Ingabe UNkulunkulu Unayo Inhlangano?

UKUHLELEKA kubonakala kuyo yonke indalo kaNkulunkulu; akubonakali emhlabeni kuphela. IBhayibheli libonisa ukuthi nezingelosi zasezulwini zihleleke kakhulu, zenza ngokuvumelana nenjongo yoMdali. Embonweni, umprofethi uDaniyeli wabona ibutho lezidalwa eziyizingelosi emagcekeni kaNkulunkulu asezulwini: “Kwakukhona izinkulungwane eziyinkulungwane ezazilokhu zimkhonza, nezinkulungwane eziyishumi eziphindwe kazinkulungwane eziyishumi ezazilokhu zimi khona kanye phambi kwakhe.” (Daniyeli 7:9, 10) Cabanga nje ngokuhleleka okumelwe kube khona ukuze lezi zingelosi eziningi kangaka—izigidi ezingaphezu kwekhulu—zikwazi ukulalela iziqondiso zikaNkulunkulu zokusiza izinceku zakhe lapha emhlabeni!—IHubo 91:11.

Nakuba uMdali, uJehova uNkulunkulu, enguMhleli Ophakeme akayena uNkulunkulu ongakhathaleli, onendaba nokubeka indathane yemithetho kuphela. Kunalokho, unguNkulunkulu onothando, ojabulayo noyikhathalelayo inhlalakahle yayo yonke indalo yakhe. (1 Thimothewu 1:11; 1 Petru 5:7) Lokhu kubonakala endleleni asebenzelana ngayo nesizwe sakwa-Israyeli wasendulo nebandla lamaKristu ekhulu lokuqala.

U-Israyeli Wasendulo—Isizwe Esasihlelwe Kahle Kakhulu

UJehova uNkulunkulu wasebenzisa uMose ekuhleleni ukuba ama-Israyeli aqhube ukukhulekela kweqiniso. Cabanga ngamalungiselelo okukanisa phakathi nohambo lwasehlane laseSinayi. Akungabazeki ukuthi kwakuyoba nesikhulu isiphithiphithi ukube yonke imindeni yayivunyelwe ukugxumeka amatende nomaphi lapho ithanda khona. UJehova wanikeza imithetho eqondile yokuthi isizwe ngasinye kufanele sikanise kuphi. (Numeri 2:1-34) UMthetho KaMose wawuqukethe nemiyalo ecacile ephathelene nempilo nokuhlanzeka—ngokwesibonelo, indaba yokugqiba indle.—Duteronomi 23:12, 13.

Ngesikhathi ama-Israyeli engena eZweni Lesithembiso, ayeyisizwe esihleleke kakhulu ngezindlela eziningi. Ama-Israyeli ahlukaniswa aba yizizwe ezingu-12, ngasinye sabelwa indawo yaso. UMthetho uJehova awunika isizwe esebenzisa uMose wawuthinta zonke izici zokuphila komuntu—ukukhulekela, umshado, umndeni, imfundo, ibhizinisi, ukudla, ukulima, ukunakekela izilwane nokunye okuningi.a Nakuba eminye imithetho yayingagwegwesi futhi iningiliza, yonke yayiyindlela uJehova abonisa ngayo uthando lwakhe ngabantu bakhe futhi yayinegalelo enjabulweni yabo. Ngokwenza ngokuvumelana nala malungiselelo othando, ama-Israyeli ajabulela ubuhlobo obukhethekile noJehova.—IHubo 147:19, 20.

Nakuba kuyiqiniso ukuthi uMose wayengumholi onekhono, ukuphumelela nokwehluleka kwakungaxhomekile emakhonweni akhe okuhola, kodwa ebuqothweni bakhe elungiselelweni likaNkulunkulu. Ngokwesibonelo, uMose wanquma kanjani ukuthi iyiphi indlela ababezohamba ngayo lapho benqamula ehlane? UJehova wanikeza isiqondiso ngokusebenzisa insika yefu emini nensika yomlilo ebusuku. (Eksodusi 13:21, 22) Nakuba uNkulunkulu asebenzisa abantu kodwa nguye owayehlela futhi eqondisa abantu bakhe. Kwakunjalo nasekhulwini lokuqala.

Ibandla Lekhulu Lokuqala Lalihlelwe Kahle Kakhulu

Ukushumayela ngentshiseko kwabaphostoli nabafundi kwaholela ekutheni amabandla amaKristu amiswe ezingxenyeni eziningi ze-Asia neYurophu ekhulwini lokuqala. Nakuba lawo mabandla ayethé chithi saka, ayengazenzeli umathanda. Kunalokho, ayehlelwe kahle futhi ayezuza ekwengameleni kothando kwabaphostoli. Ngokwesibonelo, uThithu wathunywa umphostoli uPawulu ‘ukuba ahlele yonke into lapho.’ (Thithu 1:5, The Jerusalem Bible) UPawulu wabhalela amabandla aseKorinte wawatshela ukuthi abanye abazalwane ‘babenamandla okuhlela,’ noma ‘bengabahleli.’ (1 Korinte 12:28, The New Testament in Modern Speech; The Bible in Contemporary Language) Kodwa ubani owayebangela lokho kuhleleka? UPawulu wathi ‘uNkulunkulu wahlanganisa’ noma ‘wahlela’ ibandla.—1 Korinte 12:24; The Riverside New Testament.

Ababonisi abamisiwe ebandleni lobuKristu babengezona izingqongqo phezu kwamanye amakholwa. Kunalokho, ‘babeyizisebenzi ezikanye nawo’ ezilandela isiqondiso somoya kaNkulunkulu, futhi kwakulindeleke ukuba babe “yizibonelo emhlambini.” (2 Korinte 1:24; 1 Petru 5:2, 3) NguJesu Kristu ovusiwe okhonza ‘njengenhloko yebandla,’ hhayi umuntu nje noma iqembu lamadoda angaphelele.—Efesu 5:23.

Ngesikhathi ibandla laseKorinte liqala ukwenza izinto ngendlela ehlukile kwamanye amabandla, uPawulu wabhala: “Ini? Ingabe izwi likaNkulunkulu laphuma kini, noma ingabe lafinyelela kini kuphela?” (1 Korinte 14:36) UPawulu wabuza lo mbuzo ongadinge mpendulo ukuze alungise ukucabanga kwalo futhi alisize libone ukuthi kwakungafanele lenze elikuthandayo. Amabandla ayekhula futhi anda lapho elandela isiqondiso sabaphostoli.—IzEnzo 16:4, 5.

Indlela UNkulunkulu Abonisa Ngayo Uthando

Kuthiwani namuhla? Abanye bangase bangabaze ukuzihlanganisa nenhlangano engokwenkolo. Nokho, ubufakazi beBhayibheli bubonisa ukuthi uNkulunkulu ubelokhu esebenzisa inhlangano yakhe ukuze afeze injongo yakhe. Wahlela abakhulekeli bakhe kwa-Israyeli wasendulo, wahlela nendlela yokukhulekela yamaKristu ekhulu lokuqala.

Khona-ke, akuzwakali kunengqondo yini ukuphetha ngokuthi uJehova uNkulunkulu usabaqondisa ngendlela efanayo abantu bakhe njengoba enza esikhathini esedlule? Yebo, ukuhlela abakhulekeli bakhe nokubenza babe munye kuyindlela abonisa ngayo ukuthi uyabathanda futhi uyabakhathalela. Namuhla, uJehova usebenzisa inhlangano yakhe ukuze afeze injongo yakhe ngabantu. Singayibona kanjani inhlangano yakhe? Cabangela lezi zimpawu ezilandelayo.

▪ AmaKristu eqiniso ahlelwe ngendlela yokuba akwazi ukufeza umsebenzi. (Mathewu 24:14; 1 Thimothewu 2:3, 4) UJesu wayala abalandeli bakhe ukuba bashumayele izindaba ezinhle zoMbuso kuzo zonke izizwe, okuwumsebenzi obungeke wenzeke ukube ibingekho inhlangano yomhlaba wonke. Ngokwesibonelo, ungakwazi ukupha umuntu oyedwa ukudla, kodwa uma kungase kudingeke uphe izinkulungwane, ngisho nezigidi, kungadingeka ube neqembu labantu elihlelekile nelisebenza ngokubambisana. Ukuze afeze umsebenzi wawo, amaKristu eqiniso asebenza ‘elinganisene ihlombe nehlombe,’ noma “ebambisene enkonzweni [kaNkulunkulu].” (Zefaniya 3:9; Byington) Kungenzeka yini ukuba abantu abavela ezizweni ezihlukahlukene, abakhuluma izilimi ezingafani nabayizinhlanga ezinhlobonhlobo bakwazi ukufeza umsebenzi wabo ngaphandle kwenhlangano enobunye? Impendulo isobala.

▪ AmaKristu eqiniso ahlelwe ngendlela yokuba akwazi ukusekelana nokukhuthazana. Umqwali wezintaba ohamba yedwa angazikhethela ukuthi ufuna ukuyiqwala ngakuphi futhi akudingeki ukuba alokhu eqalaza izimfunda-makhwela. Nokho, uma engalimala noma angene enkingeni, uyoba sengozini enkulu ngoba uyothi, “We bani, asebelephi.” Ukuzehlukanisa akuhlakaniphile ngempela. (IzAga 18:1) Ukuze amaKristu afeze umyalo kaJesu kumelwe asizane futhi asekelane. (Mathewu 28:19, 20) Ibandla lobuKristu linikeza isiqondiso, ukuqeqesha nesikhuthazo esingokomBhalo esidingeka kakhulu ukuze bonke baqhubekele phambili bangakhathali. Ubeyoshonaphi umuntu uma efuna ukufundiswa izindlela zikaJehova ukube beyingekho imihlangano yobuKristu enikeza imfundo nesisiza ukuba sikhulekele uNkulunkulu?—Hebheru 10:24, 25.

▪ AmaKristu eqiniso ahlelwe ngendlela yokuba akhonze uNkulunkulu ngobunye. Njengoba izimvu zikaJesu zilalela izwi lakhe, ziba “mhlambi munye” ngaphansi kokuhola kwakhe. (Johane 10:16) Azidukelanga emasontweni nasemaqenjini enkolo; izimfundiso zazo azingqubuzani. Kunalokho, zonke ‘zikhuluma ngokuvumelana.’ (1 Korinte 1:10) Ukuze sihlale ngobunye sidinga ukuhleleka, futhi ukuhleleka kudinga inhlangano. Isibusiso sikaNkulunkulu singasithola kuphela uma sinobunye.—IHubo 133:1, 3.

Uthando lwangempela ngoNkulunkulu nangeqiniso leBhayibheli luye lwadonsela izigidi zabantu enhlanganweni ebonisa lezi zimfanelo kanye nezinye eziseBhayibhelini. Njengabantu abahlelekile nabamunye, oFakazi BakaJehova emhlabeni wonke balwela ukwenza intando kaNkulunkulu. Baqinisekiswa ngalesi sithembiso sakhe: “Ngiyohlala phakathi kwabo futhi ngihambe phakathi kwabo, ngiyoba uNkulunkulu wabo, bona bayoba ngabantu bami.” (2 Korinte 6:16) Lesi sibusiso esimangalisayo singaba esakho nawe uma ukhulekela uJehova uNkulunkulu ukanye nenhlangano yakhe.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 13]

Amakamu ama-Israyeli ayehleleke kahle kakhulu

[Izithombe emakhasini 14, 15]

Ukuze kufezwe umsebenzi wokushumayela emhlabeni wonke kudingeka inhlangano

Inkonzo yendlu ngendlu

Usizo ngesikhathi sezinhlekelele

Imihlangano emikhulu

Ukwakhiwa kwezindawo zokukhulekela