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Music & Worship

A Biblical Call to Praise: Part 2

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Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly..."

"Christ himself is the Word of God, and the Scriptures are also the word of the Word... These words speak to you of Christ, that He is the sum and substance of them, that they direct you to Christ." CS Spurgeon

As we reflect on the beginning words of our theme verse, it should be obvious that, unless we read the Word, hear the Word, and do the Word, we will never know what is in the Word! Hence, as members of the Senior Choir of Seventh Reformed, we must not only be known for our fine singing, we must be known for our diligence in reading and studying God's Word.

It's not enough to know about Scripture, that is, the order of the books or the most familiar passages (the 23rd Psalm for example). If we are to live out Col. 3:16, we must let "the Word of Christ" soak into our very souls. Often we can be totally absorbed by a thrilling novel. Let's pray that God will help us to make the reading of Scripture even more powerful than good fiction.

It's not easy, though, as thorough reading of God's Word requires discipline. But, if we can read Scripture alone (without the aid of a guide or commentary) and have it captivate our minds, we will truly "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

The last word in our beginning phrase is "richly." This word can also be translated as "abundantly or extravagantly rich." Again, let us pray that the truths of Scripture will permeate every aspect of our lives--and govern every thought, word and deed. The Word dwells in us when we hear it (Matt 13:9), handle it (2 Tim 2:15) hide it, (Ps. 119:11) and hold it fast (Phil. 2:16).

One last thought: Col 3:16 is a brief parallel of Ephesians 5:18,19 (another key passage for the choir). The two are the same spiritual reality viewed from two sides. To be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by His Word. To have the Word dwelling richly in us is to be controlled by His Spirit. May our music ministry profit by letting Christ's Word dwell in each of us...richly!

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