About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

This is what I mean, my friends. When you meet for worship, one person has a hymn, another a teaching, another a revelation from God, another a message in strange tongues, and still another the explanation of what is said. Everything must be of help to the church.

Christ's message in all its richness must live in your hearts. Teach and instruct one another with all wisdom. Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts.

Are any among you in trouble? They should pray. Are any among you happy? They should sing praises.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving and sing joyful songs of praise.

Sing praise to the LORD; tell the wonderful things he has done.

Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

God is king over all the world; praise him with songs!

God sits on his sacred throne; he rules over the nations.

Trust in God at all times, my people. Tell him all your troubles, for he is our refuge.

I will praise you with all my heart, O Lord my God; I will proclaim your greatness forever.

Be glad that we belong to him; let all who worship him rejoice.

Sing hymns of praise to the LORD; play music on the harp to our God.

They will sing for joy, but you will cry with a broken heart.

'These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me.

But the time is coming and is already here, when by the power of God's Spirit people will worship the Father as he really is, offering him the true worship that he wants.

God is Spirit, and only by the power of his Spirit can people worship him as he really is."