Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Heart Of the Artist Part 7 Talking Points Review


Heart Of the Artist Part 7 Talking Points Review:

Romans 12:10 NIV 
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.


What does it mean to be a Team Player:

·        Putting the Church’s mission above our own agenda.


The goal is to grow together in Christ. We want to create unity
in the body of Christ by continuing to build upon a strong foundation
of believers who desire community and do life together.


Philippians 2:2 NIV
then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love,
being one in spirit and purpose.


Ways to build unity in the Church or on a ministry team:

·        Commit to resolve relational conflict. 
·        Unity is important to God and a powerful testimony to His presence.
·        Unity is a powerful witness to the un-churched.
·        Resolving relational conflict must be done in a Biblical way.
          (Whoever knows goes)
 Step one: Go directly to the person with whom you are in conflict
 with and talk it out.
           Restore your broken relationships. Caution, do not gossip!
           Do not talk behind someone’s back.
·        Encourage and support your ministry teammates.
·        Build each other up.
·        Cultivate a life-giving and supportive environment.
·        Cooperation over competition.
·        Be in total submission to God.
·        Put our gifts completely in God’s hands and trust Him with how they are  
      used.
·        Serve with a cheerful heart.
·        Bring a healthy self to the team. (Physical and spiritual)
(Pray, regular devotion time, confessing and renouncing sin, read and study the   bible)
·        Make sure God gets the glory. (look at your own motivation)
·        Use your spiritual gifts to minister to others on the team.
·        Ask what can I give, not what can I get out of this.


Hebrews 10:24 NIV
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.


·        Everyone’s role on the team has value.
·        A Team player submits to authority.



Hebrews 13:17 NIV
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as
men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

·        Each artist should take responsibility of the development of their gifts and the   nurturing of their souls. Deal with the sin in your life.
·        Live for the approval of God not of others.
·        Listen to God.



Church should be a place where developing a strong and unified community of  
is a priority. This means setting aside our own personal agenda to focus on the 
mission God has given our team. In order to help us refocus on the things of 
God we need to pray as well as daily read, reflect and apply God’s Word to 
our lives. The greatest problem we face as followers of Jesus is constant distraction from the world around us. The subtle draw of our focus on things other than God’s purpose for our lives can hamper our mission as well as our relationship with God.


God has equipped each one of us with spiritual gifts to build up His kingdom. I pray we will use these gifts to glorify God and lead others to the one who offers salvation. With a team of devoted followers and with a heart for the lost, we can accomplish our mission by setting aside our personal desires in favor of those inspired by the Holy Spirit. As God has graciously given us a new life, we can in turn offer that new life to those who God has placed in our path.




Blessings………………..Dave  


Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Heart Of the Artist Part 7


Heart Of the Artist Part 7:

Romans 12:10 NIV 
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.


What does it mean to be a Team Player:

·        Putting the Church’s mission above our own agenda.

The goal is to grow together in Christ. We want to create unity in the
body of Christ by continuing to build upon a strong foundation of believers
who desire community and do life together.

Philippians 2:2 NIV
then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love,
being one in spirit and purpose.


Ways to build unity in the Church or on a ministry team:

·        Commit to resolve relational conflict. 
·        Unity is important to God and a powerful testimony to His presence.
·        Unity is a powerful witness to the un-churched.
·        Resolving relational conflict must be done in a Biblical way. (Whoever knows goes) Step one: Go directly to the person with whom you are in conflict with and talk it out. Restore your broken relationships. Caution, do not gossip! Do not talk behind someone’s back.
·        Encourage and support your ministry teammates.
·        Build each other up.
·        Cultivate a life-giving and supportive environment.
·        Cooperation over competition.
·        Be in total submission to God.
·        Put our gifts completely in God’s hands and trust Him with how they are used.
·        Serve with a cheerful heart.
·        Bring a healthy self to the team. (Physical and spiritual)
(Pray, regular devotion time, confessing and renouncing sin, read and study the bible)
·        Make sure God gets the glory. (look at your own motivation)
·        Use your spiritual gifts to minister to others on the team.
·        Ask what can I give, not what can I get out of this.

Hebrews 10:24 NIV
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

·        Everyone’s role on the team has value.
·        A Team player submits to authority.

Hebrews 13:17 NIV
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men
who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden,
for that would be of no advantage to you.

·        Each artist should take responsibility of the development of their gifts 
      and the nurturing of their souls. Deal with the sin in your life.
·        Live for the approval of God not of others.
·        Listen to God.

Church should be a place where developing a strong and unified community of  is a priority. This means setting aside our own personal agenda to focus on the mission God has given our team. In order to help us refocus on the things of God we need to pray as well as daily read, reflect and apply God’s Word to our lives. The greatest problem we face as followers of Jesus is constant distraction from the 
world around us. The subtle draw of our focus on things other than God’s 
purpose for our lives can hamper our mission as well as our relationship with 
God. The Bible tells us this about loving the world:

1 John 2:15 MSG
Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important— has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out— but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.




For a musician there is always the temptation to appeal to the secular world 
to gauge our level of relevance. However, in God’s eyes those who worship 
in spirit and truth are certainly drawn to a higher calling.

John 4:23 NIV 
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father 
in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

Jesus has called us to share His message of Hope and salvation to world.
One of the best ways we can do this is to be unified in this mission:
The Great Commission.

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."

Mark 16:15 NIV
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

Ephesians 4:3 NLT
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

1 Corinthians 1:10 NIV 
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one 
another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

God has equipped each one of us with spiritual gifts to build up His kingdom.
I pray we will use these gifts to glorify God and lead others to the one who
offers salvation. With a team of devoted followers and with a heart for the lost,
we can accomplish our mission by setting aside our personal desires in favor
of those inspired by the Holy Spirit. As God has graciously given us a new life,
we can in turn offer that new life to those who God has placed in our path.

  
Ephesians 4:11-13 NLT
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.
This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of
God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and
complete standard of Christ.


1 Peter 3:15 NIV 
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an
answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you
 have. But do this with gentleness and respect.


Personal Questions to Ponder and to be challenged by:
Do I encourage and support my ministry teammates?
Do I look for opportunities to build others up?
Do I help cultivate a life-giving and supportive environment?
Do I believe in cooperation over competition?
Do I strive to live in total submission to God?
Do I put my gifts and talents completely in God’s hands and trust Him with how they are used?
Do I serve with a cheerful heart?
Do I bring a healthy self to the team? (Physical and spiritual)
Do I Pray, have regular devotion time, confess and renounce sin, read and study the bible?
Do I make sure God gets the glory for work done in His name?
Do I use my spiritual gifts to minister to others on the team?
Do think it is important to have a giving heart, and not desire something in return for my service to God?
Do I regularly submit to authority?
Do I take responsibility for the development of my gifts and the nurturing of my souls?
Am I dealing with the sin in my life?
Am I living for the approval of God not of others?
Do I desire to be obedient to God and surrender my will for His?



Blessings………………..Dave  


Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Heart Of the Artist Part 6 Talking Points Review


Heart Of the Artist Part 6 Talking Points Review:

Psalm 133:1 NIV  
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!


The Artist in Community
  

The Church as a Colony of Artists:

Part of what God wants our churches to be is a place that harnesses 
the arts for His glory and nurtures artists.

Relationships Matter:

Even if you don't consider yourself to be very relational, you need to 
learn how to relate to, and get along with other artists.

If you want to have quality relationships, you have to put in effort.

Be proactive about spending more time with people.

Teamwork:

Ministry is best done in teams.

The beauty of working in teams is that together we can accomplish 
greater things for God than if we were on our own.



You belong on a team for these main reasons:
1.   Your gifts and abilities (Unique voice)
2.   Your personality (Personal character – who you are)
3.   Gods calling (Fulfilling God’s purpose)


When God calls you to be part of a team, He takes into account who 
you are as well as what you can do.

No one is going to contribute to the cause and community of the team 
in the exact same way that you do.

You're not indispensable but you are irreplaceable.


The 4 things that Kill teamwork:

1.
Selfishness

2. Grumbling and Complaining

3. Competitive Spirit

4. Unresolved Relational Conflict


Marks of professionalism:
·        Communicate well
·        Respect others
·        Practice leading up to rehearsal and before Worship
·        Be on time
·        Be Christ-like

The success of this ministry depends upon our willingness to become a
community of believers bent on teamwork and a full devotion to Christ.

Good relationships really do matter. When we are not right with 
others on our team our worship can suffer. We must clear up a 
situation with someone before we make our offering.


If there is any sin you are harboring, bring it to God before you Worship

   Our Worship is an offering of Praise to God.  It is part of the reason 
  we were created

Let us Worship our Lord in Spirit and in Truth


If you are not experiencing an intimate worship with God ask yourself these questions:
·        Am I truly spending time in God’s Word, meditating, praying and applying 
      His principles?  
·        Am I being sincere? Is my heart fixed on Him and undivided? Do I have 
      quiet time with God?
·        Am I fully assured that only faith in Christ can bring me to God’s throne?
·        Am I coming humbly, realizing I can draw near only because of what Christ 
      has done for me?
·        Is there any sin in my life I haven’t dealt with?

A great worship experience can happen when we are united with our brothers and
sisters in Christ, worshiping God in spirit and in truth. Within ourselves we must
give our lives totally to the one who led us to the abundant life.


The way we can do this is to allow Jesus to be the Lord over our lives. When 
we offer our lives to God and obey His Word to the point of establishing a 
new pattern of living, we in essence have abandoned our old sinful ways and 
are now living for God desiring to do His will. We have taken seriously the 
command to set ourselves apart to Jesus.


So with Jesus as Lord over our life we can fully access the fruit of the spirit,
embellishing our Christ-likeness. (Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, 
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control  - Galatians 5:22-23)

With all these fruits at work in each of us we can strengthen our team approach 
to Worship and continue to build upon the foundation of our Christ-centeredness,
edifying our community of believers.

It is most important to remember that when we lead others in worship it is 
through our connection with the Holy Spirit that will help us point to Jesus 
as the truth the life and the way. All the attributes we possess when we are 
set apart to God can now be utilized to help others not only for spirit filled 
worship, but also to help them get on the road to becoming fully devoted 
followers of Christ. This is the mission God has given us.




Have an Awesome Weekend………………..Dave  

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Heart Of the Artist Part 6 - The Artist In Community


Heart Of the Artist Part 6:

Psalm 133:1 NIV  
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!


The Artist in Community
  

The Church as a Colony of Artists:

Part of what God wants our churches to be is a place that 
harnesses the arts for His glory and nurtures artists.

Relationships Matter:

Even if you don't consider yourself to be very relational, you need to 
learn how to relate to, and get along with other artists.

If you want to have quality relationships, you have to put in effort.

Be proactive about spending more time with people.

Teamwork:

Ministry is best done in teams.

The beauty of working in teams is that together we can 
accomplish greater things for God than if we were on our own.




You belong on a team for these main reasons:
1.   Your gifts and abilities (Unique voice)
2.   Your personality (Personal character – who you are)
3.   Gods calling (Fulfilling God’s purpose)


When God calls you to be part of a team, He takes into account who you are as well as what you can do.

No one is going to contribute to the cause and community of the 
team in the exact same way that you do.

You're not indispensable but you are irreplaceable.

The Things That Kill Teamwork:

Besides the fact that we artists have a propensity to shy away from teams and
community, the “Evil One” does everything he can do to disrupt teams. He'll 
try to sow disunity; he'll try to undermine morale; he'll try to sabotage the 
cause; he'll try to frustrate plans.

1 Peter 5:8 NIV
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

The 4 things that Kill teamwork:

1.
Selfishness:

People who are focused only on themselves will miss the big picture.
We can sometimes get so focused on ourselves that we miss what's really
important. The Bible gives us perspective on considering the needs of 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 interestsbut also to the interests of others.

2. Grumbling and Complaining:

Grumbling and Complaining are usually a result of selfishness.

And many of us with artistic temperaments have a
tendency to complain and grumble whenever things don't
go our way.

Philippians 2:14:
Instructs us to - "do everything without complaining or grumbling"
because like a cancer, a team or an entire church can be killed.

3. Competitive Spirit:

Instead of competing with one another we need to learn
to cooperate and encourage one another.

Hebrews 3:13 NIV 
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may 
be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

4. Unresolved Relational Conflict:

A lack of unity can really hurt a team.

It's not easy for a team of artists to achieve unity, because of the constant clash of
egos and personalities. If a team of artists can dwell together in unity, it's a major
accomplishment.

Ephesians 4:3 NLT
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves
together with peace.

A Team’s Code of Ethics:
·        Reflect the core values of a team.
·        Ex. Being on time for rehearsal, Punctuality becomes a value statement.
     Rehearsal is of high value and it is important to show up on time. 
     It also shows respect for others valuable time on the team.

Marks of professionalism:
·        Communicate well
·        Respect others
·        Practice leading up to rehearsal and before Worship
·        Be on time
·        Be Christ-like

The success of this ministry depends upon our willingness to become a
community of believers bent on teamwork and a full devotion to Christ.

Good relationships really do matter. When we are not right with 
others on our team our worship can suffer. We must clear up a 
situation with someone before we make our offering.

The Bible instructs us in this manner:

Matthew 5:23 MSG
This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place
of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a
friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend
and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.

If there is any sin you are harboring, bring it to God before you Worship:

Hebrews 10:22 NIV
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies
washed with pure water.

   Our Worship is an offering of Praise to God. 
  It is part of the reason we were created:

Isaiah 43:21 NIV
the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.


Let us Worship our Lord in Spirit and in Truth:

John 4:23-24 NIV
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the
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."


When we worship we can draw near to God when we are truly authentic
(worshiping in spirit and in truth) in our praise of Him and our relationship 
with Him. We are not just singing words or exercising faceless prayer, we 
are truly seeking to focus our love on the one who has brought us to a new 
life and a new hope.

In many ways worship is to be for God’s pleasure where our gratitude is expressed
to God for the gift of our new spiritual condition. We have been reconciled to God.
We are part of His family because of the great work that Jesus accomplished on
the cross. We have the gift of eternal life. When we all come to the Lord in 
corporate praise, there can be powerful worship due to the fact that we are 
connected by the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes individually however, we experience a disconnect due to the
condition of our own heart.

If you are not experiencing an intimate worship with God ask yourself theses questions:
·        Am I truly spending time in God’s Word, meditating, praying and applying 
      His principles?  
·        Am I being sincere? Is my heart fixed on Him and undivided? Do I have 
      quiet time with God?
·        Am I fully assured that only faith in Christ can bring me to God’s throne?
·        Am I coming humbly, realizing I can draw near only because of what Christ   has done for me?
·        Is there any sin in my life I haven’t dealt with?

A great worship experience can happen when we are united with our brothers and
sisters in Christ, worshiping God in spirit and in truth. Within ourselves we must
give our lives totally to the one who led us to the abundant life.

The bible says this about true worship:

Romans 12:1 NIV
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual  act of worship.

The way we can do this is to allow Jesus to be the Lord over our lives. When we offer our lives to God and obey His Word to the point of establishing a new pattern of living, we in essence have abandoned our old sinful ways and are now living for God desiring to do His will. We have taken seriously the command to set ourselves apart to Jesus.

1 Peter 3:15 NIV 
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

By establishing a new pattern of living we have obeyed the 
command to not conform to this world:

Romans 12:2 NIV
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's
will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.


When we are transformed we are filled with the Holy Spirit who is our 
guide into all truth:

John 16:13 NIV
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not
speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet
to come.

The Holy Spirit will be our counselor, our teacher, and our conscience,
reminding us of the truth of God’s Word:

John 14:26 NIV
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, 
will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said 
to you.


So with Jesus as Lord over our life we can fully access the fruit of the spirit,
embellishing our Christ-likeness. (Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, 
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control - 
Galatians 5:22-23)

With all these fruits at work in each of us we can strengthen our team approach 
to Worship and continue to build upon the foundation of our Christ-centeredness,
edifying our community of believers.

It is most important to remember that when we lead others in worship 
it is through our connection with the Holy Spirit that will help us point 
to Jesus as the truth the life and the way. All the attributes we possess 
when we are set apart to God can now be utilized to help others not 
only for spirit filled worship, but also to help them get on the road to 
becoming fully devoted followers of Christ. This is the mission
God has given us.




Personal Questions to Ponder and to be challenged by:
·        When working with a Team am I self -focused or Team centered?
·        Do I compete with others on the Team?
·        Do I believe the enemy can disrupt the Team and am I helping by sowing 
      disunity?
·        Do I believe it is important to clear up relationships that are broken and 
      am I willing to take the first step?
·        Am I truly spending time in God’s Word, meditating, praying and applying 
      His principles?  
·        Am I being sincere? Is my heart fixed on Him and undivided?
·        Do I have quiet time with God?
·        Am I fully assured that only faith in Christ can bring me to God’s throne?
·        Am I coming humbly, realizing I can draw near only because of what Christ 
      has done for me?
·        Is there any sin in my life I haven’t dealt with?



Blessings………………..Dave