As we’ve been going through Paul’s letter to the Colossian church, we see that he’s talking about our spiritual relationships. The Apostle is exhorting us to be led by the Holy Spirit in our dealings with each other.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16 NIV
As we allow the Spirit to engraft God’s Word in us, it begins to overflow and brings glory to God in our meetings. Singing is one of the greatest ways to praise the Lord. It shows our gratefulness to Him.
There are two main ways that we can focus our singing. The first is probably the most obvious.
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
Psalms 96:1-2 NIV
Our music can be directed toward God in the praise of His glory. This is an important part of our relationship with the Lord. Singing His praises transports us into His presence.
I get so upset when believers view the praise and worship time as merely the “warm-up act” for the pastor’s preaching. Nothing could be further from the truth. As we sing praise and thanksgiving to God, we’re brought into a deeper spiritual place. We become more open to the move of the Holy Spirit.
Praising God in song is an important part of a spiritual walk.
The second aim of music may surprise some of you.
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…
Ephesians 5:19 NIV
Our music can be directed toward each other. There are many people (and I used to be one of them) that dislike the use of songs that are not directed toward God. This verse clearly shows the necessity of both types of music.
There are times when we need to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another. Why is that so important? Look back at the verse we started with.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16 NIV
It’s through music that the Word of Christ can live richly in you. Singing music that’s directed at each other is a form of teaching and admonishing. As we sing, we learn.
This is an incredible truth. When my children were small, they learned all the states and their capitals because they were put to music. How much more important is it to get the Word into our hearts?
Through music, the Word of Christ can enter our lives and stay with us. That’s why I’m so adamant about not singing songs that contain bad doctrine. Too many Christians believe error because they learned it in their music.
We give praise to our God. We teach and admonish each other. Both of these can and should be done through the music of God’s people.
Question: Is there a song that opened up your eyes to a spiritual truth?
© 2024 Nick Zaccardi