Greetings Church Family,
We are on week five of our study, Seven Biblical Reasons Why Singing Matters by Tom Olson.
Here is a recap of the first four reasons.
- When you sing, you obey.
- When you sing, you dig deep roots in the Word.
- When you sing, you build up others.
- When you sing, you make war.
This week we will take a look at: When you sing, you are spiritually strengthened for trial.
Often times, we think only of singing when we’re happy and times are good, but singing bringing strength for trial comes out in Acts 16. Paul and Silas are unjustly imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel, and what do they do while they’re in prison? Sing! (Acts 16:25)
And this truth is confirmed in the lives of persecuted believers throughout history. Hear the words of one pastor recently imprisoned for his faith:
…When we were in prison, we sang almost every day because Christ was alive in us…they put chains on our hands and feet. They chained us to add to our grief. Yet we discovered that chains are splendid musical instruments! When we clanged them together in rhythm, we could sing, ‘This is the day (clink, clank), this is the day (clink, clank), which the Lord has made (clink, clank), which the Lord has made (clink, clank). (persecutionblog.com)
Our persecuted brothers are showing us the truth we see in Acts 16 with Paul and Silas. Singing strengthens you and helps you persevere in the face of trial. If it can strengthen them in the face of these trials, what can it do for you?
Even in suffering, sing!
This Sunday we will have guest worship leader, Brent Edwards leading us in worship. Brent is President of International Commission. Our former interim, Mark Goode serves as, Vice President of Mobilization. Here is a link to their organization staging2.internationalcommission.org. They are doing a great work in sharing the good news.
My family and I will be taking the week off and spending time with family and friends in Austin. Thank you for your love for my family as we love our HGBC family. We will see you March 14th!
~ Michael