1-2 kwabaseThesalonika ThessaloniansIsampula

UPawulu nesisebenzi ayekanye naso uSila baqala ibandla eThesalonika. Kodwa ngemva kwamasonto amathathu kuphela baxoshwa edolobheni iqembu labaholi benkolo bamaJuda abanobudlova. Ngokushesha, laba baholi baqala ukushushisa labo ababephendulwe umyalezo wevangeli lika Pawulu ukubatshela ukuthi sekunenye inkosi ngaphandle kukaKhesari, ogama layo lingu uJesu. Ephendula uPawulu uthumela incwadi. Kuyo uchitha ingxenye enkulu yezigaba zokuvula ebonga uNkulunkulu ngala makholwa amasha nakho konke uNkulunkulu abenzele kona. Ukhumbula indlela abawamukela ngayo ngentshiseko umyalezo wakhe ngoJesu futhi balandela isibonelo sikaJesu ngenjabulo ngokukhuthazela ushushiso olwalandela. Izindaba zaze zafika ngisho kulo lonke elaseMedithera izindaba eziphathelene ngokwethembeka kwabaseThesalonika kuNkulunkulu nokulahla kwabo ukukhulekela izithombe kwaseThesalonika. UPawulu ubatshela ukuba baqhubeke bahlupheke ngokuyikho njengoba belindele uJesu ukuba abakhulule kubashushisi babo.

Ingxenye yokushushiswa kwabaseThesalonika kwakuwumkhankaso wokumelana noPawulu noSila. Esolwa ngokuba abashumayeli basemgwaqweni abanomona abashiya abafundi babo lapho izinto ziba nzima, uPawulu ukhumbuza abaseThesalonika ukuthi baye bakhuthazelela ukuhlupheka okukhulu ngenxa yabo. Ngaphambi kokuba bafike eThesalonika babevalelwe ejele laseFilipi ngenxa yokushumayela ngoJesu, futhi baqhubeka befundisa eThesalonika ngaphezu kokuphikiswa yizimbangi ezabalandela. Abazange basebenzise amaqhinga noma ukukhohlisa ukuze baqinisekise ukunethezeka kwabo; kunalokho, njengoba nje uJesu abafundisa ukuba balindele, inkonzo yabo ike yaba eyokuhlupheka. Bekude nabashumayeli basemgwaqweni abanomona, babefana nomama nobaba abazidela kubo. AbaseThesalonika abazange bakhohliswe, kodwa kunalokho baye baqonda ukuthi umyalezo abawuzwa wawuvela kuNkulunkulu ngokuqondile. Bahlanganyela nomndeni kaJesu okhulayo kodwa ohluphekayo. Futhi njengoba behlupheka njengoba uJesu ahlupheka, bangaqiniseka ukuthi uNkulunkulu uyobanika amandla futhi abaqinise kuze kube usuku uNkulunkulu elungisa ngalo izitha zabo futhi alwele umndeni wakhe odingisiwe.

Ngemva kwamasonto ambalwa bezwe izindaba ezinhle zokufa nokuvuka kukaJesu, abaseThesalonika baye baba izibonelo zokholo kulo lonke elaseMedithera. Akumangalisi ukuthi kungani uPawulu echitha ingxenye enkulu yencwadi ethandaza futhi edumisa uNkulunkulu ngokwethembeka kwabo.

Kodwa abaseThesalonika abasiwo amaKristu anamandla. Abanakho ukuziphusha noma ukuzimisela okungaphezulu. UPawulu uthi isizathu samandla abo amangalisayo okubekezelela ukuhlupheka nokuphila ukuphila kokuhlonipha uNkulunkulu kungenxa yokuthi bathola izindaba ezinhle zikaJesu njengomyalezo ovela kuNkulunkulu uqobolwakhe. Lapho bemukela ukufa nokuvuka kukaJesu endaweni yabo, lezo zindaba ezinhle zaba amandla amangalisayo ekuphileni kwabo. Ukukholelwa kwabo ukuthi uJesu wahlupheka ngenxa yabo kwabanika amandla okuhlupheka ngenxa kaJesu. Kwenye indawo, uPawulu ukhuluma ngeZwi likaNkulunkulu “eliphilayo futhi elisebenzayo” nokuthi ukubheka kuJesu kubaguqula kanjani labo abakholelwa kumyalezo wakhe. AbaseThesalonika bawubufakazi obuphilayo bokuthi uJesu unikeza abantu bakhe amandla okukhuthazelela ukuzingelwa futhi bavuthwe okholweni lwabo.

Izilingo nokuhlushwa kwethu akuzange kunciphe kusukela ezinsukwini zikaPawulu, kodwa namandla aguqulayo ezindaba ezinhle zeZwi likaNkulunkulu. Uma ulwa ukuze uhlale uthembekile futhi ulwela ukuphila, ukuphila kokuhlonipha uNkulunkulu, kodwa ubona loko kwenzeka kancane, bobabili uPawulu nabaseThesalonika bangakutshela, “Bheka kuJesu ovukile.” Ekufeni nasekuvukeni kukaJesu, kunamandla nethemba. Esikhundleni sokuzindla ngokuhluleka kwakho, zindla ngalokho uJesu akwenzile futhi ebese ubukela uNkulunkulu ekunika amandla futhi ekuguqula ngeZwi lakhe— nangamandla kaJesu.

Ngiyakhuleka ukuthi uMoya oNgcwele akuvule amehlo ubone uNkulunkulu oguqula abantu bakhe ekuhluphekeni kwabo. Futhi sengathi ungambona ngokucacile uJesu ukuze uguqulwe ube umuntu odlula enhluphekweni futhi wazi uyophila inguna phakade.