📖 Huduma za Kichungaji — Sehemu ya 2: Wito na Tabia ya Mchungaji📖 Pastoral Ministries — Unit 2: The Pastor's Calling and Character

UtanguliziOrientation

Kuna nguzo mbili ambazo juu yake kila huduma ya kichungaji iliyo aminifu inasimama. Moja ni wito — mwito wa Mungu unaomweka mtu katika ofisi. Nyingine ni tabia — maisha ya ndani yanayomtegemeza humo. Ondoa nguzo yoyote kati ya hizo na jengo linaanguka. Mtu mwenye wito wenye nguvu lakini tabia dhaifu ataiaibisha injili kabla hajafikisha miaka arobaini. Mtu mwenye tabia imara lakini bila wito wa kweli atajichosha akifanya kile ambacho Mungu hakuwahi kumwomba afanye. Ulimwengu unataka mvuto wa kibinafsi. Mungu anadai tabia. Ulimwengu unataka majukwaa. Mungu anadai usafi. Mimbari si mahali pa wasiotumwa — wala si mahali pa wasiojiandaa rohoni.There are two pillars on which every faithful pastoral ministry stands. One is the call — the divine summons that places a man into the office. The other is character — the inward life that sustains him there. Take away either pillar and the building falls. A man with strong calling but weak character will scandalize the gospel before he is forty. A man with strong character but no genuine call will wear himself out doing what God never asked him to do. The world wants charisma. God demands character. The world wants platforms. God demands purity. The pulpit is no place for the unsent — and no place for the unprepared in soul.

Sehemu hii inachunguza nguzo zote mbili: pande za ndani na za nje za wito wa kichungaji, sifa za kibiblia za tabia zilizowekwa katika Nyaraka za Kichungaji, nidhamu za kiroho zinazotegemeza huduma ndefu, ulinzi wa familia ya mchungaji, na majaribu ya upande wa giza ambayo yamewaangamiza watumishi tangu siku za wana wa Eli. Hakuna kati ya haya lililo la kinadharia. Kila aya iliyo hapa chini ina kaburi mahali fulani ulimwenguni linaloithibitisha.This unit examines both pillars: the internal and external dimensions of the pastoral call, the biblical qualifications of character laid down in the Pastoral Epistles, the spiritual disciplines that sustain a long ministry, the protection of the pastor's family, and the dark-side temptations that have wrecked ministers since the days of Eli's sons. None of this is theoretical. Every paragraph below has a graveyard somewhere in the world to confirm it.

I. Wito wa NdaniI. The Internal Call

Wito wa huduma ya kichungaji huanzia ndani ya mtu, mahali ambapo hakuna kamati inayoweza kuuona. Ni Roho wa Mungu akiamsha ndani ya moyo wa mwanadamu muungano mtakatifu wa shauku, mzigo, na karama usiomwachilia. Paulo anaandika, "Ni neno la kuaminiwa, Mtu akitaka kazi ya askofu, atamani kazi njema" (1 Timotheo 3:1). Neno akitaka pale lina nguvu — linamaanisha kujinyoosha kuelekea, kufikia, kutamani sana. Wito wa ndani si kupendezwa tu kwa juu juu na kazi ya kidini. Ni maumivu matakatifu ya moyo.The call to pastoral ministry begins inside a man, where no committee can see it. It is the Spirit of God awakening in the human heart a holy combination of desire, burden, and gifting that will not let go. Paul writes, "This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work" (1 Timothy 3:1). The word desires there is strong — it means to stretch oneself toward, to reach for, to long for. The internal call is not a casual interest in religious work. It is a holy ache.

Hadithi kuu za wito katika Biblia karibu kila mara hutokea katika nyakati za shida au za nafasi iliyo wazi. Isaya aliitwa "katika mwaka ule aliokufa mfalme Uzia" (Isaya 6:1). Kiti cha enzi kilikuwa wazi. Taifa lilikuwa na wasiwasi. Na katika wakati huo huo Isaya aliona kiti cha enzi ambacho hakijawahi kuwa wazi. Alimwona Bwana ameketi juu, ameinuliwa sana, pindo za vazi lake zikilijaza hekalu, maserafi wakilia, "Mtakatifu, mtakatifu, mtakatifu, ni BWANA wa majeshi; dunia yote imejaa utukufu wake" (Isaya 6:3). Itikio la kwanza la Isaya halikuwa hamasa. Lilikuwa kuvunjika: "Ole wangu! Kwa maana nimepotea; kwa sababu mimi ni mtu mwenye midomo michafu, nami ninakaa kati ya watu wenye midomo michafu; maana macho yangu yamemwona Mfalme, BWANA wa majeshi" (Isaya 6:5). Ni baada tu ya kaa la moto kuigusa midomo yake na uovu wake kuondolewa ndipo wito ulipokuja: "Nimtume nani, naye ni nani atakayekwenda kwa ajili yetu?" Na Isaya akajibu kwa maneno yanayojulikana sana katika historia ya uchungaji: "Mimi hapa, nitume mimi" (Isaya 6:8).The Bible's great calling stories almost always come at moments of crisis or vacancy. Isaiah was called "in the year that King Uzziah died" (Isaiah 6:1). The throne was vacant. The nation was anxious. And in that very moment Isaiah saw the throne that was never vacant. He saw the Lord high and lifted up, His train filling the temple, the seraphim crying "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" (Isaiah 6:3). Isaiah's first response was not enthusiasm. It was undoing: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5). Only after the burning coal touched his lips and his iniquity was taken away did the call come: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" And Isaiah answered with the most famous five words in pastoral history: "Here am I! Send me" (Isaiah 6:8).

Angalia mpangilio huo. Maono ya Mungu, kisha kuhakikishwa juu ya dhambi, kisha kutakaswa kwa neema, kisha kuitwa kwa huduma. Geuza mpangilio huo na utapata mtu anayemtangulia Mungu kwa nguvu ya kipaji chake mwenyewe na kuchoka kabisa kabla ya miaka arobaini.Notice the order. Vision of God, then conviction of sin, then cleansing by grace, then calling to ministry. Reverse that order and you get a man who runs ahead of God on the strength of his own talent and burns out by forty.

Karibu kila mtu ambaye Mungu anamwita katika Maandiko mwanzoni anaupinga wito huo. Musa alisema, "Mimi ni nani, hata niende kwa Farao?" (Kutoka 3:11). Mungu alipojibu hilo, Musa alisema yeye ni mzito wa kusema. Mungu alipojibu hilo pia, Musa alisema tu, "Ee Bwana, nakusihi, umtume kwa mkono wa yeye utakayemtuma" (Kutoka 4:13). Yeremia alipinga, "Siwezi kunena, kwa maana mimi ni mtoto" (Yeremia 1:6). Amosi alisisitiza kwamba yeye "sikuwa nabii, wala sikuwa mwana wa nabii; bali… nalikuwa mchungaji, na mtunzaji wa mikuyu" (Amosi 7:14). Watu waliokuwa na hamu ya kujitolea katika Maandiko mara nyingi ndio walioshindwa. Watu waliositasita, waliojiona hawastahili, waliobishana na wito — hao ndio ambao huduma zao zilidumu miaka arobaini na hamsini.Almost every man God calls in Scripture initially resists the call. Moses said, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?" (Exodus 3:11). When God answered that, Moses said he was slow of speech. When God answered that, Moses simply said, "O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send" (Exodus 4:13). Jeremiah protested, "I cannot speak, for I am a youth" (Jeremiah 1:6). Amos insisted he was "no prophet, nor a son of a prophet, but… a sheepbreeder and a tender of sycamore fruit" (Amos 7:14). The men who were eager to volunteer in Scripture are often the ones who failed. The men who hesitated, who felt unworthy, who argued with the call — those are the ones whose ministries lasted forty and fifty years.

Mtindo huu unaendelea katika Maandiko yote. Gideoni alikuwa akipura ngano ndani ya shinikizo la divai ili kuificha na Wamidiani wakati malaika wa BWANA alipomsalimu kwa maneno, "BWANA yu pamoja nawe, Ee shujaa" (Waamuzi 6:12). Itikio la Gideoni lilikaribia kuchekesha: "Ee bwana wangu, ikiwa BWANA yu pamoja nasi, mbona basi mambo haya yote yametupata?" Akaendelea kuomba si ishara ya ngozi moja tu bali mbili kabla ya kuamini. Daudi alikuwa mdogo kuliko wote katika familia yake, aliyeachwa mashambani na kondoo Samweli alipokuja kumtafuta mfalme ajaye wa Israeli — Yese hakujisumbua hata kumwita aje kupangwa pamoja na ndugu zake. Petro, mtu ambaye Yesu angejenga kanisa lake juu yake, alikuwa ni mtu yule yule aliyesema, "Toka kwangu, Bwana, kwa maana mimi ni mtu mwenye dhambi" (Luka 5:8) mara ya kwanza alipoiona nguvu ya Yesu kwa karibu. Wito wa ndani karibu kamwe haumwangukii mtu aliye tayari kwa ajili yake. Kwa kawaida humwangukia mtu anayejiona kuwa hastahili kuliko wote — na hisia hiyo hiyo ya kutostahili ni sehemu ya jinsi Mungu anavyomwandaa ili ategemee neema badala ya kujitegemea mwenyewe katika huduma yake yote iliyobaki.The pattern is consistent through Scripture. Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites when the angel of the LORD greeted him with "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!" (Judges 6:12). Gideon's response was almost comical: "O my Lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us?" He went on to ask for not one but two fleeces before he believed. David was the runt of his family, left in the fields with the sheep when Samuel came looking for the next king of Israel — Jesse did not even bother to call him in for the lineup. Peter, the man Jesus would build His church on, was the same man who said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Luke 5:8) the first time he saw Jesus' power up close. The internal call almost never lands on a man who is ready for it. It usually lands on a man who feels least qualified — and that very sense of unworthiness is part of how God prepares him to lean on grace rather than on himself for the rest of his ministry.

II. Wito wa NjeII. The External Call

Lakini wito wa ndani peke yake hautoshi. Mapokeo mengi ya Kiinjili yameona kuwa ni busara na yenye msingi wa kibiblia kutambua nusu ya pili ya wito wa kichungaji: Roho anayemwita mtu kwa ndani pia huuthibitisha wito huo kwa nje kupitia kanisa. Hii ndiyo nusu inayopuuzwa mara nyingi zaidi leo. Matendo 13 inatupa mfano. Watu watano waaminifu walikuwa wakihudumu Antiokia — Barnaba, Simeoni, Lukio, Manaeni, na Sauli. Walipokuwa wakifunga na kuomba, "Roho Mtakatifu akasema, 'Nitengeeni Barnaba na Sauli kwa kazi ile niliyowaitia.' Ndipo walipokwisha kufunga na kuomba, na kuwawekea mikono, wakawaacha waende zao" (Matendo 13:2–3). Angalia ushirikiano huo. Roho anaita; kanisa linathibitisha. Barnaba na Sauli hawakujiteua wenyewe. Ndugu zao katika Kristo, baada ya kufunga na kuomba, walitambua kile ambacho Roho alikuwa ameshakianza.But the internal call alone is not enough. Many evangelical traditions have found it wise and biblically grounded to distinguish a second half of pastoral calling: the Spirit who calls a man inwardly also confirms the call outwardly through the church. This is the half most often neglected today. Acts 13 gives us a model. Five faithful men were ministering in Antioch — Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul. As they fasted and prayed, "the Holy Spirit said, 'Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away" (Acts 13:2–3). Notice the cooperation. The Spirit calls; the church confirms. Barnabas and Saul did not appoint themselves. Their brothers in Christ, after fasting and prayer, recognized what the Spirit had already begun.

Paulo anamkumbusha Timotheo, "Usiipuuze karama iliyo ndani yako, uliyopewa kwa unabii pamoja na kuwekewa mikono ya wazee" (1 Timotheo 4:14). Kuwekea mikono kuna maana. Ni kanisa likisema ndiyo kwa kile ambacho Roho ameshakisema. Mtu anayejiona ameitwa lakini hawezi kupata kusanyiko lolote, kikundi chochote cha waumini waliokomaa, wala baraza lolote la wazee la kuuthibitisha wito huo, anapaswa kutulia na kutafakari kwa muda mrefu na kwa makini kabla ya kusisitiza kwamba yeye yuko sahihi na wao wamekosea. Kwa kawaida Mungu hampi mtu wito na kuuficha kwa kanisa lake. Hivyo viwili hufanya kazi pamoja. Visipofanya hivyo, kwa kawaida kuna kasoro fulani kwa mtu huyo.Paul reminds Timothy, "Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership" (1 Timothy 4:14). The laying on of hands matters. It is the church saying yes to what the Spirit has already said. A man who feels called but cannot get any congregation, any group of mature believers, any presbytery to confirm that call should pause long and hard before he insists he is right and they are wrong. God does not normally give the call to a man and hide it from his church. The two work together. When they do not, something is usually wrong with the man.

Wito ni kukutana kwa mambo matatu: ushuhuda wa ndani wa Roho, uthibitisho wa nje wa kanisa, na matunda yanayoonekana ya huduma kwa muda. Mambo yote matatu yanapokuwepo, unaweza kuwa na uhakika. Moja linapokosekana, punguza mwendo. Mawili yanapokosekana, simama.Calling is the convergence of three things: the inner witness of the Spirit, the outer affirmation of the church, and the visible fruitfulness of the ministry over time. When all three are present, you can be confident. When one is missing, slow down. When two are missing, stop.

III. Tabia: Sifa za MzeeIII. Character: The Qualifications of an Elder

Wito ni mlango wa kuingia katika ofisi. Tabia ni sakafu inayokushikilia baada ya kuingia. Paulo aliwapa Timotheo na Tito orodha kamili kuliko zote katika Agano Jipya ya kukagua tabia — sifa kumi na tano katika 1 Timotheo 3:1–7 na nyingine saba katika Tito 1:5–9. Zisome polepole. Karibu kila moja yao inahusu tabia, si ujuzi.Calling is the door into the office. Character is the floor that holds you up after you walk through. Paul gave Timothy and Titus the most thorough character checklist in the New Testament — fifteen qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and another seven in Titus 1:5–9. Read them slowly. Almost every one of them is about character, not about skill.

Mwavuli juu ya orodha nzima ni kirai "asiyelaumika" (1 Timotheo 3:2; Tito 1:6). Hakimaanishi mkamilifu. Kinamaanisha hakuna mtindo wa dhambi ulio wazi na unaoendelea ambao mtu wa nje angeweza kuuonyesha kwa haki na kusema, "Anawezaje kusimama mimbarini na kuhubiri wakati maisha yake yako hivyo?" Mchungaji lazima awe "mume wa mke mmoja, mwenye kiasi, mwenye busara, mtu wa utaratibu, mkaribishaji, ajuaye kufundisha; asiwe mtu wa kuzoelea ulevi, wala mpiga watu, wala mwenye kupenda fedha; bali awe mpole, asiwe mgomvi, wala mwenye tamaa" (1 Timotheo 3:2–3).The umbrella over the entire list is the phrase "above reproach" (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6). It does not mean perfect. It means there is no glaring, ongoing pattern of sin that an outsider could legitimately point to and say, "How can he stand in the pulpit and preach when his life is like that?" The pastor must be "the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous" (1 Timothy 3:2–3).

Angalia kile ambacho hakimo katika orodha. Hakuna lolote kuhusu kuwa na mvuto wa kibinafsi. Hakuna lolote kuhusu kuburudisha watu. Hakuna lolote kuhusu kuwa na shahada. Hakuna lolote kuhusu kuwa msemaji hodari. Hakuna lolote kuhusu mikakati ya kukuza kanisa. Sifa za kibiblia karibu zote ni sifa za Mkristo aliyekomaa — mtu ambaye maisha yake ya kawaida yamewekwa chini ya ubwana wa Kristo katika ndoa, fedha, maneno, hasira, na sifa yake mbele ya watu.Notice what is not on the list. There is nothing about being charismatic. Nothing about being entertaining. Nothing about having a degree. Nothing about being a great speaker. Nothing about church-growth strategies. The biblical qualifications are almost entirely the qualifications of a grown-up Christian — a man whose ordinary life has been brought under the lordship of Christ in marriage, money, speech, temper, and reputation.

Ermine (aina ya kicheche) ni mnyama mdogo mweupe anayeishi katika maeneo ya kaskazini, anayethaminiwa na wawindaji kwa sababu ya manyoya yake mazuri. Ermine ana tabia ya ajabu. Atayalinda manyoya yake yawe safi kwa gharama yoyote. Hataingia shimoni wala pangoni palipo pachafu au penye matope, hata kama kufanya hivyo kungemwezesha kumkimbia mnyama anayemwinda. Wawindaji wanalijua hili. Wanatafuta makazi ya ermine na kuyapaka uchafu. Kisha wanawaachia mbwa wao. Ermine, akikimbia kuokoa uhai wake, anaporudi nyumbani kwake, anakuta mlango umetiwa unajisi — naye anakataa kuingia. Afadhali akabiliane na kifo kuliko kuyachafua manyoya yake. Huo ni mfano wa tabia ya kichungaji. Mtu aliyeitwa katika ofisi hii lazima athamini usafi wa maisha yake kuliko starehe yake mwenyewe, kuliko usalama wake mwenyewe, kuliko mapendeleo yake mwenyewe. Kuna mahali ambapo mchungaji hataenda, jambo ambalo hatalisema, faida ambayo hataichukua, sifa za kubembeleza ambazo hatazikubali — hata kama kukataa kunamgharimu sana. Ermine anatufundisha kwamba manyoya meupe yana thamani kuliko njia rahisi ya kutoroka.The ermine is a small white animal that lives in the northern regions, prized by hunters for its beautiful coat. The ermine has a peculiar habit. It will keep its coat clean at all costs. It will not enter a hole or den that is dirty or muddy, even if doing so would mean escaping a predator. The hunters know this. They find the ermine's home and smear it with dirt. Then they set their dogs loose. When the ermine, fleeing for its life, runs back to its home, it finds the entrance defiled — and it refuses to enter. It would rather face death than soil its coat. That is a parable of pastoral character. The man called to this office must value the cleanness of his life more than his own comfort, more than his own safety, more than his own preferences. There is a place where a pastor will not go, a thing he will not say, a profit he will not take, a flattery he will not accept — even if refusing costs him dearly. The ermine teaches us that the white coat is worth more than the easy escape.

Tabia pia ndiyo mlinzi wa mafundisho. Mwanzoni mwa karne ya kumi na sita mtawa mmoja wa shirika la Dominika aitwaye Johann Tetzel alikuwa akisafiri katika nchi ya Ujerumani akiuza vyeti vya msamaha (indulgences) — vyeti vya karatasi vilivyodaiwa kusamehe dhambi na kufupisha muda katika toharani. Papa Leo X alihitaji fedha ili kujenga upya Kanisa Kuu la Mt. Petro, na Tetzel alikuwa muuzaji hodari. Watu walikuwa wakitengeneza faida kutokana na zawadi ya bure ya Mungu ya msamaha. Mtawa kijana wa shirika la Augustino aitwaye Martin Luther aliona kilichokuwa kikitendeka na, tarehe 31 Oktoba 1517, akagongomea Hoja zake Tisini na Tano kwenye mlango wa Kanisa la Ngome huko Wittenberg. Matengenezo ya Kanisa yakazaliwa. Ni nini kilichompa Luther ujasiri wa kumpinga Tetzel, Papa, na mfumo mzima wa kikanisa wa Ulaya? Ilikuwa tabia iliyoundwa kwa miaka mingi ndani ya Neno la Mungu, ikikataa kuliita baya kuwa jema kwa sababu tu lilikuwa maarufu au lenye faida. Tabia ya kichungaji ndiyo inayomwezesha mtu, wakati unapofika, kusema, "Hili ni baya, nami sitalibariki."Character is also the guardian of doctrine. In the early sixteenth century a Dominican friar named Johann Tetzel was traveling through Germany selling indulgences — paper certificates that supposedly forgave sins and shortened time in purgatory. Pope Leo X needed money to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica, and Tetzel was an effective salesman. People were profiting from God's free gift of forgiveness. A young Augustinian monk named Martin Luther saw what was happening and, on October 31, 1517, nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The Reformation was born. What gave Luther the courage to challenge Tetzel, the Pope, and the entire ecclesiastical establishment of Europe? It was a character formed by long years in the Word of God, refusing to call wrong right because it was popular or profitable. Pastoral character is what makes a man able, when the moment comes, to say, "This is wrong, and I will not bless it."

Nabii Amosi alipewa maono ambayo yamekuwa picha ya kudumu ya uwajibikaji wa kichungaji. Alimwona Bwana amesimama juu ya ukuta "uliojengwa kwa timazi, naye alikuwa na timazi mkononi mwake" (Amosi 7:7). Timazi ni uzito uliofungwa kwenye kamba unaotumiwa na wajenzi kupata wima kamili. Haupindi kwa matakwa ya fundi seremala. Haubadiliki kufuata mitindo. Unaning'inia sawasawa, na kazi yote lazima ilingane nao. Mungu alimwambia Amosi, "Tazama, nitaweka timazi katikati ya watu wangu Israeli; sitawapita tena" (Amosi 7:8). Mchungaji anaishi chini ya timazi. Anajipima mwenyewe, ndoa yake, fedha zake, maneno yake, mahubiri yake, nia zake — vyote dhidi ya mstari usiobadilika wa Neno la Mungu. Mtu anayekataa kujipima kwa timazi hatimaye atajenga maisha yaliyopinda. Mtu anayeishi chini yake atajenga maisha yanayodumu.The prophet Amos was given a vision that has become a permanent picture of pastoral accountability. He saw the Lord standing on a wall "made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand" (Amos 7:7). A plumb line is a weight on a string used by builders to determine an exact vertical. It does not bend to the carpenter's whim. It does not adjust to fashion. It hangs true, and all the work must line up with it. God said to Amos, "Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore" (Amos 7:8). The pastor lives under the plumb line. He measures himself, his marriage, his money, his speech, his preaching, his motives — all against the unchanging line of God's Word. The man who refuses to measure himself by the plumb line will eventually build a crooked life. The man who lives under it will build a life that lasts.

IV. Nidhamu za Kiroho: Maisha ya SiriIV. Spiritual Disciplines: The Hidden Life

Tabia inayoelezwa na 1 Timotheo na Tito haizaliwi kwa bahati. Inategemezwa na nidhamu za siri ambazo kusanyiko halizioni kamwe. Mchungaji asiye na maisha ya faragha pamoja na Mungu hatimaye hatakuwa na la kusema hadharani kutoka kwa Mungu. Mimbari itakauka; familia itakuwa mbali; mitindo ya dhambi itazidi kumbana; na siku moja mchungaji atatazama kila upande na kujiuliza jinsi alivyokuwa mtupu kiasi hicho.The character that 1 Timothy and Titus describe is not produced by accident. It is sustained by hidden disciplines that the congregation never sees. A pastor who does not have a private life with God will eventually have nothing to say in public from God. The pulpit will go dry; the family will grow distant; the sin patterns will tighten their grip; and one day the pastor will look around and wonder how he got so empty.

Milima mingi isiyohesabika ya barafu huelea katika maji ya baridi kali kuzunguka Greenland. Mingine ni midogo sana; mingine inapaa juu angani. Nyakati fulani ile midogo husogea upande mmoja huku wenzao wakubwa mno wakienda upande mwingine. Ile midogo inaongozwa na upepo wa juu ya maji, lakini ile mikubwa sana inabebwa na mikondo ya kina cha bahari. Maisha ya mchungaji yanaathiriwa na nguvu mbili zinazofanana na hizo. Upepo unawakilisha kila kitu kinachobadilika, kisichotabirika, na kinachohuzunisha — lawama katika mkutano wa Jumapili, mazishi yasiyotarajiwa siku ya Jumanne, shemasi aliyejiuzulu, mfadhili aliyeondoka. Lakini chini ya pepo hizo kuna nguvu nyingine, yenye nguvu kuliko chochote kilicho juu — mkondo wa kina wa makusudi ya Mungu na mtiririko usiobadilika wa upendo wake. Mchungaji anapobebwa na mikondo ya kina, pepo za juu hazimtoi njiani. Mchungaji anaposukumwa na pepo za juu tu, kila dhoruba inamtupa kando. Nidhamu za kiroho ndiyo njia ambayo mtu anaishusha nanga yake ndani ya mkondo wa kina.Countless icebergs float in the frigid waters around Greenland. Some are tiny; others tower skyward. At times the small ones move in one direction while their gigantic counterparts go in another. The small ones are subject to surface winds, but the huge ice masses are carried along by deep ocean currents. The pastor's life is subject to two similar forces. The winds represent everything changeable, unpredictable, distressing — the criticism in the Sunday meeting, the unexpected funeral on Tuesday, the deacon who quit, the donor who left. But underneath those gusts is another force, more powerful than anything on the surface — the deep current of God's purposes and the unchanging flow of His love. When a pastor is carried by the deep currents, the surface winds do not throw him off course. When a pastor is moved only by the surface winds, every storm sends him sideways. Spiritual disciplines are how a man drops his anchor into the deep current.

Nidhamu sita humshikilia mchungaji pamoja katika safari ndefu. Kwanza, Neno kila siku — si kwa ajili ya kuandaa mahubiri, bali kwa ajili ya kujilisha mwenyewe. Mchungaji lazima aisome Biblia kama mtu binafsi, si kama mhubiri. Ikiwa wakati pekee anaofungua Biblia ni ili kuchimba mahubiri ya Jumapili ijayo, nafsi yake itakufa njaa katikati ya wingi. Pili, maombi ya kudumu — si maombi ya hadharani kutoka jukwaani, bali mieleka ya faragha. Inasemekana Luther alisema kwamba alikuwa na mambo mengi ya kufanya kiasi kwamba ilimlazimu kutumia saa tatu za kwanza katika maombi. Wachungaji wengi wa kisasa wamegeuza hili — wanatumia saa tatu za kwanza katika barua pepe. Tatu, pumziko la Sabato. Mchungaji asiyepumzika hatimaye atapumzishwa kwa nguvu, ama kwa ugonjwa, kuvunjika, au kuanguka kimaadili. Mwili ambao Mungu alikupa haukuundwa kufanya kazi siku sita na nusu kwa wiki kwa miaka thelathini. Nne, uwajibikaji. Kila mchungaji anahitaji angalau mtu mmoja au wawili wanaoaminika wanaoweza kuuliza maswali magumu na kupata majibu ya kweli. Wachungaji wanaotembea peke yao kama mbwa-mwitu aliyejitenga huwa chakula cha mbwa-mwitu. Tano, kujichunguza. Paulo anaandika, "Jijaribuni wenyewe kwamba mmekuwa katika imani; jithibitisheni wenyewe" (2 Wakorintho 13:5). Mchungaji lazima mara kwa mara aelekeze tochi ndani yake mwenyewe. Sita, kuungama na kutubu. Hakuna dhambi iliyofichwa kiasi kwamba haitajitokeza hatimaye juu ya uso. Mchungaji anayeungama mapema, anayetubu haraka, na anayeishi kwa uwazi mbele za Mungu hataangamizwa na kile kinachoburutwa kwenye nuru. Mchungaji anayeficha ataangamizwa.Six disciplines hold a pastor together over the long haul. First, the daily Word — not for sermon preparation, but for personal feeding. The pastor must read the Bible as a man, not as a preacher. If the only time he opens the Bible is to mine it for next Sunday's sermon, his soul will starve in the middle of plenty. Second, consistent prayer — not the public prayers from the platform, but the private wrestling. Luther is reported to have said that he had so much to do that he must spend the first three hours in prayer. Most modern pastors have inverted this — they spend the first three hours in email. Third, Sabbath rest. The pastor who does not rest will eventually be rested by force, either through illness, breakdown, or moral failure. The body God gave you was not designed to run six and a half days a week for thirty years. Fourth, accountability. Every pastor needs at least one or two trusted men who can ask the hard questions and get the truthful answers. Lone-wolf pastors are wolf food. Fifth, self-examination. Paul writes, "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves" (2 Corinthians 13:5). The pastor must regularly turn the searchlight inward. Sixth, confession and repentance. There is no sin so hidden that it does not eventually break the surface. The pastor who confesses early, repents quickly, and lives transparently before God will not be undone by what is dragged into the light. The pastor who hides will be.

V. Familia ya MchungajiV. The Pastor's Family

Sifa hizi zinaipa uongozi wa familia nafasi yenye uzito wa pekee. "Mtu aliyesimamia vema nyumba yake mwenyewe, mwenye watoto katika kutii pamoja na ustahivu wote. (Lakini mtu asiyejua kusimamia nyumba yake mwenyewe, atalitunzaje kanisa la Mungu?)" (1 Timotheo 3:4–5). Nyumbani ndipo uwanja wa kupimwa. Lolote ambalo mtu hawezi kulifanya mezani mwake jikoni, hawezi kulifanya mimbarini pia. Uongozi wowote wa kiroho unaokosekana katika mazungumzo ya chakula cha jioni hatimaye utakosekana katika ibada ya asubuhi.The qualifications give family leadership a place of unique weight. "One who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)" (1 Timothy 3:4–5). The home is the testing ground. Whatever a man cannot do at his own kitchen table, he cannot do in the pulpit either. Whatever spiritual leadership is missing from the dinner conversation will eventually be missing from the morning service.

Hii si hoja ya kudai ukamilifu wa mchungaji. Watoto hukua na kufanya maamuzi yao wenyewe, na hata wachungaji waaminifu nyakati fulani huwa na watoto waliopotea kama mwana mpotevu. Hoja si ukamilifu wa matokeo bali uaminifu wa wajibu. Je, mchungaji yupo nyumbani kwake? Je, anamwongoza mkewe kwa upendo? Je, anawafundisha watoto wake kuwa wanafunzi katika kweli? Je, kanisa linapata mabaki ya nguvu zake huku familia yake ikipata kutokuwepo kwake? Huduma nyingi zimekufa kwa sababu mchungaji aliibadilisha familia yake kwa kazi — kisha akagundua kwa kuchelewa kwamba amepoteza vyote viwili.This is not an argument for pastoral perfection. Children grow up and make their own choices, and even faithful pastors sometimes have prodigals. The point is not perfection of outcome but faithfulness of function. Is the pastor present in his home? Is he leading his wife in love? Is he discipling his children in the truth? Is the church getting his leftovers while his family gets his absence? Many ministries have died because the pastor traded his family for the work — and discovered too late that he had lost both.

Hekima inataka mipangilio ya maisha iliyolindwa. Jioni za matembezi na mwenzi wako ambazo hakuna anayezihamisha. Milo ya familia isiyokatizwa na simu. Likizo zinazotokea kweli. Siku ya mapumziko kila wiki isiyomomonywa na "jambo moja dogo tu la haraka." Huduma kamwe haikosi dharura. Nyingi kati yake si dharura halisi. Mchungaji anayejifunza kupambanua kati ya jambo la haraka na jambo lililo muhimu kweli atabaki na huduma yake na familia yake pia.Wisdom calls for protected rhythms. Date nights with your spouse that no one moves. Family meals that are not interrupted by phone calls. Vacations that actually happen. A weekly day off that is not eroded by "just one quick thing." Ministry never lacks for emergencies. Most of them are not actual emergencies. The pastor who learns to discern between the urgent and the truly important will keep both his ministry and his family.

VI. Upande wa GizaVI. The Dark Side

Kila mchungaji ana upande wa giza — majaribu yaliyo maalum kwake, sehemu dhaifu ambapo adui amekuwa akifanya kazi tangu kabla hajaingia katika huduma. Maangamizi matano makuu ya huduma ya kichungaji karibu kila mara ni yale yale: kiburi, tamaa mbaya, fedha, kujitenga, na kukata tamaa. Kiburi kinanong'ona kwamba mtu huyo sasa amefanikiwa mno kiasi kwamba hahitaji uwajibikaji. Tamaa mbaya hupata nafasi yake katika saa nyingi za kazi, katika ukaribu wa kihisia wa ushauri wa kichungaji, na katika upatikanaji rahisi wa majaribu ya kidijitali. Fedha huharibu kila mara mchungaji anaporuhusu ukubwa wa mshahara wake au sifa za wafadhili kuunda mahubiri yake. Kujitenga ndio udongo ambamo yote hayo hukua — mchungaji asiye na wenzake wa rika, asiye na marafiki, asiye na mtu anayeweza kumwambia kweli, yuko umbali wa uamuzi mmoja mbaya tu kutoka kwa maafa. Na kukata tamaa ni mmomonyoko wa polepole unaotokana na Jumapili zinazoonekana ndogo, washiriki wanaoondoka kimya kimya kupitia mlango wa nyuma, na ndoto ambazo hazionekani kutimia kamwe.Every pastor has a dark side — temptations that are particular to him, weak places where the enemy has been working since before he entered ministry. The five great wrecks of pastoral ministry are nearly always the same: pride, lust, money, isolation, and discouragement. Pride whispers that the man is now too successful to need accountability. Lust finds its ground in the long hours, the emotional intimacy of pastoral counseling, and the easy access of digital temptation. Money corrupts whenever a pastor allows the size of his salary or the praise of donors to shape his preaching. Isolation is the soil in which all of the above grow — the pastor with no peers, no friends, no one who can speak truth to him, is one bad decision away from disaster. And discouragement is the slow erosion that comes from Sundays that feel small, members who walk out the back door, and dreams that never seem to materialize.

Jibu kwa upande wa giza si kukana. Jibu ni kujichunguza kwa uaminifu, mara kwa mara, na bila huruma mbele za Bwana, pamoja na angalau ndugu mmoja au wawili wanaoaminika wanaozijua sehemu hizo za giza na kuomba pamoja nawe juu yake kwa majina. Afadhali kukabiliana na upande wa giza ukiwa na miaka thelathini kwa faragha kuliko kukabiliwa nao ukiwa na miaka hamsini hadharani.The answer to the dark side is not denial. The answer is honest, regular, ruthless self-examination before the Lord, with at least one or two trusted brothers who know the dark places and pray with you about them by name. Better to confront the dark side at age thirty in private than to be confronted by it at age fifty in public.

HitimishoClosing

Wito na tabia. Nguzo mbili. Zote mbili zinahitajika. Mchungaji aliye na zote mbili atadumu kupita dhoruba. Mchungaji anayekosa moja hatimaye ataanguka. Maafa mengi ya kichungaji katika siku zetu si kushindwa kwa mikakati — ni kushindwa kwa mojawapo ya misingi hii miwili. Mtu aliingia katika ofisi bila wito wa kweli, akachoka kabisa. Mtu aliingia katika ofisi bila tabia ya kweli, akaanguka vibaya.Calling and character. Two pillars. Both required. The pastor who has both will outlast the storms. The pastor who is missing one will eventually fall. Most pastoral disasters in our day are not failures of strategy — they are failures of one of these two foundations. A man stepped into the office without a real call, and burned out. A man stepped into the office without real character, and crashed.

Katika siku za giza za Vita vya Pili vya Dunia, mtangazaji wa habari wa redio Walter Winchell alimaliza mojawapo ya matangazo yake kwa sentensi moja — maneno yaliyosemwa jioni ya Ijumaa moja wakati bandari ya Waingereza ya Singapore ilikuwa imetoka tu kuangukia mikononi mwa Wajapani: "Singapore imeanguka, lakini Mwamba wa Milele unasimama." Wakati kila kitu kinachomzunguka mchungaji kinatikisika — utamaduni, dhehebu, kusanyiko, udhaifu wake mwenyewe — Mwamba wa Milele bado unasimama. Mkuu wa wachungaji bado yuko juu ya kiti chake cha enzi. Taji ya utukufu bado inangoja. Na Bwana yule yule aliyewaita Isaya na Musa na Yeremia na Amosi na Gideoni na Daudi na Petro bado anawaita watu leo.During the dark days of the Second World War, the radio newsman Walter Winchell ended one of his broadcasts with a single sentence — words spoken on a Friday evening when the British port of Singapore had just fallen to the Japanese: "Singapore has fallen, but the Rock of Ages stands." When everything around the pastor is shaking — the culture, the denomination, the congregation, his own weakness — the Rock of Ages still stands. The Chief Shepherd is still on His throne. The crown of glory still waits. And the same Lord who called Isaiah and Moses and Jeremiah and Amos and Gideon and David and Peter is still calling men today.

Soma 1 Timotheo 3 na Tito 1 kila baada ya miezi sita kwa muda wote uliobaki wa huduma yako. Soma Isaya 6 kila mwaka. Kesha ukiangalia dalili za hatari. Jenga nidhamu. Linda familia. Ungama upande wa giza. Na endelea kumrudia Yule aliyekuita hapo kwanza — Mkuu wa wachungaji Mwenyewe — ambaye bado hajamaliza kazi yake ndani yako, na ambaye neema yake inatosha kwa kila udhaifu ambao wito wake umeufunua. "Yeye awaitaye ni mwaminifu, ambaye atafanya jambo hilo" (1 Wathesalonike 5:24).Read 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 every six months for the rest of your ministry. Read Isaiah 6 every year. Watch for the warning signs. Build the disciplines. Guard the family. Confess the dark side. And keep coming back to the One who called you in the first place — the Chief Shepherd Himself — who is not finished with you yet, and whose grace is sufficient for every weakness His call has uncovered. "Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

— Dkt. Wayne Cook
Seminari ya Teolojia ya Chapala— Dr. Wayne Cook
Chapala Theological Seminary

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