‘UNkulunkulu Uyakuniqeqesha’

UMGIJIMI olungiselela isenzakalo esikhethekile kumelwe aziqeqeshe kanzima. Ufuna ukwenza umzimba wakhe ube sesimweni esikahle ukuze ngosuku olukhulu, enze ngokusemandleni akhe. Ngokufanayo, amaKristu kumelwe aziqeqeshe kanzima kodwa enomgomo ohlukile. Umphostoli uPawulu wathi: “Ziqeqeshe ngokumesaba uNkulunkulu njengomgomo wakho.”—1 Thimothewu 4:7, NW.

Khona-ke, umKristu kumelwe azigcine esesimweni esihle ngokomoya. Njengoba umgijimi akha umzimba wakhe, umKristu wakha ukuqina kwakhe ngokomoya nokukhuthazela. Lokhu ukwenza ngokutadisha iZwi likaNkulunkulu iBhayibheli, ngomthandazo, ngokuhlangana njalo namaKristu akanye nawo, nangokuvuma obala ukholo lwakhe.

Ngokuvamile umgijimi unomqeqeshi, futhi ngokufanayo, namaKristu anomqeqeshi. Ubani? Akekho omunye ngaphandle kukaJehova uNkulunkulu ngokwakhe! Umphostoli uPetru wabonisa ukukhathalela kukaJehova isimiso sokuqeqeshwa kwamaKristu, ebhala: “UNkulunkulu womusa wonke . . . uyakuniqeqesha, aniqinise, aninike amandla.” (1 Petru 5:10, NW) Yikuphi ukuqeqesha uJehova asinikeza khona? Kungezinhlobo eziningi, futhi zonke zibalulekile uma sifuna ukuhlala sisesimweni esihle njengamaKristu.

Iseluleko Esiqondile

UPetru ngokwakhe waqeqeshwa uJehova. Singafunda okuningi kokuhlangenwe nakho kwakhe. Ngezinye izikhathi ukuqeqeshwa kukaPetru kwakubuhlungu. Ake ucabange ngendlela uPetru okumelwe ukuba wazizwa ngayo lapho ezama ukwenza uJesu angaqhubeki nenjongo kaNkulunkulu, futhi uJesu waphendula: “Buyela emva kwami, Sathane; uyisikhubekiso kimi, ngokuba awuqondi okukaNkulunkulu kepha okwabantu. ” (Mathewu 16:23) Futhi, cabanga ngendlela azizwa ngayo eminyakeni eminingi kamuva lapho ukwesaba abantu kumholela ekubeni enze ngobuwula. Umphostoli uPawulu wanikeza ukulaya kukaJehova kulesosenzakalo: “Ekufikeni kukaKhefase [uPetru] eAntiyokiya ngamelana naye ubuso nobuso, ngokuba wayenecala.”—Galathiya 2:11-14.

Nokho, kuzo zombili lezenzakalo uJehova wayemqeqesha uPetru. Wafunda ukuthi “ukulaya okwamanje kungathi akusikho okwentokozo, kepha kungokosizi, kodwa ngasemuva kuyabathelela isithelo esihle sokulunga labo abahlakahliswe [“abaqeqeshwe,” NW] yikho.” (Heberu 12:11) Ukwamukela lokho kusolwa okunamandla njengokulaya okuvela kuJehova kwasiza uPetru ukuba abe nombono oqondile ngezindaba futhi kwamqeqesha emfanelweni ebalulekile yobuKristu yobumnene nokuthobeka.—IzAga 3:34; 15:33.

Ukusingatha Izimo

UJehova angasiqeqesha ngokuvumela izimo okunzima ukuzisingatha ukuba ziphakame—ngezinye izikhathi lezi ziba ngisho phakathi kwebandla lobuKristu. Siyakhula njengamaKristu njengoba sithandazela isiqondiso, sisebenzisa izimiso zeBhayibheli esiye sazifunda, futhi sibone indlela ukusebenzisa lezozimiso okuhlala njalo kuyindlela engcono kakhulu ngayo.

UPetru wayehileleka ekuphikisaneni okwakuphakama phakathi kwabaphostoli bakaJesu. Ukufunda ngalokhu kuyathakazelisa, ukubona indlela uJesu asebenzisa ngayo lokhu kuphikisana—eqinisweni okwakubangelwa ukungapheleli nokuntula okuhlangenwe nakho—njengamathuba okuqeqesha abalandeli bakhe ezimfanelweni ezibalulekile zobuKristu zothando, ukuthobeka, nokuthethelela.—Mathewu 18:15-17, 21, 22; Luka 22:24-27.

UPawulu naye wake wahileleka ezimpikiswaneni. (IzEnzo 15:36-40; Filipi 4:2) Wachaza indlela izinkinga ezinjalo ezinikeza ngayo amaKristu ithuba lokuqeqeshwa: “Nibekezelelane, nithethelelane, uma umuntu enensolo komunye; njengokuba neNkosi [uJehova] yanithethelela, yenzani njalo nani. Kepha phezu kwakho konke lokho yembathani uthando oluyisibopho sokuphelela.”—Kolose 3:13, 14.

Ekhulwini lokuqala, kwaphakama ingozi enkulu kakhulu phakathi kwamaKristu. UPetru waxwayisa ngayo: “Nakinina kuzakubakhona abafundisi bamanga abazakungenisa ngasese izifundiso zamanga ezibhubhisayo, bephika noMbusi owabathengayo, bezilethela ukubhujiswa okusheshayo; nabaningi bayakulandela amanyala abo; ngenxa yabo indlela yeqiniso iyakuhlanjalazwa.” (2 Petru 2:1, 2) Lokhu okuhlangenwe nakho kuyobangela ukubhujiswa ‘kwabafundisi bamanga’ abangaphenduki. (2 Petru 2:3) Kodwa kuthiwani ngalabo ababelokhu bethembekile?

Okuhlangenwe nakho kwakuyobasiza ukuba ‘bavuse ingqondo yabo emhlophe.’ (2 Petru 3:1) Ukuqapha kwabo ukungena kwezimfundiso zamanga kwakuyobenza ukuba babonise izizathu zokholo lwabo. Njengoba babebona imiphumela emibi yezenzo ‘zabefundisi bamanga,’ ukuthembela kwabo eqinisweni lobu Kristu kwakuyoqina ngokwengeziwe.—2 Petru 3:3-7.

Ngokwesibonelo, kwelinye ibandla umphostoli uJohane owayesegugile wayephikiswa uDiyotrefe othile, indoda eziphakamisayo eyayingalihloniphi igunya likaJohane futhi engagcinanga nje kuphela ngokwenqaba ukwamukela izithunywa ezithunywe uJohane kodwa futhi kungenzeka wazama ngisho nokususa ekuhlanganyeleni labo ababezamukela. Lokhu kumelwe ukuthi kwakubuhlungu kuwo wonke amaKristu aqotho ayesebandleni elalinoDiyotrefe. Kodwa lokhu kwabanikeza ithuba lokubonisa ukuthi babengebona ‘abalingisi bokubi’ futhi kanjalo ubuqotho babo kuJehova nasegunyeni lobuphostoli baqeqeshwa ngokwengeziwe.—3 Johane 9-12.

Ekusebenzelaneni NabangemaKristu

UJesu wathi abalandeli bakhe babengeyona ingxenye yezwe. (Johane 17:16) Ubuqotho bokuqala bomKristu bukuJehova naseMbusweni wakhe. Uzama ukulondoloza izindinganiso zikaNkulunkulu zokuziphatha, khona-ke izithakazelo zakhe eziyinhloko nokukhathalela kuhlukile kokwezwe. Nokho, umKristu kumelwe aphile ezweni, futhi lokhu ngokungenakuvinjelwa kubangela ukucindezeleka.

UPetru, phakathi nenkonzo yakhe yesikhathi eside, kumelwe ukuthi wabona izenzakalo eziningi lapho amaKristu kwakudingeka enze izinqumo ezinzima, elinganisela lokho okufunwa yizwe nalokho okushiwo onembeza bawo. Encwadini kaPetru yokuqala, wanikeza iseluleko esihle sokuthi kungenziwa kanjani lokhu ukuze amaKristu abe “nonembeza omuhle.”—1 Petru 2:13-20; 3:1-6, 16.

Yebo, njengamaKristu sibheke phambili esikhathini lapho singenakukucabangela lokho okufunwa yilesimiso sezinto. Kodwa okwamanje ukukhuthazela kwethu kuyaqeqeshwa futhi sivunyelwa ukuba sibonise ubuqotho bethu ezilingweni nasemathonyeni okungamesabi uNkulunkulu. Njengoba sizuza okuhlangenwe nakho ekusebenziseni izimiso zeBhayibheli ezimweni ezihlukahlukene futhi ngesibindi senza ngendlela esazi ukuthi uJehova ufuna ukuba senze ngayo, siqeqeshelwa futhi ukuba sibe nokuhlakanipha okuhle nesibindi. Cabanga ngokuqeqeshwa okuningi esiyobe sikutholile ngenxa yokuthi kade siphila kulesimiso futhi sasingatha izinkinga eziningi ezinzima ngokuphumelelayo!

Ngaphansi Koshushiso

Lapho uPetru ekhuluma ngokuqeqeshwa kwethu uNkulunkulu, wayebhekisela ikakhulukazi oshushisweni. Wabonisa ukuthi amaKristu kumelwe akulindele ukushushiswa: “Qondani, nilinde. Isitha senu, uSathane, siyahamba njengebhubesi elibhodlayo sifuna esingamgwinya.”—1 Petru 5:8; bheka futhi neyesi-2 Thimothewu 3:12.

UPetru wayekufanelekela ukukhuluma ngalokhu ngoba yena ngokwakhe wayekutholile ukushushiswa. Emihleni yokuqala yebandla lobuKristu, yena nabanye abaphostoli bashaywa futhi batshelwa ukuba bayeke ukushumayela. Kwaba yini ukusabela kwabo? “Basuka phambi komphakathi [iSanhedrin] bethokoza, ngokuba babefanele ukudunyazwa ngenxa yalelogama.”—IzEnzo 5:41.

Ngakho-ke, uPetru wayekhuluma esusela kokuhlangenwe nakho, nangaphansi kokuphefumlelwa ngesikhathi ethi: “Njengalokhu ningabahlanganyeli bezinhlupheko zikaKristu, thokozani, ukuze kuthi nasekwambulweni kwenkazimulo yakhe nithokoze, nethabe nokwethaba. Uma nithukwa ngenxa yegama likaKristu, nibusisiwe, ngokuba uMoya wenkazimulo nokaNkulunkulu uhlezi phezu kwenu.”—1 Petru 4:13, 14.

Yebo, ushushiso oluza ngokuqondile lungasebenza njengendlela yokuqeqesha. Ngaphansi kwalo, umKristu ufunda ukwethembela ngisho nangokwengeziwe emoyeni kaNkulunkulu. Ukholo lwakhe luba ‘ngoluvivinyekile.’ (1 Petru 1:7) Uqeqeshwa ukuba abe nesibindi esisekelwe emandleni kaNkulunkulu. (2 Thimothewu 1:7) Uba nokukhuthazela okukhulu, futhi njengoJesu, ‘ufunda ukulalela ngalokho ahlupheka ngakho.’—Heberu 5:8; 1 Petru 2:23, 24.

UJehova Uyasiqeqesha

Yebo, izinkinga ezinzima, kuhlanganise noshushiso, umKristu azikhuthazelelayo aziveli kuNkulunkulu. UJakobe uyeluleka: “Umuntu oyengwayo makangasho ukuthi: Ngiyengwa nguNkulunkulu; ngokuba uNkulunkulu angeyengwe ngokubi, naye uqobo akayengi-muntu.” (Jakobe 1:13) Izinkinga zingaphakanyiswa yizimbangela eziningi, kuhlanganisa nalapho abantu benza amaphutha noma okungalungile ngokuzithandela kwabo. Nokho, njengoba lezozinto zenzeka, uJehova uyazisebenzisa ukuze aqeqeshe izinceku zakhe zibe nezimfanelo ezibalulekile zobuKristu.

UJobe, uJeremiya, uPetru, uPawulu, nazo zonke izinceku zikaNkulunkulu ezikhathini zeBhayibheli zaqeqeshwa ngalendlela. Nathi futhi, njengoba sibhekana nezimo ezihlukahlukene ezinzima, kumelwe sizibheke njengomthombo wokusiqeqesha ovunyelwa uJehova. Ngokubhekana nazo ngamandla kaJehova, siyoqeqeshwa ukuba sibe nokulalela, ukuhlakanipha, ukuthobeka, isibindi, uthando, ukubekezela, nezinye izimfanelo eziningi.—Qhathanisa noJakobe 1:2-4.

Futhi, siyakhuthazeka ngokwazi ukuthi lokhu kuqeqeshwa kwethu ngelinye ilanga kuyophela. Ngakho-ke uPetru waduduza amaKristu ayekanye nawo, ethi: “UNkulunkulu womusa wonke owanibizela enkazimulweni yakhe yaphakade ngoKristu, senihluphekile isikhashana, yena uqobo uyakuniphelelisa [“uyakuniqeqesha,” NW] aniqinise, aninike amandla, anisekele.” (1 Petru 5:10) Lamazwi asebenza ngokufanayo ‘esixukwini esikhulu’ esibheke phambili ekuphileni okuphakade emhlabeni oyiPharadesi.

Lowombono kumelwe ngokwawo usisize ukuba sizithobe ngokubekezela kulokhu okuhlangenwe nakho okuqeqeshayo, sizimisele ukungahlehli. Kanjalo, siyojabulela ukuba yiqiniso kwamazwi akhuthazayo kaPawulu: “Kepha masingakhathali ekwenzeni okuhle, ngokuba siyakuvuna ngesikhathi esifaneleyo, uma singadangali.”—Galathiya 6:9.