All God’s People Say Amen

Can you imagine what it would be like if all God’s people said Amen; if they all said, “I believe!” It must have been what the disciples experienced at the Feast of Pentecost described in Acts of the Apostles.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:1-4).

So out of the norm was the behavior of the disciples that some bystanders even thought they were intoxicated. Plain and simple, they said “yes” to God, “yes” to His plan, and “yes” to His will, with all of their commitment, enthusiasm, excitement and most importantly, with all of their heart. They said, “I believe!” Not a one of them understood what that “yes” would really mean and what that “yes” would cost them, but they said “yes!” Except for John, everyone of the disciples was martyred, not exactly what one would rush to say, “yes sign me up please!” But these followers of Jesus had blind faith- a belief without seeing, a belief without proof, a belief without knowing. Blind faith- a belief so profound and so unwavering in God that they just said, “Amen, I believe,” because they were asked to.

What do I believe? How deep does my belief go? Do I believe what is tangible? Do I need to see it to believe it? Do I believe because it’s in black and white? Do I believe because it has been proven by some authority? Do my Amen’s come with conditions? Or do I have blind faith, like the countless people we encounter in scripture who dropped everything to say “yes” to Jesus. They didn’t seem to need all the explanations, answers, and justifications we look for. Jesus just said to them, “come and see” (John 1:39) and they did.

So what makes me different from those early followers who dropped what they were doing to come and see? Doubt. Can God really do this? Comfort. I’m comfortable right where I am. Fear. What might I be asked to sacrifice? Rebellion. I don’t wan to be obedient. Selfishness. I like my life and I don’t want it to change. As I am writing this, it is telling. I want to be like the disciples who dropped everything for Jesus. Nothing held that high a value to them that they weren’t willing to give it up, even their very lives.

We may not be asked to give up our lives like the disciples, but we will be asked to give up something, because following Jesus requires a choice. We can drop what we are asked to drop and come and see. We can say Amen, I believe. Or we can choose to say no and prevent the rushing wind from heaven from filling us. We can opt out, that is a choice. As much as I may sit and stew for a time with doubt, rebellion, selfishness, etc., as the Lord invites me to come and see, I do pray for the grace to say, Amen. And as my sweet friend and sister in Christ always says, “I wouldn’t want to miss what God’s going to do” and I really don’t want to miss it! So Jesus, Amen, I believe!!