1921 Eminyakeni Elikhulu Eyadlulako

“NGIMUPHI umsebenzi esingaqala phambili ukuwubona umnyaka lo?” Kwabuza isiThala sangoJanabari 1, 1921, sibuza abaFundi beBhayibheli. Nasiphendula umbuzo lo, sadzubhula umtlolo ka-Isaya 61:1, 2, ebewukhumbuza abafundi ngomsebenzabo wokutjhumayela. “Ungizesile ukuze ngitjhumayele iindaba ezihle kabadududu. . . ngimemezele umnyaka womusa kaSomnini nelanga lokuzibuyiselela kwakaZimethu.”

ABATJHUMAYELI ABANESIBINDI

AbaFundi beBhayibheli nabazakuqeda umsebenzabo wokutjhumayela, bekufuze babe nesibindi. Bekuzokufuze batjhumayele “iindaba ezihle” kabadududu bebatjhumayele ‘nangelanga lokuzibuyiselela’ kwakaJehova ebantwini abakhohlakeleko.

UMfowethu J. H. Hoskin, obekahlala e-Canada, watjhumayela ngesibindi nanyana bekaphikiswa. Ngetwasahlobo lango-1921, watjhumayeza umfundisi wesondo le-Methodist. UMfowethu u-Hoskin wathoma ikulumiswano le ngokuthi: “Kufuze sibe nekulumiswano ethabisako ngemiTlolo, ngitjho nanyana singavumelani kezinye izinto, singaphetha ikulumiswanethu ngokuthula besihlale sibangani.” Lokho akhenge kwenzeke. Nakanaba nendaba uthi: “Sacoca imizuzu eembalwa kwaphela lokha umfundisi lo nakabetha umnyango khulu bengacabanga ukuthi irhalasi elisemnyangwelo lizokuphuka.”

Umfundisi lo warhuwelela wathi “Kubayini ongayokukhuluma nabantu abangasimaKrestu?” UMfowethu u-Hoskin akhenge aphendule kodwana njengombana akhamba, wacabanga ayedwa, wathi ‘Ngizwa ngasuthi bengikhuluma nomuntu ongasimKrestu!’

Umfundisi nakutjhumayelako esondweni lakhe ngelanga elilandelako, watjho izinto ezimbi ngoMfowethu u-Hoskin. UMfowethu unaba uthi “Umfundisi lo watjela abantu ukuthi uyathoma ukubona umuntu onamala njengami endaweni le nokuthi bekufuze ngibulawe. Lokho akhenge kumenze angasafuni ukutjhumayela kodwana waragela phambili atjhumayela bewakhuluma nabantu abanengi. Wathi: “Ngikuthabele khulu kutjhumayela endaweni le. Abanye abantu bathi, ‘Siyazi ukuthi umumuntu kaZimu!’ bebabuza nokuthi bangangisiza ngani bona ngingatlhogi litho.”

ISIFUNDO SOMNDENI NESOMUNTU MATHUPHA

Bona basize abantu abanekareko bathuthuke, abaFundi beBhayibheli bagadangise amahlelo wokufunda iBhayibheli ku-The Golden Age.a Bekunemibuzo esekelwe eBhayibhelini ababelethi abebangacoca ngayo nabantu abatjha. Ababelethi “bebabuza abantwababo imibuzo bebabasize bafumane iimpendulo eBhayibhelini.” Imibuzo enjengokuthi “Zingakhi iincwadi zeBhayibheli?” beyibafundisa izinto ezilula ngeBhayibheli. Eminye, enjongokuthi “Kghani amaKrestu weqiniso kufuze alindele ukuhlunguphazwa?” beyilungiselela abantu abatjha ukuthi batjhumayele ngesibindi.

Bekuneminye imibuzo neempendulo zeBhayibheli elungiselelwe labo abanelwazi elidephileko ngeBhayibheli. Iimpendulwezi bezifumaneka encwadini yokuthoma ethi Studies in the Scriptures. Inengi labafundi lazuza khulu emahlelweni la kodwana i-The Golden Age kaDisemba 21, 1921, yakhipha isazizo sokuthi amahlelo la womabili angeze asagadangiswa. Kubayini kwenziwa amatjhuguluko la?

INCWADI ETJA!

Incwadi ethi *The Harp of God*

Ikarada elinamakhasi ekufuze afundwe

Ikarada elinemibuzo

Abafowethu ebebadosaphambili balemuka ukuthi labo abafunda iBhayibheli kufuze bayifunde ngendlela ehlelekileko. Yeke-ke, ngoNovemba, 1921 kwatjhatjululwa incwadi ethi The Harp of God. Abanekareko bayamukela incwadi bebafakwa ehlelweni lokufunda iBhayibheli ebelibizwa ngokuthi yi-The Harp Bible Study Course. Ihlelweli lasiza abanengi balemuka “Umnqopho kaZimu wokunikela abantu ukuphila okungapheliko.” Incwadi le beyisebenza njani?

Bekuthi umuntu nakayamukelako, afumane nekarada elimtjela ukuthi kufuze afunde ekhasini liphi. Ngeveke elandelako, uthola ikarada elinemibuzo ekhuluma ngalokho akufundileko. Ikaradelo beliphetha ngokuthi kufuze afunde maphi amakhasi ngeveke elandelako.

Evekeni ngayinye, eemveki ezili-12, umfundi weBhayibheli uthola ikarada elitjha elivela ebandleni eliseduze. Ngokujayelekileko, amakarada la bewathunyelwa babantu abalupheleko namkha abangakghoni ukutjhumayela umuzi nomuzi. Ngokwesibonelo, u-Anna K. Gardner, we-Millvale, e-Pennsylvania, e-U.S.A., uthi: “Ukutjhatjululwa kwencwadi ethi The Harp of God, kwanikela udwadwethu obekakhamba kabuhlungu u-Thayle, umsebenzi ebekangakghona ukuwenza, wokuthumela amakarada waqobe veke anemibuzo.” Ihlelwelo naliphelako, bekuba nothileko ebandleni obekavakatjhela umfundi weBhayibheli ukuthi amsize aragele phambili afunda okungeziweko eBhayibhelini.

U-Thayle Gardner usesihlalweni sabangakghoni ukukhamba

UMSEBENZI OPHAMBI KWETHU

Nakuphela umnyaka, uMfowethu u-J. F. Rutherford wathumela incwadi kiwo woke amabandla. Wathi “ukutjhumayela komnyaka lo kufikelele bekwasiza abantu abanengi ukudlula iimyaka edlulileko.” Wanaba wathi: “Usesemnengi umsebenzi ekufuze wenziwe. Khuthazani abanye ukuthi bangenele umkhakha obusisekileko lo.” Akunakuzaza ukuthi abaFundi beBhayibheli benza lokhu akutjhwileko. Ngomnyaka ka-1922 batjhumayela ngesibindi ngomBuso kaZimu ukudlula nanini ngaphambili.

Abangani Abanesibindi

Abafundi beBhayibheli bebathandana khulu begodu basizana. Bebabangani abanesibindi ‘ababelethelwe iinkhathi ezibudisi,’ njengombana indaba elandelako itjengisa.—IzAga 17:17.

NgeLesibili, Meyi 31, 1921, umuntu onzima wabotjhelwa ukuhlasela umma wekhuwa e-Tulsa, e-Oklahoma, e-U.S.A. Lokha iwoma lamakhuwa angaphezu kwe-1 000 lilwa nesiqhenyana esincani sabantu abanzima. Ukulwokhu kwarhatjhekela endaweni eseduze enabantu abanzima e-Greenwood. Ngebanga lalokho, kwetjelwa bekwatjhiswa imizi namarhwebo angaphezu kwe-1 400. Imibiko yathi kuhlongakele abantu abama-36, kodwana kungenzeka isibalweso safika emakhulwini amathathu.

Umfowethu u-Richard J. Hill, obekamfundi weBhayibheli begodu asisakhamuzi se-Greenwood, wathi ngokwenzekako: “Ngobusuku bomguruguru, besinemihlangano yebandla njengokujayelekileko. Ngemva kwesifundo, sezwa kulila iingidi ekabeni yedorobho. Iingidezo zalila besayokulala.” NgeLesithathu ekuseni, ngoJuni 1, ubujamo besele bubumbi khulu. “Abanye abantu beza kithi bathi nange sifuna ukuvikeleka, kuzokufuze siye ewolweni lakarhulumende.” Ngalokho umfowethu u-Hill wakhamba nomkakhe nabantwababo abahlanu baya ewolweni lakarhulumende elise-Tulsa. Lapho, bekunabafowethu nabodadwethu abazi-3 000 ebebagadwe masotja abizwe mbuso ukuthi aqede ukulwokho.

Ngesikhatheso, umfowethu u-Arthur Claus, olikhuwa, wenza isiqunto esitjengisa isibindi. “Lokha nangizwa bona abantu bebeba begodu batjhise imizi ese-Greenwood, ngaqunta ukuyokuhlola umnganami omkhulu uMfowethu u-Hill.”

U-Arthur Claus bekafundisa abantwana abali-14 incwadi ethi The Harp of God

Nakafika kwaMfowethu u-Hill, wafumana umakhelwanakhe olikhuwa aphethe isigidi. Umakhelwana lo, naye obekamngani kaMfowethu u-Hill, bekacabanga ukuthi u-Arthur bekangomunye wabatjhagali. Warhuwelela wathi: “Kubayini ula?”

U-Arthur uthi: “Ngathana ngamnikela ipendulo angayizwisisiko, bekazongidubula. Ngamqinisekisa ukuthi bengimngani kamfowethu u-Hill nokuthi khengeza kanengi ngizomvakatjhela.” U-Arthur nomakhelwana kaMfowethu uHill bavikela ipahlakhe kubatjhagali.

Msinyana, u-Arthur wafumana ukuthi umfowethu u-Hill nomndenakhe bebasewolweni lakarhulumende. Bamtjela ukuthi abantu abalapho bekungakafuzi bakhambe ngaphandle kokufumana imvumo yaka-General u-Barrett, ebekasikhulu esiphetheko. U-Arthur uthi: “Bekubudisi ukufumana isikhulweso. Nangimtjela ukuthi ngifuna ukuthatha uMfowethu u-Hill nomndenakhe ewolweni lakarhulumende, wathi: ‘Uzokukghona ukutlhogomela umndeni lo?’ Ngavuma ngo-iye ozwakalako.”

Ngemva kokufumana imvumo, u-Arthur waya ewolweni lakarhulumende. Wayinikela isotja elarareka lathi: “Incwadi le itlikitlwe ngu-General ngokwakhe! Uyazi ukuthi ungewokuthoma ukukhupha abantu la namhlanjesi?” Msinyana ngemva kwalokho, u-Arthur nesotja bafumana uMfowethu u-Hill nomndenakhe. Boke baminyana ngekoloyini ka-Arthur baya emzinakhe.

UMfowethu u-Claus waqinisekisa ukuthi uMfowethu u-Hill nomndenakhe bavikelekile. Abanye nababona isibindi nethando lobuKrestu uMfowethu u-Claus ebekanalo, bakareka. U-Arthur wathi: “Umakhelwana owasiza ukuvikela ipahla kaMfowethu u-Hill wabahlonipha aboFakazi bakaJehova. Abantu baba nekareko yokufunda iqiniso ngombana babona ukuthi asikhethi abantu ngokombala wesikhumba sabo, nokuthi akakho ebekazibona aqakatheke ukudlula omunye ebantwini bakaZimu.”

a I-The Golden Age yabizwa nge-Consolation ngo-1937 beyabizwa ngokuthi yi-Phaphama! kusukela ngo-1946.