Let the Word Shape Our Worship Together
speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing, and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Paul's picture of the early church is one of shared, saturated worship. Believers didn't just sing alone in private devotion; they spoke to one another, using psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs as a means of mutual encouragement, while also making melody to the Lord from the heart. Worship, in this vision, is both horizontal and vertical—it builds up the body even as it lifts praise to God.
This dual movement is worth pausing over. The songs and words we share with each other in corporate worship aren't merely decoration around a sermon; they are part of how truth takes root in a congregation. When the themes of Scripture show up repeatedly—in song, in prayer, in preaching—they settle into our hearts in ways we may not even consciously notice at the time.
This connects to something Sean Demars writes about at 9Marks. He encourages pastors to let the main point of their sermon text shape not just the sermon itself, but the church's corporate prayers of praise, confession, lament, and petition. When this happens, the congregation hears the truth of a passage multiple times, in multiple forms, from multiple voices, before the sermon is even preached. It's a practice that echoes exactly what Ephesians 5:19 envisions: believers speaking truth to one another, not in isolation from worship, but woven through it.
Demars also notes that this practice models something valuable for the congregation—it shows what it looks like to actually pray Scripture, to let the Word govern the shape and content of our praying rather than praying in vague generalities. That, too, is a form of "speaking to one another," teaching by example how biblical truth can saturate every part of a gathering.
If you're a pastor or worship leader, or simply someone who cares about how your church's gatherings reinforce God's Word, it's worth reading Sean Demars's full piece, "Let the Point of Your Sermon Text Shape Your Church's Corporate Prayers," over at 9Marks for practical steps on how to begin.
Read the source: 9Marks →