To many, Christianity is restricted to entering the kingdom through a rational acceptance of the truth of the gospel followed by a labor to live according to the Bible.  That’s important, but Acts 2 tells us that there is more.  We do have a subjective experience of Christ through the Holy Spirit in our personal and corporate worship.  We are the people of the “warmed heart.”  We believe truth salvation is found in the 18 inches from the head to the heart.  The head accepts and the heart is warmed.  The heart is warmed and the head accepts.

When our lives are filled with the Spirit, and our hearts are filled with God’s love we express joy—we sing!  John Wesley said, “Singing is as much the language of holy joy as praying is the language of holy desire.”

Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 5:18-20).

We practice our singing so it will have some order and quality.  But quality can never take the place of spirituality.  We must leave room for the Holy Spirit to work, else it becomes entertainment.  Entertainment instead of worship is deadly.  I watched a televised worship service and commented on what a great production it was, but the Spirit was missing.  I switched to Mass for Shut-ins where the sound was bad, the people amateurs, but the Spirit was present.  Guess which one was inspiring!

So we thank all of those who are leading us into the presence of God instead of entertaining us.  When we meet to worship, we experience the presence of Jesus differently than when we worship as a family or do our personal devotions.  Do not neglect to meet together—Jesus is present in the fellowship.

Pastor,

People are better off knowing Jesus