Gotta' have more Bezalel

x31art.com is a unique website showcasing believing artists and their work. One of the things I trulylove about the site is how each piece is accompanied by a short video of the artist discussing that particular work.




The name (x31art) comes from Exodus 31 where we witness the LORD explaining to Moses that He has chosen Bezalel and has "filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft." (Exodus 31:3-5) He then appoints Oholiab to assist him in carrying out the LORD's instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle, the place of worship.

Did you get that? God, the LORD Most High called, filled and gifted specific individuals within this community of faith in the areas of ability and intelligence, knowledge and all craftsmanship, in order to devise artistic designs so that the people of God may be provided for and led in worship.

There is a principle of Biblical interpretation that basically says the following: Any teaching in the Old Testament that is not explicitly changed in the New Testament is therefore still appropriate and applicable in the life of the New Testament believer. For example, we no longer offer sacrifices of animals in payment for sin because of the once and for all offering of the ultimate Sacrifice, Jesus himself, which makes these animal sacrifices unnecessary (Hebrews 10). In the same way, we no longer adhere to the Old Testament dietary laws because of Peter's vision in Acts 10 where we see "the voice" telling Peter that "What God has made clean, do not call common."

Here is the point. If God, by the wisdom of his own counsel, saw fit to select and appropriately gift individuals to effectively lead his people in worship by means of constructing and artistically rendering things of beauty, why then are we not seeking out those individuals among God's people today? Are we then, by our non-verbal tip of the hat, revealing ourselves to be selective interpreters of Scripture, doing whatever fits our own pre-conceived ideas of what "proper church" looks like?

Of course, the proper course of action is to faithfully explore the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word, the very breath of God (2 Timoth 3:16), to seek God's wisdom in interpreting it faithfully, and then by the power of the Holy Spirit to actually apply it.

So here's to finding more Bezalel's in our midst, so that the people of God can continue to be led in this glorious, multi-faceted act that we call worship.

A Simple Act of Service and Humility

In David Nasser’s new release from Baker Books, he recounts his story from early childhood in Iran, through the Revolution and then to his surreal life as an Iranian boy growing up in (of all places) Birmingham, AL. The tagline on the cover reads “The gripping story of one man’s escape from revolution to redemption.

From what I have read so far it truly is a compelling story, not just of a family’s escape from political and religious persecution in the Middle East, but also of one boy’s journey in being continually drawn towards the freedom and grace of the gospel. Some of the stories of how God pursues Nasser are truly amazing. The following is a paraphrase of one such story.

David tells of being invited to go to church by a friend in high school. He really didn’t want to have to tell his friend no, so he decided to ask his dad and let him be the “bad guy”. You see, David’s family was Muslim and he knew there was NO WAY his dad would ever allow him to attend a Christian church. So David and his friend approached his dad late one evening.

Upon asking permission to attend church on the next Sunday David, rather than receiving a straightforward “no”, was surprised by his father’s question of which church.

“Shades Mountain Baptist” was the response.

“I know some people that attend that church. They are good people. You may attend that church. But only that church.”

The rest of the story is that several weeks prior, there were a group of leaders from Shades Mountain Baptist that had been eating at the Café De France at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which David’s father operated at that time. The restaurant was slammed and service was getting backed up. Instead of getting frustrated with the slow service, this group of men actually got up from their table and pitched in. (Hmm. Christians influencing the world around them through simple acts of service and humility. What an amazing concept!)

Because of the humility shown by this group of faithful men, David was allowed by his Muslim father to attend a Christian church. A major chapter in David's story and one of the multiple steps on his pathway towards grace.

Simple and obvious question. Where would David Nasser be today had these anonymous men not lived out the gospel in such a practical way? Profound.

Now here is the question that hurts. How many David Nasser’s have I crossed paths with in my life? (Yes, I know. God is sovereign. As a Reformed, Calvinistic pastor, I agree absolutely. But I would also submit that “proper theology” is never an excuse for an unfaithfulness to Christ's commands.)

If the gospel is true, then it must impact the way we live our lives. Not only in the Bible studies we teach or the sermons we prepare, but in the way we treat the server who pours our coffee, the janitor who empties the wastebasket in our office and the unknown neighbor who lives next door.

There is simply no “off button” to the Christian life. As believers, we are always “on”, always serving, always observing, always seeking ways to show a hopeless world that grace and hope do exist in a man. His name is Jesus and we as the church are his body.

“That’s too much,” you say. “I can’t live under that kind of pressure. It is just so much easier to lay low, fly under the radar and live out my simple, quiet faith.”

My response? “You are right. It is too much. Realistically we can’t respond well at all times. But that is precisely why the gospel is true and valid for believers as well as non-believers. Though our position as sons and daughters of the Most High God is absolutely secure, we are also desperately in need of His continued pouring out of mercy, grace and strength upon us as we walk through a broken world seeking to display His care and mercy to others as marred and wounded image bearers ourselves.

May God continue to expand his Kingdom by jealously pursuing a people to call his own, and by His mercy and grace may he continue to use broken people like us in the process.

A Christian and The Arts - A Perspective from Schaeffer

As I mentioned recently, there are a group of people at our church who have recently been thinking about the gospel, the arts and what relationship these two areas have or should have with one another. Intriguing. I have been challenged and encouraged.

I have also been blown away on a fairly regular basis to discover just how many supremely talented and artistic people we have at our church. There is an entire community among us who are virtually unknown..... and just possibly, unfortunately, unsupported and unvalidated in their God-given calling.

We are currently seeking ways to encourage and engage many of these individuals in the particular areas of life which they have been called to bear a unique aspect of the image of their Creator. We would love to see this area of interacting with local artists possibly grow into an active bridge, through which we can touch many within this broader community who have no regular interaction with the body of Christ. If you are interested in joining us, or feel that you have ideas or perspective from which we may benefit, feel free to contact me at jtucker@ompc.org.

The following are selected quotes from Francis Schaeffer regarding this topic of Christianity and the arts taken from a longer paper by David Fairchild over at The Resurgence.

“As evangelical Christians, we have tended to relegate art to the very fringe of life. The rest of human life we feel is more important. Despite our constant talk about the Lordship of Christ, we have narrowed its scope to a very small area of reality. We have misunderstood the concept of the Lordship of Christ over the whole of man and the whole of the universe and have not taken to us the riches that the Bible gives us for ourselves, for our lives, and for our culture.”

"This does not mean we simply accept art without thinking about its message. On the contrary, we must think about its message so that we can learn to appreciate art as a work of art, as well as discern how this art either agrees or contradicts the biblical message. As Christians, we must see that just because an artist — even a great artist — portrays a world-view in writing or on canvas, it does not mean that we should automatically accept that worldview. Art may heighten the impact of the world-view — in fact, we can count on this — but it does not make something true. The truth of a world-view presented by an artist must be judged on grounds other than artistic greatness."

“The arts and the sciences do have a place in the Christian life — they are not peripheral. For a Christian, redeemed by the work of Christ and living within the norms of Scripture and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the Lordship of Christ should include an interest in the arts. A Christian should use these arts to the glory of God — not just as tracts, but as things of beauty to the praise of God. An art work can be a doxology in itself.”