on the doorposts

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

let the word of Christ dwell in you... singing

To the Ephesus church, Paul encouraged believers to "be filled with the Spirit," and then sing. To the Colosse church, Paul's words regarding "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" were nearly the same, but were preceded by an exhortation to "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom..." (Colossians 3:16).

In both epistles, Paul seems less concerned about the song list than he is about the spiritual condition of the congregation singing the songs. Being filled with the Spirit and being filled with the Word of God fosters a worship environment that is dynamic and edifying.

Who should be edified through songs, hymns, and spiritual songs? Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19 concludes with a statement ascribing glory to the Lord: "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Giving glory and praise to God should be the pinnacle of our singing in the church! "...With thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Colossians 3:16). "...Making melody to the Lord with all your heart." (Ephesians 5:19). When music is not Christ-centered -- when He is not the consuming reason for our songs -- the "praise" becomes routine, predictable, and not much more than a bland sort of liturgical exercise.

Paul spoke of singing "to God." He would have the church "making melody to the Lord." If believers sing only to themselves, they fail to ascend to the pinnacle of praise. Paul's approach to singing in the church followed a pattern, as evidenced by his writing to two separate church congregations:

  1. Embrace and Demonstrate a Spirit-Filled, Word-of-Christ-Indwelt Reality
  2. Address -- Teach and Admonish -- One Another in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs
  3. Sing and Make Melody -- With Thankfulness -- Directly to the Lord

In my next post, I'll discuss the 'horizontal' and 'vertical' aspects of music and praise in the church -- addressing "one another" and addressing "the Lord."

7 Comments:

  • Dad,
    Thank you for posting! It is wonderful that we can use the messages to different congregations together to understand worship more fully. I am looking forward to reading your next post!
    Elizabeth

    By Blogger Elizabeth Pruett, at Fri Mar 10, 07:31:00 AM PST  

  • Hi Pastor!

    We moved in to temporary living two weeks ago, and are settled in for now. We are busily looking for a house.

    Michael created a blog today, and would like some encouragement to inspire him. He is a slow writer, but writes right out of his heart.

    munchymike.blogspot.com

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Tue Mar 28, 02:08:00 PM PST  

  • Michael's blog is haviing technical difficulties right now.

    The new temporary site is

    munchymikes.blogspot.com

    As soon as the errors are fixed, Shining Armor's first blog will be back up.

    Will check back if anything changes.


    Do you think more Muslims will convert because of the trial won by the Muslim man?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Wed Mar 29, 05:19:00 AM PST  

  • Dad,
    Happy Birthday!

    Love,
    Elizabeth

    By Blogger Elizabeth Pruett, at Thu Mar 30, 06:26:00 AM PST  

  • Oh, Pastor, I had no idea today was your birthday.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

    May you have many more holy and blessed years. Maybe you'll even live to be a 104. God bless you today.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Fri Mar 31, 04:59:00 AM PST  

  • Hi Pastor!! We finally bought a house. Will move in about two or three weeks.

    By Blogger Keebler the Elf, at Fri Apr 21, 03:32:00 PM PDT  

  • Not related to your post, but saw in your profile that you might wanna come to doctrinesofgrace.net. Looking forward to seeing you there!

    By Blogger Phoebe, at Wed Sep 06, 06:35:00 AM PDT  

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