Questions
I appreciate your helping me sound bible materials.
Now, I have questions please.
- Please give me explanation about the word “Amen” we the member of church of Christ say not Amen frequently in worship. Why or not proper to say or.. please tell me ?
- Also the word “Hallelujah” we say not in our worship. Please tell me?
- In the book of Acts, the first disciples fellowship,(2;46) the preachers teach just one time only in there service but we do here teaching and preaching two times. Are we correct? Please explain me?
Answers
Keith Sharp
These are good questions and indicate you want to do what the Lord requires through His word rather than simply following traditions of a religious group (Matthew 15:1-9). I think I can correctly infer from your questions that there are around you churches, such as Pentecostal denominations, who are much more free with “Amens” and “Hallelujahs” than are churches of Christ in our worship assemblies. I will not try to defend “our” practices but point to the New Testament pattern (2 Timothy 1:13).
1. The word “Amen” appears 50 times in the New King James Version New Testament, but the Greek word which it transliterates is found 127 times. In the other 77 occurrences it is rendered “assuredly” or “most assuredly” (“Amen,” “Amen”, or “truly,” “truly” – New American Standard Bible). The word means “in truth, most certainly; so be it” (William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. 1079). Jesus used it to end His model prayer (Matthew 6:13), even as we commonly use it today. First century Christians in the audience of a public worship assembly customarily said “Amen” at the conclusion of a public prayer as a way of adding their agreement that the prayer truly represented them (1 Corinthians 14:16). We should not excessively or disorderly use this or any other words when we are part of the audience in public worship, because our assemblies are to conducted with proper order and decorum (1 Corinthians 14:40).
2. The word “Alleluia” (“Hallelujah” – New American Standard Bible) is found only in Revelation 19:1,3,4, and 6 in the New Testament. It is actually an Old Testament word, translated “praise the Lord” 35 times in the book of Psalms. Thus, it is a word we should not lightly use, since to do so is to take the Lord’s name in vain. The thoughtless and excessive use of this term in the public worship assembly is both irreverent (Hebrews 12:28-29) and disorderly (1 Corinthians 14:40).
3. Actually, Acts 2:46 does not reveal how many teaching sessions took place during their public gathering or on one day. Nor do I know of any passage that demands a set number. The apostle Paul by inspiration allowed two or three speakers in tongues, one at a time with a translator, in each worship assembly (1 Corinthians 14:27-28) and likewise with prophets (verses 29-32). Of course, prophecy and tongue speaking ceased when the New Testament revelation was completed and recorded (1 Corinthians 13:8-13). But this does authorize multiple teaching sessions in one gathering of the church. This, therefore, is a matter of liberty (1 Corinthians 8:8-9) for each congregation to decide what is most helpful for them (1 Corinthians 10:23).
With Brotherly Love,
Keith Sharp
