Empowering The Church Through Creativity

Empowering the Church through Creativity!

By Michael McCartney

Opening Illustration: Have Communion set up front with a light on it and have the power point playing of the pictures of Jesus. Also have the song by Mark schultz called Remember Me playing on the CD player.

Focus of class: The Holy Spirit desires to empower the church by unleashing His creative power into its life. We can be the conduits which God will use to unleash this power force into the lives of our church and community.

Thesis: What is the most creative force on the planet today? Is it Hollywood? Is it the business world? No! It’s the Spirit of the Lord! The church should be the most creative force in any community. Why? Because God’s Spirit is here!

Introduction:

Is your church creative?

Are you creative?

Do you want to be creative?

Do you think it’s too much work?

Are you afraid to be creative because of what others may say?

Do you believe that the Holy Spirit is more creative than the spirit of the world?

Are you willing to open yourself up to His creative force?

Are you willing to pray and ask Him to help you be creative?

If you answered yes to the last question above then come with me on a creative journey and watch how God will use you.

I. We need to be creative in presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our communities. The Why!

a. God is the most creative person I know. Don’t you think so?

i. Just read Genesis chapters one and two.

1. Just take a look at the sky and the stars.

2. Observe wildlife and flowers.

a. Look at the flower.

b. Take a moment and look at it. It’s amazing.

3. He created all the beauty and majesty of this world. The Mountain tops, the ocean depths and the desert plains. Why? He is creative. He does not like boring!

4. I never forgot what Chuck Swindoll’s said years ago, “It is a sin to bore people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!” I have never forgotten it and no minister should.

5. Thought “Aim So High You’ll Never Be Bored!”

a. The greatest waste of our creative resources is the number of people who never achieve their potential in God. Get out of that slow comfortable lane. Switch into the fast lane and fly. If you think you can not you will not. If you think you can there’s a great chance you will. Even making the effort will make you feel like a new person. Reputations and revelations are achieved by searching for things that can’t be done and doing them. Aim low boring, aim high start soaring into God’s realm of creativity.

ii. Not only was he creative but He is still today just as creative.

1. Malachi 3:6: 6“I the LORD do not change.

a. This verse tells me that the Lord is still creative!

2. James 1:17: 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

a. I believe that the gift of creativity is there for all who desire it. We just need to ask! You have not because you ask not!

3. God’s nature is full of inventiveness and creative ways.

a. He desires to impart that to us if we are willing.

4. Truth is He helps solve our problems today in creative ways – ways you could never imagine.

a. Creativity is the act of problem solving using God’s creative means to solve it.

5. Jesus was very creative in the way he presented the Gospel and so should we.

a. He used hands on illustrations – Salt of the earth, light of the world. So should we!

i. The Golden Cow illustration- pass stuffed animal of cow around – have them write on it the different types of Golden Cows we deal with today.

b. He used drama – just observe the scene in the Temple when he overturned the money changers tables - So should we!

i. You can use Drama teams in your own church.

ii. There is also good drama videos put out by Willow Creek Community Church.

c. He used stories- parables- real life testimonies-peoples stories and so should we!

i. Have someone get up in the middle of your sermon to share their story to make you point.

ii. Rick warren does a great job of this at Saddleback.

d. He used visuals- fig tree – nature – so should we!

i. Show a DVD song clip ‘I Can Only Imagine!”.

ii. Power point

iii. Pictures – pass around a picture – look at these!

e. He used miracles – He raised Lazarus from the dead- healings – so should we!