No doubt exists that popular views favor singing, not preaching. For example, songs get applause while sermons hardly raise an Amen. Vocal fame brings fans from scores of miles to hear a concert, who won’t cross the street to hear a sermon. Singers make a living holding a microphone to their mouth while technology in sound-proof rooms records their voice. And all a preacher has are sometimes weak words that echo in an empty room. Singing has many different sounds vocalizing the very same words in different arrangements. While preachers have many words spoken sometimes in a tiresome manner.
Singing often exalts our spirit and fills our emotions full. It comforts and stirs the melodic nature in even the unmusical person. Judy’s Uncle Jim, a fine Christian man, seemed to have no musical note in his soul. He never sang the hymns in church. But, one day, the words or music SO impacted him that Aunt Von said she heard him hum the melody! When you want all the above, but also want to be challenged in daily discipleship, admonished to strengthen weak areas of your Christian life, convinced to abandon bad and build good habits—and at the same be encouraged and uplifted, learn to love God’s word and its proclamation! Two concluding thoughts. One, music should encourage, not merely comfort, Christians. We listened to several signing groups during the COVID-19 shut-down. Maybe to the wrong ones. For not a single one served to encourage listeners. Since some sounded more like dirges than exaltations, how could they comfort, let alone encourage Christians? In times of stress, such as we face now, in a direct reverse-ratio, the more encouragement offered us means the less comfort needed by us. Two, therefore, as nothing encourages Christians more powerfully than God’s SPOKEN Word battering our brains with God’s Awesome Presence, Preach the WORD! The Holy Spirit energizes even the weakest words with spiritual dunamis—the Greek word for the English dynamite. Finally, singing is often circular, repeating the same words. Preaching is best when it’s linear—going on a straight line between the introduction and conclusion—leading listeners from merely listening to God’s word, or tolerating God’s word, to appreciating God’s word, to delighting in God’s word, to embracing God’s word. It changes our thinking from self to Christ, from our pleasures to our duty, from wondering what God will do for us to asking what God wants us to do for him. We don’t speculate what message would be relevant. We KNOW that God “reconciled us to himself through Christ” II Corinthians 5:18, is the ONLY message of importance. For sin has caused our lost spiritual estate, and only our reconciliation with God through Christ brings peace with God: that then restores broken friendships; heals wounded lives; strengthens weak relationships; renews blasted hopes and builds Christ-honoring discipleship. When we all come to the Cross and accept the forgiveness Jesus never fails to offer; which he offers to all and none ever leaves without receiving; when that message is sung beautifully it will stir our emotions. And when it’s proclaimed powerfully it changes our thinking, which changes lives. And that’s when we know that prophets of God have been among us. Amen! Fini.
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