Katika Luka 14:28, Jesus said to count the cost when He talked to the crowd about a man, ambaye alikuwa akijenga mnara na mfalme anayeenda vitani. Lakini Yesu alimaanisha nini kwa kuhesabu gharama? Kwa nini unapaswa kuhesabu gharama kulingana na Biblia?
Why did Jesus say to count the cost?
Kwa nani kati yenu, nia ya kujenga mnara, haketi kwanza, na kuhesabu gharama, kama ana vya kutosha kuimaliza? Isije ikawa, baada ya kuuweka msingi, na hana uwezo wa kuimaliza, wote wanaoiona wanaanza kumdhihaki, Kusema, Mtu huyu alianza kujenga, na hakuweza kumaliza. Au mfalme gani, kwenda kufanya vita na mfalme mwingine, haketi kwanza, na shauri kama ataweza, pamoja na elfu kumi, kumlaki yeye anayekuja juu yake na watu ishirini elfu? Ama sivyo, wakati nyingine bado iko mbali sana, anatuma balozi, na kutaka masharti ya amani. Hivyo vivyo hivyo, yeyote miongoni mwenu asiyeacha vyote alivyo navyo, hawezi kuwa mfuasi Wangu (Luka 14:28-33)
Yesu alisema kuhesabu gharama kwa umati mkubwa unaosafiri pamoja naye. Yesu alikuwa na wafuasi wengi, lakini mwisho, zilikuwepo tu 120 wafuasi waliondoka. Hii inaonyesha, that many people wanted to mfuate Yesu, lakini ni wachache tu walioweza kumfuata Yesu kweli.
Those thousands of people had not counted the cost before they decided to follow Jesus. Only 120 were prepared to give up their own lives and follow Jesus.
Jesus knew that many were called, lakini wachache tu walikuwa tayari na uwezo wa kulipa bei.
Yesu alijua, kwamba ni wachache tu waliweza kuyatoa maisha yao wenyewe, mapenzi yao wenyewe, tamaa, na matamanio, na kuishi kwa mapenzi yake.
That’s why Jesus said to count the cost before you decide to follow Jesus Christ and become His disciple.
Many people love their own lives and this world more than they love Jesus. Kwa hiyo hawawezi kuyatoa maisha yao wenyewe na kumfuata Yesu kwa moyo wote.
“Whosoever does not carry his cross, na mnifuate, can’t be My disciples”
If you really want to follow Jesus, it means that you have to pick up your cross daily. It means to give up your own life.
Yesu alisema, kwamba mtu akija Kwake na hamchukii baba yake, mama yake, na mke, na watoto, na ndugu, na dada, ndio hata maisha yake mwenyewe, hawezi kuwa mfuasi wa Yesu.
Yesu hakusema tu kuhesabu gharama, lakini Yesu aliifanya kuwa ngumu zaidi, kwa kusema kwa umati: "Yeyote asiyeuchukua msalaba wake, na mnifuate, hawawezi kuwa wanafunzi Wangu.” Wow, hayo yalikuwa maneno magumu, ambayo Yesu alisema!
The large crowd that followed Jesus had to give up everything to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Who was willing and prepared to give up everything for Jesus?
What does it mean to hate your father, mama, mke, watoto, ndugu, dada, na maisha yako mwenyewe?
Yesu alimaanisha nini, aliposema, kwamba unapaswa kumchukia baba yako, mama, mke, watoto, ndugu, dada, na hata maisha yako mwenyewe? Did the disciples of Jesus have to treat their family members hatefully and disrespectfully?
Hapana, hiyo haikuwa kile Yesu alichomaanisha. Jesus meant that no one and nothing might become an obstacle in your life to follow Jesus and to do the will of the Father and represent, hubiri, and bring the Kingdom of God on earth.
Huwezi kumfuata Yesu na kumtumikia Yesu na kuwa mfuasi wake, kama huna nia na tayari, to lay down your current life. Ikiwa huchukii yako maisha kama mwenye dhambi, huwezi kuacha maisha hayo (mtindo). Kwa hiyo unapaswa kuhesabu gharama kwanza kabla ya kuamua kumfuata Yesu.
Yesu alitoa maisha yake kwa ajili yako, will you lay down your life for Jesus?
Only when you believe and become born again in Christ and become a son of God (hii inatumika kwa wanaume na wanawake) and walk as a son of God, you are delivered from the power of the devil, dhambi, na kifo, and are saved from the judgment of God and eternal death. If you want to become born again in Christ and walk after the Spirit then you have to lay down your flesh and ziueni kazi za miili yenu.
Hakuna uhusiano, hakuna hamu, hata mapenzi yako mwenyewe, tamaa, and your own life may become hindrances to fulfilling the will of God in your life.
Ilimradi ubaki kimwili, you can’t follow Jesus. If you don’t put off the old man, huwezi kutimiza mapenzi yake kwa maisha yako.
That’s why Jesus required a total surrender to Him. He required true repentance of someone’s life and a full immersion in Him. So that the new creation could arise and be His witness and fulfill His will upon this earth. (Soma pia: Mungu ana mpango na maisha yako).
Yesu alitoa maisha yake ili kutimiza mapenzi ya Baba yake
Jesus left everything behind to fulfill the will of His Father on earth. Alikuwa ameacha kila kitu: Maisha yake mbinguni pamoja na Mungu na maisha yake akiwa seremala pamoja na familia yake ya kidunia.
Jesus preached and brought the Kingdom of God unto the house of Israel and called the people to repentance; kugeuka kutoka kwa dhambi. KupitiaKazi yake ya ukombozi pale msalabani, Yesu alimpatanisha mwanadamu na Mungu. Huo ulikuwa utume wa Yesu Kristo na hakuna kitu kilichosimama katika njia Yake kutimiza utume Wake.
Were there no hindrances? Bila shaka, there were many hindrances. But Jesus was single-minded and focused on the Kingdom and doing the will of His Father. The devil not only tempted Jesus directly but also through people. Lakini kwa sababu Yesu hakuishi kwa kufuata mwili bali kwa Roho, Yesu aliona nia zao mbaya na hakukubali.
Yesu alikuwa ametoa maisha yake kupitia ubatizo (symbolically) and in the wilderness (mazoezi). Mwili wake haukutawala katika maisha yake tena bali ulitiishwa kwa Roho.
Je, Yesu hakuweza kutenda dhambi? Bila shaka, Yesu aliweza kutenda dhambi, kwa sababu Jesus was fully human.
Jesus could have obeyed the voice of the devil and the will and lust of the flesh and feed His flesh, lakini Yesu hakufanya hivyo.
Hata sivyo, wakati woga ulipojaribu kumjaribu Yesu, in the Bustani ya Gethsemane.
Uoga, that Jesus would be delivered into the hands of sinners and become a Partaker of sin and be separated from His Father, and the devil becoming His master, ilikuwa kali sana, kwamba jasho la Yesu linadondosha damu. But even this fear couldn’t stop Jesus from fulfilling the mission of His Father.
Yesu alimpenda Baba yake kuliko wote. The love for His Father was bigger than any temptation in the flesh.
Je, ujumbe wa gharama ya kumfuata Kristo unahubiriwa?
There are not many preachers, who speak the same words as Jesus and preach the same message as Jesus preached. Many preachers don’t preach the message of the cost of following Jesus. They don’t inform the people about the cost of discipleship; kuyatoa maisha yako mwenyewe, dying to ‘self’, and to count the cost before deciding to follow Jesus and become His disciple.
Wangependa kuhubiri kuhusu uongo upendo and hyper-grace and tell you that you may live the way you want to live. They tell you that you don’t have to change and can do the works of the flesh, because you can’t help it. They say that God understands your decisions and approves of it. Lakini huo bila shaka ni uwongo mkubwa kutoka kwenye shimo la kuzimu.
Why do so many preachers rather tell lies than the truth of God? Why do they preach carnal sermons about carnal prosperity, utajiri, utajiri, mafanikio, baraka, na kadhalika? Jibu ni, that these ‘feel good’ and motivational sermons attract many people. Who doesn’t want to receive a ‘magic word’ to pay the bills to get out of debt or get what you want and become prosperous, mafanikio, na tajiri duniani? (Soma pia: Wachungaji wengi wanaongoza kondoo kwenye shimo‘)
Jumbe za kimwili hufurahisha mwili
The carnal messages focus on the flesh and the world instead of the Spirit and the Kingdom of God. Kwa hiyo, katika makanisa mengi, the flesh of man is fed instead of the spirit of man.
Since the flesh is fed, mwili hubaki hai na hisi, hisia, and feelings rule and the church has to please and kuburudisha hisia, hisia, na hisia za watu.
They preach feel-good and motivational sermons, that sound pleasant in the ears of carnal believers.
They’ve replaced the ordinary white lights by ambiance neon lights in all kinds of colors to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for the people, who are sense-ruled.
Not only do these lights get the people in a certain mood but also the loud music. Kwa kucheza muziki kwa sauti kubwa na kwa kurudia maneno ya kwaya tena na tena, people enter some kind of trance. They think they have a spiritual encounter with the Holy Spirit. Lakini ukweli ni, that their own feelings mislead them.
When people enter the spiritual realm out of their souls, shetani ataingia na kufanya kazi kupitia kwao. Ibilisi atawapa kile wanachotaka: maonyesho ya kimwili, hisia za kupendeza, na kadhalika. na hivyo wanadanganywa na shetani.
Kwa sababu ya ukweli, kwamba watu wengi wanabaki kuwa watu wa kimwili na kuishi kufuatana na mwili, the feelings and emotions of people are stirred up during church service, and many people, wanaoongozwa na hisia zao, fanya chaguo lisilofikiri kwa ajili ya Yesu Kristo.
On what basis does someone decide to follow Jesus
Kwa sababu kwa misingi gani, does a person make a personal choice to believe and accept Jesus as their Saviour and Lord and follow Him?
- Based on prosperity?
- Ahadi ya uponyaji wa kimwili au kiakili?
- Ahadi kwamba Mungu atakulipa bili zako zote?
- Based on prosperity in love and that God will give you a partner?
- Kipengele cha kijamii, because in the church you are not a loner anymore, but you are surrounded by people and fellowship with them.
- On the basis of fear of hell?
Kwa msingi gani, have you made a choice to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord and follow and serve Him?
Many preachers provide too little or the wrong information
The choices are often made on basis of too little or wrong information. Many people choose Jesus, without being well-informed about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and before they count the cost. Because of this, chaguzi nyingi hufanywa kutokana na dhana potofu, or a wrong idea of what the gospel is truly about. Kwa hivyo chaguzi nyingi hufanywa kutoka kwa mwili; nje ya hisia au hisia.
Mara nyingi hutokea, that people only walk partially with Jesus. They are not willing to put away their sins and lay down their own will, tamaa, na matamanio. Kinachotokea ni, that after a while they quit, leave the faith, and pick up their old lives as a sinner.
Maybe they keep going to church, lakini wakati wa wiki wanaishi kama ulimwengu. (Soma pia: ‘Kwa nini imani ya wengi huvunjikiwa na meli?‘)
Usadikisho wao na upendo wao kwa Yesu haukuwa na nguvu za kutosha kumfuata Yesu na kuishi kulingana na mapenzi Yake.
They had not counted the cost before they started building. Therefore they were not able to finish the work. Kwa sababu hiyo, they mocked the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Walionyesha watu, that the power of the world is stronger than the power of God. And that the temporary deceptive pleasures of the world are more satisfying than Jesus Christ and the life in Him and the spiritual blessings of the Kingdom of God.
What does it mean to be the salt of the earth?
Katika Mathayo 5:13, Yesu alisema, you are the salt of the earth, lakini chumvi ikiwa imepoteza harufu yake, itatiwa chumvi kwa namna gani? Haifai kwa ardhi wala kwa jaa, lakini watu huitupa nje.
Kwa bahati mbaya, watu wengi watapotea, kutokana na mafundisho ya uwongo. Kwa sababu watu wanawezaje kuhesabu gharama, kama hawapati taarifa sahihi? (Soma pia: ‘Mafundisho ya uwongo ambayo ni matusi kwa Mungu‘ na ‘Mafundisho ya shetani yanaliua kanisa‘)
Ilimradi ujumbe wa msalaba, Christ’s redemptive work, kufa kwa nafsi yako, putting away the sins from your life, kuzaliwa upya, utakaso, uumbaji mpya, the persecution(s) in life, how to resist evil and temptation, na kadhalika. haihubiriwi, watu hawapati mtazamo wazi wa maana ya ufuasi wa kweli. They don’t get a clear view of what you must give up, to become a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ and what the new life, kama mwana wa Mungu, itakuwa kama.
Kwa maneno mengine, jumbe ambazo Yesu na mitume walihubiri, have to be preached again. The message of Jesus, msalaba, Damu yake, Kufufuka kwake, utakaso, exposing and destroying the works of darkness, must be preached in the churches again.
What is the essence of true Christianity?
The essence of true Christianity and the Word is not preached the way God intended the gospel to be. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been changed into a man-made gospel. Inang'olewa kutoka kwa muktadha wake. The Christians don’t build upon the Rock, but on doctrines and experiences of man. Therefore they are ‘blown away,’ kwa upepo mdogo wa kwanza. (Soma pia: Yesu, Jiwe la pembeni la thamani au Jiwe la kujikwaa?, na Wasikilizaji dhidi ya watendaji)
Hebu turudi kwenye Neno. Tumfuate Yesu Kristo kwa mioyo yetu yote na tuondoe kila kizuizi katika maisha yetu, hilo linaweza kuwa kizuizi cha kumfuata Yesu.
Hesabu gharama, kabla hujaamua kumfuata Yesu Kristo. Hapo ndipo utaweza kujisalimisha kwa Yesu na kujitolea kabisa maisha yako kwa Yesu. Unapojisalimisha na kujitolea maisha yako Kwake, utaweza kuujenga Ufalme wake juu ya dunia hii.
“Kuwa chumvi ya dunia”
