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Meaning & significance of “Amen”
The Amen
"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." (2 Corinthians 1:20)
The word "amen" is a most remarkable word. It is transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best-known word in human speech.
The word is directly related–in fact, almost identical–to the Hebrew word for "believe" (aman), or "faithful." Thus, it came to mean "sure" or "truly," an expression of absolute trust and confidence. When one believes God, he indicates his faith by an "amen." When God makes a promise, the believer’s response is "amen"–"so it will be!" In the New Testament it is often translated "verily" or "truly." When we pray according to His Word and His will, we know God will answer, so we close with an "amen," and so also do we conclude a great hymn or anthem of praise and faith.
The word is even a title of Christ Himself. The last of His letters to the seven churches begins with a remarkable salutation by the glorified Lord: "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God" (Revelation 3:14). We can be preeminently certain that His Word is always faithful and true because He is none other than the Creator of all things, and thus He is our eternal "Amen."
As our text reminds us, every promise of God in Christ is "yea and amen," as strong an affirmation of truth as can be expressed in the Greek language.
It is, therefore, profoundly meaningful that the entire Bible closes with an "amen." "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (Revelation 22:21), assuring everyone who reads these words that the whole Book is absolutely true and trustworthy. Amen! HMM
From ICR “Days of Praise”
Fathers: ‘The Glory of the Children’. A Father’s Day message.
"|The| glory of children are their fathers." (Proverbs 17:6)
Most Christian men are aware of the familiar exhortation to bring up their children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4) and the warning "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged" (Colossians 3:21). Biblical messages to fathers frequently reflect the very real societal need for family discipline and godly leadership in the home (Proverbs 22:6, 15; Genesis 18:19).
Our text is a bit different. Although the message certainly implies godly leadership, the immediate focus is on the children. Children, we are told, receive "glory" from their fathers! How is this to come about?
Glory, in the biblical sense, centers on the value, the worthiness, or the reputation of the person or event so recognized. For instance, the Scripture teaches that the Lord Jesus "shall come in the glory of his Father" (Matthew 16:27; Mark 8:38; etc.), and that the reputation of God the Father was conferred on Christ Jesus: "For he received from God the Father honour and glory" (2 Peter 1:17).
So, fathers, please learn this critical principle. Your reputation is reflected onto your children. Your behavior in the workplace is assumed to be an indicator of your children’s potential. What you say or do in moments of unguarded or uncontrolled passion will pass on to your children–for good or ill. The common saying "like father, like son" is recognized across time and culture as an accurate measure of human existence.
The Lord insists that "the iniquity of the fathers" will be passed "upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation" (Exodus 34:7). Would it not be far better that your children receive glory from your righteous life than shame (Psalm 89:45) from your iniquity? HMM III
From ICR, Days of Praise
Religious freedom: alive and well in America
Please note that the article below does not reflect the opinion of the moderator of this blog. It is posted to encourage Christians in America to seek justice when faced with discrimination.
René Greenwood
America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, is all about religious freedom. Yet, in the name of separation of church and state, religious groups have often had to battle for equal access to public facilities or the freedom to teach the Bible. Even then, simple letters can usually clear up situations in which Christians face discrimination.
Santa Rosa County, Florida:
The ACLU filed a lawsuit against Florida’s Santa Rosa County School District last year and, in response, the school district agreed to a consent order that ended with the banning of religious activities at county schools. As a result, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes was prevented from renting school facilities at Jay High School and teachers were forbidden to attend baccalaureate services.
When contacted about the issue, the Alliance Defense Fund wrote a letter to inform the school district that these prohibitions were unconstitutional. The school district then reversed its policies and allowed the Christian athlete group to meet on school property and renewed teachers’ freedom to attend private baccalaureate services on their own time.
San Diego County, California:
A pastor and his wife were cited and their home Bible study in Bonita, CA was shut down, making national news. On April 11, David and Mary Jones were told they had to get a permit in order to hold the home studies, in which between five and 27 people gathered each week.
“She asked me if we sang songs, said Amen, praised the Lord or not. I don’t even think I answered because I was so taken aback” said Mary Jones, whose home had been used for the Bible study for five years.
When the event made the news, the county at first explained that the whole thing was about parking. One of the neighbors had apparently complained about inconveniently parked cars. Last week San Diego County finally made an official apology to the couple. The county’s chief administrative officer Walter Ekard wrote a letter on Wednesday, June 3 to say that the citation should never have been written and the Jones family was not required to get a permit.
Tulsa, Oklahoma:
For two decades, Child Evangelism Fellowship has put on a Bible-based summer vacation program for kids in Tulsa’s inner city projects. The fellowship’s goal is to help these high-risk kids stay out of drugs and crime through fun activities and messages that also teach them about God. A non-profit group that administers recreational programs for the Tulsa Housing Authority, Youth At Heart, recently told Child Evangelism Fellowship that they could not run programs that spoke about God or Jesus. Youth at Heart informed the Christian group that religious instruction was not permitted on public housing property. They said the policy had been in place for a long time, but just had not been enforced.
Mathew Staver of the Liberty Counsel commented, “There is a mistaken notion if you allow equal access to a religious group, you’re violating the Constitution.” So far the housing authority has declined to comment, but a 2001 US Supreme Court ruling makes the case clear; religious groups have the same rights to access public facilities or property as any other group.
Larry Koehn, head of Child Evangelism Fellowship in Tulsa, is not very worried. “Last fall, one of our schools said we couldn’t hold a club after school for the same reasons,” he said. “I contacted the Liberty Counsel and they wrote a letter to the school board explaining equal access, and they let us in.”
Religious discrimination continues to take place in America, but Americans have a number of legal groups ready to assist them when problems and confusions sprout up. Those who experience daily religious freedom around the world should praise God for the liberty they enjoy. It is a precious gift that should never be taken lightly.
From Koinonia House, the ministry of Chuck and Nancy Missler
Related Links:
• Evangelical Group Banned From Tulsa Housing Projects – Fox News
• Fla. School District Agrees To End Discriminatory Treatment Of Christian Club – Alliance Defense Fund
• Bible Group Gets Apology from the County – SanDiego 6
• Faith in the Classroom – Koinonia House
Devotional on Psalm 25: how to develop a teachable spirit
In my daily readings I am going through the Psalms, about three a night.
They are rich in emotional expression, confession of sin and of seeking forgiveness, humility, trust in God, and worship. This week I was challenged by Psalm 25, verses 4 to 7:
Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.
Psalm 25:4-7
The first thing that impresses me is the writer’s desire and willingness to learn from God. What a teachable spirit this person has, the kind of teachable spirit we all need to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, as Peter exhorts us to do in 2 Peter 3:18!
A teachable spirit is vital to Christian maturity. Either God is teaching you because you are teachable, or He is trying to make you teachable. Always, God is seeking to make us more desirous of Him. A teachable man or woman who hungers for God is sure to grow and be fruitful for God. Are you teachable? Ask God to make you more teachable by taking away your remaining pride and rebellious streaks. Are you seeking God? Ask God for a greater hunger, and feed that hunger by seeking God.
The second thing I see in these verses is the writer’s understanding of his own sin and of God’s forgiving compassion. This man knows the holiness of God and his own unworthiness before a Holy God. He also knows that God is filled with compassion, lovingkindness, goodness and that He forgives sinners. The humility and gratitude for God’s forgiveness and goodness is the basis for this man’s teachable spirit. The more deeply a person is forgiven of sin the more teachable they can become and the more thirsty for this great God they will be.
This week ask God to reveal afresh to you His Majestic Holiness, the depth of your sinful pride and rebellion, and the splendor of His forgiving Grace. In the humility of God’s forgiveness you will become more teachable and hungry for God.
Pastor Ron.
Pastor Ron shepherds a Church in Canada. He is a dear friend and encourager.
Bible Prophecy: The Sign of Science and Travel
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." (Daniel 12:4)
The Book of Daniel contains the most detailed description of the end times of any book in the Bible, except the Book of Revelation. In Daniel’s last chapter, after all the prophecies had been recorded, the condition in our text was given as a sign of their imminent fulfillment, at "the time of the end."
A more striking summary of our own times could hardly be imagined. The Hebrew word for "run to and fro" is used first in 2 Chronicles 16:9. "The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth," and its sense is "race back and forth." What a description of our present society, with speeding automobiles all over the land and airplanes filling our skies! In little more than one lifetime, the world has "progressed" from horse and buggy to spacecraft, and almost everyone is racing to and fro.
Furthermore, "knowledge" has been "increased" far beyond the wildest imaginations of people in the days of our founding fathers. The Hebrew word could well be understood as what we mean today by "science."
It is significant that the foundations of our modern scientific age were laid mostly by great scientists who were creationists (Newton, Boyle, Pascal, Pasteur, Faraday, Maxwell, etc.). In our present generation, however, science has been largely taken over by non-Christian evolutionists, and science has also generated deadly instruments of destruction and pollution which are threatening life’s existence. This rise in "science falsely so called" is also given as a sign of the last days (1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Peter 3:3-4; etc.).
In any case, the explosive increase in science (both true and false) and rapid travel in our day, is one of the many God-given signs that the return of Christ is near! HMM
First Things First
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
There are innumerable things to do and things to buy and things to read. How does one choose between them? An important guideline is the use of the word “first” in the New Testament. For example, consider the following priority items:
Priority in awareness: “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers . . . saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for . . . all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4). The primary intellectual heresy of these latter times is the anti-God philosophy of naturalistic evolutionism, as succinctly outlined in this passage.
Priority in behavior: “Cleanse first that which is within the cup and the platter, that the outside of them may be clean also” (Matthew 23:26). The thoughts of our hearts will inevitably control the words on our lips and the works of our hands.
Priority in giving: “|They| first gave their own selves to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5). One’s possessions, talents, time, and all other resources belong to the Lord, but such gifts are acceptable to God only when offered by one whose heart first has been given fully to Him.
Priority in witness: “For I delivered unto you first of all . . . how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Priority in concern: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men” (1 Timothy 2:1).
Finally, as the Lord Jesus Himself has commanded, our first priority in every decision should be to do that which honors the kingdom of Christ and His righteousness. HMM
From: First Things First at ICR.org
GEORGE TILLER SLAIN IN WICHITA
“But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”
- 1 Peter 4:15-16
Late-term abortionist George Tiller was shot to death on Sunday, May 31st at the Lutheran church he attended in Wichita, Kansas. While abortion rights groups are celebrating Tiller as a martyr, pro-life groups have stepped up consistently to denounce the man’s murder.
In the first abortionist slaying in over a decade, George “The Killer” Tiller was shot in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church where, ironically, he was serving as an usher. A man identified as 51-year-old Scott P. Roeder of Merriam and Kansas City, Kansas was arrested about 3 hours after the shooting along I-35; his car matched the description of one that drove away from the church at the time of the murder. Roeder’s ex-wife has described him as having a serious “eye-for-an eye” religious view, and there is evidence he believed in justifiable homicide.
Pro-life groups have consistently criticized and protested against Tiller’s performing abortions on fetuses old enough to live outside the womb. For decades, groups of pro-life activists have picketed Tiller’s clinic and have followed the various legal cases against the abortionist. Yet, pro-life groups across the country have also come out in strong condemnation of Tiller’s murder. On a sign placed outside Tiller’s clinic, a local group wrote:
“The Kansas Coalition for Life respects every human life, including the life of Abortionist Tiller. We prayed for his conversion to the prolife viewpoint, not for his murder.” The sign was signed Mark S. Gietzen, who leads the coalition.
The Kansas Coalition for Life is not alone. The same sentiment has flooded from the pro-life community across the United States. LifeNews.com has collected a list of statements from pro-life organizations denouncing Tiller’s murder:
For instance, Melinda Delahoyde, president of Care Net, an organization that includes pregnancy care centers across America, told LifeNews.com, “It is never consistent with the pro-life ethic to take the life of another human being made in the image of God. Those responsible for the murder should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Brian Gibson of Pro-Life Action Ministries said, “But as horrific as abortion is and heinous the acts of the abortionists are, we must always remain peaceful and act with the mind of Christ. There is no room in our work for thoughts or acts of hatred, anger, bitterness, or violence. To the contrary we must boldly speak the truth in love, with peace and faith in the mercy of God.”
These positions have been echoed by a multitude of pro-life groups, which, while condemning the thousands of abortions committed by George Tiller, have also affirmed Tiller’s rights to life and legal recourse.
This was not the first time Tiller was attacked. He survived being shot in the arms in 1993 and had to build up security around his clinic. He even wore bullet proof vests and hired a bodyguard. His clinic was bombed over two decades ago, and he has received many threats over the years. Yet, he persisted as one of a handful of abortion providers in America who performed late-term abortions. His was the first slaying of an abortionist since 1998, when Barnett A. Slepian was shot outside of Buffalo, NY.
Both Tiller and his alleged killer Scott Roeder have friends and family members who love them and who have spoken well of them publicly. George Tiller’s friends and colleagues have described him as a calm, good-humored individual who decorated his walls with the photos of family members. Abortion rights groups lauded him as a caring individual who helped women.
On the other hand, Scott Roeder’s brother David told the Topeka Capital-Journal in a statement, “We know Scott as a kind and loving son, brother and father who suffered from mental illness at various times in his life. However, none of us ever saw Scott as a person capable of or willing to take another person’s life.”
The irony is that both men believed they were doing the right thing. George Tiller claimed he performed late-term abortions to help women. His killer justified murder in the name of bringing an abortionist to justice. George Tiller ended the lives of unborn babies, and Roeder allegedly ended the life of George Tiller…
During the Age of Reason, people argued that human beings were capable of using their excellent brain power and reasoning skills to come up with morality. Yet, during the past 100 years all manner of evil and horrific acts have been “justified” by human reason. In the end, we human beings have a tendency to use our brain power to argue in favor of doing whatever we want to do. And what we want to do is often completely contrary to the Word of God.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” -Proverbs 14:12
Tiller and his murderer both followed ways which seemed right unto themselves, but which led to death. Lest we get too puffed up, we ourselves can easily fall into similar traps in the different areas of our lives. We can all choose destruction rather than life, pride rather than humility, hatred rather than righteous love. The safest way to determine right and wrong is to prayerfully and honestly study the whole counsel of the Word of God (not just favorite sections), with the leading of the Holy Spirit who wrote it. Thousands of years after it was penned, the Bible is still “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Through a strong understanding of God’s heart through His Word, we can be “throughly furnished unto all good works.”
Which…most certainly do not include dispatching abortionists.
Related Links:
• Pro-Life Orgs Continue Denouncing Murder of Abortion Practitioner George Tiller – Life News
• Investigation into George Tiller’s Shooting Death Intensifies – The Wichita Eagle
• Profile: George Tiller – BBC
• Abortion Provider Shot Dead In Church – The Washington Post
• Studying The Bible – Koinonia House
From: K-House eNews for June 02, 2009
Science today: in pursuit of fact, or proof of bias?
Science is fact. Science has no motivation other than universal truth. Scientists share a common bond of unbiased examination and interpretation of the natural laws and factual evidence available to all of us. Science is immune from the philosophies, religions, politics, and presuppositions of those who call science their profession.
Yeah, right… Actually, I’ve found that “science” is no different than any other professional discipline, including my own – law and jurisprudence. Like everything else in this world, science is affected by the doctrines and dogmas of the scientists within the culture of the day.
For example, the conflict between God and Science is not historical. Many great scientists of the past were believers in God (Newton, Kepler, Galileo, Pasteur, Pascal – the list is huge). But what happened? Many practitioners of the 19th and 20th centuries started to view science and technology as their “religion” – Everything was being explained by man and his tools, so God was no longer needed.
But now, many would argue that the trend to exclude God from science is reversing again. Since Einstein, we have established the finite nature of time and space. Scientific evidence for universal fine-tuning, order, and design is expanding rapidly. The purely naturalistic/materialistic theories of cosmic, stellar, planetary, chemical, inorganic, and biological origins are in question at the highest levels of academia. Since the COBE satellite and Hubble telescope observations of the 1990s, atheistic and agnostic scientists like Hawking, Turner and Frenk are reconsidering the existence of God like never before.
So why doesn’t the mainstream press report on all of this? Why doesn’t the public education system address the baseless claims and proven frauds in its textbooks? Hmmmm… It seems to me that when science touches on things of life, origin, purpose, or meaning, scientists (like others) will entrench themselves in bad (yet somehow comfortable) theories.
I’m not pointing to some hidden conspiracy here. But I will point out the entrenched presupposition that science must somehow explain everything through “natural” mechanisms only – even when “science” itself is revealing this shortcoming. Why does science have to be defined as a discipline that cannot include supernatural questions and explanations?
“We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counterintuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.”
– Richard Lewontin, “Billions and Billions of Demons,” The New York Review, Jan. 1997, p. 31.
By definition, Science has declared itself biased – because it won’t look at all the possible evidence. Although there are exceptions, Science is not generally a search for truth, as we are taught to believe. Science is a high-stakes game, in which scientists try to find naturalistic causes, even for the origin of the universe and all that’s in it. The popular premise is that Science is unbiased fact with universal motivations for truth. Time and time again, I have discovered otherwise.
Still Thinking,
by: Randall Niles, from a newsletter from the website All About GOD – The Christian community for seekers, skeptics, and believers.
Please visit:
Death of a Guru – The Story of Rabi Maharaj
By Rabi Maharaj
No matter how fulfilling life becomes, there are always certain regrets when one looks back. My deepest sense of loss involves my father. So much has happened since his death. I often wonder what it would be like to share it all with him, and what his reaction would be.
We never shared anything in our lives. Because of vows he had taken before I was born, not once did he ever speak to me or pay me the slightest heed. Just two words from him would have made me unspeakably happy. How I wanted to hear him say, “Rabi. Son.” Just once. But he never did.
Read the full article here: Death of a Guru – The Story of Rabi Maharaj
Rabi Maharaj
Rabi Maharaj is an Indian evangelist and founder of East-West Ministries. He is a descendent of a long line of Brahmin priests and gurus and trained as a Yogi. Rabi was raised in Trinidad where he came to Christ. He is the most travelled Hindu convert who has spoken to thousands in colleges, universities, churches and crusades worldwide. Rabi tells his remarkable story of his journey to Christ in the book, “Death of a Guru” which has gone through several publications.
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