We’re continuing through Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church. He’s been dealing with how we should interact with one another. He talked a lot about the “don’ts”. But there’s an important “do” that affects our attitudes.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:18b-20 NIV
It’s better to be around people who have good attitudes. I’d rather be with people who are singing than with those who are complaining. The church should be a place that’s filled with music and singing.
Did you know that the Bible speaks about how we should aim our singing? That’s what determines our attitudes. There are two goals we should direct our music toward.
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
The first goal in our music should be pretty obvious.
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. It’s what Paul talked about in the above verse.
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…
Ephesians 5:19 NIV
This aspect of our music can change the hearts of those around us.
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?
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?
© 2023 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 