Heart Of the Artist Part 5:
Matthew 16:24 NIV
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Die to Selfishness:
As
artists there is a tendency to be self absorbed. In some cases there may be
those who are prima
donnas (A temperamental, conceited person).
The
Bible tells us how we should treat others:
Philippians 2:3-4 NIV
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.
Nobody should
seek his own good, but the good of others.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NIV
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does
not boast, it is not proud.
It
is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Romans 12:10 NIV
Be devoted to one another
in brotherly love. Honor one another
above yourselves.
***There is no room on a
Worship Team for a prima donna.
Take a look at
these Worship Band Guidelines:
Our goal:
Excellence in Character and Worship.
Our desire:
Continual growth in faith in Christ, spiritual
maturity and musical ability to
lead worship with
excellence.
Musical Abilities
and Attitude:
You must
have a better than average musical proficiency in voice or musical instrument
or both.
You must have an understanding
and technical ability to follow the music and chart arrangements provided for
that week. You must listen
to the music, Video’s/MP3s provided,
practice and be prepared for the rehearsal and Worship. You must
be on time and establish a good rapport with the rest of the Worship band. We
do not tolerate anyone who is unkind,
ungracious, or self-serving. Our desire is to incorporate those who have a
heart for Christ. We are not looking for
those who want a gig or a way to use the Church as springboard to success in
the music world. We offer musical training, mentoring
and discipleship and through these things we strive for excellence in God’s
eyes. Our true test of a Worship Band musician’s
attitude is the way in which they follow leadership. You must be able to follow
leadership and maintain an attitude of grace
and respect at all times.
Spiritual
Requirements:
All our
regular adult musicians are followers of Jesus. It is important that our
musicians know the reasons why they are serving
God as well as having the desire and commitment to do so through the object of
their faith, Jesus Christ. We emphasize that
those who desire to be in the Worship Band have an on going and growing
relationship with Jesus. This growing relationship
needs to evident in the lives of those who serve on this team. If this is not
the case we would ask that person to take
time away from the team in order to work on this area of their life. Our Goal is to have those who participate in
our Worship
be fine examples of Godly character to others through the way they model their
relationship with Jesus. Since our musicians
maintain a high visibility week in and week out, it is important that they are
examples to those in our congregation, of
humility, grace, and great character.
In Conclusion:
At this
Church we understand the importance for our musicians to have both great
musical ability and great character. Our desire
is that both qualities are present in those who serve. However, we would prefer
a person with great character, a heart for
Jesus, and a better than average musical ability, over one with great musical
ability, who self-serving and preferring to bring
glory to themselves over God. We believe that in order to serve God’s kingdom
with excellence one has to put God
first
keeping a true heart and love for Jesus Christ at the center of their lives.
The
above guidelines are very important because they focus on a person’s attitude
and character. We
must strive to be Christ-like and our attitude of love for others should extend
far beyond our Church family
and other brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to impact the world for
Jesus.
Take some time and pray
that you would consider the needs of others above your own.Considering the needs of
others above your own is key to becoming a humble artist.
Where
in your area of influence can you die to self by being Christ-centered instead
of self –centered?
Ministry is a
privilege
Good things to
remember:
God is in the business of
bringing lost people to salvation
God has entrusted us to
spread God’s Word and “make disciples of all nations”.
Matthew 28:19 NIV
Therefore go and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the
Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Serving God is a way to honor Him. We have to serve
motivated out of love for God:
Mark 12:30 NIV
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind and with all your strength.
Artistry is important in
the service of God. This is implied when the psalmist called God’s people to praise him
with the trumpet, harp, lyre, tambourine, strings, flute, cymbals, and dancing
Psalm 150:3-5 NIV
Praise
him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise
him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
praise
him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals
God will equip us to do
ministry. (We receive spiritual gifts that combine with our talents)
From Romans 12 here is a list of some spiritual gifts:
The ministry of Spiritual Gifts originates in the New Testament,
commissioned by our Lord Jesus Christ. After He established His church on the earth and ascended to
Heaven, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to equip His church with power and spiritual gifts so that His disciples
could continue to carry out His ministry objectives.
Do you know your spiritual
gift? Do you know that spiritual gifts are supposed to be used to edify and equip God’s
kingdom?
Ephesians 4:10-12 NLT
And
the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens,
so
that he might fill the entire universe with himself. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles,
the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their
responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up
the church, the
body of Christ.
Even though the arts are
not mentioned as specific spiritual gifts, God is still the designer of our
DNA. We have specific talents
God wants us to use for His Glory, honor and praise. Our number one goal is for us to lead people to
Christ.
Setting
healthy boundaries
Ask yourself, are you
serving too much? (Are you burning out?)
Healthy boundaries are a
must if we’re going to serve the Lord with joy and gladness.
Serving an
audience of one
Ask yourself, am I content
to serve an audience of one?
Am I serving for God’s
approval over the approval of others?
Galatians 1:10 NIV
Am I now trying
to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still
trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Many
people struggle with being a servant when they have to labor in obscurity.
There
are times when we will feel taken for granted, forgotten and ignored.
Ask your self this
question, what would you rather do, labor in obscurity for God or be famous for doing
something insignificant with your life?
Question to
ponder
Can you think of someone in
your life that’s been a positive example for servant-hood for you?
What truly
satisfies the soul
Even if we choose to live a
Christ-centered life there will be times we
will put ourselves ahead of others. We
will think of our own needs
first because of the struggle of defining who we
are in a fallen world.
For many, defining success still stems from a non-biblical
worldview
and the idea of pleasing man as opposed to pleasing God. We want
our desires fulfilled in a way that leaves us satisfied with our own accomplishments.
Yet, the truth is, we will never be satisfied with
what the world is able to
provide. fame, fortune and earthly pleasures
are things that are only temporary and
cannot satisfy our real need;
to have a relationship with our heavenly Father. This
God sized hole
designed into the depths of each of our hearts can only be filled
through a real relationship with Jesus. In each of us there is a thirst,
a desire for truth. Many people search a lifetime without receiving
the offer of the free gift of eternal
life. God makes this promise:
Through a true relationship with him he will fill in each of
us that
longing we have for peace, love, grace and the abundant life. To live
life with an eternal perspective not only helps us live abundantly now,
but also helps us as we fulfill the
Great Commission as ambassadors
for Christ.
Isaiah 58:11 NIV
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Psalm 107:9 NIV
for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Matthew
28:18-20 NIV
Then
Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to
me. Therefore go and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Jesus tells us the truth
about what satisfies the soul.
John 4:14 NIV
but
whoever drinks the water I give him will
never thirst. Indeed, the water
I give him will
become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
When we serve the Lord,
when we lead others into worship, it is
God who transforms our offering into
His Glory. The Holy Spirit
(Living Water) will guide us in the way we are to
Worship the Lord
in Spirit and in truth.
John 7:38 NIV
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow
from within him."
Father in spirit
and truth, for they are the
kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in
truth."
John
16:15 NIV
All
that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from
what is mine and
make it known to you.
When we allow
the Holy Spirit to lead us we will
reflect God’s Glory. We will be Christ-like.
2
Corinthians 3:17-18 (NIV)
Now the Lord is
the Spirit,
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces
all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into
his likeness with
ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit
When
we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, our Worship will be pleasing to God. We
will represent the Lord in
a Christ-like manner. We will fulfill the mission God has set forth for the
Worship Team.
Do you know the Mission of your
Worship Team?
Does the mission of your
Worship Team align itself with the Churches mission?
Personal Questions to Ponder and to be
challenged by:
Do I consider the needs of
others above my own?
Where in my area of
influence can I die to self by being Christ-centered instead of self –centered?
Do I believe Artistry is
important in the service of God?
Do I know my spiritual
gift?
Do I know that spiritual
gifts are supposed to be used to edify and equip God’s kingdom?
Do I believe it is
important to share the Gospel, lead
people in Worship and into a relationship to Christ?
Am I serving too much? (Am
I burning out?)
Am I content to serve an
audience of one?
Am I serving for God’s
approval over the approval of others?
What would I rather do,
labor in obscurity for God or be famous for doing something insignificant with my
life?
Can I think of someone in my
life that’s been a positive example for servant-hood me?
Do I know the Mission of
the Worship Team?
Does the mission of the
Worship Team align itself with the Church mission?
Blessings………………..Dave
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