Apologist Samkelo Nzuza's Page

21/03/2025

How loud is too loud for church?

Ibandla liyohlala linezethamile ezihlalele ukuligxeka nangamaphutha amancane kakhulu, lokho kuze kwenezele ekutheni libukeke njenganento ewumdlalo engahloniphekile.
The content and the culture of the gospel that is being preached by our generation (especially our peers) is very worrisome.
When I'm talking about the content I mean the quality of the truth behind what we believe and teach. We really don't care whether we are wrong or right, we think we're accepted by God if we're sincere. So our first objective when we ascend the pulpit is to appear sincere rather than being doctrinally sound.
So this attitude has led us to believe that we as Christians must be known by certain images and appearances such as ukudla ulamula (mncaa bebe shiyabonga...)
There's absolutely nothing about being serious enkonzweni, as a matter of fact we ought to be very serious, we can't afford not being serious.
My worry is rather the acting out and trying hard to prove to people that we're spiritual indeed...
How I know we're acting, sithi siserious sinjalo kodwa sibe sinqotshwe umoya wokudlala.

This then leads me to my second point which appears to be the most. The culture.
Lokhu kuAct(a) noma lomdlalo osemasontweni, akulula ukuwuhlonza uma uzalelwe emdlalweni, wakhulela emdlalweni waze waqala ukushumayela khona.

Left me touch some of the things which are the signs of ukudlala.
1. Overconfidence (ubuqhalaqhala)
- I have realized ukuthi most of the wrong things we say on the pulpit are the results of being overconfident such as "puff-puff amaLikes oBrother"
When we're overconfident we forget our place, and that there are elderly people among us. That's why we demand Amen, and if we're not satisfied by the Amens we're getting sisho amagama ayiziswana siwabhekisa kwiAudience enabantu abadala.
2. Noise
- Bazalwane niwubangelani umsindo uma nishumayela.
Owk there's nothing wrong about being a natural loud-person, okubalulekile kusho into eyiyo, but why ufune ukushumayela kanye neKeyboard, nakhona iKeyboard isho le phezulu, iMic isho phezulu, lapho there is no Mic-technic whatsoever, uyisondeza emlonyeni uze uyinamathelise ezindebeni, naleyoMic iyahlohloza... inqobo nje uma ngimemezile ngabanga umsindo, I don't care whether the audience hears what I say ngoba vele kuncane kakhulu ebengifisa ukukusho into esemqoka ukubanga umsindo bese ngithola izincomo ezithi ngigcotshiwe.
Keyboardists, singers, MCs and preachers, niwubangelani umsindo kangaka?
Again there is a difference between being a loud person and a noisy person.

Siyaya nje ePhasikeni but bangaki abathandazela ukuzuzwa kwemiphefumulo nokuthi ibandla likhule ekuqondeni?
Abahlabeleli right now are busy practicing ukuchwechwa.
Abashumayeli are busy preparing "ukuyoshaya" ukuze naNext year ezoyithola leTender.
Uma engekho after service ozothi "Hhay ushayile nceku" useyosokola ke.

Here's a quick test ukuthi nginamanga yini lento angiyishoyo:
Worshipers and Preachers, how do honestly feel when you're about to be given a mic and the load shedding happens?
No back-up yeKeyboard for a preacher, akukho nokucasha emva kweMic ehlohlozayo, and now kudingeka iSermon icacile with clear points and application from the passage you read from.

Engathi singakhumbula kuleliphasika ukuthi umkhosi umayelana noJesu iNkosi eyafa endaweni abantu ukuze abantu bazuze ukuphila.
Umkhosi awukho mayelana nathi nokubukwa sichwechwa, nokuzakhela amagama uma sishumayela.
Ngephasika usuke kugcwele nabantu abangavamile ukuba enkonzweni, it's a perfect opportunity to preach the true gospel with simplicity and clarity.

22/10/2024

2Peter 1:1-2

Incwadi ebhalwe ngumphostoli uPetru omunye wabayishumi nambili abahamba neNkosi uJesu baziwa ngokuthi bangabafundi beNkosi.

I.Umlobi (Igama / amagama akhe)
1. Simeyoni.
Igama lakhe leli lesiHebheru elisikhumbuza ngaye engakahlangani noJesu. Yena nomfowabo uAndriya (Andrew) babengabadobi bevela endaweni yaseBhethesda kude buduze naseGalile.

2. Petru.
Leli yigama aliqanjwa uJesu ekuhlanganeni kwabo nokuyigama elisho idwala (the rock). John 1:40-42

Lokhu kusikhumbuza ukuthi kuba njalo vele uma umuntu ehlangana noJesu, uJesu ukufica esimweni esithize bese ekushintsha akubeke kwesinye isimo (You are, but you will be).

II. Imininingwane ngaye (His credentials)

1. Inceku yeNkosi uJesu
Leligama elithi inceku lisasho isigqila seNkosi uJesu.
Lokhu kusho ukuthi uPetru wayezibona njengomuntu ongenayo intando okungeyakhe futhi wayengaziboni njengomuntu ozibusayo noma oziphethe.
Leligama elithi "nceku" lisho ukuzehlisa (humility), nokuzithoba (submissive), nokulalela (obedience).

2. Umphostoli weNkosi uJesu
Umsebenzi womphostoli kwakungukufundisa nokushumayela.
Umphostoli kaJesu kufanele kuqala abe yinceku kaJesu.

III. Abalotshelwayo.
Uthi ilabo abamukeliswe ukukholwa okufana nokwakhe.

1.Uhlobo lokukholwa (character of their faith).
*bakuphiwe. (Akuveli kubo futhi akukho mfutho abawufakile ukuzuza lokhu kukholwa.)

* kuyigugu (ngoba kuholela ekulungisisweni, nasekungcwelisweni kuze kube sekukhazimulisweni)
Sisemhlabeni yebo kodwa singabasezulwini and ukukholwa kuyisibambiso esisixhumanisa nezulu sisemhlabeni

IV. Amazwi okubingelela. (Umkhuleko)

1. Umusa: okuhle esikwenzelwa uNkulunkulu kungasifanele.
LoMusa ungumsusa wokusindiswa kwethu kuze kuyoshaya nakumaBenefit alokhu kukholwa.

2. Ukuthula: Ukuba sendaweni noma emzweni wokwaneliseka okungenaluvalo ngenxa yokwazi ukuthi konke okumaqondana nami kusezandleni ezifanele. (Casting all my cares unto the safe hands of the almighty.)

Umphostoli uhlanganisa lezizinto zombili (umusa nokuthula) ngoba vele akakho umuntu ongaba nokuthula engfumananga umusa kuqala.

Lezizinto ziyandiswa, ngokumazi uNkulunkulu.
So the more we indulge in His Word, we grow into His knowledge, as we grow in His knowledge, these things (grace and peace) get to be multiplied.

14/09/2024

Kulezinsuku ezimbalwa ezidlule bekulokhu kusabalala amaVideo abashumayeli beshumayela izinto ezenza olalele asale ebambe ongezansi, abaningi bebephendula ngombuzo othi "Where have we gone wrong as the church?"

Well I know as much as you do ukuthi where we have gone wrong, but I'll remind you again my friend. It is around the question of the importance of studying the Word.

WHY STUDY THE BIBLE?
We study the bible because we want to hear RIGHT, understand RIGHT, and respond RIGHT to God.

"The bible is the only source of absolute divine authority that will inform you of God's mind and will for your life (2Tim. 3:16-17). That is surely the reason enough to study God's word."
John MacArthur

Eph. 4:11-15 tells us that God gifted some people to specifically guide the church towards the right direction.
See uvesi 14... "ukuze singabe sisaba yizingane, sishukunyiswa okwamaza, sipheshulwa yimimoya yonke yezifundiso ngenkohliso yabantu, ngobuqili obunamanamacebo okudukisayo.

So friends, Doctrine is very important in the church.
Doctrine begins with understanding of the Bible, and if we are wrong on this, we're going to be wrong on everything else.
That is because the Bible is our final authority, whatever we believe, and whatever we teach must come out of the Bible.
Evidently, today there's a huge crisis on what should be the authority in the church.
*Some see the CHURCH (denomination) as the authority.... (thina kulenkonzo....)
*Some accept the TRADITION as the authority... (we've been doing like this for years... )
*Some take the EXPERIENCE / INNER VOICE as the authority (God told me...)
Well, many cults began by one man claiming that "God told me", eg Joseph Smith of Mormons and Isaiah Shembe of Nazareth Baptist Church.

Even Jesus being God in man simbona esenzela isibonelo ukuze silandele ezinyathelweni zakhe...
"It is written... " (Matt.4:4).
And very interestingly, His first "it is written" addresses the reason why it is important to study the Bible... Because man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
So before Paul told us that the scripture is God-breathed, Jesus tells us that scripture proceeds from God's mouth.

Not even creeds, confession, and definitely declarations are our authority, although these may express in details what we believe and teach.
What qualifies the Bible to be the only authority is it's inspiration.

Lastly let me remind you that it is impossible to separate the preaching of the Word and the studying of the Word. Whoever is assuming the responsibility of preaching without studying it, is not preaching, but rather they're only getting their opinions across.

2Tim 2:15 emphasizes both aspects:
-Study
-Show yourself approved ..by correctly dividing the word of truth.
Therefore the model is not to get it across, but to get it right, and then get it across.
Especially because the audience of our service is God, rather than men (Show yourself approved TO GOD...)

09/11/2023

19/06/2022

One of my brothers here on Facebook asked me to give my stand on Tithe this morning. I just responded now, and I thought let me share here also.

Greetings once again my brother.

This issue of tithe or tithing is obviously one of those controversial topics in the present church in that there's so much confusion to an extent that izigebengu zabafundisi zilithola la ithuba lokugebenga umhlambi weNkosi.

Let me first confirm that I believe that giving / collection-aid in the church is biblical.
Secondly, I believe that workers in advancing the gospel should be paid, they should receive their living from the gospel (1Cor. 9:14)
Lastly, Giving 10% of your salary is not a sin on its own, especially if one decides to use it as a system to discipline themselves, but it's never a command for the church..

Any preacher, pastor, evangelist, "apostle or prophet", etc. who makes tithe a doctrine or a pattern to be followed by the church today is a thief. Why?
Any angle one can choose to approach this topic, the tithe-preachers will always proven false or misleading.
You can use Abraham-Melchizedek scenario, the question remains... Did Abraham give from his personal possessions or he gave Melchizedek the spoils which he confiscated from Chedorlaomer victory.

Biblically, there are three types of tithes, and none of them were monetary. Futhi kuyilumbo ukuthi yayingekho imali ngesikhathi uNkulunkulu eshaya umthetho wokweshumi. Yayikhona imali but God never opted for money in relationship to tithe, except when a person would have to travel a long distance to a place of worship and his tithe is too heavy to carry, then he would need to sell his tithe, take THE MONEY (yabona ke ukuthi imali yayikhona?), upon his arrival to a place of worship, he would then buy whatever his heart desires, AND EAT HIS TITHE BEFORE GOD... Deut. 14: 24-25.

1. There was okweshumi okwakwabelwe amaLevi, since they were not permitted to own or work any land.
Remember that no one can claim to be a Levite by faith or by annointung of collecting tithe, a Levite must belong to the lineage of Levi. It might be possible that you can find levites somewhere in Israel, but definitely there's no Levite in South Africa.
The only time the Bible refers to the church members as priests, it calls everyone collectively (not certain individuals with special tunics, seats and claim to be spiritual fathers) see 1 Pet 2:9.

2. There was okweshumi okwakwenzelwa imigidi (fesivals).
Ilokhu ke okwakudliwa umninikho phambi kukaJehova endaweni yokudumisa uJehova.
Lokhu okweshumi, nalokhu okungenhla, kwakukhishwa kanye ngonyaka, hhay ngenyanga.

3. And then there was okweshumi okwakwenzelwa umfokazi, intandane, nomfelokazi.
Unfortunately, although the theme of tithes is continually spoken of in our churches today, however, we don't seem to hear anything about looking after those (abafokazi, izintandane nabafelokazi).
On a contrary today, these are supposed to be paying the so called apostles, so that they'd be blessed. It's a shame.

In fact Deutoronomy 14: 22-29 is very clear on this, and it gives us details of okweshumi as a topic, and if we look at it closely we'll see that it was actually 23% yearly, not 10% monthly.
But isn't it surprising that although tithes is always preached on, yet we don't get sermons from this passage (Deut. 14:22-29).
Instead, we're always blackmailed by Malachi 3:8-10 who has nothing to say about tithes being given by Israelites / congregation.
The story of Malachi begins in Nehemiah 10:38. The Levites were the ones who were supposed to give 10% of their tithes to the priest, so that it was going to be kept in the store-house. Thus Malachi 2:1 clearly says: This instruction is for you PRIESTS... (NOT THE NATION OF ISRAEL).
The priests were the ones robbing God.

Let me give you one reason why today's so-called apostles maintain tithe as God's command for the present church.
Pride.. the reason is Pride. They make tithe the spiritual prerogative which is done to God and will benefit the giver. Yet the New testament way of giving or paying the gospel-proclaimer makes it clear that he (gospel-proclaimer) is the one in need, and will benefit from that collection.
The transfer of earthly wealth to spiritually wealth was explained by Jesus in Matt.25:34-46, when he says if you give to the poor, clothe the poor, visit the sick in hospitals and the prisoners in prisons, if you have done these, then you have done it to me.
So if you want to give to God, look for the poor and those who have no one.