People sing when they are happy, when they are filled with joy, and to show how they feel about things in general. God wants His children to be happy, filled with joy, and to show Him how they feel about Him. He does not ask us to sing well. Singing in our worship of God is not a show. It is one way we can show our true feelings about God.

Worship is very important. Jesus said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). This tells us that God does not accept just any kind of worship. It must be worship in spirit and in truth. What do these words mean? Worship in spirit means that it comes from down deep inside of you. Worship in truth means that it is what the Bible teaches about worship. So these two things are very important. We cannot worship God unless we truly show from our heart that we love God. We cannot worship God unless we do the things God says we must do.

When we sing we worship God. Read these verses:

Matthew 26:30: "And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives."

Acts 16:25: "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them."

Romans 15:9: "And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name."

1 Corinthians 14:15: "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also."

Ephesians 5:19: "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."

Colossians 3:16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Hebrews 2:12: "Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee."

Hebrews 13:15: "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."

James 5:13: "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms."

These verses are the only verses in the New Testament that tell us what kind of music we are to make in worship. When people play pianos, organs, guitars, or other types of musical instruments, they play. Only when people use their voices do they sing. Singing is the only kind of music the Lord gives us the right to have in the worship of God.

Some think that playing pianos and organs is fine because the Lord did not say, "Don’t you play a piano in church." Did Jesus have to tell us what He doesn't want us to do? Or, should we just do only what He says He wants us to do?

Suppose you are told by a teacher in school to go to the Principal’s Office and bring her four pieces of chalk. When you get to the Office, you ask the Principal for four pieces of chalk, two erasers, some candy, and chewing gum. Have you done what the teacher told you to do? No. Did the teacher tell you not to get two erasers, some candy, and chewing gum? No. She didn’t have to, did she? If the teacher tells you to bring one pencil, one dollar, and one notebook to school on a certain day, and you bring a baseball glove, a Barbie Doll, or "Game-boy" are you doing what the teacher said? No. Did the teacher tell you not to bring those other things? No, she didn't have to. Do you see how that we should do only what Jesus says we should do in worship?

Is it right to use song books? Song books only help us do what God says we must do -- sing. You cannot play a song book. All it does is help you make music. You can play the notes on a piano or organ, but you cannot sing the words with a piano. You can sing the notes and the words, but you can only play the notes with a piano. So, do you see that things like song books only help us do what God says to do? Do you see how that a piano or organ do not help us do anything God says to do?

Questions for Study:

1. Can you tell us what kind of music God wants us to make in worship?

2. How many times does the New Testament mention singing?

3. Why do we have song books and not pianos or organs?

4. Tell why we should do only what Jesus says to do.

5. Why do people sing? Can you think of other reasons than the ones in this book?

6. Fill in the blanks:

"Speaking to yourselves in ____________ and __________ and spiritual songs, ___________ and _________ __________ in your heart to the Lord."

7. What do you think "making melody" in your heart means?

More Fill in the Blanks:

1. "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will ________ with the spirit, and I will __________ with the ______________ also."

2. "God is a Spirit: and they that __________ him must worship him in _______ and in _______."

Match the following. Draw a line from the verse on the reference on the left to the verse on the right: