Imfihlakalo Eyafundwa AbaseFilipi

UBANI ongakujabuleli ukuqonda imfihlo? Ngokuqinisekile uye wajabula kakhulu lapho othile ekwethemba futhi ekutshela imfihlo, mhlawumbe isenzakalo esithile esijabulisayo umuntu akwethemba ngaso kuze kube yilapho esesazisa iningi.

Olunye uhlobo lwemfihlo luwulwazi, noma ukuqonda, abanye abakuntulayo. Loluhlobo lwemfihlo lwalubalulekile eqenjini lamaKristu ekhulwini lokuqala, ibandla lasemzini waseFilipi eMakedoniya. Ukuze uqonde ukuthi leyomfihlo ekhethekile yayiyini, futhi ubone indlela esingazuza ngayo kuyo, ake sithole kafushane isizinda encwadini eyalotshelwa abaseFilipi, incwadi manje eyingxenye yeBhayibheli.

UPawulu—KwabaseFilipi

Isithunywa sevangeli uPawulu sasiboshiwe eRoma cishe ngeminyaka yawo-59-61 C.E. Phakathi nalesikhathi wakwazi ukuzindla ngokuhlangenwe nakho okuningi ayekujabulele ekuvakasheni kwakhe. Wayengakhumbula abazalwane abaningi abathembekile ayehlangane nabo namabandla ayeye waba nelungelo lokuwaqalisa endleleni yeqiniso nokuwabona ekhula. Akukho okunye ayengakwenza ngaphandle kokucabanga ngebandla laseFilipi. Lalinendawo ekhetheke kakhulu enhliziyweni yakhe ngenxa yokuhlangenwe nakho okungavamile kwalo.

Kwakuphakathi nohambo lukaPawulu lwesibili lwezithunywa zevangeli, cishe ngonyaka ka-50 C.E., lapho umoya kaNkulunkulu wamvimbela khona (noSila) ekushumayeleni emzini waseAsiya, eMesiya, naseBithiniya. Ngakho-ke uPawulu waya eTrowa, lapho athola khona umbono ngobunye ubusuku. “Indoda ethile yaseMakedoniya yayimi imncenga yathi: Welela eMakedoniya, usisize.” (IzEnzo 16:9) Ngokushesha uPawulu nabangane bakhe baqonda eSamotrake ngomkhumbi futhi bafika esikhumulweni saseNeyapholi. Khona-ke badabula ezweni baya eFilipi.

Mhlawumbe bamangala, ukuthola amaJuda ambalwa kulowomuzi futhi ngokusobala lingekho isinagoge. Ngesabatha uPawulu noSila esikhundleni sokuya esinagogeni njengoba kwakuwumkhuba wabo, baphumela ngaphandle esangweni eduze komfula futhi baqala ukukhuluma kwabesifazane ababebuthene lapho. (IzEnzo 16:13) Ungathola okwengeziwe ngalokhu kuvakasha okuphawulekayo ngokufunda izEnzo 16:11-40. Ukufakaza kukaPawulu kwaholela ekuqalisweni kwebandla eYurophu, futhi kamuva kwakumelwe abuye avakashele lelibandla eFilipi, mhlawumbe ngisho kabili.—IzEnzo 20:1, 2, 6; Filipi 2:24.

UPawulu, lapho eboshwe eRoma, wayengacabanga ngamaKristu amahle ayehlanganyele nawo eFilipi. ULidiya wayebonise ukuphana okuvelele. UEvodiya noSintike babesebenze ngokubambisana noPawulu ekusakazeni “izindaba ezinhle.” UPawulu wayengenakumkhohlwa umgcini ziboshwa nabendlu yakhe, kanye nokuhlangenwe nakho okumangalisayo okuhlobene nokwamukela kwabo ubuKristu.

Lapho uPawulu ezindla ngothando, umusa nokukhathalela kwabaseFilipi, wayenesizathu sokubalobela incwadi. (Filipi 1:3, 12) Ibonisa uthando ayenalo ngabo ne’sithelo esilungileyo’ abasibonisa.—Filipi 1:11.

Iyini Leyomfihlo?

Encwadini uPawulu wakhuluma ngemfihlo yena siqu ayeyifundile, futhi ubufakazi buwukuthi abaseFilipi babeyifunde kuye. Kwakuyimfihlo eyayiye yamsiza ezilingweni ezihlukahlukene eminyakeni eminingi. Waloba: “Kukho konke nasezintweni zonke ngifundisiwe [imfihlo]: ukusutha, nokulamba, nokubusa, nokuswela. Nginamandla okwenza konke ngaye ongiqinisayo.” (Filipi 4:12, 13) Ngakho kwakuyimfihlo yokuphila kobuKristu, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi izimo zomuntu zaziyini, ngaso sonke isikhathi ethembele kuJehova.

AbaseFilipi babefunde lemfihlo futhi yabathinta ngezindlela eziningi. Ngokwesibonelo, ibandla lalishiseka kakhulu ekushumayeleni. UPawulu waloba: “Nikhanya phakathi kwaso njengezinkanyiso ezweni.” (Filipi 2:15) Bamukela izindaba ezinhle ngenjabulo enkulu base beqhubeka bethuthukisa lezo zindaba ezinhle. UPawulu wakwazi ukubachaza njengaba‘hlanganyela naye ekuvikeleni nasekuqiniseni izindaba ezinhle.’—Filipi 1:7.

Lapho uPawulu eloba lencwadi wayazi ukuthi babeyokuthakazelela okuhlangenwe nakho kwakhe kwasejele. Wakuchaza, nakuba esejele, izindaba zakhe ‘zaveza ukuqhubeka kwevangeli,’ njengoba asho, “kwaze kwathi izibopho zami zabonakala enqabeni yonke nakubo bonke abanye ukuthi zingenxa kaKristu.” (Filipi 1:12, 13) Wabuye futhi walandisa ukuthi amaKristu amaningi angamaRoma ayebonise isibindi esengeziwe sokukhuluma izwi likaNkulunkulu ngesibindi ngenxa yezibopho zakhe zasejele. Kumelwe ukuba kwakhuthaza abaseFilipi ukwazi ukuthi uPawulu, ngisho nakuba ayesejele, wayeqhubeka eshisekela ukushumayela ngoMbuso ngisho njengoba nabo babenjalo.—Filipi 1:14.

Enye into okungase ukuba yayihlobene nemfihlo eyaphawulwa kwabaseFilipi 4:12, 13 kwakuwukuba kwabo nesimo sengqondo esifanelekile. Isimo sabo sasingekhona ukuzithokozisa, kodwa ukusiza abanye. Ngempela babewusizo olukhulu kuPawulu, ngenkathi eseThesalonika, bathumela kabili usizo lwezinto ezibonakalayo kuye, babewukuphela kwebandla elenza kanjalo. (Filipi 4:15, 16) Kamuva, lapho ngenxa yokushushiswa, ibandla laseJerusalema lithola ubunzima futhi lidinga usizo, abaseFilipi, naphezu kokuba bempofu ngokwabo, banikela ngokuzithandela. UPawulu waloba ukuthi lokhukupha ‘kwakungaphezu kwamandla abo.’ (2 Korinte 8:3) Kamuva, lapho uPawulu eboshiwe eRoma, bathumela izinto ezibonakalayo ngoEphafrodithu.

Yebo, abaseFilipi babenokukhathalela kothando ngamaKristu abakanye nawo. Benza njengoba uPawulu akhuthaza, “yilowo nalowo angabheki okwakhe, kepha yilowo abheke nokwabanye.” Yeka umoya oqabulayo abawubonisa! Wasikisela ukuthi abaseFilipi babe nesimo sengqondo sentobeko, njengoba uJesu ayenjalo, futhi babengabagxeki abanye.—Filipi 2:1-5, 14.

Singafunda Futhi Sisebenzise Imfihlo Yabo

Njengoba sekwedlule iminyaka eminingi, asisekho esimweni sokuhlanganyela nomphostoli uPawulu ngokuqondile. Yeka indlela okumelwe sibonge ngayo ngokuthi uJehova uNkulunkulu uye wagcina eZwini lakhe incwadi ephefumlelwe eya kwabaseFilipi! Kanjalo-ke singasebenzela ukufunda nokusebenzisa iseluleko esimangalisayo esikuyo, kuhlanganise imfihlo uPawulu ayifunda futhi ngokusobala wayihlanganyela nabo.

KwabaseFilipi leyomfihlakalo yayihilela ulwazi, isimo nokuziphatha. UPawulu wabakhuthaza ukuba ‘bahambe ngokufanele izindaba ezinhle zikaKristu.’ (Filipi 1:27) Njengoba babelandela iseluleko sikaPawulu, babeyoba aba“ngasolekiyo nabangenacala, abantwana bakaNkulunkulu abangenasici phakathi kwesizukulwane esiyisigwegwe nesiphambeneyo.” (Filipi 2:15) Yebo, ukuze bagcine lokho kuziphatha okuhlanzekile kwakuyodingeka baxwaye, ngisho nangokuqondene nokucabanga kwabo. Ngokuqinisekile nathi singathola isifundo kulokhu. Singase sifune ukwenza lokho abanye abaye bakwenza abafuna ukusebenzisa le“mfihlo”—sigcine engqondweni futhi sizindle njalo ngalokho uPawulu akuloba kwabaseFilipi 4:8 ngokucabanga kwethu. Uyakwazi yini ukusho lawomazwi ngekhanda?

Imfihlo yokuthembela kuNkulunkulu nokumkhonza ngenjabulo kungakhathaliseki ukuthi unezinto ezibonakalayo eziningi noma ezimbalwa ingakulethela ukwaneliseka okukhulu ekuphileni. Endabeni kaPawulu, cabanga ngokwaneliseka okumelwe ukuthi waba nakho ekuzindleni ngesithelo somsebenzi wakhe awubonisa ebandleni laseFilipi. Wayebone ibandla likhula othandweni lweqiniso lobuKristu nangokushisekela ukusakaza izindaba ezinhle. Wabuye wabona uthando lwabo lusebenza kwamanye amaKristu. Wayengabuye futhi athole ukwaneliseka okukhulu ekuboneni ukuthi, babeye bafunda imfihlakalo yokuthembela ngokuphelele kuNkulunkulu kukho konke abakwenzayo nokumkhonza ngakho konke ababenakho.

UmKristu ngamunye namuhla angazibuza ngokufanelekile ukuthi yena siqu uye wayifunda yini imfihlakalo ebalulekile eyaphawulwa uPawulu kwabaseFilipi 4:12, 13. Obunye ubufakazi buwukuba nesibusiso sikaJehova, ukugcwaliswa ‘isithelo sokulunga.’ (Filipi 1:9-11; 4:17) Futhi, uma siye safunda leyomfihlo ebalulekile futhi siyibonisa, labo abasizungezile bayosizakala ngendlela efanayo. Siyobe sibekela abanye isibonelo esihle njengoba uPawulu enza, kangangokuba wayengayala abaseFilipi: “Ngilingiseni, bazalwane, nibabhekisise abahamba njengathi esiyisibonelo kini.” (Filipi 3:17; qhathanisa namavesi 13, 14.) Khona-ke, ngathi sonke nabanye, leyomfihlakalo ibaluleke kakhulu; iyosiza ekuzuzeni ukuphila okuphakade.