Experiencing God's Presence #301

I have specifically chosen Bezalel. . . . I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts.

Exodus 31:2-3

One of the most powerful shapers of culture is the arts and entertainment industry. Music, movies, sports, literature, and other forms of creative expression form the opinions of the age far more effectively than speeches, sermons, and instructional books do. It’s tragic, then, that Christians have often isolated themselves from influence in these important areas of society. Many have decided that secular entertainment is too corrupt for a Christian to be involved with. So we’ve left it to voices that don’t reflect anything approaching a biblical worldview. And those voices are usually more dominant than ours.

We’ve missed enormous opportunities to take the Presence into the secular marketplace through entertainment media. Many are trying, some effectively, but we have a lot of ground to regain. Reentering a sector of society we long ago abandoned is a battle. So we struggle to produce “Christian” works for a “Christian” market while the world continues to produce powerful messages with little influence from us. Times are changing, but it’s slow.

God is creative. You’ve probably noticed that in the things He has created. The first people mentioned in the Bible as being filled with His Spirit are two artisans, Bezalel and Oholiab, whose job was to craft the Ark of the Covenant and the articles of worship for the Tabernacle. As children of a creative God, we can be filled with His Spirit for creative purposes too. Inspired works of art can be vehicles of His Presence, messengers of the Kingdom and the King.

Create with whatever creativity God has put within you. Your expression makes you like Him—an Artist whose heart overflows into the works of His hands. The world needs inspired creativity. And His Presence inspires greater works than the world can conceive.

Spirit, fill me with Your expressiveness. Inspire me and equip me—and all of Your people—with the skills to influence culture with the creativity of Your Kingdom.

From the book