Jisajili mara moja, kwa kozi zote
Maendeleo yako yanahifadhiwa kwenye kivinjari hiki unaposoma, na seminari inayatunza chini ya msimbo wako wa mwanafunzi, ili uweze kuendelea kwenye kifaa chochote. Weka msimbo huo kwa siri, kama nenosiri. Barua pepe si lazima. Iongeze ili tukurudishie msimbo wako wa mwanafunzi, tukutumie vikumbusho na tukupe cheti. Unaweza kujiandikisha na kuendelea kusoma bila barua pepe. Tunachohifadhi.
Programu ya Cheti inajibu maswali ya kuchagua jibu. Shahada ya Mshiriki inaongeza maswali ya kujaza pengo; M.Div. na Th.M. zinaongeza hayo na maswali ya majibu mafupi. Asilimia 90 ya kila sehemu inahitajika ili kufaulu.
1. Nyimbo za Watu za Biblia1. The Folk Songs of the Bible
Mtu mmoja ameziita Zaburi nyimbo za watu za Biblia — nyimbo ambazo watu wa kawaida walizibeba mioyoni mwao na kuziimba njiani. Nyingi zilikusudiwa kuimbwa pamoja na ala ya nyuzi iitwayo gitithi, na katika Agano Jipya waumini nao waliziimba Zaburi. Yakobo 5:13 inauliza, "Kuna mtu miongoni mwenu ana moyo wa kuchangamka? Na aimbe zaburi."Someone has called the Psalms the folk songs of the Bible — songs the common people carried in their hearts and sang along the road. Many were meant to be sung with a stringed instrument called the gittith, and in the New Testament the believers sang the Psalms as well. James 5:13 asks, "Is any merry? let him sing psalms."
Zaburi ya kwanza kabisa inasimama kama utangulizi wa zaburi nyingine zote. Inafupisha kitabu kizima, na kwa sababu hiyo imeitwa zaburi ya kizingiti — mlango ambao lazima uupite ili kuingia katika Kitabu cha Zaburi. Ndani yake, na katika kitabu chote, kuna picha mbili zilizowekwa kando kwa kando: njia ya mtu mwenye haki na njia ya mtu mwovu. Hilo ndilo jambo lote. Kuna njia mbili tu.The very first psalm stands like an introduction to all the rest. It summarizes the whole book, and for that reason it has been called the threshold psalm — the doorway you must pass through to enter the Psalter. In it, and throughout the book, there are two portraits set side by side: the way of the righteous man and the way of the wicked man. That is the whole of it. There are only two ways.
Inashangaza kwamba Yesu alipohubiri hotuba yake ya kwanza mlimani, alilichukua wazo hilo hilo kuwa lake mwenyewe. Aliwahubiria wanafunzi wake, kwa namna fulani, hotuba ya kufafanua Maandiko iliyofuata muhtasari wa zaburi hii ya kale: heri hawa, wala si wale. Basi na tuzipitie njia hizo mbili, tukianza na mtu mwenye haki.It is striking that when Jesus preached His inaugural sermon on the mountain, He took this same theme as His own. To His disciples He preached, in effect, an expository sermon on the outline of this ancient psalm: blessed are these, and not those. So let us walk through the two ways, beginning with the righteous man.
2. Njia ya Mtu Mwenye Haki2. The Way of the Righteous Man
Zaburi inaanza kwa kumwita mtu mwenye haki heri (aliyebarikiwa). Neno hilo mara nyingi hutafsiriwa mwenye furaha, na kweli lina maana ya furaha — lakini lina maana zaidi ya hapo. Baraka inapotoka kwa Mungu, inabeba ndani yake ahadi ya utunzaji na riziki yake. Katika huduma ya magerezani, unapowauliza wafungwa hali zao, mara nyingi muumini atajibu, "Nimebarikiwa." Hamaanishi tu kwamba anajisikia mchangamfu, bali kwamba Mungu anamwangalia.The psalm begins by calling the righteous man blessed. That word is often translated happy, and it does mean happy — but it means more. When a blessing comes from God, it carries with it a promise of His care and provision. In prison ministry, when you ask the inmates how they are doing, a believer will often answer, "I'm blessed." He means not merely that he feels cheerful, but that God is watching over him.
3. Yale Ambayo Mtu Mwenye Haki Hayafanyi3. What the Righteous Man Does Not Do
Mtu mwenye haki ni heri kwanza kwa sababu ya yale asiyoyafanya. Kuna makatazo matatu katika mstari wa kwanza. Mara nyingi Mungu Mwenyewe husema, "Usi...", na sehemu kubwa ya furaha yetu inategemea yale tunayokataa kuyafanya. Hapa mtu mwenye haki anaepuka marafiki wasiomcha Mungu, jambo linaloelezwa kwa njia tatu.The righteous man is blessed first because of what he does not do. There are three negatives in verse one. Many times God Himself says, "You shall not," and a great deal of our happiness depends on what we refuse to do. Here the righteous man avoids ungodly companions, stated three ways.
Kwanza, haendi katika shauri la wasio haki. Kwenda katika shauri ni kupokea ushauri. Mtu mwenye haki hachukui mwongozo wake kutoka kwa washauri wasio wa kiroho. Kuna nyakati za kutafuta mapenzi ya Mungu kupitia shauri la wengine, lakini lazima awe mtu anayeenenda katika Roho wa Mungu. Si mara zote utakuta mapenzi ya Mungu ni yale uliyoyataka; na ukitafuta muda wa kutosha, kwa kawaida utampata mtu atakayekuambia hasa kile unachotaka kusikia. Shauri lenye maana si ushauri unaotubembeleza, bali neno la wale wachache wanaomtafuta Bwana kwa kweli.First, he does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. To walk in counsel is to take advice. The righteous man does not take his direction from unspiritual advisers. There are times to seek God's will through the counsel of others, but it must be someone who walks in the Spirit of God. You will not always find God's will to be what you wanted; and if you look around long enough, you can usually find someone who will tell you exactly what you want to hear. The counsel that matters is not the advice that flatters us, but the word of the few who are truly seeking the Lord.
Pili, hasimami katika njia ya wakosaji. Mkosaji (mwenye dhambi) ni mtu anayekosa shabaha, na hatupaswi kusimama pamoja na wale wanaotenda uovu kama tabia iliyozoeleka. Unapokuwa Mkristo, utawapoteza marafiki zako wa zamani au utawavuta kwa Kristo. Nuru na giza haviwezi kukaa chumba kimoja, ndiyo sababu Mungu anamkataza muumini kufungwa nira pamoja na asiyeamini.Second, he does not stand in the path of sinners. A sinner is one who misses the mark, and we are not to stand around with those who practice ungodliness as a settled habit. When you become a Christian, you will either lose your old companions or win them to Christ. Light and darkness cannot share the same room, which is why God forbids the believer to be unequally yoked with an unbeliever.
Tatu, haketi barazani pa wenye mizaha. Wenye mizaha hudhihaki kila kitu kilicho kitakatifu na kitukufu. Huu ni wakati wa wenye dhihaka wanaomfanyia mzaha Mungu, Kristo, kanisa na Biblia — wengine hata ndani ya makanisa, wakikosoa kila kitu kinachofanyika. Maandiko yanasema, "Mtoe nje mwenye dharau, na fitina zitatoka." (Mithali 22:10)Third, he does not sit in the seat of the scornful. The scornful mock everything holy and sacred. This is an age of scoffers who make fun of God, of Christ, of the church, and of the Bible — some even inside the churches, criticizing everything that is done. Scripture says, "Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave." (Proverbs 22:10)
Angalia jinsi hatua zinavyoshuka chini — anakwenda, kisha anasimama, kisha anaketi. Dhambi hutualika tupunguze mwendo na kutulia ndani yake. Kwa hiyo ujumbe ni wazi: epuka marafiki wasiomcha Mungu. Usitembee nao, usisimame nao, usiketi nao. Mtu mmoja alisema kuhusu kijana fulani, "Ni kijana mzuri kiasi — laiti marafiki zake wasingeendelea kumvuta chini."Notice the downward progression — he walks, then stands, then sits. Sin invites us to slow down and settle in. So the message is plain: avoid ungodly companions. Do not walk with them, do not stand with them, do not sit with them. Someone once said of a young man, "He is a pretty good boy — if only his friends did not keep dragging him down."
4. Heri kwa Sababu Analijua Neno la Mungu4. Blessed Because He Knows God's Word
Mtu mwenye haki ni heri, pili, kwa sababu analijua Neno la Mungu. Andiko linasema sheria ya BWANA ndiyo impendezayo, na sheria yake huitafakari mchana na usiku. Neno kutafakari ni neno la picha. Linamwonyesha ng'ombe anayecheua. Ng'ombe ana vyumba kadhaa tumboni mwake. Hula majani yenye umande wakati wa ubaridi wa asubuhi, na kisha, jua linapozidi kuwa kali, hulala kivulini na kuanza kucheua — akiyarudisha majani kinywani na kuyatafuna tena.The righteous man is blessed, second, because he knows God's Word. The text says his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. The word meditate is a picture word. It pictures a cow chewing the cud. A cow has several compartments in her stomach. She grazes on the dewy grass in the cool of the morning, and then, when the day grows hot, she lies down in the shade and begins to chew — bringing the grass back up and working it over again.
Hivyo ndivyo tunavyopaswa kulifanya Neno la Mungu. Mara nyingi tunakuwa na shughuli nyingi kanisani, na hatuwezi kumeng'enya kila kitu mara moja tunaposoma na kujifunza Biblia. Kwa hiyo tunarudi tena na kulitafuna tena na tena, mchana na usiku. Zaburi 119:165 inasema, "Wana amani nyingi waipendao sheria yako, wala hawana la kuwakwaza." Wale wanaokula kitabu cha Mungu wana amani nyingi.That is what we are to do with the Word of God. We are often busy at church, and we cannot digest everything at once as we read and study the Bible. So we go back over it and chew it again and again, day and night. Psalm 119:165 says, "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." Those who feed on the book of God have great peace.
Mama mmoja mzee wa Uskoti alikuwa Mkristo wa ajabu, mwenye furaha na amani siku zote. Mtu mmoja alimuuliza, "Dada, unawezaje kuepuka kuchanganyikiwa na kukata tamaa, na unawezaje kudumu katika furaha hivi ndani ya Bwana?" Alijibu, "Basi, ninachukua kitabu changu cha nyimbo na kuimba kwa muda. Ninachukua Biblia yangu na kusoma kwa muda. Kisha ninaketi tu na kumwacha Bwana anipende kwa muda."An old Scottish lady was a wonderful Christian, always happy and at peace. Someone asked her, "Sister, how do you keep from getting frustrated and confused, and how do you stay so happy in the Lord?" She answered, "Well, I take my hymn book and I sing a while. I take my Bible and I read a while. And then I just sit down and let the Lord love me a while."
5. Heri kwa Sababu Anamfanyia Mungu Kazi5. Blessed Because He Works for God
Mtu mwenye haki ni heri, tatu, kwa sababu anamfanyia Mungu kazi. Mstari wa tatu unatuambia yeye ni kama mti uliopandwa kandokando ya vijito vya maji. Hukuwekwa mahali fulani kwa bahati. Mungu anakupanda mahali unapoweza kukua na kustawi, naye anakupa kila kitu unachohitaji ili uwe Mkristo imara — uamsho, kanisa la nyumbani, karama ya maombi. Na kisha, "kwa majira yake," andiko linasema, utazaa matunda. Miti haizai matunda wakati wote; huzaa kwa majira yake.The righteous man is blessed, third, because he works for God. Verse three tells us he is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. You are not placed somewhere by chance. God plants you where you can grow and develop, and He provides everything you need to become a strong Christian — a revival, a church home, the gift of prayer. And then, "in his season," the text says, you will bear fruit. Trees do not bear fruit all the time; they bear it in due season.
Kazi yetu ya msingi ni kulipeleka Neno la Mungu kwa wengine. Sisi si wale wanaowahakikishia watu dhambi zao; hiyo ni kazi ya Roho Mtakatifu. Tunapowaeleza watu habari za Mwokozi, wengine wanaokolewa na wengine hawaokolewi. Lakini mimi ni mzaa matunda wawe wanapokea au la: kazi yangu ni kueleza, na kazi ya Roho Mtakatifu ni kuhakikisha moyoni (kuwathibitishia dhambi).Our primary work is getting out God's Word to others. We are not the ones who convict; that is the work of the Holy Spirit. As we tell people about the Savior, some are saved and some are not. But I am a fruit-bearer whether they accept it or not: it is my job to tell, and the Holy Spirit's job to convict.
Siku moja Dkt. George W. Truett alitembelewa na mwanasheria mmoja baada ya ibada ya asubuhi. Mtu huyo alisema, "George, wewe na mimi tulikuja Dallas siku za mwanzo, siku za farasi na gari la kukokotwa. Nataka kukuungamia jambo. Nilipokuwa mwanasheria kijana nilikuwa nikija kukusikia ukihubiri, nawe ulinisumbua. Mara nyingi nilirudi nyumbani baada ya ibada ya Jumapili usiku na kushindwa kulala. Lakini George," alicheka, "leo umekuwa mhubiri mkuu kuliko wote Amerika — nami naweza kuketi na kukusikiliza, wala hunisumbui hata kidogo." Kisha akaondoka. Mwanasheria huyo alikuwa amekataa msukumo wa Roho kwa muda mrefu kiasi kwamba hatimaye alikuwa amekufa ganzi. Hiyo ndiyo hatari kwa yeyote anayesikia mwito wa Mungu wa kufanya uamuzi na kuendelea kuuahirisha. Tunaweza kufikia hali ya kuwa wagumu mno kiasi cha kushindwa kuitikia — kwa maana Mungu amesema, "Roho yangu haitashindana na mwanadamu milele."Dr. George W. Truett once had a lawyer visit him after a morning service. The man said, "George, you and I came to Dallas in the early days, in the horse-and-buggy days. I want to make a confession to you. As a young lawyer I used to come hear you preach, and you disturbed me. Many a time I went home after the Sunday night service and could not sleep. But George," he laughed, "today you have become the greatest preacher in America — and I can sit and listen to you, and you don't bother me at all." And he walked away. The lawyer had so long rejected the urging of the Spirit that he had finally gone numb to it. That is the danger for anyone who hears God's call to decide and keeps putting it off. We can reach the point of being too hardened to respond — for God has said, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man."
Lakini mtu mwenye haki huzaa matunda bila kujali jinsi watu wanavyoitikia. Jani lake halinyauki; yeye ni mti wa kijani daima. Wala joto la kukosolewa wala baridi ya kukataliwa haimzuii kumshuhudia Bwana wake.But the righteous man bears fruit regardless of the response. His leaf shall not wither; he is an evergreen. Neither the heat of criticism nor the cold of rejection stops him from testifying about his Lord.
6. Mtu Huyu wa Heri Ni Nani?6. Who Is This Blessed Man?
Sasa tunaweza kuuliza: mtu huyu wa heri ni nani? Kiebrania kinaweza kutafsiriwa, "Heri mtu yule ambaye hajawahi kwenda katika shauri la wasio haki, wala kusimama katika njia ya wakosaji, wala kuketi barazani pa wenye mizaha." Huyu si mtu tu aliyetubu mambo hayo. Huyu ni mtu ambaye siku zote ametenda mapenzi ya Mungu. Ni mtu gani anayelingana na maelezo hayo?Now we might ask: who is this blessed man? The Hebrew may be translated, "Blessed is the man that has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the scornful." This is not merely a man who repented of these things. This is one who has always done the will of God. What man fits that description?
Hilo ndilo jibu. Mtu pekee anayelingana kikamilifu na Zaburi 1 ni Bwana Yesu Kristo. Kila mtu mwingine, hata awe mkuu kiasi gani, ametenda dhambi na yuko chini ya picha ya pili.That is the answer. The only Man who perfectly fits Psalm 1 is the Lord Jesus Christ. Every other man, however great, has sinned and falls under the second portrait.
7. Njia ya Mtu Mwovu7. The Way of the Wicked Man
Sasa angalia tofauti. Inachukua mistari miwili kueleza maisha ya kumcha Mungu, lakini maneno mawili tu kueleza maisha ya mwovu: kwa Kiingereza not so, yaani "sivyo." Kila kilicho kweli kwa mtu mwenye haki ni "sivyo" kwa mwovu. Yeye ni kama makapi — majani makavu yasiyofaa yanayopeperushwa na upepo. Hatasimama hukumuni. Watu husema, "Nitajaribu bahati yangu siku ya hukumu," lakini huko hakutakuwa na bahati ya kujaribu. Hataonekana katika kusanyiko la wenye haki; atakosa mbinguni. Jina lake halijaandikwa katika kitabu cha uzima cha Mwana-Kondoo, na Ufunuo 20:15 inasema, "Na iwapo mtu ye yote hakuonekana ameandikwa katika kitabu cha uzima, alitupwa katika ziwa la moto." Mwishowe, andiko linasema, atapotea. Yesu alizungumza juu ya jehanamu kama mahali ambapo moto hauzimiki, na makapi yatachomwa kwa moto usiozimika.Now look at the contrast. It takes two verses to describe the godly life, but only two words to describe the wicked life: not so. Everything that is true of the righteous man is "not so" of the wicked. He is like chaff — the useless straw blown away by the wind. He shall not stand in the judgment. People say, "I'll take my chances at the judgment," but there will be no chance to take there. He will not be found in the congregation of the righteous; he is going to miss heaven. His name is not written in the Lamb's book of life, and Revelation 20:15 says, "whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Finally, the text says, he shall perish. Jesus spoke of hell as the place where the fire is not quenched, and the chaff shall be burned with unquenchable fire.
8. Njia Mbili na Mlango Mmoja8. The Two Ways and the One Door
Kwa hiyo zaburi inaweka mbele yako njia mbili, wala hakuna ya tatu. Kuna njia ya wenye haki, ambayo BWANA anaijua, na njia ya wasio haki, ambayo itapotea. Kitabu chote cha Zaburi kinaanza na uchaguzi huu kwa sababu kila kitu kingine kinategemea uchaguzi huu.So the psalm sets two ways before you, and there is no third. There is the way of the righteous, which the LORD knows, and the way of the ungodly, which shall perish. The whole Psalter opens with this choice because everything else depends on it.
Na hiki ndicho kiini cha jambo. Ikiwa wewe si yule Mtu mwenye haki — na ni Yesu peke yake aliyewahi kuwa hivyo — basi kwa asili umesimama mahali pa mtu mwovu. Njia pekee ya kuwa mwenye haki ni kuitumainia haki ya Yesu. Yeye ndiye Mtu wa heri wa zaburi ya kwanza, naye anatoa haki yake mwenyewe kwa wote watakaompokea. Huo ndio mlango ulio kwenye kizingiti cha Zaburi, na kwenye kizingiti cha maisha yako. Utaenenda katika njia ipi?And here is the heart of the matter. If you are not the righteous Man — and only Jesus ever was — then by nature you stand in the place of the wicked man. The only way to become righteous is to trust in the righteousness of Jesus. He is the blessed Man of the first psalm, and He offers His own righteousness to all who will receive Him. That is the door at the threshold of the Psalms, and at the threshold of your life. Which way will you walk?
Mtihani wa Mwisho wa Sehemu ya 1Unit 1 Final Exam
Njia ya Cheti: maswali 20 ya kuchagua jibu. Shahada ya Mshiriki: maswali ya kuchagua jibu na maswali 10 ya kujaza nafasi. Shahada ya Uzamili ya Huduma ya Kiungu (M.Div.) na Shahada ya Uzamili ya Teolojia (Th.M.): maswali ya kuchagua jibu, ya kujaza nafasi na maswali 10 ya majibu mafupi. Asilimia 90 ya kila sehemu inahitajika ili kufaulu. Usipofaulu, mtihani husubiri muda mfupi kabla ya kujaribu tena.Certificate track: the 20 multiple-choice questions. Associate: multiple choice and the 10 fill-in-the-blank questions. M.Div. and Th.M.: multiple choice, fill-ins and the 10 short-answer questions. 90% of each part is required to pass. If you do not pass, the exam waits a short time before you can try again.
M.Div. na Th.M.: masomo yote matano yaliyopangwa ni sehemu ya kozi. Mtihani wake tofauti ni wa lazima baada ya kuanzishwa; tazama ukurasa wake kwa kanuni ya sasa. Heshima inabaki kuwa ya hiari na haichukui nafasi ya mtihani.
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