📖 Ufunuo — Somo la Kina — Sehemu ya 4: Makanisa Saba II — Kutoka Sardi hadi Laodikia📖 Revelation Intensive — Unit 4: The Seven Churches II — Sardis to Laodicea

Somo: Ufunuo wa Yohana 3Text: Revelation 3

Sardi: Una Jina la Kuwa Hai, Nawe UmekufaSardis: A Name That You Are Alive, But You Are Dead

Kwa Sardi barua inatoka kwa "yeye aliye na hizo Roho saba za Mungu, na zile nyota saba" (Ufunuo 3:1) — Kristo katika utimilifu wa Roho, akiyashika makanisa mkononi mwake. Hukumu yake ni mojawapo ya zile zinazotisha zaidi katika kitabu hiki: "Nayajua matendo yako, ya kuwa una jina la kuwa hai, nawe umekufa" (Ufunuo 3:1). Sardi lilikuwa na sifa. Kwa watu waliolizunguka, lilionekana kanisa lililo hai, lenye shughuli nyingi na lenye kuheshimiwa. Lakini macho yale yanayovichunguza vinara yaliona zaidi ya sifa hiyo hadi kwenye ukweli, kwamba kwa ndani lilikuwa limekufa. Kusanyiko linaweza kuendelea na jina lake, majengo yake, na desturi zake muda mrefu baada ya uhai kutoweka ndani yake — kanisa ambalo kwa kweli limekuwa chumba cha kuhifadhia maiti, lenye utaratibu na utulivu, lakini mahali pa wafu. Kristo aliyefufuka hakisifu-sifu kanisa la namna hiyo; analiambia ukweli. Hata hivyo hata hapa kuna tumaini, kwa maana hatamki kwamba limekufa kisha kuliacha hapo. Analiita, "Uwe mwenye kukesha, ukayaimarishe yaliyosalia, yaliyokuwa tayari kufa" (Ufunuo 3:2). Kitu fulani kilikuwa bado kimesalia; makaa hayakuwa yamepoa yote. Walipaswa kuamka, kuimarisha kilichobaki, kukumbuka jinsi walivyoipokea na kuisikia Injili, kuishika sana, na kutubu (Ufunuo 3:3). Naye anaonya kwamba wasipokesha, atawajia kama mwivi, saa wasiyoitarajia.To Sardis the letter comes from "He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars" (Revelation 3:1) — Christ in the fullness of the Spirit, holding the churches in His hand. His verdict is one of the most sobering in the book: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead" (Revelation 3:1). Sardis had a reputation. To those around it, it looked like a living church, busy and respected. But the eyes that search the lampstands saw past the reputation to the truth, that inwardly it was dead. A congregation can keep its name, its buildings, and its routines long after the life has gone out of it — a church that has become, in effect, a morgue, orderly and quiet, yet a place of the dead. The risen Christ does not flatter such a church; He tells it the truth. Yet even here there is hope, for He does not pronounce it dead and leave it there. He calls, "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die" (Revelation 3:2). Something still remained; the embers were not all cold. They were to wake up, to strengthen what was left, to remember how they had received and heard the gospel, to hold fast, and to repent (Revelation 3:3). And He warns that if they will not watch, He will come upon them like a thief, at an hour they do not expect.

Sardi: Majina Machache Wenye Mavazi MeupeSardis: A Few Names in White

Hata katika kanisa linalokufa, Bwana anaijua kila nafsi iliyo aminifu. "Lakini unayo majina machache katika Sardi, ambao hawakuyatia mavazi yao uchafu; nao watakwenda pamoja nami, hali wamevaa mavazi meupe; kwa maana wamestahili" (Ufunuo 3:4). Vazi lililotiwa uchafu ni picha ya maisha yaliyochafuliwa na dhambi na maafikiano na ulimwengu; wale wachache waliojilinda wasafi wangetembea pamoja na Kristo wakiwa wamevaa mavazi meupe, vazi la usafi na la ushindi. Jambo hili linaongoza kwenye ahadi kwa yeye ashindaye: "Yeye ashindaye atavikwa hivyo mavazi meupe, wala sitalifuta kamwe jina lake katika kitabu cha uzima, nami nitalikiri jina lake mbele ya Baba yangu, na mbele ya malaika zake" (Ufunuo 3:5). Ahadi tatu zimefungamana pamoja — mavazi meupe ya haki, jina linalolindwa salama katika Kitabu cha Uzima, na kukiriwa waziwazi na Kristo Mwenyewe mbele ya Baba na mbele ya malaika watakatifu. Kanisa lililokufa linaitwa kuamka; waaminifu walio ndani yake wanahakikishiwa kwamba Kristo anawajua kwa majina na atawakiri kuwa wake siku ya mwisho. Bwana yule yule anayefichua kilichokufa hukilinda kwa upole kilicho hai.Even in a dying church, the Lord knows every faithful soul. "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy" (Revelation 3:4). The defiled garment pictures a life stained by sin and compromise; the few who had kept themselves clean would walk with Christ in white, the dress of purity and victory. This leads to the promise to the overcomer: "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels" (Revelation 3:5). Three promises are bound together — white garments of righteousness, a name kept secure in the Book of Life, and open acknowledgment by Christ Himself before the Father and the holy angels. The dead church is called to wake; the faithful within it are assured that Christ knows them by name and will own them at the last. The same Lord who exposes what is dead tenderly guards what is alive.

Filadelfia: Mlango UliofunguliwaPhiladelphia: The Open Door

Kwa Filadelfia barua inatoka kwa "yeye aliye mtakatifu, yeye aliye kweli, yeye aliye na ufunguo wa Daudi, yeye mwenye kufungua wala hapana afungaye, naye afunga wala hapana afunguaye" (Ufunuo 3:7). Kristo anashika ufunguo wa Daudi, yaani mamlaka ya kuufungua na kuufunga mlango wa ufalme, na kile anachokifungua hakuna nguvu yoyote duniani inayoweza kukifunga. Kwa kanisa hili anasema, "Tazama, nimekupa mlango uliofunguliwa mbele yako, ambao hapana awezaye kuufunga; kwa sababu unazo nguvu kidogo, nawe umelishika neno langu, wala hukulikana jina langu" (Ufunuo 3:8). Filadelfia halikuwa kanisa lenye nguvu nyingi; lilikuwa na "nguvu kidogo" tu. Hata hivyo lilikuwa limekuwa aminifu katika mambo mawili yaliyo muhimu kuliko yote, kwa maana lilikuwa limelishika neno la Kristo na halikulikana jina lake. Kwa kanisa dhaifu lakini aminifu kama hilo Kristo hatoi karipio bali mlango uliofunguliwa — nafasi ya kushuhudia na mlango wa kuingia katika ufalme wake ambao hakuna adui awezaye kuufunga. Anachokiheshimu ni uaminifu, si nguvu, na kanisa dogo linaloshika sana neno lake halikosi kitu chochote linachohitaji kwa kweli.To Philadelphia the letter comes from "He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens" (Revelation 3:7). Christ holds the key of David, the authority to open and close the door of the kingdom, and what He opens no power on earth can shut. To this church He says, "I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name" (Revelation 3:8). Philadelphia was not a powerful church; it had only "a little strength." Yet it had been faithful in the two things that matter most, for it had kept Christ's word and had not denied His name. To such a faithful, weak church Christ gives not a rebuke but an open door — an opportunity for witness and an entrance into His kingdom that no enemy can close. It is faithfulness, not strength, that He honors, and a small church that holds fast His word lacks nothing it truly needs.

Filadelfia: Kulindwa katika Saa ya KujaribiwaPhiladelphia: Kept Through the Hour of Trial

Kristo anaahidi kulithibitisha Filadelfia mbele ya adui zake, akiwafanya wale wa "sinagogi la Shetani" waje na kusujudu mbele ya miguu yao, na kujua ya kuwa amewapenda (Ufunuo 3:9). Kisha inakuja ahadi ya thamani: "Kwa kuwa umelishika neno la subira yangu, mimi nami nitakulinda, uepukane na saa ile ya kujaribiwa, iliyo tayari kuujia ulimwengu wote" (Ufunuo 3:10). Wakristo wameelewa maneno "nitakulinda, uepukane na saa ile ya kujaribiwa" kwa njia zaidi ya moja — wengine kwamba watalindwa salama katikati ya jaribu hilo, wengine kwamba watalindwa wasiingie ndani yake kabisa — na kozi hii inaliacha swali hilo wazi, ikitaja tu uhakika kwamba Kristo atawalinda watu wake walio waaminifu. Anaongeza, "Naja upesi. Shika sana ulicho nacho, mtu asije akaitwaa taji yako" (Ufunuo 3:11). Kwa yeye ashindaye anaahidi kumfanya "kuwa nguzo katika hekalu la Mungu wangu," wa kudumu na salama, ameandikwa juu yake jina la Mungu, jina la mji wa Mungu, ule Yerusalemu mpya, na jina jipya la Kristo Mwenyewe (Ufunuo 3:12). Kama Smirna, Filadelfia halipokei karipio lolote — bali sifa tu, mlango uliofunguliwa, na thawabu iliyo hakika.Christ promises to vindicate Philadelphia before its enemies, making those of "the synagogue of Satan" come and bow at their feet and know that He has loved them (Revelation 3:9). Then comes a precious promise: "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world" (Revelation 3:10). Christians have understood "keep you from the hour of trial" in more than one way — some as being kept safe through the trial, others as being kept out of it altogether — and the course leaves that question open, noting only the certainty that Christ will keep His faithful people. He adds, "Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown" (Revelation 3:11). To the overcomer He promises to make him "a pillar in the temple of My God," permanent and secure, inscribed with the name of God, the name of the city of God, the New Jerusalem, and Christ's own new name (Revelation 3:12). Like Smyrna, Philadelphia receives no rebuke at all — only commendation, an open door, and a sure reward.

Laodikia: Huna Baridi wala MotoLaodicea: Neither Cold Nor Hot

Kwa Laodikia barua inatoka kwa "yeye aliye Amina, Shahidi aliye mwaminifu na wa kweli, mwanzo wa uumbaji wa Mungu" (Ufunuo 3:14), Yule ambaye neno lake latumainika kabisa. Na neno analolinena ni kali, kwa maana Laodikia ndilo kanisa pekee kati ya yale makanisa saba lisilopokea sifa yoyote hata kidogo. Mwandishi mmoja ameyaita maneno haya uchunguzi wa maiti ya kanisa lililokufa. "Nayajua matendo yako, ya kuwa huna baridi wala moto; ingekuwa heri kama ungekuwa baridi au moto. Basi kwa sababu una uvuguvugu, wala huna moto wala baridi, nitakutapika utoke katika kinywa changu" (Ufunuo 3:15-16). Neno baridi ni picha ya mtu ambaye hajaokoka, ambaye hajawahi kuchangamshwa na Injili; neno moto, katika lugha ya asili, lina maana ya kuchemka, au "kuchangamka sana," na ni picha ya mwamini anayewaka moto kwa ajili ya Bwana. Laodikia halikuwa hili wala lile. Huenda waliwahi kuwa na moto, lakini walikuwa wamepoa hadi kuwa vuguvugu, bila bidii, bila haraka ya kiroho, bila huruma. Jina lenyewe Laodikia lilieleweka kumaanisha kitu kama "haki za watu," na kanisa lilikuwa limekuwa hivyo hasa, watu wanaofikiria haki zao na mapendeleo yao wenyewe badala ya jinsi wanavyoweza kumtumikia Bwana. Kanisa lolote linaweza kuteleza hadi hapo, likitaka nyimbo, mahubiri, na programu zinazolipendeza lenyewe, wakati ambapo lingepaswa kujiuliza jinsi washiriki wake wanavyoweza kumtumikia Kristo vizuri zaidi. Picha hii ni rahisi kuihisi: chai hupendeza ikiwa ya moto sana, na huburudisha ikimiminwa baridi juu ya barafu, lakini kikombe kilichopoa kikawa vuguvugu hakina ladha na kinatia kichefuchefu, na funda la kwanza hutemwa mara moja. Vivyo hivyo, uvuguvugu unamtia Kristo kichefuchefu, naye anasema kanisa vuguvugu linamfanya atake kulitapika kutoka kinywani mwake; afadhali kanisa liwe baridi kwa uwazi kuliko kuwa vuguvugu kwa raha.To Laodicea the letter comes from "the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God" (Revelation 3:14), the One whose word is utterly reliable. And the word He speaks is severe, for Laodicea is the only one of the seven churches that receives no commendation at all. One writer has called these verses an autopsy of a dead church. "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16). The word cold pictures the unconverted person who has never yet been warmed by the gospel; the word hot, in the original, carries the sense of boiling, or "zesty," and pictures the believer on fire for the Lord. Laodicea was neither. Perhaps they had once been hot, but they had cooled into the lukewarm, with no enthusiasm, no urgency, no compassion. The very name Laodicea was understood to mean something like "the rights of the people," and the church had become exactly that, a people thinking of their own rights and preferences rather than how they might serve the Lord. Any church can drift there, wanting singing, sermons, and programs that please itself, when it ought to be asking how its members might better serve Christ. The picture is easy to feel: tea is welcome piping hot and refreshing poured cold over ice, but a cup gone lukewarm is flat and sickening, and the first sip is spit straight back out. Just so, lukewarmness is nauseating to Christ, who says the lukewarm church makes Him want to spew it from His mouth; He would sooner a church be honestly cold than comfortably lukewarm.

Laodikia: Moyo Ulio VuguvuguLaodicea: The Lukewarm Heart

Hatari kubwa zaidi ya uvuguvugu ni kwamba haujitambui. "Kwa kuwa wasema, Mimi ni tajiri, nimejitajirisha, wala sina haja ya kitu; nawe hujui ya kuwa wewe u mnyonge, na mwenye mashaka, na maskini, na kipofu, na uchi" (Ufunuo 3:17). Walijiona kuwa wamefanikiwa na kujitosheleza; Kristo aliona umaskini wa kiroho na aibu. Alama kadhaa zinaufichua moyo ulio vuguvugu. Kwanza, unatafuta kwanza mambo ya ulimwengu huu. Laodikia lilikuwa limeigeuza amri ya Bwana ya kuutafuta kwanza ufalme, na kiburi chao kilikuwa katika vitu walivyojipatia. Mtu mmoja aliota kwamba alifika kwenye lango la mbinguni akiwa ameshika kwa nguvu hisa zake na dhahabu yake, ndipo akaambiwa kwamba katika mji ule dhahabu ni lami ya barabarani tu, na kinachothaminiwa huko ni roho za watu — na wengi watafika wakiwa na mikono iliyojaa na maisha matupu. Pili, moyo ulio vuguvugu unazidi kutojali dhambi. Jamii hupoteza polepole uwezo wake wa kushtuka, hadi kile kilichowahi kuleta kashfa kinakuwa burudani ya kawaida, na kanisa linaacha kusumbuliwa na dhambi ndani yake lenyewe au ndani ya wengine. Mtu mmoja aliyekuwa akiiba viazi usiku aliangalia kwa uangalifu kila upande isipokuwa upande mmoja; kama mwanawe alivyomkumbusha, alisahau kuangalia juu, na kizazi cha usahaulifu wa kiroho kinasahau kwamba wote lazima wasimame mbele ya kiti cha hukumu. Tatu, moyo ulio vuguvugu hauna hamu ya kutumika. Laodikia halikuwa likimfanyia Mungu chochote. Wakristo huelekea kupoa, wakianza na moto na polepole kuwa baridi, lakini yule anayekaa karibu na Kristo hukaa karibu na mwali wa moto. Kama malori ya misaada yasiyoweza kuwafikia watu wenye njaa kwa sababu daraja limebomoka, mwamini asiyetaka kuipeleka Injili huwaacha wengine wamekwama, na mtu hutetemeka akiwaza nafsi fulani katika umilele ikiuliza, "Kwa nini hukuniambia kamwe?" Nne, moyo ulio vuguvugu hauna uhakika wa wokovu. Maandiko yasema kwamba twajua ya kuwa tumemjua kwa kuzishika amri zake (1 Yohana 2:3) — si kwa kuwa tuliwahi kutembea mbele kanisani kuitikia mwito, au tulibatizwa, au tulikuwa na wazazi waaminio, bali kwa maisha ya utii. Mtu aliye vuguvugu hana uhakika kwa sababu anajua kwamba haenendi katika utii.The deepest danger of lukewarmness is that it does not know itself. "You say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" (Revelation 3:17). They felt prosperous and self-sufficient; Christ saw spiritual poverty and shame. Several marks expose the lukewarm heart. First, it seeks first the things of this world. Laodicea had reversed the Lord's command to seek first the kingdom, and their pride was in what they had acquired. One man dreamed he came to heaven's gate clutching his stocks and his gold, only to be told that in that city gold is merely paving and what is treasured there is souls — and many will arrive with full hands and empty lives. Second, the lukewarm heart grows indifferent to sin. A society slowly loses its capacity to be shocked, until what once scandalized becomes ordinary entertainment, and the church ceases to be troubled by sin in itself or in others. A man stealing potatoes by night looked carefully in every direction but one; as his son reminded him, he had forgotten to look up, and an age of spiritual forgetfulness forgets that all must stand before the judgment seat. Third, the lukewarm heart has no interest in service. Laodicea was doing nothing for God. Christians tend to cool, beginning with fire and slowly growing cold, yet the one who stays near Christ stays near the flame. Like relief trucks that cannot reach starving people because the bridge has collapsed, a believer who will not carry the gospel leaves others stranded, and one trembles to imagine a soul in eternity asking, "Why did you never tell me?" Fourth, the lukewarm heart has no assurance. Scripture says we know that we know Him by keeping His commandments (1 John 2:3) — not by having walked an aisle, been baptized, or had believing parents, but by a life of obedience. The lukewarm man lacks assurance because he knows he is not walking in obedience.

Laodikia: Dhahabu, Kubisha Mlangoni, na Kiti cha EnziLaodicea: The Gold, the Knock, and the Throne

Hata hivyo hata kwa kanisa hili Kristo anakuja si kwa karipio tu bali pia na dawa. "Nakupa shauri, ununue kwangu dhahabu iliyosafishwa kwa moto, upate kuwa tajiri; na mavazi meupe, upate kuvikwa... na dawa ya macho, ili kuyapaka macho yako, upate kuona" (Ufunuo 3:18). Kwa utajiri wao wa kudhaniwa anawapa utajiri wa kweli; kwa uchi wao, mavazi meupe; kwa upofu wao, kuona. Naye analiweka karipio lote katika upendo: "Wote niwapendao mimi nawakemea na kuwarudi; basi uwe na bidii, ukatubu" (Ufunuo 3:19). Maneno yake makali si sauti ya adui bali ya Bwana anayewapenda mno asiweze kuwaacha kama walivyo. Kisha linakuja mojawapo ya mistari yenye upole zaidi katika Maandiko yote: "Tazama, nasimama mlangoni, nabisha; mtu akiisikia sauti yangu, na kuufungua mlango, nitaingia kwake, nami nitakula pamoja naye, na yeye pamoja nami" (Ufunuo 3:20). Mchoro maarufu, The Light of the World (Nuru ya Ulimwengu) wa Holman Hunt, unamwonyesha Kristo akibisha kwenye mlango usio na kitasa upande wa nje, mlango unaoweza kufunguliwa kutoka ndani tu. Kwa kanisa linalojiridhisha lenyewe, Bwana aliye hai anasimama nje, akibisha kwa subira, akiomba aruhusiwe kuingia tena. Na kwa yule anayefungua, yule ashindaye, anatoa ahadi iliyo kuu kuliko zote saba: "Yeye ashindaye, nitampa kuketi pamoja nami katika kiti changu cha enzi, kama mimi nilivyoshinda, nikaketi pamoja na Baba yangu katika kiti chake cha enzi" (Ufunuo 3:21). Barua kwa makanisa yote saba zinamalizika kama zilivyoanza, kwa mwito ule ule: "Yeye aliye na sikio, na asikie neno hili ambalo Roho ayaambia makanisa" (Ufunuo 3:22). Katika sura zote mbili ujumbe ni mmoja — Kristo anayajua makanisa yake, anayaita yatubu, na anaziweka ahadi zake tajiri zaidi kwa ajili ya yule anayeisikia sauti yake na kushinda.Yet even to this church Christ comes not only with rebuke but with remedy. "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed... and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see" (Revelation 3:18). For their imagined wealth He offers true riches; for their nakedness, white garments; for their blindness, sight. And He frames the whole rebuke in love: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent" (Revelation 3:19). His sharp words are not the voice of an enemy but of a Lord who loves them too much to leave them as they are. Then comes one of the tenderest verses in all Scripture: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). A famous painting, The Light of the World by Holman Hunt, shows Christ knocking at a door with no latch on the outside, a door that can be opened only from within. To a self-satisfied church the living Lord stands outside, patiently knocking, asking to be let back in. And to the one who opens, the one who overcomes, He gives the highest promise of all the seven: "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:21). The letters to all seven churches end as they began, with the same call: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Revelation 3:22). Across both chapters the message is one — Christ knows His churches, calls them to repent, and reserves His richest promises for the one who hears His voice and overcomes.

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