ISonto Elihlukene—Ingabe Lingasinda?

“BONKE abathi baneqiniso elisindisayo likaKristu bangabeSonto eliqashelwayo. Ukwehlukana kweLobukholwa—phakathi kweMpumalanga neNtshonalanga, naphakathi kweRoma namasonto eNguquko—kuwukwehlukana ngaphakathi kweSonto elilodwa.” (Christians in Communion) Yileyondlela omunye umlobi abheka ngayo ubuKristu—njengomkhaya osakazekile wezinkolo, zonke ezithi zikholelwa kuJesu Kristu ngandlela-thile.

Nokho, bungumkhaya ohlukene, onezinkolelo nezindinganiso zokuziphatha ezingqubuzanayo. “UbuKristu banamuhla . . . bunezindinganiso eziphansi zokuvunyelwa ukuba ilungu lesonto kunezokuvunyelwa ukuhamba ngebhasi,” kusho enye ingqapheli. Khona-ke, kufanele sisihlole kanjani isimo sabo esingokomoya? Umbhishobhi wamaKatolika uBasil Butler uyaphetha: “UbuKristu obuhlukene bugula ngempela.” (The Church and Unity) Kwaqala kanjani lokhu kugula? Akhona yini amathemba okululama?

“Umuntu Ongenamthetho”

Umphostoli uPawulu waxwayisa ngokuthi kwakuyoba noqhekeko. KumaKristu aseThesalonika ayecabanga ukuthi ukuba-khona kukaKristu kwakuseduze, wabhala: “Makungabikho-muntu onikhohlisayo nangayiphi indlela; ngokuba [usuku lukaJehova] aluyikufika, kungakaveli kuqala ukuhlubuka, kwambulwe umuntu ongenamthetho, indodana yokulahlwa.”—2 Thesalonika 2:3.

‘Lomuntu ongenamthetho’ waletha ukuhlubuka nokuvukela ebandleni lamaKristu. Ungubani? Akayena umuntu othile, kodwa kunalokho, isigaba sabefundisi beLobukholwa. Lesisigaba siye saziphakamisa ngaphezu kwebandla lezihlubuki ngokushesha ngemva kokufa kwabaphostoli bakaJesu, futhi ekugcineni saqala ukufundisa amafilosofi obuqaba, njengoZiqu-zintathu nokungafi komphefumulo womuntu. (IzEnzo 20:29, 30; 2 Petru 2:1-3) Njengegciwane elibulalayo, lesisigaba siye sathonya ibandla lamaKristu okuzisholo ngemibono ephefumlelwe amademoni eholela ngokungenakugwenywa oqhekekweni.—Galathiya 5:7-10.

Lesisifo esithathelwanayo sase siqalile kakade osukwini lukamphostoli uPawulu. Wabhala: “Ngokuba imfihlakalo yokungabi-namthetho isiyasebenza, kuphela ukuze kudediswe yena obambezelayo manje.” (2 Thesalonika 2:7) Abaphostoli babevimbela ushevu wokuhlubuka. Lapho ithonya labo elihlanganisayo lisuswa, ukuhlubuka okungenakuvinjelwa kwasakazeka njengesilonda esibhibhayo.—1 Thimothewu 4:1-3; 2 Thimothewu 2:16-18.

Imisebenzi ‘yalomuntu ongenamthetho’ iyaqhubeka yanda. Embikweni wamuva ophathelene “nokuhlushwa kwesonto ngokobulili nangokwemfundiso yenkolo,” elinye idiyakoni elikhulu leSonto LaseSheshi licashunwa likhononda: “Ukunxusa kokuba abefundisi bangahileleki ebuhlotsheni bobulili bangaphandle komshado akunakwa. Ongqingili abashisekayo bayagcotshwa. Benzé okuhle kwaba okubi nokubi kwaba okuhle.”—The Sunday Times Magazine, London, November 22, 1992.

Amabele Nokhula

UJesu Kristu ngokwakhe wafundisa ukuthi ubuKristu beqiniso babuzonyamalala isikhashana. Wathi ukusungulwa kwebandla lamaKristu kwakufana nokutshala komuntu imbewu enhle ensimini yakhe. Kodwa, uJesu uthi, “kwafika isitha sakhe, sahlwanyela ukhula phakathi kwamabele.” Lapho izinceku zakhe zibuza ukuthi zilusiphule yini ukhula, umnini-nsimu wathi: “Qha, funa nithi, nxa nibutha ukhula, nisiphule amabele kanye nalo.” Kwakuzoqhubeka isikhathi eside kangakanani lokhu kuhlangana kwamabele nokhula? Umnini-nsimu wathi: “Yekani kukhule kokubili ndawonye, kuze kuvunwe.”—Mathewu 13:25, 29, 30.

Kuze “kuvunwe,” noma kuze kube isikhathi sokuhlukanisa phakathi nezinsuku zokugcina ‘zokuphela kwezwe,’ amaKristu okuzisholo ayekhula eduze kwamaKristu eqiniso. (Mathewu 28:20) USathane uDeveli wasebenzisa izihlubuki ukuze akhe ibandla lamaKristu okuzisholo elonakele nelihlukene. (Mathewu 13:36-39) Kunokuba zakhe ubuKristu beqiniso, zakha ubuKristu-mbumbulu obuhlazisayo. (2 Korinte 11:3, 13-15; Kolose 2:8) Njengoba isonto lalihlukana emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka, kwaba nzima ngokuqhubekayo ukubona amaKristu eqiniso.

Ukwehlukana Okusha

I-Testing of the Churches—1932-1982 ithi ezikhathini zamuva kakhulu, “kuye kwavela ukwehlukana [okusha], ikakhulukazi enhlanganweni eyenza izimangaliso, ekugcizeleleni kwayo ukholo lomuntu siqu nokuhlangenwe nakho.” Ngokuthakazelisayo, abanye babheka izinhlangano zabazelwe ngokusha, abenza izimangaliso, njengezimpawu zokululama okungokomoya kunokwehlukana okusha. Ngokwesibonelo, iNyakatho Ireland yabhekana nokuvuselelwa okunjalo ngawo-1850. Kwaba namathemba amakhulu. Umbiko wakhuluma “ngobunye bobuzalwane . . . phakathi kwezikhonzi seSonto LaseHabe, elaseWeseli, nezase-Independent” futhi wathi “usuku ngalunye lwaluletha izinganekwane ezintsha zokulutheka kwengqondo, ukuba sebuthongweni, imibono, amaphupho nezimangaliso.”—Religious Revivals.

Abaningi baye babheka lokhu kubonakaliswa kwamandla okumangalisayo njengobufakazi bokusebenza komoya kaNkulunkulu ukuze avuselele isonto lakhe. “Isonto likaNkulunkulu,” kusho enye ingqapheli, “ngokomqondo walo ophakeme liyavuselelwa kulezizigodi.” Nokho, nakuba lokhu kuvuselelwa ngokukhethekile kwamenyezelwa “njengenkathi ekhazimulayo nengakaze ibonwe emlandweni ongokwenkolo e-Ulster,” khona nokunye ukuvuselelwa okufana nakho akuzange kulethe ubunye obungokwenkolo phakathi kwalabo abathi bazelwe kabusha ngokomoya.

Abanjalo baphikisa ngokuthi banobunye ezindabeni eziyisisekelo ezibaluleke kakhulu. Kodwa lokhu kuphikisa kuyafana nalokho okusetshenziswa yilo lonke eLobukholwa, elicabanga ukuthi “lokho okuhlanganisa amaKristu kakade kubaluleke kakhulu ngaphezu kwezindaba ezisawahlukanisa.” (The Church and Unity) ELobukholwa lithi: “Ubunye bethu obuyisisekelo nabanye kanye nawo wonke amaKristu esikanye nawo busekelwe ekubhapathizelweni kwethu kuKristu.” (Christians in Communion) Nokho, ukuthi ukwehlukana akubalulekile ngenxa yokuba nokholo olufanayo kuJesu, kufana nokuthi umdlavuza awuyona ingozi uma nje inhliziyo yakho iphilile.

Iqiniso liwukuthi izinhlangano ezinjalo zamanje ezingokwenkolo ziye zanezela ekukhungathekeni futhi zaletha isiyaluyalu esingokomoya njengoba abefundisi abashoshozelayo beziqoqela abalandeli. UJim Jones noDavid Koresh bayizibonelo zamuva zabaholi abangokomoya abadukisa izinkulungwane zabantu. (Mathewu 15:14) Esinye isikhonzi esingumBaptist siyilungu eliholayo le-Ku Klux Klan. Sihlanganisa umkhankaso waso wokuphakama kwabamhlophe nokuvuselelwa okungokwenkolo futhi sithi labo abahlanganyela kuwo “bayonikezwa amandla esiqondiso saphezulu, banikezwe isibindi saLowo owafa eCalvary [uJesu Kristu].”

Kuthiwani ngalokho okukholelwa ukuthi kuyizimangaliso, imisebenzi yamandla, nezibonakaliso okwenziwa egameni likaJesu? Khumbula isixwayiso esinamandla sikaJesu Kristu sokuthi akubona nje labo abathi “Nkosi, Nkosi” abazuza umusa wakhe, kodwa, kunalokho, ‘yilabo abenza intando kaYise.’ Abaningi namuhla abalazi ngisho negama likaYise, uJehova. UJesu waxwayisa ngalabo ‘ababeyokhipha amademoni ngegama lakhe, futhi benze imisebenzi yamandla ngegama lakhe’ kodwa ababeyoba ‘ngabenzi bokubi.’—Mathewu 7:21-23.

“Phumani Kulo Bantu Bami”

Lingakanani ithemba lokusinda kweLobukholwa eligulayo? Lincane kakhulu. Khona-ke, ingabe kufanele sithathe iseluleko sombhishobhi wamaKatolika uButler, “sokuzihlanganisa [nesonto] ngaphandle kokunaka okuningi nokulisiza ‘ekuhlanzweni’ kwalo okuqhubekayo ezigabeni zalo”? Cha! ELobukholwa elihlukene nelihlukanisayo alinakusinda. (Marku 3:24, 25) Liyingxenye yombuso wezwe wenkolo yamanga obizwa ngokuthi iBabiloni Elikhulu. (IsAmbulo 18:2, 3) Lesisimiso esingokwenkolo esinecala legazi sibhekene nokubhujiswa uNkulunkulu okuseduze.

IBhayibheli alisho ukuthi amaKristu eqiniso ahlale ngaphakathi kwalenhlangano engokwenkolo eyonakele futhi azame ukuyiguqula ngaphakathi. Kunalokho, liyaxwayisa: “Phumani kulo, bantu bami, ukuze ningahlanganyeli nalo izono zalo, nokuba ningamukeli okwezinhlupho zalo, ngokuba izono zalo zifinyelele ezulwini, noNkulunkulu wakhumbula ukungalungi kwalo.”—IsAmbulo 18:4, 5.

“Phumani” niyephi? Khumbula, uJesu wathembisa ukuthi ngesikhathi sokuvuna, amaKristu eqiniso ayeyophinde ahlanganiselwe ebunyeni bomhlaba wonke. Umprofethi uMika naye wabikezela ukuhlanganiswa kabusha okunjalo ngalamazwi: ‘Ngiyakubabeka ndawonye, njengomhlambi phakathi kwedlelo lawo.’ (Mika 2:12) Ingabe kwenzekile lokhu?

Yebo! amaKristu eqiniso manje ahlanganiselwa ebuzalwaneni obunobunye emhlabeni wonke. Angobani? Ayibandla lamaKristu loFakazi BakaJehova, ngobunye elimemezela izindaba ezinhle zoMbuso kaNkulunkulu emazweni angu-231. Aye azenqaba izimfundiso ezihlukanisayo zeLobukholwa futhi afuna ukukhulekela uNkulunkulu ngokweqiniso leZwi lakhe.—Johane 8:31, 32; 17:17.

Umenywa ngokufudumele ukuba ukhulume nabo. Uma ungathanda ukwazi okwengeziwe ngoFakazi BakaJehova, siza uthintane nabo endaweni yakini noma ngekheli elifanele elisekhasini 2 lalomagazini.

[Isithombe ekhasini 7]

‘UNkulunkulu ukhumbule ukungalungi kwalo’