Page 41 - Empowering Missional Artists - Jim Mills.pdf

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of art where the arts were not only endorsed, but artists were called and filled with His Holy

Spirit so they could accomplish their assignment. In the above passage these artists applied

their skill to make a statement for their world and their time. All the cathedrals of Western and

Eastern Europe are artistic voices from the past made by servant artisans. These great

masterpieces of architecture spoke profoundly in their day. Whereas, they are appreciated in our

own day, yet they are not leading and speaking to modernist or the postmodernist, as they did to

pre-modernists. They are voices from the past whose influence and leadership have fallen silent

to the contemporary man.

Bezalel and Oholiab not only served God by applying their artistic skill, but were called to

serve by teaching others, thus establishing for all practical purposes the first conservatory for

art for the Hebrews. They were leaders re-producing themselves, mentoring, and discipling other

servant artists. This is what we have done in our arts camps for teens and art sessions in

Switzerland, Austrian, Germany, and Finland. We are not under any illusion that we are going to

make artists in 1-2 weeks or even full-grown leaders, but vision-seeds can be planted, and the

role-models are there to influence the next generation.

One relevantly unknown contemporary example of a servant artist is worth mentioning. A

number of years ago I read about a young 16 year old painter in the magazine, Focus on the

Family. The article included a hand full of some of his works. Though all I had was the printed

copy of his work, it was obvious that he was a master painter in the making. The article unfolded

his story. This young believing artist was in the hospital being treated for cancer. His father and

mother were also Christians and of course, they were praying his total recovery. How could God

not heal this young man? Why, he was a master craftsman on the edge of greatness. The

paintings in the article, actually, were portraits of the doctors and nurses and their families. In

this season of utter weakness, this young painter invited those who served him into his room so

that he could serve them through his art. Then, after a few months, this young master artisan

died never having left a major mark in culture. This young artisan was a servant artist. One that