“Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from 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)
Singing is an important part of our worship to the Lord. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, God’s people have always sung to Him. The verses above from the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians tell us to “be filled with the Spirit.” He then tells us how to demonstrate that filling through our singing.
- “Psalms” (scripture songs, quoting scripture or based on scripture verses)
- “Hymns” (literally songs of praise, many times containing Bible doctrine)
- “Songs from the Spirit” (our response to the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts)
Paul tells us how we should approach singing, “Sing and make music… always giving thanks to God the Father for everything…” (Eph 5:19b-20) He tells us:
- 1.Q. What? A. “Sing and make music”
- Q. When? A. “always”
- Q. How? A. through “giving thanks”
- Q. To whom? A. “God the Father”
- Q. The content of our thanks? A. “for everything”
Wow! “Everything” could form a pretty big list. We do have much to thank God for. Everything. Be filled with the Spirit. And “sing… from your heart to the Lord!”
Blessings
Pastor Doug