[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fserving-the-creator-creatively":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fserving-the-creator-creatively-surround":80},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":12,"columnName":63,"date":64,"description":18,"extension":65,"image":66,"meta":67,"minRead":68,"navigation":69,"path":70,"postType":71,"publication":72,"publicationUrl":66,"seo":73,"stem":74,"topics":75,"__hash__":79},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fserving-the-creator-creatively.md","Serving the Creator Creatively",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11],"Exodus","1 Kings","Acts",{"type":13,"value":14,"toc":59},"minimark",[15,19,22,25,28,47,50,53,56],[16,17,18],"p",{},"When my family served as sponsors for an inner-city youth group, someone suggested that we take the kids to visit a local art museum. I had some misgivings. In fact, I felt the same reservations the kids expressed: \"I'm a sports fan—why couldn't we go to a basketball or baseball game? I like music—why not attend a concert?\" Plus, we adults would have to make sure the kids didn't touch (or damage!) any priceless works.",[16,20,21],{},"But this was a chance to expand our horizons, so we drove to the art museum on a Sunday afternoon—and my earlier misgivings proved wrong. The children oohed and ahhed as we wandered through the galleries, while the adults expressed our own amazement at the range of ideas and moods conveyed by paints and stone.",[16,23,24],{},"Do you realize that the first person the Bible calls \"filled with the Spirit of God\" was an artist? Bezalel lived during the days of Moses (Exodus 31:3). Along with a person named Oholiab and other craftsmen, he created beautiful art to adorn the tabernacle.",[16,26,27],{},"Exodus chapters 35 and 36 reveal several things about Bezalel and his coworkers:",[29,30,31,35,38,41,44],"ol",{},[32,33,34],"li",{},"Their artistic abilities were God-given. God filled Bezalel with \"skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts\" (35:31).",[32,36,37],{},"They used a variety of artistic expression—gold, silver, bronze, precious stones, woodwork, embroidery, and weaving (35:32–35).",[32,39,40],{},"They used their abilities to teach others (35:34).",[32,42,43],{},"They labored in obedience to God, for they were \"willing to come and do the work\" (36:2).",[32,45,46],{},"Their labors inspired a higher level of commitment from the rest of God's people. The people brought so many freewill offerings for the sanctuary, Moses finally told everyone to stop giving, \"because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work\" (36:3–7).",[16,48,49],{},"Bezalel and Oholiab weren't the only ones who created beautiful works of art for the glory of God. The builders of Solomon's temple crafted it with finely carved stone, fragrant beams of imported cedar, intricate sculptures overlaid with gold, and utensils made of burnished bronze. Even the building blocks for the temple were so finely cut at the quarry that \"no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple while it was being built\" (1 Kings 6:7).",[16,51,52],{},"Of course, the Bible warns against turning any handmade item into an idol (Exodus 20:4), for God doesn't live in \"temples built by hands\" (Acts 17:24). But creative hands certainly can honor God. Dorcas created handmade clothing to give to others. Priscilla, Aquila, and Paul made tents. And thankfully, skillful artists still use creative hands to honor God today.",[16,54,55],{},"Like other endeavors on our sin-scarred planet, much of today's art has been twisted into something less than what God intended. It reveals the emptiness of human hearts that have lost a divine reference point for truth and beauty. Christians are right to oppose pornography, blasphemy, and perversion masquerading as art. But we're wrong if we offer no positive alternatives. If you want to have an attractive lawn, you not only need to eliminate the weeds; you also need to plant lots of healthy grass. Likewise, one of the best ways to combat cultural decline is to support gifted artists whose work springs from love for the Creator of all things beautiful.",[16,57,58],{},"Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words. Just ask the children—they know.",{"title":60,"searchDepth":61,"depth":61,"links":62},"",2,[],"From the Editor's Desk","1997-02-23","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fserving-the-creator-creatively","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":18},"articles\u002Fserving-the-creator-creatively",[76,77,78],"Biblical Theology","Discipleship","Intergenerational Ministry","ZWshYSD2P1uMKytuWkygE0TnmbY0VIscSHff70j4ojk",[81,86],{"title":82,"path":83,"stem":84,"description":85,"children":-1},"Serving in the Shadows","\u002Farticles\u002Fserving-in-the-shadows","articles\u002Fserving-in-the-shadows","Do you know what it’s like to serve in the shadows? Are you an introvert with an extraverted coworker who dominates conversations? Do you have a friend with a strong personality whose charisma monopolizes the energy in the room? What if God calls you to serve in the shadow of a successful, well-known leader?",{"title":87,"path":88,"stem":89,"description":90,"children":-1},"Serving the Great Physician","\u002Farticles\u002Fserving-the-great-physician","articles\u002Fserving-the-great-physician","You won't see Barb Sprinkle on the popular TV show E.R.—you're more likely to find her at church. The tools of her trade are stethoscopes and Scripture, hypodermic needles and the sword of the Spirit. There aren't a lot of people with her job description—but then, Barb Sprinkle isn't your typical church staff person. Barb is a Registered Nurse who recently began serving part-time as a Congregational Nurse with Harvester Christian Church in St. Charles, Missouri."]