A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE ARTS

The conversation on the Resonate mailing list is touching on the Arts today...

A few things about Art.

It is the nature of the arts to inspire, to open a window in the fabric of our immediate reality.

There is the way it is viewed, and how it impact us, and the way it is "used" to create a specific response from us.

On the latter, I have these terms I came up with in my reflexions:

I believe in the prophetic nature of artistic expression. I find usually that if I bring a pen and paper at church and spend time on it, I come out with more revelation that if I just sit there and enjoy the view.

I also believe that a lot of who I am is embedded in the art I make. Not just always sure how to decipher it, but I can feel something of my own soul in what I do.

The powers of the world and the powers of the Church use the artist to create tools of propaganda as well as the tools that reinforce their particular "Matrix."

Art is substance of revelation. From the seed of revelation grows the outward manifestation of that word in the substance of an artistic medium.

Artist have much further to go than cater to the present agenda of people who lack the vision and leadership to open a way for people to pursue their exploration of the soul of God, individually and corporately.

THE SUBMERGING PROPHETIC

THE :: SUBMERGING :: PROPHETIC

Resonate.ca received this question today:

[...] I don't really see the gift of prophecy as very evident in my particular community, and I was wondering what other people's experiences were with encouraging and training people in it? It seems like something that would certainly be beneficial considering the emphasis that Paul puts on it when speaking of spiritual
gifts."

Here are a few thoughts I wanted to share:

You are asking the right question, for by doing this, you are fixing kingdom paramaters to the exercise of spiritual gifts: how are the gifts relevant to a particular community of believers, and how can the community at large, secular and believing, can benefit from the breath of God to infuse it with divine life, through a body of believers. I hope I understood your question properly. I'll share a few thoughts just as a way of processing this with you. We all see dimly, as peering through a mist... I'm addressing a few things here, but they are not directed at you as a person, but rather hopefully relate to the topic, as well as other "by-product" (ah! here's where lack of English gets in the way... :O) of the current prophetic culture. I beg for mercy for any error in the way I express myself, or for just plain errors in my 'understanding' of the truth and the articulation of said understanding of truth...

Let's begin.

I've been part of churches prophetically active, and some very pro-active ones as well. By prophetic, I refer to timely and pertinent encouragement, revelatory healing prayer, directive statements for individuals and for the church. In one of them, a group of prophetic people were meeting weekly to worship, compare notes and share revelations, dreams and visions, many revealing a timeline of growth for that church's to walk into its "greater destiny," with years (and miles of pages) of confirmations, and they would pray that it would come to pass. Although the leadership always encouraged and welcomed these, I can't say I have seen the said leadership move over to make sure they were letting the Lord do what He seemed to have revealed He would do. It ended up in disaster.

Granted, out of that another leadership was finally brought in and things started to look a bit more like what had been prophesied. However, I do think that when we refer to "prophetic" in most circles, we usually use the term to mean "those who hear what God is saying today." I have much problem with that. Don't get me wrong: I've been visited in my bedroom by the same renewal manifestations months before I ever set foot in Toronto. It has opened a door to my spiritual life that was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Being a musician, I've been involved in worship and hanged out with rather cool "prophetically-enhanced" worshippers from various churches from around the world.

But at this point, I have become tired of the sales pitch of most prophetically endowed movements and churches. If it's all about the greater destiny of the Church, then it can't be about the great mystery of the Incarnation. There is something I can't put my finger on that bugs me. Every believer is prophetic, but I think we also need to move beyond the "I now can have a ministry" syndrom, and the conference culture that sprung out of that, with sessions of "activation" of your gift by "recognized" prophetic leaders.

I speak of what I have seen. And I've become disinterested by the "latest word" of the so-called prophets. I've had my season of desiring to be singled out in a crowd with a smashing word of glorious destiny for all to see. The lust for recognition it revealed in me was one of the greatest revelation I've received.

It's not for me to say who's a prophet, but I for one hope for the day where it's not going to be about the big names, but about the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ. I'm also sure there are many local needs for prophetic revelation, that embraces all the arts, the structures of local government and the loving your neighbour bit. All an outflowing of God's vibrant grace resting and moving in a person that has known redemption beyond the contemporary flaws of Christiandom, where finally the race has slowed down and space is made for a relationship with our Creator and Savior. The prodigal son makes his way home only for personal gain, but the Father's response is pregnant of his son's coming home from the heart, and beyond the story I am called to grasp the deeper meaning of the kenosis (self-emptying) of God. And that changes the whole scene for me.

So, what I'm saying is: blessings on all who seek to hear God and realize that they actually can hear Him. Our lives would be a greater mess if we were left to ourselves in the dark, but Jesus did not leave us alone. What I question is the theology of most of the prophetic and the fruit that comes from that in my own life. The temptation is great to generalize, and I'm sure I will succomb to it at times, but empirically speaking, I have seen, heard and experienced the dark side of prophetic: all gift, all gift. I would say it is a school, an important part of the journey, and one has to do homeworks, not just received everything without exercising discernment. After all, that's what Paul instructed:

" 29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33For God is not a God of disorder but of peace."
(1 Cor 14:29-32)

This sounds like it takes time to weigh things carefully. Just think how long I've bee writing to try and say something while processing and considering many facets of the topic... Do we address the prophetic voices of our time? Do we feel qualified to test their word and respond as the Lord instructs us? There must be a reason why Paul included that in this chapter. Was he trying to warn us against something? Or qualifying the use of prophetic withing the parameters of community where all should be encouraged to speak the words inspired by God. He thus says there will be mistakes made. I also suspect he was trying to encourage us not to limit our expectation of His revelation to a "chosen few," but that by sharing within the community of faith, there lies the better rule of balance, and the better use of His words.

Otherwise, we get a culture of the prophetic that's unbiblical, exclusive, unaccountable, "mistaught." The spirit of the world also point its head in there: people tend to leave the responsability to the leaders to chew-up the theological meat and serve them the pablum. Then, most theology will serve the voted vision, justifying the current dynamics of leader worship, and not the cyclical process of maturity.

There are questions we need to wrestle with as created beings, as redeemed beings, and they might not directly answer the technocratic needs of church-growth. But unless we challenge our thinking with other substances than what is presented by the packaged 'prophetic' of conference circuits, we won't be able to properly discern the real from the temporary. And our impact on our generation will suffer from not seeing us bring the kingdom into the world, but try to bring the world into the kingdom.

Read: square peg - round hole.

Just a few thoughts, also in process...

Peace,

R E S P O N S E :: T O :: L E N

[Response to Len who wrote: It used to be that I thought of "the prophetic" narrowly in terms of dreams, words of knowledge, visions etc.. I used to think that was the "big picture" and the main thing. I have since changed to see the heart of the prophetic as expressing Gods heart for the church and for the world. Geez.. How dumb could I be.. Read the OT.. How many personal, private words do you read there? ]

OK, well, now that would probably start to answer Chris' real question: how do you teach people to hear God's voice? I'd say most of the time, it's just a question of growing into it. Just like we have to learn pretty much everything from someone, we do learn also to hear God by hanging around godly people.

But the rest deserves also some development. Not sure I got the energy today but I would say this: we will touch something unique and personal in our relationship with God if we try to learn what it is that happened when He incarnated Himself to live here, how He emptied Himself completely of all his rights to divinity, then, emptied Himself of all His rights to be human, plunging into death.

Something happened in God, and in Jesus. Just like one might try to understand why they're loved by their buddies, or their friends, why someone would be mean or kind to them, because in that analysis we hope to find our value as people. I would venture to say that God likes when we try to understand His heart, not just in an evangelistic way, but in a human way, because I'm not sure we really grasp the divine yet.

Encouraging people to grow in the prophetic would also find substance in making them aware that there are many types of language, and that God also speaks through dfferent means, and for different reasons. Nature is a good and easy one to get, beautiful landscapes, the intimidating and breath-taking power of natural disasters, the infinite tenderness of textures and colors, but in nature, you also find a deeper expression of God's perfections in the way nature relates to nature.

Taking a pencil and drawing, or writing, reading or dancing, having a meal, all means of expression that we live with every day. God speaks through them all. Just as we do. It's as simple as that. I think the gradual realization of the reality of things takes us on a journey that can be quite long. Then one day, we realize that we have been following a path that kept us within the boundaries of integrity, honesty, purity and charity. We have heard God's voice and obeyed it. It all depends what image we're trying to conform to.

[ Chris: But it leads into a more practical problem in that I don't really see the gift of prophecy as very evident in my particular community, and I was wondering what other people's experiences were with encouraging and training people in it? It seems like something that would certainly be beneficial considering the emphasis that Paul puts on it when speaking of spiritual gifts.]

Maybe, you could start looking for what measure of God is expressed in the life of that community. The rule of the kingdom, in action. Also learn to discern in what way your own heart is triggered by the prophetic environment you find yourself in. What is revealed to you about yourself when God speaks, and when man speaks.

I would encourage people to know God through His love, and to do likewise unto others. And not expect to be perfect overnight, but live with the rawness of the blahness of the human experience without trying to hide your nudity, but relying on God's covering, and His ways of changing you. As I believe the Lord spoke to me one day as I was musing over all this, "Love is the ultimate expression of the prophetic."

Blessings,

LEADERS, CHRISTIANITY, AND GOLLUM

This is not a debate to discern and/or justify the amount of Christianity there is in this epic story by J.R.R. Tolkien. I just wanted to draw a parallel with one of the characters: GOLLUM. Following is a description of this character taken from the Lord of the Rings web site. It strikes me as a true warning of what happens when a soul cleaves to a source of power for selfish enjoyment. The ring, goal of the quest, does not represent the Holy Spirit, nor God the Father, nor Jesus. It is a symbol. In fact in the story, the ring is evil, created by evil for sole control of all powers. The ring transforms the one that slips it on into a miserable slave...to the ring. Here's one who represent that:

GOLLUM

AKA: Trahald (birth name), Smeagol, Her Sneak, Slinker, Stinker


History:

Smeagol was once a young boy of hobbit-like folk living near the great river Anduin long ago. Upon one fishing journey on the Anduin his cousin Deagol spotted something on the bottom of the river. Pulling it out Deagol found it to be a beautiful gold band, and when Smeagol's eyes set upon it, he had to have it.

So it was that upon that bank Smeagol strangled Deagol for the ring, and when he laid it upon his finger, all the reasons why he did so became apparent. For it was the One Ring wrought by the dark lord Sauron ages ago, and within its small golden circlet resided power far beyond the reckoning of mortals. So excited was the ring for being discovered and killed over, that it overwhelmed Smeagol the moment he slipped it on.

The ring would twist Smeagol into a wretched creature bent upon the worship of the ring as his own precious. Those that saw this wretched transformation in Smeagol began calling him Gollum for the gulping sound he made since under the influence of the Ring. Gollum would eventually retreat to the Misty Mountains and find a cave to hide from the sun, now shunned by him, and to be alone with his precious. The Ring did not like being hid away from it's true master Sauron, and given any opportunity of being found by someone other than the covetous Gollum was the little Rings silent goal.

That opportunity game when Bilbo fell into Gollum's lair when the Dwarf company was crossing the Misty Mountains on their way east. Bilbo found the One Ring sitting on upon the ground of Gollum's cave and when he discovered that by putting it on it made himself invisible he secretly waited for Gollum to show him the way out. To Gollum's complete and utter dismay he had lost his precious, and now a hobbit had his Ring. Gollum would race across Middle-earth in search of his precious Ring, and he finally caught up with the Fellowship near Lorien.

When he finally caught up with Sam and Frodo on their way towards Mordor to destroy the Ring, Frodo bade Sam not to kill him as per Gandalf's council. And so Gollum acted as their guide into Mordor, but he had his own plan and eventually sprung his trap. But they would struggle past his horrible trap and Gollum would continue tracking Frodo and Sam all the way to the edge of the Crack of Doom where the One Ring was wrought by Sauron.

Here in a frenzy he leapt upon Frodo, who had succumbed to the power of the Ring and slipped it on, but Gollum's sharp teeth bit the finger from Frodo's hand and leaping with glee after finally touching his ring after so long, he slipped and fell into the Crack of Doom. This brought about the end of the dark lord Sauron, as nearly all his power and structures were built with the power of the One Ring."

=-----------=0=----------=

This story is loaded. We may very well become what we worship, and evil can look pretty tempting and sound very good, but at the heart, it is still evil.

I cry for all those who are being abused by immature and self-seeking leaders that aren opening themselves to the enemy through a quest for position in this new era of the contemporary Church. I'm sure many of them will wake up one day and see the error of their way, and repent from it. I cannot see why God would let all this come to the surface if not to deal with it for good.

The "professional leaders" breed could be in its final hour. Let them bring their heads up high enough for the sickle to harvest them at once. We might see the fear of the Lord grip hearts like never before in our lifetimes.

May we all be sobered in these times by the increasing certitude that many leaders, secular and religious, are puppets to their own lusts. Unguarded inner breaches make for entry points to the enemy, that roaring crowds can silence for a while, but not totally. To leaders who are carelessley making plans to "increase their ministries", consider Ananias and Saphira.

Taking our cues from man instead of God leaves us dangerously exposed. Character flaws left unchecked weaken one's ability and willingness to obey God, and can turn a once gentle person into a raving grabbing manipulative achiever.

Why is it so hard to get through to leaders with warnings and exhortations, unless they pat us on the head and praise our "growth", walking away untouched... There is a Gollum in all of us. But there is also Christ in us, the hope of glory.

We need to talk... for when our brothers and sisters become our employees, servants of men and women's visions, there is little that will distinguish us from this world, which will want nothing to do with us. And God's judgement will be, He says so Himself.

Leaders, while there is light, let's talk with the sheep. Don't be afraid. Give a voice to those who hear yours constantly. You will learn something.

Blessings,

Andre

K E N O S I S ::: B L O G

Touching Ground Via Post-Modernism

It seems more and more people are interested in exploring a deconstruction of the contemporary church culture, and still have something to hold on to on the other side. A kind of exercise that sifts out the fluf that gives heresy hold in our communities and keeps us "droning" our way to church many times a week "just because..."

Well, I'm quite excited to feel the rumble of this "emergent" post-modern ground-swell that's sweeping the nations. By creating this blog, I'm joining with a vast crowd of people who have been active in exploring the church out-of-bound from the traditional and charismatic movements where the prophetic and apostolic household names invade our screens. In my opinion, they are just like the rest of us: learning as they go. They need us to stay the course.

I hope to be able to contribute the bread of my own musings and musics and that it will be a blessing. I believe and pray for a new articulation of the church, for a new understanding of the Incarnation, and a new generation of theologians that will bring us back in the loop of examining God's kenosis (self-emptying), and how this is pertinent to us.

We, as a global worldwide collectiveness need to grow up, and I, for the first time, feel we're 'about' to move past our collective adolescence. Thanks to an army of faithfuls around the world who are exploring and embracing their generation's means of expression and communication, there are many sites who deserve our attention.

It's time to level the path for the Lord to have access to us. Let's not become like some of the traditional churches (remembering that the definition embraces also many of the charismatic stream) who can't let go of their holy relics for fear God is inside those objects, or metaphysically moved by how we manipulate them according to a certain liturgy.

Carpe Deum,

Andre