UFiliphu—Umvangeli Oshisekayo
IMIBHALO inezindaba eziningi ezilandisa ngabesilisa nabesifazane abanokholo olufanelwe ukulingiswa. Cabanga ngoFiliphu, isithunywa sevangeli esingumKristu sekhulu lokuqala. Wayengeyena umphostoli, kodwa wasetshenziswa kakhulu ekusakazeni isigijimi soMbuso. Eqinisweni, uFiliphu waziwa ngokuthi “umvangeli.” (IzEnzo 21:8) Kungani uFiliphu abizwa kanjalo? Futhi yini esingayifunda kuye?
UFiliphu uvela embhalweni weBhayibheli ngemva nje kwePhentekoste lika-33 C.E. Ngaleso sikhathi amaJuda akhuluma isiGreki aqala ukububula ngamaJuda akhuluma isiHeberu, ethi abafelokazi bawo babenganakwa ekwabiweni kokudla kwansuku zonke. Ukuze basingathe le ndaba, abaphostoli bamisa “amadoda ayisikhombisa afakazelwayo.” UFiliphu wayephakathi kwalawo akhethwa.—IzEnzo 6:1-6.
La madoda ayisikhombisa ‘ayefakazelwa.’ Inguqulo kaJames Moffatt ithi ‘ayenedumela elihle.’ Yebo, ngesikhathi sokumiswa kwawo, ayesaziwa njengamadoda angokomoya anekhono lokucabanga ngendlela ewusizo. Kungokufanayo nangalabo abakhonza njengababonisi abangamaKristu namuhla. Amadoda anjalo awamiswa ngokuphamazela. (1 Thimothewu 5:22) Kumelwe “afakazelwe kahle abantu bangaphandle,” futhi amaKristu akanye nawo kufanele azi ukuthi anengqondo futhi ahluzekile.—1 Thimothewu 3:2, 3, 7; Filipi 4:5.
Kusobala ukuthi uFiliphu wasinakekela kahle isabelo sakhe eJerusalema. Nokho, ngokushesha kwaqubuka igagasi loshushiso olunzima lahlakaza abalandeli bakaKristu. Njengabanye, uFiliphu wahamba kulowo muzi, kodwa inkonzo yakhe yayingakapheli. Kungakabi sikhathi esingakanani, wayesematasa eshumayela ensimini entsha—eSamariya.—IzEnzo 8:1-5.
Ukuqala Amasimu Amasha
UJesu wayebikezele ukuthi abafundi bakhe babeyoshumayela “kokubili eJerusalema nakulo lonke iJudiya neSamariya nasezingxenyeni eziqhele kakhulu zomhlaba.” (IzEnzo 1:8) Ngokushumayela eSamariya, uFiliphu wayehlanganyela ekugcwalisekeni kwalawo mazwi. Ngokuvamile amaJuda ayewabukela phansi amaSamariya. Kodwa uFiliphu akazange abahlulele kusengaphambili laba bantu, futhi ukungakhethi kwakhe kwabusiswa. Ngempela, amaSamariya amaningi abhapathizwa, kuhlanganise nalowo owayenza imilingo okuthiwa uSimoni.—IzEnzo 8:6-13.
Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, ingelosi kaJehova yaqondisa uFiliphu emgwaqweni osogwadule osuka eJerusalema oya eGaza. Lapho, uFiliphu wabona inqola ethwele isikhulu esingumTopiya esasifunda ngokuzwakalayo esiprofethweni sika-Isaya. UFiliphu wagijima eceleni kwale nqola futhi waqala ingxoxo. Nakuba lowo mTopiya ayengumproselithe onolwazi oluthile ngoNkulunkulu nemiBhalo, wavuma ngokuthobeka ukuthi wayedinga usizo ukuze aqonde lokho ayekufunda. Ngakho, wathi uFiliphu agibele enqoleni ahlale naye. Ngemva kokunikezwa kobufakazi, bafika emanzini. UmTopiya wabuza: “Yini engivimbela ukuba ngibhapathizwe?” Ngokushesha uFiliphu wambhapathiza futhi lo mTopiya wahamba ejabule. Cishe lo mfundi omusha wazisakaza lezi zindaba ezinhle ezweni lakubo.—IzEnzo 8:26-39.
Yini esingayifunda enkonzweni kaFiliphu ehilela amaSamariya nesikhulu esingumTopiya? Akufanele nanini sithathe ngokuthi abantu besizwe esithile, uhlanga noma izinga elithile lokuphila, ngeke babe nesithakazelo ezindabeni ezinhle. Kunalokho, kufanele simemezele isigijimi soMbuso “kubantu bazo zonke izinhlobo.” (1 Korinte 9:19-23) Uma sizenza sitholakale ngokushumayela kubo bonke abantu, uJehova angasisebenzisa emsebenzini ‘wokwenza abantu bazo zonke izizwe babe abafundi’ ngaphambi kokuba kufike ukuphela kwalesi simiso esibi.—Mathewu 28:19, 20.
Amalungelo Engeziwe KaFiliphu
Ngemva kokushumayela esikhulwini esingumTopiya, uFiliphu washumayela e-Ashidodi, “futhi wahamba kuleyondawo futhi waqhubeka ememezela izindaba ezinhle kuyo yonke imizi waze wafika eKesariya.” (IzEnzo 8:40) Ekhulwini lokuqala, le mizi emibili yayinabantu abaningi beZizwe. Lapho eya enyakatho eKesariya, kungenzeka uFiliphu washumayela ezikhungweni ezivelele zamaJuda, njengaseLida naseJopha. Mhlawumbe kungakho kamuva kwatholakala abafundi kulezi zindawo.—IzEnzo 9:32-43.
Kukhulunywa ngoFiliphu okokugcina ngemva kweminyaka engaba ngu-20. Ekupheleni kohambo lwakhe lwesithathu lwezithunywa zevangeli, uPawulu wama ePetolemayi. ULuka owayehamba noPawulu uthi: “Ngosuku olulandelayo sasuka futhi safika eKesariya, sangena endlini kaFiliphu umvangeli.” Ngaleso sikhathi, uFiliphu ‘wayesenamadodakazi amane ayizintombi, ayeprofetha.’—IzEnzo 21:8, 9.
Kusobala ukuthi uFiliphu wayesezinze eKesariya. Kodwa wayesenawo umoya wokuba isithunywa sevangeli, ngoba uLuka umbiza ngokuthi “umvangeli.” Leli gama ngokuvamile lisho umuntu oshiya ikhaya lakhe ayoshumayela izindaba ezinhle ezindaweni ezingakaze zisetshenzwe. Ukuthi uFiliphu wayenamadodakazi amane ayeprofetha kusikisela ukuthi alandela ezinyathelweni zikayise owayeshiseka.
Abazali abangamaKristu namuhla kufanele bakhumbule ukuthi izingane zabo zingabafundi ababaluleke ukudlula bonke. Ngisho noma abazali abanjalo kuye kwadingeka bayeke amalungelo athile angokwasezulwini ngenxa yemithwalo yemfanelo yomkhaya, njengoFiliphu, bangahlala beyizikhonzi zikaNkulunkulu ezimkhonza ngomphefumulo wonke futhi bengabazali abayisibonelo.—Efesu 6:4.
Ukuvakasha kukaPawulu nalabo ayehamba nabo kwanikeza umkhaya kaFiliphu ithuba elihle lokubonisa umoya wokungenisa izihambi. Cabanga indlela okwakhuthazanwa ngayo! Mhlawumbe kwakungalesi sikhathi lapho uLuka athola khona ukwaziswa okuphathelene nemisebenzi kaFiliphu, kamuva okwahlanganiswa encwadini yezEnzo isahluko 6 no-8.
UJehova uNkulunkulu wamsebenzisa kakhulu uFiliphu ekuthuthukiseni izithakazelo zoMbuso. Intshiseko kaFiliphu yamenza wakwazi ukusakaza izindaba ezinhle emasimini amasha nokukhuthaza isimo esihle esingokomoya emzini wakhe. Ungathanda yini ukuba namalungelo nezibusiso ezifanayo? Khona-ke, uyobe wenza kahle uma ulingisa izimfanelo ezaboniswa uFiliphu umvangeli.