What Are The Ten Commandments and Why All The Fuss?

You cannot post "Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery," and "Thou Shall Not Lie" in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians...It creates a hostile work environment.

(quote from the web)

Overview Of The Commandments

I want to continue with the overview of the Ten Commandments to help those new Christians who don’t understand the history and importance these divine laws hold for all mankind.

In the preface to the Ten Commandments or Decalogue, (Deut 6: 24-25) it states “the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Then it will be righteousness for us”.

There are only four or five Commandments that are purely theological in content. They have a major influence on the manner of worship and other principles of the Jewish and Christian religions. The Decalogue predates just about all the religions of the world.

Should We Follow The Ten Commandments

The remaining Commandments address moral and ethical rules of behavior.
Although they have traditionally been regarded as the foundational laws for Christians, various text, traditions and tenets of other religions incorporate the Ten Commandments. Although it does not contain the actual text, Islam’s holy book, the Qur'an makes a reference to them that urges they be followed.

No one has openly claimed that abiding by these rules for Christian living is outdated or pretentious, but an attack on their display in public places has been underway for over a decade.

The Clash Over Separation of Church and State

Until the beginning of the Revolutionary War, nine of the thirteen colonies forced colonist to support a particular religion. Thomas Jefferson authored these words as part of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, “the Holy Author of our religion, who, being Lord both of body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by force”

The clash between proponents of separation of church and state and Christians today, is nothing like the institutionalized religion that once used an iron hand to dominate society.

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The next post will show more about the current battle being waged to have the Ten Commandments removed from the publics view. Click on the RSS button to subscribe to Brother to Brother and have the entire Series on the Ten Commandments and great Christian resources available to read at your leisure.

Why Christian Men Avoid Going to Church

How many times have you heard a man say “I want to get myself together before I go to church. This statement is typical of men who are trying to avoid the commitment of going to church.

They seem to feel that the scripture that states “come as you are” is only talking about their physical appearance. It probably never occurs to most Christian men that since they didn’t make themselves, how in the world do the think they’re going to get themselves together.

The church is a hospital for the spiritually sick. No one in the building as attained any level of sainthood or are anywhere close to being together. Believers come together to worship God, be strengthen and encourage each other.

If a Christian isn’t trying to avoid church then he would make sure every time the door is open he is there to be strengthened by humbling himself before the Lord and let God get him together.

Maybe they have never heard the National Baptist Brotherhood Union’s motto taken from 2 Timothy 2:20 “In a large house there are not only gold and silver bowls but also those of wood and earthenware.” Christian men he is talking about us.

The Apostle Paul’s analogy is to remind us that it’s only after men have become part of the Lord’s house that their true value can be appreciated and fully recognized. Thinking we can do anything apart from God is a message from a person who is not only lost but, don’t want to be led home.

Matthew, Paul and Peter were all sinners, who were unable to get themselves together until Christ picked them up and dusted them off. That’s the only way any man can ever get a new beginning. Having a better job, a better suit of clothes or even a better attitude won’t make you ready to attend church or enter God’s kingdom.

After all would you lose out on anything if you attended worship services for a couple of hours?

You could possibly leave there without guilt, worry, hatred and few more things that have been keeping you bond and lost in sin.

Christ states in the Holy Bible “no man can come to the father except by me”. This fact alone should clear-up the confusion that any Christian man may have about getting into heaven without having to attend church.

Christian men have to begin to recognize that avoiding church prevents them from humbling themselves under the mighty hands of God so that the Lord can complete the work he has started in him.

Why Men Don’t Go To Church

Have you heard discussions about the feminization of the Church. Well, I recently read a couple of articles tackling this issue as if it were fact. Both pointed to several factors that I think really show that the Church isn’t undergoing a new trend, it’s simply reflecting the population disparity of women to men.

One author tries to apply a broad generalization that most men don't like church because there are too many women. My personal experience has been that not many guys will feel offended, being in the presence of an abundant supply of women.

Missing Fathers of the Church, by Leon J. Podles discussed his book "The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity," in the article he stated "I examine the lack of men in the Western churches, which only the unobservant doubt."

Some of his other observation were:

Men claim they believe in God as much as women do, but men go to church less than women do and pray far less than women do?

These differences are neither recent nor limited to North America.

In seventeenth-century New England, Cotton Mather puzzled over why his congregations were overwhelmingly female.

Latin men are notoriously resistant to going to church.

Christianity, is largely a feminine affair in Western society.

Outreaches For The 21st Century Male

I feel his thesis has failed to uncover any of the real reasons some men stay away from church. And I don’t think any Christian man would agree with his assumption,that it’s because they regard church as a threat to their hard-won masculinity.

The other article in question was was a news story “Face of Christianity Will Soon Be Black” where a Christian Today writer reviewed Dr Kwok Pui Lan comments to an audience, at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky.

They were told that by 2025, Africa is projected to shoot up to 634.6 million Christians, mostly women. While numbers in Latin America will reach 634.1 million, and Europe will fall to 531 million Christians.

This picture of the typical church doesn't take into account the continued growth of men's ministries. In some U S churches they're outreaches target groups of hunters and fisherman, Christian men who find it hard to chose between attending Sunday service or miss a weekend of their favorite pastime.

The church has been successfully addressing their needs by offering more non-traditional style gatherings outside its hallowed walls. This style of evangelism will spread to more parts of the world and reach more groups of men. One day, even Sunday sports fans, couch potatoes and others will be ministered to, in their comfort zones.

Fewer Men at Church But More Men Attend Church

I think these gentlemen are really missing the mark in their predictions and remind anyone who reads these articles to remember that they are loosely based on factors that can change, at any time.

I have noticed the imbalance in female participation in church and I’m receptive to the women who are being led to the clergy, by the Holy Spirit, but I refuse to accept that this has a negative affect on my psyche or that of any other red blooded male.

In fact I sense that, fewer men are turning away from faith, many just aren’t very active in the programs of the church. We men really aren’t as archaic in our thinking as these authors portray us to be. Are we? I may be wrong, but that’s just my opinion.

What’s yours?