A. Witnessing to culture through Christian creativity.
1. The Purpose of Creativity: Glorifying God
· Genesis 1: 27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
· Exodus 35: 31-32: “And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze.”
· 1 Corinthians 10: 31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
· Colossians 3: 23-24: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
· Psalm 19: 1: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
2. Creativity as a Witness to Culture
· Matthew 5: 16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
· Philippians 4: 8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
· 1 Peter 4: 10-11: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.”
· Acts 17: 22-23: “So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.”
· Proverbs 22: 29: “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”
3. Creativity in the Life of the Church
· Ephesians 2: 10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
· Psalm 96: 1-3: “Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!”
· 1 Chronicles 15: 16: “David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.”
· 2 Corinthians 5: 20: “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
4. The Role of Inspiration and Imagination
· Job 32: 8: “But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.”
· Isaiah 64: 8: “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
· Exodus 31: 3-5: “And I have 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.”
5. Creativity Helps Redemption
· Romans 12: 2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
· Psalm 33: 3: “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”
· Isaiah 40: 28: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.”
· Matthew 13: 34-35: “All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.’”
B. Biblical Discernment in Media Consumption.
1. Guarding the Mind and Heart
· Proverbs 4: 23: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
· Philippians 4: 8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
· Romans 12: 2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
· Colossians 3: 2: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
· 2 Corinthians 10: 5: “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
2. Avoiding Sinful Influences
· Psalm 101: 3: “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.”
· Ephesians 5: 11-12: “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.”
· 1 Thessalonians 5: 21-22: “But test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
· Proverbs 13: 20: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
· Matthew 6: 22-23: “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.”
3. Edification and Building Up
· 1 Corinthians 10: 23: “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.”
· Ephesians 4: 29: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
· 1 Timothy 4: 7-8: “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
4. Self-Control and Discipline
· Galatians 5: 16-17: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”
· 1 Corinthians 9: 25: “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”
· Titus 2: 11-12: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.”
5. Being a Light in the World
· Matthew 5: 16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
· Romans 13: 12-14: “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
· 2 Timothy 2: 16-17: “But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.”
6. Testing and Approving
· Isaiah 33: 15-16: “He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil, he will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.”
· Psalm 119: 37: “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.”
· Hebrews 5: 14: “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”
7. Media: God hates violence
· Proverbs 3: 31: “Do not envy the violent, nor choose any of their ways.”
· Proverbs 4: 14-17: “Do not set foot in the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel in it; turn away from it and go your own way. For they cannot rest until they have done evil; they are robbed of sleep until they have caused someone to stumble. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.”
· Proverbs 13: 2: “People enjoy good things from the fruit of their lips, but the faithless have an appetite for violence.”
· Proverbs 16: 29: “A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good.”
· Psalm 73: 6: “Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.”
· Romans 3: 11,15-18: “There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God… Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery mark their paths, and the path of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” God is including evil movies here because if we watch evil movies and have them “before our eyes,” then we have no fear of God.
· Matthew 26: 51-52: “… one of Jesus’ companions took his sword, drew it, and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear. ‘Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.’”
· “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20: 13; Deuteronomy 5:17)
· Matthew 7: 21-23: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and done many wonderful works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
· Jeremiah 17: 9-10: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”
· Romans 1: 21: “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
· Romans 3: 10-18: As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
· James 1: 22…25: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says… But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”
8. A Summary of Modern Entertainment
Hosea 4: 2: “There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.”
