Matthew 28:19 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Jesus did not say go make artists, musicians, singers, dancers, actors, athletes, etc. This is just to remind those of us who desire to use our gifts for God and His Kingdom not to get out of balance with first ourselves being a disciple & then being used (through our lifestyles, our time, our words, our gifts, etc.) to influence others to become disciples too.
Since Jesus said teach them to observe all that I commanded you, here are just a "few" reminders of His commands:
Mark 12:30-31 - You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength (ahead of loving dance, art, sports, etc.), and love your neighbor as yourself (the first and second greatest commands per Jesus).
Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
My paraphrase of this verse for artists: Seek and desire to use all that you are and all of your gifts for God's purpose and glory alone - for the sake of advancing His agenda and not your fame or for the sake of recognition and the applause of man, and seek to know the Lord intimately through time in prayer and His Word. As a result and by His grace, your entire life and all you create or participate in as an artist will be a reflection of His love and truth, and His dream (or dreams) for you will come to pass. (Interestingly, Matthew 6:32 - states that after "all these things" the gentiles seek - or in other words, those who do not know the Lord, worry and seek after getting their daily needs met (for food, shelter and clothing) and do not know how to trust God to meet these needs. As artists, who are also followers of Christ, we have to remember that, likewise, artists who do not know the Lord, seek after their own fame and glory through their God-given gifts, and this is not what God has called His sons and daughters to, but instead, we are to stay in tune with the Spirit's leading and direction and seek to please and honor Him with all of our gifts and talents.
1 Corinthians 10:31 - .....whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Luke 9:23 - Then Jesus said to all - "Anyone who wants to follow Me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to Me!"
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
Are we His glorious image in the earth?
We have to be willing to place our dreams on the altar again and again, remembering that, above any dream (or vision), God the Father is more concerned with us being molded into the image of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:18 - "So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Callings Require Commitment / Dreams Require Discipline
If you believe God has called you to bring glory to God in the arts, the continual challenge will be to remain just as committed and disciplined in your growth and maturity as a Christ follower, as you are to honing your skills artistically. In order to be salt and light in the places we are called to use our gifts, we must remain rooted and grounded in our beliefs and convictions that are based on the truth of the Bible, and every open door of opportunity must be bathed in prayer.
If we are following God's dream, we must remain disciplined in seeking Him first, and not chasing the dream first.
Friday, September 27, 2013
What is "Dance Ministry"?
Real dance "ministry" occurs when the presence of God overflows out of true worshiping dancers (John 4:23-24) who love the Lord God with all their hearts and have surrendered everything to Him. Dancers who are filled with the Holy Spirit and God's Word, are then able to minister to others out of the overflow of their hearts. We must first receive from God, and then can be used to minister to others. You cannot give out what you have not received yourself, and this is a daily receiving through our growth process in Christ, not just a one time event. It is not ministry if it is not having a spiritual or an eternal impact on those whose lives are connected to it or are influenced by it. There is a difference between a "dance performance" and a "dance ministry presentation". I like to use the term "presentation" because we are first presenting our praise and worship to the Lord, and then as well "presenting" it to others. Through a dance ministry piece, we are also "representing" Christ, as the presence of His Holy Spirit flows through vessels who are fully surrendered to Him.
(Mark 12:30; John 8:31: Ephesians 5:18; James 1:22)
(Mark 12:30; John 8:31: Ephesians 5:18; James 1:22)
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Misunderstood? Feel like a rare bird? Answering a strange calling?
Sometimes I feel like a rare bird. I feel misunderstood and I feel that I have sort of a "strange" (or not a mainstream) calling - answering a call to mentor, encourage, inspire, teach, and lead others to worship God through dance. Just think, Noah was misunderstood too - he was even made fun of and mocked we can be sure - however, he was obeying (or answering) the call to build an ark, even though there had never been any rain (Genesis 2:5; 6:13-14)?
Many of us may be answering a "call" that others do not understand or obeying a calling that seems "peculiar" or very different. However, as long as it is Biblically in line with the Word of God, it is more important for us to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Some (even our own peers, friends, family, etc.) may not understand our calling, but we have to remember we will not give an answer to them for our obedience. Make sure that whatever He has said to you to do, you are doing it (John 2:5). Even the body of Christ sometimes is guilty of wanting Christ followers to fit into a "cookie-cutter" mold. Just like Martha wanted Mary to share the same "service" gift that she had, but Mary had to be obedient to "sit" as a worshiper at Jesus' feet - of course, we are all called to "sit" at Jesus feet and be worshipers and, at some point, we should all be actively "serving" in some capacity just as Martha too, but our gifts of service and our callings are different and unique to who we are as individuals. (The main point illustrated in Luke 10:38-42 is that our first priority before God is to love, adore and worship Him, and then serve out of the overflow of a heart of love and worship.) If we don't spend some time sitting at Jesus' feet, we will not know what He is calling us to. It is also true that through serving (or just beginning to serve in some different areas), we may discover our gifts and callings as well. You will sense God's presence, peace, grace, and strength when you are functioning in your God ordained calling or using the God-given gifts He placed within you. As my Pastor, Chris Hodges, has stated, when you are doing the thing that God has called you to do, it will be a "life giving" experience and will not be draining life and strength from you, and, for the most part, it will not seem like work. We just need to make sure we are not laying down or burying the God-given gifts, callings and passions, that God has uniquely planted within each one of us for His glory and purpose, in order to please or pacify the demands and requests of others, or to "conform" to their idea of what qualifies as ministry or serving God. Again, any calling, service, gift, or ministry should first honor God and His Word, and serve, bless, and/or minister to others in some capacity (1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Peter 4:10).
If God has truly placed certain desires and callings within us, we are not to suppress them. On the contrary, we are to stir up those gifts and callings for His honor and His glory and to be a blessing to others as He leads us! (Romans 11:29; 1 Timothy 1:6)
When do you feel God's presence the most? When do feel the most alive to God in your spirit or in connection with the Father? Is it when you sing, write, paint, pray, play an instrument, you are serving the poor in your community, serving administratively at your church, serving your family, teaching, serving in the marketplace, ministering to physical needs, parenting, playing a particular sport, serving the elderly, counseling others, encouraging others, making others laugh, etc. etc. etc. - there are a wide variety of gifts and callings (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31). We need to be who God created us uniquely to be and do what God has called us uniquely to do! Stop comparing yourself and your gifts and your calling to others - you are His unique workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:10).
(Quote from "Chariots of Fire" movie by Eric Liddell: "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.")
I believe God gave me the gift of dance for a purpose. When I dance in praise & worship to God, I feel God's presence and His pleasure! Also, when I teach, choreograph, mentor and inspire others through the gift of dance, I feel the "life giving" presence of God!
Many of us may be answering a "call" that others do not understand or obeying a calling that seems "peculiar" or very different. However, as long as it is Biblically in line with the Word of God, it is more important for us to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Some (even our own peers, friends, family, etc.) may not understand our calling, but we have to remember we will not give an answer to them for our obedience. Make sure that whatever He has said to you to do, you are doing it (John 2:5). Even the body of Christ sometimes is guilty of wanting Christ followers to fit into a "cookie-cutter" mold. Just like Martha wanted Mary to share the same "service" gift that she had, but Mary had to be obedient to "sit" as a worshiper at Jesus' feet - of course, we are all called to "sit" at Jesus feet and be worshipers and, at some point, we should all be actively "serving" in some capacity just as Martha too, but our gifts of service and our callings are different and unique to who we are as individuals. (The main point illustrated in Luke 10:38-42 is that our first priority before God is to love, adore and worship Him, and then serve out of the overflow of a heart of love and worship.) If we don't spend some time sitting at Jesus' feet, we will not know what He is calling us to. It is also true that through serving (or just beginning to serve in some different areas), we may discover our gifts and callings as well. You will sense God's presence, peace, grace, and strength when you are functioning in your God ordained calling or using the God-given gifts He placed within you. As my Pastor, Chris Hodges, has stated, when you are doing the thing that God has called you to do, it will be a "life giving" experience and will not be draining life and strength from you, and, for the most part, it will not seem like work. We just need to make sure we are not laying down or burying the God-given gifts, callings and passions, that God has uniquely planted within each one of us for His glory and purpose, in order to please or pacify the demands and requests of others, or to "conform" to their idea of what qualifies as ministry or serving God. Again, any calling, service, gift, or ministry should first honor God and His Word, and serve, bless, and/or minister to others in some capacity (1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Peter 4:10).
If God has truly placed certain desires and callings within us, we are not to suppress them. On the contrary, we are to stir up those gifts and callings for His honor and His glory and to be a blessing to others as He leads us! (Romans 11:29; 1 Timothy 1:6)
When do you feel God's presence the most? When do feel the most alive to God in your spirit or in connection with the Father? Is it when you sing, write, paint, pray, play an instrument, you are serving the poor in your community, serving administratively at your church, serving your family, teaching, serving in the marketplace, ministering to physical needs, parenting, playing a particular sport, serving the elderly, counseling others, encouraging others, making others laugh, etc. etc. etc. - there are a wide variety of gifts and callings (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31). We need to be who God created us uniquely to be and do what God has called us uniquely to do! Stop comparing yourself and your gifts and your calling to others - you are His unique workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:10).
(Quote from "Chariots of Fire" movie by Eric Liddell: "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.")
I believe God gave me the gift of dance for a purpose. When I dance in praise & worship to God, I feel God's presence and His pleasure! Also, when I teach, choreograph, mentor and inspire others through the gift of dance, I feel the "life giving" presence of God!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The Need for More - for His Glory & His Kingdom
There is a need for "arts" and "dance" ministry both within the ministries of our churches and out among the culture today (especially dance - which so much of has been surrendered to the god of this world and many youth are being taken captive to his call in the arts arena). This is one of the kingdom areas that needs to be represented or come on earth as it is (and will be) in Heaven - to the praise, honor and glory of God. (I think we can all agree that there is certainly some stuff that needs to be "bound" and some stuff that needs to be "loosed" in the arts culture.) There might be less need for "dance" or "arts" related ministries in our churches, if those of us who belong to Christ, would simply dance, create, teach, choreograph, sing, act, write, draw, etc, to reflect that we belong to Christ wherever and whenever given the opportunity or a platform to do so. If we say we have surrendered "all", should not all our artistic gifts reflect this? Praying for more sons and daughters and Christ-following artists to awaken to their calling from God to use "all" their God-given gifts to be salt and light to the culture, instead of compromising to look just like the culture. Praying for "the church" (the members of the body of Christ, including pastors, leaders, teachers, studio owners, etc.) to also be a part of His kingdom coming in the arts and His will being done in this area too as it is (and will be) in Heaven.
I am fully aware that bringing restoration to the arts is not the "main thing" in our obedience to fulfilling the great commission - to share the message of salvation and make disciples of Christ (although the arts can be used as a tool to present the Truth of the gospel and to draw people into God's presence). However, I am wondering if God will say to those of us who possess artistic gifts, "Well done! You used all your gifts for my glory and my eternal purposes." This should challenge all of us to think about how God desires us to use our gifts and talents, and, as well, challenge those of us who have the resources and platforms to facilitate these gifts being used for kingdom purposes to consider if we are really doing all that God desires too?
I believe our gifts (which all come from The Creator of all things and the giver of every good gift) will be used in Heaven, and, if so, perhaps we should prepare accordingly by using them for His praise, honor and glory here on earth!
Sing like Jesus is listening, because He is...
Dance like Jesus is watching, because He is...
Draw, Paint, Sculpt like Jesus is observing, because He is...
Write like Jesus is reading, because He is...
Create, Act, Perform like Jesus is your audience, because He is...
Romans 11:36; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Peter 4:10-11; Revelation 4:11
Artists in The Bible (excerpt from the book, "The Heart of the Artist" by Rory Noland):
"Maybe I'm biased, but I think God has a special place in His heart for artists, because so many are mentioned in the Bible. Being an artist was one of the first occupations listed in the early days of the Old Testament, along with agriculture and industry (Genesis 4:21). There are several references to teams of musicians (Nehemiah 10:28-29; Psalm 150:3-5) and other artists (Exodus 31:2-6; 35:30-35). The worship team serving in the temple during David's reign was made up of 288 vocalists (1 Chronicles 25:7). One of the judgments made against Babylon in the book of Revelation was that life would be void of the richness that artists bring (18:22).
Several artists are mentioned by name throughout Scripture. We can't list all of them, so I'll just touch on a few. David was a skillful musician and songwriter (1 Samuel 16:18), someone whom God described as a man after God's own heart. Solomon wrote over one thousand songs (1 Kings 4:32). Kenaniah was a great vocalist and a song leader (1 Chronicles 15:22). There's a group of musicians in 1 Chronicles whom I call the singing percussionists. Their names were Asaph, Heman, and Ethan (15:16-19), and they were vocalists who kept time for everyone by playing the cymbals. Bezalel was cited as a very gifted visual artist (Exodus 35:30-33)."
Some examples of dancers in the Bible:
Miriam (the prophetess) led the other women in a victory dance (or a spontaneous dance of praise) after the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea (Exodus 15:19-20). The Israelite women danced at David's defeat of the Philistine giant, Goliath (1 Samuel 18:6). King David danced before the Lord with all his might while bringing the ark of the Lord in the to city of David (2 Samuel 6:14-16, 21).
I am fully aware that bringing restoration to the arts is not the "main thing" in our obedience to fulfilling the great commission - to share the message of salvation and make disciples of Christ (although the arts can be used as a tool to present the Truth of the gospel and to draw people into God's presence). However, I am wondering if God will say to those of us who possess artistic gifts, "Well done! You used all your gifts for my glory and my eternal purposes." This should challenge all of us to think about how God desires us to use our gifts and talents, and, as well, challenge those of us who have the resources and platforms to facilitate these gifts being used for kingdom purposes to consider if we are really doing all that God desires too?
I believe our gifts (which all come from The Creator of all things and the giver of every good gift) will be used in Heaven, and, if so, perhaps we should prepare accordingly by using them for His praise, honor and glory here on earth!
Sing like Jesus is listening, because He is...
Dance like Jesus is watching, because He is...
Draw, Paint, Sculpt like Jesus is observing, because He is...
Write like Jesus is reading, because He is...
Create, Act, Perform like Jesus is your audience, because He is...
Romans 11:36; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Peter 4:10-11; Revelation 4:11
Artists in The Bible (excerpt from the book, "The Heart of the Artist" by Rory Noland):
"Maybe I'm biased, but I think God has a special place in His heart for artists, because so many are mentioned in the Bible. Being an artist was one of the first occupations listed in the early days of the Old Testament, along with agriculture and industry (Genesis 4:21). There are several references to teams of musicians (Nehemiah 10:28-29; Psalm 150:3-5) and other artists (Exodus 31:2-6; 35:30-35). The worship team serving in the temple during David's reign was made up of 288 vocalists (1 Chronicles 25:7). One of the judgments made against Babylon in the book of Revelation was that life would be void of the richness that artists bring (18:22).
Several artists are mentioned by name throughout Scripture. We can't list all of them, so I'll just touch on a few. David was a skillful musician and songwriter (1 Samuel 16:18), someone whom God described as a man after God's own heart. Solomon wrote over one thousand songs (1 Kings 4:32). Kenaniah was a great vocalist and a song leader (1 Chronicles 15:22). There's a group of musicians in 1 Chronicles whom I call the singing percussionists. Their names were Asaph, Heman, and Ethan (15:16-19), and they were vocalists who kept time for everyone by playing the cymbals. Bezalel was cited as a very gifted visual artist (Exodus 35:30-33)."
Some examples of dancers in the Bible:
Miriam (the prophetess) led the other women in a victory dance (or a spontaneous dance of praise) after the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea (Exodus 15:19-20). The Israelite women danced at David's defeat of the Philistine giant, Goliath (1 Samuel 18:6). King David danced before the Lord with all his might while bringing the ark of the Lord in the to city of David (2 Samuel 6:14-16, 21).
Friday, February 22, 2013
THE BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORSHIP & PERFORMANCE
There is a big difference between worship and performance, and worshipers and performers. Performance brings attention to people and their gifts and talents. Worship brings attention to God and His power and love! You will know you've encountered God's presence in a "worship" service when you are more overtaken by the power and love of God than the display of talent by people. Worshipers create an atmosphere where God's Spirit is experienced and hearts are ministered to. Performers create an atmosphere of entertainment and/or excitement, and while it may be enjoyable and emotionally thrilling, there is no spiritual or eternal purpose.
Before we step out to minister using our gifts and talents, lets make sure we've personally soaked in God's Spirit through personal worship, studying His Word, and through prayer. Then the result will be the natural overflow of God's Spirit flowing through us and not merely a display of talent or skill. We can only give what we have received.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to wait and worship in Your presence. Fill me up with Your love, Your power, and Your Spirit until Your fire consumes all that is not of You. May only Your glory be on display.
Not to us O Lord, but to You and Your name alone be glory. Amen (Psalm 115:1)
Before we step out to minister using our gifts and talents, lets make sure we've personally soaked in God's Spirit through personal worship, studying His Word, and through prayer. Then the result will be the natural overflow of God's Spirit flowing through us and not merely a display of talent or skill. We can only give what we have received.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to wait and worship in Your presence. Fill me up with Your love, Your power, and Your Spirit until Your fire consumes all that is not of You. May only Your glory be on display.
Not to us O Lord, but to You and Your name alone be glory. Amen (Psalm 115:1)
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