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David Servant

Gushyiraho Intego nyayo

Igice cya Mbere (Chapter One)

Kugira ngo Imana ivuge ko umukozi wayo yageze ku ntego, mbere na mbere ni uko asobanukirwa intego iyo ari yo Imana yamushyize imbere.Iyo atazi intego ye, ntanashobora kumenya niba yayigezeho cyangwa atayigezeho. [1] Ashobora kwibwira ko yabishoboye kandi mu byukuri yatsinzwe. Kandi ako ni akāga gakomeye. Aba ameze nk’umuntu uri mu masiganwa yo kwiruka metero 1600, yaba amaze kwiruka metero 800 akibwira ko arangije ari uwa mbere nuko akazamura amaboko cyane yishimira intsinzi, imbaga y’abantu imukomera mu mashyi ivuza akarūru, nyamara atamenye yuko yari ari mu masiganwa ya metero 1600.Kudasobanukirwa intego ye byatumye atsindwa. Kwibwira ko yatsinze byamuteye gutsindwa. Rya jambo ngo: “Abambere bazaba abanyuma” riba ribaye impamo kuri we.

Abenshi mu bakozi b’Imana usanga bafite ikintu kimeze nk’intego yihariye bakunze kwita “Iyerekwa”(vision) ryabo. Icyo ni cyo usanga barwanira kugira ngo bakigereho bagisohoze, bishingiye ku muhamagaro wabo wihariye n’impano zabo. Umuhamagaro wa buri muntu n’impano ze biba ari ibintu by’umwihariko we, byaba mu gushumba itorero mu mujyi runaka, cyangwa kubwiriza ubutumwa akarere runaka, cyangwa se kwigisha inyigisho runaka.Nyamara intego itangwa n’Imana mvuga iri rusange kandi ireba buri mukozi w’Imana wese.Ni iyerekwa rigari.Ni ryo rigomba kuba rusange andi mayerekwa yandi yose yihariye ashingiraho. Ariko kenshi cyane si ko bigenda.Abakozi b’Imana benshi si ukugira gusa amayerekwa adahuza n’iyerekwa rigari rusange ry’Imana, ahubwo bamwe bagira n’amayerekwa mu by’ukuri arwanya iyerekwa/umugambi mugari w’Imana. Byigeze kumbaho,n’ubwo nari umushumba w’itorero ririmo rikura cyane ryaguka.

Ni iyihe ntego nkuru cyangwa iyerekwa Imana yahaye buri mukozi wayo?Igisubizo dutangira kukibona muri Matayo 28:18-20; ni amagambo tumenyereye cyane ku buryo kenshi tutumva icyo avuga. Reka tuyarebe umurongo ku wundi:

Nuko Yesu arabegera avugana na bo ati, “Nahawe ubutware bwose mu ijuru no mu isi” (Mat. 28:18).

Yesu yashakaga ko abigishwa be basobanukirwa ko Se yamuhaye ubutware bw’ikirenga. Birumvikana ko, icyo Data yashakaga ari uko (kandi n’ubu ni uko) Yesu yumvirwa, nk’uko biba bimeze igihe cyose Data agize uwo aha ubutware. Arik aho Yesu a tandukanira n’abandi ni uko Se yamuhaye ubutware bwose mu ijuru no mu isi; si ubutware bufite aho bugarukira nk’ubwo ajya aha abandi bantu. Yesu ni Umwami.

Niba ari uko bimeze rero ni ukuvuga ko umuntu wese utitwara kuri Yesu nk’uko umuntu yitwara ku Mwami aba atamwitwayeho uko bikwiriye. Yesu ni Umwami kuruta ikindi kintu icyo ari cyo cyose yaba cyo. Ni cyo gituma Bibiliya imwita “Umwami” mu Isezerano Rishya incuro zirenga 600. (Yitwa Umukiza incuro 15 gusa.) Ni yo mpamvu Pawulo yanditse ati, “Kuko icyatumye Kristo apfa akazuka, ari ukugira ngo abe Umwami w’abapfuye n’abazima” (Rom. 14:9). Yesu yarapfuye arazuka kugira ngo aze yime nk’Umwami mu bantu be.

Kwizera nyako gukiza

Iyo abavugabutumwa n’abapastori b’iki gihe bahamagarira abadakijijwe “kwakira Yesu nk’Umukiza,” (ibintu udashobora kugira na hamwe ubisanga muri Bibiliya), byerekana ikibazo gikomeye kiri mu myumvire yabo y’ubutumwa bwiza. Urugero igihe wa murinzi w’inzu y’imbohe i Filipi yabazaga Pawulo icyo yakora kugira ngo akizwe, Pawulo ntiyamubwiye ngo, “Akira Yesu nk’Umukiza wawe.” Ahubwo yaramubwiye ati,”Izere Umwami Yesu Kristo urakizwa” (Ibyak. 16:31). Umuntu akizwa igihe yizeye Umwami Yesu Kristo.Usobanukirwe ko badapfa gukizwa gusa ngo ni uko bemeye inyigisho zerekeranye n’iby’agakiza cyangwa Yesu, ahubwo bakizwa igihe bizeye Umwami Yesu Kristo. Uko ni ukwizera gukiza. Abantu benshi cyane bibwira ko bitewe n’uko bizera ko urupfu rwa Yesu rwabaye igitambo gihagije cy’ibyaha byabo, cyangwa ko agakiza gaheshwa no kwizera, cyangwa ibindi bintu byinshi cyane bizera kuri Yesu cyangwa ku gakiza, ngo ubwo bafite kwizera gukiza. Nyamara nta ko bafite.Satani yizera ibyo bintu byose kuri Yesu n’agakiza. Kwizera gukiza ni ukwizera Yesu. Kandi se uwo ni nde? Ni Umwami.

Birumvikana ko niba nizera ko Yesu ari Umwami, nzamwitwaraho nk’Umwami,mugandukira mbikuye ku mutima. Niba ntamugandukira ni ukuvuga ko ntamwizera. Hagize umuntu uvuga ati, “Ndizera neza ko hari inzoka y’ubumara bubi cyane yizingiye mu rukweto rwanjye,” hanyuma wajya kubona ukabona yiyambariye inkweto ze nta mususu, bikwereka ko mu by’ukuri atizeye ibyo avuga ko yizeye. Abantu bavuga ko bizera Yesu ariko bakaba batarihannye ibyaha byabo ndetse bakaba batanamugandukira mu mitima yabo, mu by’ukuri ntibaba bamwizera. Bashobora kuba bizera Yesu wo mu bitekerezo gusa, ariko atari Umwami Yesu umwe wahawe ubutware bwose mu ijuru no mu isi.

Ibi byose bishatse kuvuga ko iyo imyumvire y’umukozi w’Imana ku bintu bikomeye by’urufatiro rw’ubukristo idahwitse, aba afite akāga kuva mu ntangiriro. Nta buryo ashobora kugera ku ntego nk’uko Imana ibishaka, kuko aba yagoretse ubutumwa bukomeye bw’urufatiro Imana ishaka ko isi yumva. Nashaka abe ari n’umupastori w’itorero ririmo rikura cyane,ariko aba arimo aratsindwa biteye isoni ananirwa gusohoza umugambi mugari/iyerekwa rusange ry’Imana ifite ku murimo we.

Iyerekwa rigari/Umugambi mugari

Reka dusubire muri Matayo 28:18-19. Yesu amaze gutangaza ubutware bwe bw’ikirenga yatanze itegeko:

Nuko mugende muhindure abantu bo mu mahanga yose abigishwa, mubabatiza mu izina rya Data n’iry’Umwana n’iry’Umwuka Wera, mubigisha kwitondera ibyo nababwiye byose” (Mat. 28:19-20a).

Urabona ko Yesu yakoresheje ijambo ngo “Nuko.” Aravuga ati, “Nuko mugende muhindure abantu abigishwa…” Bishatse kuvuga ngo, “Kubera ibyo maze kubabwira…Kubera ko mfite ubutware bwose…kubera ko ndi Umwami… birumvikana ko abantu bagomba kunyumvira…nuko rero mbategetse (kandi mugomba kunyumvira) kugenda mugahindura abantu abigishwa, mukigisha abo bigishwa kumvira ibyo nabategetse byose byose.”

Kandi iyo ni yo ntego nkuru, umugambi mugari w’Imana ku mirimo yose dukora y’Imana: Inshingano yacu ni uguhindura abantu abigishwa bumvira amategeko ya Kristo yose.

Ni cyo gituma Pawulo avuga ko yagiriwe ubuntu n’Imana bwo kuba intumwa “kugira ngo mu mahanga yose habemo abumvira Imana babiheshwa no kwizera” (Rom. 1:5). Intego yari ukumvira; uburyo bwo kugera ku kumvira bukaba kwizera. Abantu bafite kwizera nyako mu Mwami Yesu bumvira amategeko ye.

Ni cyo gituma Petero abwiriza ku munsi wa pentekoti yavuze ati, “Nuko abo mu muryango wa Isirayeli bose, nibamenye badashidikanya yuko Yesu uwo mwabambye, Imana yamugize Umwami na Kristo” (Ibyak. 2:36). Petero yashakaga ko ababambye Yesu bamenya ko Imana yamugize Umwami na Kristo. Bari bishe uwo Imana yashakaga ko bumvira! Bacumiswe cyane mu mitima barabaza bati, “Tugire dute?” Petero mbere y’ibindi byose arabasubiza ati, “Nimwihane”! Ibyo bisobanura guhindukira ukareka kutumvira ugatangira kumvira. Yesu akaba Umwami wawe. Hanyuma Petero ababwira ko bagomba kubatizwa nk’uko Kristo yategetse.Petero yarimo abahindura abigishwa–abayoboke ba Kristo bamwumvira–kandi yatangiye mu buryo nyabwo anatangiza ubutumwa nyabwo.

Niba ari uko bimeze rero,buri mukozi w’Imana akwiye gusuzuma intsinzi ye.Twese tugomba kwibaza tuti, “Mbese umurimo nkora urimo urajyana abantu ku kumvira amategeko ya Kristo yose?” Niba ari uko,koko turimo turatsinda. Niba atari uko,turimo turatsindwa.

Umuvugabutumwa wemeza gusa abantu “kwakira Yesu” atababwira kwihana ibyaha byabo, aba arimo aratsindwa.Umupastori ushaka kugira itorero ry’abantu benshi akagerageza kureba ukuntu yanezeza abantu bose agashyiraho ibikorwa n’ibindi bintu bituma abantu basabana bakidagadura aba arimo aratsindwa.Umwigisha wigisha gusa “inyigisho zigezweho” zo gushyushya abantu gusa, arimo aratsindwa. Intumwa igenda itangiza amatorero agizwe n’abantu bavuga ko bizera Yesu ariko ntibamwumvire, iba irimo iratsindwa.Umuhanuzi uhanurira abantu ababwira gusa iby’imigisha bagiye kubona, aba arimo aratsindwa.

Gutsindwa kwanjye

Mu myaka ishize ubwo nayoboraga itorero ririmo rikura cyane,Umwuka Wera yambajije ikibazo cyatumye mfunguka amaso mbona uko nahabanye cyane no gusohoza umugambi mugari w’Imana. Umwuka Wera yambajije ikibazo gikurikira igihe narimo nsoma iby’urubanza ruzacirwa intama n’ihene ruvugwa muri Matayo 25:31-46: “Abayoboke b’itorero ryawe baramutse bapfuye bose uyu munsi bagahagarara imbere y’intebe y’urubanza ruvangura intama mu ihene, ni bangahe muri bo baba intama, ni bangahe baba ihene?” Cyangwa mu buryo bwumvikana neza, “Umwaka ushize ni bangahe mu itorero ryawe, bagaburiye bene se muri Kristo bashonje, bahaye icyo kunywa abakristo bagenzi babo bafite inyota, bahaye icumbi abayoboke ba Kristo batagira aho baba cyangwa ari abashyitsi bari ku rugendo, bambitse abakristo bambaye ubusa, cyangwa basuye abizera Umwami Yesu barwaye cyangwa bari mu nzu y’imbohe?” Nasanze ari bake bagize icyo bakora muri ibyo, cyangwa igisa n’ibyo, n’ubwo bazaga guterana mu rusengero, bakaririmba indirimbo zo kuramya, bagatega amatwi Ijambo ry’Imana ryigishwa bakanatura amafaranga igihe cyo gutura. Ubwo rero bari ihene dukurikije ibyo Kristo asaba kandi nanjye nari mbifitemo uruhare, kuko ntabigishaga ukuntu Ku Mana ari iby’agaciro gakomeye ko dukemura ibibazo biba byugarije Bene Data muri Kristo. Ntabwo nabigishaga kumvira ibyo Kristo yategetse byose.Mu by’ukuri nasobanukiwe ko narimo nsuzugura ibyo Imana yo iha agaciro kanini–itegeko rya kabiri muri ya yandi abiri aruta ayandi yose, gukunda mugenzi wawe nk’uko wikunda–tutavuze itegeko rishya Yesu yadutegetse ko tugomba gukundana nk’uko yadukunze.

Ndetse ahubwo ibirenze aho, nza gusobanukirwa ko ibyo nigishaga byarwanyaga intego nkuru y’Imana yo guhindura abantu abigishwa, kuko nabwirizaga nanjye bwa butumwa bukunzwe cyane “bw’imigisha no gutunga” (“prosperity gospel”). N’ubwo icyo Yesu ashaka ari uko abantu be batabika ubutunzi bwabo mu isi (Mat. 6:19-24), kandi ko bakwiye kunyurwa n’ibyo bafite, n’aho byaba ari ibyo kurya bafite gusa n’imyambaro (Heb. 13:5; 1 Tim. 6:7-8), jye nigishaga itorero ryanjye rya bene wacu b’Abanyamerika b’abaherwe ko Imana ishaka ahubwo ko banarushaho kugwiza ubutunzi.Mu ruhande rumwe narimo nigisha abantu kutumvira Yesu (nk’uko ibihumbi n’ibihumbi by’abapastori bandi hirya no hino mu isi bakora).

Maze guhumuka amaso nkabona ibyo ndimo, narihannye nsaba n’itorero ryanjye imbabazi. Natangiye kugerageza guhindura abantu abigishwa,mbigisha kumvira ibyo Kristo yategetse byose. Nabikoranaga ubwoba no guhagarika umutima, nkeka ko bamwe mu bayoboke b’itorero ryanjye mu by’ukuri badashaka kumvira ibyo Kristo yategetse byose, bishakira ubukristo bujyanye n’uko bifuza butabasaba igitambo na kimwe. Kandi sinibeshyaga. Ibimenyetso byose byerekanaga ko ari bake cyane bahangayikishijwe n’abakristo bari mu mibabaro hirya no hino mu isi. Ntacyo byari bibabwiye ibyo kugeza ubutumwa bwiza ku bantu batarigera babwumva na rimwe. Ahubwo icyari kibashishikaje cyane ni ukuntu bakomeza kwigwiriza imitungo. Byagera ku byerekeye kwera no gukiranuka, ugasanga baririnda gusa ibyaha bikabije by’urukozasoni,ibyaha n’abapagani bashobora kwamagana, bakabaho nk’abandi Banyamerika basanzwe b’inyangamugayo. Ariko mu by’ukuri ntibakundaga Umwami Yesu, kuko batashakaga kwitondera amategeko ye, kandi yaravuze ko ari cyo kizagaragaza ko tumukunda (Yohana14:21).

Icyo natinyaga cyari cyo–bamwe mu bavuga ko ari abakristo bari ihene zambaye uruhu rw’intama.Bamwe bararakaye mbahamagariye kwiyanga bakikorera imisaraba yabo. Kuri bo itorero ryari mbere na mbere guhura kw’abantu bagasabana baherekejwe n’umuziki mwiza, nk’uko ab’isi bishimira mu kabari no mu matsinda yandi y’imyidagaduro. Ahari wenda inyigisho zihamya ko bakijijwe n’izivuga urukundo Imana ibakunda bazihanganira. Ariko icyo batashakaga kumva ni ibyo Imana ibasaba kuzuza. Ntibashakaga kumva umuntu n’umwe wahinyuza ibyo gukizwa kwabo.Ntibashakaga guhindura imyifatire yabo ngo bagendere mu bushake bw’Imana niba hari icyo bibasaba gukora.Koko bemeraga gutanga ku mafaranga yabo, ariko babanje kumva neza ko Imana izabaha amenshi kurutaho, kandi bakabanza kumva niba ibyo bagiye gushyiramo amafaranga yabo hari inyungu z’ako kanya babifitemo, tuvuge nko kwitanga mu guteza imbere inyubako z’itorero ryabo.

Igihe cyo kwisuzuma

Iki cyaba igihe cyiza kuri buri mukozi w’Imana wese usoma iki gitabo, kwibaza ikibazo Umwuka Wera yambajije: “Abantu nyoboye baramutse bapfuye nonaha bagahagarara imbere y’intebe y’urubanza hakarobanurwa intama mu ihene, ni bangahe baba mu ntama ni bangahe baba mu ihene?” Iyo abakozi b’Imana bizeza abayoboke b’amatorero yabo bitwara nk’ihene ko bakijijwe, baba bababwira ibihabanye rwose n’ibyo Imana ishaka ko babwirwa.Uwo mukozi w’Imana aba arwanya Kristo. Ararwanya ibyo Yesu ashaka ko abo bantu babwirwa bishingiye ku byo yavuze muri Matayo 25:31-46.Ibyo Yesu yavuze aho byose byari ukwihanangiriza ihene. Ntashaka ko zibeshya ko zirimo zirajya mu ijuru.

Yesu yavuze ko abantu bose nibabona urukundo dukundana bazamenya ko turi abigishwa be (Yohana 13:35). Nta gushidikanya yavugaga urukundo rurenze urwo abapagani bajya bagiranira, bitabaye ibyo nta watandukanya abigishwa be n’abatizera. Urukundo Yesu yavugaga ni urukundo rwitanga, igihe dukundanye nk’uko yadukunze, dutanga ubugingo bwacu ku bwa bene Data (Yohana 13:34; 1 Yohana 3:16-20). Yohana kandi yanditse avuga ko ikitumenyesha ko twavuye mu rupfu twageze mu bugingo (ni byo kuvuka bwa kabiri) ari uko dukundana (1 Yohana 3:14). Mbese abantu binuba, bakavuga nabi ndetse bakanga umukozi w’Imana ubigisha kwitondera amategeko ya Kristo, baba berekana urukundo rugaragaza ko bavutse bwa kabiri? Oya, ni ihene, bari mu nzira igana gehinomu.

Abigishwa b’Amahanga Yose

Mbere yo gukomeza, reka tubanze twongere turebe kuri Matayo 28:19-20, Inshingano Nkuru kandi Rusange Yesu yahaye abigishwa be, kugira ngo turebe niba hari ikindi twakuramo.

“Nuko mugende muhindure abantu bo mu mahanga yose abigishwa, mubabatiza mu izina rya Data n’iry’Umwana n’iry’Umwuka Wera, mubigisha kwitondera ibyo nababwiye byose” (Mat. 28:19-20a).

Urabona ko Yesu ashaka ko abantu bahindurwa abigishwa mu mahanga yose, cyangwa se tubivuze neza nk’uko byanditswe mu Kigiriki cy’umwimerere, mu mōko yose yo mu isi. Niba Yesu yarabitegetse, ndumva nizera ko ari ibintu bitananirana gukora.Dushobora guhindura abantu abigishwa ba Yesu muri buri bwōko bwose bwo mu isi. Iyi nshingano ntiyahawe ba bigishwa cumi n’umwe ba mbere gusa, ahubwo yahawe na buri mwigishwa wese uzaza hanyuma yabo, kuko Yesu yabwiye abo cumi n’umwe kwigisha abigishwa babo kwitondera ibyo yabategetse byose. Ni ukuvuga rero ko ba bandi cumi n’umwe ba mbere bigishije abigishwa babo kumvira itegeko rya Yesu ryo guhindura abantu bo mu mahanga yose abigishwa, kandi iryo ryagombaga kuba itegeko rihoraho kuri buri mwigishwa wese uvutse. Buri mwigishwa wa Yesu wese agomba gusohoza mu buryo bwe iyo nshingano yo guhindura amahanga abigishwa.

Ibi biratangaho bimwe mu bisobanuro by’igituma “Inshingano Nkuru”itarasohozwa. N’ubwo hari za miliyoni nyinshi z’abitwa ko ari abakristo, umubare w’abigishwa nyabo biyemeje kumvira Yesu ni muto cyane. Abenshi cyane mu bitwa abakristo ibyo guhindura abantu bo muri buri bwōko abigishwa ntacyo bibabwiye bitewe gusa n’uko batigeze bafata icyemezo cyo kumvira amategeko ya Kristo.Akenshi iyo ibyo bitangiye kuvugwaho bahita bazana ibintu by’urwitwazo nko kuvuga ngo, “Uwo si wo muhamagaro wanjye,” cyangwa ngo, “Numva atari ko nyobowe.” Abapastori benshi bajya bavuga ibintu nk’ibyo, nk’uko ihene zose zikora zihitiramo amategeko ya Kristo ashobora guhuza na gahunda zazo.

Iyaba buri muntu wese witwa umukristo yizeraga Umwami Yesu Kristo,buri muntu wese utuye iyi si aba yaramaze kumva ubutumwa bwiza kera. Gufatira icyemezo hamwe kw’abigishwa bose ba Kristo byari gutuma ibyo bishoboka.Barekeraho gupfusha ubusa umwanya wabo n’amafaranga yabo mu bintu by’isi by’akanya gato,ahubwo igihe cyabo n’ubutunzi bakabikoresha basohoza ibyo Umwami wabo yabategetse gukora. Ahubwo iyo abapastori beza bubaha Imana batangaje ko hari umumisiyoneri mu materaniro azakurikiraho, aba yiteguye ko hazaza abantu bake cyane.Ihene nyinshi zigumira mu ngo iwazo cyangwa zikareba ahandi zijya.Ntizishishikazwa no kumvira itegeko rya nyuma ry’Umwami Yesu. Nyamara intama zo, ku rundi ruhande usanga zishimye zishyuhiye kumva ko zigiye kugira uruhare mu guhindura abantu bo mu mahanga yose abigishwa.

Icya nyuma ku byerekeye Matayo 28:18-20: Yesu yabwiye abigishwa be ko bazabatiza abigishwa babo, kandi intumwa zabaye abizerwa zumvira iryo tegeko. Baheraga ko babatiza abihannye bakizera Umwami Yesu. Birazwi ko umubatizo usobanura ko uwizeye yishushanyije na Kristo akifatanya na we mu rupfu rwe, guhambwa kwe no kuzuka kwe. Abizera bashya baba barapfuye bakazuka ari ibyaremwe bishya muri Kristo.Iri hame Yesu yashatse ko ryerekanirwa mu mubatizo wa buri mukristo, kugira ngo mu bitekerezo bye hiyandikemo ko abaye umuntu mushya ufite kamere nshya. We na Kristo baba babaye umwuka umwe, kandi aba ahawe ubushobozi bwo kumvira Imana abishobojwe na Kristo uba muri we. Yari yarapfiriye mu byaha bye,ariko ubu noneho yarejejwe agirwa muzima n’Umwuka Wera. Birenze “kubabarirwa gusa.” Ahubwo yahinduwe undi burundu.Aha rero na none Imana irerekana ko abakristo b’ukuri baba batandukanye n’abandi bantu, bifata uburyo butandukanye cyane n’uko bifataga igihe bari bagipfuye mu mwuka. Nta gushidikanya ko ari na byo Yesu avugaho mu magambo ye asoza ati, “Kandi dore ndi kumwe namwe iminsi yose kugeza ku mperuka y’isi” (Mat. 28:20). Mbese umuntu ntiyaba ashyize mu gaciro atekereje ko uko kubaho kwa Kristo iminsi yose gufite icyo gukora ku myifatire y’umuntu?

Yesu asobanura kuba umwigishwa icyo ari cyo

Twamaze kubona ko intego nkuru ya Yesu kuri twe ari uko duhindura abantu abigishwa, ni ukuvuga abantu bihannye ibyaha byabo bakaba bariho biga kandi bumvira amategeko ye. Hanyuma Yesu asobanura icyo umwigishwa ari cyo muri Yohana 8:32:

Nimuguma mu ijambo ryanjye muzaba abigishwa banjye nyakuri, namwe muzamenya ukuri kandi ukuri ni ko kuzababātūra.

Kuri Yesu, umwigishwa nyakuri ni wawundi uguma cyangwa uba mu ijambo rye. Uko bagenda bamenya ukuri ko mu ijambo rye ni ko bagenda “babātūka” kandi amagambo akurikiraho atwereka ko Yesu yavugaga kuva mu bubāta bw’icyaha (Reba Yohana 8:34-36). Na none rero turabona ko dukurikije uko Yesu abisobanura, umwigishwa yiga amategeko ye (Yesu) kandi akayumvira.

Hanyuma Yesu yaje kuvuga ati,

“Ibyo ni byo byubahisha Data, ni uko mwera imbuto nyinshi,mukaba abigishwa banjye” (Yohana 15:8).

Ni ukuvuga rero ko, ukurikije ubusobanuro Yesu atanga, abigishwa bubahisha Data mu kwera imbuto. Abatera imbuto baba bagaragaje ko batari abigishwa be.

Yesu abisobanura kurushaho cyane muri Luka 14:25-33 igihe avuga izo mbuto izo ari zo abigishwa be bakwiriye kwera. Reka dutangire dusoma umurongo wa 25 gusa:

Abantu benshi bajyanaga na we, arahindukira arababwira ati…

Mbese Yesu yari anyuzwe n’uko abantu benshi “bajyanaga” na we? Mbese yari yageze ku ntego ye kuko yari yabashije kwikururiraho iteraniro rinini ry’abantu?

Oya, Yesu ntiyaranyuzwe no kubona abantu benshi cyane bamugendaho gusa, bumva inyigisho ze, bareba ibitangaza akora, barya n’ibyo kurya bye rimwe na rimwe. Yesu akeneye abantu bakunda Imana n’umutima wabo wose, n’ubwenge bwabo bwose , n’ubugingo bwabo bwose, n’imbaraga zabo zose. Akeneye abantu bumvira amategeko ye. Akeneye abigishwa. Ni cyo gituma yabwiye abo bantu benshi bamugendagaho ati:

Umuntu uza aho ndi ntiyange se na nyina, n’umugore we n’abana be, na bene se na bashiki be ndetse n’ubugingo bwe, uwo ntashobora kuba umwigishwa wanjye (Luka 14:26).

Ibi ntawabyibeshyaho: Yesu yerekanye ibikenewe kugira ngo umuntu abe umwigishwa we. Ariko se mu by’ukuri abigishwa be bagomba kwanga abo ubusanzwe bagombaga gukunda cyane? Ikigaragara ni uko atari byo yavugaga kuko ibyanditswe bivuga ko tugomba kubaha ababyeyi bacu no gukunda abo twashakanye n’abana bacu.

Biragaragara ko aha Yesu yakoresheje imvugo ndenza rugero ( hyperbole), ni nko gukabya agamije gushimangira ibyo avuga. Nyamara ariko, nta kindi yavugaga kitari iki: Niba dushaka kuba abigishwa be tugomba kumukunda kuruta byose, kuruta uko dukunda abantu ubusanzwe dukunda cyane. Ibyo Yesu ashaka bifite ishingiro kuko ari Imana kandi Imana tukaba tugomba kuyikunda n’umutima wacu wose, n’ubwenge bwacu bwose, n’ubugingo bwacu bwose n’imbaraga zacu zose.

Ntiwibagirwe–umurimo w’abakozi b’Imana ni uguhindura abantu abigishwa, bisobanura kubagira abantu bakunda Yesu kuruta byose, abantu bamukunda cyane, kuruta n’uko bakunda abagore/abagabo babo, abana babo n’ababyeyi babo. Byaba byiza kugira ngo buri mukozi w’Imana wese yibaze iki kibazo, “Ni gute ndiho ndashobora guhindura abantu nkabageza kuri urwo rwego?

Tumenya dute ko umuntu akunda Yesu? Muri Yohana 14:21 Yesu yaratubwiye ati: “Ufite amategeko yanjye akayitondera ni we unkunda.” Ubwo rero nta gushidikanya ko abantu bakunda Yesu kuruta abagore/abagabo babo, abana babo n’ababyeyi babo baba ari bantu bakomeza amategeko ye. Abigishwa ba Yesu bumvira amategeko ye.

Icya kabiri gisabwa

Uwo munsi Yesu yakomeje abwira abo bantu benshi bagendanaga na we ati,

Utikorera umusaraba we ngo ankurikire, ntashobora kuba umwigishwa wanjye

(Luka 14:27).

Icyo ni cyo cya ngombwa cya kabiri Yesu asaba kugira ngo umuntu abe umwigishwa we. Yashakaga kuvuga iki? Mbese abigishwa koko icyo basabwa ni ukwikorera ingiga z’ibiti? Oya, na none Yesu aha arakoresha imvugo ndenza rugero (hyperbole).

Abenshi mu Bayuda bari bateze amatwi Yesu, ndetse niba atari bose, bashobora kuba bari baramaze kubona aho inkozi z’ibibi zipfira ku musaraba. Abaroma babambaga abagizi ba nabi hanze y’amarembo y’umurwa ku mihanda migari nyabagendwa kugira ngo birusheho gutinyisha n’undi wese waba wari ufite umugambi w’ubugizi bwa nabi.

Ku bw’ibyo rero ndibwira ko mu gihe cya Yesu aya magambo ngo, “Ikorere umusaraba wawe” yari imvugo imenyerewe. Uwajyaga kubambwa wese yabwirwaga n’umusirikare w’Umuroma ngo, “Ikorere umusaraba wawe unkurikire.” Ayo ni amagambo ababaga baciriweho iteka ryo kubambwa batinyaga cyane kuko iyo yabaga ari intangiriro y’amasaha menshi n’iminsi y’ububabare burenze kamere. Nuko rero, ayo magambo agomba kuba yari yarahindutse imvugo imenyerewe ishaka kuvuga ngo, “Emera ibibazo bikomeye ugiye guhura na byo kuko byanze bikunze ntaho wabicikira.”

Ndatekereza umubyeyi abwira umuhungu we ati, “Mwana wanjye ndabizi ko wanga “kuvidura”/ kudaha imyanda mu musarani. Ni akazi k’umwanda kandi biranuka.Ariko ni inshingano yawe ugomba kujya ubikora rimwe buri kwezi, none rero ngaho ikorere umusaraba wawe. Genda udahe umusarani.” Ndatekereza umugore abwira umugabo we ati, “Mukunzi wanjye ndabizi ukuntu wanga kwishyura imisoro y’Abaroma.Ariko uyu munsi itariki yo kwishyura yageze, kandi dore umukoresha w’ikoro arenda kugera hano ari kuri uyu muhanda wacu.Nta kundi rero ngaho ikorere umusaraba wawe. Genda wishyure uwo mugabo.”

Kwikorera umusaraba wawe ni cyo kimwe no kuvuga kwiyanga; Yesu rero na we yabikoresheje muri ubwo buryo muri Matayo 16:24: “Umuntu nashaka kunkurikira yiyange, yikorere umusaraba we ankurikire.” Mu yandi magambo ushobora kubivuga utya uti, “Umuntu nashaka kunkurikira,abanze ashyire ku ruhande gahunda ze yari afite yemere yakīre ibimurushya bigomba kumuzaho nta kabuza nk’ingaruka z’icyemezo yafashe, hanyuma ankurikire.”

Nuko rero abigishwa nyakuri bemera kubabazwa ku bwo gukurikira Yesu.Baba babanje kubara bakareba ikiguzi bizabasaba mbere y’uko batangira, kuko baba bazi neza ko byanze bikunze batazabura guhura n’ibibarushya, hanyuma bagahaguruka biyemeje kuzarangiza urugendo/amasiganwa. Iyi nsobanuro yunganirwa n’ibyo Yesu yakurikijeho avuga ibyerekeye kubanza ukabara igiciro cy’ikiguzi cyo kumukurikira. Yakoresheje ingero ebyiri abisobanura:

Ni nde muri mwe ushaka kubaka inzu y’amatafari ndende,utabanza kwicara akabara umubare w’impiya zayubaka, ngo amenye yuko afite izikwiriye kuba zayuzuza? Kugira ngo ahari ataba amaze gushyiraho urufatiro, akananirirwa aho atayujuje, maze ababireba bose bagatangira kumuseka bati, “Uyu yatangiye kubaka inzu ariko ntiyabasha kuyuzuza.” Cyangwa se hari umwami wajya kurwana n’undi,ntabanze kwicara ngo ajye inama yuko yabasha gutabarana n’ingabo ze inzovu imwe, ngo arwane n’umuteye afite ingabo ze inzovu ebyiri? Bitabaye bityo wa wundi akiri kure cyane atuma intumwa ze, akamubaza icyo yamuhongera ngo babane amahoro (Luka 14:28-32).

Yesu nta bundi buryo busobanutse kurushaho yakabivuzemo: “Niba ushaka kuba umwigishwa wanjye, banza ubare ikiguzi bigusaba hakiri kare, ejo bitazagukomerana ukabivamo. Abigishwa banjye nyakuri bihanganira imibabaro bahura na yo nk’ingaruka zo kuba bariyemeje kunkurikira.”

Icya gatatu gisabwa

Yesu yabwiye abo bantu benshi bajyanaga na we uwo munsi ikindi cya ngombwa umwigishwa agomba kuba yujuje:

Nuko rero na mwe, umuntu wese muri mwe udasiga ibyo afite byose,ntashobora kuba umwigishwa wanjye (Luka 14:33).

Na none umuntu yaba ashyize mu gaciro avuze ko aha na ho Yesu yakoresheje ya mvugo ndenza rugero ( hyperbole).Ntitugomba gusiga ibyo dutunze byose ku buryo usigara utagira inzu utahamo, utagira akambaro utagira n’ibyo kurya. Nyamara tugomba gusiga ibyo dutunze byose mu buryo bwo kubyegurira Imana ikaba ari yo ibigenga,kandi kugeza ku rwego tuba tutagikorera mamoni, ahubwo mamoni wacu tukamukoreshereza Imana. Ibi bisobanura ko amaherezo umuntu areka ubutunzi butari ngombwa ahubwo akabaho ubuzima bworoheje burimo gukoresha umutungo neza mu gukiranuka no kwemera gusangira n’abandi nk’uko abakristo ba mbere bakoraga nk’uko tubisoma mu gitabo cy’Ibyakozwe n’Intumwa. Kuba umwigishwa wa Kristo ni ukumvira amategeko ye, kandi yategetse abayoboke be ko batabika ubutunzi bwabo mu isi, ahubwo ngo babubitse mu ijuru.

Mu magambo make, ku bwa Yesu, niba nshaka kuba umwigishwa we, ngomba kwera imbuto. Ngomba kumukunda nkamurutisha byose,nkamurutisha n’umuryango wanjye. Ngomba kwiyemeza guhangana n’ingorane zitazabura kubaho byanze bikunze bitewe n’icyo cyemezo nafashe cyo kumukurikira.Kandi ngomba gukora ibyo avuga ku byo ntunze. (Kandi amenshi mu mategeko ye agenda avuga ibisa n’ibyo,ubwo rero singomba kwishuka nk’uko benshi bishuka bavuga ngo, “Umwami agize icyo ambwira gukora nkoresheje ubutunzi bwanjye bwose icyo ari cyo cyose nagikora.”)

Kandi twebwe abakozi b’Imana tugomba guhindura abantu tukabagira bene abo biyemeje kwitangira kuba abayoboke ba Kristo! Iyo ni yo ntego twashyiriweho n’Imana! Twahamagariwe kuba abakozi b’Imana bahindura abantu abigishwa!

Iryo ni ihame ry’urufatiro abakozi b’Imana benshi hirya no hino mu isi bahusha rwose. Baramutse basuzumye umurimo wabo nk’uko nabigenje, basanga barahabanye cyane n’icyifuzo cy’Imana ndetse n’ibyo Imana yari ibategerejeho nk’uko nasanze ari ko byangendeye. Maze kwitegereza urwego rwo kwiyemeza gukurikira Yesu ab’itorero ryanjye bagaragazaga, sinashidikanyije ko hari benshi cyane muri bo batashobora kubarwa mu mubare w’abigishwa nyakuri.

Yemwe bapastori mwe,nimwitegereze abantu mufite mu matorero yanyu. Ni bangahe Yesu afata nk’abigishwa be ukurikije ibisabwa muri Luka 14:26-33?Babwirizabutumwa mwe, mbese ubutumwa mubwiriza buriho burabyara abantu biyemeza kumvira amategeko yose ya Kristo?

Iki ni cyo gihe cyo gusuzuma imirimo dukora, mbere yo kuzahagarara imbere ya Yesu mu isuzumwa rya nyuma. Byaba byiza menye ubu nonaha ko ndiho ndahusha intego ye, aho kugira ngo nzabibenye kuri uwo munsi wa nyuma.Si byo?

Amagambo asoza yo gutekerezaho

Biragaragara ko Yesu ashaka ko abantu bahinduka abigishwa be, nk’uko byerekanwa n’amagambo yabwiye abantu benshi bari bamukurikiye muri Luka 14:26-33. Bifite gaciro ki guhinduka umwigishwa we? Byagenda bite umuntu ahisemo kutaba umwigishwa we? Yesu yasubije ibyo bibazo asoza amagambo ye muri Luka 14:

Ni uko rero umunyu ni mwiza, ariko umunyu iyo ukayutse uryoshywa n’iki? Nta n’ubwo ukwiriye umurima habe n’icukiro, bapfa kuwujugunya hanze. Ufite amatwi yumva niyumve (Luka 14:34-35).

Urabona ko aya magambo afite aho ahuriye n’ayavuzwe haruguru. Atangirana n’ijambo nuko rero.

Umunyu ubundi ugomba kuba uryoshye. Ni cyo kiwugira umunyu. Iyo utakaje uburyohe bwawo, ntacyo uba ukimaze “urajugunywa.”

Ibi se bihuriye he no kuba umwigishwa? Nk’uko umunyu utegerezwaho kuba uryoshye, ni ko na Yesu ategereje abantu ho kuba abigishwa be. Kuko Yesu ari Imana inshingano yacu ni ukumukunda tukamurutisha byose, kandi tukikorera imisaraba yacu. Iyo tutemeye kuba abigishwa be, tuba twanze impamvu yatumye aturema. Nta cyo tuba tukimaze ikiba kidukwiriye ni “ugutabwa hanze.” Aho hantu ntabwo ari mu ijuru, ni ho se?

Ikindi gihe Yesu yabwiye abigishwa be ati:

Muri umunyu w’isi. Mbese umunyu nukayuka uzaryoshywa n’iki? Ntacyo uba ukimaze keretse kujugunywa hanze, abantu bakawukandagira (Mat. 5:13).

Mu byukuri aya ni amagambo yo kutubūrira dukwiye kwibazaho. Icya mbere, abafite uburyohe (birumvikana ko ari imvugo ngereranyo ivuga “abiyemeje kumvira”) ni bo bonyine bafite icyo bamariye Imana. Abasigaye “ntacyo bamaze …keretse kujugunywa hanze bakabakandagira.” Icya kabiri, birashoboka ko wa wundi wari “ufite uburyohe” “yakayuka” bitabaye ibyo Yesu ntaba yaragombye kubūrira abigishwa be. Mbega ukuntu ibi bivuguruza ibyo abantu benshi cyane bigisha muri iki gihe, bavuga ko umuntu ashobora kuba ari umukristo ujya mu ijuru ariko ntabe umwigishwa wa Kristo, cyangwa ngo ntibishoboka ko umaze kwakira agakiza yaba akikavukijwe bibaho. Tuzareba ibyo bitekerezo bipfuye mu buryo burambuye kurushaho mu bice bikurikira.

 

[1] Hose muri iki gitabo nagiye mvuga ku bakozi b’Imana nkoresha insimburazina z’igitsina gabo, kubwo gushaka gusa kudahindagura imvugo ariko na none kuko abenshi mu bakozi b’Imana babyiyeguriye nk’abapastori, ari abagabo. Nemera neza nshingiye ku Ijambo ry’Imana ko Imana ihamagara abagore kwiyegurira umurimo wabo, kandi hari

abagore bamwe nzi bakora umurimo w’Imana neza rwose. Iyo ni insanganyamatsiko y’igice cyiswe muri iki gitabo, Abagore mu murimo w’Imana.

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Kinyarwanda » Gushyiraho Intego nyayo

Day 99, Acts 20:1-6 & 2 Corinthians 1


It is helpful to know something of the occasion of this letter in order to understand the letter itself. Everything, however, is not so clear. I suspect that Paul had no idea that his letters would be studied for hundreds of years by future Christians, otherwise he would have worked harder at making them easier to understand by those of us who were not part of his intended readership.

After his three-year sojourn in Ephesus, where he penned 1 Corinthians, Paul traveled along the coast of the Aegean Sea back to Macedonia and Greece. At some point he briefly visited the Corinthian believers. That visit didn’t go as well as he had hoped, and after his departure, he wrote a letter to the Corinthians that was quite severe, penned “with many tears” (2:3-4). Fearing that his severe letter may have done more damage than good, Paul headed back towards Corinth. On the way there, he eventually met up with Titus who informed him that his letter had, for the most part, accomplished the intended result. Paul wrote 2 Corinthians after receiving Titus’ encouraging report (2:12-13; 7:6, 13). This means, of course, that 2 Corinthians is actually 3 Corinthians! (Actually, 2 Corinthians is at least 4 Corinthians, because Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthians that predated 1 Corinthians; see 1 Cor. 5:9).

Paul began this letter by focusing on God’s mercy and comfort. Because of Titus’ good report, he had been comforted, and he wanted to comfort the Corinthians who were no doubt troubled about their relationship with him. In keeping with that theme, Paul related his experience with God’s comfort when he was recently in Asia, where he and his band “despaired even of life” (1:8). Paul must have been referring to the uproar and riot in Ephesus, of which his ministry was the cause, that we read about in Acts 19:23-40. Apparently there was more danger that surrounded that incident than Luke’s account in Acts reveals. Regardless, Paul enjoyed “the peace that surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7) in the midst of a very stressful situation. That comfort is available to you, but faith is what activates it.

Paul credited the Lord with his deliverance from those who would have killed him, but he also credited the prayers of the Corinthian believers (1:9-11). It is encouraging to know that our prayers help keep God’s front-line servants safe from harm.

There was apparently some misunderstanding on the part of the Corinthians regarding Paul’s intended traveling schedule as it related to his coming to visit them. We don’t know all the details so it isn’t easy for us to sort out. We do know that when Paul was in Ephesus, he “purposed in the spirit” to journey to Macedonia and Achaia and then on to Jerusalem and Rome (Acts 19:21). That is the exact course he ultimately followed. According to what we read today, he intended to go through Corinth twice, but the second visit never occurred, and so Paul explained why.

He did not want the Corinthian believers to think that he was charting his own course or vacillating in his intentions, an indication that he was “purposing according the flesh” (1:17). It seems Paul was even more concerned that his loss of credibility regarding his traveling intentions might cause the Corinthian believers to doubt his message about Christ. So he first addressed that issue, affirming that the message preached by himself, Silvanus and Timothy was fully trustworthy. And then—without resorting to swearing with an oath, but calling on God as a “witness to his soul” (1:23)—Paul explained why he didn’t visit Corinth the second time as he had intended. It was to spare them. Rather than visit, he decided to send a letter instead.

Perhaps you’ve found yourself in a similar situation, when writing a letter to someone seemed like a better thing to do than speaking to them face-to-face. A letter gives them time to think about their reaction before they respond. A letter rather than a face-to-face encounter can be an act of wisdom and love. But not always! Every situation requires its own evaluation.

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HeavenWord Daily » Day 99, Acts 20:1-6 & 2 Corinthians 1

Day 98, 1 Corinthians 16


It is going to be difficult to restrain myself from writing the truth today, so I think I will just throw caution to the wind. If you’ve stayed with me four-and-a-half months, there is probably little danger of losing you now! So here goes!

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen 1 Corinthians 16:2 quoted on church offering envelopes: “On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper…” This verse is used to motivate churchgoers to give to the church on a weekly basis, and it is a classic example of ripping a verse from its context.

Notice that Paul was not referring to receiving collections for churches. He was writing about a “collection for the saints,” namely the very poor among the believers in Jerusalem (16:1-3). Why there were so many poor Christians in Jerusalem we are not told, but I suspect it was due to the high degree of persecution leveled against them by the Jews.

There are no biblical records of any offerings “for the church.” The reason is because churches had no expenses. They had no special buildings to pay for because small flocks met in homes, just as we read today of a church that met in the house of Aquila and Prisca (16:19). There were no mortgages or utility bills. There were no “building fund drives” to add a “fellowship hall” or “Sunday school annex.” Moreover, there were no staff salaries to pay. There were no “senior pastors,” “associate pastors,” “administrative pastors,” “youth pastors,” “music ministers” and so on, all creations of modern church structure. There were only pastors/elders/overseers, and most of them did not need remuneration due to the part-time nature of their responsibilities to care for and disciple a small group. We will soon be reading, in Acts, Paul’s address to the elders of the church of Ephesus, in which he said:

I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:33-35).

At the most, pastors/elders/overseers who devoted part of their time to shepherd their flocks needed only part-time wages. But many, like Paul, worked to support themselves, thus having something to share with “the weak,” and by so doing, set a good example before their flocks. Paul, typical of traveling ministers in his time, normally relied on free-will offerings from those he served, as well as the shared earnings of his traveling band.

As I survey the great mass of frustrated pastors around the world, I can’t help but think they would all be much happier and more fulfilled if they simply adopted a biblical pattern for their ministry, so I write this out of love for them!

Most churches receive offerings every Sunday, often using envelopes on which 1 Corinthians 16:2 is written. Yet very little, if any, of what is collected is used to support poor Christians who are lacking basic necessities such as food and covering. This is an astonishing fact, and it shows how far we have drifted from the biblical pattern. Think of the millions upon millions of dollars that are collected in wealthy Western churches every Sunday, dollars that are used for things that are never mentioned or recommended in Scripture, while more than half of the Christians in the world live on less than two dollars a day!

Were there any administrative costs related to meeting the pressing needs of the Jerusalem believers? Certainly a small percentage of what was collected in Corinth had to be used to pay for delivering the collected funds to Jerusalem. But no one, I can assure you, was taking $400,000 per year for their administrative work in serving the poor, as are some today who head large Christian humanitarian organizations. May God have mercy on their souls!

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HeavenWord Daily » Day 98, 1 Corinthians 16

Day 96, 1 Corinthians 14


The early church gatherings were not characterized by the majority passively listening to a trained clergyman. Rather, there was participation among everyone who shared what the Holy Spirit gave him. Thus it could be said, as Paul did, “When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation” (14:26).

There was, however, some disorder at believers’ gatherings in Corinth. Specifically, there were three groups that were speaking when they should not have been. Some, for example, were publicly speaking in tongues without any interpretation, which provided no benefit to the gathering. Paul instructed such folks to “keep silent in the church” (14:28). They should speak to themselves and God.

Why would God give someone the ability to speak in tongues without the accompanying gift of “the interpretation of tongues” that Paul listed in 12:10, especially since one who spoke publicly in tongues without an interpretation was out of order?

The only possible answer, and one that harmonizes with the experience of millions of Christians, is that the ability to pray in tongues is different than the spontaneous “gift of tongues.” The former is something that the Lord grants believers when they are first baptized in the Spirit. That supernatural ability operates any time they will it from then on, just as Paul indicated in 14:15, while the genuine “gifts of tongues” operates only as the Spirit wills (12:11). The former is for private use by believers in their personal devotions for self-edification, and they do not know what they are praying (14:14), whereas the latter is for the public benefit of the church, and is always accompanied by the “gift of the interpretation of tongues” (otherwise God would be the source of disorder).

All of this is to say that there must be two kinds of speaking in tongues. In Corinth, Spirit-baptized believers were speaking out in tongues, but not because they were suddenly anointed by the Spirit to do so, which would be a manifestation of the “gift of tongues.” Rather, they were publicly speaking out in tongues using their ability to pray in tongues, given to them from the time they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.

In this light, Paul’s rhetorical question that we read in chapter 12, “All do not speak with tongues, do they?” (12:30), is easy to harmonize with other scriptures that lead us to believe that speaking in tongues can be experienced and enjoyed by every believer once he or she is baptized in the Spirit. Paul’s question referred to the spontaneous “gift of tongues,” not to the ability to pray in tongues.

Paul really encouraged the practice of prophecy and then he corrected two other groups who were speaking out of order—certain prophets and certain wives. I don’t believe that Paul’s instruction to women to “keep silent in the churches” (14:34) was intended to keep them completely and continually silent any time the churches gathered. He had already written in this very letter about women publicly praying and prophesying (11:5). Paul was specifically addressing wives who were interrupting the flow of the gathering by conversing with their husbands.

Keep in mind that in this same chapter, Paul also told two other groups to be “silent”—out-of—order tongues speakers (14:28) and certain prophets (14:30). In neither case did he mean that they were to remain completely and continually silent any time the churches gathered.

Granted, this chapter in Corinthians raises as many questions as it answers. Some statements within it seem so contradictory from one verse to the next that some commentators think Paul was quoting from the letter that the Corinthians had written to him, and then immediately correcting what they wrote. For example, they believe that the words about women in 14:34-35 are a quote from the Corinthians’ letter, and the verse immediately following is Paul’s rebuttal: “Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?” (14:36). That is, “Who are you to be making up such regulations about women not speaking? Are you the final authority from God on the matter?” Many women approve of that interpretation!

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HeavenWord Daily » Day 96, 1 Corinthians 14

Day 97, 1 Corinthians 15


Note that Paul’s gospel was something by which one could be saved if one “held fast” to it (15:2). Paul did not believe in an unconditional eternal security.

Notice also that the part of Paul’s gospel that was “of first importance” was that “Christ died for our sins” (15:3). Unless humanity is sinful and God is wrathful, then there was no need for Christ to die for our sins. These twin truths are the foundation of the gospel.

Not only is Christ’s death for our sins an essential part of the gospel, but so is His resurrection from the dead. If this chapter teaches us anything, it teaches us that the concept of resurrection is a major tenet of Christian doctrine. Some in Corinth, however, like the Sadducees who once challenged Jesus (Matt. 22:23), denied it. Yet to deny the possibility of resurrection is to deny Christ’s resurrection and to make false witnesses out of hundreds of Jesus’ contemporaries, including the eleven apostles. If Jesus didn’t come back to life, we would have to wonder why at least 10 of 11 were willing to die for something they knew was a lie.

If Jesus was not resurrected, then He was a liar, because He promised He would rise from the dead; He was not the Son of God; our sins have not been forgiven; and the Holy Spirit does not live in us. “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:19). You might as well throw your Bible in the trash (and unsubscribe to HeavenWord Daily, by the way).

According to Paul, if Christ has not been raised, we might as well go on sinning, because holiness is unimportant. This indicates that if one believes that Christ has been raised, it is vital that he or she lives obediently. Note that among all Paul’s words about the doctrine of the resurrection that he plugs holiness: “Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning” (15:34). His concluding statement at the end of this long chapter about the resurrection is also an admonition to obedience: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (15:58).

Thank God Jesus has been raised from the dead! And the risen one promised a resurrection for the righteous and the wicked.

Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment (John 5:28-29).

The resurrection of the righteous will take place when Jesus returns, but the resurrection of the unrighteous will not take place until 1,000 later (Rev. 20:4-5, 13).

Believers who are alive when Jesus returns will also receive new bodies “in a twinkling of an eye” (15:52). What will those new, resurrected bodies be like? They will not be “flesh and blood,” but will be “spiritual,” “heavenly,” “glorious,” “powerful,” “imperishable” and “immortal.” Those bodies will never grow old or die. Eternal youth! Great news for the over-thirty crowd!

The only verse in the entire Bible that speaks of people being “baptized for the dead” is the one we just read today in 15:29, so it is difficult to interpret what Paul meant. I’ve never read a satisfying explanation. But surely the practice of Mormons, who search genealogical records in order to be baptized on behalf of their deceased ancestors to gain them some spiritual status is not what Paul had in mind. Such a doctrine denigrates Jesus’ sacrifice, superseding it by a relatives’ quick dip, which becomes one’s ticket to heaven. Can you imagine someone suffering in hell who one day is tapped on the shoulder by a demon who says, “Lucky for you that your grand nephew just took a little dip under the water and repeated your name…now you can get out of here and go to heaven with the saints and angels!” Seems somewhat unlikely, doesn’t it?

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HeavenWord Daily » Day 97, 1 Corinthians 15

Day 95, 1 Corinthians 13


It is fun to read this famous chapter, so often recited in sermons about love, within its context of the entire Corinthian letter. It appears that everything that Paul wrote to define love has some direct application to a situation in Corinth, where love was definitely lacking.

For example, when we read the very next chapter in 1 Corinthians, we’ll learn that speaking in tongues had superseded love in the Corinthian church. Some were speaking with other tongues in a selfish manner. Paul’s lovely and poetic words that are often read at wedding ceremonies—“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal”—were a stinging rebuke to the Corinthians. Truly, there is little that is more obnoxious than a Pentecostal gong or Charismatic clanger! All noise, no love!

Similarly, Paul puts spiritual gifts, with which the Corinthian believers were so enamored, into their proper perspective. One might possess the gift of prophecy, amazing revelation, and even mountain-moving faith, but without love, he amounts to absolutely nothing (13:2). Such words no doubt deflated many Corinthian egos as they were first read. Love is the important thing.

Paul also points out the fact that not all that appears to be loving is love. One can do “unselfish” things for selfish reasons, including giving to the poor and making great personal sacrifices, if such things are done for the praise of others. Paul reiterates what Jesus taught; there will be no reward for such “good deeds.” The selfish “lover” profits nothing (13:3).

Let’s imagine we are Corinthians as we read Paul’s definition of love. Here is more of what we might hear:

“Love is patient, so it waits for everyone to show up at the Lord’s Supper before eating. Love does not brag, and it is not arrogant about favorite Christian leaders, saying, ‘I am of Paul’ and, ‘I am of Peter.’ Love does not seek its own, and so it is willing to forgo eating meats sacrificed to idols if a fellow saint with a weak conscience might be caused to stumble. Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, such as when it knows that a man in the church is living in an immoral relationship with his stepmother. Rather, love rejoices in the truth. Love also bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things, so those of you who are always complaining about each other need to stop grumbling!”

Some say that Paul’s foretelling that tongues would cease, along with the other spiritual gifts that he mentions such as the word of knowledge and prophecy, was fulfilled when the last book of the Bible was written, because Paul wrote, “we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away” (13:8-10). Supposedly, we no longer need spiritual gifts since we have the complete Bible.

The truth is, however, that even with the complete Bible, we still “know in part,” and we continue to “see in a mirror dimly” (13:9, 12). Only when Jesus is reigning on this earth will that no longer be true. And that is comforting to those of us, like me, who are perplexed about so many things now. Think of how different your understanding was when you were a child compared to how it is now as an adult. Similarly, when you are in the future kingdom, you will look back at your earthly life and say to yourself, “How very little I understood!” Now it is as if we are looking at everything in a mirror’s reflection, and under dim light! Everything is backwards and indistinct, and we’re only seeing a small fragment of the entire picture. We know so very little that there is no room for pride, as Paul wrote a few chapters earlier, “If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know” (1 Cor. 8:3).

I know so little. I am D—U—M dum! But don’t laugh at me! You’re a dummy reading a commentary written by another dummy!

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HeavenWord Daily » Day 95, 1 Corinthians 13

Day 94, 1 Corinthians 12

This really isn’t a chapter about spiritual gifts and various ministries. It is a chapter about preserving unity among all the diversity in the church, a chapter about love! The manifold work of the Spirit should not divide us, but be appreciated as being from one source, unifying us. Similarly, even though the church consists of many ethnicities and cultures, one Spirit has baptized us into one body, and one Spirit indwells us all. Paul emphasizes this truth to the point of redundancy in this chapter, hoping we don’t miss it!

Paul lists nine spiritual gifts that the Spirit distributes, but notice that his emphasis is not on the gifts, but on the one Spirit who gives all the gifts. Also take note that the spiritual gifts are given as the Spirit wills (12:11), so no one possesses them or can turn them on or off at will.

The names Paul gives to each gift help us, to some degree, to define them. Three are gifts of revelation. When God reveals to one of us information about the future, that is a “word of wisdom,” whereas a “word of knowledge” would be a supernatural revelation of current or past facts. “Discerning of spirits” is God-given insight into the spiritual world, so that one might see an angel, Jesus, or a demon. People who claim to know everyone’s motives through the “gift of discernment” actually have the “gift of suspicion,” a gift not given by the Holy Spirit!

Three are gifts that display God’s power. If God gives you a “gift of healing” for someone else, you can heal them, even if they have no faith. The “gift of faith” is a supernatural impartation of faith to receive a miracle, whereas the “effecting of miracles” is simply an ability to do something miraculous.

Three are gifts of utterance, and they were quite prevalent in the Corinthian church. Prophecy is Spirit-inspired utterance in a known language, whereas “various kinds of tongues” is Spirit-inspired utterance in an unknown language. The “interpretation of tongues” is self-explanatory!

Speaking of speaking in other tongues, the obvious answer to Paul’s rhetorical question in 12:30, “All do not speak with tongues, do they?” is “no.” We will see clearly, however, when we read chapter 14, that the ability to pray in tongues, given when one is baptized in the Spirit, is somewhat different than the spontaneous “gift of tongues” that is only granted to some. That spontaneous gift is what Paul must have been referring to in 12:30.

The problem in today’s church with trying to apply Paul’s words about preserving unity among the many diverse members of Christ’s body is that so much of today’s church is not part of Christ’s body! Pastors whose congregations consist of sheep mixed with goats who think they are sheep can find little application from this chapter for their churches. God doesn’t give spiritual gifts to goats. Goats don’t have the Spirit in them. When another member of the body suffers, goats don’t care. Goats only care about themselves. Goats are inclined towards division. In reality, they hate Bible Jesus, and so they also hate anyone who truly loves Bible Jesus. A recipe for division!

Paul’s words in this chapter only have application among true followers of Christ. They consider their relationships with each other to be sacred. They genuinely care for one another.

In the church, God has appointed “first apostles, second prophets, [and] third teachers”(12:28). There is no biblical evidence that has ever changed. Apostles plant churches by the power of the Holy Spirit. Prophets are frequently granted the gifts of revelation and prophecy. Teachers instruct the church to obey Christ’s commandments.

Scripture, of course, also warns against false apostles, prophets and teachers, of which there is no shortage today. False apostles aren’t planting churches; they are elevating themselves over existing churches to gain wealth and power. False prophets are prophesying to people what they want to hear in order to enrich themselves. And false teachers also tickle people’s ears, downplaying or ignoring any teaching on holiness, again, in order to make money. Money is indeed the driving force behind every wolf in sheep’s clothing. Beware!

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HeavenWord Daily » Day 94, 1 Corinthians 12

Day 93, 1 Corinthians 11


Unlike most other days, today I’m glad I’m limited to 700 words, which will be my excuse for not engaging in a lengthy commentary on women’s head coverings! Paul’s words are not as clear as I wish they were on this subject. So I will limit myself to a few observations.

First, there are no unique Greek words for husband and wife, and so clearly the words translated man and woman in parts of this passage would be better translated husband and wife. Otherwise we might conclude that every man is the head of every woman. The truth is, only husbands are heads of their wives (Eph. 5:23).

Second, it seems to me that the underlying spiritual principles of which Paul wrote are more important than the “symbols” of those principles. A wife can wear a head covering, “a symbol” of her husband’s authority over her (11:10), yet continually “disgrace her head” (11:5), her husband, in many other ways. So the important thing is that she always honors her husband, and this is contained in Scripture (Eph. 5:33).

Third, I chuckle when someone says that Paul’s words about head coverings have nothing to do with cultural practices in the ancient world, and thus they should be implicitly obeyed by all generations of Christians in all cultures. Paul wrote, for example, that the woman who prays with her head uncovered is “one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved” (11:5). How many women in your culture shave their heads? In how many cultures of the world, old and more recent, would Paul’s example have any relevance?

If head coverings were a God-ordained “symbol” (11:10), one required by God to be worn by all wives during prayer, you would think that would have been mentioned a few other places in Scripture.

Finally, if you are a woman who is persuaded that God wants you to cover your head when you pray, then do it. But don’t throw a little napkin on top of your head or wear a fancy little hat to church! Cover your entire head! And remember that wearing a head covering does not exempt one from the obligation to obey the second greatest commandment.

Selfishness was surfacing in Corinth even when the believers partook of the Lord’s Supper. Keep in mind that the Lord’s Supper was intended to be a supper and not a snack, which is why it is called the Lord’s Supper. It was a full meal in Corinth, and that is very obvious from what Paul wrote. Moreover, the Corinthians didn’t meet in specially-built church buildings, and so most likely, they ate the Lord’s Supper where they ate most of their meals, in their homes. Members came together and shared food.

Some, however, who arrived first, arrived hungry. Not waiting for the others, they started eating and drinking, with the result that some who arrived late and who were too poor to bring food to share found everything consumed! Worse, they found some who were drunk from the wine! This is not what Jesus envisioned for the sacred meal that He gave to His followers!

Paul admonished the Corinthian believers not only to wait for one another, but also to examine themselves before they partook of the bread and cup, lest they partake in an “unworthy manner” (11:27). Otherwise they endangered themselves of being disciplined by the Lord in the form of sickness and even premature death. Such discipline from God ensures that we “will not be condemned along with the world” (11:32). That is, if God didn’t discipline wayward children, the result is that they would be cast into hell with the unsaved. This is not proof of the doctrine of “once-saved-always-saved,” however, as Scripture teaches that we can reject God’s discipline (Prov. 3:11). Rather, it is one more proof that holiness is required for heaven and not just “faith.”

Is it wrong for Christians to drink wine? Since Paul didn’t condemn the Corinthians for drinking wine (with alcoholic content) during the Lord’s Supper, then the answer must be “no.” Drunkenness, however, is a sin that will exclude one from God’s kingdom (6:9-10). Avoiding all alcohol is always a sure way to stay sober.

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HeavenWord Daily » Day 93, 1 Corinthians 11

Day 92, 1 Corinthians 10


It is sometimes debated what Paul meant in the last verses of chapter nine regarding his fear of being “disqualified” if he failed to “discipline his body and make it his slave” (9:27). Reading those words within their context of the first part of chapter 10, however, makes it obvious that Paul was fearful, not just of forfeiting some heavenly rewards, as some say. Rather, he was fearful of forfeiting heaven. Citing the Israelites as an example, Paul reminds us that, although they were delivered from Egypt, were “baptized” when they crossed the Red Sea, ate God-given food and drank God-given water that was representative of Christ, in the end, “God was not well-pleased with most of them,” and “they were laid low in the wilderness” (10:5). They never entered the promised land.

This serves as a warning to us that greed, idolatry and immorality—three sins that Paul already warned of in this letter that will exclude one from inheriting God’s kingdom (6:9-10)—as well as grumbling and rebellion, could result in our forfeiting our relationship with God. Paul reminds us that immorality, for example, resulted in the deaths of 23,000 Israelites on a single day! We are not to suppose that those immoral people inherited eternal life!

So we must “take heed” that we don’t similarly fall, disciplining our bodies, lest we be “disqualified.” Clearly, the temptation to commit sexually immoral acts exists for believers, and we are capable of yielding. Thankfully, however, God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to resist, and He always provides a way of escape (10:13). None of us are forced to sin. Moreover, there is grace offered after sin to those who repent.

Obviously, even though Paul listed idolatry as a sin that angers God, will exclude one from heaven, and is a form of demon-worship, he did not believe that eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols was idolatrous. There is, however, sometimes a valid reason to avoid eating such meat. That reason is love for a fellow believer who is persuaded that doing so is wrong. Although eating meat that is sacrificed to idols is not an issue that most of us face, we can certainly apply the concepts that Paul advocates, being sensitive to the peculiarities that exist within the body of Christ. Love is the important thing.

Again we read very similar words that Paul had written earlier in this same letter: “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify” (10:23). It goes without saying that Paul did not mean that greed, idolatry and immorality, for example, are lawful in God’s eyes, but to be avoided only because they are not profitable or edifying. That would make Paul contradict himself within this very chapter. Considering the context, we note that Paul was speaking of eating meats sacrificed to idols. It was lawful, but not always profitable or edifying to do so. That makes sense.

Therefore, even if we know that something is not wrong, we should strive not to offend those who are persuaded otherwise, lest we hinder them from inheriting eternal life. Paul specifically lists Jews, Greeks and the church, all of whom possess their various scruples. I suspect that it was the Jews in the Corinthian church, because of their previous devotion to the Mosaic Law and the many fence laws surrounding it, who objected to eating meat sacrificed to idols. So Paul’s words, “All things are lawful,” were a reference to our freedom from the law of Moses. (But we are all under the law of Christ.)

Finally, notice that Paul admonished those who thought it was wrong to eat meat sacrificed to idols to also walk in love towards those who were persuaded otherwise. He wrote, “For why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?” (10:29-30). Those who pointed their fingers at Paul for eating meat sacrificed to idols should think again about holding him to their personal convictions, especially in the light that he ate with thankfulness to God!

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HeavenWord Daily » Day 92, 1 Corinthians 10