8. Ziziphi iingongoma zencwadi kaPawulos eya kwabase-Efese ezayenza yaba yefike ngexesha elililo?

⁸ Ngoku, ngoxa esentolongweni, uPawulos ucinga ngeengxaki ibandla lase-Efese elijamelene nazo, njengoko lingqongwe ngabanquli abangabahedeni nabo babenqula kwitempile enesithunzi ka-Artemis. Ngokungathandabuzekiyo umzekeliso ofanelekileyo uPawulos ngoku awenzayo wawuyimfuneko kula maKristu athanjisiweyo, ebonisa ukuba ayila ‘itempile engcwele,’ ekuhlala kuyo uYehova ngomoya wakhe. (Efe. 2:21) “Imfihlelo engcwele” etyhilelwa abase-Efese, ngokuphathelele ulawulo lukaThixo (indlela yokuphatha imicimbi yendlu yakhe) awayeya kuthi ngayo abuyisele umanyano noxolo ngoYesu Kristu, ngokungathandabuzekiyo yayilukhuthazo olukhulu kwaye yabathuthuzela. (1:9, 10, NW) UPawulos ubethelela ukumanyana komYuda noweeNtlanga kuKristu. Ukhuthaza ubunye, umanyano. Ngaloo ndlela, ngoku sinokuyiqonda injongo, uxabiso nokuphefumlelwa okuphawulekayo kwale ncwadi.

 9. UThixo uye walubonakalisa njani uthando olukhulu, ibe uthandazela ntoni uPawulos?

⁹ Injongo kaThixo yokubamanyanisa ngoKristu (1:1–2:22). Umpostile uPawulos uyabulisa. Makabongwe uThixo ngenxa yobabalo lwakhe oluzukileyo. Oku kunokuthanani nokubanyula Kwakhe ukuba bamanyane noYesu Kristu, abathe ngaye bakhululwa esonweni ngentlawulelo ngegazi lakhe. Ukongezelela, uThixo uye wabonakalisa uthando lwakhe olukhulu kubo ngokuyenza yaziwe imfihlelo engcwele yokuthanda kwakhe. Ngokuba ucebe ukuhlela okuthile, “ukuba azihlanganisele zonke izinto kuye uKristu,” zimanyaniswe nalowo zaziya kuba ziindlalifa kunye naye. (1:10) Njengembonakaliso yoku kusengaphambili, baye batywinwa ngomoya oyingcwele. Umthandazo kaPawulos ngowokuba balibambe baliqinise ithemba ababizelwa kulo baze baqonde ukuba uThixo uya kusebenzisa kwaloo mandla afanayo kubo nalawo wawasebenzisayo ekuvuseni uKristu nokumphakamisela ngaphezu kwalo lonke ulawulo negunya yaye emenza iNtloko phezu kwazo zonke izinto zebandla.

19. Liliphi ithemba nokhuthazo eyabase-Efese eqhubeka izibalaselisa ukuza kuthi ga kulo mhla?

¹⁹ Ngokuphathelele ‘imfihlelo engcwele,’ uPawulos wakwathetha ‘ngokuhlela ukuze kuhlanganiselwe zonke izinto kuye uKristu, izinto ezisemazulwini [abo banyulelwe ukuba kuBukumkani basezulwini] kwanezisemhlabeni [abo baya kuhlala emhlabeni kummandla woBukumkani].’ Ngaloo ndlela injongo ezukileyo kaThixo yokubuyisela uxolo nomanyano iyabalaseliswa. Ngokuphathelele oku uPawulos wathandazela abase-Efese, abo amehlo eentliziyo zabo ayekhanyiselwe, ukuze babe nokuliqonda ngokuzeleyo ithemba uThixo awayebabizele kulo baze babone “into obuyiyo ubutyebi bobuqaqawuli belifa lakhe phakathi kwabo abangcwele.” La mazwi amele ukuba alomeleza gqitha ithemba labo. Kwaye incwadi ephefumlelweyo eya kwabase-Efese iyaqhubeka iyeyakhayo ebandleni namhlanje, ukuze ‘siye sizala ngako konke ukuzala kukaThixo.’—1:9-11, 18; 3:19.