Almost each prayer ends with this word. Every Christian uses it at least several times per day. It sounds almost the same in a whole lot of languages, which otherwise have nothing in common… And yet, it seems that this is the most misused word among believers today – amen…
The word Amen has a Hebrew origin and after it has entered Greek through the first century Church, today it is a part for almost every language. Generally speaking, Amen means a strong agreement with something, or a strong affirmation. It can also be translated as “verily”, “truly”, “let it be” or “so let it be.” The use of this word as a part of God’s worship dates back to the times of the Old Testament. This is where today’s Christian use is inherited from – its use in the Hebrew synagogues. Just as back then, today we say Amen at the end of prayers as a symbol of our affirmation thereof, as well as after we have accepted a blessing from an elder or another person, even outside of the context of the church gathering.
For many Christians, however, this small word has lost much of its meaning due to its almost automated daily usage. The question we ought to ask ourselves now is “Do we even think about what we mean by saying Amen, or do we just do it because it’s become a habit?”
In his letters, through his own experience, apostle Paul reveals to us the importance of the correct understanding of the word. And in order to understand the power of this affirmation at the end of prayers we need to listen carefully to the preceding words. (more…)
Post Tags: 1 peter,
amen,
On Prayer,
philippians,
prayer devotional,
reflection,
so let it be
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June 16th, 2008
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Update: Apparently God decided to surprise me yet again. The sermon was a refreshing lesson for me both while preparing the last bits and seeing the whole thing, and also while preaching it. The feedback from the congregation was very encouraging as well. I have never had such a powerful feedback on a sermon I’ve preached, so it was a very humbling experience on top of all else. I think they believed my message. I actually think I came to believe more than when I started preparing for the sermon and all the questions started popping up.
In the past few weeks I’ve been working on a sermon about God’s mission and our part in it. It’s been a really refreshing thing for me. Especially because in the last several years the direction of my faith has been downwards. More like rolling down a hill actually…
In the midst of all the excitement around that sermon the following thought came about “Will they believe my message if I don’t believe it myself?” It actually led me to reflecting on the way we, Christians, tend to “testify” to the world today… When Christ called us to go and teach the world about Him and make disciples he pointed out two most important details: 1) all authority is given to Him (and that’s all as in ALL), and 2) He is with us as we’re going after this mission.
I know that I myself have very often been the scared Christian, or the too-careful-one. I’ve often decided to keep quiet rather than speak out the truth. I’ve often decided to pray silently, rather than disturb the secular enjoyment of others around me and show what I actually care about. I suppose this won’t change over-night either, but at the moment I’m thinking too much about it and couldn’t keep from sharing it with you all.
So, I’m preparing this sermon which is supposed to challenge the lives of young and old people and help them embrace God’s mission to share the Gospel with non-believers, love Him, and love the other people around. And I keep coming to one key moment - in order for us to carry out the mission successfully we ought to be fearless, full of faith, and entirely determined. (more…)
Post Tags: faith,
mission,
personal,
reflection,
Vintage Christianity
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June 7th, 2008
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“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:12-14, NIV).
When it comes to prayer, perhaps the first thing we learn after “Amen” is “in the name of Jesus.” Yet, it seems that very often, just as with Amen, the praying on behalf of Jesus is not completely understood by the believer. What does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? Why do I have to pray this way, and what conditions are there to it?
In the context of the passage from John, Jesus is talking to his disciples about Him being the only way to the Father and His unity with Him. This is key to understanding the prayer in Jesus‘ name because it establishes the foundation – the divine authority and power which is found in Jesus, and upon which we rely as we pray to Him.
At this point Jesus also gives the condition for prayer in His name – one’s faith in Him. When believers witness miracles and supernatural experiences, it is not by their power or abilities that they occur. It is through their faith in Christ that these thing happen. Faith is, thus, the door opener for God’s power in our lives. (more…)
Post Tags: inspirational,
Jesus,
On Prayer,
prayer devotional,
reflection
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May 28th, 2008
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I got an excerpt from a video sermon sent to me a few days back… I’ve watched it a few times now and keep being amazed by it. I am sure that it will be an encouragement to you, as well as that it will pretty much amaze you. I’ve included the video below. It’s only about 10min. - be sure to take the time and watch all of it.
As for Laminin - it is vital to making sure overall body structures hold together (wikipedia.org). For more details - watch the video.
Post Tags: laminin,
sermon,
video
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May 27th, 2008
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Chances are, if you’ve listened to Christian music, that you’ll continue the title with something like “He’s my special friend…” But, that’s not where we’ll be going with this current article. So, put that on the side and switch to challenge-ready mode instead.
Now, here’s the complete title of the article: Jesus is my Friend, but the unsaved people around me will still go to hell. Got the chills?! Well, if you can’t handle the sentence in bold above, then I’ll rephrase a quote from the movie The Matrix - Take the blue pill (quit reading), and when you wake up tomorrow morning life will go on as normal, and you’ll think of this sentence as just a dream. If you keep reading, hopefully there won’t be a turning back. (more…)
Post Tags: christianity,
evangelism,
gospel,
heaven,
hell,
Vintage Christianity
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May 21st, 2008
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