UFilipu Umhambisi Wevangeli Onenzondelelo
IZIBHALO zikhankanya iingxelo eziliqela zamadoda namabhinqa ekunoxeliswa ukholo lwawo. Cinga ngoFilipu, umvangeli wasemazweni ongumKristu wenkulungwane yokuqala. Nangona wayengenguye umpostile, kodwa wayesetyenziswa kakhulu ekushumayeleni isigidimi soBukumkani. Enyanisweni, uFilipu waye waziwa ngokuba ‘ngumvangeli.’ (IZenzo 21:8) Kwakutheni ukuze uFilipu anikwe elo gama? Yaye yintoni esinokuyifunda kuye?
UFilipu ubonakala kwingxelo yeBhayibhile kungekudala emva kwePentekoste yowama-33 C.E. Ngelo xesha amaYuda athetha isiGrike akhalazela amaYuda athetha isiHebhere, esithi abahlolokazi babo abafumani nto xa kusabiwa ukudla. Ukuze bakwazi ukusingatha loo mbandela, abapostile banyula “amadoda avunyiweyo asixhenxe.” UFilipu wayephakathi kwabo bakhethwayo.—IZenzo 6:1-6.
La madoda asixhenxe ‘ayevunyiwe.’ Inguqulelo kaJames Moffatt ithi “ayesaziwa njengaziphethe kakuhle.” Ewe, ngexesha lokumiselwa kwawo, ayesele esaziwa njengamadoda okomoya nanengqiqo. Kuyafana nangabo bakhonza njengabaveleli abangamaKristu namhlanje. Amadoda anjalo akamiselwa ngokungxama. (1 Timoti 5:22) Amele “abe nobungqina obuhle obuvela kubantu bangaphandle,” yaye amaKristu akhonza nawo afanele azi ukuba anengqiqo yaye aphilile engqondweni.—1 Timoti 3:2, 3, 7; Filipi 4:5.
Kuyabonakala ukuba, uFilipu wayesinyamekela kakuhle isabelo sakhe eYerusalem. Noko ke, kungekudala, kwabakho intshutshiso ekrakra yaza yabenza bathi saa abalandeli bakaKristu. Njengabanye, uFilipu wasishiya esi sixeko, kodwa ubulungiseleli bakhe abuzange buphelele apho. Kungekudala wayexakekile eshumayela kummandla omtsha—eSamariya.—IZenzo 8:1-5.
Ukuvula Imimandla Emitsha
UYesu wayexele kusengaphambili ukuba abafundi bakhe babeya kushumayela “kokubini eYerusalem nakulo lonke elakwaYuda naseSamariya kude kuse nakwezona nxalenye zikude zomhlaba.” (IZenzo 1:8) Ngokushumayela eSamariya, uFilipu wayesiba nesabelo ekuzalisekeni kwaloo mazwi. Ngokuqhelekileyo amaYuda ayewajongela phantsi amaSamariya. Kodwa uFilipu akazange abagwebe kusengaphambili aba bantu, yaye ukungabi nakhethe kwakhe kwasikelelwa. Enyanisweni, inkoliso yamaSamariya yabhaptizwa, kuquka lowo wayefudula esenza imilingo ogama linguSimon.—IZenzo 8:6-13.
Ekuhambeni kwexesha, ingelosi kaYehova yayalela uFilipu ukuba aye kwindlela eyinkqantosi esuka eYerusalem isiya eGaza. Apho uFilipu wabona inqwelo eyayikhwele igosa elingumTiyopiya elalifunda ngokuvakalayo isiprofeto sikaIsaya. UFilipu wabaleka waya kuloo nqwelo waza waqalisa incoko. Nangona lo mTiyopiya wayengumngeni ebuYudeni enolwazi oluthile ngoThixo nangeZibhalo, ngokuzithoba wavuma ukuba wayefuna uncedo lokuqonda oko wayekufunda. Ngenxa yoko, wamema uFilipu ukuba akhwele kuloo nqwelo aze ahlale naye. Emva kokuba kunikelwe ubungqina, bafika emanzini athile amaninzi. “Yintoni na endinqandayo ukuba ndibhaptizwe?” wabuza umTiyopiya. UFilipu wambhaptiza kwangoko, yaye umTiyopiya wahamba indlela yakhe echwayitile. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba, lo mfundi mtsha wazisasaza iindaba ezilungileyo kwidolophu yakowabo.—IZenzo 8:26-39.
Yintoni esinokuyifunda kubulungiseleli bukaFilipu obuquka amaSamariya negosa elingumTiyopiya? Asimele sicinge ukuba abantu besizwe esithile, bohlanga oluthile okanye abakumgangatho othile abayi kuba namdla kwiindaba ezilungileyo. Kunoko, simele sivakalise isigidimi soBukumkani “kubantu bazo zonke iintlobo.” (1 Korinte 9:19-23) Ukuba sizenza sifumaneke ngokushumayela kubo bonke abantu, uYehova uya kusisebenzisa kumsebenzi ‘wokwenza abafundi abantu beentlanga zonke’ ngaphambi kokufika kwesiphelo sale nkqubo yezinto ingendawo.—Mateyu 28:19, 20.
Amalungelo Angakumbi KaFilipu
Emva kokushumayela kwigosa elingumTiyopiya, uFilipu wanikela ubungqina eAshdode, “yaye wawutyhutyha loo mmandla ibe waqhubeka ezivakalisa iindaba ezilungileyo kuzo zonke izixeko de wafika eKesareya.” (IZenzo 8:40) Ngenkulungwane yokuqala, ezi zixeko zibini zazinabantu abaninzi beeNtlanga. Endleleni eya kumntla weKesareya, kusenokwenzeka ukuba uFilipu washumayela kwiindawo ezaziwayo zamaYuda, ezinjengeLida neYopa. Mhlawumbi kungeso sizathu le nto kamva kufumaneka abafundi kule mimandla.—IZenzo 9:32-43.
Kugqityelwa ukuthethwa ngoFilipu kwiminyaka enokuba ngama-20 kamva. Ekupheleni kohambo lwakhe lwesithathu lobuvangeli basemazweni, uPawulos uya eTolemayi. UPawulos ohamba neqabane lakhe uLuka, uthi: “Ngemini elandelayo sanduluka saza safika eKesareya, yaye sangena endlwini kaFilipu umvangeli.” Ngeli xesha, uFilipu “wayeneentombi ezine, ezinyulu, ziprofeta.”—IZenzo 21:8, 9.
Kuyabonakala ukuba, uFilipu wahlala eKesareya. Kodwa wayengekaphelelwa ngumoya wakhe wobuvangeli, kuba uLuka umbiza ngokuthi “ngumvangeli.” Ngokufuthi eli binzana libhekisela kulowo ushiya ikhaya lakhe ukuze aye kushumayela iindaba ezilungileyo kwimimandla engasetyenzwanga. Isibakala sokuba abe uFilipu wayeneentombi ezine ezaziprofeta sibonisa ukuba zaziwalandela ngokunenzondelelo amanyathelo kayise.
Abazali abangamaKristu balo mhla wethu bamele bakhumbule ukuba abantwana babo bangabona bafundi babo babalulekileyo. Kwanokuba abazali abanjalo kuye kwafuneka bayeke amalungelo athile obuthixo ngenxa yeembopheleleko zentsapho, njengoFilipu basenokuhlala bengabakhonzi bakaThixo abazinikele ngentliziyo epheleleyo nabazali abayimizekelo.—Efese 6:4.
Utyelelo lukaPawulos namaqabane akhe lwavelisa ithuba elihle lokuba intsapho kaFilipu ibonise umoya wokubuk’ iindwendwe. Khawuthelekelele ukhuthazo olwabangelwa koku! Mhlawumbi uLuka wazifumana ngesi sihlandlo iinkcukacha ngemisebenzi kaFilipu, ezathi kamva zaqukwa kwiZenzo isahluko 6 nesesi-8.
UYehova uThixo wamsebenzisa kakhulu uFilipu ukuba ahambisele phambili izilangazelelo zoBukumkani. Inzondelelo kaFilipu yamenza wakwazi ukusasaza iindaba ezilungileyo kwimimandla emitsha waza wabakhuthaza ngokomoya ekhayeni lakhe. Ngaba ubungathanda ukunandipha amalungelo neentsikelelo ezinjalo? Ngoko uya kuba wenza kakuhle xa uxelisa iimpawu ezabonakaliswa nguFilipu umvangeli.