There is a greater storyline at play right now, beyond the noise of culture and society at large. God is establishing a Kingdom, one that will not be shaken. As creators and artists we have a unique invitation to contribute to this story as Heaven invades the earth.
“Be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
To be filled with the Spirit means to be fully consumed and under the influence of Him, to such a degree that our actions and words are directed and infused with Him. In this age of noise and distraction it’s vital that we live lives filled with the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit fills us, we step beyond the emotional and physical realm and into the realm of the Spirit. In the Spirit we begin to partner with Heaven and we are transformed. In the Spirit we become prophetic mouthpieces speaking and releasing the truths and possibilities of God into the earth.
As we partner with Him our very lives echo the prayer Jesus prayed:
“Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
A Season Of First Things.
Tucked away in those early Old Testament books that we usually speed through in our Bible reading plans, we see an amazing transition in the relationship between God and man.
Hidden within those lists of rules, laws, commandments and sacrifices is an amazing spiritual shift. No longer would the presence of God be reserved for individuals on rare occasions, but God had made the decision to reside with the nation of Israel and dwell in their midst on a continual basis.
Imagine that! In the middle of the desert, the great and awesome God of the universe was revealing His glory in a tent and He promised that He would remain there. This was a significant development in the spiritual life of the Israelites.
Spirit-filled People In Shifting Cultures
Whenever humanity enters a period of shifting it seems as if God always raises up individuals to usher in His purposes on the earth. It’s no accident that from this back drop of change God was anointing individuals to lead in the change. It’s during this season that we read the very first account in Bible of the Holy Spirit filling an individual. His name was Bezalel.
“‘See I have chosen Bezalel... and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all skill - to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.”
For a long time I was confused why the first person in the Bible to be filled with the Holy Spirit was a creative type. Then it dawned on me - Bezalel was more than just an artist he was an enabler.
By building the Tabernacle, Bezalel was establishing a place at the heart of Israel where God’s presence would remain. It was a partnership with the purposes of Heaven. Bezalel was creating a space for people to encounter God both for the nation in his time but also for future generations to come.
Creating In Partnership With God
When we use our creative gifts in partnership with the Holy Spirit we join with what God is releasing in the earth.
A similar example would be King David who wrote many of the Psalms we read today. David had come to know God in such an intimate way that he was able to express personal struggles and doubts as well as celebrate in the goodness of God. David would frequently say, “God you are my God” and the Bible referred to him as a “man after God’s own heart.”
Not content to keep this relationship to himself David went on to hire 288 singers and musicians who would sing psalms before the Lord and lead a whole nation into a more personal interaction with God. Prophetic-art is more than just a creative expression it’s about partnering with what God is saying and doing; and the prophetic opens up doors for others to enter into that experience too.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
God is active today and as we allow ourselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we can begin to partner with what He is saying and doing. When we are directed and led by Him, our art no longer just serves our own desires and ambitions, but instead we join with the symphony God is writing of His Kingdom coming to earth as it is in Heaven.
Devaluing The Gift
When we reduce the value of creativity to just a performance we miss the purpose of it. Art is prophetic by nature.
As Christian artists we are invited to partner with the Kingdom of God. In the Spirit we hold the power to drive back the prevailing narratives and usher in the reign of Heaven.
Our art has the ability to create channels where the river of God can flow, making salt waters fresh and bringing life to places that are dead. Our art has the power to release revival to a dry and thirsty land, if we chose to create in partnership with Heaven.
The question is who do we want to partner with as artists?
Amazing Grace
Social injustice has been brought to the surface again in our time! For those who know me, you will know that racial reconciliation and justice are very big things for me. The last few months have left me with a whole lot of questions and forced me back on my knees once again about this issue.
As I was praying God reminded me of a video I saw at the beginning of the Lockdown. The Charing Cross Hospital broadcasted a recording of the 250 year old hymn Amazing Grace on loudspeakers from the their roof. Such a powerful sound was released that echoed across the neighbourhood causing people to walk out of their houses and into the streets to experience the moment.
The words of this hymn were written in London back in the 18th Century by a former slave trader called John Newton. John’s encounter with the Spirit of God bought about such a conviction of sin in his life, that it led him to walk away from the darkness of the slave trade and into a life fighting for the abolition of slavery.
One encounter with the presence of God transformed a desperately wicked an evil man into an amazing advocate for justice. John partnered with the chorus of Heaven along with many other God fearing people in his day to usher in a little bit more of Heaven on earth. And just months before he passed away, he lived to see the Slave Trade abolished across the British Empire.
The hymn Amazing Grace continues to echo throughout the generations declaring the power of God who can take the worst of sinners, transform them and use them to release His purposes on the earth.
Join The Story
So here we are it’s 2020 and we find ourselves in a period of shaking once again.
Now is the time for us to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us afresh with His power so we can move beyond the surface level of fame, ambition and pride. Now is the time to enter into partnership with what God is doing.
Injustice, pain, confusion and dismay are the birth pangs of the Kingdom come.
Now is the time as creators that we get real with God again. Now is the time for us to dig into the scripture and wrestle in prayer. Let’s not just strive to be well known artists but instead, press on until we become a prophetic generation crying out in the wilderness of our modern society.
“Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
