The Definition of Christian Praise:
Hebrews 13:15, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (cf. Ps 22:22; Matt 26:29).
How Jesus Praises God:
Hebrews 2:12, “I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
Matthew 26:30, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
Mark 14:26, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
The Purpose of Singing:
Ephesians 5:18-20, “And do not be filled with wine, in which is excess; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in yourheart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
James 5:13, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”
Acts 16:22–25, “The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”
Meaningful Words are Essential to Worship:
1 Corinthians 14:15–19, “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say ‘Amen’ at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God I speak with languages more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a language” (Gr. psallo).
1 Corinthians 14:26, “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.”
Musical Instruments are Soulless:
1 Corinthians 14:7, “Even things soulless, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played?”
Christian Worship is Not the Worship David Brought to Jerusalem:
1 Chronicles 16:4–6, “He [David] appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, even to celebrate and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel: Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, with musical instruments, harps, lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.” (cf. 1 Chr 16:37–43)
John 4:21–24, “‘Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.'”
The Congregation Sings Together:
Acts 4:24, “So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: ‘Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,'”
Romans 15:5–6, “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like- minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 15:7–9, “Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and that the Nations might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: ‘For this reason I will confess to You among the Nations, And sing to Your name.'”
1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
Singing is the Music of Heaven:
Revelation 5:9–10, “And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.'”
Revelation 14:2–3, “And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.”
Revelation 15:3–4, “And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
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