Say, Amen

Deuteronomy 27:26

Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Twelve times God says in Deuteronomy 27, And all the people shall say, Amen. The word Amen is a word of agreement and support for what was just said. Throughout the Scriptures, God will say “Amen” to what He wrote. God wanted His people not just to sit and hear His Word preached and taught, but He wanted His people to show agreement with an, Amen.

I want you to notice that God didn't say, “If you’re an outgoing personality, say, Amen.” God did not say, “If you are a more emotional person, say, Amen.” God said, “all the people shall say, “Amen.” If they did not say, Amen, they were disobedient to God.

Throughout my lifetime, I have always attended churches where the people are encouraged to say, Amen. Now that I am a pastor, I encourage our people to say, Amen. It is not that I want people to applaud me; it is that I want people to obey the Scriptures. We can learn several principles about the importance of saying, Amen.

First, all people should say, Amen. The command for all the people to say, Amen, is not just an Old Testament command, but a command for all. You will notice that this was not God’s suggestion; it was His command. Many think it is unimportant to say, Amen, in the services, but God makes it clear that He commands all people to say, Amen. Just because some want to disobey God does not mean you should disobey Him. A church or Bible college requires disobedience to God’s Word that requires their people not to say, Amen. All people should say, Amen.

Second, applauding is not the same as saying, Amen. Church is not a performance, but it is a church service. Though there are some who want to applaud the preacher for something he says, it would be better to say, Amen. To applaud and not say, Amen, is to disobey God. Saying, Amen, is a better way than applauding to show approval for the preaching because applauding distracts people.

Third, you show your agreement with the preaching when you say, Amen. God wanted the people to say, Amen, because He wanted all people to understand that the majority are in agreement with God and His Word being preached. When you say, Amen, to what the preacher is saying, you are showing visitors and believers that you are in agreement with the preaching. Never to say, Amen, is never to show agreement with the preacher even though you may agree with him. Not to say, Amen, because you are not the “Amen” type is still disobedience. God didn't say that you had to be the “Amen” type to say, Amen; He said all the people are to say, Amen.

Fourth, saying, Amen gets you involved with the preaching time. It is good to say, Amen, because it involves your attention to know when to say, Amen. You will likely get more out of the preaching by saying, Amen, than you ever will by sitting and doing nothing.

Saying, Amen, does not make you spiritual; it makes you obedient. However, let me warn you not to let your Amen take away from the preaching. It is right to say, Amen, but it is not to be done as a show, but as a sign of agreement to the preaching of God’s Word.