A.W. Tozer — Nnabbi ku Kituuti ky’Okubuulira

Yali Ani

Aiden Wilson Tozer yazaalibwa nga 21 April 1897, ku faamu mu Newburg, Pennsylvania, n’afuuka Omukristaayo ku myaka kkumi na musanvu bwe yawulira omubuulizi ow’oku nguudo mu Akron, Ohio. Teoloji yagiyiga yekka — teyasomako mu sseminari wadde ku ttendekero lya waggulu — n’aawulwa okuba omuweereza mu Christian and Missionary Alliance mu 1920. Yali musumba wa Southside Alliance Church mu Chicago okuva mu 1928 okutuuka mu 1959 — emyaka amakumi asatu mu gumu — n’oluvannyuma mu Avenue Road Church mu Toronto okutuusa lwe yafa mu 1963 ku myaka nkaaga mu mukaaga. Yamala emyaka mingi ng’alongoosa “Alliance Life”, era yawandiika ebitabo ebisukka amakumi ana; ekisinga okutiikirira ye “The Pursuit of God” (1948), abangi kye batwala ng’ekitabo eky’Ekikristaayo ekitaggwaako mulembe. Yamanyibwa nga “eddoboozi erya bunnabbi” mu kkanisa ey’enjiri ey’omu mirembe gye — omusajja eyayogeranga abalala kye baali batayagala kwogera, eyalaba bulungi ekkanisa we yeegatta n’ensi, n’abyatula mu lwatu.

Okwolesebwa Kwe ku Kuyitibwa okw’Obusumba

Okulaba kwa Tozer ku busumba kwali kwa nnabbi-omusumba: atakoma ku kuddukanya kitongole kya ddiini, wabula akuuma obulongoofu bw’omwoyo obw’abantu b’aweereza. Mu buweereza bwe bwonna yatya nnyo nti Obukristaayo bw’enjiri obw’e Amerika bwali mu kabi ak’okuwaanyisa okunoonya Katonda okw’amazima n’eddiini ey’okwewummuza, etaalina ky’esaba era etaakyusa muntu n’omu. Ebitabo bye n’okubuulira kwe byali nduulu ya musumba — ey’amangu, oluusi esongovu, naye bulijjo nga esibuka mu kukakasa nti ekkanisa ya Yesu Kristo yali egendereddwamu okuba eky’amaanyi era eky’ekitiibwa ennyo okusinga ekyo abasinga obungi ku b’omu yo kye baali bamativu nakyo.

Ekyawandiikibwa ekyali omusingi gw’obusumba bwa Tozer kye kyali n’ebyafaayo by’obulamu bwe: okulangirira okukulu okwa Pawulo mu Abafiripi, nti ekigendererwa ekyamumalira obulamu bwe tekyali kutuuka ku buwanguzi wabula kumanya: “Njagala okussa ekimu mu bibonoobono bye, nga mmufaanana mu kufa kwe, mmumanye era ntegeere amaanyi g’okuzuukira kwe, nga nsuubira nga nange ndizuukira.” (Abafiripi 3:10–11). Obuvunaanyizibwa bw’omusumba obusooka tebwali kuzimba nteekateeka, kukuza kibiina, oba kuleeta bibala bya kwolesa, wabula kumanya Katonda. Ebirala byonna — okubuulira, okubuulirira, okuddukanya, okubuulira enjiri — byava mu kumanya okwo.

Omusumba atali ye kennyini mu kunoonya Katonda okw’amazima yali agaba ku bintu bye yeewola, era byandimuggwako lumu.

Yalaba nga nnabbi engeri obuwangwa bw’okusanyusa abantu gye bwali bweyingiza mu kusinza kw’ekkanisa.

Dda mu myaka gya 1950, yalaba ekkanisa ng’ewunjuka okudda eri eby’okwolesa n’okuva ku kusisinkana Katonda okw’amazima — okuwunjuka okwazza ekinyumu ky’eby’eddiini mu kifo ky’obuzito bw’okusisinkana Katonda. Eddagala yalisanga mu kulangirira kwa Yesu yennyini ku kusinza okw’amazima bwe kuli: “Naye ekiseera kijja, era kituuse, abo abasinziza mu mazima bwe banaasinzizanga Kitaffe mu mwoyo ne mu mazima. Kubanga Kitaffe anoonya abo abamusinza era n’abo abamusinza kibagwanira okumusinzanga mu mwoyo ne mu mazima. Kubanga Katonda Mwoyo n’abo abamusinza kibagwanira okumusinza mu mwoyo ne mu mazima.” (Yokaana 4:23–24). Mu mwoyo ne mu mazima: byombi, wamu, nga tebyawukana. Okusanyusa abantu tekuyinza kuleeta na kimu ku byo. Omwoyo wa Katonda yekka, ng’akolera mu mazima g’Ekigambo kya Katonda, ye yali asobola okuleeta okusinza Katonda kw’anoonya ddala.

Enjigiriza ya Tozer ku kubeerawo kwa Katonda yava mu bumanyirivu bwe ng’anoonya Katonda mu buziba bw’okusaba okw’okufumiitiriza. Yasoma nnyo ebiwandiiko by’Abakristaayo ab’okufumiitiriza — Brother Lawrence, François Fénelon, Teresa ow’e Ávila, Meister Eckhart — n’asangamu ennono ey’okumanya Katonda mu bumanyirivu, gye yakkiriza nti ekkanisa ey’enjiri yali emaze okugireka ennyo. Okwolesebwa kwa Isaaya yakufuula ekipimo kya buli buweereza bw’obusumba obw’amazima: “Awo mu mwaka kabaka Uzziya mwe yafiira, nalaba Mukama ng’atudde ku ntebe empanvu ng’agulumizibbwa, n’ekirenge ky’ekyambalo kye nga kijjula yeekaalu.” (Isaaya 6:1). Omusumba eyali alabye Mukama nga Isaaya bwe yamulaba — mu butukuvu bwe, mu kitiibwa kye, mu kubeerawo kwe okwokya ng’omuliro — teyandimatidde kuwa kibiina kye kitono ku ekyo. Okwolesebwa okwo gwe musingi gw’obuweereza bwonna obw’obusumba obwa bunnabbi obw’amazima.

Mu ngeri y’emu yeeraliikirira kye yayita “omutego gw’okwagalibwa” mu buweereza bw’obusumba — okukemebwa okutakoma okw’okwogera ebisiimibwa okusinga ebyetaaga okwogerwa. Tozer yasomanga obuwangwa bw’omu kiseera kye n’obwegendereza, era okweyongera kw’omuwendo tekwamulimba. Okulabula kwa Pawulo yakutegeera ng’akabi akatakoma mu busumba, so si ak’omu biseera eby’omu maaso kwokka: “Kubanga ekiseera kijja lwe baligaana okuwulira enjigiriza entuufu, era olw’okugoberera okwegomba kwabwe balyekuŋŋaanyiza abayigiriza, abalibayigiriza bye baagala, okuwulira. Baligaana okuwuliriza eby’amazima, ne bagoberera enfumo obufumo.” (2 Timoseewo 4:3–4).

Omusumba eyagalibwa ennyo, bwe yalabula, y’atera okuba ow’akabi okusinga — si lwa nti ebibiina bye byali binene, wabula lwa nti obunene bwabyo bwali busobola okulimba nti buli kimu kiri bulungi, so nga Omwoyo yali yava dda awo.

Obulamu bwe obw’obusumba obutaaliko kwejalabya bwennyini bwali kuyigiriza. Yabeeranga mu ngeri ya wansi, yagabanga ensimbi z’ebitabo bye, teyawaanyisa by’akkiririzaamu olw’okulinnyisibwa mu kitongole, era buli wiiki yamalanga essaawa nnyingi yekka ne Katonda, ekyabumba era ne kiwanirira buli kye yabuulira. Yali atadde ku mutima ekiragiro ekikulu ekiri mu mutima gwa Shema: “Yagala Katonda wo n’omutima gwo gwonna n’omwoyo gwo gwonna, n’amagezi go gonna, n’amaanyi go gonna.” (Makko 12:30). Yanoonya Katonda n’ebyo ebina byonna: n’omutima mu kwemalira, n’omwoyo mu kwewaayo, n’amagezi mu kusoma, n’amaanyi mu kwefuga. Teyali muntu atuukiridde. Naye yanoonya n’obunyiikivu Katonda atuukiridde — era okunoonya kwe kwayita ekibiina kye okukola kye kimu.

Essaala

Ayi Katonda, omuliro ogwokya, tununule mu bukuumi bw’obusumba obw’okwogera ebyo byokka ebibiina byaffe bye byagala okuwulira. Tuwe obuvumu bwa Tozer okwogera Omwoyo by’ayogera ddala, ne bwe biba tebinyuma. Zzaawo mu ffe enjala ey’okukumanya Ggwe — so si kumanya bumanyi ebikukwatako — era okunoonya kwaffe okubeerawo kwo kubeere omuliro ogutalabika ogubuguumya buli kye tukola mu buweereza. We twafuula ekkanisa ennyangu ennyo, ey’okwewummuza ennyo, era ey’okwesanyusa ennyo, zzaawo obuzito bw’ekitiibwa kyo. Amiina.