The power of agreement

Matthew 18:19-20 (NKJV): "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

The word 'agree' here is 'sumphoneo' in Greek, which means 'to accord/concur, to agree together, to agree with, sounding together (alike), or in harmony'. In other words, 'to agree' here also means 'amen' (‘surely’, ‘so be it’).

People of God, it’s very important what you agree on earth (or who you agree with on earth), because whatever you agree, you will also have it (i.e. ‘so be it’). So, if you agree with the Word of God, you will have what the Word of God says. On the other hand, if you agree with what the world says, you too will have what it says! For instance, if you agree with somebody who says, “This year is going to be a bad year. I think we are going to suffer pay cut, or worse still, get retrenched!”, then both you and that somebody will also have it, i.e. what you’ve agreed!

“But what does God say about our times?”

Isaiah 60:1-3 (NKJV) says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

So, despite all those negative outlook and forecasts you read in the media, and ‘the darkness covering the earth, and deep darkness over the people’, the Word of God has something else to say, ‘but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you’! Now, if you agree and believe what He has just said, you too will have what He says! This, my friend, is the power of agreement!

In 2 Corinthians 1:19-20, Paul wrote, "For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us - by me (Paul), Silvanus, and Timothy - was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

See the words ‘through us’? Though all the promises of God in Him are Yes and in Him Amen, it does take you to believe and say “Amen!” to whatever He has to say! And that’s how God’s name can be glorified through you too!

“What does 'Amen' means here?”

It simply means 'surely, so be it (unto me)'. In Hebrew, this word 'amen' is 'aman', and interestingly, the first time this word ‘aman’ appears in the Bible is in Genesis 15:5-6, which speaks of Abraham’s faith! It says, ‘Then the Lord brought Abram (later known as Abraham) outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them. So shall your descendants be.” And Abram believed (‘aman’) in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness’.

In Hebrew, this word 'aman' simply means "I believe what You say" or "I believe the message". And very interesting also, the word 'faith' in Hebrew is pronounced 'emunah', which actually comes from the same word 'aman'! By the way, ‘emunah’ can mean ‘faith, trust, firmness, established, believing heart’.

Today, these words spoken to Abraham in Genesis 15:5-6 have already come to pass, simply because Abram believed (‘aman’) in the Lord those days! Now, here’s another example of the power of agreement! It takes two to tango, so to speak!

People of God, do you know that you are so blessed because you are now in the New Covenant? Do you know that those days in the Old Covenant, the people could hardly say “Amen!” to the blessings? Look at Deuteronomy 27:14-26 and see for yourself, and compare these with Deuteronomy 28:2-14. Do you notice the people in Moses’ days could only say “Amen!” to the curses, but not to the blessings? You know why? Because Jesus had not come and died on the cross yet (to carry away all the curse of the law)!

But in the New Covenant, Galatians 3:13-14 says, ‘Christ has (already) redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith’.

Today, the good news is through His obedience (see Philippians 2:8-11), He has also carried all those curses pronounced in Deuteronomy 27:14-26, so that you (who are in Christ) can now say “Amen!" or "So be it (unto me)!" to all the blessings in Deuteronomy 28:2-14! In other words, Jesus is the very reason you and I can say “Amen!” to the blessing of Abraham today!

By the way, do you also know that Jesus Himself is called the Amen? Revelation 3:14 says, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God…’ Here, the apostle John referred to Jesus as the Amen! 

So, every time you say “Amen!”, know that you are also declaring “Jesus!”, “Salvation!”, “Rescuer!”, “Healer!”, “Deliverer!”, “Provider!”, proclaiming that all the promises of God for you are indeed “Yes and Amen” to the glory of God! Praise God! So be it! Amen!

People of God, will you also say "Amen!" to all that Jesus (the Word of God) offers you today? Blessed are you if you do.

Let us not be like the people in Jesus' own hometown (Nazareth) who did not say "Amen!" to Him when He declared, "Today this Scripture (in Isaiah 61:1-2) is fulfilled in your hearing." (see Luke 4:21). Not only that, they even tried to kill Him by throwing Him down over the cliff! (see Luke 4:29) He therefore had no choice but to go elsewhere - to where people will say "Amen!" to Him who is the Word.