10 Commandments for Voting

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These are the 10 Commandments from the message this weekend. They result from my study of the passage and make the most sense in the context of the message. You can listen to when it is posted on iTunes or our website. I've also included the N.T. Wright quote. (I did not use this on Saturday night, so it's not something you missed when you were sleeping, Debbie.)

  1. Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind in the voting booth. So you will seek to vote in a way that reflects the stamp of God’s image on your life.
  2. Thou shalt love your neighbor as yourself. You will not simply vote for what’s good for you. You will vote for what is good for your neighbor.
  3. Thou shalt seek God's glory by promoting his values. Incidentally, everyone goes to the voting booth voting their values. It would be a shame for our country if Christians left their values at home. It is quite obvious from this passage that God is Lord of your life always, even while you're in the voting booth.
  4. Thou shalt not idolize a party or candidate.
  5. Thou shalt be informed about the issues and candidates. Love demands it. Policies have consequences. And sometimes those consequences are unintended, so don't leave your mind at home.
  6. Thou shalt be humble in the voting booth. God has not revealed what to vote for. Only God knows all the consequences of our votes. He is chosen not to give us a particular political philosophy to pursue. Therefore Christians will go into the voting book voting with the same motivations and informed by Scripture, but they will inevitably come out having voted for different candidates and policies.
  7. Thou shalt treat those with whom you disagree with honor. Even if you don't respect their positions or their logic, you will treat them with respect.
  8. Thou shalt be hopeful. You will pin your hope on a Kingdom that transcends all others. 
  9. Thou shalt be joyful. The Spirit’s joy is not dependent on our immediate circumstances.
  10. Thou shalt not be cynical. Cynicism is rooted in arrogance or hopelessness.

N.T. Wright from Luke for Everyone:

"Underneath the debate stands a darker theme. The accusers have failed this time; but Jesus knows, and Luke’s readers know, that they will soon succeed…. The leading Jews are going to hand over to Caesar not only the coin that bears his image, and his false title son of God, but the human being who truly bears God’s image, and who truly bears that title. But, in that act, they are unwittingly offering to God the one stamped with the mark of self-giving love. The cross itself is taken up into both Caesar’s purposes and God’s: Caesar’s favorite weapon, the cross, becomes God’s chosen instrument of salvation."

I explain why our church does not promote particular candidates or policy solutions here. We speak to the issues behind the policy solutions. And we would comment on policy if a policy coerces or tries to force people or sin.

Post Sandy Update from Keith Miraldi

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I received this email today from Keith Miraldi, a former Five Oaks staff member who now serves in an EFree church on Staten Island, NY.

Hey Henry! 

I just wanted to give you all an update as to how we were as a church and how you can pray for us.  We are in the middle of a pseudo war zone here on Staten Island.  As you have probably seen on the news we had some pretty incredible damage on Staten Island with homes washed into the ocean, massive flooding, an ever growing death toll, and over 10,000 trees down. We have power at the church but almost 75% of the Island doesn't have any power.  For once I don't think the media is overhyping a situation, we actually feel it is way worse than what you see on TV.

Here are few things to pray for us as a church

1.  That we would be the hands of Christ to our church and community. We have multiple families that have lost houses, had their houses completely gutted, or have lost their source of income (we have a truck driver whose whole trucking company with all their trucks was washed into the ocean) from this storm.
2. That we would find that ONE thing we can do for our community. We are thinking right now we can best serve as a hosting and launching point for teams that travel in for rebuilding.  However, this fits into more of a longer term role.  What is something that we can do for the next 2 weeks to make a difference? 
3.  That we would have the sustained focus and energy to run this race. This is not a short-term calling to needs of our community.  We know that this is something that we will be working through for the next 6-12 months (and potentially beyond).  We have a lot of momentum as a church and want to leverage it for the gospel as we touch our community.  We also just have the everyday needs that every urban church deals with.  We can't take our eye off the ball!

Thanks for your prayers. 

Keith