Who are the Queens listed in the New Testament?

There are only four queens mentioned in the New Testament: 

 

 1.) Bernice - who with her brother Agrippa II heard Paul in the judgement hall in Caesarea.
 2.) Candace - (Acts 8:27), a term applied to ruling queens of Meroe, capital of the country that later became the kingdom of Ethiopia, at the junction of the Nile and Atbara. Candace was a hereditary appellation used in the same manner as was the term "Pharaoh" applying to the older Egyptian kings.
       This Candace of Acts ruled in Ethiopia in the time of Paul and the evangelist Philip. She is mentioned because the eunuch who had charge of her treasury and went from Meroe to Jerusalem to worship declared that he believed Jesus Christ was the son of God.
       Candace's eunuch was baptized by Philip and took back Christ's message to Ethiopia. It is probable that Candace was the first in high circles in Ethiopia to hear the triumphant message of Jesus Christ.
 3.) Drusilla - a wife of Felix, Roman procurator at Caesarea when Paul appeared in the judgment hall there.
4.) The Queen in Revelation - in Revelation 18:7-10, a queen is mentioned. This refers to the wicked city of Babylon and her destruction.

Will God Give Us Anything We Ask For?

       In John 14:14 (which should be read in connection with its surroundings), Jesus was speaking (in the discourse at table after the Supper) of the way, the truth, and the life, and of how his disciples might render acceptable service for the advancement of God's kingdom on earth. He was about to leave them and he gave them the assurance that they would be endowed with power, after his departure, to do the works that he had done. Verse 14 gave them the assurance of his continuous intercession and that their prayers would be heard and answered. He had already told them that they should seek first the kingdom and all things would be added unto them. This verse also shows his divine equality, in the words "I will do it." Our own prayers should be, as far as we are able to make them so, in line with God's will. There are many of us who may ask for things that would be for our own harm; but if we "seek first the kingdom," we have then the assurance that he will care for all our other needs, supply our wants, comfort our sorrows, relieve our hardships and take us safely through the difficult places of life. We have a right to ask for these, if we have acquired this right by belief on the Son of God and by acting in accordance with the divine will. See John 14:12.

• Why do we pray at all if God already has a plan?
• Praying According To God's Will

What did Jesus look like?

Rainbow Jesus, painting
named by my youngest child.

       Our culture influences the way artists illustrate Jesus. But, what did Jesus really look like? Should this be important to us? I have been an artist for many years and what I have discovered about people is that they have an emotional need to see something of themselves in Jesus. People seem to relate to Christ better, when He is of their own race. Some people in our culture cannot even be satisfied with appearances. They need God to also be of their own gender as well. How far should an illustrator go when creating a representational illustration of Christ?

       I have painted Jesus many times both as a white man and as a black man. But when I think of Jesus, myself, I don’t seem to think so much about “how” His flesh looked at all. I think mostly of His heart and His kindness. For me, as an artist, the literal portrait of Christ must have something gentle in the eyes. If the eyes aren’t right, then the portrait is not successful.

       Perhaps there is something to be said of the old quote, “The eyes are a window to the soul.” What do you think?

• The question and answer from gotQuestions?
• What did Jesus really look like?
• What did Jesus look like? from Bibleinfo

Isaiah's prophetic vision of Christ -  "He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted." Isaiah 53: 2-4

Revelations description of His appearance in the second coming - "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God." Revelation 19:11-13

Do you have any suggestions concerning return links?

Here is a list of considerations when applying to other web masters for a link. Ask yourself the questions below before approaching someone about a linking partnership.

1. Does the website have similar content?
2. Would the website owner consider you competition?
3. Does the website already carry corporate advertising? If so, they are probably under a contract with that specific company and can not oblige some requests even if they would like to.
4. Does your product or content compliment the product or content of the website you would like traffic from and vice versa?
5. Would the owners consider your content immoral or unethical?
6. Would visitors from their web pages be offended by your content?
7. Do there appear to be other links like your own on their website already?
8. How old is the site? Is it possible that it is abandoned?

Where should people hang a church art exhibit?

Hanging an art exhibit inside of a church can be a bit tricky but it doesn’t need to be difficult. I’ve listed here some guidelines that will help the artists in your church to make smart politically correct choices and will help you to determine the most practical places to display art.

• Never hang any artworks that do not have religious subject matter in the sanctuary of the church. This is very important. Artists can unintentionally insult the congregation by doing this or can be deeply wounded if they assume that this is a possibility before getting shot down over the suggestion. The only exception to this rule is if you are displaying a textile exhibit. These are traditionally hung in Christian sanctuaries everywhere and people are not likely to be disturbed by the suggestion. It is true that the Lord made little green apples but, it is not generally acceptable to display these in the sanctuary as a tribute to your own artistic merit. There is a difference between an artist producing Christian subjects and an artist who is a Christian painting any subject. Don’t fall into the political mishap of displaying lemons as though they are icons or bible lessons. Lemons are great and when these are hung in just about any other room in a building, people like them. Sanctuaries are to be treated reverently though. The key to this is understanding that the sanctuary is a place to worship God not the artist. When the artist paints or sculpts about the ideas that are preached about by God then, he is submitting to the will of God. Just like everybody else who dresses modestly, sings music to glorify God, and speaks about the serious concerns of God’s people. Put God first in the sanctuary, not yourself.
• Church entry halls should also be treated carefully when considering topically appropriate subject matter. The front entrance is an introduction to the church. Be selective about what is hung here at all times.
• Hallways can be popular places to exhibit but most people will not linger in them while going to church on Sundays. Children also get a bit rowdy in hall ways, and artworks can be damaged here. If you choose a hallway, make sure to select one that is strategically located away from Sunday School rooms, bathrooms, and unattended out of the way parts of the building. Hallways leading to large cafeterias, libraries, offices, and meeting halls make good display spaces.
• For small exhibits we suggest a library or even better, the church parlor. This room type is a wonderful setting and often comes with a door that can be locked during times when the show is not open.
• Some churches set aside specific walls in their buildings where artworks are always displayed. This is a great idea! If your church hosts an ongoing ministry outreach to artists, this kind of space can be used on a regular basis and will come in handy. Try to get a supply closet near this wall cleared out and designated to your art ministry. This closet should have a lock and only be used by the artists to store works as these are alternated. The display wall need not be enormous at all. It could be quite modest to suit the needs of a Biblical illuminator’s guild, as these works do not usually exceed the size of a small page in a book. Some churches have glassed in cases for displaying items and these are marvelous for displaying small illuminated manuscripts.
• Be careful not to hang a show on a wall that kids bounce basketballs off of during the week or that Sunday school teachers must navigate around with a moving partition wall. If people will need to take artworks down during other festivities and put them back up again, then you should not display art in these facilities at all. Works are likely to get damaged during these events and handled by people who do not have the same value for your work. This is just a fact of life and it is best to avoid the situation all together. Have a show for one night only if this be the case.

Note. If you should have a wide variety of topical entries into your church art exhibit reserve the religious submissions for the public spaces. After all, this is a church art show, not a ordinary space and artists must learn to grow up and conduct themselves accordingly to the limitations that all kinds of people will expect of them everywhere else. The church should not be treated as though it is the very least to consider or respect. It is God’s house and should be cared for more reverently. Professional artists are well aware of the expectations required of them during a professional exhibit in a museum or in a gallery. These prerequisites are much more demanding in the real world than they are in the forgiving environment of a church. At the very least, the artist should do what is considered respectful to those he or she is dealing with directly.

Should artists be allowed to sell their work out of a church?

      This question feels sticky to most people who ask it, but it is not as tricky as it is generally thought to be by church folks. Most pastors ask this question of me like this, “The church shouldn’t become a market place should it?” and of course, the answer is no. God’s house is a place for prayer and worship primarily and for study too.
       Some exhibits that I have been in publish artist’s listing prices next to the artworks along with a title and other information. Some churches publish listing prices only in a bulletin handed out during opening night. I have never participated in a church exhibit where the church ever took a percentage of sales from an artist. This was primarily reasoned as “an agenda” for marketing by the church and therefore, an “inappropriate activity.” Are you surprised? Well, don’t be. Because this point of view is entirely Biblically correct. You see Jesus chased out the money changers because they were selling small animals for sin sacrifices that the Jews who journeyed from afar needed to make. These poor people often could not realistically bring sacrifices with them. Generally speaking the merchants would sell small doves to the poor who would then turn around and give the doves to the priest in that same church to slaughter. The money changers were also in the business of translating the value of coinage into products that the pilgrims might need for worship. In other words the merchants were making profits from things the pilgrims needed in order to worship God. They profited from that which should have belonged to God alone.

      In any case, I usually advise a church to keep a price list along with a contact number or e-mail discreetly tucked away with a secretary should any person ever be curious enough to buy an artwork. (And this seldom happens.) The church never should have the agenda of requiring church members to purchase something from themselves in order to keep in good standing with God. Grace has been paid on our behalf by the shedding of Jesus’ blood. There are no alternative or necessary money sacrifices to be made from a believer in order to worship God freely and gain His forgiveness. Having an art show should never be equated with selling indulgences or with taking advantage of the audience in any religious respect. But selling something by dealing with the artist directly after the show in the artist’s own home is perfectly alright as long as the patron understands that there is no connection to the church in doing so. In other words, buy something because you like it, not because you must buy it in order to appease God. And, churches should temper their money making efforts. Don’t make people feel guilty for not giving to your charities. Don’t make them feel as though they are not loved by God because they can only afford less than what you need or want from them. Money should not be a point of manipulation inside of a Christian church and it should never be a point of focus in terms of people’s salvation.

• Should churches sell stuff? 
• Buying and Selling at Church
• Should a church participate in fund-raising? and What does the Bible say about selling in church?

Are there artworks that shouldn't be exhibited in a church art show?

       I’ve included here examples of actual artworks that have been submitted to and hung in Christian churches were I have hung an exhibit. The following examples should not have ever been even considered by a review committee and are to be avoided by staff and pastors should they decide to hold a fine art event. Print the list and keep it as a reminder when planning your own event.

1. Wet paintings. Need we say more? Alright then, we will. A wet painting is an accident waiting to happen. These are easily damaged and if people rub up against them, they can damage their clothing. Oil paint is not easy to remove from any surface.
2. Unframed works on paper
3. Framed artworks without hooks and wire
4. Sculpture that will break easily if a child should happen to touch them. A “Do Not Touch” sign will not be paid attention to by an unattended baby that can not read, let alone one that can. Put fragile works behind glass or hang these up higher on the wall.
5. Topics addressed by artists that are not “child friendly.” Most parents will not tolerate topics about violence or nudity unless these are traditionally represented within the context of a Bible story. (Even then, they still will raise a protest.) I know that this is a touchy subject, but some subjects are better addressed outside of church environments where children don’t participate. I myself, produce work along these lines, but never do I submit it to a church art exhibit. These are best reserved for perhaps a show in a seminary, college, or public forum meant for adults. The only exception to the rule would be the “Passion Story.” This subject I would insist of parents to tolerate at all times. It is essential to the vitality of a Christian church that they comprehend the death and resurrection of Jesus. This a core belief of the church, taught by God, throughout Old Testament prophesy and through the New Testament accounts given by disciples and believers. If God had meant for it to be unimportant, He would have excluded it from the scriptures. But, He didn’t and so logic would follow that we shouldn’t.
6. Artworks that may perhaps cause physical injury to visitors. Make sure heavy artwork is stable and or hung to avoid injuries. If the artwork has too many sharp edges, be certain that a child can not rub against it.

Important Things to Consider:

• Visual Arts in Church: Making the invisible Word visible
• Why Art Should Matter to Christians
• How to Discourage Artists in the Church

Must an art ministry be run by an artistic person?

      Yes, but it is best run by an artistic pastor. Primarily because the goal of an art ministry is to share the gospel with the artists and teach them how to share it with others through their artworks. This goal is often side stepped and forgotten by artists who do not ordinarily practice these ideas in their own work and lifestyle. A liturgical or biblical artist/professor is an excellent alternative to a pastor or priest. But he or she must stick to a curriculum that is agreed upon by the lead minister of the church.

      An artist who is not well trained in theology and biblical history may make some serious mistakes about “how” to portray subjects from a Christian world view.  Fine arts ministry is a specific field of study with deliberate agendas. It is best run by those individuals who understand the focus of ministry in general as well as have a in depth understanding of the creation of religious subjects. I have met some individuals who are very talented in these sorts of arenas and were not pastors or great artists. But be very careful about employing ordinary artists to undertake fine arts ministry inside of a church. It is not as easy as it may sound.

      A music minister sometimes is a very good choice in such cases. He may not be a fine painter, but he could be very talented with communicating art and the gospel in his own field. A fine arts ministry would not be as difficult for him to lead, if he reads some great literature before hand.

      Remember that to lead a fine arts ministry one must have fortitude and  honesty, but also a great big heart for people. This leader should also be humble so that he does not make decisions that are egocentric in nature. He should desire to teach and lift up others more than himself. Just because art is the vehicle for this kind of ministry, it does not mean that only the best artists should have a voice. That kind of conclusion is a “worldly agenda” and it must be kept within reasonable limits inside of a church art ministry.

The top twelve mistakes pastors make as website owners

1. Allow web masters to handle all complaints and answer all e-mail. If there is something seriously wrong with your website, you won’t hear about it until it’s too late. Web masters care about job security too, they will hide their own mistakes from you if they can.
2. Never reviewing the job effectiveness of staff employees who answer e-mail or take phone calls. These employees can directly sabotage ministry efforts apart from their employer’s knowledge. Many older generations of employees will unwittingly assign jobs on the computer to those staff members that they can not regulate personally because of their own limited experience. There is an age gap between those who know the internet and those who know ministry. Employers must strive to hire trustworthy people for technology jobs that will drive missions on the internet with a positive attitude.
3. Treating blogs or any other form of internet communication with apathy because it is over the internet. There are vast numbers of ordinary people moving across the internet at all times. Many more will read your blogs etc. than will often ever hear you preach.
4. Not submitting your blogs to search engines.
5. Not linking to a multitude of ministry resources just because you do not know the denomination of the individuals. This is not difficult to look up or make a phone call to find out.
6. Not learning to express a variety of emotions in your literary endeavors. Your web visitors will want to see a healthy, well balanced, Christian personality in your sermons, posts and articles. Don’t just post when you are angry, sad or sarcastic. Post about joy, laughter, love and forgiveness too!
7. Pastors don’t always try to anticipate their visitors needs. Sometimes the pastor will not include important things like a profession of faith or the basic doctrinal ideas that he may take for granted in himself. Treat your web traffic as though they have never even met Jesus.
8. Pastors sometimes act on the internet in ways that they would never act in public. But the internet is public, never forget.
9. Some pastors are all work and no fuss. But visitors are looking for family on the internet even if you are already perfectly content with your own. Leave space in your heart for seekers. God may bring someone to your blog that desperately wants to come home. A visitor may very well be a prodigal son, someone’s lost daughter or a child’s wandering parent.
10. Not submitting to the ministry of other Christian workers on the internet. The internet is a giant web community and also a large interactive library system. Articles count for time and eternity here. If you post excellent ones, make them easy for others to find. Also remember that all of us who are for Jesus are employed by Him. Whether we are small and defenseless or gigantic and powerful. We who love and depend on the Savior are part of one large body. We need each other and we must learn to partner together to make this community a better place for everyone.
11. Sometimes Christian authors or ministers are promoting their own books or outreach and forget to include materials that are free on their webpages. Remember the internet is about “draw” traffic. This means that setting up shop alone is not enough to keep visitors interested. People can feel as though all you really want from them is cash. Websites that promote products should also be environments for growth and exploration.
12. New content is necessary for a successful internet ministry. The only way to avoid this is to have so much content that folks can’t absorb everything on your webpages in one visit. However, a note of caution. New content is also a element that causes search engines to rank you. So, even if it is a small new entry that many visitors don’t always see, that new content is very important.

More Related Insights:

• Most common mistakes pastors and church leaders make on social media
• 10 Common Mistakes Found on Church Websites
• Don't make these 7 common church website mistakes

Is linking to those who do not link back to me important?

       Yes it is, practice some generosity, it is a virtue. “It’s nice to be nice.” But, I am very particular about giving links within the context of a specific topic and I do visit the folks I link to, so I know if their content is spam or if it is misrepresenting the information it claims to be interested in.

• What is spamming?
• Why comment spam is dangerous to blogs

       Keep all of your links sorted by topic or inside of the context of a article. This also will give you better ranking on the web.

• 5 Reasons You Should Link Out to Others From Your Website
• How Outbound Linking Improves Your Blog Authority & Ranking

Is it better to open a free blog software for my church than it is to create regular internet web pages?

       Yes, most of the time. This is a smart idea if your church has a tight budget, limited resources, and you only intend to publish information for the congregation to access alone. Blogs are perfect for this type of use. Also blogs, are user friendly software. You don’t need to rely upon the availability of a web designer in order to update your pages or remove them. You can do all of these functions yourself at little to no expense to your church. In fact, if you are a pastor or church secretary, we recommend that you become very familiar with blog software in your free time. This will give you an educational advantage should your church ever decide to conduct a ministry online. It will also help your congregation trim their budget expenses. One of the volunteer staff members here at our blog says that her church spends on average $5000 a year for it’s web site. I’ve seen this web site myself and it is absolutely “no big deal.” They could fall off the back side of a log and improve this baby. Blogs are pretty sweet these days. We are all in agreement on this one. Pastors and priests should run their own congregation’s web pages or hire office help to run a free blog until they have well established ministries that demand the attention of a staff.

Do the volunteers at your blog believe in salvation by works?

      No. We believe in Salvation by Grace alone through the shed blood of Jesus. We believe that “good works” when appropriate and pleasing to God, are done out of LOVE for God. Work that is proper and good is the result of the human heart being touched by the Holy Spirit and trained up to mirror the likeness of Christ. Works are the proper result of Grace already present within each believer. This is frequently called “Sanctification” in the Lutheran Church. Different Christians may call it by other terminology. But “a rose is still a rose by any other name.” Human works are necessary to the growing up of believers for the kingdom of God. We live here for a purpose and that purpose is to show Christ to others. We can not do this effectively without living out good actions, thoughts, and feelings. We work to aid humans and ourselves in this respect and to show love for God, not to earn salvation.

      Some people can appear to do a good deed without faith, but a person with faith will always be convicted by the Holy Spirit to do good, even when it does not benefit himself. If a man says that he is saved but then has no outward sign of change that is the result of his repentance, then he is probably lying about his true motives for claiming to be a Christian. God can determine whether or not a soul is willing to change for Him or if a person is simply lying in order to coexist with Christians for some other reason. This could be a difficult or easy thing for people to see clearly in others. There are people who successfully deceive many with their works but he or she cannot ultimately deceive God with incorrect agenda.

      One thing is for certain, that those who love God and are grateful will always display some form of good works. These works won’t always be what you or I may stereotypically call “works.” But we do not define works the same in every person and neither does God. Every part of the body of Christ has it’s own gifts and talents. Works look different for a pastor, doctor, lawyer, artist, musician, mother, chemist, police officer, rich man or poor man. Each gives back to others in his own way by the power of The Spirit and by the influences of Christ on his or her life through the study of the Holy Bible.

How often should I blog in order to have a "successful" blog?

      My answer to this question largely depends upon how many posts your blog already has and what type of content is in your blog to begin with.

      If you have a relatively medium sized blog of 65 to 100 posts, I recommend you update the blog within every 14 to 24 days. If your blog is over 300 posts, once a month is sufficient enough of an update. The fewer number of posts you have the more frequently you should make updates. Of course, none of this advice is necessary if you are keeping a blog for yourself, friends and family. Blogs are extremely personal for the majority of people and they need not conform to any demands of publishing as a rule, for those of you blogging for personal reasons.

      My opinions about numbers of posts are based upon statistics for ministry blogs alone. The successful ministry blog is measured by many varied pieces of information accumulated together. The number of posts is only one factor to take into consideration but it can be a very important one. Each post on a ministry blog, if possible, should number approximately 150 words. Each post should average four outside links and two internal page links.
       For those of you who read my blogs, you may have noticed that I do not always do this. But when giving professional advice to others, I try to speak to the truth of what I know to be the best advice possible for page ranking. There are certainly other web masters out there who are better bloggers than me and I know that these bloggers are meticulous about what to include in their posts.

• How Often Should You Update Your Blog? - helpful advise for getting exposure
• Why posting every day is a silly strategy - This is an excellent article for bloggers who are focusing on written content.

What has happened to your old Christian clip art collections?

Old Collections from 2003 -2005 at Watton  and My former collections from the Pick and Print Gallery have been moved to this new location. The old html: http://pickandprintgallery.wordpress and http://pickandprintgallery.blogspot are no longer in use.

How can I help this blog?

       Write a comment about how you used the clip art inside the comment box provided below any post. Include information like: where you used it. Did you use it for e-mail, newsletters, personal crafts or did you include it in illustrating an article, blog or church bulletin?
       You could also write about the scriptures that you feel are applicable to the illustration and why.
       Perhaps even mention the sermon topics you think could be illustrated with the image? All of these kinds of reviews are helpful to the clergy and also to the ranking of our blog. This small attention may collectively make a big difference to our ministry over time. 

       Giving backlinks properly also helps insure that the content's origins and legal attachments remain in place properly. 

       We do not except cash donations for the collections. However, if you do one or more of the steps above it is more than what the vast majority of visitors accomplish in regards of our own security on the web. Thousands of people pass through our blogs everyday and we are not aware of who they are, where they come from or what they want. They do not write or speak with us for the most part.

How do I add clip art to a blog post within legal boundaries stated per collection?

Below is a list of necessary points to consider things to consider when using clip art on a web page or blog post:

1.) First read the Terms of Use. The terms are very important; these are statements of use relating to the copyright or lack there of.

2.) Comply with the terms. These are not included as mere suggestions. You can get into serious trouble for copyright infringement.

• Need to learn about Copyright Law in the United States? 
• Need to learn about the law and Derivative Works?

3.) Thirdly, you will need to download the clip art to your desktop and repost it onto your own personal web pages. Remember bandwidth theft or hotlinking is illegal.

4.) You need to make sure to provide a contact address for people who wish to inform you about illegal content on your web pages. If you are in violation of a copyright or terms of use and you do not immediately remove that violation from your web pages, you could be blacklisted from the web and also prosecuted in a court of law. You could also loose control of your website or content on it; all of your hard work will be for nothing. Whenever you post to the web, your posting is recorded by many search engines. Even if you do not have a contact address, people can find you. If you have a contact address people will assume that your character is not as purposefully deceptive.

5.) Remember that other folks on the web care about copyright violations. They do not wish to be associated with people who break copyright law either. This could also make them liable for the transgression. In other words, are you using someone else's software to post content that is under copyright and not yours? That could become a very big problem.

•  Legal lesson learned: copywriter pays $4,000 for $10 photo
• 5 Tips for Not Getting Sued When Using Online Images 
• Photographer Sues Twitter for Not Removing Photos Despite DMCA Requests

6.) The easiest way to illustrate your website or blog without getting into trouble:

• Illustrated it with your own artwork or photos
• Pay for illustrations, photos, or clip art
• Use public domain images and make sure that you know these are public domain resources
• Use free illustrations, photos, or clip art from free files and follow the Terms of Use carefully and deliberately.

7.) Cover yourself and make sure that you are not violating copyrights or artist's Terms of Use! Keep a record of where and from whom images come from. A backlink just beneath the image helps an author keep track of images and also allows them to find them and remove them quickly if they discover they are breaking copyright law. Be transparent about the resources you use.

8.) If you are using my free images, do not just upload them into web collections for redistribution. This is a violation of my terms. Because the images are mine, I have a right to them legally. This also does not help your page rank with search engines. When they discover that you have done this, they may decide to take your collections down. Redistributing web content that does not belong to you and that is not in the public domain is a serious offense in any country.

9.) Here is an example of how to use our clip art from The Christian Clip Art Review blog. This applies only to clip art from our collections online. It is not the case for my own personal photos of crafts and various articles where I post intimate content not intended for public use. This also would not apply for web page designs. 

       The clipart that is for use in web articles is always obviously noted. Download it to your personal home computer, upload it again through web software and then add a backlink identifying the post you have borrowed if from. This establishes a legal link that make it safe for you to use. Do not remove attributions to our blogs. I am not saying this to be possessive. I do not earn an income for what I do. I am telling you this for your own protection and legal obligation. 

Is painting Jesus the same as committing idolatry?

       We believe that the pictorial representations of Christ are not sinful in and of themselves, unless they portray him as unjust. Some people harbor the sin of idolatry inside their own hearts and then project it onto an object, person, place or idea. Undermining idolatry is not possible by simply destroying that which a human commits it with. Idolaters suffer from a particular affliction that will simply transfer itself to another form or  obsessive fascination once the former object is removed. Idolatry must be dealt with between the transgressor and the Holy Spirit; it is the only real solution for curing this sin.

       In ancient times, visual depictions of human gods were often used to enamor those people suffering from superstition, they used ideas attached to objects that were not often just or easy to live by. One also needed a great deal of wealth and craft to make very artistic renderings or sculpture and the poor and rich alike became easily fascinated with these artifacts. We have all read...

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;" Exodus 20:5 (NKJ)

       The key to understanding this commandment, is to understanding the sin of those who needed to hear it and keep it. If a person does not worship and put other gods before God, he is not an idolator. Also, if that person clearly understands that a depiction of Christ is not Christ himself, he is not an idolator. Therefore the mere possession or observance of a picture of Jesus is not inherently evil for the one who keeps God's commandments.

       Also look at the word "graven." This word is very important. The meaning of the word graven is "past participle of GRAVE. The meaning of grave is - "a place of burial for the dead and or a word used as an allusive term for death" Those who worship dead images are worshiping death or "nothing." God is saying that He is not to be compared with "nothing" or "death." So you see that this commandment goes much deeper than most people presume.

       Modern people, including Christians, battle more realistically with the sin of idolatry using material goods like: cars, fancy homes, personal care products, clothing. They may also put their thinking ahead of God concerning: financial security, the acquisition of wealth, and advanced knowledge instead of wisdom. Idolatry has morphed into something far more sophisticated than it was in ancient objects that once represented pagan gods. Our compulsion with anything, be it an obsessive one, puts that thing, person, place or idea in God's place because it should be God who we fix our gaze and hope upon. It should be God who we worship not money, fame, power or sex.

       So why did God give a commandment that only a few need? The answer is, He didn't. God gave the commandment to all because all of us suffer from some form of idolatry many times within our lifetime. Just because we don't bend and dance around little wooden carvings anymore. . . this doesn't mean that we aren't idolators. In fact, idolatry is so common place that we need the shed blood of Jesus to forgive it often and guess what, you may not even have a picture of God/gods among your possessions.

       Then there is also the added complication in this argument that Jesus is in fact, God. So admiring a representation of him is not quite the same problematic circumstance that ancient people had with graven images, is it?

       The problem that Christians have with keeping images of Christ only becomes serious when they attach incorrect interpretations to those images. Interpretations like, painting Jesus only as an Anglo Saxon because you think that Middle Eastern people are not as intelligent. All of this prejudice should not be attached to the Lord, for no matter if his eyes were blue or brown, he was and still is Lord. He is far smarter and superior to us all. That is why he commands us to study and strive to understand his word.

       There is great danger in being overly simplistic in the interpretation of God's commandments. In doing this, one has a tendency to fall victim to underestimating God's concern for us throughout time. It also makes people quick to criticize the necessity of the gospel, the necessity of the cross.

       Many modern Christians make the mistake of believing that if they keep law by their own interpretation of that law, they have fulfilled the law. But how many of us are guilty of worshiping death? We live in a culture that surrounds us with a fascination for death, yet in the future, in God's future, there is no death.

       The truth is that the law cannot be kept perfectly at all times so Jesus keeps it for us at all times. Inside of us he sent the Holy Spirit, to abide with us and teach us right from wrong. Worship the one true God, then learn to look upon things, people and ideas in correct perspective. Remember that Jesus calls himself our brother and the devil our adversary. If you keep this in mind, you will have a deeper understanding of Matthew chapter 5. (Jesus takes our place before the judgement of God only he is capable of fulfilling the law perfectly.)

•  The Problem of Idolatry
• What Lies Beneath - Idolatry Is the Issue
• Understanding Idolatry: The Problem & The Cure