa asili aliye nyuma ya kila mungu wa uongo. Kanuni ile ile, matumizi yale yale.To the kingdoms temptation: You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only shall you serve (Deut 6:13). Moses had said it as Israel was about to enter a land full of pagan gods. Jesus uses it against the original tempter behind every false god. Same principle, same application.

Nukuu tatu. Miktadha mitatu iliyoheshimiwa. Eisejesia tatu zilizopondwa. Huo ndio mfano wa kuigwa. Ikiwa Mwana wa Mungu alimjibu Ibilisi kwa Maandiko yaliyotumiwa kwa uangalifu, kwa kuzingatia muktadha, na kwa eksejesia sahihi, hakuna mchungaji anayeweza kudai kwamba ana shughuli nyingi mno kwa nidhamu hiyo hiyo.Three quotations. Three contexts honored. Three eisegeses crushed. That is the model. If the Son of God answered the devil with careful, contextual, exegetical Scripture, no pastor can claim to be too busy for the same discipline.

8. Mchungaji Asiyetaka Kuchagua8. The Pastor Who Will Not Choose

Wakati wa kampeni za kijeshi za Iskanda Mkuu (Alexander the Great), mtoro wa jeshi aliletwa mbele ya jemadari. Iskanda alimtazama kwa ukali. “Jina lako ni nani?” Askari akagugumiza, “Iskanda, bwana.” Jemadari akakasirika sana. “Askari, jina lako ni nani?” Tena yule mtu akanong'ona, “Iskanda.” Mara ya tatu. “Iskanda” wa tatu. Jemadari akamshika kwa joho lake na kusema, “Askari — ama ubadilishe jina lako au ubadilishe mwenendo wako.”During the campaigns of Alexander the Great, a deserter was brought before the general. Alexander looked at him sternly. “What is your name?” The soldier stammered, “Alexander, sir.” The general was furious. “Soldier, what is your name?” Again the man whispered, “Alexander.” A third time. A third “Alexander.” The general grabbed him by the cloak and said, “Soldier — either change your name or change your ways.”

Mchungaji anayejiita mwalimu wa Biblia lazima ama aifundishe Biblia — au abadilishe jina lake. Mtu anayebeba cheo cha mhudumu wa Neno kisha analipotosha Neno kwa malengo yake mwenyewe anabeba jina lisilolingana na mwenendo wake. Eksejesia ndiyo nidhamu inayoviunganisha viwili hivyo. Ama cheo kinamfaa, ama cheo lazima kiondoke.A pastor who calls himself a Bible teacher must either teach the Bible — or change his name. The man who carries the title minister of the Word and then twists the Word for his own ends bears a name that does not match his ways. Exegesis is the discipline that brings the two together. Either the title fits, or the title must go.

9. Hatua za Vitendo za Eksejesia ya Uaminifu9. Practical Steps to Honest Exegesis

Kabla Jumapili haijafika, pitia kifungu kwa mpangilio huu. Omba kwanza — Yakobo 1:5, omba hekima. Soma kifungu chote, kisha soma sura nzima, kisha kitabu kizima; usihubiri kamwe mstari ambao hujausikia kwanza ndani ya aya yake. Uliza maswali ya msingi: nani aliandika hiki, kwa nani, kwa nini, katika hali gani. Angalia maneno yanayojirudia — kwa kawaida hubeba hoja ya mwandishi. Linganisha na vifungu vinavyofanana — acha Maandiko yafasiri Maandiko. Kisha, mwisho kabisa, uliza jinsi maana ambayo mwandishi aliikusudia kwa wasomaji wake inavyowagusa watu watakaoketi mbele yako Jumapili.Before Sunday comes, walk through the text in this order. Pray first — James 1:5, ask for wisdom. Read the passage in full, then read the chapter, then the book; never preach a verse you have not first heard inside its paragraph. Ask the basic questions: who wrote this, to whom, why, in what circumstances. Watch for words that repeat — they usually carry the author’s point. Compare with parallel passages — let Scripture interpret Scripture. Then, last of all, ask how the meaning the author intended for his readers speaks to the people who will sit in front of you Sunday.

Unapovunja mpangilio huu — matumizi yanaposukumana kuingia kabla eksejesia haijakamilika — utajihubiri mwenyewe badala ya kifungu. Wasikilizaji wako watapokea neno la Wayne, si Neno la Mungu. Baada ya Jumapili za kutosha kanisa litakuwa limeundwa kwa kipimo chako, si cha Biblia. Huo si uchungaji. Huo ni kuchukua nafasi ya Mungu.When you violate this order — when application crowds in before exegesis is done — you will preach yourself instead of the text. Your hearers will receive the Word of Wayne, not the Word of God. After enough Sundays the church will be shaped to your size, not the Bible’s. That is not pastoring. That is replacing.

10. Neno Hushinda10. The Word Wins

Yesu alitoka nyikani katika nguvu za Roho, na Shetani akamwacha kwa muda. Eisejesia tatu zilikuwa zimeshindwa na eksejesia tatu za uaminifu. Neno lilikuwa limeshinda. Daima hushinda linapotumiwa kwa usahihi, kwa sababu linabeba mamlaka ya Yule aliyelipulizia pumzi.Jesus walked out of the wilderness in the power of the Spirit, and Satan left Him for a season. Three eisegeses had been defeated by three honest exegeses. The Word had won. It always wins when it is rightly handled, because it carries the authority of the One who breathed it out.

Mchungaji, kabla Jumapili haijafika, uandae moyo wako, ufungue Kitabu, na uulize swali moja tu: Mwandishi alimaanisha kusema nini? Kaa hapo mpaka ulisikie. Kisha ibebe maana hiyo, na si nyingine, kwa watu wako. Roho aliyelipulizia Neno pumzi atapuliza uhai kupitia hilo tena. Hivyo ndivyo kusanyiko dogo katika mji mdogo linavyokuwa mahali ambapo Mungu anasikika.Pastor, before Sunday comes, prepare your heart, open the Book, and ask only one question: What did the author mean to say? Stay there until you hear it. Then carry that meaning, and no other, to your people. The Spirit who breathed out the Word will breathe life through it again. That is how a small congregation in a small town becomes a place where God is heard.