Why Hymns are important
Hymns and Psalms and Songs praise God and bring glory to our Triune God.
It also continues to educates the believer, and unsaved visitors and children.
Reading & singing it stores the Word of truth in our hearts, and when memorized, bursts forth to glorify God and be a reminder to us of its message when we sing it.
Those who do not go to church are missing out on opportunities to glorify God, as well as the wealth and depth of theology, Christian discipleship it brings, reminders of truth, and the encouragement (and renewing of our mind and strength) it brings to a believer. 52 to 104 to 156 times a year. Once to three times a week as we gather together with the local community of redeemed saints, you are misding out on all those opportunities.
We are called to assemble and be with and one with the local body of believers, our eternal brethren, our new family in Christ.
There is much going on at Church all day and all night, & the redeemed need to be there. Not being there shows your lack of love fir God, Christ and the brethren.
Here is an interesting hymn fact for the day:
Charles Wesley song "The Whole Armor of God, Ephesians VI." now known as "Soldiers of Christ, Arise" appeared in the 1749 publication Hymns and Sacred Poems.
"The Whole Armor of God, Ephesians VI" song had 16 verses originally, and has since been broken into 3 separate hymns of 4 verses, totaling only 12 verses.
The Hymnal 1982 lists
Hymn 411 "Soldiers of Christ, Arise"
Hymn 651 "Stand Up, Stand Firm"
Hymn 702 "Girded With Faith"
These hymns retain the core message of the original song, highlighting different aspects of the "armor of God" described in Ephesians 6.
Unfortunately, finding the original hymn with the 16 verses of "The Whole Armor of God" by Charles Wesley might be challenging.
Rare manuscript collections might have this item. It's possible the original 16 verses might exist in rare manuscript collections held by universities, historical societies, or religious institutions. However, accessing and navigating these collections can be challenging and requires specific research skills.
While the song has been split into three hymns, and some lines removed, some older hymnals might still contain the full 16-verse version. One could try searching through online hymn collections or checking physical hymnals in libraries or churches. However, there's no guarantee you'll find it, as most hymnals opt for the shorter versions 😔.
This is such a bummer. I am a firm believer in the entire hymn being in the hymnal, but even more so that the hymn be sung in full. The entire hymn sung. It has a very important theological teaching. You miss part of it if a church opts to skip some verses. Very annoying to me 😤. People don't get the full teaching of the story without singing it in full. Kids, teens and adults both saved and unsaved who attend are actually being educated in the faith through songs and it helps their faith grow as much as what they learn in Sunday School class, maybe even more since it is summarized, clear and has an application/call to action for the one singing and the one hearing.
That 10 extra minutes in worship service is not hard, and is to important to neglect singing the full hymn. It helps complete the full picture of what the song is teaching, and is something all pastors need to be convicted of and reinstitute/require to be done at the church he leads.
One thing is sure though, this hymn song uplifts the believer solidering on in the Christian walk and being reminded of our strength and onwardness attitude is great to sing daily at the start and end of your work day. It refreshes and renews us.
This version of "Soldiers of Christ, Arise" has 5 verses and is found in many hymnals today including Grace Hymns. Do you and your family have a home hymnal book?
About Charles Wesley as song writer
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