A note from our Pastor’s desk:

“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

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

The Apostle Paul creates a blueprint, in our study verse, for the internal functioning of the community of believers. Other teachings of the Apostle focus on the church’s interaction with the outside world. However, this verse focuses solely on how members of the community interact with one another. We gather from this verse many of the concepts that shape the structure of our worship services. 

The Apostle first expresses the foundational concept, “the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” In the communal context, this means the teachings of Christ are not just guests or occasional topics of conversation but are the permanent residents that define the atmosphere. When the scriptures say the ‘Word’ dwells ‘richly,’ the teachings of Christ become the standard by which all other communal activities are measured. This focus moves the church from being a social club to a distinct spiritual body governed by the revelation of the truth of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle then says that the ‘Word’ should not only dwell among you, but it should also cause you to teach and admonish one another. The act of teaching, importantly, is not limited to the pastor teaching the congregants. Rather, the Apostle instructs all members to teach one another. The work of learning the truth about Jesus Christ is not a performative act by the preacher, but rather a participatory act by all members of the community. The act of admonishing, in conjunction with teaching, is to remind others of the truth of Jesus Christ. It is to focus on that truth and how it shapes the believer’s actions. It is never to be about gossiping, backbiting, or being destructive to one another. 

The Apostle also addresses the use of music in the church. The text explicitly states that the church’s music should be for the purpose of admonishing and teaching the truth of Jesus Christ. The songs of the church are not separate from but rather are reinforcements of the preaching. In the early New Testament church, there were three types of music. The first was the psalms, the singing of the psalms written in the Old Testament. The second was the hymns, the singing of words of praise and glory of Jesus Christ. The third was spiritual songs, the singing of words of thanksgiving and prayer as they arose in the community. Through these songs, the community of believers learned about the Old Testament, was taught about Jesus Christ and his sacrifice, and sang words of praise and thanksgiving. 

Finally, the Apostle instructs the saints at Colossae to do all of this with grace in their hearts. The grace of Jesus Christ is in their hearts because their praise and devotion reflect his love and grace toward them. Also, the grace of Jesus Christ should be in the hearts of disciples because the worship’s audience is God, not man. Therefore, the disciples should have grace for one another and peace through love.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah