Heart Of the Artist Part 4

Heart Of the Artist Part 4:

Philippians 2:1-5 NIV

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Servants Vs. Stars:

Servant-hood is a countercultural notion; it goes against human nature.

Barriers to true servant-hood

·        Attitude of superiority (un-teachable spirit)

·        Misguided pride (The need to be exalted)

·        Insecurity (Needing to boast about ourselves to lift ourselves up)

·        Selfish ulterior motives (self serving recognition)

·        Self-sufficiency (confidence in our own giftedness)

·        Concerns about performance over substance and heart for God

Humility:

Here is what the Bible says about humility:

Ephesians 4:2 NIV 
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Jesus tells us the reason for humbling ourselves before God:

Luke 14:11 NIV 
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Here are other verses to consider about humility:

James 4:10 NIV 
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

1 Peter 3:8 NIV 
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

1 Peter 5:6 NIV 
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

The Bible says that God is opposed to the proud:
 
1 Peter 5:5 NIV

Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

God tends to distance himself from the haughty.

Pride, putting ourselves first, and a lack of humility aren't pleasing to God.

It is imperative that we humble ourselves before God because apart from Him we can do nothing.

John 15:4-5 NIV

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

We should keep in mind that performing onstage, serving in media or doing sound, does not make us any better than anyone else who is faithfully using his or her gifts elsewhere in the church.

It is quite all right to take pleasure in pleasing God with your talent. In fact, that should be one of our main ambitions in life.

We need to die to the desire to be the greatest.

Continue to ask yourself how you can exalt God in Worship without exalting yourself?

Remember who your audience is. Are you really using your talent to please God?

***** Stay focused on ministering to people, as opposed to gratifying 

yourself artistically. Ministry is not about us and our wonderful talents. It's about people. It's about serving others.

1 Peter 4:10 NIV

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

Let’s make it our Goal to please God:

2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV

So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

Exchange self-importance for a life of true significance.

Next time you are onstage performing for a group of people, or operating sound or media, try looking at the congregation of people the same way Jesus would. Jesus has a heart full of compassion for each and every one of them. A good place to start serving others is with those you serve with.

"Serve one another"

Galatians 5:13 NIV

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

"Be devoted to one another"

Romans 12:10 NIV

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

We need to come to a meeting, to a rehearsal, or to a service, ready to serve instead of always asking, "What's in it for me?" or "What can I get out of this?" we need to ask "How can I serve? What can I give?"

******Keep in mind the message is more important than the messenger.

The purpose of my ministry is not to impress people with my art but to demonstrate God's power and love.

******Play your instrument skillfully, run your sound or media with 

excellence, and always strive to focus attention away from yourself 

and point to God. This is not easy to do, but with the right heart, 

you can bring glory to God.

"Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"

1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV 
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

True ministry is about Jesus and whether His message is getting across. (This should be our motivation)

In leading worship we are all background. Jesus Christ is center stage, not us.

He must increase and we must decrease.

Worship must be the most unselfish thing we humans ever do.

Be careful, be alert: Satan will try to get our focus off of Jesus and on to ourselves.

We must always remember ministry is a privilege.

People called of God know that if God has called them to minister, He will equip them to do the work of the ministry, even though it might call for them to grow as people or as artists.

One of the best ways for us to grow spiritually is to daily ingest the principles of God’s Word:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Once we take to heart God’s Word as truth, we then must apply it so it will take hold of our lives. With God’s Word as our guiding principle and playbook for abundant life, not only will we be conformed to the image of Christ, but we have the tools, the heart and the knowledge, to help others on their journey of faith as well.

Personal Questions to Ponder and to be challenged by:

Would other people say I am humble or prideful?

How can I exalt God in Worship without exalting myself?

Am I using my talent to please God or for personal edification?

Do I understand what it is to die to self?

Have an Awesome Weekend………………..Dave