Roho Mtakatifu kwa Mtazamo wa KibibliaThe Holy Spirit in Biblical Perspective

Kwa Nini Tuanzie HapaWhy Begin Here

Kozi hii inajifunza vuguvugu linalojulikana, kuliko mengine yote, kwa msisitizo wake juu ya Roho Mtakatifu — ubatizo wake, karama zake, nguvu zake. Kabla hatujaweza kulipima vuguvugu kama hilo vizuri, ni lazima tuwe wazi juu ya Yule aliye katikati yake: Roho Mtakatifu ni nani, kama Maandiko yote yanavyomwonyesha. Kila swali lililo mbele yetu — kunena kwa lugha ni nini, ubatizo katika Roho unamaanisha nini, iwapo karama zinaendelea — linategemea uelewa fulani wa Roho Mwenyewe. Ukimkosea Yeye, mengi yatakayofuata yataenda kombo pamoja naye. Kwa hiyo tunaanza kwa kuweka msingi.This course studies a movement named, above all others, for its emphasis on the Holy Spirit — His baptism, His gifts, His power. Before we can weigh such a movement well, we must be clear about the One at its center: who the Holy Spirit is, as the whole of Scripture presents Him. Every question that lies ahead — what tongues are, what the baptism in the Spirit means, whether the gifts continue — rests upon some understanding of the Spirit Himself. Get Him wrong, and much that follows will go wrong with Him. So we begin by laying the foundation.

Ikiwa umejifunza nafsi na kazi ya Roho Mtakatifu mahali pengine, utaona baadhi ya mambo haya yanafahamika; hapa yanakusanywa na kuelekezwa kwenye maswali mahususi ambayo kozi hii itayaibua. Tutatafakari mambo manne kwa zamu: kwamba Roho ni Mungu, kwamba Yeye ni Nafsi, anachofanya — katika uumbaji, katika Kristo, na ndani ya mwamini — na jinsi karama zake zinavyofungua mlango wa sehemu nyingine za somo letu. Katika yote hayo, uzi mmoja utashikilia: Roho daima hutuongoza kwa Kristo.If you have studied the person and work of the Holy Spirit elsewhere, you will find some of this familiar; here it is gathered and pointed toward the particular questions this course will raise. We will consider four things in turn: that the Spirit is God, that He is a Person, what He does — in creation, in Christ, and in the believer — and how His gifts open the door into the rest of our study. Through all of it, one thread will hold: the Spirit always leads us to Christ.

Roho Ni MunguThe Spirit Is God

Kwanza na la msingi kuliko yote: Roho Mtakatifu ni Mungu kikamilifu — si kiumbe duni, si nguvu iliyoumbwa, bali Nafsi ya tatu ya Mungu mmoja wa kweli, pamoja na Baba na Mwana. Maandiko yanampa majina, sifa, na kazi za Mungu. Yeye ni wa milele (Ebr 9:14), yuko kila mahali (Zab 139:7), na alitenda kazi katika uumbaji wenyewe, akitulia juu ya uso wa maji hapo mwanzo (Mwa 1:2).First and most basic: the Holy Spirit is fully God — not a lesser being, not a created power, but the third Person of the one true God, together with the Father and the Son. Scripture ascribes to Him the names, the attributes, and the works of God. He is eternal (Heb 9:14), present everywhere (Ps 139:7), and active in creation itself, moving over the face of the waters at the beginning (Gen 1:2).

Kwamba Yeye ni Mungu kunaonyeshwa kwa ukali zaidi katika tukio zito la kanisa la kwanza, Anania alipodanganya kuhusu sadaka yake na Petro akaitaja dhambi yake:That He is God is shown most sharply in a solemn scene from the early church, when Ananias lied about his gift and Peter named his sin:

"Anania, kwa nini Shetani amekujaza moyo wako kumwambia uongo Roho Mtakatifu…? Hukuwaambia uongo wanadamu, bali Mungu."Matendo 5:3–4 (SUV)"Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit…? You have not lied to men but to God."Acts 5:3–4 (NKJV)

Kumwambia uongo Roho Mtakatifu, Petro anasema, ni kumwambia uongo Mungu; hao wawili ni mmoja. Na Bwana Yesu alipolipa kanisa agizo lake la ubatizo, alimuunganisha Roho pamoja na Baba na Mwana chini ya jina moja — "mkiwabatiza kwa jina la Baba, na Mwana, na Roho Mtakatifu" (Mt 28:19) — kama vile baraka ya mitume inavyowaunganisha wote watatu (2 Kor 13:14). Kwa hiyo Roho anapaswa kuabudiwa na kutiiwa kama Mungu, kwa maana ndivyo alivyo.To lie to the Holy Spirit, Peter says, is to lie to God; the two are one. And when the Lord Jesus gave the church its baptismal command, He joined the Spirit with the Father and the Son under a single name — "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt 28:19) — as the apostolic blessing likewise joins all three (2 Cor 13:14). The Spirit is therefore to be worshiped and obeyed as God, for that is what He is.

Maandiko yanampa Roho kazi ambazo Mungu peke yake anaweza kuzifanya. Yeye huchunguza hata mafumbo ya Mungu, akiyajua mawazo yake kama roho ya mtu mwenyewe ijuavyo mambo yake (1 Kor 2:10–11) — ujuzi ambao hakuna kiumbe kingeweza kuwa nao. Yeye huipa uzima mpya nafsi iliyokufa; Yeye aliyavuvia Maandiko; Yeye alimfufua Bwana Yesu naye atatufufua sisi (Rum 8:11). Hizi ni kazi za Mungu, na Roho huzifanya, kwa sababu Yeye ni Mungu.Scripture assigns to the Spirit works that God alone can do. He searches even the deep things of God, knowing His thoughts as a person's own spirit knows his (1 Cor 2:10–11) — a knowledge no creature could have. He gives new life to the dead soul; He inspired the Scriptures; He raised the Lord Jesus and will raise us (Rom 8:11). These are the works of God, and the Spirit does them, because He is God.

Roho Ni NafsiThe Spirit Is a Person

Pili, Roho Mtakatifu ni Nafsi — si "kitu," si nguvu isiyo na utu wala nishati wala hali ya hewa ya kiroho, bali ni "Yeye," Nafsi mwenye akili, mapenzi, na hisia. Kweli hii ni rahisi kupotea, na kuipoteza husababisha madhara halisi. Maandiko hayaturuhusu kumshusha awe nguvu ya kutumiwa tu.Second, the Holy Spirit is a Person — not an "it," not an impersonal force or energy or atmosphere, but a "He," a Person with mind, will, and affection. This truth is easy to lose, and losing it does real harm. Scripture will not let us reduce Him to a power to be harnessed.

Kwa maana Roho hufanya yale ambayo nafsi peke yake inaweza kufanya. Yeye hufundisha na kukumbusha (Yn 14:26); Yeye husema, na kukataza, na kuwatuma watendakazi (Mdo 13:2; 16:6–7); Yeye anaweza kuhuzunishwa (Efe 4:30), kuambiwa uongo (Mdo 5:3), na kupingwa (Mdo 7:51). Yeye hutenda kwa mapenzi yake mwenyewe, "akimgawia kila mtu peke yake kama apendavyo" (1 Kor 12:11). Na Bwana Yesu alimwita "Msaidizi mwingine" (Yn 14:16) — mwingine wa aina ile ile kama Yeye Mwenyewe, Mfariji mwenye nafsi atakayechukua nafasi yake kati yao.For the Spirit does what only a person can do. He teaches and brings to remembrance (John 14:26); He speaks, and forbids, and sends out workers (Acts 13:2; 16:6–7); He can be grieved (Eph 4:30), lied to (Acts 5:3), and resisted (Acts 7:51). He acts by His own will, "distributing to each one individually as He wills" (1 Cor 12:11). And the Lord Jesus called Him "another Helper" (John 14:16) — another of the same kind as Himself, a personal Comforter to take His place among them.

Jambo hili lina umuhimu mkubwa kwa vuguvugu tunalojifunza, na kwa maombi yetu wenyewe. Kusema juu ya "kupata zaidi ya Roho Mtakatifu," kana kwamba Yeye ni kitu tunachoweza kukipata kwa vipimo vikubwa zaidi, ni kumchanganya Nafsi na nguvu. Hatumpati zaidi kama tunavyoweza kupata maji zaidi katika mtungi. Bali, tunajitoa zaidi kwake, ili Yeye ajaze na kutawala sehemu kubwa zaidi ya maisha yetu. Swali kamwe si tuna Roho kiasi gani, bali Roho anatumiliki sisi kiasi gani.This matters greatly for the movement we study, and for our own prayers. To speak of "getting more of the Holy Spirit," as though He were a substance we could obtain in larger quantities, mistakes a Person for a power. We do not get more of Him as we might get more water in a jar. Rather, we yield more of ourselves to Him, that He may fill and govern more of our lives. The question is never how much of the Spirit we have, but how much of us the Spirit has.

Roho katika Uumbaji na katika Agano la KaleThe Spirit in Creation and the Old Covenant

Tatu, tunageukia kile Roho anachofanya — na kazi yake haikuanza Pentekoste. Tangu mistari ya kwanza ya Maandiko anatenda kazi: akitulia juu ya uumbaji usio na umbo (Mwa 1:2), na akitoa uhai, kwa maana "Roho wa Mungu ameniumba, na pumzi za Mwenyezi hunipa uhai" (Ayu 33:4). Katika Agano la Kale lote Yeye huwajilia watu fulani kwa kazi fulani — mafundi ili kujenga maskani, waamuzi ili kuwaokoa Israeli, wafalme kama Daudi alipotiwa mafuta (1 Sam 16:13), na manabii, walionena "wakiongozwa na Roho Mtakatifu" (2 Pet 1:21).Third, we turn to what the Spirit does — and His work did not begin at Pentecost. From the first verses of Scripture He is at work: hovering over the unformed creation (Gen 1:2), and giving life, for "the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life" (Job 33:4). Throughout the Old Testament He comes upon particular people for particular tasks — upon craftsmen to build the tabernacle, upon judges to deliver Israel, upon kings like David when he was anointed (1 Sam 16:13), and upon the prophets, who spoke as they were "moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet 1:21).

Lakini katika agano la kale Roho aliwajilia watu waliochaguliwa kwa muda na kwa kusudi fulani; hakuwa bado akikaa ndani ya watu wote wa Mungu kwa usawa. Na hivyo manabii walitazamia siku kuu zaidi, ambapo Mungu angemimina Roho wake juu ya wote wenye mwili na kuweka Roho wake ndani ya watu wake, akiiandika sheria yake mioyoni mwao (Yoe 2:28; Eze 36:26–27; Yer 31:33). Siku hiyo iliyoahidiwa ilipambazuka Pentekoste, ambayo tutaijifunza katika sehemu inayofuata.But in the old covenant the Spirit came upon chosen individuals for a time and a purpose; He did not yet indwell all God's people alike. And so the prophets looked ahead to a greater day, when God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh and put His Spirit within His people, writing His law on their hearts (Joel 2:28; Ezek 36:26–27; Jer 31:33). That promised day dawned at Pentecost, which we will study in the very next unit.

Roho na KristoThe Spirit and Christ

Nne, na katika kiini cha kila kitu, ni uhusiano wa Roho na Bwana Yesu Kristo — kwa maana hao wawili hufanya kazi kwa upatano wa karibu kabisa. Roho alikuwa juu ya Kristo katika kila hatua ya maisha yake duniani: katika kuchukuliwa mimba kwake ndani ya bikira (Lk 1:35), katika ubatizo wake, Roho aliposhuka juu yake (Lk 3:22), na katika huduma yake yote, aliyoitekeleza kwa nguvu za Roho (Lk 4:18; Mdo 10:38). Na Kristo aliyefufuka na kutukuzwa, naye, alimimina Roho juu ya kanisa (Mdo 2:33).Fourth, and at the heart of everything, is the Spirit's relation to the Lord Jesus Christ — for the two work in the closest possible harmony. The Spirit was upon Christ at every stage of His earthly life: at His conception in the virgin (Luke 1:35), at His baptism, when the Spirit descended upon Him (Luke 3:22), and throughout His ministry, which He carried out in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38). And the risen, exalted Christ, in turn, poured out the Spirit upon the church (Acts 2:33).

Jambo la muhimu kuliko yote ni kile ambacho Yesu Mwenyewe alisema Roho alikuja kufanya. Roho haji kujitangaza Mwenyewe au kuvuta macho kwenye karama zake Mwenyewe; Yeye huja kumwelekeza Mwana:Most important of all is what Jesus Himself said the Spirit came to do. The Spirit does not come to advertise Himself or to draw attention to His own gifts; He comes to point to the Son:

"Lakini atakapokuja huyo Msaidizi, nitakayewapelekea kutoka kwa Baba, yaani, Roho wa kweli atokaye kwa Baba, huyo atanishuhudia."Yohana 15:26 (SUV)"But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me."John 15:26 (NKJV)

"Yeye atanitukuza mimi," Yesu alisema, "kwa kuwa atatwaa katika yaliyo yangu na kuwapasha habari" (Yn 16:14). Hii ndiyo kazi kuu ya Roho na furaha yake — kumtukuza Kristo. Na hili linatupa, kama kozi hii inavyorudia tena na tena, kipimo cha hakika zaidi cha kazi yoyote inayodai kuwa ya Roho: je, inamwinua Yesu Kristo na kuwaongoza watu kwake? Pia Roho kamwe hataongoza kinyume cha Maandiko ambayo Yeye Mwenyewe aliyavuvia (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:21); Roho na Neno daima hukubaliana, kwa maana wanatoka kwa Mungu mmoja."He will glorify Me," Jesus said, "for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:14). This is the Spirit's great work and delight — to magnify Christ. And it gives us, as this course repeats again and again, the surest test of any work that claims to be the Spirit's: does it exalt Jesus Christ and lead people to Him? The Spirit will also never lead against the Scriptures He Himself inspired (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:21); the Spirit and the Word are always in agreement, for they are of one God.

Roho ndani ya MkristoThe Spirit in the Christian

Tano, tunafika kwenye kazi ya Roho ndani ya mwamini — kazi ambayo kwayo kila mmoja wetu anayemtumaini Kristo huletwa katika uzima na kulindwa. Inaanza kabla ya kuongoka, kwa maana Roho "atauhakikisha ulimwengu kwa habari ya dhambi, na kwa habari ya haki, na kwa habari ya hukumu" (Yn 16:8), na ni kwa Roho kwamba mtu huzaliwa mara ya pili, kwa maana "Mtu asipozaliwa kwa maji na kwa Roho, hawezi kuuingia ufalme wa Mungu" (Yn 3:5). Hakuna anayekuja kwa Kristo bila kazi hii ya ndani.Fifth, we come to the Spirit's work in the believer — the work by which each of us who trusts Christ is brought to life and kept. It begins before conversion, for the Spirit convicts the world "of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8), and it is by the Spirit that a person is born again, for "unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). No one comes to Christ apart from this inward work.

Na kila mwamini wa kweli, bila kubaguliwa, anaye Roho. Hili ni jambo la umuhimu mkubwa, nasi hatupaswi kuliacha liponyoke:And every true believer, without exception, has the Spirit. This is a point of great importance, and we must not let it slip:

"Lakini ninyi hamwufuati mwili, bali mwaifuata roho, ikiwa Roho wa Mungu anakaa ndani yenu. Lakini mtu awaye yote asiye na Roho wa Kristo, huyo si wake."Warumi 8:9 (SUV)"But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."Romans 8:9 (NKJV)

Roho hukaa ndani ya mwamini kama ndani ya hekalu (1 Kor 6:19); Yeye hushuhudia pamoja na roho zetu kwamba sisi tu watoto wa Mungu (Rum 8:16); Yeye huzaa tunda lake ndani yetu — upendo, furaha, amani, uvumilivu, na mengineyo (Gal 5:22–23); Yeye hutusaidia katika udhaifu wetu na kutuombea katika maombi (Rum 8:26); na Yeye hututia muhuri hata siku ya ukombozi (Efe 1:13–14). Zingatia sana: kukaa huku ndani yetu ni kwa wote walio wa Kristo, tangu wakati wa kuamini, si kwa wachache waliopiga hatua. Swali la ziada, iwapo kuna uzoefu tofauti wa baadaye unaoitwa ubatizo katika Roho, tutalishughulikia katika sehemu yake yenyewe; hapa tunathibitisha tu kwamba kila Mkristo tayari anaye Roho wa Mungu.The Spirit indwells the believer as a temple (1 Cor 6:19); He bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom 8:16); He produces His fruit in us — love, joy, peace, patience, and the rest (Gal 5:22–23); He helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us in prayer (Rom 8:26); and He seals us for the day of redemption (Eph 1:13–14). Note well: this indwelling belongs to all who are Christ's, from the moment of faith, not to an advanced few. The further question of whether there is a distinct later experience called the baptism in the Spirit we take up in its own unit; here we simply establish that every Christian already possesses the Spirit of God.

Kwa Roho huyo huyo tunapewa njia ya kumkaribia Baba, kwa maana kwa Kristo sisi sote tunapata njia ya kumkaribia Baba katika Roho mmoja (Efe 2:18). Yeye ni Roho wa kufanywa wana, ambaye kwake twalia, Aba, yaani, Baba (Rum 8:15; Gal 4:6), naye ni arabuni, dhamana ya urithi wetu hata tutakapoumiliki kikamilifu (2 Kor 1:22; Efe 1:14). Basi Roho si Yule tu anayeanzisha maisha ya Kikristo bali ndiye anayeyabeba, na kuyalinda, njia yote hadi nyumbani.By the same Spirit we are given access to the Father, for through Christ we both have access in one Spirit to the Father (Eph 2:18). He is the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, Abba, Father (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6), and He is the down payment, the guarantee of our inheritance until we take full possession of it (2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:14). So the Spirit is not only the One who begins the Christian life but the One who carries it, and secures it, all the way home.

Roho na KaramaThe Spirit and the Gifts

Sita na mwisho, Roho anayekaa ndani ya watu wake pia huwaandaa, na hapa tunafika kwenye mlango wa sehemu nyingine za kozi hii. Kwa kanisa Yeye hugawa karama — charismata — kwa faida ya wote na kwa kuujenga mwili wa Kristo (1 Kor 12:4–11; Rum 12:6–8; Efe 4:11–12; 1 Pet 4:10–11). Karama hizi ni zake kutoa, naye huzitoa bure:Sixth and finally, the Spirit who indwells His people also equips them, and here we reach the doorway into the rest of this course. To the church He distributes gifts — the charismata — for the common good and the building up of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:4–11; Rom 12:6–8; Eph 4:11–12; 1 Pet 4:10–11). These gifts are His to give, and He gives them freely:

"Lakini kazi hizi zote huzitenda Roho huyo mmoja, yeye yule, akimgawia kila mtu peke yake kama apendavyo."1 Wakorintho 12:11 (SUV)"But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."1 Corinthians 12:11 (NKJV)

Vuguvugu tunalojifunza, zaidi ya yote, linajishughulisha na karama hizi za Roho — ni zipi, iwapo zote zinaendelea leo, na karama kama kunena kwa lugha na unabii zinamaanisha nini. Maswali hayo yanajaza sehemu zilizo mbele, wala hatuyaamui hapa. Kwa sasa tunaweka alama tu juu ya hili: karama ni za Roho, zinazogawiwa kama apendavyo, kwa faida ya kanisa na kwa utukufu wa Mungu; na mtazamo unaofaa kuelekea kwake ni kujazwa Roho — amri inayoendelea (Efe 5:18) — kuenenda kwa Roho na kwenda sambamba naye.The movement we study is, above all, concerned with these gifts of the Spirit — which of them there are, whether all continue today, and what such gifts as tongues and prophecy mean. Those questions fill the units ahead, and we do not settle them here. For now we mark only this: the gifts are the Spirit's, distributed as He wills, for the church's good and God's glory; and the fitting posture toward Him is to be filled with the Spirit — an ongoing command (Eph 5:18) — to walk in the Spirit and to keep in step with Him.

Inafaa kuweka alama hapa juu ya tofauti itakayotuimarisha katika kozi yote: karama za Roho si sawa na tunda la Roho. Karama ni uwezo anaoutoa kwa ajili ya huduma — kufundisha, kusaidia, kuponya, na mengineyo — na Maandiko kamwe hayapimi ukomavu wa kiroho wa mtu kwa karama hizo. Tunda — upendo, furaha, amani, na neema zinazotufanya tufanane na Kristo — ndiyo ishara ya hakika zaidi ya kazi ya ndani ya Roho. Mwamini anaweza kuwa na karama za kuvutia sana na tunda kidogo, au karama za unyenyekevu na tunda tele; na ni tunda, si karama, linalodhihirisha maisha yaliyojazwa Roho kweli kweli.It is worth marking here a distinction that will steady us throughout: the gifts of the Spirit are not the same as the fruit of the Spirit. The gifts are abilities He grants for service — teaching, helping, healing, and the rest — and Scripture never measures a person's spiritual maturity by them. The fruit — love, joy, peace, and the graces that make us like Christ — is the surer sign of the Spirit's deep work. A believer may have striking gifts and little fruit, or humble gifts and abundant fruit; and it is the fruit, not the gift, that reveals a life truly filled with the Spirit.

Kumwelewa Roho IpasavyoGetting the Spirit Right

Kabla hatujaendelea, inafaa kutaja makosa mawili ambayo msingi huu unatusaidia kuyaepuka, kwa maana yote mawili ni ya kawaida na yote mawili husababisha madhara. La kwanza ni kumshusha Roho Mtakatifu awe nguvu au ushawishi tu — nguvu ya kuchotwa, mkondo wa umeme wa kujiunganisha nao — tukisahau kwamba Yeye ni Mungu na ni Nafsi, wa kuabudiwa na wa kujitoa kwake, si wa kutumiwa. La pili ni kishawishi kilicho kinyume chake: kuzama sana katika karama za Roho na madhihirisho yake ya nje hata tukasahau kwamba kazi yake kuu ni kutufanya watakatifu na kumtukuza Kristo.Before we go on, it is worth naming two errors that this foundation helps us avoid, for both are common and both do damage. The first is to reduce the Holy Spirit to a mere power or influence — a force to be tapped, a current to be plugged into — forgetting that He is God and a Person, to be worshiped and yielded to, not used. The second is the opposite temptation: to become so absorbed in the Spirit's gifts and outward manifestations that we forget His central work is to make us holy and to glorify Christ.

Maisha yaliyojazwa Roho, kama Maandiko yanavyoyaeleza, si kwanza juu ya mambo ya kustaajabisha; ni juu ya kufanana na Kristo — ukuaji wa kimya, wa kudumu, wa tunda lake katika maisha yaliyojisalimisha. Kanisa linaweza kuzithamini karama na bado likamhuzunisha Mtoaji ikiwa litasahau hili. Kwa hiyo tunamweka Roho mahali pake panapofaa: Mungu, na Nafsi; mtoaji wa uzima, na wa karama; na daima, katika kila jambo, Yule anayegeuza macho yetu kumwelekea Mwana.The Spirit-filled life, as Scripture describes it, is not first about the spectacular; it is about Christlikeness — the quiet, steady growth of His fruit in a surrendered life. A church may prize the gifts and yet grieve the Giver if it forgets this. So we keep the Spirit in His proper place: God, and a Person; the giver of life, and of gifts; and always, in everything, the One who turns our eyes to the Son.

Kristo KatikatiChrist at the Center

Kwa maana fundisho zima la Roho hatimaye linainama kuelekea Kristo. Yeye ni Mungu kikamilifu na Nafsi ya pekee; alitenda kazi katika uumbaji na katika agano la kale na sasa anakaa ndani ya kanisa; Yeye hutoa uzima, na tunda, na karama. Na katika yote hayo hujielekeza mbali na Yeye Mwenyewe kwa Yesu, ambaye alikuja kumtukuza. Kumjua Roho ipasavyo ni kumwabudu kama Mungu, kujitoa kwake kama Nafsi, kupokea uzima wake na karama zake kwa shukrani, na kufuata kule anakoongoza daima — kwa Mwokozi.For the whole doctrine of the Spirit bends, at last, toward Christ. He is fully God and a distinct Person; He worked in creation and the old covenant and now indwells the church; He gives life, and fruit, and gifts. And in all of it He points away from Himself to Jesus, whom He came to glorify. To know the Spirit rightly is to worship Him as God, to yield to Him as a Person, to receive His life and His gifts with gratitude, and to follow where He always leads — to the Savior.

Kutazama MbeleLooking Ahead

Msingi huu ukiwa umewekwa, tuko tayari kugeukia siku ile Roho aliyeahidiwa alipomiminwa juu ya kanisa, siku lilipozaliwa na utume wake kwa mataifa ukaanza. Basi, kwa Pentekoste, na matukio ya Matendo 2, tunakwenda katika sehemu inayofuata.With this foundation laid, we are ready to turn to the day the promised Spirit was poured out upon the church, the day it was born and its mission to the nations began. To Pentecost, then, and the events of Acts 2, we go in the next unit.

Maswali ya MajadilianoDiscussion Questions

• Kwa nini ni muhimu, kimatendo, iwapo tunamfikiria Roho Mtakatifu kama Nafsi au kama nguvu?Why does it matter, in practice, whether we think of the Holy Spirit as a Person or as a power?
• Utume wa Roho wa kumtukuza Kristo unatusaidiaje kupima kile kilicho kazi yake na kisicho kazi yake?How does the Spirit's mission to glorify Christ help us test what is and is not His work?
• Inamaanisha nini kwamba kila mwamini wa kweli tayari anaye Roho Mtakatifu?What does it mean that every true believer already has the Holy Spirit?
• Kanisa linawezaje kuzithamini karama za Roho bila kusahau kwamba kazi yake kuu ni utakatifu na kumwinua Kristo?How can a church value the Spirit's gifts without forgetting that His main work is holiness and the exalting of Christ?

Matumizi katika HudumaMinistry Application

Andika sentensi mbili au tatu ambazo ungeweza kuzitumia kumrekebisha, kwa upole, mtu anayesema juu ya kupata zaidi ya Roho Mtakatifu kana kwamba Yeye ni kitu badala ya Nafsi.Write two or three sentences you might use to correct, gently, someone who speaks of getting more of the Holy Spirit as though He were a substance rather than a Person.