Amen

Amen
July 21, 2014
2 Corinthians 1:20  "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God."

There is a word that we say at the end of a prayer and seldom do we think of it as anything less than a book-end to that prayer.  The word "Amen" is simply a sign that the prayer has ended, that it's OK to open your eyes and look up, maybe begin a new task.  We say it at the end of a quick prayer before we eat, we say it at the end of a long prayer in church.  We say it during a time of deep intersession.  Some don't even say it anymore, thinking it is an outdated word, too cliche or church-speak.  I would suggest to you that it is a very important word, almost a prophetic word if you use it correctly.

The word "Amen" has its roots in Aramaic and it was adopted by the Hebrews possibly thousands of years before Jesus.  Jesus used it only specifically, and it would benefit us to figure out how to use it correctly.  The word means: to be confirmed, supported, or upheld.  It is a confirmation of truth.  Jesus used it at the beginning of a few sermon instances, which is translated, "verily, verily I say unto you" or "truly, truly I say to you."  He was using the word Amen to confirm He was speaking the God's honest truth about a subject, declaring its truth into existence (but it is not translated as "Amen" since we understand its use to be at the END of a prayer only).  Fun fact, Jesus never actually used the word "Amen" to conclude a prayer (read John chapter 17).  He didn't even use it to conclude what we know as the Lord's Prayer found in Matthew chapter 6.

In the book of John, Jesus says the phrase, "I tell you the truth," twelve times.  In each instance, the Greek word for "Truth" is translated from the word "Amen."  These are the only times Jesus used the word, "Amen."

When the Bible declares that the Lord's promises are "Yes" and "Amen," it is saying that the Lords promises are correct and they will be confirmed.  It is saying "Yes" He can do it and "Amen" it will come true.  Jesus taught us to use the word "Amen" correctly but it is lost in translation.  There are two sentences in the Bible that could revolutionize your life if you understood them the way Jesus intended, found in Mark 11:22-24.  Jesus spoke the words.
    "And Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.'"

Go back through those words and replace the word "Truly" with the word "Amen," using a correct understanding of the word "Amen."  It might read like this:
    Have faith in the Lord.  What I say is confirmed and will come true.  Whatever you ask for, believe it will come to pass and do not doubt in Me to do it for you.  Believe that you have already received it and it will come true.

Jesus wanted you and me to understand the word "Amen" should be used to speak things into existence.  We have commonly adopted it at the end of a prayer, hoping to convey a sense of truth to what we are asking for in prayer, but seldom do we actually use it as any other thing than a book-end to prayer.  Jesus didn't use the word to support a request, He used it as a declaration, to support a solid fact.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Matthew 6:5-15, Mark 11:22-24, John 17, 1 Cor 14:15-17