The power of the arts
I'm reading The Heart of The Artist by Rory Noland. It used to be compulsory reading for everyone in worship and arts ministry in church, but I'm not sure if it still is. In any case, for my own benefit, I decided to get the book. Helen from work also strongly recommended that I read it. So today I picked it up off the bookshelf where it had been waiting for months.
The power of the arts
The arts can have a powerful impact if they're produced with the anointing power of the Holy Spirit. God used an anointed musician to open Elisha's heart to prophecy in a powerful way (2 Kings 3:15). In the same way, an inspired piece of art in the hands of an anointed artist can be extremely powerful. An anointed song sung by a Spirit-filled vocalist results in a holy moment. We Christian artists can't do what we do apart from the One who gifted us. Let's never forget that our message is not in glitzy demonstrations of our own talent but in "demonstration of the Spirit's power" (1 Cor 2:4). One theme running throughout the book of Ezra is that God's hand was upon Ezra and all that he did. We need the mighty hand of the Lord to be upon artists today. (21, emphasis mine)
Noland, Rory (1999). The heart of the artist: a character-building guide for you and your ministry team. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan.
