Read as pastor and author, Chris Cruz, shares about walking in our gifts to influence culture around us, a topic that is close to the heart of Bethel Music Worship Nights. Through worship, we usher His spirit into our communities and shift atmospheres.
Have you ever looked at a blank canvas and thought, “that’s supposed to stay blank”?
No.
A blank canvas is inviting, almost like a spiritual beckoning. It welcomes an artist, asking for their craft. Canvases speak to you. They say, “I am designed for you to express yourself.” Any artist who lacks purpose will leave a canvas blank. A canvas never wants to stay blank.
Canvases are designed with the artist in mind.
My parents are both incredible artists. They’ve converted our old bedrooms into art studios. I’ve come home to music playing and followed it like a trail of bread trail crumbs into their creative chambers, where I find them lost in their work. As they improved, they started making their own canvases in the garage.
Being an entrepreneur, my dad found a way to get all the resources–but it wasn’t easy for him at first.
I remember asking my mom, “How do you like the canvas dad built?”
“It’s great, but the fabric isn’t right yet.” she replied.
“What do you mean it isn’t right?” I asked.
My Mom replied, “The fabric doesn’t absorb the paint well and requires too much paint.”
The canvas needed a different fabric, one with the artist in mind. This is exactly how God designed planet earth: for you to paint on it like one giant, cosmic canvas.
The earth’s designed with certain level of responsibility for humans. God didn’t create it solely for His influence. He built an invitation into it, asking you to fulfill your role as an artist.
You’re designed with a gift to influence the earth. The earth’s designed to be influenced by you. You were born with the ability to make a difference.
Our role isn’t a small one either. The future of God’s creation was radically changed because of the actions taken by man. The devil knew the gift of influence God gave to man, it’s why he went after Adam and Eve.
You’re unique: I call you a catalyst. You sit between two worlds, using your agency to make things happen.
God ultimately gave you a gift to influence the earth. He did this hoping you would stay submitted to His heart. The human race give birth to God’s realities through submitting their gift. God’s world materializes through the actions of people in right relationship with Him.
Adam and Eve surrendered their gift and let the enemy hijack it. The garden was the first place you see your role as a human given up and God’s investment of influence not handled well.
God didn’t give up on us after Adam and Eve handed over the dominion of earth. His rescue plan included God becoming a man.
Restoration of the earth happened because Jesus became the truest expression of humanity. God’s world became our world through Jesus.
Jesus mentions something about this to a man named Nathaniel.
He tells him, “Angels will ascend and descend upon the son of man.”
This is interesting because of a traditional Bible interpretation technique called “first mention.” It means God communicates the truth of a subject in the first mention of a subject. And the first mention of these words spoke to Nathaniel are found in Genesis 28.
It’s about Jacob’s ladder.
The angels ascending and descending were the distinguishing mark of Jacob’s experience. It led him to call it the “house of God” and the “gate of heaven”. By the technique of first mention, Jesus is saying He’s the gate of heaven. He’s the doorway into another world. Many agree with this insight but have reduced it to salvation. They believe Jesus’ our door into His reality, not realizing Jesus also meant He’s the way Heaven’s reality would break into ours.
Jesus was the access point for the realities found in the heart of God. This is why Jesus left a wake of outlandishly great things in the lives of those who desperately needed them.
The earth became brighter because Jesus didn’t hide His light. He was consistently operating in the gift of influence God gave to humanity.
Jesus truly understood the earth was a canvas. He constantly saw Himself as a catalyst, someone who was part of the solution. You might say, “well, that was Jesus–and I am not Jesus.” Good observation, but God actually sent Jesus with the intention of sending you.
Jesus says, “as the Father has sent me, I also send you.”
Hidden in the commission of Jesus was the re-commissioning of the human race to create God’s world. God wants you in the game, doing what Jesus did. You must understand, God rarely thinks of solutions absent of His people.
Moses experienced this first hand: the Jewish cry for freedom was very real to him. It also says God heard their cry and was going to deliver them. The interesting part’s God combines His deliverance with sending Moses.
God basically says, “I will deliver them. I will send you.”
Moses became part of the solution when God wrapped him up in the deliverance of Israel. God used Moses as a catalyst for the freedom of Israel.
You might think “God, I need You to give hope to my sister.” God’s saying, “I will give her hope. I will send you.”
You might think “God, my brother needs to know he’s loved.” God’s saying, “I will love him. I will send you.”
You might think “God, my family needs restoration.” God’s saying, “I will restore them. I will send you.”
You’re part of God’s solution.
We’re all catalysts–there’s no escaping this gift from God. The earth’s our canvas, but will it stay blank because we lack purpose? Will our contribution be creating the world God wants? If we neglect our gift we hand over our power and perpetuate the problems in the world. Even in our silence, we’re still speaking.
You’re designed to make a difference. Paint on the canvas of the world.
This is an excerpt from Chris’ latest ebook, “Catalyst 101.” You can read the ebook free here.
