Do It All In The Name Of The Lord Jesus

COLOSSIANS 3:16-17
“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. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
”‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭NKJV‬
‬https://bible.com/bible/114/col.3.16-17.NKJ

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Early Christians had access to the old Testament Scriptures and freely used it, but they didn't have the New Testament or any other Christian books to study. Their stories and teachings about Christ were memorized and passed on from person to person. Sometimes the Scriptures were set to music, which helped them to memorise them and so music became an important part of Christian worship and education.
Thankful people can worship wholeheartedly; gratitude opens our hearts to God's peace and enables us to put on His love that only comes from God (1 JOHN 4:19).
But very clearly God is worthy of all praise, and we are all called to worship Him alone with songs and thankfulness.
“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.“
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭96‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
We believers need the message about Christ to fill our lives, like it is vital spiritual food, filling us to the full on a daily basis.
Our physical bodies need a balanced and healthy intake of food to fuel us, to keep us strong and keep us healthy. In the same way, believers need a balanced and healthy intake of spiritual food everyday, that we grow in our knowledge, understanding, and faith into mature and healthy believers with strength to stand firm in our faith whatever the enemy throws at us.
Furthermore, the Word is needed within to bring change and understanding of ourselves, ”For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.“
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
We get our spiritual food by taking in God’s Word daily, through the Holy Spirit who teaches in all truth (JOHN 16:13), through God’s anointed teachers (EPHESIANS 4:11), and study and fellowship with one another, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts, learning together and joining together, through the five fold ministry of Christ.
It’s important to say, that every believer falls into at least one of the five categories of Christ church, not just those who consider themselves leaders.
Jesus is the head of the whole body, and it is the head that gives instruction to every individual part of the body.
The foot does not instruct the eye, nor the eye instruct the foot; it is the head alone who instructs. It is He who lights up the path before us(PSALM 119:105), and He Himself directs our steps (PROVERBS 16:9).
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.“
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Unlike early Christians, we have the New Testament and many good Christian books to study, so use them.
It's good to join a study group, that you can learn together in greater detail from the bible weekly. But be sure to test and approve everything you take in.
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.“
‭‭I John‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
John tells us, to test the source of the teaching, rather than the teaching itself.
Is the teaching of the flesh or of the Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the only source to be relied on, and since the Holy Spirit is the source of all spiritual gifts, unity should flow.
For ”There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.“
‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭4‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Spiritual junk food is not healthy, though it is much available through TV and the media including worldly music, tv programs, and films.
It implants sexual immorality and all kinds of lies and deceptions into one’s mind. It is poison to one’s soul.
Therefore, be careful of the false prophets and those pushing proper gander and calling it news.
Keep away from them and use the time to read from your bible daily and praise God with a thankful heart for everything He does and provides for you.
Pay attention to the way you live your lives, and whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ, bringing honour to Christ in every aspect and activity of your daily life.
Serving God is not simply working for the Lord, it is working in obedience with Him according to His will.
As a Christian, wherever you go and whatever you do, you represent Christ.
What impression do people have of Christ when they see or talk with you?
It's that impression that brings or pushes unbelievers closer or further away from Christ.
But the truth is, true worship is far more than singing songs to the Lord. We show our true colours in our actions and attitudes of every day living.
Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭9:23-27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.