As Christian Creatives we have been endowed with a prophetic calling.
One thing I have learned from observing my friend Bruce Van Patter is that the Christian Creative life is really about seeing God in the mundane and pointing it out.
It is about seeing God in the everyday, in the ordinary – and sharing that revelation with those hearts and minds we have been entrusted with (our audience) as vividly as possible.
This is what I mean when I say ‘prophetic’. It’s about seeing the Mystery of God and making it relevant, translating the sound and vision of Heaven into a more understandable medium.
This medium takes various forms – from film, animation and photography, to painting, sculpting, drawing, sketching – the written and spoken word, music in all its forms, and performative arts – drama and dance – artists are artisans building the Tabernacle of God’s praise.
In Exodus 31 we read about a man named Bezalel: Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— 8 the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand— 10 and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.”
Rabbinical tradition teaches us that the wisdom of Bezalel – who was just thirteen at the time of this great work (Sanhedrin 69b) – is that he immediately understood the blueprint that God gave Moses for the Tabernacle – apparently, even better than Moses himself – so much so that Moses exclaimed that Bezalel must have been in the ‘shadow of the Almighty’ when He was sharing the blueprint.
Many interpret this scripture – verse 3 – to imply that Bezalel was taught by the Lord – that the Holy Spirit endowed Bezalel with the ability – not only to produce through the work of his hands, but to reproduce through teaching – to build a fitting place for the God of Heaven and Earth to abide in.
His craftmanship and artistry was so impressive that there is a school of art and design named after him in Jerusalem as well as an art movement in the Middle East.
God gave him the ability to see the designs of Heaven and translate it into the tangible.
This is a work of co-creating with the Holy Spirit.
It is the practice of listening to the guidance and leading, the unction of the Spirit, and translating it.
Your art is meant to be more than just an empty vessel – your art is meant to be a vehicle for the presence of God. The Tabernacle was moveable. It went from place to place as they wandered in the desert. Art likes to move. Your art is supposed to be a movement. Your art is supposed to be the Tabernacle of God’s praise carrying His presence into dry and barren places.
Your art is meant to be a form of praise.
Your art is meant to be a form of worship.
God inhabits the praises of His people.
Your art is meant to be full of God.
Your art is meant to be a testimony, an epistle to both the believer and the unbeliever. In the Old Testament whenever God did something for His people they would build altars of various shapes and sizes. Your art is meant to be a testimony – the story of God’s grace and mercy and love in your life. The testimony of how Heaven has invaded your life.
Your art is meant to be full of God.
Your art is supposed to be transformative – speaking to the dry and barren places in the lives of others and bringing streams of life and abundance, stirring up hope and renewal.
Your art is supposed to be reformative – it is supposed to make bold statements. It is supposed to challenge the extant culture (inside and outside the Church) and, where it might have strayed, point it back to God. As you sculpt and mould your word, your sound, your image – may God make it a work that sculpts, moulds and shapes culture.
Jesus uses the ‘Our Father’ to teach the disciples how to pray. One of the key phrases is ‘Thy will be done, Thy Kingdom come, on Earth as it is in Heaven…”
This should be our mindset when creating any sort of piece – that the Kingdom of Heaven might come alive in us, through us and around us.
My prayer for you, my fellow creative, is that the work of your hands will glorify our Creator.
That as He inspires you – breathes into you – that you will exhale – faithfully express what God has entrusted you with.
Be bold in your expression. Announce the Kingdom, proclaim the Good News, propagate the Gospel using whatever brush, instrument or tool God has placed in YOUR hand.
David was given a sling and some stones. Let your voice (however that voice might look) as your sling and your art as your stones and you will see giants falling in the lives of those around you. If you faithfully wield the weapon that God has placed in YOUR hand you will slay dragons. You will overcome evil – we will take new ground.
God gave you your art to build His Tabernacle – to make His invisible qualities known, to make known His glory and His beauty and to translate the sound and vision of Heaven into something tangible – so that our longing for Him, our desire for Him and our knowledge of Him might increase.
He inspires you to inspire others towards action.
Take action today.
My brother, my sister – do not hide your light under a bushel. Pick up the tools of your trade.
Create something awesome and full of God today.
If you need help in the process, prayer or would just like to know more about Jesus call or whatsapp:
Men’s contact: Andre Labuschagne 065 370 3806
Ladies’ contact: Kailie Labuschagne: 079 037 4024
For professional counselling: 066 290 6339 / info@raphacontact.co.za
For help with addiction issues / pastoral counseling: 065 370 3806 / andre@adlabuschagne.co.za