A recent sermon topic at the church I attend has been that we as Christians are all missionaries in our own ways. Whether we’re indeed working in the mission field, being a witness of Jesus in the classroom, or using our creative talents to spread the gospel, we are all called by Jesus to “go make disciples” as He states in The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

Sometimes, if we’re one of the latter who have creative talents, we may find it difficult to figure out how we can use our talent to point others to Christ. Today, I’d like to share a few tips with you on how to do just that. 🙂

Base Your Creations on Events in The Bible

The most overt method of sharing Jesus to others through creative pursuits that comes to mind for me is using your talent to share a creative retelling of a Bible story where God’s word, actions, and love are shown to the audience. My creative talent is writing, so please forgive me for defaulting to that medium for some of the examples in this post, but there is an entire genre of Christian fiction that does this well: biblical fiction. In the music realm, many contemporary Christian artists write songs based on people from the Bible, such as “Giants Fall” by Francesca Battistelli, which references the story of David and Goliath, or “Rise Up (Lazarus)” by Cain which references the story of Jesus bringing Lazarus back to life and how it relates to Jesus defeating death on the Cross.

But, the Bible story method isn’t just limited to writing or song lyrics. Think of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” painting. Art of any medium–whether it’s painting, sketching, animation, etc.–can be used to depict Bible stories to others.

Now, how can we put our own spin on these retellings? Well, we could do a creative retelling based on what’s mentioned in the Bible about the event during that time period, or even do a modern day one. For example, the 1998 animated film The Prince of Egypt was based on the life of Moses. The Left Behind book series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, on the other hand, are futuristic contemporary stories that speculate what the end times will be like for those who have not been raptured. If you’re a painter, you could do a series of paintings based on Bible events and put your own spin on them. Just remember to always remain Biblically accurate where God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are concerned. We should not ever twist what is recorded about the Trinity’s character, including direct quotes from them/about them and their commandments, to fit our own storytelling agendas.

Use a Verse as a Prompt

Another way we can use our creative talents to share the gospel with others is to base our creative projects on a specific Bible verse or passage. For example, though I didn’t start off writing the book based on the verse, when I was in the midst of writing Speak Your Mind, Psalm 139:14 kept standing out to me, and it quickly became the book’s dedicated verse for me, as it heavily relates to the theme of being confident in being the person God made you to be, because He makes no mistakes. The main character in Speak Your Mind struggles with social anxiety throughout the novel, and by going through circumstances that teach her the message of this verse, the book shows readers that we are all unique creations of God and that even though we may not like some things about ourselves (like our struggles with anxiety, our quirks, our appearance, our health issues, etc.) that God did not “mess up” when He made us, and that He can use us however He sees fit.

For graphic design, you could create clothing items featuring Bible verses and donate some to the homeless or those in need, such as if someone in your area loses their house in a fire or natural disaster. Recently, the women’s ministry at church passed out bookmarks for Valentines Day with Bible verses on them. If you’re a Christian who loves reading, and you also dabble in graphic design or creating handmade products, this would be a great ministry tool. The possibilities are endless!

Pray for Guidance, and Dream and Produce With God

If you have an idea for a creative project that isn’t directly based on Biblical events or a specific verse, but you still want to use the idea to spread the gospel, pray about it, my friend. Ask God for guidance on how you can use the idea to honor Him and spread His word to others.

While there is plenty of creative ministry content out there that are either directly based on Biblical events or specific verses, there is also tons of original content out there where the content creator honors God from their own point-of-view. Whether it’s a story idea, a movie script, a poem, or an idea for an animated film, you never know how God may use an idea. Dream and produce with Him. He gives us creative ideas for a reason.

Just think about Bart Millard’s lyrics to the song “I Can Only Imagine”–a song written based on his feelings about his father’s death. God used that song to not only impact the millions of listeners the song reached, but He also allowed Bart’s original message to impact readers through his memoir of the same name, and the movie that was based on how the song came to be.

Your idea may just be a nugget of inspiration right now, one that you think is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But, you never know what God can do with it. Give it to Him. Let Him lead you in it. And choose to make disciples with the gift He’s given you. ❤

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

What is your creative talent? What ideas do you have to use your talent to spread the gospel to others? Share your ministry in the comments.

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀