Izindaba Ezimnandi zoThando neNtokozo

Lwafika usuku olusha emndenini wesintu esixhobeni sezihlahla, lapho uNkulunkulu uBaba kanye neNdodana Yakhe, uJesu Kristu, bevela futhi bekhuluma noJoseph Smith bephendula umthandazo womfana omcane uJoseph ngokuthi yiliphi ibandla okumele azihlanganise nalo (bheka ku Joseph Smith—History 1:14–20). UJesu Kristu watshela uJoseph Smith ukuthi angazibandakanyi nanoma iliphi ibandla. Wathembisa ukuthi ivangeli Lakhe eligcwele liyakumbulelwa kuJoseph esikhathini esizayo.

Kwabaningi , uJoseph wayebukeka engeyena umuntu ongabizewla kumsebenzi osemqoka kangaka, futhi babeqinisile. Wayengafundile futhi engumfana ongabalulekile ophuma epulazini elincane kwidolobha elingacacile. Njengabanye abathi ngoMsindisi esikhathini Sakhe, “Kukhona okuhle okungaqhamuka eNazaretha na?” (NgokukaJohane 1:46), baningi abazibuza ukuthi kukhona okuhle okungaqhamuka kongafundile oneminyaka engu-14 ubudala wasePalmyra, New York. Kodwa ngoJoseph—noma kwakubonakala kungenakwenzeka—UBaba oseZulwini neNkosi uJesu Kristu babezoletha okumangalisayo ngempela. Lokhu kufanele kulethe ithemba lokuthi ngendlela yethu encane futhi ethobekile, singakwazi ukufaka isandla ngezindlela eziphusile kumsebenzi weNkosi.

Ngesikhathi esifanele, Inkosi yambiza uJoseph” futhi yakhuluma naye isezulwini, futhi yamnika imiyalelo” (IMfundiso neziVumelwano 1:17). UJoseph wathola izambulo eziyigugu kanye nezimfundiso ezimqoka ezaletha ukukhanya okusha ekuqondeni kahle icebo lothando likaBaba oseZulwini nothando oluhlengayo lukaJesu Kristu namandla omhlatshelo Wakhe ohlawulelayo. Okumangalisayo, lezi zindaba ezimnandi zavele ngesikhathi ngqo lapho intuthuko ebalulekile kwezokuthutha, ukuxhumana, nakwezinye izindawo izovumela ukukhanya kwaNkulunkulu kukhanye kuyephambili kubusise ininginingi lwabantwana Bakhe.

The Angel Moroni Delivering the Plates to Joseph Smith [Ingelosi uMoroni Iletha Izingcwephe kuJoseph Smith], ngu C. C. A. Christensen

UbuFakazi Obunamandla boThando LikaNkulunkulu

Ukuvela kwengelosi uMoroni kuJoseph Smith kwabasemqoka eKubuyiselweni kwevangeli futhi kwaba ubufakazi obukhulu bothando lukaNkulunkulu. UMoroni watshela uJoseph ngerekhodi, elibhalwe ezingcwepheni zegolide, ezazigqitshwe maduzane (Joseph Smith—uMlando 1:33–34). Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, uJoseph uyakunikwa “amandla avela phezulu” (IMfundiso neziVumelwano 20:8) ukuba ahumushe irekhodi elalizokuba Incwadi kaMormoni, elimi eceleni kweBhayibheli futhi elingelinye ithestamenti likaJesu Kristu.

Kuyo yonke incwadi kaMormoni, sifunda ngabantu, emakhulwini eminyaka ngaphambi kokufika kaKristu, ababazi futhi babikezela ngokuza Kwakhe futhi bakulangazelela. Siyakuthola futhi ukulandisa okungavamile koMsindisi evukile ekufeni ebonakala futhi efundisa kumaNefi, lapho Amema bonke ukuba beze kuye bezothinta izibazi ezinhlangothini Zakhe namanxeba ezipikili ezandleni zakhe nasezinyaweni (bheka 3 Nephi 11:14–15). Walapha abagulayo, izinyonga, izimpumputhe—”bonke ababehluphekile ngayo yonke indlela”—wase ebusisa abantwana futhi wabathandazela (bheka 3 Nephi 17:7–9, 21). Sifunda okuningi ngothando kanye nozwelo lukaMsindisi kulendaba engcwele.

INcwadi kaMormoni ifakaza ngokuthi “uJesu unguKristu.” Iziqinisekiso eNcwadini kaMomoni zisikhumbuza ngokuphindelela ukuthi uBaba wethu oseZulwini noMsindisi wethu basithanda okudlula konke esingakucabanga.

Ukubuyiselwa kweVangeli kwaqhubeka ngokuvela kwezinye izithunywa zasezulwini kuJoseph Smith. “Ovuke ekufeni uJohane umBhabhadisi wabuyisa igunya lokubhabhadisa ngokucwiliswa emanzini ukuze kuthethelelwe izono. Abathathu kwabaPhostoli abayishumi nambili bokuqala—uPetru, uJakobe, noJohane—babuyisa ubuphostoli kanye nezikhiye zegunya lobuphristu. Abanye bafika nabo, kubalwa u-Elijah, owabuyisa igunya lokuhlanganisa imindeni ndawonye ingunaphakade kubudlelwane obuqhubeka nangale kwethuna.”

Ngo-Ephreli 6, 1830, uJesu Kristu esebenzisa uJoseph Smith wasungula ibandla eliphethini linye naleli alisungula ezikhathini zeThestamenti Elisha (bheka ImiBhalo yoKholo 1:6), liphelele “linesisekelo sabaphostoli nabaphrofethi, uJesu Kristu uqobo eyitshe legumbi eliyinhloko” (Kwabase-Efesu 2:20). IBandla likaJesu Kristu labaNgcwele beziNsuku zokuGcina lenza izibusiso zamandla obuphristu obubuyisiwe zitholakale kubo bonke abantwana bakaNkulunkulu abazilungiselele ukuzithola.

Njengoba uMongameli uRussell M. Nelson esifundisile, singayithola injabulo ngenhlambuluko yansuku zonke ngokuphendukela kuBaba oseZulwini noMsindisi wethu. Kulabo abazizwa bedangele noma ukuthi abalingani noma bengazizwa besekhaya: bayamenywa ukuba beze kuKristu naseBandleni Lakhe. IBandla akuyona indlu yabaphelele kodwa isibhedlela sabagulayo. Igosa uDieter F. Uchtdorf woMgwamanda wabaPhostoli abayiShumi namBili usikhumbuza ukuthi “siza ebandleni hhayi ukuzofihla izinkinga zethu kodwa ukuzozilapha.”

Ebandleni sithola injabulo emathubeni ekubhekeni izidingo zabantu, sibasize ngothando, futhi sabelane ngesipiliyoni sethu ngenala lobuhle bukaKristu. “Singabalwa nalabo bantu be bandla lika Kristu“ futhi “sikhunjulwe futhi sondliwe ngezwi elihle likaNkulunkulu” (Moroni 6:4). Isibusiso esikhulu kangaka!

Umphrofethi uJoseph Smith wake wathi, “Manje, sizwani evangelini esilitholileyo na? Izwi lenjabulo! Izwi lomusa ovela ezulwini; futhi nezwi le qiniso elisuka emhlabeni; izindaba ezimnandi zabafileyo; izwi lenjabulo labaphilayo nabafileyo; izindaba ezimnandi zenjabulo enkulu” (IMfundiso neziVumelwano 128:19).

Lezi zindaba ezimnandi zifike ngoba uBaba oseZulwini neNdodana yakhe ethandiweyo, uJesu Kristu, bayasithanda futhi bafisa—ngaphezu kwakho konke—ukusamukela ebukhoneni Babo, ukuze sibe nalo phakade uhlobo lwempilo Abayiphilayo. UKubuyiselwa kwevangeli kusimbulela ukuthi Sebekwenze konke okudingekayo ukwenza lokhu kube inkazimulo yethuba kithi sonke. Kwindlela yethu yangunaphakade, sizohlangabezana nezilingo nobunzima, kodwa “[sikhona], ukuba sibenenjabulo” (2 Nephi 2:25) kule mpilo nakwezayo. Umphrofethi uJoseph Smith wayekwazi lokho ngaphezu kwabaningi.

UJoseph wabhekana nokuningi ukuphikiswa nokushushiswa, kodwa akashintshanga wagcina “isimilo sakhe sokuthanda ukuhlala ejabule” (Joseph Smith—uMlando 1:28). Wahlala enentokozo, enamandla, futhi wabekezela, futhi wawufeza umsebenzi omkhulu owayenikwe ukuthi awenze. Ngihlonipha zonke Izinceku zokuqala ezakholwa, zasekela, futhi zalandela umphrofethi uJoseph Smith futhi zazinikela ekwakheni iBandla. Sibakweleta iskweletu sokubonga nodumo.

Kwakungenakukhululeka ezinsukwini zokuqala zeBandla, futhi kusangaba nokungakhululeki nanamhlanje. Kodwa Ukubuyiselwa kwevangeli into eqhubekayo. NgoJesu Kristu eyinhloko yaleliBandla, abaphrofethi abaphilayo bazoqhubeka basikhombise indlela. Izindlu zeNkosi zizoqhubeka zakhiwe, ukuze izibusiso zezivumelwano zaphakade noNkulunkulu zisibophe kuYena nakubathandiweyo bethu ngapha nangale kweveyili (bheka NgokukaMathewu 16:19). Uthando lukaNkulunkulu noJesu Kristu liyakululeka kumhlaba wonke uma silandela imiyalelo yoMsindisi yokuthi siphakele izimvu Zakhe futhi sabele ivangeli Lakhe. Siyakubona amaqiniso oKubuyiselwa kwevangeli ehamba izindlela nezindawo okwakungaba nzima nokuzicabanga ngezinsuku zikaJoseph.

Singathola amandla nenjabulo enkulu—njengomphrofethi uJoseph Smith —uma samukela futhi siphila lamaqiniso ayigugu. Ubizo uJoseph alenza kwiZinceku ngesikhathi sakhe luyaqhubeka nakuthina namhlanje: “Bekungamelanga siqhubeke singene endleleni enkulu kangaka na? Qhubekani phambili futhi ningahlehleli emuva. Yimani isibindi, … futhi niqhubeke, qhubekelani ekunqobeni! Izinhliziyo zenu mazijabule, futhi zijabule kakhulu.” (IMfundiso neziVumelwano 128:22).

Kungathi izindaba ezimnandi zothando nenjabulo ezilethwa Ukubuyiselwa kwevangeli zingabusisa futhi zibe umhlahlandlela wezimpilo zethu—manje naphakade.