Today's entry is the continuation of a series by David Pierce entitled "Principles of the Evangelistic Artists". This series is a preview of David’s highly anticipated new book for evangelistic artists. David Pierce explains that Christian artists are not normal artists. They should defy the conventions of the typical art scene and play by an entirely different set of rules than the world does.

       

Fear isn’t the only threat to the Christian artist.  The arrogance and pride in the art scene today knows no limit, and if you come under its grip, you will be disqualified from the calling that God wants to give you.  So every artist will also have to pass the test of pride.  By “pass the test,” I am not suggesting that you will deal with these issues once and be finished.  We need to work on these areas throughout our whole lives, but I do think there are certain crossroads where God will put specific tests before us, and our choice will be a defining moment in our life.

      

If you are going to stand up for Jesus in the art scene, you will have to pass a number of tests.  

 

One of them is the test of fear, especially if you are willing to step into new areas.  In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 it says, “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.”

     

Back when we first played in Jarocin, so many people had left the festival to see our forbidden concert in front of the church, that the festival organizers ended up inviting us to play on the main stage, in front of an audience of 15,000 people.

 

At that point, all the Christians there started telling me, “Don’t say anything.  This is an amazing opportunity. Just play your music.  You’ll have so many opportunities if you just play your music.  Don’t blow it.  God has given you this opportunity, so be cool; just play your music.”  

    

You should not feel combative toward the people in that scene.  They are not the enemy; we fight against spiritual principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12).  God has a broken heart for the people we are trying to reach—whether it is in the clubs or anywhere else.  He loves them.  We are not fighting against them.  But what if the Bloody Circle of Witches, the occult club that I mentioned before, moved across the street from your church?  Some churches would teach that you need to need to march around the club and pray against it, doing spiritual warfare, because it is such an evil place.  And yes, it is evil, but we cannot forget that God has a broken heart for the people there.