OUTLINE ONE

SPEAKING POEMS IN THE CHURCH MEETINGS FOR THE ORGANIC BUILDING UP OF THE CHURCH AS THE BODY OF CHRIST

  Scripture Reading: Eph. 5:18-21; Col. 3:16; 1 Cor. 14:26; Heb. 10:25

1. The scriptural revelation concerning speaking poems (psalms are long poems, hymns are shorter ones, and spiritual songs are the shortest).
   1. “Be filled in spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”—Eph. 5:18-19.
   2. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs”—Col. 3:16.
   3. “Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm...Let all things be done for building up”—1 Cor. 14:26.
   4. Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; and 1 Corinthians 14:26 reveal that psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are firstly for speaking, not mainly for singing.
   5. Paul’s letters to the churches in Ephesus, Colosse, and Corinth reveal that speaking poems in the church meetings is exceedingly profitable.
      1. The Lord’s charge through Paul concerning speaking poems was emphasized three times in the New Testament.
      2. This charge was written to four churches—the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2), the church in Ephesus (Eph. 1:1), and the church in Colosse (Col. 1:2), plus the church in Laodicea (Col. 4:16).
      3. The charge was directed to churches in both continents, Asia and Europe, where Paul labored.
      4. In 1 Corinthians 4:17 Paul said, “As I teach everywhere in every church.”
         1. These words show that Paul taught the same thing in all the churches.
         2. His words in this verse further reveal that the apostle’s teaching is the same universally and does not vary from church to church.
   6. 1 Corinthians 14:26 indicates that the first words spoken in a meeting are usually a hymn; it is the first item covered by Paul, indicating its importance in the meetings of the church.
2. We all should speak in the meetings of the church.
   1. But many of us may not know what to speak.
   2. The poems in our hymnal, Hymns, supply us with material to speak.
      1. The poems provide us the riches of Christ to speak.
      2. The poems give all the saints a way to speak Christ to God and to speak Christ to one another.
3. All the attendants in the meeting should speak the poems in mutuality:
   1. “Speaking to one another”—Eph. 5:19.
   2. “Teaching and admonishing one another”—Col. 3:16.
   3. “Exhorting one another”—Heb. 10:25.
   4. When a proper poem is spoken in the church meetings, all speak one by one to one another a high, complete, and full revelation.
4. Ephesians 5:18-21 says, “...be filled in spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and psalming with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks at all times for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God and the Father; being subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”
   1. Verses 19-21 modify “be filled in spirit” in verse 18.
   2. To be filled in spirit with Christ causes the believers to overflow with Him in speaking, singing, psalming, and giving thanks to God and in submitting themselves to one another.
   3. Speaking, singing, psalming, giving thanks to God, and subjecting ourselves to one another are not only the outflow of being filled in spirit but also the way to be filled in spirit.
5. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.”
   1. “Teaching and admonishing” and “singing” all modify the verb “dwell.”
   2. This indicates that the way to let the Lord’s word dwell in us richly is by teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to God.
6. Ephesians 5:18 speaks of being filled in spirit and Colossians 3:16 speaks of the word of Christ dwelling in the believers richly.
   1. When we are filled in our spirit with the dispensing Triune God, we speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.
      1. It is a speaking by our being filled in spirit.
      2. It is an infilling of spiritual life that is related to the Spirit.
   2. When the word of Christ dwells in us richly, in all wisdom we can teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
      1. It is a speaking by the word of Christ dwelling in us richly.
      2. It is an infilling of spiritual life that is related to the Word.
   3. This indicates that the Spirit and the Word are identical (John 6:63b).