Karama ya Lugha katika Kitabu cha MatendoThe Gift of Tongues in the Book of Acts

Tukio Moja, au Kielelezo kwa Wote?One Event, or a Pattern for All?

Sura ya pili ya Matendo inaeleza kumiminwa kukuu kwa kwanza kwa Roho Mtakatifu juu ya kanisa. Kwa sababu siku ile ilikuwa ya utukufu mkubwa hivyo, waaminio katika kila kizazi wameuliza swali la kawaida: je, kila kazi ya baadaye ya Roho lazima ifanane kabisa na Pentekoste? Je, maisha yote ya Kikristo yapimwe kwa kulinganishwa na asubuhi ile moja huko Yerusalemu?Acts chapter 2 records the first great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church. Because that day was so glorious, believers in every generation have asked a natural question: must every later work of the Spirit look exactly like Pentecost? Should the whole Christian life be measured against that single morning in Jerusalem?

Luka, aliyeandika Matendo, hatuachi tukisie. Badala ya kuifunga hadithi huko Yerusalemu, anaandika matukio mengine matatu ambapo Roho Mtakatifu aliwajia kundi jipya la waaminio: Wasamaria (Matendo 8), nyumba ya Kornelio, mtu wa Mataifa (Matendo 10), na kikundi kidogo cha wanafunzi wa Yohana Mbatizaji huko Efeso (Matendo 19). Masimulizi haya manne yamekuwa katikati ya kila mjadala kuhusu ubatizo wa Roho na kunena kwa lugha. Baadhi ya waaminio huyasoma kama kielelezo kisichobadilika ambacho kila Mkristo anapaswa kukirudia. Wengine huyasoma kama hatua muhimu katika kuenea kwa Injili wakati wa enzi ya mitume. Kabla hatujachagua kati ya usomaji huo, lazima tufanye kile tunachofanya daima: kuuliza Luka mwenyewe alikusudia kufundisha nini.Luke, who wrote Acts, does not leave us to guess. Rather than closing the story in Jerusalem, he records three more occasions on which the Holy Spirit came upon a new group of believers: the Samaritans (Acts 8), the household of the Gentile Cornelius (Acts 10), and a small band of John the Baptist's disciples at Ephesus (Acts 19). These four accounts have stood at the center of every discussion about Spirit baptism and speaking in tongues. Some believers read them as a fixed pattern that every Christian should repeat. Others read them as milestones in the spread of the gospel during the apostolic age. Before we choose between these readings, we must do what we always do: ask what Luke himself intended to teach.

Ramani Aliyotupa Luka: Matendo 1:8The Map Luke Gave Us: Acts 1:8

Kabla tu ya kupaa kwake, Bwana Yesu aliwaambia wanafunzi wake:Just before His ascension, the Lord Jesus told His disciples:

“Lakini mtapokea nguvu, akiisha kuwajilia juu yenu Roho Mtakatifu; nanyi mtakuwa mashahidi wangu katika Yerusalemu, na katika Uyahudi wote, na Samaria, na hata mwisho wa nchi.”Matendo 1:8 (SUV)“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”Acts 1:8 (NKJV)

Mstari huo mmoja ndio ramani ya kitabu kizima. Injili inasonga mbele kwa hatua — Yerusalemu, kisha Uyahudi na Samaria, kisha ulimwengu wa Mataifa, mpaka hatimaye inafika Rumi yenyewe, kitovu cha dola. Kila hatua kuu ya kusonga mbele hubeba ujumbe ule ule: Mungu hajengi makanisa mengi yaliyotengana, bali kanisa moja, la Wayahudi na watu wa Mataifa pamoja. Na katika kila mpaka, kuja kwa Roho juu ya watu wapya ni muhuri wa hadharani wa Mungu mwenyewe kwamba amewapokea katika mwili wa Kristo. Mwendo huu wa kimisionari ndio fremu ambayo kila tukio katika Matendo limepangwa kuizunguka. Iweke ramani hiyo mbele yako, na matukio yale manne ya kumiminwa kwa Roho yataanza kueleweka.That single verse is the map of the entire book. The gospel moves outward in stages — Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, then the Gentile world, until at last it reaches Rome itself, the heart of the empire. Each major advance carries the same message: God is not building many separate churches but one church, made of Jews and Gentiles together. And at each frontier, the coming of the Spirit upon a new people is God's own public seal that He has received them into the body of Christ. This missionary movement is the frame around which every scene in Acts is arranged. Keep that map before you, and the four outpourings begin to make sense.

Pentekoste Ilinenwa kwa Lugha ZinazojulikanaPentecost Was Spoken in Known Languages

Hapa lazima tuwe waangalifu na sahihi, kwa sababu machafuko mengi huanzia hapa. Ni lugha za aina gani zilizonenwa siku ya Pentekoste? Luka anatuambia waziwazi. Sauti ile ilipovuta umati wa wasafiri wa hija wa Kiyahudi kutoka mataifa mengi, walishangaa —Here we must be careful and exact, because much confusion begins at this point. What kind of tongues were spoken on the day of Pentecost? Luke tells us plainly. When the sound drew a crowd of Jewish pilgrims from many nations, they were bewildered —

“…kwa sababu kila mtu aliwasikia wakinena kwa lugha yake mwenyewe.” Wakastaajabu, “…imekuwaje basi sisi kusikia kila mtu lugha yetu tuliyozaliwa nayo?”Matendo 2:6, 8 (SUV)“…because everyone heard them speak in his own language.”  And they marveled, “…how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?”Acts 2:6, 8 (NKJV)

Muujiza wa Pentekoste haukuwa usemi usioeleweka. Ulikuwa kinyume kabisa: Wagalilaya wakimsifu Mungu katika lugha za asili za Waparthi, Wamedi, Waelamu, na watu wengine kadhaa ambao hawakuwahi kuwafundisha hata neno moja.The miracle of Pentecost was not unintelligible speech. It was the very opposite: Galileans praising God in the native languages of Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and a dozen other peoples who had never taught them a word.

Jambo hili ni muhimu. Huko Babeli (Mwanzo 11), Mungu alikuwa amewatawanya wanadamu kwa kuichafua lugha yao. Siku ya Pentekoste alianza kuyakusanya mataifa kurudi kwa kuwapa wanafunzi wake lugha zao. Pentekoste ilikuwa ishara kwamba Injili ingevuka kila kizuizi cha lugha na taifa. Neno “lugha” liwe na maana yoyote katika vifungu vingine, katika Pentekoste yenyewe lugha zile zilikuwa lugha halisi, zinazojulikana, za kibinadamu. Kwa sababu hiyo ni kulazimisha mambo kuichukulia Pentekoste kama kielelezo cha lugha isiyojulikana ya furaha ya kiroho. Maandiko yanaelekeza upande mwingine.This matters. At Babel (Genesis 11), God had scattered humanity by confusing their language. At Pentecost He began to gather the nations back by giving His disciples their languages. Pentecost was a sign that the gospel would cross every barrier of tongue and nation. Whatever the word “tongues” may mean in other passages, at Pentecost itself the tongues were real, known, human languages. For that reason it is a stretch to treat Pentecost as the model of an unknown, ecstatic tongue. The text points the other way.

Matendo 8 — WasamariaActs 8 — The Samaritans

Hatua kuu ya kwanza ya kwenda nje ilikuwa kuingia Samaria. Kwa karne nyingi Wayahudi na Wasamaria walikuwa wameishi katika mgawanyiko mchungu. Mateso yalipowatawanya waaminio wa Yerusalemu, Filipo alishuka Samaria akamhubiri Kristo, na matokeo yalikuwa ya ajabu: wengi waliamini, wengi walibatizwa, na kukawa na furaha kubwa katika mji ule.The first great leap outward was into Samaria. For centuries Jews and Samaritans had lived in bitter division. When persecution scattered the Jerusalem believers, Philip went down to Samaria and preached Christ, and the results were wonderful: many believed, many were baptized, and there was great joy in the city.

Lakini jambo lisilo la kawaida lilitokea. Roho Mtakatifu alikuwa bado hajawashukia waaminio hawa wapya kwa njia inayoonekana kama ilivyoonwa Yerusalemu. Basi mitume Petro na Yohana walikuja kutoka Yerusalemu, wakawaombea, wakaweka mikono yao juu yao, ndipo Roho akatolewa. Kwa kweli Luka hasemi kwamba Wasamaria walinena kwa lugha. Wengine hudhani lazima walinena, kwa sababu Simoni yule mchawi aliona jambo la kushangaza kiasi kwamba alijaribu kununua uwezo wa mitume kwa fedha. Wengine wanabainisha kwamba Luka kwa makusudi anayaacha maelezo hayo bila kuyataja. Kwa vyovyote vile, jambo moja liliwekwa wazi bila shaka kwa kila aliyekuwepo: Mungu alikuwa amewapokea Wasamaria.Yet something unusual happened. The Holy Spirit had not yet fallen on these new believers in the visible way seen in Jerusalem. So the apostles Peter and John came from Jerusalem, prayed for them, laid their hands on them, and then the Spirit was given. Luke does not actually say that the Samaritans spoke in tongues. Some think they must have, because Simon the sorcerer saw something so striking that he tried to buy the apostles' power with money. Others note that Luke deliberately leaves the details unspoken. Either way, one thing was made unmistakable to everyone present: God had received the Samaritans.

Kwa nini kuchelewa huku? Yaelekea zaidi ni kwa ajili ya umoja. Kama Wasamaria wangempokea Roho mbali kabisa na kanisa la Yerusalemu, makanisa mawili hasimu yangeweza kutokea — moja la Kiyahudi, jingine la Kisamaria — yakirudia mgawanyiko ule wa zamani ndani ya mwili wa Kristo. Badala yake, mitume wenyewe walishuhudia na kuwakaribisha Wasamaria, na kanisa likabaki moja chini ya Bwana mmoja.Why the delay? Most likely for the sake of unity. Had the Samaritans received the Spirit entirely apart from the Jerusalem church, two rival churches might have formed — one Jewish, one Samaritan — repeating the old division inside the body of Christ. Instead, the apostles themselves witnessed and welcomed the Samaritans, and the church remained one under one Lord.

Matendo 10 — Kornelio na Watu wa MataifaActs 10 — Cornelius and the Gentiles

Hatua iliyofuata ilikuwa kubwa zaidi. Kornelio hakuwa Msamaria; alikuwa mtu wa Mataifa, akida wa Kirumi. Kwa waaminio wengi wa Kiyahudi, wazo kwamba watu wa Mataifa wasiotahiriwa wangeweza kuingia katika watu wa agano la Mungu bila kwanza kuwa Wayahudi lilikuwa karibu jambo lisilowazika. Basi Mungu alimwandaa Petro kwa maono, akimfundisha asimwite mtu yeyote najisi. Petro aliingia nyumbani mwa mtu huyo wa Mataifa akaanza kuhubiri — na kabla hata hotuba haijamalizika, Roho Mtakatifu aliwashukia wote waliosikia. Luka anatuambia kwamba waaminio wa Kiyahudi walijua hivyo —The next step was greater still. Cornelius was not a Samaritan; he was a Gentile, a Roman centurion. To many Jewish believers, the idea that uncircumcised Gentiles could enter God's covenant people without first becoming Jews was almost unthinkable. So God prepared Peter with a vision, teaching him to call no man unclean. Peter entered the Gentile's house and began to preach — and before the sermon was even finished, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard. Luke tells us the Jewish believers knew it —

“Kwa sababu waliwasikia wakinena kwa lugha, na kumwadhimisha Mungu.”Matendo 10:46 (SUV)“For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.”Acts 10:46 (NKJV)

Hapa lugha zilitimiza kusudi lisilo na shaka. Ziliwathibitishia Wakristo wa Kiyahudi waliostaajabu kwamba Mungu alikuwa amewakubali watu wa Mataifa kwa msingi ule ule kabisa kama wao wenyewe — kwa neema, kwa njia ya imani, bila sheria. Baadaye, Petro alipohojiwa huko Yerusalemu, hili ndilo lililokuwa jibu lake la utetezi: Mungu Mwenyewe alikuwa amewapa kipawa kile kile, basi Petro alikuwa nani hata ampinge Mungu? Angalia tena kwamba Luka hatuambii kama lugha hizi zilikuwa lugha zinazojulikana au kitu kingine. Katika jambo hilo tunaweza kushikilia hitimisho letu kwa ulegevu; maandiko hayasemi.Here the tongues served an unmistakable purpose. They proved to astonished Jewish Christians that God had accepted Gentiles on exactly the same footing as themselves — by grace, through faith, apart from the law. Later, when Peter was challenged in Jerusalem, this was his defense: God Himself had given them the same gift, so who was Peter to stand in God's way? Notice again that Luke does not tell us whether these tongues were known languages or something else. On that point we may hold our conclusion loosely; the text simply does not say.

Matendo 19 — Wanafunzi wa EfesoActs 19 — The Disciples at Ephesus

Simulizi la mwisho ni la Efeso, ambapo Paulo alikutana na watu wapata kumi na wawili waliokuwa wamepokea ubatizo wa Yohana tu na hawakuwa wamesikia hata kwamba Roho Mtakatifu ametolewa. Hali yao ilikuwa ya pekee: walikuwa wanafunzi wa Yohana Mbatizaji, wakiishi baada ya ufufuo, ambao hawakuwahi kusikia Injili kamili. Paulo alieleza kwamba Yohana alikuwa ameelekeza mbele kwa Yesu; watu wale waliamini na wakabatizwa kwa jina la Bwana Yesu; Paulo akaweka mikono juu yao —The last account is at Ephesus, where Paul met about twelve men who had received only John's baptism and had not so much as heard that the Holy Spirit had been given. Theirs was an unusual case: they were disciples of John the Baptist, living after the resurrection, who had never heard the completed gospel. Paul explained that John had pointed forward to Jesus; the men believed and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus; Paul laid hands on them —

“…wakanena kwa lugha, na kutabiri.”Matendo 19:6 (SUV)“…and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”Acts 19:6 (NKJV)

Kwa mara nyingine tena, Mungu alithibitisha hadharani kwamba kundi jingine lilikuwa limeletwa ndani ya watu wa agano jipya wa Kristo.Once more, God openly confirmed that another group had been brought into the new-covenant people of Christ.

Matukio Manne, Kusudi la Mwandishi MmojaFour Scenes, One Author's Purpose

Weka masimulizi haya manne kando kwa kando, na umoja wake pamoja na tofauti zake vitajitokeza wazi. Katika kila tukio Roho Mtakatifu anafanya kazi, Injili inasonga mbele kwa watu wapya, na Mungu — si mwanadamu — ndiye anayechukua hatua ya kwanza. Hata hivyo mazingira yanatofautiana sana. Siku ya Pentekoste Roho alikuja bila kuwekewa mikono. Huko Samaria alikuja kupitia mikono ya mitume. Nyumbani mwa Kornelio alikuja Petro alipokuwa bado akihubiri, kabla ya ubatizo. Huko Efeso alikuja baada ya ubatizo na kuwekewa mikono. Hakuna mfuatano maalum hapa ambao kila mwamini lazima aupitie. Inafaa pia kuona kwamba Luka anataja waziwazi kunena kwa lugha katika baadhi tu ya matukio haya ya kumiminwa kwa Roho — siku ya Pentekoste, nyumbani mwa Kornelio, na huko Efeso — wakati huko Samaria hataji kamwe. Basi, hata ishara inayojadiliwa zaidi haifanywi kuonekana katika kila hatua, na uchunguzi huo mmoja unapaswa kutufanya tuwe waangalifu tusigeuze tukio lolote moja kuwa kanuni inayomfunga kila mwamini kwa nyakati zote. Kile Luka anachotuonyesha si fomula bali uhuru wa enzi ya Mungu, akifungua mlango wa imani kwa watu mmoja baada ya mwingine.Set the four accounts side by side and both their unity and their variety stand out. In every case the Holy Spirit works, the gospel advances to new people, and God — not man — takes the initiative. Yet the circumstances differ sharply. At Pentecost the Spirit came with no laying on of hands. In Samaria He came through the apostles' hands. In Cornelius's house He came while Peter was still preaching, before baptism. At Ephesus He came after baptism and the laying on of hands. There is no fixed sequence here that every believer must pass through. It is worth noticing, too, that Luke reports tongues explicitly at only some of these outpourings — at Pentecost, at Cornelius's house, and at Ephesus — while in Samaria he never mentions them at all. Even the most-discussed sign, then, is not made to appear at every step, and that single observation should make us cautious about turning any one scene into a rule that binds every believer for all time. What Luke shows us is not a formula but the sovereign freedom of God, opening the door of faith to one people after another.

Kueleza Si Sawa na KuamuruDescribing Is Not the Same as Commanding

Hili linatuleta kwenye kanuni inayotulinda dhidi ya makosa mengi. Kitabu cha Matendo, kwanza kabisa, ni historia — simulizi la yaliyotokea. Simulizi hueleza matukio; halituamuru moja kwa moja kuyarudia. Matendo inaeleza waaminio wakiuza mali zao, wakimchagua mtume kwa kura, wakinyakuliwa na Roho, na wakifunguliwa gerezani na malaika, lakini kanisa halijawahi kufundisha kwamba kila mojawapo ya mambo haya lazima limtokee kila Mkristo. Hili halipunguzi chochote katika mamlaka ya Maandiko. Linatukumbusha tu kuuliza, katika kila kifungu, kama tunaonyeshwa kile kilichotokea mara moja au tunafundishwa kile ambacho lazima kifanyike daima.This brings us to a principle that guards us from many errors. The book of Acts is, first of all, history — a narrative of what happened. A narrative describes events; it does not automatically command us to repeat them. Acts describes believers selling their possessions, choosing an apostle by lot, being carried away by the Spirit, and being freed from prison by angels, yet the church has never taught that each of these must happen to every Christian. This takes nothing away from Scripture's authority. It simply reminds us to ask, in each passage, whether we are being shown what once occurred or being taught what must always be done.

Tofauti hiyo ni ya uamuzi kwa somo la lugha, nayo hukata pande mbili kwa wakati mmoja. Kwa upande mmoja, kwa sababu matukio yale manne ya kumiminwa kwa Roho yanatofautiana sana, hatupaswi kujenga kutoka kwayo kielelezo kimoja kinachohitajika — kana kwamba kila mwamini lazima apate uzoefu wa pili, ulio tofauti, unaoambatana na kunena kwa lugha. Kwa upande mwingine, kanuni hiyo hiyo inatuonya tusikimbilie kosa la upande wa pili la kutangaza kwamba karama hii si halali. Simulizi la Matendo halikukusudiwa kamwe kuamua, peke yake, jinsi karama zinavyofanya kazi katika maisha ya kawaida ya kanisa. Kwa jambo hilo lazima tugeukie vifungu vilivyoandikwa ili kulifundisha kanisa moja kwa moja — nyaraka za Paulo.That distinction is decisive for the subject of tongues, and it cuts in two directions at once. On one hand, because the four outpourings differ so widely, we should not build from them a single required pattern — as if every believer must have a second, separate experience marked by tongues. On the other hand, the same principle warns us not to rush to the opposite error of declaring the gift invalid. The narrative of Acts was never meant to settle, by itself, how the gifts function in the ordinary life of the church. For that we must turn to the passages that were written to teach the church directly — the letters of Paul.

Maswali Mawili Tunayopaswa KuyatenganishaTwo Questions We Must Keep Apart

Joto kubwa katika mjadala huu linatokana na kuchanganya maswali mawili tofauti sana. Hebu tuyaweke kando kila moja.Much heat in this debate comes from confusing two very different questions. Let us hold them apart.

Kwa hiyo tunaweza kushikilia kweli mbili pamoja bila kujipinga: karama ni ya kweli, na hata hivyo kunena kwa lugha si uthibitisho wa lazima unaopaswa kuambatana na kila mapokezi ya kweli ya Roho. Kuikubali ile ya kwanza huku tukiikataa ile ya pili si maafikiano ya kulegeza msimamo; ni kufuata tu maandiko pale yanapoongoza.We can therefore hold two truths together without contradiction: the gift is genuine, and yet tongues is not the mandatory proof that must accompany every true reception of the Spirit. To affirm the first while declining the second is not a compromise; it is simply following the text where it leads.

Matunda Tusiyoweza KuyakanaThe Fruit We Cannot Deny

Vyovyote vile hitimisho letu katika mambo haya madogo, uaminifu unatulazimu kuyakiri yale ambayo Mungu ametenda kupitia waaminio waliojazwa Roho katika zama zetu. Leo takriban Wakristo milioni 644 — karibu mmoja kati ya kila waaminio wanne duniani — ni wa vuguvugu la Kipentekoste na la karismatiki, na kwa zaidi ya miaka mia moja Wakristo hawa wamesimama mstari wa mbele kabisa katika uinjilisti wa ulimwengu, wakiipeleka Injili mahali ambapo wengine hawakuwahi kufika. Tunaweza kupima mafundisho kwa makini, nasi tutafanya hivyo; lakini hatuwezi kuyatazama mavuno hayo bila kutoa shukrani. Pale Kristo anapohubiriwa na wenye dhambi wanapookolewa, Roho Mtakatifu yuko kazini.Whatever our conclusions on these fine points, honesty compels us to reckon with what God has done through Spirit-filled believers in our own age. Today roughly 644 million Christians — about one in four believers on earth — belong to the Pentecostal and charismatic movement, and for more than a hundred years these Christians have stood at the very front of world evangelism, carrying the gospel into places others never reached. We may weigh doctrines carefully, and we will; but we cannot look at that harvest and fail to give thanks. Where Christ is preached and sinners are saved, the Holy Spirit is at work.

Kristo KatikatiChrist at the Center

Bwana Yesu alisema kwamba Roho atakapokuja, atamtukuza Kristo (Yohana 16:14). Hicho ndicho kipimo cha kila karama na kila vuguvugu. Lugha, uponyaji, unabii, ufundishaji — zote zimetolewa si kwa ajili ya kutukuza uzoefu fulani au mtu fulani, bali kumwinua Mwokozi na kuujenga mwili wake katika upendo. Kwa hiyo tunawaendea ndugu zetu wa kiume na wa kike wa Kipentekoste na wa karismatiki si kama wapinzani wa kushindwa bali kama familia katika Kristo, tukishika Maandiko kwa uthabiti, tukijaribu mambo yote, na kumweka Bwana Yesu katikati ya yote.The Lord Jesus said that when the Spirit came, He would glorify Christ (John 16:14). That is the test of every gift and every movement. Tongues, healing, prophecy, teaching — all of them are given not to exalt an experience or a man, but to lift up the Savior and build His body in love. So we come to our Pentecostal and charismatic brothers and sisters not as opponents to be defeated but as family in Christ, holding fast to Scripture, testing all things, and keeping the Lord Jesus at the center of all.

Tukitazama MbeleLooking Ahead

Katika sehemu inayofuata tutageuka kutoka kwenye simulizi la Matendo kwenda kwenye mafundisho ya moja kwa moja ya Paulo katika Warumi 12, 1 Wakorintho 12–14, na Waefeso 4. Huko tutaona kwamba jambo linalomhangaisha mtume kuliko yote si karama zipi alizo nazo mwamini, bali kama kila karama inatumika katika upendo, kwa utaratibu, na kwa ajili ya kuujenga mwili wa Kristo.In the next unit we turn from the narrative of Acts to the direct teaching of Paul in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12–14, and Ephesians 4. There we will find that the apostle's deepest concern is not which gifts a believer possesses, but whether every gift is used in love, in order, and for the building up of the body of Christ.

Maswali ya MajadilianoDiscussion Questions

• Kuiweka Matendo 1:8 mbele ya macho yetu kunabadilishaje jinsi tunavyosoma matukio manne ya kumiminwa kwa Roho?How does keeping Acts 1:8 in view change the way we read the four outpourings of the Spirit?
• Kwa nini ni muhimu, kichungaji, kusema waziwazi kwamba karama ya lugha ni ya kweli kabla ya kujadili mahali ambapo mafundisho ya ushahidi wa awali yanavuka mipaka?Why is it important, pastorally, to say clearly that the gift of tongues is genuine before discussing where the initial-evidence doctrine goes too far?
• Kanuni ya “eleza, usiagize moja kwa moja” inaweza kutumiwa vibaya ili kupuuza chochote tusichokipenda. Sehemu hii inajilindaje dhidi ya matumizi mabaya hayo?The principle “describe, do not automatically prescribe” can be misused to dismiss anything we dislike. How does this unit guard against that abuse?
• Ingekuwaje, katika kanisa lako mwenyewe, kuwapokea waaminio wa Kipentekoste na wa karismatiki kama familia huku bado ukijaribu mambo yote kwa Maandiko?What would it look like, in your own congregation, to receive Pentecostal and charismatic believers as family while still testing all things by Scripture?

Matumizi katika HudumaMinistry Application

Mfikirie mwamini mmoja au kanisa moja katika mzunguko wako ambalo limeundwa na vuguvugu la Kipentekoste au la karismatiki. Andika sentensi mbili ambazo ungeweza kusema kwa uaminifu ili kuthibitisha yale ambayo Mungu ametenda kati yao, na andiko moja ambalo ungelitoa kwa upole ili kumweka Kristo, si uzoefu wowote mmoja, katikati.Think of one believer or church in your circle shaped by the Pentecostal or charismatic movement. Write two sentences you could honestly say to affirm what God has done among them, and one Scripture you would gently offer to keep Christ, not any single experience, at the center.