THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE ARTS
BY RICK JOYNER
WITH ANDREI AND AMANDA PRYCHODKO
A well-known artist recently stated that “the future of art is
perversion.” That is the devil’s prophecy, and no doubt
the devil’s intent. When one looks at the direction art has taken
in recent times from fine art, to modern art, to cinematic art, to music,
it seems that this has been coming true. However, art belongs to God,
and He is going to take art back. Art is a basic form of prophecy, and
there is a beauty and anointing about to come upon a host of holy artists
whose prophetic art will burn away the fog that is now over it, just
like the sun burns away the fog in the morning.
The Power of Art
Even among ancient cultures, art was a form of communication used to
convey a message that would actually help set the course of that culture.
You can tell where a culture is headed by its art. Art prophesies for
good or for evil. It was no coincidence that the Nazis were so devoted
to art, and that Hitler always fashioned himself as an artist. It was
the music of Wagner that was used to mesmerize the people and help fuel
the Nazi frenzy toward its diabolical and tragic purposes. The music
we listen to sows into our souls and can set the course of our lives
for good or evil.
Art has also been a basic form of worship. Art is a powerful media that
can lead to the worship of something or someone. Art can have the power
to capture the attention, imagination, and hearts of people. It has
actually been more effective in directing the nations than armies or
weapons.
In recent decades, lawlessness has gripped almost every form of art,
igniting a most obnoxious and perverted race, and plummeting art and
artists deeper and deeper into darkness. Art has followed step by step
the fall into confusion, meaninglessness, and darkness of soul that
philosophy has fallen to. That will always be the result of worshiping
anything or anyone rather than the one true God. But just as art and
philosophy have descended, ascension of both will come. Artists who
worship the one true God, who keep their souls purified by the singleness
of purpose to glorify the Lord, will be given a greater power. They
will become like prisms that refract the light of heaven and give color
and meaning to the world. As deep as art has plummeted into darkness,
the light that is coming will be even greater. Beauty, meaning, and
the elevation of all that is good will soon be seen in an extraordinary
army of artists.
One of the most obvious characteristics of God that we can see through
His creation is that He loves creativity and diversity. He loves them
so much that He even made every snowflake unique. There are no two trees
alike, no two leaves alike, and no two people alike. He made every one
of us unique. His creation is art in its most profound form. We do not
worship the creation, but the Creator. We must never worship art, but
the One who gave it to us. He gave us art to lift our hearts and release
thanksgiving, because we “enter His gates with thanksgiving”
(see Psalm 100:4). All of the awe and wonder of His creation was intended
to draw us closer to Him. Art was not intended to point to the creation,
but to use the creation to point to Him.
LIGHT IS STRONGER THAN
DARKNESS,
AND WE ARE ABOUT TO SEE
LIGHT BEGIN TO OVERPOWER THE
DARKNESS THAT IS IN ART.
In Matthew 13:39 the Lord said, “...the
harvest is the end of the age....” In the Parable of
the Wheat and the Tares, He also commanded that the wheat and the tares
be allowed to grow up together, so both would come to maturity at the
same time. We do not need to go about trying to find the tares and root
them out, because much of the time we would mistake the wheat for the
tares and destroy the wheat. Both must be allowed to grow together,
but when they are both mature, their nature will be obvious.
This is the time when everything that has been sown in man, the good
and the evil, the light and the darkness, will come to full maturity.
It is obvious that the darkness is coming to maturity in every art form,
but soon we will see the light coming to maturity in every art form.
Even so, light will be victorious and overshadow the darkness because
light is more powerful. When we open our shades at night, darkness does
not come into the room, but the light that is in the house shines out
into the darkness. Light is stronger than darkness, and we are about
to see light begin to overpower the darkness that is in art. Because
we are approaching the end of the age, the time of full maturity, the
light that is about to be released through the arts will be unprecedented.
This does not mean that the light about to be released through art is
going to be more popular than the darkness. Remember, when the Light
Himself came to earth and walked among us, men “loved
darkness more than the light” (see John 3:19). Even so,
the Lord was merciful beyond comprehension to send us His Son, and He
is going to give His greatest light during the times of greatest darkness
so all will have the chance to see it and turn to it. He loves all men
and desires for them to be saved. He will not force them, but He will
give them an opportunity to see His light. It is not our job to make
men see the light or want the light, but it is our job simply to walk
in the light and reveal it.
The Holy Spirit and Art
In the Bible, artists were the first people to be filled with the Holy
Spirit. In the Old Testament, we often find quotes saying that the Spirit
of God came on someone, such as we see in II Chronicles 15:1, “Now
the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded,” or
in II Chronicles 24:20, “Then the Spirit of God came on
Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest....” However,
it was Bezalel who was the first person in the Bible about whom it was
said that he was “filled with the Spirit,”
which we see in Exodus 31:1-5: Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
“See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the
son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit
of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of
craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver,
and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the
carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.”
Bezalel means “under the shadow, protection of
God.” Isn’t it interesting that the first person
in the Bible about whom it was said that they were “filled with
the Spirit” was an artisan, and not a priest, a king, or a prophet?
This should give us a definite sense of the importance that the Lord
gave to art in His dwelling place, the tabernacle, which was the prophetic
model for His church, “the tabernacle not made with hands”
(see Hebrews 9:11). If there was ever a building that exceeded this
one for artistic excellence, it would have to be His other dwelling
place in the Old Testament, the temple that Solomon built for Him. This
should declare loudly the importance that He gives to art in His church,
His present dwelling place.
In Exodus 28:3, we see that the artists working with Bezalel were also
filled with the Holy Spirit, “So you shall speak to all
who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom,
that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he
may minister to Me as priest” ( NKJV). Here we also see
that the Lord wanted an artist to make the priest’s garments.
How would this apply to us? It seems that there is a special revelation
of the Lord that can come through art which touches His basic nature
as the Creator. This is why those who know Him and are changed into
His image by seeing Him should also be creative. Creativity is His basic
nature. Therefore, Christians should be the most creative people on
the earth, and art that is inspired by the Holy Spirit should be worn
by the priests of the Lord like a garment.
We should also consider that artists, who are inspired by the Holy Spirit,
and who will earnestly follow Him as Bezalel, do have a similar role
like prophets and priests to reveal Him to the people. To reveal the
Lord is the most basic purpose for art, and not only is it the highest
form of art, but it is the only true fulfillment that an artist will
ever have. Anything else will only lead to a base reduction or perversion
of the gift. The church was the great custodian of art throughout much
of the church age, and most of the great works of art were commissioned
by the church. As the church at times drifted from her pure devotion
to the Lord, the art commissioned by the church also drifted. When the
Protestant Reformation began there was a great reaction to much of the
church’s art that was believed to be used as idolatry, so many
of the Protestant movements rejected art altogether in worship. This
led to the construction of very plain and colorless buildings for the
church’s meeting places, which was also a good reflection of the
church services, and therefore became a reflection of the way many perceived
God to be. This is one of the great tragedies of church history, which
misrepresented God possibly as much as that which was considered idolatry.
God is the most wonderful, interesting, colorful, and creative Being
there is, or will ever be. Those who are becoming like Him will be so
as well. Just as His priests under the Old Covenant were clothed with
great beauty and artistic design, so will His New Covenant church which
has “a better covenant” (see Hebrews 7:22).
There is a movement in the church today to recover art in worship, and
it is not unexpected that it is taking place chiefly among those baptized
in the Holy Spirit, or who claim to be and at least seek to be “Spirit-filled.”
Those who are truly filled with His Spirit will not be able to contain
the creativity that is a basic nature of the Spirit for very long. It
will pour out of them. Again, those who truly know the Creator will
be the most creative people on the planet.
THOSE WHO KNOW HIM AND
ARE CHANGED
INTO HIS IMAGE BY SEEING HIM SHOULD
ALSO BE CREATIVE.
However, it is crucial that artists are deeply committed
to worshiping the Lord with their art rather than worshiping art itself.
There is a ditch on either side of the path of life, with lawlessness
on one side and legalism on the other. In art, this is usually manifested
in idolatry on one side, which is a form of lawlessness, and a tragically
inhibiting legalism on the other side. Learning to navigate between
these extremes is difficult, but the tension between them can help keep
us in the proper balance where the path of life is, keeping life in
our art.
It is noteworthy that the Hebrew verb ashach, which means “to
anoint,” is defined as “to smear with oil,
or paint” (Strong’s OT #4886). There is a filling
of the Spirit, and there is an anointing or painting of the Spirit.
We should have the nature of the Spirit in our hearts, and this should
be reflected on us too. We know the meaning of this in relation to the
anointing that we must have for ministry, but think about it in relation
to art in how we are clothed, as this was a high purpose for art in
the Old Testament—to clothe the priests.
We know from the Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22 that the
Lord Himself will be offended if we are not properly attired for the
occasion. To dress properly for a wedding is a basic way that we show
respect for the bride and groom and their families. The same would be
true for a funeral, or other occasions such as meeting with a dignitary,
leader, or anyone that we respect. To be careless with how we dress
for an occasion is to show that we “care less” about it.
It is easy to recognize a person who dresses just to attract attention
to themselves. Such are obvious, and though they may have dressed attractively,
self-centeredness is never really attractive except in a carnal way.
However, if a person dresses well, thinking about those with whom they
will meet, there is a dignity and respect with him or her that is not
self-centered. Art is the same. Do we want our art to get the attention,
or do we want it to point to something or someone greater? There is
nobility in God-centered art that will be profoundly attractive, but
not in a self-centered way.
If God has called us to do something, He will obviously give us the
talent to do it. We want to do all that we do with excellence, but excellence
of character is the foundation of excellence in our work. The greatest
excellence of character is the love of God. Out of loving God, all true
nobility flows, as well as all true light.
The Spirit Prophesies
We see in both Joel 2 and Acts 2 that when the Spirit is poured out,
there will be prophecy. As stated, art has been a primary media for
prophecy, both for good and evil. By its very nature, art usually predicts
and points ahead to trends that cultures take, and then art also becomes
a primary media for interpreting the trends. It is for this reason that
the church should especially be devoted to the arts, as it is called
to be the light of the world, pointing to the way and illuminating it.
When the church follows the Spirit and becomes what she is called to
be, we can expect prophetic Christians to begin to lead in every field
of art.
One of the calls some artists will have will be to bring the church
to a higher level of the prophetic. Since the time that God gave the
Holy Spirit to Bezalel to fill him with special ability, wisdom, and
craftsmanship, we do not see the Lord doing this again to that extent.
The highest art was for the highest purpose, building God’s dwelling
place. The greatest and highest art will always be that which is done
for God, not men. Men may enjoy it and be lifted by it—this is
also pleasing to the Lord, who wants to draw and reconcile all men to
Himself. Even so, when we produce art for men, it will never be as high
as the art that is done as worship for God.
Understanding the Power
A movie can be “G” rated but have a power to seduce
and release a spirit of lust even more than an “R” rated
movie. It is not so much what is shown as the power behind it. We must
have a discernment that goes beyond human ratings. However, just as
dark art has the power to impart darkness and oppression, Holy Spirit-anointed
art is going to have the power to set people free. There are artists
being raised up whose gifts of healing and deliverance will be projected
through their art. People will just look at it, or hear the song, and
get healed or set free.
There is likewise art that will soon be released that will powerfully
impart vision and purpose to people, even calling some to their ministry
and releasing spiritual gifts. One of the famous cases of this in history
is how the young Count Zinzendorf beheld a classic painting of the Savior,
and it stirred in him a devotion to the Lord that ultimately led to
the birth of modern missions.
We will soon see artists create paintings that will come straight from
the throne room of God. By looking at them, people will receive an impartation
of deep prophetic vision and a heavenly perspective. In the same way,
people with other creative gifts, such as music or writing, will receive
this greater anointing, and through their creative gifts the whole church
will be drawn to the throne room of God from which it came. There will
be songs that call the righteous to the righteous cause, and help set
their lives on fire for God. There will be paintings that simply grip
the souls of those who see them so that they give their lives to the
service of our King.
God, through Moses, gave Bezalel instructions on how to build His dwelling
place. Bezalel knew clearly what colors to use and where to use them.
He received architectural plans and was instructed on how to create
the lampstand, the altar, the laver, and all of the other furniture
and coverings to be placed there. He was instructed on how to weave
colors and images into the tent walls and curtains, and how to create
holy garments for the priests. mUntil the tent was built, only Moses,
Bezalel, and the artists working with Bezalel could see it in their
spirits, but once the tent was built everybody could see it. However,
not everybody could see it to the same extent. The deeper they were
allowed to enter the temple, the more they could see. Today, we all
have access to the deepest part of the temple. There will be divinely
anointed artisans who will see the deep things of the Spirit and be
able to convey them in a form that compels many others to seek the deep
things of God. The art will not be the deep things of God, but it will
help lead to them.
As we are told in I Corinthians 2:10, “For or to us God
revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things,
even the depths of God.” Those who truly follow the
Spirit will not be shallow. If we truly are “Spirit-filled,”
we will always be seeking to know God deeper. We will not be content
to just see His acts, but we will want to know His ways. We can likewise
expect art to go deeper as the artist goes deeper. They will penetrate
the depths of God and men, releasing the living waters that come from
“the innermost being.” Art is always a
means and never an end in itself. We know we are on the path of life
when life is flowing from us. All true life is to know God and His Son.
Is that where our art is leading?
The Lord obviously wants to share His creativity with His people. It
is the basic nature of the New Covenant that we do not have to be perfect
to come into the Lord’s presence, but that we get perfected by
coming into His presence. The closer we are to Him, the more clean and
pure we shall be, and so will our art. Those who have seen His glory
will not be impressed by the greatest human glory. Those who have seen
His creativity will not be impressed by the greatest human creativity.
For this reason, the closer we get to Him, the less our art should be
influenced by human art or human trends, but will reflect heavenly trends
that will often be in direct contrast to the nature of fallen human
creativity. For this reason, one of the saddest statements of the present
condition of the church is when she follows the world’s trends
in such things as art and music. The world should be following the church,
and the closer we get to God, the more we can be sure that the art and
the music will be clean and pure.
The Lord is seeking clean vessels to release His creativity. Many artists
in the church are in bondage because they have very worldly ideas and
desires, similar to artists in the world—namely, wrong ideas of
success, selfish ambitions, jealousy, and pride. Art and artists have
always been under attack by the enemy because the enemy knows what a
powerful vessel they can be for good or evil. Many artists are outcasts,
discriminated against, and have a hard time making a living, while others
are exalted like gods. However, the Lord promises that He will bring
low those who exalt themselves, and exalt those who humble themselves.
All exaltation by men is brief, shallow, and leads ultimately to a terrible
emptiness. This is why almost everyone who reaches a pinnacle in a field
of art, or almost anything else, falls to a deep depression.
THE CLOSER WE ARE TO HIM,
THE MORE CLEAN AND PURE WE SHALL BE,
AND SO WILL OUR ART.
When we attain a pinnacle by our own selfish ambition,
it is never what we expect. When the Lord takes us to the heights, it
is different. We begin to breathe the atmosphere of heaven, and glories
beyond human imagination begin to be discerned in their nature of being
ever-expanding and ever-increasing, just like the universe He created.
One aspect of heaven is a continual marvel and wonder at what God has
done, and the unfathomable privilege of being able to participate with
Him in it. Compared to God, even the greatest human genius or art will
be like a molecule standing before the sun. The fact that the sun cares
about and loves the little molecule, even treating it as a partner,
causes an ever-increasing love of the little molecule for the sun.
Artistic expression is an expression of creativity. Creativity is spiritual
and has a power and influence that can be greater than is apparent.
Therefore, the enemy tries to influence artists and use them for his
purpose. Art has been used for a lot of evil, but it will be redeemed
and fully restored, like all of the gifts that the Lord gave to man
so that man could better relate to Him. As the Lord Jesus states in
Luke 3:4-5, which He quoted from the Prophet Isaiah:
" The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make ready
the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Every ravine will be filled,
and every mountain and hill will be brought low; the crooked will become
straight, and the rough roads smooth...."'
We are again in the times of Elijah, preparing the way for the coming
of the Lord. This is how we are building the highway that He will come
on—we level the mountains, bring up the low places, and make the
crooked straight. The mountains here are strongholds and the low places
are the oppressed. In relation to the arts, the crooked is the self-worship,
humanism, and perversions that have taken over the arts. Some are now
arising with divinely powerful weapons to bring down the strongholds
and tools for building the highway. These will see the glory of the
Lord come down on what they have been used to build. It will be worth
the struggle. It is a noble cause—the “good fight”
of faith that will take much faith, but the victory is sure for those
who remain faithful. The arts belong to the Lord, and He is raising
His army now to retake them.
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