Re-Thinking Evangelism: Artistic Opportunities for Artists and Those With a Heart to Reach Out to the Lost Through Loving Relationships
-- by G. Wiebe - Oct. 2007
The past couple of decades, but especially the past 10 years or so, have been a continuing major journey for me in re-thinking evangelism/discipleship and reaching out to the lost. I'll include more in the future, as this seems to be something many are experiencing...
From my conversations with numerous others about this from various nations, it seems that the Holy Spirit is doing many similar things and teaching similar things to the hearts of many others, as well, and it is exciting to hear and see the desire of many to become involved, together, in being salt and light in the world in light/life-giving and creative ways as we follow Jesus one step at a time, listen to what He's saying, see what He is doing and doing it by the power of His Spirit as we trust in Him.
I feel like I'm still just barely beginning this journey compared to what it seems is still to come!...and it seems that is a common feeling...Thankfully we can do all things through Christ! We are to be child-like in faith and recognize that our dependence is on/in Him, that in our weakness He is strong, and that our competence is in HIM. We can be confident that He wants us to grow in this because He has called us to be His messengers of reconciliation. Therefore, we can move forward on this adventure with Him and others on the journey to see where He's going to take us.
Because of my long history of involvement in missions, it seems there are a lot of things I learned which I am having to unlearn, or things I failed at and have to learn from, and aspects which I am increasingly seeing differently the more the Holy Spirit leads me! It is indeed an adventure of learning to follow HIM as THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE (in this area as well as in every other area) as He leads in His desire to have me be a messenger of reconciliation as He has called me to be...so I am coming at this as a fellow-learner who is called, together with the rest of His Body, to be a messenger/s of reconciliation and to go out to where the people are.
One of the things that has been growing on my heart for some years, and which some other artistic friends of mine also share, is the desire to use the artistic gifts God has given us (ie. in Proverbs we are told that 'the gift opens the way for the giver') in order to be a way that He can communicate His Truth and love to people.
God's art has opened the way for Him, and He wants to open doors for His artists through His artistic gifts through them, as well!
Interestingly, the first way we see God revealed in Gen. 1:1 is as God the Artist! God's art is so powerful that we can see in Rom. 1 (first part) that 'man is without excuse'....He displays His character and glory through His art, and He has made us, including His artists, in His image. Of course a major part of that is through His creative nature!
The arts have a vital role in Scripture and in His ultimate purposes, and they are a powerful way that God has communicated with us through His Word and throughout history through His creation. Satan has been well aware of this and so has concentrated much of his efforts into corrupting, abusing and deceiving artists for his own purposes throughout history....but it is a time in which God is restoring His artists and calling/preparing them for the role He has for them in these days and the coming season...
A major role of His disciples (and in this case His artists) is to proclaim and display His life, power and character! This is to be through their lives - which are also His art, and through the artistic gifts He has given, etc.! His Word is full of the use of His artistic gifts also given to His servants of righteousness, to depict or symbolize spiritual realities. So we need to understand how significant the arts are and give them not a higher place than God gives them, but also not give them a lower place than God gives them in His scheme of things.
In a day in which the written word is quickly having much less impact than the world of the arts, it is encouraging that God is and has been increasingly waking up His artists and stirring up His artistic gifts in them, and is continuing to stir them up in His sons and daughters so they can be a way of expressing His Light to the lost in this crucial time.
One of the things deeply on my heart is to encourage God's musicians and artists in order to see them encouraged, strengthened, equipped and released into His Kingdom purposes for them...as a part of a well-rounded lifestyle that is focused on The Way, The Truth and The Life - seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
To that end, if there are others among you that are wanting to potentially network with others in the region that share a desire to see God use your artistic (and other) gifts TOGETHER WITH OTHERS to reach out to the lost as He leads, I would love to hear from you... If you would like some resources to help encourage you in these ways, let me know, and I would love to connect with you about that, as well.
Several of us have already begun to talk and pray about some possible upcoming opportunities.
One of them is the idea of facilitating a multicultural music and arts fair type of thing, to give people an opportunity, whether believers or non-believers, to show and sell their art. (There would, of course, need to be some parameters in place for the type of art that would be able to be presented). This could be a good way for Jesus-followers and the lost to potentially connect and begin to develop relationships from there, as the Lord may lead. It could also be a way to encourage both believing and lost artists, and be a way for us, if God provides the right opportunities, to also share His heart for artists and how they are a vital part of His big picture...this could be done in a way which presents life-giving Truth and encouragement to them as artists and offers a relationship with THE ARTIST, but which is also not done in a 'preachy' way....
Having it be a multicultural time shared together could also be a way to give people that don't often rub shoulders with people of other cultures an opportunity to do so and potentially develop relationships which will enable them to see people of other cultures from a deeper perspective which could encourage a deeper love for them as the Holy Spirit leads them into relationship/s.
We are sensing, at this time, that we may be facilitating this type of opportunity to be 'Jesus with skin on' in perhaps the spring or summer of 2008.
In the meantime, some of you may know of or become connected with some multicultural friends or artists that you could be praying for and which you may wish to invite, at that time, to become involved in something like this...This may be a way of seeing others in the Body potentially ministering with you to this person (or these people) as the Lord may open the doors for that...Or perhaps if you're an artist, you would like to pray about specific art works to make for that type of event, or perhaps you have some already which you would like to display and sell.
Details will be forthcoming as we go, but I wanted to let you know about this already to give you some idea about it and to also find out what your interest level might be, as well as giving you time to perhaps prepare as the Lord may lead.
Great Commission Worship & Arts Center