Katika Yohana 12:23-26, Yesu alisema, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abides alone, lakini ikifa, huzaa matunda mengi. He that loves his life shall lose it and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. This Bible verse not only refers to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the birth of the new creation, but it also refers to those, who have become a new creation in Christ. Only when the old creation dies, the new creation can arise from the dead and bear much fruit. Hata hivyo, the process of dying to self is not always easy. Dying to self is a painful process, but it’s necessary. There are many Bible Scriptures about dying to the flesh. Let’s look at what the Bible says about the painful process known as dying.
Yesu alipaswa kufa, ili wazae wana wa Mungu
Yesu akawajibu, akisema, Saa imefika, ili Mwana wa Adamu atukuzwe. Hakika, hakika, Nawaambia, Isipokuwa punje ya ngano ikianguka ardhini na kufa, inakaa peke yake: lakini ikifa, huzaa matunda mengi. Anayependa maisha yake atayapoteza; naye anayechukia maisha yake katika ulimwengu huu ataisalimisha hata uzima wa milele. Mtu ye yote akinitumikia, anifuate Mimi; na nilipo, na mtumishi wangu atakuwepo: mtu ye yote akinitumikia, huyo Baba yangu atamheshimu (Yohana 12:23-26)
Yesu alipaswa kufa, so that in Him a uumbaji mpya inaweza kuundwa; wana wa Mungu (hii inatumika kwa wanaume na wanawake), ambao wameweka maisha yao katika maji na wamezaliwa kwa Roho Mtakatifu.
Jesus carried all the sins and iniquities of the world. By His sacrifice and His blood, Jesus brought redemption to humanity, Urejesho (kuponywa) mtu, Mwanadamu arudi kwa Mungu.
Baada ya Yesu’ kifo, kukaa kuzimu, and resurrection from the dead, Jesus walked on earth for 40 siku. After 40 siku, Jesus was caught up in a cloud and ascended to heaven.
Wakati Yesu alipaa mbinguni and took place on the throne of grace (mercy seat) at the right hand of the Father, God gave His Holy Spirit and came into man.
Through the abiding of the Holy Spirit in the new man, the new man received God’s nature and power, and His laws were written upon their new hearts. Because of this, the new man is able to walk as a son of God on earth. (Soma pia: Jinsi ya kutembea katika utawala ambao Mungu amekupa?).
Jesus had not only set the example of how to walk as a son of God, but Jesus also sacrificed Himself and died for us. There was nothing more Jesus could do. Jesus gave Himself completely.
God has given everything to man to become a son of God and to walk as son of God
God has also given everything to humanity. He gave His law that revealed His will. Then God gave His Son na Roho wake Mtakatifu. Mungu amempa kila kitu! There is nothing more God can do.
Sasa, it is up to the new man, what the new man does with this inheritance, which he has received in Jesus Christ; the completeness in Christ through regeneration, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the power to become a son of God.
If you have become a new creation in Christ, then it’s up to you if you are willing to die to yourself and acha kazi of the flesh or not.
I’m not talking about suicide of course. But I’m talking about laying down your old life as a sinner and killing the deeds of your flesh (matendo ya mwili). Because the flesh can’t reign together with the Spirit, and the Spirit cannot reign with the flesh. Because the flesh can’t submit to the Spirit and the law of God. Kwa hiyo, one of them must die.
He that loves his life shall lose it and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal
Yesu alisema, that when you love your soulish life on earth and you live after the will, tamaa, and desires of the sinful flesh, after you die (naturally), you shall lose your life
But when you don’t love your soulish life in the sinful flesh on earth and even hate it and lay it down, you shall inherit eternal life.
You shall be fed up with the life after the flesh that rebels against the will of God. Kwa hiyo, you shall put off the old man and vaeni mtu mpya and walk after the Spirit in newness of life with Jesus.
This new life with Jesus starts here on earth and not after the natural death. Because then it may be too late. (Soma pia: The new heaven and the new earth won’t come for many believers?)
On this earth, you choose to no longer live after the flesh but after the Spirit. When you lay down your flesh and your spirit is raised from the dead, and you walk after the Spirit, you shall not see the death.
Utaratibu wa uchungu unaojulikana kama kufa
Dying is not nice. Nobody wants to die. That’s because dying doesn’t happen without pain. Dying can cause a lot of pain. Lakini, when you look at the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you can’t separate the process of dying from the Gospel. Kufa kwa nafsi ni sehemu ya mchakato, kama unataka au la. (Soma pia: Inamaanisha nini kuwafisha washiriki wako walio duniani??).
Ikiwa hutaki kufa mwenyewe, basi itakuwa haiwezekani kumfuata Yesu Kristo.
Unawezaje kumfuata Roho kwa kulitii Neno ikiwa mwili wako unatawala maishani mwako na kukuelekeza la kufanya.?
Pia haiwezekani kuwa na uzima wa milele. Because how can you enter the Kingdom of God from the flesh?
Mwili na damu haviwezi kuingia katika Ufalme wa Mungu. You must be born of water and of the Spirit. (Soma pia: Kwa nini nyama na damu haziwezi kuingia katika Ufalme wa Mungu?)
Hakika, hakika, Nawaambia. Mtu asipozaliwa kwa maji na kwa Roho, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (Yohana 3:5-6)
Now this I say, Ndugu, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption (1 Wakorintho 15:50)
There’s only one way and that’s Jesus Christ, who gives you the ability to become born again in the spirit and become a new creation When you become a new creation, you shall no longer walk after the flesh as a sinner, but you shall walk after the Spirit as a righteous son of God.
Following Jesus will cost you your life
Only when you die to ‘self,’ you will be able to live in Christ. This life in Christ and following Him will cost you everything! It will cost you your life. But if you are willing to give up your own life; your will, tamaa zako, Tamaa zako, your dreams, your feelings, Mawazo yako, your opinions etc., you shall receive eternal life.
Anayependa maisha yake atayapoteza; naye anayechukia maisha yake katika ulimwengu huu ataisalimisha hata uzima wa milele (Yohana 12:25)
Kupitia kuzaliwa upya, your spirit shall become alive and reign in your life. Your spirit and the Holy Spirit shall become one and shall reign over your flesh. You shall walk after the Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit.
Lakini, you can only bear the fruit of the Spirit, when your flesh; your ‘self’, has died and you walk after the Spirit and live according to His will instead of your will. (Soma pia: What if God’s will is not your will?).
Dying to self and saying goodbye to your old habits
Dying hurts, because it not only means saying goodbye to your ‘self’ and your old habits, but it could also mean saying goodbye to your acquaintances, your friends, family, au… (Jaza nafasi zilizoachwa wazi).
You may consider certain things in your lives as normal. You don’t see any harm in it until you read and study the Bible and through God’s Word, you get to know the Mapenzi ya Mungu.
When you find out God’s will, then you won’t consider certain things normal anymore. But you will remove them from your life, because they go against the will of God.
When you enter a dusky house, it may look clean until you turn on the light. When you turn on the light, you can see the dirt, spots, spider webs, clutter, na kadhalika.
It’s the same with the Bible; Neno la Mungu. The Word is the light. When you begin to read the Word, the Word shall expose all the dirt and clutter in your life that you can clean up.
“But this is all so hard, I don’t know if I can do it”
Jesus never said, that dying was easy. But Jesus did say that it is necessary to receive eternal life.
The new creation can’t arise from the dead until the old creation has died
Lakini wengi kama walivyompokea, Aliwapa uwezo wa kuwa wana wa Mungu, even to them that believe on his name: ambao walizaliwa, Sio kwa damu, wala kwa mapenzi ya mwili, wala mapenzi ya mwanadamu, Lakini kwa Mungu (Yohana 1:12,13)
Hakika, hakika, nakuambia, Mtu asipozaliwa kwa maji na kwa Roho, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit( Yohana 3:5,6)
The new creation can’t arise until the old creation has died. The death of the flesh and the resurrection of the spirit from the dead through regeneration in Christ is the only way to eternal life. (Soma pia: Je, kuna njia moja tu ya uzima wa milele?).
How do you die to self?
You die to the flesh by not feeding your flesh and serving the will of the flesh. This means that you do not give in to the will, tamaa, and lusts of the flesh. You don’t listen to what the flesh wants, anasema, and dictates you what to do. You can also describe this as crucifying the thoughts and works of the flesh.
When you believe the Word and live according to what the Word of God says, instead of what your senses and feelings tell you, Utatembea baada ya Roho.
Renew your mind with the Word of God
You have to feed your spirit and starve your flesh. You can only feed your spirit and mature, Kwa neno la Mungu. The Word of God is the only visible spiritual book that can feed your spirit.
The Bible is Spirit and with the Bible, you shall renew your wordly way of thinking into a godly thinking. Utafikiri na kutaka, kile Mungu anachofikiri, na anataka; you shall become like Him and represent Him.
Why should Christians fast?
Unapozungumza juu ya kufa, fasting is also a part of this process. Watu, who say that you don’t need to fast are wrong. They believe the deceptive lie of the devil above the Word. Fasting and prayer should be part of the saint’s lives.
What did Jesus do when He was baptized in water and then received the Holy Spirit? Did Jesus begin to preach and bring the Kingdom of God to the people?
Hapana, Jesus was led by the Spirit to the wilderness. In the wilderness, Jesus fasted for 40 days while He was tested, on whether His flesh was fully submissive to His Spirit.
Today many Christians don’t fast anymore, because they don’t see the necessity of fasting or the flesh reigns in people’s lives and is too strong. But if the latter is the case, then you should fast.
Maadamu mwili haujatiishwa kabisa na Roho, people need to fast However, the problem is, that through the deceptive lies of the devil, the meaning and purpose of fasting have been changed into something completely different than what fasting is intended for.
Fasting is not meant to get something from God. Fasting is nothing more than killing your flesh.
Yesu alisema yafuatayo:
Kisha wanafunzi wa Yohana wakamwendea, akisema, Kwa nini sisi na Mafarisayo tunafunga mara nyingi, but Thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? Lakini siku zitakuja, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither (Mathayo 9:14-17)
If you don’t put off the old man, you can’t put on the new man
If you don’t die and become born again in the spirit, you cannot walk after the Spirit and receive the inheritance of God. You cannot apply the promises of the Gospel to your life. Because they are meant for the new creation and not the old creation. Vizuri, maybe you can apply them to your life, but they shall not ‘work’. Unless the devil empowers them to lead the people astray and turn them away from God (Mathayo 24:24)
Ibilisi (adui wa Mungu) transforms himself and comes as an angel of light to mislead the chosen ones (2 Wakorintho 11:14).
Watu wangapi, prophecy from a spirit of divination (kutoka kwa shetani) instead of the Spirit of God?
How many wonders and supernatural manifestations take place that derive from the devil instead of God?
The devil deceives Christians by making them believe that they don’t have to die to the flesh. That fasting is no longer necessary for Spirit-filled Christians. And that Christians can live like the world.
He even encourages Christians to copy the things of this world and Christianize Mambo ya ulimwengu huu. Kwa sababu hiyo, many Christians think that God approves certain behaviors and things, huku katika hali halisi, He does not.
The Kingdom of God has nothing in common with the world (Giza).
How can you discern the works of the Spirit from the works of the devil?
How can you discern the works of the Spirit from the works of the devil? By looking at the lives of people and their walk.
Do they walk righteous like Jesus in obedience to the Father and His Word and the will of the Spirit? Or do they walk like the world doing the will of their flesh?
It can also happen that people believe in Jesus, tubu, and become born again, but don’t die to the flesh. They don’t put off the old man and love the world and therefore they are bound to the spirits of this world, that after a few years something happens that can lead to sin or a return to their old life.
How can people, who may seem so godly and God-fearing and walk sincerely, stumble? Because they have not died completely to their flesh. If Christians don’t kill the flesh, then they will eventually stumble and sin.
only the new man can follow Jesus
Almost all Christians have a desire to heal the sick and walk in power, kufanya ishara na maajabu. But there are only a few Christians, who have the desire to serve God and live a holy life and are willing to give up their own lives and die to ‘self’ (mwili).
Do you dare to lay down your old life? Do you dare to die completely to ‘self’ and give up your life for Jesus and the Kingdom of God?
Mwache Yesu (neno) reign in your heart instead of you. Only then shall you arise in newness, kuwa na uzima wa Mungu ndani yako, and walk as a new creation on this earth.
Mungu amempa kila kitu, lakini ni juu yako, unachoamua.
‘Kuweni chumvi ya dunia’
