7. Kerkbesoek en godsdiensbeoefening
Godsdienstigheid en ‘n aktiewe geloofslewe het ‘n verband en ‘n interaksie met mekaar, maar dit is nie dieselfde nie. ‘n Mens kan gereeld kerk besoek en bid voor ete maar nie ‘n werklik aktiewe geloofslewe hê nie. ‘n Aktiewe geloofslewe kan beskryf word as die beoefening van ‘n bewuste, daaglikse of deurlopende geloofsverhouding met God. Om Hom daagliks opreg en met oortuiging te aanbid, te loof en te dank vir sy almag en genade. Om voortdurend van hierdie verhouding bewus te wees - nie net per geleentheid nie. En net so belangrik, om met liefde met die wêreld om te gaan.
Die vraag is nou, kan ‘n mens in ‘n werklike geloofsverhouding met God staan as jy jouself van die kerk, die geloofsgemeenskap, losmaak? Die antwoord wat mens soms hoor is dat die persoon op sy eie, daar in die natuur, die wonder van die Skepping opnuut besef en sy geloof daardeur verryk. ‘n Kort antwoord daarop is dat as dit die wese van jou geloofslewe is, dan is dit ‘n soort spirituele ervaring wat spruit uit dit wat vir jou fisies aantreklik is en jou goed laat voel.
Daar is niks verkeerd met aanbidding in die natuur of in ‘n inspirerende omgewing nie. Die probleem kom wanneer dit ‘n plaasvervanger raak vir die geloofsgemeenskap en as die natuur of die omgewing die fokuspunt raak. Die Bybel maak dit op verskeie plekke, maar veral in die sendbriewe, duidelik dat die verhouding met Christus nie bloot tussen Hom en individue bestaan nie, maar ook tussen Hom en die kudde - die geloofsgemeenskap. En dit is net so duidelik oor die rol wat gelowiges teenoor mekaar het.
Efesiërs 5:25-27 is baie bekend:
“Mans julle moet julle vrouens liefhê soos Christus die kerk liefgehad het en sy lewe daarvoor afgelê het. Dit het hy gedoen om die kerk aan God te wy, nadat Hy dit met die water en die woord gereinig het, sodat Hy die kerk in volle heerlikheid by Hom kan neem, sonder vlek of rimpel of iets dergeliks, heilig en onberispelik.”
Joh 10:11:
“Ek is die goeie herder. Die goeie herder lê sy lewe af vir die skape.”
Handelinge 20:28:
“Pas julleself op en die hele kudde wat die Heilige Gees onder julle sorg gestel het. Soos wagters ‘n kudde versorg, so moet julle die gemeente van God versorg wat hy vir hom verkry het deur die bloed van sy eie Seun.”
Ons moet ook oor die rol van die kerkgebou nadink. Dit is ‘n plek van samekoms, maar dit gaan nie primêr oor die plek nie. Die gemeente, die geloofsgemeenskap, kan op enige geskikte plek vergader. Dit maak nie die kerkgebou onbelangrik nie, maar dit is nie ‘n kritiese komponent van die geloofsgemeenskap nie. Die waarde van ‘n kerkgebou lê daarin dat dit spesifiek vir samekomste en aanbidding ingerig is en dit speel ‘n belangrike, praktiese rol in die lewe van die geloofsgemeenskap. Dit kan ‘n samebindende en selfs inspirerende faktor wees, maar dit is nie self ‘n element van die geloof nie en dit moet veral nie ‘n voorwerp van aanbidding word nie.
Om oor na te dink: Besef jy wat jou voorbeeld aan die geloofslewe van jou kinders en familie kan doen as jy jouself van die geloofsgemeenskap vervreem? Dalk ‘n moeiliker vraag: Gaan die kerkgemeenskap in die rigting van ‘n eKerk of ‘n eGemeenskap neig, soos wat besighede in ander gemeenskappe doen? Kan die geloofsgemeenskap produktief funksioneer as eKerk, vandag of oor 30 jaar?
7. Church attendance and the practice of religion
Religiousness and an active life of faith are related and interact with each other, but they are not the same. A person can attend church regularly and pray before meals yet not have a truly active life of faith. An active life of faith can be described as the practice of a conscious, daily, or ongoing faith relationship with God. To worship, praise, and thank Him daily, sincerely and with conviction, for his omnipotence and grace. To be continually aware of this relationship — not only on occasion. And equally important, to engage with the world in love.
The question now is: can a person stand in a real faith relationship with God if you detach yourself from the church, the faith community? The answer one sometimes hears is that the person, on their own, out in nature, realises anew the wonder of Creation and enriches their faith through it. A short response to that is that if that is the essence of your faith life, then it is a kind of spiritual experience arising from what is physically attractive to you and makes you feel good.
There is nothing wrong with worship in nature or in an inspiring environment. The problem comes when it becomes a substitute for the faith community and when nature or the environment becomes the focal point. The Bible makes it clear in several places, but especially in the epistles, that the relationship with Christ does not exist merely between Him and individuals, but also between Him and the flock — the faith community. And it is equally clear about the role that believers have towards one another.
Ephesians 5:25–27 is well known:
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”
John 10:11:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
Acts 20:28:
“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”
We must also think about the role of the church building. It is a place of gathering, but it is not primarily about the place. The congregation, the faith community, can meet at any suitable location. This does not make the church building unimportant, but it is not a critical component of the faith community. The value of a church building lies in the fact that it is specifically arranged for gatherings and worship and it plays an important, practical role in the life of the faith community. It can be a unifying and even inspiring factor, but it is not itself an element of faith and it must especially not become an object of worship.
Something to reflect on: Do you realise what your example can do to the faith lives of your children and family if you alienate yourself from the faith community? Perhaps a harder question: Will the church community tend towards an eChurch or an eCommunity, as businesses in other communities are doing? Can the faith community function productively as an eChurch, today or in 30 years?