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Updated: August 18, 2010
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- The Prescription for Revival
- Revive Us Again
- Excellence in High Def
From the Desk of the Pastor
August 18, 2010
Why Creativity?
The status quo should never, ever describe the dynamic reality that is the Bride of Christ. If the local church is not the most creative, innovative, and alive place on the planet, we are not living up to our potential in Jesus. I love J.B. Philip's paraphrase of Romans 12:2-"Don't let the world squeeze you into its own mould."
When you get squeezed into the world's "mould," something inevitably gets squeezed out. For many people, that is our God-given and God-driven creativity. Why should we strive for creativity in our lives and in the local church? For three reasons:
God Invented It
God thought it up; it was His idea. Creativity is woven into the very fabric and framework of who God is. Look at the fifth word in the Bible in Genesis 1:1-"created," as in "In the beginning God created." God started the creative ball rolling and it has been rolling ever since.
Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be imitators of God. We are to mimic God by being people of love, compassion, hope, vision, and yes, creativity.
Jesus Modeled It
The second part of the creative trinity is Jesus modeled creativity. Matthew records that Christ "did not say anything to them without using a parable" (Matt. 13:34). Jesus was the most creative leader and teacher that ever walked the planet. Jesus was all about delivering His life-changing message in dynamic and creative ways to meet to His listener's needs and backgrounds.
The Spirit Empowers It
The Holy Spirit is the One who gives supernatural abilities to the church. Spend some time reflecting on the way God creatively communicated truth through the men and women of Scripture. For example, God used a piece of fruit to communicate through Adam and Eve. He used an ark to communicate through Noah. He used a ram to communicate through Abraham, a rod with Moses, the carcass of a lion with Sampson, five smooth stones with David, a big fish with Jonah, and fire with the apostle Paul. Ultimately, He used a despised crucifix to communicate His amazing grace to the world.
For you and I to live out the challenging mission that God has laid for us, we must unleash the creative potential available to us, develop it, and use it to communicate the most compelling message ever given to mankind. Next time, I will give you some practical ways you can develop creativity in your life.
Expecting Great Things,
Pastor Bryan Cox