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Christians have a responsibility to vote in 2024
Church in the Community - Media Release in the Herald: 29th January 2024
Source: TCN / Mark Scholtz
Date Added: 2024-01-29
Category: General News, TCN News, Issues - General, Issues - Politics, Covid-19,
Date Added: 2024-01-29
Category: General News, TCN News, Issues - General, Issues - Politics, Covid-19,
All Christians, I believe, have a responsibility to vote in this year’s national elections.
You must have been hiding somewhere not to know that they will probably be one of the most significant in the history of our country.
Unfortunately, there is widespread voter apathy.
While I believe that churches should remain apolitical, I also believe that it is the responsibility of all pastors to encourage their congregants to vote in 2024.
There are at least four reasons why believers should be voting.
Number one. We are asked by the ruling authorities to vote.
Romans 13:1 says "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God".
We live in a democratic country.
And as citizens of this country, we are asked to vote.
Now although it's not illegal to abstain from voting as it is in some other countries, we should not need the strong arm of the law to force us to do what's right.
As believers, we should be doing what is required of us without enforcement.
Number two, we are called to pursue peace. Psalm 34:14 says, "depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it".
This means we need to be active in pursuing peace for our nation.
And we can do that by casting our vote.
Number three, and this is something the Lord really spoke deeply into my heart: Not voting shows a lack of care towards the plight of the less fortunate.
We are called clearly in the word (Scriptures) to look after the widow, the orphan and to turn our ear to the plight of the poor.
James 1:27 says "pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world".
Not voting is a form of voting because not voting affects the outcome.
We know that to be true.
And so, we need to be voting to create an outcome that will uplift the widow, the orphan and the poor.
I really feel that it is in God's heart that we use our vote as citizens to effect a positive outcome to alleviate the plight of the less fortunate.
Luke 12:48 states "to whom much is given, much is expected".
And finally, we are called to good stewardship.
1 Peter 4:10 states "each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms".
Not voting is wasting a resource that we are given to bring about change in our nation.
Let us be good stewards by ensuring that we do not waste the vote we have been entrusted with.
The first step is to ensure that you are registered to vote at your local voting station.
If you are registered at a voting station outside of Nelson Mandela Bay, you will not be able to vote here.
You would need to drive or fly back to where you are registered to vote.
Please ensure you are registered at a local voting station.
If you have just turned 18 and have not registered, the first step is to apply for an identity document if you do not already have one.
Then register.
Harvest Christian Church is actively helping people to register, and we encourage other churches to do the same, or to urge their congregants to use our resources for free.
As a leadership team we believe we need to both pray and take action.
The time for Christian leaders to take action is now.
We have published a flyer which provides a useful guide to registering as a voter.
The flyer tells readers how they can check their registration details online, and how to register online.
Congregants can change their voting station online, where there are no queues.
The website is https://registertovote.elections.org.za.
And we have gone one step further.
For those who are not comfortable going online, at some of our Sunday services we have volunteers in our library who have been trained by the local Independent Electoral Commission voting officials.
They are able to help people register to vote and have the computers and connectivity necessary to do it with them.
The campaign to urge congregants to register to vote will continue until registrations close.
This happens at 5pm on the day that the proclamation of the official date of the elections is gazetted by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
After that the focus will be on urging everyone who is registered to vote.
And we need to pray – for our precious nation and its people, and for peaceful and fair elections.
We pray that God will speak into the heart of every voter and that we as believers will do what is required of us.
Mark Schotz
is a senior pastor at Harvest Christian Church.
You must have been hiding somewhere not to know that they will probably be one of the most significant in the history of our country.
Unfortunately, there is widespread voter apathy.
While I believe that churches should remain apolitical, I also believe that it is the responsibility of all pastors to encourage their congregants to vote in 2024.
There are at least four reasons why believers should be voting.
Number one. We are asked by the ruling authorities to vote.
Romans 13:1 says "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God".
We live in a democratic country.
And as citizens of this country, we are asked to vote.
Now although it's not illegal to abstain from voting as it is in some other countries, we should not need the strong arm of the law to force us to do what's right.
As believers, we should be doing what is required of us without enforcement.
Number two, we are called to pursue peace. Psalm 34:14 says, "depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it".
This means we need to be active in pursuing peace for our nation.
And we can do that by casting our vote.
Number three, and this is something the Lord really spoke deeply into my heart: Not voting shows a lack of care towards the plight of the less fortunate.
We are called clearly in the word (Scriptures) to look after the widow, the orphan and to turn our ear to the plight of the poor.
James 1:27 says "pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world".
Not voting is a form of voting because not voting affects the outcome.
We know that to be true.
And so, we need to be voting to create an outcome that will uplift the widow, the orphan and the poor.
I really feel that it is in God's heart that we use our vote as citizens to effect a positive outcome to alleviate the plight of the less fortunate.
Luke 12:48 states "to whom much is given, much is expected".
And finally, we are called to good stewardship.
1 Peter 4:10 states "each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms".
Not voting is wasting a resource that we are given to bring about change in our nation.
Let us be good stewards by ensuring that we do not waste the vote we have been entrusted with.
The first step is to ensure that you are registered to vote at your local voting station.
If you are registered at a voting station outside of Nelson Mandela Bay, you will not be able to vote here.
You would need to drive or fly back to where you are registered to vote.
Please ensure you are registered at a local voting station.
If you have just turned 18 and have not registered, the first step is to apply for an identity document if you do not already have one.
Then register.
Harvest Christian Church is actively helping people to register, and we encourage other churches to do the same, or to urge their congregants to use our resources for free.
As a leadership team we believe we need to both pray and take action.
The time for Christian leaders to take action is now.
We have published a flyer which provides a useful guide to registering as a voter.
The flyer tells readers how they can check their registration details online, and how to register online.
Congregants can change their voting station online, where there are no queues.
The website is https://registertovote.elections.org.za.
And we have gone one step further.
For those who are not comfortable going online, at some of our Sunday services we have volunteers in our library who have been trained by the local Independent Electoral Commission voting officials.
They are able to help people register to vote and have the computers and connectivity necessary to do it with them.
The campaign to urge congregants to register to vote will continue until registrations close.
This happens at 5pm on the day that the proclamation of the official date of the elections is gazetted by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
After that the focus will be on urging everyone who is registered to vote.
And we need to pray – for our precious nation and its people, and for peaceful and fair elections.
We pray that God will speak into the heart of every voter and that we as believers will do what is required of us.
Mark Schotz
is a senior pastor at Harvest Christian Church.
Source: TCN / Mark Scholtz
Date Added: 2024-01-29
Category: General News, TCN News, Issues - General, Issues - Politics, Covid-19,
Back to News IndexDate Added: 2024-01-29
Category: General News, TCN News, Issues - General, Issues - Politics, Covid-19,
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