Swali Lililo Nyuma ya MjadalaThe Question Behind the Debate
Ni masomo machache yaliyowagawanya Wakristo wa dhati kuliko maana ya maneno “kubatizwa kwa Roho Mtakatifu.” Kila mwamini anakubali kwamba Roho Mtakatifu ni wa lazima kwa maisha ya Kikristo; hakuna anayeyajua Maandiko anayelitilia shaka hilo. Kutokubaliana si juu ya iwapo tunamhitaji Roho, bali juu ya ubatizo huu ni lini na ni nini.Few subjects have divided sincere Christians more than the meaning of the phrase “baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Every believer agrees that the Holy Spirit is essential to the Christian life; no one who knows the Scriptures doubts that. The disagreement is not over whether we need the Spirit, but over when and what this baptism is.
Maswali mawili yamesimama nyuma ya mjadala wote. Kwanza, je, ubatizo katika Roho ni jambo moja, linalopokelewa na kila mwamini wakati ule ule wa kuokoka — au ni uzoefu wa pili, ulio tofauti, unaokuja wakati fulani baada ya mtu kuokolewa? Pili, ikiwa kuna uzoefu zaidi wa nguvu za Roho, ni nini kinachouthibitisha, na je, kuna ishara moja inayohitajika? Katika sehemu hii tutayaweka majibu makuu bega kwa bega na kujaribu kueleza kila jibu kwa haki na kwa nguvu kama watetezi wake bora wangelieleza. Lengo letu si kuwashinda waumini wenzetu kwa hoja, bali kuyaelewa Maandiko na kuelewana sisi kwa sisi.Two questions stand behind the whole debate. First, is the baptism in the Spirit one thing, received by every believer at the moment of conversion — or is it a second, distinct experience that comes some time after a person is saved? Second, if there is a further experience of the Spirit's power, what marks it, and is any single sign required? In this unit we will lay the main answers side by side and try to state each one as fairly and as strongly as its own best defenders would. Our aim is not to score points against fellow believers but to understand the Scriptures and one another.
Hili si swali la mbali la kitaaluma. Makanisa mengi ambayo wanafunzi wetu wanayahudumia — na waumini wengi katika familia zao wenyewe — yameumbwa na mojawapo ya majibu haya, na wakati mwingine yameumizwa na jinsi mipaka ilivyochorwa kwa ukali. Mwamini aliyeambiwa kwamba hajampokea Roho kwa kweli mpaka anene kwa lugha anaweza kubeba kuvunjika moyo kwa kweli; mwamini kutoka mapokeo ya utulivu zaidi anaweza kuitazama ibada ya Kipentekoste kwa shaka. Ili kuchunga vizuri, tunahitaji kuelewa si tu kile Maandiko yanachosema bali pia kwa nini Wakristo wa dhati wameyasoma kwa namna tofauti hivyo, ili tuweze kuwaongoza watu wetu kwa msimamo thabiti na kwa upole.This is not a distant, academic question. Many of the churches our students serve — and many of the believers in their own families — have been shaped by one of these answers, and have sometimes been wounded by how sharply the lines were drawn. A believer who has been told he has not truly received the Spirit until he speaks in tongues may carry real discouragement; a believer from a quieter tradition may look on Pentecostal worship with suspicion. To pastor well, we need to understand not only what the Scriptures say but why sincere Christians have read them so differently, so that we can lead our people with both conviction and gentleness.
Maneno Katika MaandikoThe Words in Scripture
Maneno haya yanatoka kwanza kwa Yohana Mbatizaji, aliyesema kuhusu Kristo atakayekuja, “Yeye atawabatiza kwa Roho Mtakatifu na kwa moto.” Bwana Yesu aliichukua ahadi hiyo hiyo muda mfupi kabla ya kupaa kwake:The phrase itself comes first from John the Baptist, who said of the coming Christ, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” The Lord Jesus took up the same promise just before His ascension:
“…Kwa sababu Yohana alibatiza kwa maji, bali ninyi mtabatizwa kwa Roho Mtakatifu baada ya siku hizi chache.”Matendo 1:5 (SUV)“…for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”Acts 1:5 (NKJV)
Ahadi hiyo ilitimizwa siku ya Pentekoste, na baadaye Petro aliikumbuka Roho alipomshukia Kornelio (Matendo 11:16). Kwa hiyo Injili na kitabu cha Matendo vinatupa ahadi na matimizo yake ya kwanza. Kisha mtume Paulo anatupa maelezo ya kile ambacho ubatizo huu unatimiza katika kila Mkristo:That promise was fulfilled at Pentecost, and Peter later recalled it when the Spirit fell on Cornelius (Acts 11:16). So the Gospels and Acts give us the promise and its first fulfillments. The apostle Paul then gives us a statement of what this baptism accomplishes in every Christian:
“Kwa maana katika Roho mmoja sisi sote tulibatizwa kuwa mwili mmoja…sote tukanyweshwa Roho mmoja.”1 Wakorintho 12:13 (SUV)“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”1 Corinthians 12:13 (NKJV)
Hapa ndipo hasa mitazamo inapoanza kuachana. Je, sentensi ya Paulo inaufafanua ubatizo wa Roho kama tendo moja ambalo kwalo kila mwamini anaunganishwa na mwili wa Kristo? Au Paulo anaeleza jambo lililo tofauti na “ubatizo kwa Roho” ambao Yohana aliuahidi na Pentekoste ikaudhihirisha? Jinsi Mkristo anavyolisoma andiko hilo moja kwa kiasi kikubwa huamua atasimama wapi.Here is exactly where the views begin to part. Does Paul's sentence define Spirit-baptism as the one act by which every believer is joined to the body of Christ? Or is Paul describing something distinct from the “baptism with the Spirit” that John promised and Pentecost displayed? How a Christian reads that single verse largely decides where he lands.
Njia Nne Ambazo Wakristo WamejibuFour Ways Christians Have Answered
Katika karne nyingi, na hasa katika miaka mia moja iliyopita, waumini wanaompenda Bwana yule yule na kuiheshimu Biblia ile ile wamejibu kwa njia nne kuu. Soma kila mmoja kwa moyo wazi; kila mmoja unashikwa na watu wanaomcha Mungu, na kila mmoja unajitahidi kufikia jambo ambalo Maandiko yanafundisha kwa kweli.Across the centuries, and especially in the last hundred years, believers who love the same Lord and honor the same Bible have answered in four main ways. Read each with an open heart; each is held by godly people, and each is reaching for something the Scriptures truly teach.
Mtazamo wa 1 Kipentekoste cha kale — kutiwa nguvu kunakofuata baadayeView 1 Classical Pentecostal — a subsequent empowerment
Dai: Ubatizo katika Roho ni uzoefu tofauti unaokuja baada ya kuokoka, ukimtia mwamini nguvu kwa ajili ya ushuhuda na huduma, na kwa kawaida huthibitishwa kwa kunena kwa lugha.The claim: The baptism in the Spirit is a distinct experience that comes after conversion, empowering the believer for witness and service, and normally evidenced by speaking in tongues.
Maandiko makuu: Mfumo unaoonekana katika Matendo. Wanafunzi walikuwa tayari waumini kabla ya Pentekoste; Wasamaria waliamini na baadaye tu wakampokea Roho kupitia mitume; na Paulo aliwauliza Waefeso, “Je! Mlipokea Roho Mtakatifu mlipoamini?” (Matendo 19:2), kana kwamba kumpokea Roho kungeweza kutofautishwa na kuamini.Key texts: The pattern in Acts. The disciples were already believers before Pentecost; the Samaritans believed and only later received the Spirit through the apostles; and Paul asked the Ephesians, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:2), as though reception could be distinguished from believing.
Hoja: Mara kwa mara kitabu cha Matendo kinaonekana kuonyesha uzoefu wa hatua mbili, na Bwana aliyefufuka aliwaambia wanafunzi waliokwisha kuamini wangoje Yerusalemu mpaka wapewe nguvu kutoka juu (Matendo 1:8). Kwa usomaji huu, ubatizo wa Roho ni karama mahususi inayopaswa kutafutwa kwa bidii, si kudhaniwa tu kwamba ipo.The case: Again and again Acts seems to show a two-stage experience, and the risen Lord told already-believing disciples to wait in Jerusalem for power from on high (Acts 1:8). Spirit-baptism, on this reading, is a definite gift to be sought earnestly, not merely assumed.
Mtazamo wa 2 Utakatifu wa Kiwesley — kazi ya pili ya kutakasaView 2 Wesleyan-Holiness — a second, sanctifying work
Dai: Ubatizo katika Roho ni kazi ya pili mahususi ya neema, inayofuata baada ya kuokoka, ambayo husafisha moyo na kumtia mwamini nguvu kwa maisha matakatifu.The claim: The baptism in the Spirit is a second definite work of grace, subsequent to conversion, that cleanses the heart and empowers the believer for holy living.
Maandiko makuu: Wito wa utakatifu (1 Pet 1:15–16), ahadi ya moyo mpya (Eze 36:25–27), na ushuhuda wa Petro kwamba Mungu aliwapa Mataifa Roho, “akiwasafisha mioyo yao kwa imani” (Matendo 15:8–9).Key texts: The call to holiness (1 Pet 1:15–16), the promise of a new heart (Ezek 36:25–27), and Peter's testimony that God gave the Gentiles the Spirit, “purifying their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:8–9).
Hoja: Agano Jipya kwa wazi linatarajia kuzama zaidi kwa namna ya kuamua kupita wongofu wa kwanza, na lugha ya ubatizo inafaa tukio la pili la kujiweka wakfu kikamilifu. Utakatifu ni mapenzi ya Mungu yaliyofunuliwa kwa watu wake, naye hutoa neema ya kuufuatilia.The case: The New Testament plainly expects a decisive deepening beyond first conversion, and the language of a baptism fits a second crisis of full consecration. Holiness is God's revealed will for His people, and He provides the grace to pursue it.
Mtazamo wa 3 Kuanzishwa Wakati wa Kuokoka — hupokelewa na wote wakati wa kuokokaView 3 Conversion-initiation — received by all at conversion
Dai: Ubatizo katika Roho ndio kinachotokea wakati wa kuokoka: katika Roho mmoja kila mwamini anabatizwa kuwa mwili mmoja wa Kristo. Kuna ubatizo mmoja (Efe 4:5), unaoshirikiwa na Wakristo wote bila kuacha hata mmoja. Uzoefu wa baadaye wa nguvu za Roho ni halisi, lakini ni kujazwa, si ubatizo wa ziada.The claim: The baptism in the Spirit is what happens at conversion: by one Spirit every believer is baptized into the one body of Christ. There is one baptism (Eph 4:5), shared by all Christians without exception. Later experiences of the Spirit's power are real, but they are fillings, not additional baptisms.
Maandiko makuu: 1 Wakorintho 12:13 — Paulo anasema wote walibatizwa katika Roho mmoja kuwa mwili mmoja, bila dalili yoyote ya daraja la pili la waumini — pamoja na “ubatizo mmoja” wa Waefeso 4:4–5.Key texts: 1 Corinthians 12:13 — Paul says all were baptized by one Spirit into one body, with no hint of a second class of believers — together with the “one baptism” of Ephesians 4:4–5.
Hoja: Paulo alikuwa akiliandikia kanisa ambalo kwa wazi lilikuwa na karama za kiroho, lakini anasema wote — si wachache waliopiga hatua zaidi — walikuwa wamebatizwa katika Roho. Kwa hiyo ubatizo huo hauwezi kuwa mafanikio ya baadaye yaliyowekwa kwa ajili ya baadhi tu. Mimiminiko katika Matendo ni nyakati za uzinduzi zisizorudiwa za Injili ikiwafikia watu wapya — Yerusalemu, Samaria, Mataifa, wanafunzi wa Yohana — si mfumo wa kudumu kwa kila mwamini baadaye.The case: Paul was writing to a church that clearly possessed spiritual gifts, yet he says all of them — not an advanced few — had been Spirit-baptized. So the baptism cannot be a later attainment reserved for some. The outpourings in Acts are the unrepeatable inaugural moments of the gospel reaching new peoples — Jerusalem, Samaria, the Gentiles, John's disciples — not the standing pattern for every believer afterward.
Mtazamo wa 4 “Ubatizo mmoja, kujazwa mara nyingi” — mtazamo wa katiView 4 “One baptism, many fillings” — a mediating view
Dai: Kila mwamini anabatizwa ndani ya Kristo wakati wa kuokoka (1 Kor 12:13), na kuna kujazwa zaidi kunakoweza kutafutwa, au kufunguliwa kwa nguvu za Roho — halisi na kunakorudiwa, mara nyingi kukiambatana na karama ikiwemo kunena kwa lugha, lakini si ubatizo wa pili na si sharti la wokovu wala la hadhi kamili.The claim: Every believer is baptized into Christ at conversion (1 Cor 12:13), and there are further seekable fillings, or releases, of the Spirit's power — real and repeatable, often accompanied by gifts including tongues, but not a second baptism and not a requirement for salvation or full standing.
Maandiko makuu: Kujazwa kunakorudiwa kwa waumini wale wale katika Matendo (Matendo 2:4; 4:8; 4:31) na amri ya wakati uliopo, “mjazwe Roho” (Efe 5:18).Key texts: The repeated fillings of the same believers in Acts (Acts 2:4; 4:8; 4:31) and the present-tense command, “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18).
Hoja: Mtazamo huu unatafuta kuheshimu kweli zote mbili kwa wakati mmoja: kila mwamini tayari ni mali ya Kristo kikamilifu, na bado Agano Jipya kwa wazi linaeleza kutiwa nguvu kunakorudiwa ambako kunapaswa kutafutwa — bila kuligawa kanisa katika madaraja mawili ya Wakristo.The case: This view seeks to honor both truths at once: every believer already belongs fully to Christ, and yet the New Testament plainly describes repeated empowerings to be sought — without dividing the church into two ranks of Christians.
Jinsi Mitazamo Inavyosoma Kitabu cha MatendoHow the Views Read the Book of Acts
Inafaa kutua kidogo ili kuona kwa nini sura zile zile za Matendo zinaongoza kwenye hitimisho tofauti hivyo, kwa sababu sehemu kubwa ya kutokubaliana ipo hapa hasa. Msomaji wa Kipentekoste anaona katika Matendo mfumo wa hatua mbili unaorudiwa: watu wanaamini, na kisha, baadaye, wanapokea nguvu za Roho — siku ya Pentekoste, huko Samaria, huko Efeso. Ikiwa huo ndio mfumo ambao Mungu ameuweka, basi uzoefu wa pili unaofuata ni matarajio ya kawaida ya Kikristo. Msomaji wa mtazamo wa Kuanzishwa Wakati wa Kuokoka anazitazama sura zile zile na kuona jambo jingine: si kielelezo kinachojirudia bali mfululizo wa nyakati za kwanza zisizorudiwa, kila moja ikiwa ni Roho akipenya mpaka mpya Injili inapovuka kutoka kwa Wayahudi hadi kwa Wasamaria hadi kwa Mataifa hadi kwa wanafunzi wa mwisho wa Yohana.It is worth pausing to see why the same chapters of Acts lead to such different conclusions, because much of the disagreement lives right here. The Pentecostal reader sees in Acts a repeated two-stage pattern: people believe, and then, at a later point, they receive the Spirit's power — at Pentecost, in Samaria, at Ephesus. If that is the pattern God has laid down, then a second, subsequent experience is normal Christian expectation. The conversion-initiation reader looks at the very same chapters and sees something else: not a repeating template but a series of unrepeatable first moments, each one the Spirit breaking into a new frontier as the gospel crosses from Jews to Samaritans to Gentiles to the last disciples of John.
Hapa kanuni tuliyokutana nayo katika sehemu moja ya awali inatusaidia tena: kitabu cha Matendo kinaeleza kilichotokea, na lazima tuulize katika kila tukio iwapo tunaonyeshwa tukio la kipekee la msingi au mfumo uliokusudiwa kwa kila mwamini baadaye. Swali hilo moja — maelezo au agizo — liko chini ya sehemu kubwa ya mjadala huu wote, na wanafunzi waaminifu wa pande zote mbili watakubali kwamba sura hizi zinaweza kusomwa kwa njia zaidi ya moja.Here the principle we met in an earlier unit serves us again: the book of Acts describes what happened, and we must ask in each case whether we are being shown a unique, founding event or a pattern meant for every believer thereafter. That single question — description or prescription — lies underneath much of this whole debate, and honest students on both sides will grant that these chapters can be read in more than one way.
Ubatizo Mmoja, Kujazwa KunakorudiwaOne Baptism, Repeated Filling
Joto kubwa la mjadala huu huanza kupoa tunapotambua kwamba Maandiko yanazungumza juu ya mambo mawili halisi yaliyo tofauti na hayayachanganyi. Upande mmoja kuna ubatizo mmoja unaotuunganisha na mwili wa Kristo, unaopokelewa na kila mwamini, ambao Paulo anaandika juu yake katika 1 Wakorintho 12:13 na Waefeso 4:4–5. Upande mwingine kuna kujazwa kunakorudiwa ambako kanisa limeamriwa kuendelea kukutafuta.Much of the heat in this debate begins to cool once we notice that Scripture speaks of two distinct realities and does not confuse them. On one hand there is the one baptism that joins us to the body of Christ, received by every believer, of which Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Ephesians 4:4–5. On the other hand there is the repeated filling that the church is commanded to keep seeking.
“Tena msilewe kwa mvinyo…bali mjazwe Roho.”Waefeso 5:18 (SUV)“And do not be drunk with wine…but be filled with the Spirit.”Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV)
Amri hii iko katika wakati uliopo — kihalisi, “endeleeni kujazwa.” Na hivyo ndivyo hasa tunavyoona katika Matendo: waumini wale wale waliojazwa siku ya Pentekoste wanajazwa tena na tena (Matendo 2:4; 4:8, 31; 13:9, 52). Kwa hiyo Maandiko kwa hakika yanaeleza kazi ya Roho inayoendelea, inayozidi kuzama, na inayotia nguvu. Mapokeo ya Kipentekoste na ya Kiwesley yako sahihi kuithamini na kuitafuta kwa bidii. Wakati huo huo, kuingia katika mwili wa Kristo ni kumoja, na ni kamili kwa kila mwamini. Hapa, juu ya tofauti kati ya ubatizo mmoja na kujazwa mara nyingi, mitazamo minne inaweza kupata msingi wa pamoja mkubwa zaidi kuliko mjadala unavyokubali kwa kawaida.The command is in the present tense — literally, “keep on being filled.” And that is exactly what we see in Acts: the very believers who were filled at Pentecost are filled again and again (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 13:9, 52). So the Scriptures certainly describe an ongoing, deepening, empowering work of the Spirit. The Pentecostal and Wesleyan traditions are right to prize this and to seek it earnestly. At the same time, the entry into the body of Christ is one, and it is complete for every believer. Here, on the difference between the one baptism and the many fillings, the four views can find far more common ground than the debate usually admits.
Kujazwa huko kunaonekanaje? Katika Matendo kunahusishwa si na hisia moja bali na ushuhuda wa ujasiri, na hekima katika majaribu, na furaha katika mateso, na maisha yaliyotolewa kwa Mungu waziwazi (Matendo 4:31; 6:3; 13:52). Kwa hiyo kutafuta kujazwa na Roho si kukimbilia uzoefu kwa ajili ya uzoefu wenyewe, bali ni kumwomba Mungu atufanye watakatifu, wenye ujasiri, na wenye manufaa kwa kazi ya Injili. Ikieleweka hivi, njaa ambayo mapokeo ya Kipentekoste na ya Kiwesley yameilinda hai ni njaa ambayo kanisa zima linapaswa kuishiriki.What does such filling look like? In Acts it is tied not to a single feeling but to bold witness, to wisdom in trial, to joy under persecution, and to lives visibly given over to God (Acts 4:31; 6:3; 13:52). To seek the filling of the Spirit, then, is not to chase an experience for its own sake, but to ask God to make us holy, courageous, and useful for the work of the gospel. Understood this way, the hunger that the Pentecostal and Wesleyan traditions have kept alive is a hunger the whole church should share.
Maswali Mawili Tunayopaswa KuyatenganishaTwo Questions We Must Keep Apart
Kama ilivyokuwa kuhusu kunena kwa lugha katika sehemu moja ya awali, mkanganyiko mwingi hapa unatokana na kuyaacha maswali mawili tofauti sana yachanganyike. Hebu tuyatenganishe.As with tongues in an earlier unit, much confusion here comes from letting two very different questions run together. Let us hold them apart.
Swali la Kwanza — Jibu: NdiyoQuestion One — Answer: Yes
Je, kutiwa nguvu na Roho ni halisi, na kunapaswa kutafutwa kwa bidii?Is the Spirit's empowering real, and to be earnestly sought?
Kila mapokeo katika ukurasa huu yanatamani kwa haki nguvu zaidi za Roho kwa ajili ya utakatifu na ushuhuda, na Maandiko yanatuamuru kuzitafuta: “mjazwe Roho” (Efe 5:18); “mtapokea nguvu” (Matendo 1:8). Kanisa linaloacha kuona njaa ya ukamilifu wa Roho limepoteza jambo ambalo Agano Jipya kwa wazi linalitarajia.Every tradition on this page rightly longs for more of the Spirit's power for holiness and witness, and Scripture commands us to seek it: “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18); “you shall receive power” (Acts 1:8). A church that stops hungering for the fullness of the Spirit has lost something the New Testament plainly expects.
Swali la Pili — Jibu: Hakuna kanuni ya jumlaQuestion Two — Answer: No universal rule
Je, kunena kwa lugha ndio ushahidi wa awali unaohitajika wa baraka ya pili ya lazima ambayo kila mwamini lazima awe nayo?Is tongues the required initial evidence of a mandatory second blessing every believer must have?
Hapa Maandiko hayatoi kanuni ya jumla. Masimulizi katika Matendo yanatofautiana mno kiasi kwamba hayawezi kutoa kanuni moja, waumini walio wengi hawasemwi kamwe kwamba walinena kwa lugha, na 1 Wakorintho 12:13 unaufanya ubatizo mmoja kuwa milki ya wote, si ya wachache wenye alama ya kunena kwa lugha. Tunaweza kuutafuta ukamilifu wa Roho kwa mioyo yetu yote huku tukilikataa fundisho linalofanya kunena kwa lugha kuwa uthibitisho unaohitajika.Here Scripture gives no universal rule. The accounts in Acts vary too much to yield one, most believers are never said to speak in tongues, and 1 Corinthians 12:13 makes the one baptism the possession of all, not of a tongues-marked few. We may seek the Spirit's fullness with all our hearts while declining the doctrine that makes tongues the required proof.
Kile Ambacho Kila Mapokeo Yanakithamini kwa HakiWhat Each Tradition Rightly Treasures
Tunapotazama zaidi ya mipaka mikali ya mjadala, tunakuta kwamba kila mapokeo haya yanalinda kweli ambayo kanisa zima linaihitaji. Silika ya Kipentekoste inakataa kwa haki kuacha nguvu za Roho zififie na kuwa herufi iliyokufa, na inatarajia Mungu atende sasa. Silika ya Kiwesley inakataa kwa haki kuridhika na Ukristo wa juujuu na wa starehe, na inasonga mbele kuelekea moyo safi na mtakatifu. Mtazamo wa Kuanzishwa Wakati wa Kuokoka unalinda kwa haki umoja na usawa wa waumini wote katika Kristo, ili mtu yeyote asichukuliwe kama Mkristo wa daraja la pili kwa kukosa uzoefu fulani. Na mtazamo wa kati unashikilia kwa haki misisitizo hii pamoja. Kusanyiko linaweza kuheshimu silika zote nne kwa wakati mmoja: mwili mmoja, ubatizo mmoja, na njaa ya maisha yote ya kujazwa na Roho. Hatari katika kila hali si silika yenyewe kamwe bali kutiwa kwake chumvi kupita kiasi — kutiwa nguvu kunapogeuka kuwa beji ya lazima, kutafuta utakatifu kunapoharibika kuwa kiburi, au kulinda umoja kunapokuwa kisingizio cha ulegevu wa kiroho uliozoeleka.When we look past the sharp lines of the debate, we find that each of these traditions is guarding a truth the whole church needs. The Pentecostal instinct rightly refuses to let the Spirit's power fade into a dead letter, and it expects God to act in the present. The Wesleyan instinct rightly refuses to settle for a shallow, comfortable Christianity and presses on toward a pure and holy heart. The conversion-initiation view rightly guards the unity and equality of all believers in Christ, so that no one is treated as a second-class Christian for lacking a particular experience. And the mediating view rightly holds these emphases together. A congregation can honor all four instincts at once: one body, one baptism, and a lifelong hunger for the filling of the Spirit. The danger in each case is never the instinct itself but its exaggeration — when empowerment hardens into a required badge, when the pursuit of holiness curdles into pride, or when guarding unity becomes an excuse for a settled spiritual dullness.
Uhakika wa Wokovu Unategemea Kristo, Si Uzoefu wa PiliAssurance Rests on Christ, Not on a Second Experience
Neno moja la kichungaji lazima liongezwe, kwa sababu fundisho kwamba uzoefu wa pili ndio alama ya Mkristo wa kweli aliyetiwa nguvu linaweza kujeruhi dhamiri nyororo. Mwamini aliyemwamini Kristo, lakini hajawahi kupata uzoefu wa kusisimua wa aina wanayoieleza wengine, anaweza kuanza kuogopa kwamba yeye ni Mkristo duni, au hata kwamba hajaokoka kabisa. Hofu hii haina msingi, na mchungaji mwaminifu lazima aiondoe. Uhakika wetu hautegemei uzoefu wowote tuliopata, bali Kristo na kazi yake iliyokamilika, inayopokelewa kwa imani. Kila mwamini tayari anaye Roho, kwa maana “mtu awaye yote asiye na Roho wa Kristo, huyo si wake” (Rum 8:9), na Roho huyo huyo hushuhudia pamoja na roho zetu kwamba sisi tu watoto wa Mungu (Rum 8:16). Basi, pumzika, si juu ya baraka ya pili ambayo huenda umeihisi au hukuihisi, bali juu ya Mwokozi asiyeweza kushindwa. Hakuna mtu anayepaswa kufanywa kuitilia shaka hali yake katika Kristo kwa kukosa uzoefu ambao Maandiko hayakuufanya kamwe kuwa msingi wa wokovu.One pastoral word must be added, for the teaching that a second experience is the mark of a true, empowered Christian can wound tender consciences. A believer who has trusted Christ, yet has never had a dramatic experience of the kind others describe, may begin to fear that he is a lesser Christian, or even that he is not saved at all. This fear is groundless, and a faithful pastor must lift it. Our assurance does not rest on any experience we have had, but on Christ and His finished work, received by faith. Every believer already has the Spirit, for “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Rom 8:9), and that same Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom 8:16). Rest, then, not on a second blessing you may or may not have felt, but on the Savior who cannot fail. No one should be made to doubt his standing in Christ for lack of an experience the Scriptures never made the ground of salvation.
Kristo KatikatiChrist at the Center
Bwana Yesu alisema kwamba Roho atakapokuja, atamtukuza Kristo (Yohana 16:14), naye aliunganisha nguvu za Roho na kusudi moja: “mtakuwa mashahidi wangu” (Matendo 1:8). Vyovyote tutakavyohitimisha hatimaye kuhusu wakati wa ubatizo wa Roho, lengo ni lile lile — watu waliojazwa Roho, wanaokua katika utakatifu, na wenye ujasiri wa kumtangaza Mwokozi. Katika maswali ambayo Maandiko yanayaacha wazi kwa kweli, tunashika misimamo yetu kwa unyenyekevu na kupokeana kama familia, tukikumbuka kwamba Roho alitolewa si kuugawa mwili wa Kristo bali kuujenga katika upendo.The Lord Jesus said that when the Spirit came, He would glorify Christ (John 16:14), and He linked the Spirit's power to a single purpose: “you shall be witnesses to Me” (Acts 1:8). Whatever we finally conclude about the timing of Spirit-baptism, the goal is the same — a people filled with the Spirit, growing in holiness, and bold to make the Savior known. On the questions that Scripture leaves genuinely open, we hold our convictions humbly and receive one another as family, remembering that the Spirit was given not to divide the body of Christ but to build it up in love.
Kuangalia MbeleLooking Ahead
Baada ya kuuliza ubatizo na kujazwa na Roho ni nini, sasa tunageukia jinsi nguvu za Roho zinavyoonekana katika maisha ya kanisa — katika uponyaji, katika miujiza, na katika kutumia karama — na jinsi ya kuyapima mambo haya kwa imani na kwa uangalifu wa kibiblia ulio na kiasi.Having asked what the baptism and filling of the Spirit are, we turn next to how the Spirit's power is seen in the life of the church — in healing, in the miraculous, and in the exercise of the gifts — and how to weigh these things with both faith and sober biblical care.