These Things...Ought Not to Be!

...Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. ~ James 3:10 (NKJV)

     Liturgical arts have come a long way in the past few years. Ministries and groups are becoming more well-versed in technique and becoming more innovative, even edgy with their presentations. Multi-media platforms and creative risk-taking are all commonplace in church services, conferences, and concert settings. But...some of us are forgetting that our focus is still communicating The Good News of Christ, which is that Christ was born, was crucified, died, was buried, and is now alive so that we can be free, if we turn away from our sins, believe with all of our hearts, and personally confess that this is true, and start living for God and not ourselves. This means that whatever we do has to: (1) Be inspired of God; (2) Be based on His Word, the Bible, and (3) Reveal God to people. It is not to entertain, amuse, or placate the audience, and although there is a performance aspect involved, in the context of worship, that is not our purpose. We are simply there in front of the audience to offer out of our relationship with God, a visual representation of His Word, ways, and nature, possibly in a way that hasn't been revealed to them before.

There were some Greeks in town who had come up to worship at the Feast. They approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee: "Sir, we want to see Jesus. Can you help us?"

~ John 12:21 (MSG)

     Having studied Theatre and Dance for many years, I am always interested in seeing different types of presentations in church, but this latest video should concern most of us. In a church service, Thriller, yes that one...was danced to after a message about Ezekiel 37, the story of The Valley of Dry Bones in which God asked the prophet: "Son of Man, can these bones live?" Please let me say that as an artist, I have no problem with the artform of Thriller as a music video, and I have enjoyed Michael Jackson's music as much as anyone else, BUT, Thriller is a song and video about Halloween, zombies, and fear. The dancers in the original video were second to none, and the dancers in this new video did a good job with their modified version of Michael Jackson's and Michael Peters' choreography. However, they should have found different music and let God inspire them to do completely different choreography for their ministry, simply because people will automatically hear that song, see the dance and will either compare it with the original, miss the entire point completely because they are totally caught up what they have already seen and heard before , or simply be entertained by an exciting performance. In other words, it's inappropriate for a house of worship! Why? because, what aspect of God's Word are they presenting with a music track that was composed for a song about the powers of darkness? And, other than the fact that their performance was well done, what aspect of God was revealed to the people, some of whom may never hear The Good News again? There are many others, but these are the first ones that come to mind.

But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord,
And of justice and might,
To declare to Jacob his transgression
And to Israel his sin.

~ Micah 3:8 (NKJV)

...And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
~ Acts 2: 16-18 (NKJV)

    I rarely post about ministry presentations that are controversial, and certainly am not writing about this for the sake of controversy; but we need to have intelligent, non-judgemental dialogue about what is going on around us, as well being sure that we keep the worship arts focused on Christ, and not become a second-rate copy of what the secular arena has already done. Truly there is a problem here, and the solutions are not in condemning those who are promoting these activities, but in directing them towards God's Word.  All of the creativity and style that we need, come from Him, the original Creator.  Most importantly, we must have a real, born-again relationship with God, and not just blindly follow the latest trend that comes around. There are so many up-and-coming artists in the church with phenomenal talent, but they must always remain true to their own voice, and not simply become a copy of someone else's past glory. Watch...and be prayerful.

                                             

When God Calls...

       It always amazes me to see Christian artists soliciting ministry opportunities on social networking sites. In other words, when someone posts an event that they are sponsoring or participating in, such as a concert, conference, or workshop, there will always be one or more people who will ask for a spot on the program. Whatever happened to practice (to become skillful), preparation (to become effective), and prayer (for God to open doors)? This does not mean that we are to be passive (lazy) or to stop reaching out to connect with like-minded people, but what are our real motives for doing so? Do we have a hidden agenda? Unless there is an open call for dance, drama, mime or an open mic for spoken word, it is never appropriate to call and ask to be put "on program".  Trust me on this, it isn't.

     In the secular arena, casting directors call agents or managers for the talent they want for their productions. Performers do not call casting directly, but if casting is interested, they will call the agent. That's where the saying "Don't call us...we'll call you" came from. In God's kingdom, the Holy Spirit is the casting agent for ministries that have God's backing. If we have practiced, prepared ourselves and have prayed for God to open doors for us, He knows where we are, and will make sure that our name gets on the "A" (Approved) list for the places where He wants us to be. We never have to fight or compete for an opportunity to teach, minister or do anything else when we are depending on God to provide for us. In fact, when we become competitive, it shows that we really are not ready to do the work that we are seeking to do. Think about this: What are you imparting to others if you have to fight and argue to teach that class or present that dance?

      Recently, an event was announced, and I really wanted to minister there. I prayed and asked God to open the door for me, I even had the appropriate song to minister. The people hosting the event knew me well. But...God didn't open the door, and when I attended the event, guess what song was ministered on the program? I was even asked by one person in leadership at the event why I didn't minister. We can want something, but if God does not want it for us, we have to accept His will, instead of always trying to fight and make ways for ourselves. In my heart I was disappointed, because I believe that I would have done an excellent job, but God saw past all of that and apparently, that was not the assignment for me  for any number of reasons.

     There is more than enough room for everyone to minister in the unique places where God is calling us. Let's allow the ultimate casting agent to send us to where He wants us to be! (Rev. 3:7-8).