Imbono YeBhayibhile

Kuthetha Ukuthini Ukuba NgumKristu?

UKINGSLEY ohlala kwelinye ilizwe laseAfrika uthi: “Kwilizwe lam ukuba ngumKristu kuthetha ukuya ecaweni kube kanye ngeveki.” URaad, ohlala kuMbindi Mpuma yena ucacisa esithi: “Kuthi amaKristu agqalwa njengeqela labantu abaphila ngamasiko aseNtshona, abanxiba, ababhiyozela iintsuku, nabaphatha abafazi njengabantu balapho.”

Kodwa ngaba ukuba ngumKristu kuthetha ukuya ecaweni kanye ngeveki nokulandela amasiko nezithethe ezithile? Ngaba akukho ngqiqweni ukuthi igama elithi “umKristu” lifanele lithethe indlela yokuphila ehambisana nesimo sengqondo, imigaqo, nendlela yokuziphatha uKristu awashumayela nawayephila ngayo?a AmaKristu ayephila njani ekuqaleni?

UbuKristu Bamandulo—Indlela Yokuphila

UYesu wathi kubalandeli bakhe: “Ningabahlobo bam ukuba nenza oko ndiniyalela kona.” (Yohane 15:14) Ekubeni iimfundiso zikaYesu zazichaphazela zonke iinkalo zobomi babo, abafundi bakaKristu ekuqaleni babelubiza unqulo lwabo ngokuthi ‘yiNdlela.’ (IZenzo 9:2) Kungekudala emva koko, ‘ngolwalathiso lobuthixo babizwa ngokuba ngamaKristu.’ (IZenzo 11:26) Eli gama lawo litsha lalithetha ukuba ayekholelwa ukuba uYesu wayenguNyana kaThixo, owazisa abantu ukuthanda kukaYise wasezulwini. Ukukholelwa kwabo kule ndlela kwabenza balandela indlela yokuphila eyayahlukile kwihlabathi elaliwangqongile.

Iimfundiso zikaKristu zabenza abalandeli bakhe balandela iimfundiso zeBhayibhile, nto leyo eyabenza baluphepha “uhenyuzo, ukungahlambuluki, ihambo evakalala, unqulo-zithixo, ukusebenzelana nemimoya, ubutshaba, iimbambano, amakhwele, ukugqajukelwa yimisindo, usukuzwano, izahlukano, amahlelo, oomona, iindywala, iziyunguma, nezinto ezinjengezi.” (Galati 5:19-21; Efese 4:17-24) Umpostile uPawulos wawakhumbuza amaKristu aseKorinte ukuba amanye awo ayezenza ezi zinto. Waza wongezelela esithi: “Kodwa niye nahlanjwa nahlambuluka, niye nangcwaliswa, niye navakaliswa ningamalungisa egameni leNkosi yethu uYesu Kristu.”—1 Korinte 6:9-11.

Kwincwadi yakhe ethi The Rise of Christianity, uErnest W. Barnes uthi: “Kwimibhalo yawo yamandulo, kuthiwa amaKristu ayeziphethe kakuhle yaye ethobel’ umthetho. Amalungu awo ayengabantu abalungileyo nabanyanisekileyo. Ayeziphepha iziphoso nobubi obabusenziwa ngabahedeni. Ayeseluxolweni nabamelwane bawo yaye engabahlobo abanokuthenjwa. Ayefundiswe ukungazithabathi lula izinto, ekhuthele yaye enyanisekile. Ukuba ayephila ngemigaqo yawo, wona ayethembekile yaye enyanisekile, phakathi kwabantu abangathembekanga nababeziphethe vakalala. Ayenemigaqo emihle yokuziphatha ngokwesini: ayewuhlonela umtshato yaye iintsapho ziphila ubomi obunyulu.” Ayesaziwa ngaloo ndlela ke amaKristu ngemihla yamandulo.

Enye into ayesaziwa ngayo amaKristu, yayiyinzondelelo ayenayo ngomsebenzi wokushumayela. UKristu wabayalela esithi abalandeli bakhe: “Hambani ke ngoko niye kubenza abafundi abantu beentlanga zonke.” (Mateyu 28:19, 20) UJean Bernardi, unjingalwazi weSorbonne University eParis, eFransi, wathi: “[AmaKristu] ayefanele ahambe aye kuthetha ezindaweni zonke nabantu bonke. Ezindleleni nasezixekweni, kwiindawo zikawonke-wonke nasemakhayeni abantu enoba ayesamkelwa okanye akunjalo. Ayefanele athethe namahlwempu, nezinhanha ezazisindwa bubutyebi. . . . Kwakufuneka ahambe ngeenyawo, akhwel’ iinqanawa, aye eziphelweni zomhlaba.”

UbuKristu Bokwenyaniso Namhlanje

AmaKristu okwenyaniso namhlanje afanele ahluke ngendlela aphila ngayo, kanye njengokuba kwakunjalo ngenkulungwane yokuqala. Ngokuvisisana noko, amaNgqina kaYehova azabalazela ukubambelela ngokupheleleyo kwimigaqo ayephila ngayo amaKristu okuqala. Imigudu yawo yokuphila ngeemfundiso zeBhayibhile iyaphawuleka nakwabanye.

Ngokomzekelo, iNew Catholic Encyclopedia iyavuma ukuba amaNgqina kaYehova aziwa “njengelinye lawona maqela aziphethe kakuhle ehlabathini.” IDeseret News yaseSalt Lake City, eUtah, yathi amaNgqina kaYehova “aneentsapho ezimanyeneyo yaye angabantu abakhutheleyo nabathembekileyo.” Eli phephandaba longezelela lisithi: “Amalungu awo aziphethe kakuhle. Akholelwa ukuba ukutshaya, ukunxila, ukusebenzisa kakubi iziyobisi, ukungcakaza, ukuziphatha kakubi ngokwesini nobufanasini zizinto ezisenokonakalisa ulwalamano lwabo noThixo. Afundisa ukuthembeka nokukhuthala emsebenzini.”

Kwakhona, amaNgqina ayijonga njengento enzulu imbopheleleko yawo yokushumayela. Ithetha ngalo mba iNew Catholic Encyclopedia ithi: “Ilungu ngalinye linyanzelekile . . . ukuba linikele ubungqina ngoYehova ngokuvakalisa uBukumkani Bakhe obuzayo. . . . Ukuze ubani abe liNgqina lokwenene, ufanele ashumayele enoba usebenzisa yiphi na indlela.”

Licacile elokuba, ubuKristu bokwenene bungaphezulu kokuba nje lilungu leenkonzo ezininzi zeNgqobhoko. UYesu walumkisa ngokwanda kwamaKristu obuxoki. (Mateyu 7:22, 23) AmaNgqina kaYehova ayakukhuthaza ukuba ufunde oko uYesu wakufundisayo waza wakwenza. Yiloo nto ke ethethwa kukuba ngumKristu. UYesu wathi: “Ukuba niyazazi ezi zinto, ninoyolo ukuba nithi nizenze.”—Yohane 13:17.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

NGABA UKHE WAZIBUZA?

◼ Ngoobani uYesu awababiza ngokuthi ngabahlobo bakhe?—Yohane 15:14.

◼ Yiyiphi indlela yokuziphatha amaKristu okwenyaniso afanele ayiphephe?—Galati 5:19-21.

◼ Nguwuphi umsebenzi amaKristu afanele awenze?—Mateyu 28:19, 20.

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 26]

AmaKristu okwenyaniso angabashumayeli abakhutheleyo, njengokuba kwakunjalo kwiinkulungwane ngaphambili