Je, unachukulia hili kuwa swali la ajabu? Kwa kweli haipaswi kuwa.
Do you consider this a strange question? It really should not be.
Tunapofikiria kukutana na Yesu, mawazo yetu yanarudi mara moja kwenye njia ya ajabu ambayo Sauli wa Tarso alikutana na Yesu njiani kuelekea Damasko. Pengine tunafikiri kwamba sisi pia tungekutana na Bwana wetu kwa njia kama hiyo--ambayo ingeacha hisia ya kudumu kwenye akili na mioyo yetu.
When we think of meeting Jesus, our mind immediately goes back to the dramatic way that Saul of Tarsus met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Perhaps we think that we too should have met our Lord in a similar manner--one that would have left a lasting impression on our mind and heart.
Kwa kuwa hakuna hata mmoja wetu ambaye amekutana na Yesu kwa nguvu kama hii, tunaweza kuhitimisha kwamba labda hatujakutana Naye hata kidogo. Lakini ikiwa tumemkubali kama Bwana wa maisha yetu, hii itakuwa dhana mbaya. Bwana wetu Yesu anajidhihirisha kwetu kwa njia mbalimbali--hasa katika hali ya utulivu, ya upole kwa kufanya hisia kwenye akili zetu kupitia Roho Mtakatifu. Ni lazima tuwe macho katika roho au tutakosa mawaidha yake ya upole.
Since none of us have had such a dynamic encounter with Jesus, we may conclude that perhaps we haven’t really met Him at all. But if we have accepted Him as the Lord of our life, this would be a wrong assumption. Our Lord Jesus manifests Himself to us in various ways--mostly in a quiet, gentle manner by making impressions upon our mind through the Holy Spirit. We must be alert in spirit or we will miss His gentle admonitions.
Bwana wetu alipokuwa duniani, Aliwaita wanafunzi Wake kwa majina na kuwaalika wamfuate. Waliacha yote kufanya hivyo. Vivyo hivyo, wakati fulani katika maisha yetu, Yesu anatoa mwaliko huu huu kwetu kumfuata Yeye, na sisi pia tumejibu kwa jibu la uthibitisho wa dhati. Hatujaona maono ya Yesu. Hatujasikia sauti Yake inayoweza kusikika. Hata hivyo, tumemsikia akiongea na mioyo yetu na tukawashwa kumfuata.
When our Lord was on earth, He called His disciples by name and invited them to follow Him. They left all to do so. Likewise, at some time in our lives, Jesus issues this same invitation to us to follow Him, and we also have responded with an affirmative heartfelt answer. We have seen no vision of Jesus. We have heard no audible sound of His voice. Nevertheless, we have heard Him speak to our heart and were activated to follow Him.
Lakini hii ilitokeaje? Yesu anatumia mashirika mbalimbali kutimiza makusudi yake. Huenda tulisikia mwaliko Wake kupitia ushuhuda wa mtu binafsi wa Yesu; au inaweza kuwa trakti ambayo tulikabidhiwa, au iliyotumwa kwa njia ya barua. Mtu fulani barani Afrika alituambia ni trakti ambayo alikuwa ameiokota barabarani ambayo mtu fulani aliitupa ambayo ilizungumza na moyo wake na akatuandikia, akitaka kujifunza zaidi. Sauti ya Yesu inaweza kuwa tuliisikia kutoka kwa wazazi wacha Mungu, babu na nyanya au rafiki fulani ambaye maisha yake yalionyesha furaha ya uongofu wa kweli; inaweza kuwa ilikuja kwa njia ya makala katika gazeti la Kikristo, mahubiri au maombi lakini mara nyingi Yesu anazungumza moja kwa moja kutoka katika Biblia ambayo kwa uwazi na nguvu hutangaza mwaliko wake... “Njooni kwangu ninyi nyote msumbukao na wenye kulemewa na mizigo. kulemewa na mizigo nami nitawapumzisha” (Mt. 11:28), na kisha anatualika sisi ... “Jitieni nira yangu, mjifunze kwangu; kwa maana mimi ni mpole na mnyenyekevu wa moyo nanyi mtapata raha kwenu. nafsi zenu” (Mst. 29-30). Na baada ya sisi kumkubali Yesu kama Mwokozi na Bwana, kisha anatoa mwaliko zaidi ... "Kama mnataka kuwa wanafunzi wangu, jikane nafsi yako, ujitwike msalaba wako, unifuate" (Mat.16:24).
But just how did this happen? Jesus uses various agencies to accomplish His purposes. We might have heard His invitation through someone’s personal testimony of Jesus; or it might have been a tract that was handed to us, or sent through the mail. Someone in Africa told us it was a tract that he had picked up off the street that someone had thrown away that spoke to his heart and he wrote us, wanting to learn more. Jesus’ voice may have been heard by us from godly parents, grandparents or some friend whose life showed forth the joy of true conversion; it might have come by way of an article in a Christian magazine, a sermon or prayer but most often Jesus speaks directly from the Bible which with clarity and power rings out His invitation... “Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Mat. 11:28), and then He invites us to...“Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart and you shall find rest to your souls” (Vs. 29-30). And after we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, He then makes a further invitation...“If you would be my disciples, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me” (Mat.16:24).
Bila kujali njia au namna ambayo Bwana hukutana nasi, kitu kipya kinaanza kutokea katika maisha yetu. Kuzaliwa kutoka juu, tunaanza kuwa na maslahi tofauti. Tunaona kwamba mambo ya ulimwengu huu hayana mvuto tena kwetu, “ya kale yamepita, tazama yamekuwa mapya.” Tunapomfuata Bwana wetu na kubaki kumlenga Yesu, tunapata maisha yetu yakibadilishwa tunapo... “Iweni na nia iyo hiyo ndani yenu kama ilivyokuwa ndani ya Kristo Yesu” (Flp. 2:5). Ndiyo, kazi yetu ni kumruhusu Mungu afanye kazi yake ndani yetu.
Regardless of the method or manner that the Lord meets us, something new begins to happen in our lives. Being born from above, we begin to have different interests. We find that the things of this world no longer have an attraction for us, “old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.” As we follow our Lord and remain focused on Jesus, we find our life transformed as we...“Let this mind be in you as it was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). Yes, our work is to allow God to do His work in us.
Umri haijalishi. Bwana anajidhihirisha kwa watoto wadogo na kwa watu wazima...lakini lazima tuwe kama mtoto mdogo ili kuwa mmoja wa wanafunzi wa Yesu. Nilikuwa na miaka kumi na minne tu wakati Bwana alipokutana nami na kunialika kuja na kuwa mfuasi Wake. Sikutambua utimilifu wa wito Wake wakati huo, lakini nilianza kumpenda na kwa mara ya kwanza, niliongozwa kusoma Biblia ambayo mtu fulani alikuwa amenipa kama zawadi miaka miwili iliyopita, lakini ambayo sikuwahi kamwe. kuhangaika kufungua. Ilichukua miaka mitatu zaidi ya kusoma na kujifunza kabla sijagundua kwamba kwa njia fulani ya ajabu nilikuwa nimekutana na Yesu. Nilikuwa nimesikia mwito Wake na sasa nilikuwa tayari na tayari kujitolea maisha yangu yote Kwake.
Age doesn’t matter. The Lord reveals Himself to little children as well as to grown adults...but we must become as a little child to be one of Jesus’ disciples. I was only fourteen when the Lord met me and invited me to come and be His follower. I didn’t realize the fullness of His call at the time, but I began to love Him and for the first time, I was led to read a Bible that someone had given me as a gift two years earlier, but which I had never bothered to open. It took three more years of studying and learning before I realized that in some mysterious way I had, indeed, met Jesus. I had heard His call and now I was willing and ready to dedicate my entire life to Him.
Labda hii imekuwa uzoefu wako. Pengine wewe pia ulikuwa mtoto tu ulipokutana na Yesu mara ya kwanza, na akilini mwako ulisikia mwito Wake wa kuja Kwake. Huenda usikumbuke tarehe au tukio kamili lakini ilifanyika, vinginevyo usingeishi kwa ajili Yake leo. Kwa hiyo, wawe wachanga au wazee, wafuasi wote wa Yesu wamekutana Naye, wamemkubali kuwa Mwokozi wao wa kibinafsi, wametubu kutoka moyoni na kujiweka wakfu ili kumfuata. Maisha yao yamebadilishwa ajabu kwa uwezo wa Roho Mtakatifu; nia zao zimefanywa upya na kugeuzwa; mioyo yao imetakaswa, na sasa wana malengo mapya kabisa ya kiroho kwa umilele wote; malengo ambayo huwapa furaha, amani na tumaini ambalo akili ya mwanadamu haiwezi kujua au kuthamini.
Perhaps this has been your experience. Perhaps you were also only a child when you first met Jesus, and in your mind you heard His call to come to Him. You may not remember the exact date or occasion but it did happen, otherwise you would not be living for Him today. So whether young or old, all of Jesus’ followers have met Him, accepted Him as their personal Savior, come in heartfelt repentance and dedicated themselves to follow Him. Their lives have been wondrously changed by the power of the Holy Spirit; their minds have been renewed and transformed; their hearts purified, and they now have entirely new spiritual goals for all eternity; goals which give them joy, peace and a hope that the human mind can never know or appreciate.
Ikiwa hii bado haijawa uzoefu wako, ikiwa hujakutana na Yesu kama Mwokozi na Bwana wako binafsi au kusikia upendo Wake "nifuate," basi na njia hii ndogo iandae akili na moyo wako kusikia sauti Yake akikuita uje. Mwendee kwa sala ya dhati, mkiri Yeye kama Mwokozi wa maisha yako, tubu dhambi zako kwa moyo mnyenyekevu, uliotubu, na umwombe awe Bwana na Bwana wa maisha yako. Ukikutana na Yesu kwa njia hii, maisha yako yatabarikiwa kweli na furaha na amani yako itakuwa ya milele. Maisha yako yatakuwa baraka kwa wale wote wanaokutana nawe. Nuru ya Yesu inayoangaza kupitia kwako itawaletea nuru; Upendo wake unaotiririka ndani yako utazifunika; muziki anaokupa uimbe utawainua; maarifa ya Kristo unayozungumza yatawatajirisha na watakubariki kwa kuwaleta kwa Yesu kama mwanafunzi Wake, na shahidi mwaminifu.
If this has not yet been your experience, if you have not met Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord or heard His loving “follow me,” then may this little tract prepare your mind and heart to hear His voice calling you to come. Go to Him in heartfelt prayer, acknowledge Him as Savior of your life, repent of your sins with a humble, contrite heart, and ask Him to be Lord and Master of your life. If you meet Jesus in this way, your life will be truly blessed and your joy and peace will be for all eternity. Your life will be a blessing to all those coming in contact with you. The Light of Jesus shining through you will bring them light; His love flowing through you will enfold them; the music He gives you to sing will lift them up; the knowledge of Christ you speak forth will enrich them and they will bless you for having brought them to Jesus as His disciple, and faithful witness.
Kusoma Biblia - Mwongozo
Studying The Bible - A Guide