Communication

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C. Sandra Godde, 2002




Redeeming The Arts: Visionaries Of The Future
By Sandra J. Godde



I The Challenge
II A Call to Action
III The Prophetic Task
IV Strategies for War: A Battle Plan
V Barriers to Overcome as Artists who seek God's Glory
VI The Final Battle for the Arts





I The Challenge


Where is Christ's voice in art and culture? Who is bringing the Word of the Lord
to this generation? We are in a battle for the hearts and minds of mankind on a
global level. We are being bombarded on every front and especially through the
media with images and ideas that are anti-God. Have you ever asked yourself why
Harry Potter and endless movies about the supernatural are allowed to take such
a stronghold on the younger generation? Has the false theology of religiosity
deterred the artist and the visionary from the midst of contemporary Christian
culture, leaving big holes for the enemy to stake his territory? Have we made
the mistake of defining ourselves only through negatives? What do we stand for?
Are we providing a true creative alternative to the culture of our day? Where
are the Christian artists, visionaries, film-makers, musicians, actors, dancers,
and television producers? Jesus said "you are the salt of the earth; but if the
salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for
nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men" (Matt
5:13, see also Mark 9:50). Beloved, it is TIME to KNOW the majesty, the
sovereignty, the creativity and the power of our awesome God.

We are in great need of leaders who have a vision for the kingdom of God, a
vision that inspires the creation of images and artistic works that will lead
people toward Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us "you are the light of the world"
(Matt 5:14, see also verse 15,16). The level of peace, joy, compassion, or
justice in our world depends very much on whether God's people are showing it to
the world. All of the arts have tremendous subliminal power to affect cultures
and shape history. The church has, for the most part, underestimated and
misunderstood the importance of the arts as a medium for the Spirit of God to
usher in His kingdom. It is God's ultimate purpose to bring all kingdoms (even
the performing arts arena) under His rulership. Scripture tells us "Thou hast
put all things in subjection under his feet. For in subjecting all things to
him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all
things subjected to him". (Heb 2:8) And God promises us that He will reign over
all things in the future: "the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of
our Lord, and of his Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." (Rev 11: 15b).

Artistic expression is a part of life. Art in all its forms is pervasive and an
essential element of man's environment. The works of significant artists are
powerful and influential. They often guide and instruct the culture they are
birthed in. Artistic works can weaken or destroy the civilisation that they were
created in. Art can enlarge or trivialise the imagination. Therefore the arts
are not neutral; they impact us, and we need to be aware of what they are doing.
Art inescapably affects us. Even unworthy forms are always making their impact
on society. So what are we, as believers, going to do about this fact? Our place
as Christians in this world is meant to be an active one that affects the
generation we live in.


II A Call to Action


God has called us to redefine the enemies' boundaries. "The Son of God appeared
for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8b).
We are to be on the offensive in establishing God's kingdom on earth as it is in
heaven. Song, dance, drama and the visual arts are capable of being some of the
greatest offensive weapons that the body of Christ has. In a highly audiovisual
generation that is becoming increasingly multimedia oriented in its language,
God desires to pour out His divine creativity to captivate the imaginations of
this generation. He needs willing and devoted vessels to do so. Worshipping
warriors are required for the job. Prophetic evangelism is the way of the
future.

We have a responsibility to participate in the affairs of men in a
positive way, to the glory of our Father. The world should be aware
of our presence in the earth (Matt 5: 16) and reap benefits from our
very existence as Christ's ambassadors on earth. The promise to
Abraham was that he would become a great and mighty nation and
in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen 18:18). So
we must ask ourselves, how are we serving our generation and
leading the way to life and godliness through Jesus Christ? We must
understand that there is a spiritual element to all human affairs and
history. When God's people are apathetic and do not intercede or
stand up for what is right, evil is allowed to gain control of a society.
As Christians we are to be concerned about the fundamental issues
of life and the moral and physical condition of our society. What
was going on in the spiritual realm when the tragic events of Sept
11,2001 happened? What was God saying in the aftermath when
many stopped to listen? What is the Lord saying today?.. to you,
your family, your community, and your nation? Beloved, we need to
KNOW something of the heart of God regarding these issues if we
seek to be relevant to those around us.


III The Prophetic Task


The prophetic task of the arts is to break the silence and speak the
truth. It is to let the world know that Christ is alive and He is not
silent. So, what does God require of us? Micah 6:8 tells us ".... to
do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God". By
our obedience we can help establish justice. By our boldness and
our devotion to Christ we can unveil injustice and oppression
and expose social, political and religious evils. We can preach
repentance to win people back into right relationships with God, and
with one another. We can speak of His endless love and mercy. The
prophetic task also involves energising God's people by offering
them God's version of reality: His perspective is the ultimate reality.
We can only know this by His Spirit and through prayer and the
study of His Word. We can show God's possibilities through faith;
offer God's hope in hopeless situations; and encourage people to
walk in new levels of obedience and abundant life. By following the
ways of God there is indeed the possibility of real justice, love,
acceptance, forgiveness and healing. There is a great need to restore
God's people to fulness of life and implant a living hope within them
that will withstand all the storms of this life.

The means of mass communication is expanding and what is
transmitted through the air waves is vying for your attention. We
need to continually pray that God would raise up an army of creative
artists and visionaries to lead the way back to the Lord and to
conquer and outwit the enemy in his plan to steal the hearts and
minds of this generation. We have a mandate to be the voice of God
and speak his truth to our own generation. Our message must
embody what God is doing now and proclaim what God is saying to
this generation. His love endures forever and His character is utterly
consistent but He is also creative and unpredictable in the way He
reveals Himself. We need to be constantly in prayer to know the
heart and mind of God and to be able to know and implement His
strategies.

The arts can indeed be on the front-line in global evangelism,
winning hearts and minds to Jesus Christ. The enemy of our souls
understands the importance of creativity and uses it to compel
mankind to rebel against God. Are we going to allow millions of
young people to fall under the spell of the Dark Prince? How can
we prevent this? We need a vision of the infinitely, superior,
awesome Creator who sings a much sweeter and deeper and purer
song to captivate our hearts and our souls.

Beloved, has not God promised his children power to transform their
society by calling into question the world's ideas and philosophies?
(Rom 12:2) We have been given spiritual weaponry to bring down
every thought and idea that exalts itself above the knowledge of
God. We NEED a VISION of the awesome, loveliness of Christ;
the earth shattering power of a holy God; and the universal power of
the cross of calvary. Where there is no vision, the people perish
(Prov 29: 18). The eternal plan of God is the summing up of all
things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth.
(Eph 1 :9-10). In the times to come, creativity and boldness will
exemplify the front-line in the battle for mankind. And it will be the
people who KNOW their God that shall be strong and do great
exploits to the glory of God (Daniel 11 :32b). The reward of the
harvest will not be for those that sleep or doubt or criticise but for
those who turn to God with a glowing faith and allow Him to be all
in all.


IV Strategies for War: A Battle Plan


Our objective is to take the gospel to all people throughout the world
and to make disciples of all nations. We must constantly refocus our
attention to make sure we are on track. We are to win people to
Christ and help them become obedient to all that God has
commanded. Battles are won when we concentrate our efforts rather
than dissipate our energies in too many directions. So seek God for
your place in His plan and then be careful to obey all that He shows
you. Remember that God has a body of believers and we are all to
play a significant part in His overall plan.

Security involves knowing about your enemy and having continual
protection against him. It also means having a final line of defense
past which the enemy cannot penetrate. For us, this is the blood of
the Lamb and the word of our testimony. I believe there are very
specific powers and principalities that have controlled the
performing arts arena for a long time, and we need to identify what
these are and advance forward to conquer these ruling authorities
and dislodge them from the high places of power. We can't afford to
waste time and energy fighting the wrong enemy, for example,
criticizing and competing with one another. It's time to know the
real enemy and expose him, for our fight is not against flesh and
blood but against principalities and powers in the spiritual realm
(Eph 6:12).



V Barriers to Overcome as Artists who seek God's Glory


The following ideas are taken from Scott MacLeod's book entitled
"Snakes In The LobbY"l in which he documents a vision the Lord
revealed to him regarding the state of the Christian Music Industry
and the powers that were seeking to weaken their witness to the
world. I believe they apply equally to the whole performing arts
arena. Let's now look at the enemies of our soul with the purpose of
identifying and uprooting that which is holding us back from being
all that God intended for us to be as artists. In order to reflect the
glory of our Father we need to be cleansed, purified, and yielded to
God so we can mirror His eternal nature.

The vision entailed a lobby full of Christian artists talking and
networking with each other and also showed a plethora of snakes
which represented different powers or spirits that were present,
drawing people away from a pure devotion to Christ.

The largest snake was SELF PROMOTION. This snake inspired his
victims with a hunger to be bigger and bigger. His influence seemed
to be ubiquitous. This could be otherwise stated as SELF
INTEREST, an excessive longing to be known and recognised by
others. It is the main barrier between us and God's kingdom. It is
the striving to establish our own kingdom instead of building God's
kingdom. I believe that to overcome this very deep, magnetic pull
that we all struggle with, requires a very deep and real knowledge of
God's love for us personally. When we understand WHO HE IS and
how infinitely superior He is to us, we can rest in His love for it is
more than sufficient for us, and we are content to be hid in the
beloved, and then we concentrate fully on building HIS kingdom,
having been fully convinced of His worthiness and greatness. Our
own need is met in Him.

The second snake to appear was LUST. This was the charmer, the
chameleon, changing colours and appearance according to the
desires of those under its power. This snake had a hypnotic quality,
drawing in its victims by deceptive flattery with the promise of
gaining attention and power for themselves by drawing upon His
power. Again, this snake appeals to the self-conceit in all of us and
must be resisted by reckoning ourselves dead to self and self interest.

The next two snakes were intertwined with each other and they were
PRIDE AND INSECURITY. These spirits are characteristically
found together and cause their victims to vacillate between the two.
One minute they are puffed up with pride and self importance and
the next they are wallowing around in the dust with a woeful self-
image. Both extremes are ungodly and lack humility. These spirits
of pride and insecurity bring misery to those ensnared by them and
unfortunately it is hard to break loose from them because pride won't
allow the victim to admit any kind of weakness, insecurity, or feeling
of failure. Humility and contriteness of heart is the key to
deliverance from these strongholds. Humbling yourself before
Almighty God will allow you to receive a healthy self-image based
on God's Word and a reverential fear and respect for The Lord of
Hosts.

The next snake to appear was THE FEAR OF MAN. This spirit
caused its victims to only be concerned about who was who and how
they were being perceived by others. It is a very nervous and
agitated spirit that ensnares the one it holds in its power. It is a spirit
of bondage that leads to death as the fear of man prevents us from
rightly fearing God. It often causes its victims to be paralyzed with
fear. The remedy to the fear of man is to fear God - to have a
revelation of the holiness of God that causes you to reverence Him.

On the roof of the lobby was yet another snake called JEALOUSY.
This is the spirit of envy that causes its victim to bum up inside with
fury and covetousness. It attacks the high places because it wants
these high places for itself. It spurs one on with a competitive spirit
which is contrary to the spirit of Christ.

There were other smaller snakes hovering around the periphery of
the room. They were bitterness, criticism, unforgiveness, self-pity,
and self-righteousness. All these spirits cause spiritual blindness and
make us helpless and vulnerable to the enemy's attack. This vision
was revealed to show us how we all unknowingly can fall under the
powers of the Great Serpent.

The most respectable snake to appear was the SPIRIT OF
RELIGION. This snake had a thirst for power and control and
included many of the other qualities of pride, insecurity, lust,
jealously, self-promotion, fear of man etc. They were all hidden in
this big white snake. It is the spirit of self righteousness and
religious pride, an insidious and deceptive power, that creeps into the
church from time to time. Unchecked this spirit will lead to a spirit
of murder. It causes people to do evil or tolerate it, and all along
believe they are doing right and even doing God's service.

Later the SPIRIT OF DEATH made an appearance and caused its
victims to be overcome with despair and hopelessness. It causes
people to give up, to lose faith, and can result in suicide or other self-
destructive behaviour. It can only be overcome with the blood of
Jesus and His resurrection power.

Now, we are all probably familiar with these spirits because they
have sought to overcome us all at various times. God, in His mercy,
reveals these things to us that we might understand and know the
poverty of our own spirits and turn to Him with utter dependence
and reverence. Our gracious Lord reveals these things in our own
hearts first, so we can uncover all that is contrary to faith and walk in
His light which is the truth that will set us free. God's conviction
comes so as we can choose Him and be free from our sin, our self-
life, and this world. Being cleansed by His blood and appropriating
the power of the cross delivers us from all this wickedness and anti-
God sentiments that try to control us.

Humility is something we are required to cultivate. Don't ask God to
humble you - humble yourself under His mighty hand. Humility
leads to grace and grace leads to real love and compassion for others
who are still spiritually blind. The true light of God's piercing Holy
Spirit renders all other powers inoperative. These snakes are not
afraid of you when you are hiding in your own darkness and
deception but when you confess the sin in your heart and turn from
it, God's holy presence takes over possession of your soul and sin
cannot survive in that environment. Then, you are equipped and
prepared to face the outside enemies. Serpents don't engage with
you in battle when they see you are properly clothed in the armour of
God. They are scared of the blood of Jesus and the Word of God
spoken with faith. Your faith and fearlessness is terror to them
because they know of their condemnation by the righteous judge.
Therefore, to walk in the authority needed to resist evil, one must be
fully surrendered to God.

Therefore, let love and truth conquer you first before you venture out
to conquer spiritual territory for the cause of Christ. You cannot do
it on your own. You cannot do it without Him. Learn to allow God
to live in you and make His abode in you. Learn to love as the
Father loves. Can you love your enemies yet? Can you bless those
who curse you? Can you forgive those who have offended you? Are
you careful to preserve the bonds of fellowship within the body of
Christ? Don't attempt to do the work of God without the power of
God. Let Christ have his way deep in your soul, transforming your
character into His likeness, and equipping you with power from on
high.


VI The Final Battle for the Arts


The present reality is that the prince of darkness is operating like the
"Pied Piper" in the performing arts realm. He is the power behind a
large portion of the music and video industry seeking to shape
people's perception of reality according to his anti-God sentiments
and his hatred for the saints of God. There are many ensnared by the
hypnotic trance of this prince, that was once the covering worship
angel of God. But now Lucifer has become Satan and his perverted
gifts have brought him down to earth with a fury. His goal is to
obliterate anything precious to Almighty God who has become his
arch enemy.

Many are following him and singing the songs and
doing the dances of Babylon. The ways of the world are opposite to
the ways of God. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not
in you. (1 John 2:15). Even many of the sons and daughters of God
have chased after the creativity of the world and are now under the
curse of the prince of the power of the air. They have become the
tail and not the head. They have stolen glory for themselves and not
given glory to God. They have used their gifts for their own gain,
worshipping and serving worldly things like prestige, popularity,
money, music and dance. They have coveted the praises of man
instead of the approval of God. They have had divided hearts. They
have left their first love. And God is grieved. God is looking for
worshippers in spirit and truth. His eyes roam the whole earth
looking for hearts that are perfect toward Him. The Pied Piper is
hungry to keep his spiritual territory because he knows the
tremendous power of music and the arts.

Beloved, the Lord is calling us to "COME OUT OF HER". The
Lord is calling His artists to come out of Babylon, "the ways of this
world", and tap into the infinite, creativity of the true and living God.
The Lord is calling all those who have ears to hear to stand before
the presence of the Living God, and drink in His revelation and
wisdom and inspiration to take the Word of the Lord and feed it to
the people, lest they perish under the spell of the Dark Prince. God
is looking for people to be His Voice. Are you willing? I believe we
have to understand what it means to fear God, to walk in
His wisdom, to hear His voice, and to speak it boldly and without
fear.

The Holy Spirit is wanting to inspire His people with songs and
dances of deliverance, healing, and comfort. When we tap into the
inspiration that comes from heaven through prayer, our creative
works bring life, and connect people spirit to spirit. People can then
taste and see that the Lord is GOOD. All of creation groans for the
sons and daughters of God to arise and take their proper authority in
the earth by allowing the Lordship of Christ to rule their lives and
take over their wills. True worship involves all of our beings and all
of our faculties. It is a matter of Lordship...... unashamedly
declaring Christ as Lord of all. We are transformed as we worship.
The Holy Spirit of God brings genuine love in our hearts for others
and a sense of community and harmony with one another.

When we seek God for our creativity and inspiration He charges us
with new energy; when we wait upon the Lord, He renews our
strength and causes us to rise up on the wings of an eagle. The song
and movement of praise and rejoicing in heaven is contagious.
There is no fear, no self-consciousness, no inhibitions or bondage.
Praise frees us. Spiritual strongholds are demolished, walls of
hostility and division fall, resentment, bitterness and unforgiveness
cannot breathe in the atmosphere of heaven and praise. God restores
our soul. We begin to laugh and dance and sing like carefree
children again. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2
Cor 3:17).

God is calling forth an army of worshipping warriors who have first
conquered the battle in their own hearts and unequivocally given the
reigns of their lives to Christ and are ready and willing to follow the
Master's bidding. Soldiers must be obedient. They must be trained,
disciplined, and ready to follow commands. The call comes forward
from heaven "Let my people go" so they might worship me in spirit
and truth. We must disentangle ourselves from this world, from self,
and from sin and be wholly aligned with the purposes of the Most
High God. Then a powerful and unified army of holy warriors will
emerge all over this earth to cover it with the Word of God and the
good news of the gospel. Then He will Come! Christ will return.
But not before His gospel is spread all over the earth.

Music and art are primary ways of communicating within our
culture. Art is a language that transcends barriers of age, religion,
sex, politics etc. and reaches to the heart. It is a language that uses
images, symbols, colour and sound to evoke universal responses
from our psyche. We cannot afford to dismiss this means of
communication. Our enemy certainly has not. The anointed arts are
one of the most powerful evangelism tools the Lord has given us.
May His artists, filled with the inspiration of heaven, the power of
the Spirit, and the glory of God resting in their characters, carry the
message of the gospel and the presence of our Lord to every corner
of this earth. Who will stand and volunteer for the job?






I MacLeod, Scott. Snakes In The Lobby. 1998.
Morning Star Publications, Charlotte, NC. U.S.A.

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