Ephesians 5:19

“... addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart.”

Instead of being drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery, we should together be filled with the Spirit, engaging in joyful worship of the Lord, and encouraging one another .

the word he translated as “addressing” (RSV) is rendered differently in the various versions notably “singing” (NRSV) and “speaking” (NIV). The original word mean simply to speak. In any event, Paul is clear that our songs are directed to each other as well as to the Lord. The context is therefore in gatherings of christians.

there is nothing wrong with singing hymns at home, but when Christians praise the Lord together, this edifies everyone present. Faith levels increase, and even the most discouraged or dejected believer can go away feeling empowered to persevere in the way of the Lord.

the mutual ministry” to one another” that takes place when christians meet together for worship should never be devalued. We must never stop the habit of meeting together (Hebrews 10:25).

Is is not just on Sunday mornings that christians meet together and sing together. In home groups and other meetings, we should always sing praise to the Lord. Where two or three gather, He is in the midst and He welcomes our praises (Matthew 18:20).

Paul is quite expansive in his list of types of songs that Christians should use. He does not define his terms here at, but we can make educated guesses about his meaning.

“Psalms” more than likely refers to the Old Testament Psalms which were the hymn book of the Jews. More than likely, other Scripture passages were set to music and would come under this heading.

“hymns” is actually the transliterated form of the Greek word humnos. These were known in pagan worship as songs of praise to the various gods. We should think of traditional and contemporary hymns and praise songs.

spiritual songs refers to the practice of allowing the Holy Spirit to direct a spontaneous flow of singing either in the native language or in tongues.

there are some groups which interpret this verse to mean “ sing psalms, psalms, and more psalms” , and so they prohibit all other forms of songs in worship. Paul here is surely saying that whenever christians meet, they should employ a wide variety of forms of music.

as opposed to those who become prone to singing under the influence of alcohol, christians will sing under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

we are to “sing and make melody to the Lord”. The point of singing is not just to have a happy time of karaoke together. It is to be a melody to the Lord. That is, our hearts and minds are to be directed towards the Lord, not just to ourselves or to each other.

the primary focus of all Christian activity should be Jesus. We are the “elect”, the called out ones of God. As was commented on earlier in Ephesians, we are being formed together into a temple for Christ (2:22) or the Body of Christ (4:15-16). Therefore, whenever the body or the temple comes together, Christ must be at the centre.

Our singing must be done with all our hearts. There is something very dead about going through a song with no enthusiasm. It is almost the opposite of praise to the Lord, perhaps an insult.

Let us recognise the power that is in the words we sing - power to lift up the heavy- hearted, power to lift high the name of Jesus, power to bring conviction, salvation, and healing. All of this is only possible when we decide to praise the Lord with all of our hearts.

i will never forget the time several years ago when, on the last night of the Hillsong conference in Sydney, as the crowd was leaving, we were summoned to return to our seats. A pastor from Tasmania testified that during the final bracket of songs, he received a healing. One of his arms was neurologically dead and could not move or sense anything. During the songs, he had raised both hands in worship, something that had previously been impossible for him.

this is the power of singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to the Lord.

Key points in this verse:

• we are to sing songs to each other and to the Lord

• we must use a variety of forms of musical expression

• our singing must be wholehearted

• there is power in praise and worship