The Mission Part II

The Mission Part II[1]

II. Instruct Them

Which do you think is more important in a worship service: instruction or inspiration, teaching people or uplifting them?

My natural disposition is to want everyone to be happy. Some may say inspiring people should be placed above instruction. It is not hard to see in our culture that is valued. That is one reason Joel Osteen is so popular with many people. His messages are very motivational and inspiring and light on instruction.

I know how challenging it can be to teach church folks-especially adults-new ideas and principles. We end up feeling sort of like Jethro from The Beverly Hillbillies when he tried to teach his dog, Duke, to fetch a stick. He'd throw the stick and say, “Fetch, Duke.” Duke would lazily look over at the stick and lay his head back down. Jethro would go pick up the stick, bring it back, and throw it again. “Go fetch, Duke.” But Duke would not move. After Jethro had made several attempts, Uncle Jed, who had been watching Jethro exhaust himself said, “Look, Duke's teaching Jethro to fetch!”

As challenging as it may be at times, we as Christians still have an obligation to try to pass on to others what God has taught us-whether we have the gift of teaching or not. One great way to do that is through our praise.

The Apostle Paul understood how effectively we can learn through music. Colossians 3:16 tells us, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Notice that Paul tells us to both teach and admonish through our songs. Of Colossians 3:16 one commentator wrote: “Teaching and admonishing were to be present even in song. Song was to have another object than to please the ear. It was not for enjoyment, but for edification.”

So, how do we accomplish this?

1. Teach people through praise.

During Paul's time, the teachings of Christ were communicated orally because they had not yet been written down and circulated. It was vitally important that Christ's message spread, and Paul realized that one of the best ways to accomplish this was through songs. He was instructing the church at Colossae to sing songs that taught the doctrines of the faith. In fact, some of the most important doctrines were expressed in Christian hymns preserved for us now only in Paul's letters. Many scholars believe that passages such as Colossians 1:15-20 and Philippians 2:6-11 were actual hymns the early church sang that were adopted by Paul.

2. Admonish people through praise.

If you are not clear what Paul meant by the word admonish in Colossians 3:16, consider this: Paul used the same Greek word in this verse that he used when speaking to the Ephesian elders. He was concerned that they would be deceived by false teaching. “So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31).

Instruction over inspiration is the biblical priority.

---

[1]     This material is taken from DeWayne Moore's book, Pure Praise (Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, 2009), 133-134.