Being a Christian Hip Hop artist, I often ask myself what are my true intentions when picking up the microphone?
Is it displaying my skills? Making sure my sound quality is top notch? Is this song going to reach millions of people?
While nothing is necessarily wrong with these things, as we want to be good stewards of our gifts. The primary question we need to ask is, “am I excited to be a fisherman of men?” In Matthew 4:19 Jesus says, “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” Are we truly pointing people back to Christ, His word, and the biblical truths that define the essence of God's sovereignty and grace.
Many times I find myself becoming overwhelmed with ideas and take pleasure in orchestrating an outline that’s centered on personal goals and what I want to see from the release of a single, EP, or album.
I have to catch myself and ask is this what God wants? Or Me?
Many times I talk with artists and they say music is their ministry and this is how they reach others and plant seeds. Yes we are to “Go” just as Jesus told His disciples in Mark 16:15, He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” But are we focused on God’s creation and kingdom, or creating our own kingdom built on personal agendas that’s rooted in pride, exposure, and financial gain.
We all can fall victim to having drive & zeal to better ourselves and dream.
As a matter of fact, the bible says there's nothing wrong with planning. Proverbs 21:5, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” When planning, we still have to recognize who our true source of success is and what defines that success. Are we truly seeking the Lord’s glory seeking our own personal gain. We need to be honest about this.
Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
With this in mind, are we as Christian Hip Hop artists preparing our content to share the gospel and bring the body of Christ together? Or are we more concerned with being a hip hop artist that’s Christian?
Let’s be honest, a lot of us have heard this throughout networking, “I’m more a hip hop artist that’s Christian and don’t want to put my music in a box.“ I recall sharing my testimony with an artist and was asked why I changed my name with such a strong focus on being a Christian Hip Hop artist? From his perspective, he felt that it would possibly hinder any opportunity for me to perform on secular platforms. He stated that once you get in you would be able to plant seeds and still share “Christian values.” Then, once the relationship is built, introduce the gospel. I agreed with half of his points.
I often do this working in a hospital setting, but I view my music more as a tool used to share the word of God, not an outlet using the message as a platform to bring opportunity for more exposure.
Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 is a well-known passage that deals with balance and that there is a proper time for everything.
Everything comes back to us understanding the why behind our agenda… my works, or God's work.
Paul/Saul used his name and influence many times to help share the word of God based on the environment he was in. He chose to use his Hebrew name Saul, while sharing and preaching Christ to Jews who knew he was a devoted Pharisee until sometime after that as “the apostle to the Gentiles'' (Romans 11:13). He used his Roman name, Paul, as he traveled farther and farther into the Gentile world. During this time, Paul's intentions were focused on Christ not his own works to be glorified as before being a Pharisee under a false devout agenda when he was persecuting Christians.
Overall I think it’s important to stay focused on why we were given our gifts in the first place. With that, are we being good stewards, being responsible, and making sure we glorify God in everything we do?