I recently went to a Coldplay gig with my good friend Nick Law at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. It was one of the most amazing events I have ever been to! The sound was incredible, the words were filled with truth and emotion and the atmosphere was electric…it was an incredible evening and the creativity that I witnessed, felt and heard was life giving.
As I walked away for this amazing experience it reminded me of my visit to the Hillsong Conference in Sydney. Again, this experience was similar to the Coldplay gig…big auditorium, large crowd, quality music and creative. Obviously my experience at the Hillsong was slightly different as the Bible was opened and Jesus was talked about openly. However, God created all things and Coldplay do talk much about life, creation, difficult times, relationships and often points to something bigger than ourselves but not directly Jesus.
Both these experiences made an impact on my life in different ways. Both demonstrated the importance of being creative in our lives, in all that we do, especially within the community in which we call ‘church’.
The Bible begins with the God of creation…forming the stars with his mighty hands, shaping the planets, placing the waters above and below and breathing life into our very being.
We were born out of the creators heart to be creative. God says to us…
“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it..” (Gen 1:28).
We were created to be creative!
Obviously we are not all Coldplay or have massive churches like Hillsong and large budgets to put on massive events but we can be creative in the small things.
At Churchforstudent we have a number of clusters/missional communities who are groups of students who have a passion for God, Community and the World. My challenge to you, if you’re in one of these communities is this…are you being creative with the gifts and skills that God has given you? Are you being creative in the way you live as community and share the message of Jesus? Is your cluster being fruitful (in depth with each other and in numbers)?
If you’re not in our church then how are you living a creative life? Can you see the fruit in your life? If so, thank God for it and continue to be creative…thinking of new ways to imagine and love those around you.
The God of creation produced the world. The God of creativity brings life. A Creative church can/will turn a generation to Christ!
Do something new! Be creators in new things that demonstrate love to those around you. The church needs to be creative and try something different! Have fun and go wild with what God has given you!