September 11
Bible Reading: Colossians 3
Colossians 3:16-17, “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. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
It was anything but a typical worship service. From a human perspective, there was little which would incline, or motivate, a person to praise or thank God. The Sanctuary was plain to the point of austere, and even harsh. There were no song leaders, musical instruments, or song books to sing from. There were only two worshippers, and both were adorned, not with their Sunday best, but with cuts and bruises. Yet there they were, in the inner prison of a Philippian jail, their feet fastened in stocks, “praying and singing hymns to God.” It was the first and last worship service held in that place, as a great earthquake suddenly brought an end to the service and to the prison itself. We read in the account “the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25). No kidding! Those prisoners had never seen anything like that before!
Worship is acknowledging God for who He is and what He does in what we say and what we do. Acceptable worship is worship which is in Spirit and truth (John 4:24). As Jesus made clear, God is seeking true worshipers who will worship Him that way (John 4:23). He has saved you unto that glorious purpose, having worked through Jesus to cleanse you of your sins and make a true worshiper out of you (Titus 3:3-7; 1 Peter 2:9).
For our worship to be acceptable to God, it must be on His terms. What are His terms? “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). That means it is only those who are born again by the Spirit who can worship in an acceptable manner. But in addition, our worship is acceptable to God only if we are being led by the Spirit in worship (Ephesians 5:18; Philippians 3:3). Paul and Silas may have been locked up in a jail cell, yet filled with the Spirit, their hearts were perfectly free to pray and sing praises to God. When a person is filled up with the Spirit and the Word, the worship of God is the result. That precious kind of Spirit-borne worship is possible wherever, whenever, and in whatever circumstances we face. Indeed, we are exhorted to worship God at all times and in all we do (1 Corinthians 10:31)!
Colossians 3:16-17 is clearly parallel to Ephesians 5:18-20, with each passage speaking to a cause-and-effect relationship. The effect is similar in both passages, yet the cause differs. Note in Ephesians 5:18 the exhortation is to “be filled with the Spirit” whereas in Colossians 3:16 it is to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” As we see in Colossians 3:6-17, when the word of Christ richly dwells within the believer, worship of God is the result. It is an inside-out work of the Spirit. Worship flows from the heart of the believer in that manner–from his heart, out his lips and into life–to the extent the Believer’s heart is led by the Spirit and through the Word. Because of this, it is necessary we make use of every means that the word of Christ might richly indwell our hearts. As Charles Spurgeon once said of John Bunyan: “Prick him anywhere, and you will find that his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his soul is full of the Word of God.”
Nice facilities, song-leaders and truth-filled songs to sing are a blessing from God. But having the very best of those is still no substitute for the work the Spirit can do in our hearts in leading us to worship! Peter and Silas worshiped God from a prison cell because they were filled with the Spirit and with the truth. Dear friends, what was available to them is available to any of us! Worship is more than something we do on Sundays at church. We can worship anywhere at any time under any circumstances. Yet for that to happen, we must depend upon the Spirit and remain devoted to the Word!
Paul and Silas worshiped God in a jail cell, “and the prisoners were listening to them!” These are difficult days in which we live. And so many are struggling to find their way. People are watching. Do they see you worshiping God? If we are Spirit-led and richly indwelt by the truth, they will! And God will be glorified in that!
When the word of Christ richly dwells within us, the worship of God is the result.
May the word of God dwell richly
in my heart from hour to hour,
so that all may see I triumph
only through His pow’r.
LookingtoJesus 