Can A Woman Say Amen?

Can A Woman Say Amen?

by Tim Hester

The question has been asked can a woman say amen during a sermon or at the end of a prayer. In order for us to properly answer this question we need to first look at the word amen and then at what the scripture has to say concerning women speaking during a worship service.

Can a woman say "Amen"?

Can a woman say “Amen”?

The definition and use of the word amen: The word amen by definition means “verily, of a truth, sure, faithful, firm, truthful”. Most of the time today many within the Lord’s church use the word amen mainly (and with some strictly) to signify the closing of a prayer. This has left many with the mistaken meaning of the word to be “the end” or “it is finished”.
The word amen is used in different ways within the word of God.
  1. It signifies the closing of a prayer. (Ps. 41:13; Ps. 72:19; Ps. 89:52; I Cor. 14:16)
  2. It is used to describe the promises of God. (II Cor. 1:20)
  3. It is used to confirm the word or an oath. (Num. 5:22; Deu. 27:15-26; Neh. 5:13; Neh. 8:6; I Chron. 16:36)
  4. It is used to describe Christ. (Rev. 3:14)
  5. Nearly twenty-five times in the book of John we find Christ using the phrase “amen, amen” translated as “verily, verily”.
The act of saying amen to confirm the word of God as it is being presented has just about been lost among many within the Lord’s church today. It has not been to many years ago that it was common to hear the word amen to show agreement with the preacher as he was preaching the gospel of truth.
May a woman say amen: When we look at whether a woman can say amen two main passages of scripture is what comes to mind, I Cor. 14:34 and II Tim. 2:11-12. These two passages show unto us the restrictions which God by inspiration has put on women and their speaking in worship.
In I Cor. 14 the apostle Paul is dealing with a problem the church at Corinth had concerning those who had miraculous gifts. Paul by inspiration is giving direction to those of the church at Corinth in how to behave in a service where miracles were being performed. In particular in this chapter he is dealing with the gifts of those who would speak in unknown tongues or would prophesy. Verse 34’s restrictions of women speaking falls into the context of the service involving miracles. Since we do not have miracles today then we are not faced with the same situation as those in this chapter.
We also find that verse 34 states “Let your women keep silence in the churches:”. The word silence which is found in this verse is found also in I Cor. 14:28. The word silence here forbids a woman to “emit a sound, utter a voice, or make herself heard”. . If one teaches this kind of silence for women in the church today then a woman would not be allowed to ask or answer a question in a Bible study, sing a song, nor make a confession of Jesus Christ. (Guy N. Woods, Questions and Answers – Open Forum, pp. 107 – 109)
The indication of the text is that these were the wives of the prophets who were to ask their husbands at home. If we were take this command as being relevant to women today then we would have to take the whole passage which includes asking their husbands at home. How can the following ask their husbands: 1) single girls, 2) widows, 3) women whose husbands are not Christians, 4) women whose husbands are new converts, and 5) women whose have more Bible knowledge then their husbands.
I Timothy 2:11-12 does deal with the worship of the church today and puts the stipulation that a woman is not to usurp the authority of the man. The restriction of usurping the authority of a man means for one to exercise authority or dominion over a man. This in essence forbids a woman from teaching, preaching, leading prayer, leading singing, serve on the Lord’s table, or doing anything else in the service to God which would put the female in a dominate relationship over the male. As already stated this does not fully forbid a woman from speaking in worship since a woman speaks or uses her voice when she sings or makes a confession.
Biblical examples of women saying amen: We find in the Bible some examples of women saying amen.
  1. When a woman was taken in adultery she was to answer the priest amen – Num. 5:22.
  2. When the law was read all the people said amen – Deut. 27:15-26.
  3. When David had the ark of the Lord brought up all the people said amen – I Chron. 16:36.
  4. At the words of Nehemiah all the congregation said amen – Neh. 5:13.
  5. At the words of Ezra all the people answered amen – Neh. 8:6.
As we can see from each of these text it was not just the men who were present who said amen but all those who were present, both male and female, said amen.
Although we do not find a direct example of women saying amen in worship in the New Testament we do find a time when an audience would say amen. In I Cor. 14:16 Paul ask the question how can those who are lead in prayer say amen if they can not understand the prayer.
We have to keep in mind that when one is leading prayer he is not the only one who is praying. All those who are present are taking part in that prayer, both male and female. In like manner when the prayer is finished all who are present should be able to say amen at the close of the prayer. Some may argue that this is a silent or non verbal amen. The scripture here though does not indicate if it is verbal or silent and the example we have in the Old Testament is after the priest gave a blessing all the people said amen. (I Chron. 16:36).
A closing thought: As we see here there is definitely a time and a place for a woman to say amen during the worship service. Yet, there is two more thing that needs to be considered by both males and females who utters the word amen.
First, when we are saying amen, whether it be at the close of a prayer or during a lesson from God’s word, we are giving our consent or endorsement to what has been said (I Cor. 14:16). We need to be sure we know and understand that that which is being said is truth. We should not flippantly use the word amen.
Second, we need to keep in mind that all things are to be done decently and in order (I Cor. 14:40). If one’s use of the word amen is not done in a decent and orderly fashion then he or she is then in violation of God’s word. It would be better for one to refrain from acknowledging the truth of God’s word then to distract those who are trying to worship God in spirit and in truth.
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MISIONEROS FANTASMAS

MISIONEROS FANTASMAS

Para iniciar entendamos la diferencia entre ser misionero y hacer trabajo misionero. Creo que este artículo está resumido en esa primera frase y cuando comprendemos muy bien esas lineas entonces el resto no hará mucha diferencia. Sin embargo con el avanzar de este escrito le animo amablemente a tomar una Biblia y comparar, aún estudiar con nosotros varios pasajes a mencionar y las ideas a exponer. Si alguno de los siguientes puntos están en desacuerdo con la palabra de Dios, contáctenos y digamos pero si están en armonía con la palabra escrita, usted está en la obligación moral y espiritual de acatarlo, sea quien sea, viva donde viva.

La palabra “misionero” no aparece como tal en nuestra Biblia.

La palabra “misionero” no aparece como tal en nuestra Biblia.

La palabra “misionero” no aparece como tal en nuestra Biblia, y “misión” sólo aparece tres veces (dependiendo de la versión de la Biblia). Dos de estas veces están en el Antiguo Testamento. En 1Samuel15 el versículo 18 dice: “Y el Señor te envió en una misión, y dijo: ‘Ve, y destruye por completo a los pecadores, los amalecitas, y lucha contra ellos hasta que sean exterminados.’” Y el versículo 20 dice: “Entonces Saúl dijo a Samuel: Yo obedecí la voz del Señor, y fui en la misión a la cual el Señor me envió, y he traído a Agag, rey de Amalec, y he destruido por completo a los amalecitas.” En ambos versículos, la palabra hebrea usada es derek (דְּרָכַ֫יִם )significa: “camino”, “sendero”, o “viaje”. “Misión” también aparece una vez en el Nuevo Testamento, en Hechos 12:25, que dice: “Y Bernabé y Saulo regresaron de Jerusalén después de haber cumplido su misión, llevando consigo a Juan, llamado también Marcos.” Aquí, la palabra griega usada es diakonía (διακονία) que significa “ministerio”, “servicio”, “contribución”, “ayuda”, “asistencia”, “misión”, o “encargo”.

Muchos hermanos hacen viajes misioneros cada año a distintos lugares del globo terráqueo y damos gloria a Dios por eso y por las tantas almas que se convierten al señor cada año, sin embargo eso solo es cierto trabajo misionero. Algunos se han auto llamado “Misioneros”, pero amigos hermanos, son “misioneros fantasmas”. La Iglesia necesita en gran manera la evangelización pero necesita a gritos misioneros reales, misioneros del calibre bíblico, considere usted; un misionero de acuerdo a las santas escrituras es:

  1. ALGUIEN QUIEN VIVE EN LA COMUNIDAD DONDE TRABAJA: Me  da tristeza como algunos están cambiando los conceptos bíblicos tan fácilmente. Muchos “misioneros” actuales van a un país y realizan su trabajo por una o dos semanas en el año y luego regresan a su país de origen y ya son misioneros… ¡Error!. 
  • CORINTO: Pablo ayudó a establecer esta congregación. Su trabajo fue de un año y seis meses (Hechos 18:11)
  • EFESO: estuvo aquí probablemente en su tercer visita poco más de dos años (Hechos 19:8-10)
  • ICONIO: La Biblia dice que se detuvieron ahí mucho tiempo(Hechos 14:3).
  • ANTIOQUIA: Se detuvieron aquí mucho tiempo (Hechos 14:28). Entendemos que tuvo que haber sido poco más de dos años ya que constituyeron ancianos en cada Iglesia (14:23)¿ Cuanto tiempo le tomaría a usted para constituir ancianos?

Me parece que con estos basta, para probar que el trabajo de un misionero no es de una semana.

B. ALGUIEN QUIEN CONOCE LA CULTURA DONDE VA A EJERCER SU TRABAJO: Los supuestos misioneros que conquistaron Centroamérica impusieron el catolisísmo, y por esa razón el 80 % de la población vive en completa ignorancia espiritual. El misionero de acuerdo a las escrituras no es alguien que llega a imponer sus ideas por encima de todo. No, sino más bien alguien quien va a estudiar la cultura de ese país y va a buscar que la gente razone por sí mismos. Pablo en Atenas hizo exactamente esto (Hechos 17:23). Observe que él no llegó imponiendo su propia cultura, sino que razonó con ellos. Me parece que muchos de nuestros actuales “misioneros”  provenientes mayormente de U.S.A necesitan ser enseñados de nuevo como hacer trabajo misionero. Si es necesario( y lo es) hasta aprender el idioma de ese país, sabemos que el Señor Jesús conocía  y manejaba fluido al menos 3 idiomas (Hebreo, Arameo, Griego). Pablo algo similar y quizás un poco más ¿Estimado misionero, cuantos idiomas maneja usted?

C. ALGUIEN QUIEN AYUDA A LA IGLESIA: Ayudar en el aspecto físico, material está excelente pero un misionero bíblico es alguien que lleva metas en mente para una congregación. El evangelizar es una meta positiva y correcta pero ¿Que más? Nada ganamos buscamos mucha gente y no les podemos enseñar los mandamientos de Dios. Precisamente después de dar la gran comisión Cristo dijo en Mateo 28:20: “Enseñándoles que guarden todas las cosas que os he mandado…” No ganamos nada, si bautizamos a 20 en una campaña y para el domingo siguiente nos queda solamente 1 de las 20 personas. Por esta misma y precisa razón Misioneros serios como Pablo se quedaban 2 años en las ciudades, enseñaban a la Iglesia, a la comunidad, y ayudaba a ellos a organizarse como Dios lo desea(Predicadores, Ancianos, Diáconos, Maestros) tal y como lo leemos en Hechos 13:1. Los misioneros fantasmas con buenas intenciones (no lo dudo) han causado más bien una dependencia. Muchas Iglesias del Señor ni siquiera pueden tomar decisiones propias porque: “ Los hermanos tales y tales nos sostienen y hay que pedirles permiso”. Otros nunca salen a evangelizar porque para eso están las campañas de cada año. Estas dependencias son muy peligrosas, la Iglesia necesita crecer necesita afrontar obligaciones propias y gozar de derechos y privilegios propios. Los misioneros fantasmas no nos ayudan sino que más bien nos atrasan. 

Oramos a Dios para envíe más obreros a su mies (Lucas 10:2), Obreros que enseñen la sana doctrina, obreros que puedan quedarse y fortalecer a la Iglesia tomarla de la mano y enseñarle como caminar, Obreros… que estén dispuestos a dejar su zona de confort y comodidad evocarse al campo misionero. Gloria sea a Dios que si han existido esos hermanos, he sabido de misioneros que se han ido a vivir y trabajar por el Señor en Africa, Ucrania, Alemania, Centroamérica. Todos estos lugares no son tan cómodos para vivir pero con urgencia de la verdad que liberta. Es mi oración también que este artículo sirva de motivación a otros, a dejar todo por servir a Cristo como misionero. Los misioneros son la sangre vital de la Iglesia son las ruedas de la Carreta y el aceite del motor. Si usted no puede trabajar como misionero, apoye a los que ya están sirviendo, ore por ellos, ayúdeles económicamente. Los misioneros fantasmas no necesitan tanta ayuda como los verdaderos misioneros Bíblicos. Dios nos ayude a servir como debemos de hacerlo en el lugar donde nos encontramos, de la mejor manera, con los medios con los que podamos. 

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God, His Word, Your Heart

God, His Word, Your Heart

In Psalm 119:130, it states, “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”  When we open our Bible to read, it seems as if God is shining a light into our minds.  Every word, each character, all the prayers and the acts of faith we visualize, from the word of God, is an opening by which light is let into our seeking souls.

Will you humble your heart enough to let God's Word direct you?

Will you humble your heart enough to let God’s Word direct you?

When a door is open so that we enter into a house, this is what the word of God is doing.  It is to open to us so that we may see its beauty.  But, it is not understood by just anyone.  The simple ones understand.  That is, those who are open to persuasion, who humbly seek it and give heart to instruction.  The psalmist said, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Psa. 19:7).

Surely, God has a way to open the heart and warming it up.  In the New Testament, Luke records that, “they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Lk. 24:32).  All of us as followers of Jesus know how precious and tender His life was and how our hearts glow when we think back or hear of His life, sufferings and death.  How blind people may be to the plainest doctrines of the Scriptures.  Yet, to us who read, who desire to know God’s word, it gives us understanding that Jesus is the Messiah, that God reigns in Heaven and that Christians are His children.  Let God’s word therefore, open your heart.

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Beauty: “Ugly, Dumb, Clumsy, Poor”

Words for the “Ugly, Dumb, Clumsy, Poor” People

Our world is so upside down. From the time a child enters school, he is confronted with the reality that if you are not cute, handsome or beautiful, you may not succeed. If you are not more intelligent than others, you might fail. If you are not wealthy, your chances of advancement may be quite limited. If you are not athletic, you may not be popular and well known among other students.

Are you God's Definition of Beautiful?

Are you God’s Definition of Beautiful?

Beauty, brains, money and athleticism seem to be such an exaggerated measure of the worth of a person. It becomes obvious early in life, but take a look at the world in our adult lives. Little has changed. However, the measuring rod showing a person’s real worth is not found in these four things. The reason these have become the measure of a person is because while man looks on the outward appearance, the Lord looks on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7).

The words of Paul show those who mean the most to God. “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Cor. 1:26).  These are not the called simply because their fleshly values, which actually are worthless, are so important to them.

When Jesus came He sought to bring every man to Himself. All men were invited, but not all responded to His invitation. Who did respond? Read these words carefully. “The common people heard Him gladly” (Mark 12:37).  Who are those common people? Not the beautiful, the intellectuals, the wealthy or the athletes. All men are called, but the majority do not respond and so very few of those “mighty” in this world.

James, the Lord’s brother, reminds us of this in his epistle. “Listen, my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him” (Jas. 2:5)? The world is so upside down. We honor the “mighty” in our society when in reality God does just the opposite.

So how do you feel about yourself? Those ideas you learned early in life and which are so much part of adult life are just wrong. The Messianic prophet proclaimed that when the Messiah came He would replace ashes with beauty (Isa. 61:3). Those the world sees as ugly become the beautiful bride of Christ. Those whom the world sees as ignorant have more understanding that their worldly teachers (Psa. 119:99). Those viewed as poor have a treasure that far surpasses all the worldly wealth (Matt. 16:26). Those who never excelled in any athletic event triumphantly receive a crown when they finish their race (2 Tim. 4:7-8).

Aren’t you glad you see the world right side up!

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Why the Continual Suffering?

Roadway Paved with Tears

In hindsight, most individuals begin questioning the little things. Why couldn’t they have been stopped at a traffic light or why couldn’t the road have been just a little wider at that particular spot. But these endless questions do very little to stifle the grief and pain that accompanies a sudden horrific tragedy. Few church families have not experienced the devastation of losing teenagers prematurely in automobile accidents. In fact, many congregations have sent their children off on mission trips or retreats only to wake up in a nightmare—receiving a late night call that there had been a tragic wreck. It could be that an oncoming driver fell asleep at the wheel, or was intoxicated and unable to control his car. Or it might be that debris was in the roadway or the streets were slick. No matter what the cause, a common question that rings through out such tragedies is “Why Lord?”

As telephones ring into the night and news crews scramble to provide details about such tragedies, many individuals began to question: “Where was God, and why did He allow this to happen to these amazing young people?” Did God momentarily turn His back? A semblance of these questions was echoed thousands of years ago by King David, who desperately asked: “Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1). During grief and turmoil, questions similar to this are asked, not only in front of news cameras, but also whispered through sobs and tears in the dark recesses of private bedroom closets.

The appeal is simple enough to understand: “If there really is a God, then why do so many congregations experience these horrendous nightmares?” Evolutionists often phrase it this way: “If God is a loving God, then why do bad things happen to good people?” This simple question frequently becomes a stumbling block for some individuals—who end up making a conscientious decision not to believe in God. Unfortunately, all too often it is during pain and suffering that we forget that God is in the same place now that He was when His own Son was being maliciously nailed to an old rugged cross almost two thousand years ago. And how thankful we should be that on that grim day, God did remain in heaven as the sin of all humanity was placed on His Son’s back and nailed to that cross! Had Christ not died for our sins, we would have no hope of inheriting heaven (1 Corinthians 15). We must remember that while we may not understand every facet of human suffering in the here and now, we can explain enough to negate the charge that misery is incompatible with the existence of God.

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

Some of the suffering comes from past generations

Much of the suffering present in the world today is a direct result of the misuse of the freedom of choice of past generations. Aside from Adam and Eve, we are currently living with decisions our forefathers made that have greatly impacted our lives. Who knew fifty years ago that filling our schools with asbestos and painting our homes with lead paint would cause cancer? Who knew that spraying our troops in Vietnam with Agent Orange (in an effort to kill the foliage) would have mutagenic effects? Who knew that treating pregnant women with thalidomide would produce infants with gross deformities? Past generations have carried out actions that result in suffering, even today. This does not mean we should blame people of the past or toss up our hands and “give up.” Rather, it simply explains why we see some of the evil, pain, and suffering around us today.

Some suffering results from our own mistakes

But do not think that all the pain and suffering in this world can be blamed on past generations. Each one of us makes wrong decisions and incorrect judgments, and in doing so, we frequently inflict pain and suffering upon ourselves and upon others. Thanks to God’s incredible love (1 John 4:8), humanity has been endowed with free will (see Genesis 2:16-17; Joshua 24:15; Isaiah 7:15; John 5:39-40; 7:17; Revelation 22:17). God loves us enough to allow us freedom of choice. However, consider the young man who decides to “sow his wild oats” eventually will learn that every person reaps what he sows (Galatians 6:7).

Many destitute people have awakened in a gutter because they freely chose to get drunk the night before. And many drunk drivers have killed themselves, their passengers, and innocent victims, because they chose not to relinquish the keys. All of us must understand that actions have consequences! What we do today can (and often does) determine what our life will be like tomorrow. God will allow us to be forgiven of our sins, but He will not always remove the painful consequences of our actions. Let’s face it: much of the pain and suffering that we experience in this world is our own fault!

Some Suffering comes from violating Natural Laws

Evolutionists are quick to ask why, then, didn’t God reach down and save Christian teenagers on their way home from a mission trip? Why didn’t He just stretch out His almighty arm and cradle those faithful believers in the palm of His hand? As odd as it may sound at first, God did not act in such a fashion because He loves us! We live in a world regulated by natural laws that were established at the creation of this world. For example, the laws of gravity and motion behave consistently. Thus, if you step off the roof of a fifteen-story building, gravity will pull you to the pavement beneath and you will die. If you step in front of a moving bus, the laws of motion will keep that bus in motion, even though it will result in your death. But individuals still ask, “Why?” Why could not God intervene to prevent such disasters? Think for just a moment what sort of world would this be if God directly intervened, suspending His natural laws, every time a human encountered a life-threatening situation. This would cause indescribable chaos and confusion all over our planet. This chaotic, haphazard system would argue more for atheism than it would for theism!

In Luke 13:2-5, Jesus told the story of eighteen people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them. Did they die because they were wicked or more deserving of death than others around them? No, they died because of natural laws that were in effect. We know that God is “no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). Fortunately, natural laws are constant so that we can study them and benefit from them. We are not left to sort out some kind of random system that works one day but not the next. Once a car crosses the center line, laws of nature take over—and oftentimes death is the result.

Some suffering may be beneficial

Furthermore, there are times when suffering is beneficial. Think of the man whose chest begins to throb as he begins to have a heart attack, or the woman whose side starts to ache at the onset of appendicitis. Pain often sends us to the doctor for prevention or cure. Without that pain, these individuals would never have their ailments tended to. Also, tragedy can help humans develop some of the most treasured traits known to mankind—bravery, heroism, and self-sacrifice—all of which flourish in less-than-perfect circumstances.

There are times when suffering seems illogical

But sometimes there seems to be no logical explanation for the immense suffering that a person is experiencing. Take the Old Testament character of Job as an example. He lost ten children and all of his wealth in a few short hours. Yet the Bible describes him as upright and righteous. Why would God allow such a man to suffer? James 1:2-3 helps us see the answer: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” Jesus Christ was the only truly innocent individual ever to live; yet even He suffered immensely. The fact is, pain and suffering have benefits that we sometimes cannot see and therefore do not appreciate. But God knows what is best for us in the long run.

Instead of blaming God for pain, or denying His existence, we should be looking to Him for strength, and let tragedies remind us that this world never was intended to be our final home (read Hebrews 11:13-16). James 4:14 instructs us regarding the fact that our time on this Earth is extremely brief. The fact that even the Son of God was subjected to incredible evil, pain, and suffering (Hebrews 5:8; 1 Peter 2:21ff.), proves that God does love and care for His creation. He could have abandoned us to our own sinful devices, but instead, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Is the premature death of a Christian teenager the “end of the story”? Far from it. Consider for just a moment the ministries that often spring up as a result, the legacy they leave behind, and the reminder they are to each one of us about that great reunion we will have one day when we reach our heavenly home. Most assuredly, their lives speak, though being dead (Hebrews 11:4).

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