The Ten Commandment Day Commission?
Welcome to Adventist Help’s new Blog! This weeks issue asks you, “What is the Ten Comandment Day Commission?” Is it a new department within our church? Something new from 3ABN? A new upcoming cruscade?
When I first heard about the Ten Commandment Day Commission I assumed it had something to do with our church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I mean, we are a commandment keeping church, yes? So I was sure this commission story had something to do with the SDA church. But I was wrong. Totally wrong. Read on.
The Ten Commandment Commission is actually a very large and orchestrated project made-up of thousands of Sunday day keeping churches, and the good and decent Christians that attend them, including: religious leaders of many faiths, civic leaders and congressional politicans who have a sincere desire to see the Ten Commandments make a come-back into America.
Indeed, from The Ten Commandment Day Commission’s website they write, “Finally, a day in which we can come together and celebrate God’s eternal moral law.” That day of celebration is on Sunday, May 7, 2006. What will happen on that particular Sunday? Check out their website to see what their goals are. (http://www.tencommandmentsday.com/)
According to the Ten Commandment Day Commission, many thousands of churches will have a single pulpit voice proclaiming that God’s Ten Commandments need to be put back into America.
The commission sees recent court decisions that have physically removed replicas of the the Ten Commandments from court houses and other government buildings, like wall plaques, monuments and court decisions that upheld separation of church and state issues, as being threatening to America.
From the Ten Commandment Day Commission website it says: “The Ten Commandments, which have served as the moral foundation and anchor of our great country, are systematically being removed from public places. Public displays of the Ten Commandments have been a powerful visual testimony to the fact that the United States of America is “one nation under God.”
They continue by adding, “Their removal from public places shows that those with a secular humanist agenda are intent on destroying the moral heritage of our nation.”
Praise God that He reads our hearts and minds and not our symbols. Yes, we need to return back to God, to worship Him, praise Him, Honor Him and obey His precepts. But do we need to make religious laws to remind people about the Ten Commandments?
I’m sure we would all agree at how important it is to obey God’s Holy law. And not just part of the law, or one or two of the commandments, but all of them! In the Bible, James 2:10-11, NIV it says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
The Ten Commandment Day Commission is calling on all religious leaders who are concerned about traditional Judeo-Christian values to host special religious services, celebrations, speeches and to deliver stirring messages on the Ten Commandments. On May 7 you will surely see a lot of news coverage over this issue. But why make such a fuss now?
While celebration and public reminders to keep all of God’s Ten Commandments can be good, there’s a very serious undertone taking place that’s associated with this movement that is troubling to many other God fearing and Commandment keeping folks.
And that reason is the Ten Commandment Day Commission has also introduced legislation into Congress to supposedly protect our religious freedom by legally forcing you to acknowledge, or remember, that God is in America. Those bills already introduced are The Constitution Restoration Act of 2005, S520 in the Senate and HR1070 in the House of Representives.
The Constitution Restoration Act of 2005 (H.R. 1070, S. 520) has been introduced to use the constitutional power of Congress to limit the jurisdiction of federal courts to protect the right of government agencies and officials to acknowledge God. In short, this commission and others want the government to be able to legally enforce you to keep the Commandments of God.
Folks, there are many in our country who strongly believe that the disasters of Katrina and other events could be warnings from God that our country is possibily being punished, or ignored, by God due to our immorality and the turning away from God’s principles, His Commandments. But is it necessary to pass laws to force you and I to obey God?
How would you feel if the government told you that Sunday is the chosen legal day for everyone to attend church and those who disagreed with “that” law would be fined or worse? Would not God be more pleased to see us love and obey him by our faith as evidence of our love for the Lord and concern to our fellow men?
And what about the fourth Commandment to keep the Sabbath Day Holy? Many on the Ten Commandment Day Commission is pushing for Sunday keeping laws. But as a body of worldwide Seventh-day Adventist believers, we know the Bible is very clear that the fourth commandment is the Saturday Sabbath.
Even Jesus kept the Sabbath Day which is actually Saturday. And if you look on any calendar you can see that Sunday is the first day of the week. Wow, I think it’s time we really share with others the whole truth of the Ten Commandments with everyone. Don’t you?
And so we are! All across America Seventh-day Adventists everywhere will also be proclaiming the importance of all of God’s Ten Commandments including the sharing of the fourth Commandment.
Beginning May 5th at 7pm Eastern Time, 3ABN (http://www.3abn.org) will begin broadcasting a weekend of special continuous programming focusing attention on the Ten Commandments of God given to Moses on Mt. Sinai and kept by Jesus and others. You can watch their programs over their Internet site too, free!
According to Danny Shelton, Founder of 3ABN, “Our programming will run continuously from 7pm on May 5th until 2pm on May 7th Eastern Time. Plans include a live broadcast from Washington, D.C., anchored by Danny Shelton, Dr. Robert Gentry, and Shelley Quinn along with Pastors David Asscherick, Jay Galimore and C.A. Murray.
We are also planning live broadcasts from California with Pastors Doug Batchelor (http://www.amazingfacts.org) and John Carter, along with live satellite feeds from Pastor John Dinzey in the Dominican Republic, Pastor Wintley Phipps from Florida, and Pastor John Lomacang from St. Lucia in the Caribbean. Plans are still being made and will be announced on 3ABN television and radio as they happen.”
There’s even a special website setup for you to register your own church and to provide the latest information as it becomes available. Visit here to learn more: (https://www.3abn.org/secure/tc_registration.cfm). All around the country many events will be taking place. You can keep updated at the Adventist Forums website located at http://www.adventistforums.com
Hey, sign our petition? The HOPE Channel http://www.hopetv.org requests your help and to sign this monumental petition. To learn more, and to print out the petition for you to sign and mail, or fax, back, please go here: http://www.hopetv.org/site/1/docs/10_Commandment_Petition.pdf.
There’s also a wonderful and new website called “Written In the Heart” supporting God’s law along with some wonderful references and stories. Please visit this very useful website located at: http://writtenintheheart.org/.
The keeping of the Ten Commandments of God is very important for each of our lives, our substance and existence, and keeping His Commandments is both pleasing and required by God. It is our duty to obey God’s law.
Ecclesiastes 12:13, NIV. “Here is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
God is in America and we can see that by His abundant goodness and blessings to this country and our lives. While the Ten Commandments is often a reminder of what sin is, anything contrary to God’s law, it is the saving Grace of Jesus working in each of our lives, changing us for good, drawing us closer to God, that best represents what God is all about both here in America and the entire world.
My friend, Heaven is so real and that God loves you in such a deep and personal way. Jesus came down to this earth to pay the penalty for our sins so that through Christ we all can be in heaven! Isn’t that wonderful? And when we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts we then have that free gift of eternal life, a free ticket to heaven!
And at the same time God will keep before us His Holy law as it will become a part of our new lives, our new mind and our new hearts. We don’t need religious laws passed by our government to force us to remember God’s Ten Commandments. We need only the word of God, the Bible, and a personal relationship with Jesus to remind of us.
To read the Seventh-day Adventist church’s official statement of belief regarding the Ten Commandments, read below.
The Law of God:
The great principles of God’s law are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ. They express God’s love, will, and purposes concerning human conduct and relationships and are binding upon all people in every age.
These precepts are the basis of God’s covenant with His people and the standard in God’s judgment. Through the agency of the Holy Spirit they point out sin and awaken a sense of need for a Saviour. Salvation is all of grace and not of works, but its fruitage is obedience to the Commandments.
This obedience develops Christian character and results in a sense of well-being. It is an evidence of our love for the Lord and our concern for our fellow men. The obedience of faith demonstrates the power of Christ to transform lives, and therefore strengthens Christian witness. (Ex. 20:1-17; Ps. 40:7, 8; Matt. 22:36-40; Deut. 28:1-14; Matt. 5:17-20; Heb. 8:8-10; John 15:7-10; Eph. 2:8-10; 1 John 5:3; Rom. 8:3, 4; Ps. 19:7-14.)
Until next week, may the Lord richly bless and guide you always.
Mark Bishop