The Thriving Christian Artist

A Wakeup Call: Why Your Art is Needed Now!

• Matt Tommey: Artist, Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur and Artist Mentor

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The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk has shaken many to their core, leaving artists wondering about their role in a world where truth-tellers face violent opposition. This watershed moment demands a response from those called to create in God's kingdom.

When darkness descends and voices are silenced, our natural instinct might be to retreat into safety and silence. Yet throughout history, persecution has never diminished the gospel—it has amplified it. As Acts 8:4 reminds us, "those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word." The early church didn't hunker down in fear but scattered boldly, carrying truth into new territories.

Your creative expression isn't merely a hobby or pastime—it's a strategic weapon in God's hands against the powers of darkness. When the enemy targets truth-tellers, seeking to silence their voice, our response must be to multiply that voice through our own creative gifts. Your art matters profoundly in this moment, whether it speaks truth explicitly or embeds it within beauty and mystery.

This isn't a call to belligerence or confrontation for its own sake, but to stand firm in five essential ways: First, recognize your art as a weapon in God's hands, not a trivial pastime. Second, reject fear as a lie—create boldly as an act of defiance against the spirit of fear. Third, understand that pushback proves your assignment—if you're facing resistance, your light is making a difference. Fourth, remember that truth wrapped in love is never hate, regardless of how culture labels it. Finally, take heart knowing Christ is with you in the battle—rejection isn't failure but confirmation you're advancing the kingdom.

The world needs Christian artists who respond to radical violence not with more violence, but with radical love expressed through radical creativity. As darkness deepens, light becomes more visible and powerful. This is our moment to link arms with each other and with the Holy Spirit, lifting the creative candle of our lives to illuminate a path toward God's kingdom.

What will you create today that brings heaven to earth? The world is waiting for your voice.

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Speaker 1:

You know the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk. Many artists have been wondering wow, what does this mean for my art? What does this mean for the voice of truth that I feel like I'm supposed to carry in the culture? You know, I want to tell you this the enemy is not just random, he's strategic when he tries to take out voices of truth and culture. But today on the podcast, I want to talk to you about what God's plan is for us as creatives and why your art matters, now more than ever, to release God's light and life into the world and release His glory so that His kingdom can come and His will can be done in and through your life. Today, on the Thriving Christian Artist, all over the world, artists are awakening. Painters and potters, writers and weavers, poets and dancers not chasing followers or fame, but sons and daughters called for such a time as this Transform from the inside out, creating with purpose, releasing the glory of God and living in the power of the kingdom.

Speaker 1:

Right now, this is the Thriving Christian Artist. Hey, my friend, it's Matt and Tommy. So glad that you're with me here on the podcast, whether you're watching or listening for the first time, whether the first time in a long time or maybe you're a long time listener or viewer. I'm super glad that you are here. Listen, today is sort of a somber day. It's been that way for the last week or so. I don't know about you, but my family and my faith community, all of us have just been shaken to the core to learn about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, somebody that we, many of us, have felt for so many years have been a champion of truth and a champion of the goodness of God and an invitation to people all over the world, in every walk of life, to come into the life-saving knowledge of Jesus over the world, in every walk of life, to come into the life-saving knowledge of Jesus, to walk in His kingdom and to live the life that God designed for us, and to see Him assassinated in such a brutal and violent and disturbing way in front of thousands of college students. It was just. It shook me to the core. In fact, my son, cameron, lives only 45 minutes, uh, north of of right there in Utah, where where he was, and so we found ourselves wondering if he was okay. I think it's one of those moments I think back. You know, I'm 51. Uh, I think back to like nine 11, when that happened, I think back when uh, columbine happened. I think back even as a kid. You know, in the Challenger, you know incident happened during the Reagan years of the you know all of the astronauts, their spaceship getting blown up and the shuttle Just an incredible marker moment, you know, for me in my life and I think this is going to be like one of those two because it's so interesting to me.

Speaker 1:

You know, charlie, he started this organization years ago called Turning Point, and there have been so many things. I'm just echoing what I've. You know, so many of us are saying all over the place that this really does feel like a massive turning point in our culture, where all of us who love Jesus and want to see his kingdom come and his will be done, no matter what we are designed and assigned to do in the kingdom, we're shaken to our core. And this is a turning point to say hey, if you have not been bold about who God's called you to be and what he's called you to do, if you've been dancing on the edge, if you've been afraid in this world of cancel culture and just trying to get along, to get along sort of mentality that people can have a lot of times. This is sort of namby-pamby sort of Christianity.

Speaker 1:

I believe that it's times like these that shake us to our core and wake us up and say you know what? There is an enemy. He is at large, he is roaming around, just like the Bible says, like a roaring lion, seeking to kill and to maim and to destroy and to derail and to discourage and to get us to focus on anything but the goodness of God and the plans that he has for us. You know my thoughts. In the middle of all of this, you know, so many people have been, you know, shaken and kind of driven to fear. But I've been so encouraged, not only in my own life and friends, in our circles that we have and in our communities, but to see the body of Christ, not only in the United States but all over the world, stand up and say no, no, no, no, no, no. This is not going to push us back. This is going to do the same thing that persecution did in the New Testament. It's going to cause us to go forward.

Speaker 1:

In fact, I was thinking today, acts 8, 4, it says this therefore, those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. In other words, when persecution comes and it came to the early church, it didn't just cause them to, you know, to to hunker down with each other. Of course, we need community in these times to to get strength and to build each other up. But you know what it caused them to do? It caused them to to go everywhere, to scatter, to stand up with boldness, no matter where God had called them to, and to preach the gospel and to live a life that was demonstrating the goodness and the power of God. And I just feel that for us as artists, you know, back in 2009, god called me to raise up an army of artists to reveal his glory in the earth.

Speaker 1:

And while I've never thought that that was ever supposed to be about some kind of violent overthrow through the arts, you know, or anything like that, I think that there is a boldness. I'm reminded of the words of Jesus that the kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force. In other words, there's a, there's a you know boldness inside of us that's got to stand up and say you know what? We are believers in Jesus, we're believers and sons and daughters in this incredible kingdom and in the middle of great tragedy, in the middle of great violence, we are not standing up with those tools. We're standing up with love and generosity and a boldness of truth that says the living God is living in us and wants to live through us and wants to allow his light and life to be made available and made glorious through his church and through his sons and daughters.

Speaker 1:

And, my friend, I just can't think of a more exciting time for you and I to be artists to bring these life givers and light bringers and beauty revealers and truth revealers into the middle of culture. You know, if there was ever a time in history, right now, this moment, where you said does my art matter? Does my art? Is my art just a pastime? Is my art just some sort of thing that I'm just doing to have fun? Does it really matter in the economy of God? My friend, I want to let you know God is speaking right now and he's raising up artists all over the world with a prophetic unction to release his light and life and listen.

Speaker 1:

That doesn't always have to be overtly Christian, although for some it will be. For some, god will call you to create works that violently come against the messages of the culture that are standing and raising themselves up against the knowledge of God and against the truth of his word. And for others, it will be about releasing his beauty in his life and his life and narrative and and story and and metaphor that will cause people to to wonder, will allow them to enter into this mysterious sort of conversation with the Holy Spirit and will be used to draw them. Some will plant seeds, some will water, some will bring in the harvest. But listen, all of that, wherever your creative expression falls on that spectrum, all of it is important, all of it is needed. And, my friend, I just feel it's so important today to tell you this is not a time to shrink back. This is a time to rise up and to stand in the calling and in the design and in the assignment that God's given you as an artist in his kingdom.

Speaker 1:

Now, what does that not mean? It doesn't mean go be belligerent just to be belligerent. No, it doesn't mean that at all. In fact, that's one of the most beautiful things I think that we have seen in this incredible tragedy. I can think about so many, not many years ago, when some on the political left were raging against what was going on in the country, what they felt was really bad situations that they need to stand up against. There were disagreements on both sides, but what did so many of them do? Burning down cities, you know, destroying businesses there were, you know, people being hurt and just all of the physical violence that was going on. And one of the things that I've loved, I've loved to see in the middle of this tragedy, is that so many of us that love Jesus and that are that are hurting deeply and angered deeply by this assassination of Charlie Kirk, have not gone to violence, have not gone to burning down cities and looting businesses and and shooting policemen, all this kind of stuff. No, we've gone to church. We've started prayer gatherings, we've prayed for each other. We've said no, this is not going to silence us, this is going to allow us to stand up and be the true church.

Speaker 1:

Radical violence cannot be met with radical violence. Radical violence has to be met with radical love and radical generosity and, I believe, radical creativity to allow the kingdom of God to be made manifest in and through our life. I mean, one of the best ways to do spiritual warfare in your life is not an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I'm not about and I certainly hope you're not about some sort of Old Testament justice.

Speaker 1:

In situations like this, when something happens to us as believers, when we encounter these things, we come in the opposite spirit. We come in the opposite spirit, the spirit of Christ, one that says in the middle of violence, we're going to sow peace when there's hatred, just like the prayer of St Francis where there's hatred, just like the, you know, is that the the prayer of St Francis where there's hatred. Let me show what radical love, radical love, radical beauty, in the midst of of radical tragedy. And listen things, this, this, this way that Jesus taught, that is, that is core to his kingdom. This does not make sense to the world, it doesn't make sense to the religious mind, it doesn't make sense to the mind that just wants to go out and do what the assassin of Charlie Kirk did, to what feels like the whole Christian community and so many of us that hold these values. But you know what? It speaks much louder and it speaks much more powerfully when we can come out in the power of the Holy Spirit, in a spirit of peace and of love and abundance and joy, and say we are not shrinking back from the truth, but we're going to do it in a way that is invitational, that is abundant, that is love filled and that is filled with the beauty of God and the nature of God.

Speaker 1:

I think that's what it means to be a son and a daughter, and especially an artist, in this kind of season that we find ourselves in and listen, I wish I could say that I think it's going to get better before it gets worse. I don't necessarily. I think that it's probably we're going to see darker days ahead, and so I wanted to give you five things today that are not just for this situation in particular, but I think they are five takeaways for you that will serve you, if you will, in this season that we are walking in as prophetic people and as artists, as creators, as sons and daughters. And so the first one is this Number one your art is a weapon in God's hands. You got to start pushing out this idea that your art is some kind of little pastime or whatever. No, your art is a tool in God's hands. This is not a time to play small. This is not a time to shrink back from the difficult things that you feel like God's calling you to say in your art, god wants to speak and is speaking through your art and your creativity.

Speaker 1:

And listen. The enemy knows it. That's why he's out to kill and dismay and to destroy and to derail people with voices, because he wants to silence the voice within you. I made a post immediately when Charlie Kirk was assassinated. I said I don't think it's by any chance that he was shot in the throat. The enemy is trying to steal, was trying to steal his voice, but what happened? It multiplied it. It multiplied it.

Speaker 1:

I'm reminded of Ephesians 6, 12 in the New King James. It says this For we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. Listen, don't let your own natural reactions that may be based in fear or even may be based in just anger, in fleshly anger. Realize you're not fighting against flesh and blood. Realize your art. The art that God's given you is a tool in your hand to be a tool in his hands. And if you're not creating in this time and not responding creatively in this time, I believe it's a major way the enemy could be silencing your voice. And so I would just say allow your creativity to be that weapon, to be that voice, allow it to be a place to process all that you're feeling and all that you want to say in this time.

Speaker 1:

Number two fear is a lie. Fear is a lie, and so we're called not to stand in fear but to stand in power. You know, second Timothy one seven, you know it. It says, for God's not given us a spirit of fear, but of what? Power? And of love and a sound mind. And so when hate rises and fear is is pressing in on every side, there's not. This is not a time to cower back. This is a time to create boldly and fearlessly, and so our art, in this kind of situation, in this season, becomes literally an act of defiance against the spirit of fear. It's the way that we are coming against the spirit of fear. Number three pushback is proof of your assignment. Pushback is proof of your assignment.

Speaker 1:

There have been a number of artists that I've seen lately who are creating portraits of Charlie Kirk, who are creating really bold prophetic statements about this. I saw one the other day, a guy named Sam Ryan, and I've not really known about a lot of his art, but I saw a post that he did recently and he said since you know the Charlie Kirk assassination and since he did this, this portrait I think the portrait actually his intention was to to give it to the family as a tribute and I believe it didn't make its way there, if I'm not mistaken. You can, you can check his social media. But the interesting thing was he said, as of this is today, as I was looking at it, he said I've lost. It was almost 23,000 followers had unfollowed him since he put up you know that that post and he was like awesome, make room for more. Please unfollow me if you don't agree with what I'm saying, because I'm just trying to make room for more.

Speaker 1:

Listen, if you're facing resistance in the art that you're creating, in the way that you're responding, listen, it's because your light is making a difference. Jesus said in John 15, 20, if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. Listen, this is normal. Now listen, I get it. Nobody likes to be persecuted. I'll probably get ugly comments on this. I'll probably get emails. I'll probably get people saying man, I'm not following you anymore.

Speaker 1:

For all that, listen, I believe the time for being fearful of all that is over. It's over Opposition to you speaking the light and light and the truth of God in a loving and invitational and abundant way. That is not failure. Opposition to that is not failure. It's confirmation that you're actually doing the things that God's created you to do. It's confirmation that you're a part of advancing the kingdom.

Speaker 1:

If you're not getting any pushback in what you're doing, I would just ask what are you doing? What kind of life are we living if we're not looking weird to the world, not for the sake of looking weird, but for the fact that we're a peculiar people? God's called us in a unique way to preach his life and light, to release his nature and glory in the earth in ways that most of the time do not make sense and are offensive to the spirit of this world. Now, obviously you got to be wise, and how God calls you to do that, you know we're not just going out trying to, you know, pick a fight. No, obviously not. We want to always release the truth of God's kingdom with love and generosity and grace and invitation. I would say, just like Charlie did it in many of the ways that he lived his life. Every day. I'm inspired by that and I want to live a life that is informed in that way, and so this is not about just going out and picking a fight with the enemy. This is about living in a way that's authentic, creating in a way that's authentic, and not allowing things like this to let you back up from your Christian testimony.

Speaker 1:

Number four truth in love is not hate. I'm going to say that again. Speaking the truth in love, demonstrating the truth in love, in love, demonstrating the truth in love, presenting the truth in love through whatever we do creatively, is not hate. Listen, our culture and the spirit of this world will say anything less than full acceptance, full welcoming, full approval of anything that anybody wants to do. Anything other than that the world will always say is hate, it's a phobia, it's this kind of phobia or that kind of phobia, it's this kind of hate or that kind of hate. But listen, that's not hate. Culture is always going to twist your message, just like they twisted Jesus's message. But here's the truth the truth wrapped in love is still the truth. The truth wrapped in love is still the truth. The truth wrapped in love is still the truth, and the enemy is always going to say that the truth is not the truth.

Speaker 1:

And so I'm just letting you know when you put things out there and when you're creating the things and you're messaging things in a way and you're, you know, illustrating things and bringing things into metaphor in a way that can be challenging to people, don't think that, oh, if I get pushback, you know if people say that that's hate speech or whatever. No, it's not hate speech, that's truth. If we are saying things that are out of the word of God, in a way that is loving, we can expect pushback. But don't ever think that just because you get pushback, that somehow you're speaking hate or whatever. Of course you're not speaking hate. You're speaking the truth in love. Ephesians 4.15 says Speaking the truth in love, that we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head. That's talking about speaking the truth in love to each other. But you know, as artists, we get to declare the truth of God in love. Why? So that people can come to know Christ, they can grow up into Christ and they can live in the abundant life that Jesus died for them to live in. And so don't let the fear of being misunderstood stop you from doing and creating and declaring in a way that God's called you to do. All right. Now, number five in the middle of all of that creating, facing pushback, dealing with potential persecution, being misunderstood, all the things Listen, the Bible says that Jesus was tempted in every way.

Speaker 1:

He went through everything that's common to man. So you've got to realize, number one, you're not the first person that's gone through this. And number two, god's with you in the battle. Jesus made it clear in John 16, 33, it says In this world you will have tribulation.

Speaker 1:

Some versions say trouble, right, you're going to have it, but be of good cheer. Why? Because I have overcome the world. In other words, we're not out here doing this for our own self. We're not out here trying to pick a fight with the world just to promote our own self. No, we're trying to walk in a way and live in a way and create in a way that is honoring and consistent with the life of Christ that's living inside of us. Matthew 28, 20 says you know that Jesus promises this. In the middle of all the stuff, right, he says I am with you always, even until the end of the age. So remember, rejection is not failure. Rejection, persecution is not failure. Difficulty is not failure. Feeling pressed on every side is not failure. Persecution is not failure. Difficulty is not failure. Feeling pressed on every side is not failure, and many times it's proof that we're walking in fellowship with Christ and doing the very thing that he's called us to do.

Speaker 1:

And so, listen, every brushstroke, every song, every poem, every movement, every whatever it is that you do, can carry and declare the presence of God and the nature of God into culture. Whether it's overt or covert, whether it's out there, you know, just plain to see, or whether it's an invitation to mystery, god wants to use your creativity, in the middle of these firestorms of culture, to raise the flag and to say there's a God who loves you, who sent his son Jesus to die on the cross, that you wouldn't have to live in death but you could live in life, not only for eternity, but in this life right now. My friend, listen, I just, with everything in me, I hope you can feel the passion that I feel like is the Lord's passion for us today to stand up in the face of radical hate and release radical love through radical creativity. My friend, I hope that you will ask the Lord what that means for you, for every person that's listening and watching today. That's going to be a little bit different. It's going to be released through your life and my life in a different way. For me, even doing a podcast, that is this bold, that is this laying it out there. Listen, this is something. I have tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of followers that follow us all over the world, and so to take a stand immediately. When you take a stand, there's going to be pushback, but I'm just telling you, my friend, I'm telling you right now we're not in a season of shrinking back. We're in a season of momentum in the Spirit. We're in a season where, as we all link arms, not only with each other, but with the arms of the Holy Spirit, and release the light and life of God in our culture through the creative expression of our lives, god's going to use it in an incredible way. I believe our best days are yet to come. I believe that we're going to see millions and millions and millions of people come in to the kingdom. As the darkness gets darker, the lighter is. The light is going to get lighter and you're going to be a part and I'm going to be a part of lifting the candle of our life to be a part of this light that God is releasing all through the earth. Jesus, I thank you.

Speaker 1:

God, not for tragedy, because we don't. We don't like tragedy, we don't want tragedy. God, if anything, you know, we don't want people like Charlie Kirk and others. God, not for tragedy, because we don't like tragedy, we don't want tragedy. God, if anything, we don't want people like Charlie Kirk and others, god, that have been martyred for your kingdom. God, of course we don't want horrible, difficult things like this to happen. But, god, we know that in this world we're going to have trouble and in the middle of it, god, you are working all things together for your good, because you love us and you've called us according to your purpose.

Speaker 1:

And, god, I thank you that you're using moments like these, god, untimely deaths. It feels like to us, lord, these moments, god, these lives Charlie's life and the lives of others who are laying down their life for the gospel all over the world, in the lives of others who are laying down their life for the gospel all over the world, god, that they would become seeds that would be multiplied exponentially for your glory, so that your kingdom would come and your will would be done and that millions would come to know the saving power of your son, jesus Christ. God, we thank you for that. We thank you for the responsibility and the opportunity. God I pray in Jesus' name give us boldness. Give us deep love, god, give us a heart to hear and to listen. Give us a heart to pour forth out of a place not of anger and frustration, but out of a deep love and compassion that only can come from you and God. Thank you that, as we co-labor with you in doing that, god, it's you that's going to do the work, both in us and through us. We thank you for that, lord, in Jesus name. Amen.

Speaker 1:

Listen, friend, I'm so honored that you're here with me every week listening to the incredible stories of transformation that God's doing in the lives of artists, being encouraged in your walk on episodes like this today. Listen, please make sure that you are subscribed Always. If you're watching on YouTube, please leave a comment. I always love to know what you're thinking. If you've got a question, let me know. I'm always happy to answer those as well, and be sure to share the podcast with a friend.

Speaker 1:

We are so close to seeing over 2 million downloads, hitting over 2 million downloads this year in the podcast, and I'm just so excited and believing that God's going to do so much more than we could ask or imagine, as together we continue to raise up this army of artists to reveal God's glory all over the earth. I love you, my friend. Thanks again for being with me. Remember, until next time you were created to thrive.

Speaker 1:

Bye, hey, my friend. Before you go, make sure that you're signed up for the Thriving Christian Artist Weekly. It's my free newsletter, full of spiritual encouragement, creative inspiration and practical tips to help you thrive in everything that God's called you to do as an artist in His kingdom. Every issue is absolutely free and it includes the latest podcast episode, featured artist spotlights, a worship song of the week and, again, tons of tips and encouragement and inspiration for you to keep you inspired and encouraged, and everything that God's got for you as an artist in the kingdom. You can click the link right here in the show notes to join us, and it's a great way to stay connected. All right, love you, bye.