So Be It!

One of the sweetest things about having a blog is that it's a great outlet for rants about your pet peeves; so I'm going to take advantage of that. This does actually have some value, though, so don't think I'm going to point out something trivial like burnt edges on a grilled cheese sandwich. Enough rambling.

Tonight I was listening to the radio on my drive home from a restaurant, and there was some preacher talking very excitedly about a series of meetings he was going to be leading this week. The part that bugged me, though, is that even though he was really passionate about his invitation, he used the word "Amen" incorrectly about fifteen times. It's not that it almost seemed like he had Turrets Syndrome as he haphazardly threw the word around at random points in his sentence; it was more about the complete loss of meaning.

What does the word "amen" mean?

"Amen" is a Hebrew word that basically means "So be it!" It comes from the root word for "rock," so it gives an impression of "It is firm--like a rock." The word is used to solidify a statement and declare that it is "set in stone" or "certain."

But this preacher was saying things like, "The city of Detroit is falling apart--Amen!"

NOOOOO!!!! Use the word correctly! Don't set something like that in stone! Try this: God has plans for our city that wll glorify Him and snatch people from the fires of hell--Amen! So be it! It is firm! It is certain! It is set in stone!

AMEN!!!

Do we Christians realize the power of this simple little word? I don't think so--if we did, then we wouldn't use it like a question from our pulpits. Amen? Have you ever heard a pastor say that? They ask the congregation, "Amen?" as though it's a question! What are they looking for? Approval? Are they giving people the opportunity to disagree? If you are preaching the Gospel and it is the sure Word of God, then proclaim it: Amen!

The word "amen" is one of power and proclamation. It's not an alternative to the word "goodbye" when we hang up our phone call with God. It's not a word that offers things up for question. It doesn't mean "do you agree?" And it doesn't mean "I think you're right" or "that resonates with me emotionally." It is a word of certainty and authority.

So in the coming weeks, think very carefully about the way you use this word--you may even start to notice the misuses of it (sorry if my pet peeve is contageous). It is about time that we Christians realized the authority we have in Jesus Christ! AMEN!