Abantu Abaselula Bayabuza . . .

Ngaba Ndifanele Ndibhaptizwe?

USUSANA owayeneminyaka elishumi elinesithathu ubudala wayesele eza kubulawa sisifo somhlaza ngethuba laxa wayesiya okwesihlandlo sokugqibela kwindibano yamaNgqina kaYehova. Wayengazi ukuba wayeza kufa kungaphelanga neentsuku ezilishumi emva koko. Noko ke, kwanesifo somhlaza ngokwaso sasingenakumthintela ekuzalisekiseni umnqweno wakhe awayewuxabise ngokonakona: ukubhaptizwa njengeNgqina likaYehova elizahluleleyo nelingumfundi kaYesu Kristu.

USusana wayengomnye wamawaka abantu abaselula phakathi kwamaNgqina kaYehova kwiminyaka yakutshanje abaye balivuyela ilungelo lokubhaptizwa. Kodwa mhlawumbi uyifumanisa ingcamango yokuthabatha ikhondo elinjalo lenkalipho njengento eyoyikisayo. Asikuko ukuba akukholelwa kwiinyaniso ezisekelwe eBhayibhileni oye wazifundiswa. Usenokuba uya rhoqo kwiintlanganiso zamaKristu yaye usenokuba nesabelo ngokuthe rhoqo ekwabelaneni nabanye ngeenyaniso zeBhayibhile. Kanti, xa kufikelelwa kumbandela wokwahlulela ubomi bakho kuThixo, usenokuthandabuza. Ngoko, lubaluleke kangakanani ubhaptizo? Yaye kutheni ulutsha oluninzi lukuphepha?

Unqulo Olungenalo Uzahlulelo

KwiNgqobhoko, umbuzo wobhaptizo ngokufuthi ulutsha luwuphendulelwa ngabazali balo. Wambi amahlelo akhuthaza abazali ukuba baphehlelele abantwana beseziintsana. Yaye kwanaxa isithethe sonqulo sokubhaptizwa silungiselelwe nabantu abakhulu, ulutsha ngokuqhelekileyo lulindelwe ukuba lulandele unqulo lwabazali balo njengomendo walo wobomi, kungekuko ukuzikhethela.

Noko ke, okubangel’ umdla kukuba, kuhlolisiso olwenziwe yiGallup eUnited States lwatyhila ukuba ngoxa “phantse bonke abakwishumi elivisayo (ama-96 ekhulwini) bekholelwa ukuba uThixo ukho,” kuphela ngama-39 ekhulwini athandaza ngokufuthi. Yaye kuphela ngama-52 ekhulwini akholelwayo elunqulweni olulungeleleneyo. Ngaloo ndlela uDiane oselula umisela umzekelo woku xa esithi: “Ndiyakholelwa kuThixo nakwezinye izinto ezinxulumene naye, kodwa ndikholelwa ngakumbi ekuzameni ukuba ngumntu olungileyo kunokufunda yonk’ into eseBhayibhileni.”

Ewe, unqulo lusenokuba ngamandla angacacanga, ngokungakumbi, xa lunyanzelwe kuthile ngabazali bakhe. Uhlolisiso olwenziwa kwiqela elithile labantwana abangamaKatolika abaziinjubaqa lukubonisa ngokubhekele phaya oku. Isiqingatha sabo sasihamba icawa. Inkoliso yabo yayizazi iimfundiso ezisisiseko zenkolo yabo. Yaye phantse ama-90 ekhulwini abo ayengavumelani nokuba. Kanti, ngaphezu kwesibini kwisithathu sabo babengamasela! Incwadi ethi The Adolescent yaphawula oku: “Esinye isizathu sisenokuba ukubandakanyeka kwala makhwenkwe elunqulweni kwakuyinto nje engenamsebenzi. Onke ayezalwe engamaKatolika; ukuzinikela kwawo okokuqala ayekwenzelwe ngabazali bawo. Unqulo lwawo lwalungelulo olwawo.”

Ubhaptizo​—⁠Isizathu Sokuba Lube Yimfuneko KumaKristu

Ngoko, ngesizathu esilungileyo, iBhayibhile ifuna ukuba ibe nguwe​—⁠kungekhona abazali bakho⁠—​ozenzela isigqibo sobuqu sokuzahlulela kuThixo.a Usenokuthi, ‘Ichan’ ucwethe, kodwa ukuba ukuzahlulela kobuqu kuyinto ephakathi kwam noThixo, kutheni ndifanele ndibhaptizwe nje?’

Kuba ubhaptizo lubandakanya ‘ukusindiswa komphefumlo wakho.’ (1 Petros 1:⁠9) UThixo ucinga ‘ngokubaphindezela abangamaziyo uThixo, nabangazilulameliyo iindaba ezilungileyo zeNkosi yethu uYesu Kristu; bona abo baya kuva ukubethwa, intshabalalo engunaphakade ke leyo.’ (2 Tesalonika 1:​8, 9) Bonke ubungqina bubonisa ukuba le ntshabalalo iya kufika ngomhla wethu.b

Kanti, ukuthanda kukaThixo kukuba “bangasindiswa bonke abantu.” (1 Timoti 2:⁠4) Ufuna ukuba usinde ekupheleni kwale nkqubo yezinto uze uphile ngonaphakade kumhlaba oyiParadisi! (ISityhilelo 21:​3, 4) Kodwa unokuzifanisa njani njengalowo uzilulamelayo iindaba ezilungileyo? Ukukholelwa nje kwiinyaniso zeBhayibhile oye wazifundiswa akwanele, kunganele nokuhamba nje nabazali bakho ukuya kwiintlanganiso zamaKristu. (Thelekisa uYakobi 2:​19.) Abo bafuna ukusindiswa bafanele bazahlulele kuThixo baze benze ukuthanda kwakhe. Umpostile uPawulos kumaRoma 12:1 uthi: “Ndiyanivuselela ngoko, bazalwana, ngeemfefe zikaThixo, ukuba niyinikele imizimba yenu ibe lidini eliphilileyo, elingcwele, [“nizahlulele,” The New English Bible] elikholekileyo kuThixo: inkonzo yenu ke leyo yasengqondweni.”

Kodwa ukuzahlulela akunakuhlala kungumcimbi wangasese. Ngapha koko, umfundi wangasese unokuzinikela kangakanani, azahlulele kangakanani? (Thelekisa uYohane 19:​38.) Ngaba ubuya kumthemba umhlobo ofuna ubuhlobo benu bube yinto yangasese? Ngoko, ngobulumko, uThixo ufuna ukuba bonke ‘benze uvumo lwasekuhleni ukuze basindiswe.’ (Roma 10:​10) Oku kuqala ngobhaptizo. Ngelo xesha, ubani uluvuma ngomlomo ukholo lwakhe. Emva koko, kulandela ubhaptizo lwamanzi. (Mateyu 28:​19, 20) Noko ke, liyintoni ixabiso lokuntywiliselwa kukabani emanzini?

Ubhaptizo asikuko ukuthiwa nkxu nje; kukungcwatywa okungokomfuziselo. Xa untywiliselwa ngaphantsi kwamanzi obhaptizo, oko kugxininisa kuwe ukuba uye wafa kwikhondo lobomi bakho langaphambili. Ngaphambili, amabhongo akho obuqu, usukelo lwakho neminqweno yakho yayisiza kuqala ebomini bakho. Kodwa uYesu wathi abafundi bakhe babeya ‘kuzincama.’ (Marko 8:​34) Ngoko xa unyuswa emanzini, uyakhunjuzwa ukuba ngoku uphilele ukuze wenze ukuthanda kukaThixo. Esi senzo senkalipho nesasesidlangalaleni siyindima ebalulekileyo yokubekwa uphawu olukufanisa njengalowo ofanelekele ukusinda!​—⁠Hezekile 9:​4-⁠6; thelekisa eyoku-1 kaPetros 3:⁠21.

‘Ndoyika Ukuba Ndiya Kususwa Kubudlelane’

Ukuba ubhaptizo lubaluleke kangako, ngoko, kutheni ulutsha oluninzi lungafuni ukubhaptizwa? UVukani! wabuza kwalo mbuzo mnye kwiqela lolutsha olungamaKristu. Enye intombazana yathi: “Abaninzi bavakalelwa kukuba baya kuba nenkululeko engakumbi ukuba ababhaptizwanga. Bavakalelwa kukuba ukuba bangena engxakini, abanakubekwa tyala kangako.” Osemtsha ogama linguRobert waphinda la mazwi ngokugqabaza athi: “Ndicinga ukuba abantu abasebatsha abaninzi bayathandabuza ukubhaptizwa ngenxa yokoyika ukuba eli linyathelo lokugqibela abangenakurhoxa kulo. Bavakalelwa kukuba ukuba benza okuthile okuphosakeleyo, baya kugxothwa ebandleni.”

Kuyinyaniso ukuba ubani akanakurhoxa akuba ezahlulele kuThixo. (Thelekisa INtshumayeli 5:⁠4.) Umntu ozahlulela kuThixo uthabatha imbopheleleko enzulu. Unyanzelekile ukuba ‘ahambe ngokuyifaneleyo iNkosi, ase kuko konke ukuyikholisa.’ (Kolose 1:​10) Ubani obandakanyeka kwisono esinzulu uzibeka esichengeni sokugxothwa ebandleni lobuKristu.​—⁠1 Korinte 5:​11-⁠13.

Kanti, ubani akanakuqiqa ngelokuba lo gama nje ubani engabhaptizwanga, unokwenza unothanda. Kuba “kowaziyo ukwenza okuhle, angakwenzi, kulowo kusisono”​—⁠ebhaptizwe okanye engabhaptizwanga! (Yakobi 4:​17) Ubani unokukuphepha ukususwa ngokusesikweni ebandleni, kodwa ubani akanakuwuphepha umgwebo kaYehova. UPawulos uyalumkisa, “Ningazikhohlisi! UThixo akanakwenziwa isidenge ngumntu. Umntu uya kuvuna kanye loo nto ayihlwayeleyo.”​—⁠Galati 6:⁠7, TE.

Ngokufuthi uloyiko lokususwa kubudlelane enyanisweni lufihla umdla wangasese wokwenza ububi. Ibhinqa eliselula eligama linguNatalie ngokuphandle lathi: “Ndakhuliselwa kwihlabathi likaSathana yaye ndiyayazi into eliyiyo. Kodwa abantu abaselula abaninzi bafuna ukuya kulo baze bazivele ngokwabo ukuba linjani na.” Kunokuba uvumele iminqweno ephosakeleyo ikwenze uthandabuze ukubhaptizwa​—⁠okanye uyenze ikhulele ekubeni zizenzo eziphosakeleyo⁠—​kutheni ungafumani uncedo, mhlawumbi ngokuwuthetha lo mcimbi nomzali okanye umKristu okhulileyo?​—⁠Yakobi 1:​14, 15.

Ngokwenene, inkululeko uSathana ayithembisayo iyinkohliso nje kuphela. Kunjengokuba umpostile uPetros wathi ngabathile ababelahlekisiwe ngomhla wakhe: “Bebathembisa nje inkululeko, bona ngokwabo bangabakhonzi bokonakala; kuba lowo athi ubani eyiswe nguye, ukhonzisiwe nokukhonziswa kuye.” (2 Petros 2:​19) Ngaba ngenene kuyinkululeko ukuba ukucinga kwakho, nesimo sakho sengqondo nendlela oziphatha ngayo ilawulwa ngabanye? Ngaba ngokwenene yinkululeko ukubandakanyeka kwizenzo ezikhokelela kwisifo, ukuhlazeka yaye ekugqibeleni, ekufeni?​—⁠IMizekeliso 5:8-14.

Oselula waseJapan ogama linguHitoshi wayejamelane nale mibuzo ifanayo. Wayekhuliswe ngabazali abangamaKristu yaye ukhumbula oku: “Ngoxa abanye babedlala, kwakufuneka ndiye ezintlanganisweni. Ndandifuna inkululeko engakumbi. Ndandicinga ukuba ndandilahlekelwa kokuthile.” Ewe, njengomdumisi uAsafu, ‘wabamonela’ abenzi bobubi. (INdumiso 73:​2, 3) Kodwa emva kokucingisisa ngokunzulu ngalo mcimbi, iimvakalelo zikaHitoshi zaguquka. Uthi: “Ndaqonda ukuba ubomi bam babuya kuba njani ngaphandle kwenyaniso​—⁠ndandizibona ndiphila iminyaka engama-70 okanye engama-80 emva koko ndife. Kodwa uYehova uthembisa ubomi obungunaphakade!” Ngaloo ndlela uHitoshi wazahlulela kuThixo waza wabhaptizwa.​—⁠Thelekisa INdumiso 73:19-28.

Ngaba ushukunyiselwa ukwenza okufanayo? Oselula ogama linguDavid washukunyiselwa ukwenjenjalo. Ubalisa oku: “Ukubhaptizwa ngoxa ndandiselula kwandikhusela. . . . Bambi abakwishumi elivisayo abangabhaptizwanga ebandleni babeziva bekhululekile kwigunya labadala yaye ngenxa yoku babambiseka ekuziphatheni okubi. Kodwa ndandisoloko ndikhumbula ukuba ndandibahlulele ubomi bam kuThixo.” Noko ke, mhlawumbi akuqinisekanga enoba ngenene ukulungele kusini na ukuthabatha eli khondo. Inkcazelo yokukunceda iya kunikelwa kwinqaku elilandelayo.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 13]

Isigqibo sokukhonza uThixo seso sinokwenziwa nguwe kuphela. Ukubhaptizwa kufanisa ubani njengomfundi ozahluleleyo kaKristu Yesu