Center For Church Music, Songs & Hymns

Music & Worship

Song and the Spirit

Ephesians 5:18,19

In Ephesians, chapters 4-6, St. Paul presents the great roadmap for the Christian: how to walk in the image of God! It’s a powerful presentation of a life controlled by the indwelling strength and power of the Holy Spirit.

The heart of St. Paul’s message is found in Ephesians 5:18:

Be filled with the Spirit.

The continual presence of Christ turns the believer from darkness to light. A Spirit-filled life is lived in imitation of Christ and is able to conquer the enemy by the protection of the armor of God!

My purpose is not to exegete Ephesians 5, however, but to link the powerful truth of verses 18 and 19:

Vs 18: Be filled with the Spirit,

Vs. 19: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…

Notice that these two verses are not divided. One verse gives the command to be filled with the Spirit while the next verse gives the consequence of this filling. St. Paul first gives believers the great key to Godliness, " be filled with the Spirit". Then, his very next words are: "speak to one another in songs, hymns and spiritual songs"When a believer walks in obedience to this command, God puts music in his heart and then on his lips.

This is not journalistic coincidence: the first result of the Spirit-filled life is not mountain-moving faith, eloquent preaching or an ecstatic experience. It is simply, song. Spirit-filled life produces music! Colossians 3:16 makes the same point:

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

When a believer walks in the Spirit, he has a joy that manifests itself in singing and making music! The controlling power of the Spirit always produces song. Therefore, one of the great marks of Christianity should be its music: because the music of the life filled with the Holy Spirit is more wonderful than anything the world can produce.Surely, such a close connection between the Spirit’s presence and song deepens the responsibility of each believer’s relationship to music. Next month, we’ll develop this thought and look at "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" more closely.

Remember, when we are filled with Christ, His mind and His thoughts will dominate our life—and our music! Our music must come from a heart filled with the personal presence of Christ. As someone has said:

Christ consciousness leads to Christ likeness"

So may God’s Spirit control you this day and keep singing! It is your right and your responsibility!