Imbono YeBhayibhile
Ngaba Sifanele Siye Kwiintlanganiso ZamaKristu?
“NDANDIDLA ngokuya ecaweni, kodwa ngoku andisayi.” “Ndicinga ukuba ungamnqula naphi na uThixo, kungekuphela nje ecaweni.” “Ndiyakholelwa kuThixo naseBhayibhileni, kodwa andikholelwa ekuhambeni icawa.” Ngaba ukhe wabeva abantu bethetha ngolo hlobo? Kuxhaphakile ukuba abantu abaninzi namhlanje bathethe ngolo hlobo, ingakumbi kumazwe aseNtshona. Abantu ababedla ngokuya ezicaweni abasakuboni kuyimfuneko oko. Ithini iBhayibhile ngokuya ecaweni?
Igama elithi “icawa” nelithi “iicawa” livela ngaphezu kwezihlandlo ezili-110 kwiKing James Version. Nezinye iinguqulelo ziyawasebenzisa la mabinzana. Igama lesiGrike eliguqulelwe ngokuthi “icawa” lithetha “ubizo,” okanye, ngamanye amazwi, ukuhlanganisana kwabantu. Ngokomzekelo, kwiZenzo 7:38, ngokweKing James Version, kuthethwa ngoMoses “njengosecaweni entlango,” okuthetha ukuba wayephakathi kwebandla lohlanga lwakwaSirayeli. IZibhalo zibonisa ukuba ngasihlandlo sithile “kwaqalisa intshutshiso ekrakra nxamnye necawa,” zibhekisela kumaKristu aseYerusalem. (IZenzo 8:1, The Jerusalem Bible) Kwenye yeencwadi zakhe, uPawulos ubulisa “icawa esendlwini [kaFilemon],” ibandla lasekuhlaleni elalihlanganisana apho.—Filemon 2, Revised Standard Version.
Licacile elokuba, ibinzana elithi “icawa” njengoko lisetyenziswe eBhayibhileni, alibhekiseli kwindawo yokunqula, kodwa libhekisela kwiqela labanquli. Ecacisa oku, uClement waseAlexandria, umfundisi wonqulo wenkulungwane yesibini, wabhala: “Asiyondawo, kodwa libandla labanyulwa, endilibiza ngokuba yiCawa.” Sekunjalo, ngaba amaKristu amele aye kwindawo ethile okanye kwisakhiwo ukuze unqulo lwawo lwamkeleke kuThixo?
Unqulo Kuhlanga LwakwaSirayeli
UMthetho kaMoses wawuyalela ukuba onke amadoda angamaYuda abekho kwindawo ethile yemithendeleko emithathu yaminyaka le. Kwakubakho namabhinqa amaninzi nabantwana. (Duteronomi 16:16; Luka 2:41-44) Maxa wambi ababingeleli nabaLevi babefundisa indimbane ehlanganiseneyo, befunda uMthetho kaThixo. ‘Babewucacisa ngokucokisekileyo, bechaza intsingiselo yawo, yaye bekwenza kuqondwe oko babekufunda.’ (Nehemiya 8:8) Ngeminyaka yeSabatha, umyalelo kaThixo wawusithi: “Uze ubahlanganise abantu, amadoda nabafazi nabantwana nomphambukeli wakho osemasangweni akho, ukuze baphulaphule nokuze bafunde, bamoyike uYehova uThixo wenu, bakunyamekele ukuwenza onke amazwi alo mthetho.”—Duteronomi 31:12.
Kuphela kwakusetempileni eYerusalem apho umntu wayenokunikela amadini kuThixo aze afundiswe ngababingeleli. (Duteronomi 12:5-7; 2 Kronike 7:12) Ekuhambeni kwexesha, kwasekwa ezinye izindlu zonqulo kwaSirayeli—izindlu zesikhungu. Ezi yayiziindawo ekufundwa kuzo iZibhalo nekuthandazwayo kuzo. Sekunjalo, itempile yaseYerusalem yayiyeyona ndawo iphambili yonqulo. Oku kuboniswa yingxelo yombhali weBhayibhile uLuka. Ukhankanya ibhinqa elalisele likhulile uAna, ‘elalingazange liphoswe kukuba setempileni, linikela inkonzo engcwele ubusuku nemini ngokuzila ukutya nezikhungo.’ (Luka 2:36, 37) Unqulo lokwenyaniso kunye nabanye abazinikeleyo lwaluyeyona nto ibalulekileyo ebomini buka-Ana. Amanye amaYuda awoyika uThixo alandela ikhondo elifanayo.
Unqulo Lokwenyaniso Emva Kokufa KukaKristu
Emva kokufa kukaYesu, abalandeli bakhe babengasekho ngaphantsi koMthetho kaMoses yaye kwakungasafuneki ukuba banqule etempileni. (Galati 3:23-25) Sekunjalo, baqhubeka behlanganisana ukuze bathandaze baze bafundisise iLizwi likaThixo. Babengenazakhiwo zikhulu, kodwa babesebenzisa amakhaya abantu nezakhiwo zikawonke-wonke. (IZenzo 2:1, 2; 12:12; 19:9; Roma 16:4, 5) Zingenazithethe okanye ubuyokoyoko, ezo ntlanganiso zamaKristu zenkulungwane yokuqala zaziqhelekile nje.
Phezu kwako nje ukuwohloka kwemilinganiselo yokuziphatha phantsi koBukhosi bamaRoma, imigaqo yeBhayibhile eyayifundiswa kwezo ntlanganiso yayahluke kwaphela. Abanye ababengakholwa ababesiya okwesihlandlo sokuqala babedla ngokuthi bemangalisiwe: “Ngokwenene uThixo uphakathi kwenu.” (1 Korinte 14:24, 25) Ewe, uThixo wayephakathi kwabo ngokwenene. “Ngoko ke, eneneni, amabandla aqhubeka eqiniswa elukholweni yaye esanda ngenani imihla ngemihla.”—IZenzo 16:5.
Ngaba umKristu ngelo xesha wayenokufumana inkoliseko kaThixo ukuba wayenqula kwiitempile zobuhedeni okanye enqula yedwa? IBhayibhile inikela ulwalathiso olucacileyo kulo mbandela: Abanquli abamkelekileyo babefanele babe yinxalenye yekuphela kwecawa, okanye ibandla lokwenyaniso, ‘umzimba omnye’ wabanquli bokwenyaniso. Aba yayingabafundi bakaYesu, ababizwa ngokuba ngamaKristu.—Efese 4:4, 5; IZenzo 11:26.
Kuthekani Namhlanje?
Kunokuba isikhuthaze ukuba sinqule ecaweni, iBhayibhile isikhuthaza ukuba sinqule necawa, ‘kwibandla loThixo ophilayo,’ abantu ‘abanqula ngomoya nangenyaniso.’ (1 Timoti 3:15; Yohane 4:24) Iintlanganiso zonqulo ezamkelekileyo kuThixo zifanele zifundise abantu “ngokuphathelele ihambo engcwele nezenzo zozinikelo lobuthixo.” (2 Petros 3:11) Zifanele zincede abo bakhoyo babe ngamaKristu aqolileyo, akwaziyo “ukwahlula okulungileyo nokubi.”—Hebhere 5:14.
AmaNgqina kaYehova azabalazela ukulandela umzekelo wamaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala. Amabandla angaphezu kwama-91 400 ehlabathini lonke ahlanganisana ngokuthe rhoqo ukuze afundisise iBhayibhile aze akhuthazane, ekwenza oko kwiiHolo zoBukumkani, emakhayeni abantu nakwezinye iindawo. Oku kuvisisana nala mazwi ompostile uPawulos: “Masinyamekelane, sivuselelane eluthandweni nasemisebenzini emihle, singakutyesheli ukuhlanganisana kwethu ndawonye.”—Hebhere 10:24, 25.