10 Commandments  

I just finished listening to the 5 part series from Northpoint Church called The Sinai Code. It covers the 10 commandments and really gets into the intended meaning of them from 3000 years ago and how they apply to us today. I really got a lot out of it and would highly suggest it.

One of the things continuously hit on throughout the series, was the fact that the commandments are not conditions for a relationship with God, they are confirmation of a relationship that already exists. This freaks a lot of people out that don't understand what it means to be a Christian because based on this principle, being good doesn't connect you with God or get you into Heaven. You already belong to God and the relationship is there for the taking you just have to take it. The analogy used was if you have kids, you have rules in your house for them to follow. The rules don't determine whether the kid is yours or not, and if the kid doesn't follow the rules, unfortunately he is still your kid.

My favorite section was part 3 that dealt with the 3rd commandment "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God" or what we typically refer to as taking the Lord's name in vain. Most people think of this as swearing using the Lords name but the real implication is much farther reaching. It really had to do with using God's name to further a cause or get something done that is not of God. Andy used the analogy of someone using your or your business name to get something done for themselves, without your permission or consent. This really transcends everything we do. What are our intentions? Who am I doing this for? Who's name am I doing it in?