"DISCIPLINES FOR THE DISCIPLE"
The Discipline Of Singing
INTRODUCTION
- Our study of spiritual disciplines have so far examined such
spiritual exercises as...
- Prayer - especially the value of secret, simple, and steadfast
prayer
- Meditation - contemplating God, His works, His words, and things
worthy of virtue
- Fasting - as a means of humbling one's self before God, especially
when joined with prayer
- Another discipline in which we engage regularly is singing...
- We spend nearly a third of our assemblies engaged in this activity
- Rightly so, for it has the potential of reaping great spiritual
benefits
- But I wonder if some do not appreciate the value of singing...
- Many Christians sing with virtually no emotion, some do not sing
at all!
- I have known Christians, who...
- Complained because time available for classes was taken up by
singing a few hymns
- Will not attend a worship service if they know it will be
devoted to singing
[Singing as a spiritual discipline is of great value, and should be a
habit engaged by those who desire to grow in godliness. To appreciate
why, let's review...]
- THE PURPOSE OF SINGING
- TO PRAISE THE LORD (UPWARD)...
- This is the most common concept of the purpose of singing
- Indeed, this is certainly the idea inherent in the word
'hymn'
- Which comes from the Greek word humnos, meaning "a song in
praise of"
- The Psalms call upon us to praise God in song
- "Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks
at the remembrance of His holy name." - Ps 30:4
- "Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our
King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding." - Ps 47:6-7
- "Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to
the Rock of our salvation." - Ps 95:1
- "Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the
earth." - Ps 96:1
- "Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of
His salvation from day to day." - Ps 96:2
- "Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous
things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the
victory." - Ps 98:1
- "Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with
singing." - Ps 100:2
- "Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His
name, for it is pleasant." - Ps 135:3
- Praising God in song should be a natural for Christians !
- David reacted this way to the blessings of God - Ps 28:6-7;
59:16-17
- Christians are taught to sing praises when joyful - Jm 5:13
- Paul and Silas even reacted to persecution by singing
praises - Ac 16:25
-- Is not God worthy of being praised in song?
- TO TEACH AND ADMONISH ONE ANOTHER (OUTWARD)...
- Singing is not always directed toward God...
- Certainly, many songs are
- But songs are often directed to each other - cf. Col 3:16; Ep
5:19
- That's because many songs are designed to teach one another
- Teaching and admonishing us to live properly, to enjoy the
blessings of the Christian life
- It might even be said that 'congregational singing' is
actually 'congregational teaching'!
-- Do not our brethren deserve the encouragement that comes from
singing?
- TO BE FILLED AND ENRICHED (INWARD)...
- David wrote of the personal benefit of singing praises
- It made his lips and soul to greatly rejoice - Ps 71:23
- He found it to be pleasant and beautiful - Ps 147:1
- Singing can be a means to being filled with the Spirit
- Paul charged the Ephesians to be filled with the Spirit - Ep
5:18
- He explained how: by singing and making melody in one's
heart to the Lord - Ep 5:19
- Singing can be a means to being enriched by the Word of Christ
- Paul charged the Colossians to let the Word of Christ dwell
in them richly - Col 3:16a
- Again he explains: by singing with grace in one's heart to
the Lord - Col 3:16b
-- For a truly Spirit-filled life enriched by the Word of Christ,
singing is essential!
[Singing is a wonderful spiritual discipline that blesses God, those who
hear us, and even ourselves as we sing. How can we get more out this
spiritual discipline? Here are some thoughts regarding...]
- THE PRACTICE OF SINGING
- ENGAGE THE MIND AS YOU SING...
- Remember, singing is teaching and admonishing one another
- This assumes that we understand what we sing - cf. 1Co 14:15
- We must be careful that our enjoyment of singing is not like
how many people enjoy their popular music (i.e., liking the
music without necessarily understanding the words)
-- Give careful attention to the words of the songs
- ENGAGE THE HEART AS YOU SING...
- When we sing, we must do so...
- "with grace in your hearts" - Col 3:16
- "making melody in your heart" - Ep 5:19
- This assumes that we involve our 'heart strings' (emotions) as
we sing!
- To sing without emotion (without grace in our hearts)...
- Is hypocritical, and condemned by Jesus! - Mt 15:7-8
- Will be evident in our countenances! - cf. Pr 15:13
-- Put your heart into your singing
- ENHANCE YOUR SINGING IN WORSHIP BY WHERE YOU SIT...
- Sitting alone or spread out discourages many from singing as
they might otherwise
- People become more involved, are more uplifted, edify others
better, when they sit together and closer to the song leader
-- One of the first steps to enjoy singing is to sit with others
who love to sing!
- UTILIZE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN TO SING...
- Singing is more enjoyable when we are able to read musical
notes, sing different parts
- Churches often provide singing classes
- Indeed, every opportunity to sing is an opportunity to learn
-- Take advantage of any opportunity to learn how to sing
- EXPAND THE SPHERE OF YOUR SINGING...
- Is your singing limited just to the public assemblies, on the
first day of the week?
- Singing, like prayer, ought to be spontaneous, arising whenever
the circumstances call for it - cf. Ac 16:25; Ps 34:1-3
- Take advantage of special opportunities to sing, such as
monthly and annual singings
- As a spiritual exercise, it should be done in private devotions
as well as in public worship
- Sing while you work, travel, or alone in your private
meditations
- Make use of hymns on tapes or CDs when traveling or
meditating
-- Increase your opportunities to sing at other times with others,
and when alone
CONCLUSION
- David exemplifies the attitude of one who exercises himself through
the discipline of singing...
- "I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with
me." - Ps 13:6
- "I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You
among the nations." - Ps 57:9
- "I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to
my God while I have my being." - Ps 104:33
- He likewise calls upon us to sing praises both in public and in
private...
- "Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in
the assembly of saints." - Ps 149:1
- "Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their
beds." - Ps 149:5
As we seek to exercise ourselves unto godliness (2Ti 4:7), consider the
discipline of singing as an appropriate complement to other spiritual
activities such as prayer, meditation, and fasting...