Amen. It is usually the last word.
It is the last word in the model prayer. It is the last word of the Bible. It is found about 30 times in the Old Testament, and at least 50 times in the New Testament. It is a word that should be used by believers who know the truth.
I grew up in country churches where the sound of people saying, “Amen” was well-known. I have visited in churches where people were very quiet and subdued. In both, I have heard the Word of God and sensed the Voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to me. There is nothing more spiritual about a boisterous personality, but there is something wonderfully encouraging about people responding to God’s truth.
Amen is more than a way of “signing off” in prayer. It is to be used both is public and in private. It is to be always used with meaning. There is nothing more hypocritical than someone shouting Amen in church meetings while living contrary to Christ at other times. There is nothing more ridiculous than someone using Amen as a means to show off and draw attention to themselves.
No, Amen is a wonderful word – a Bible word – and it should be used with purpose and heart.
- I believe in saying, “Amen” because it is a word of acknowledgment.
Did you know that Amen is one of the many titles for Christ? Read Revelation 3:14. He is the Amen! God’s final Word. God’s full revelation. God’s assurance to man. Because of this, every time you say, “Amen” you are actually using the name of Christ. It should not be used lightly or flippantly.
“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). Dr. Frank Sells used to say that taking God’s name in vain is any time His name is on your lips and not on your heart. The next time you say Amen think of Jesus.
- I believe in saying, “Amen” because it is a word of assurance.
Say the word out loud: Amen. It even has a certain sound. It is a word of confidence, of completion. It is a word of faith! I would suggest that when we say Amen we are speaking it first and primarily to God, not to man. Man may hear it, but it is the expression of your heart towards God’s truth.
When you say Amen you are testifying, “Lord, I believe that!” It literally means, “so be it” – a word of affirmation. Speak it with such faith in God.
- I believe in saying, “Amen” because it is a word of agreement.
In Nehemiah 8 God gives us the record of Ezra reading the Scriptures to God’s people and explaining them. It is a beautiful picture of true Bible preaching and teaching in so many ways. But it is more than Ezra! Verse 6 says, “And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.” Amen was a word of worship.
Amen was the answer of the people to the preacher. It was the first step in their very public response to God’s Word. As a preacher I can tell you that it is tremendously encouraging when people respond with such enthusiasm to the truth! Amen will encourage those who are speaking God’s Word to you. It is a Scriptural way of saying, “I am with you on that!”
You don’t have to become a spectacle. All eyes should be on Jesus. It is not about everyone hearing your voice. All ears should be in tune with the message being given. But an occasional Amen will bless the Lord and bless those whom God is using to give you His Word.
