Showing Signs of Hope for ‘Hollywood’?

Based on what we typically see in the movies and on TV during the holiday season, we know what Christmas is about: giving, love, and magic. And if you believe Hallmark-type films, it’s about all three. Rarely, however, do we see presentations about what Christmas is truly about: the birth of Jesus Christ.

 

It used to be that the Hollywood realm produced films with a significant faith message, ones like “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” “King of Kings,” “The Ten Commandments,” “Ben-Hur,” and Christmas favorites like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol.” But in recent decades there’s not been much of that. “Elf,” “The Santa Clause” (and its sequels), and “Home Alone” might have become holiday favorites, but Jesus for the most part has been conspicuously omitted.

 

There seems to be a shift underway, if only to a small degree. Whether out of sincere conviction by actors, writers and directors, or recognition of the reality there’s a market out there for entertainment that affirms belief in God and Jesus, we’re starting to see more faith-affirming productions.

 

Mel Gibson’s 2004 film, “The Passion of the Christ,” might have helped to pave the way. Then the Kendrick brothers – not members of the Hollywood aristocracy – set out to produce Christian films that deserved better exposure than church basements. 

 

Perhaps “The Chosen,” the expansive theatrical and TV exploration of Jesus Christ and His followers, has proved once and for all that faith-based films and shows appeal to a sizable portion of American society. Having released its first five seasons, culminating in Jesus’ betrayal by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane, and season 6 now in the editing stages, Dallas Jenkins’ brainchild has struck a spiritual nerve not only across the United States but also in other parts of the world.

 

Most recently, Kevin Costner produced and narrated “The First Christmas,” a biblically faithful, made-for-TV look at the times and events surrounding Christ’s birth in ways some people have never considered. For instance, Nativity scenes commonly depict shepherds and wise men alike gathering to worship the Christ Child in a serene stable. According to Costner, the ‘stable’ was probably a cave, the setting was far from sanitized, and the Magi – the Bible doesn’t specifically state there were just three – probably arrived a year or two later, by which time Jesus would have been a toddler.

 

The point is, in the midst of our increasingly polarized society, Hollywood-style faith portrayals are no longer taboo. In fact, a number of others are currently “in the can,” as they say in filmmakers’ jargon and scheduled for release in the near future.

 

For too long the entertainment industry has pretty much fit the stereotype of being anti-Christian and anti-traditional values, so it’s heartening to find there are those in the Hollywood realm who are gathering the courage to stand up for Christ and proclaim Him, not only via TV and cinema, but also through music and literature.

 

Just as I don’t believe our Founding Fathers ever prescribed a severe separation of church and state as it’s been interpreted over the past six decades, I know there’s never been anything requiring a separation of church (or faith) and entertainment. 

 

A follower of Christ’s foremost responsibility is to worship and serve the Lord, regardless of whatever arena he or she happens to be in. As Colossians 3:23 admonishes, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” That includes those – evidently a small minority – who ply their trades and utilize their talents in the entertainment industry. 

 

When the throng welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem in the days leading up to the Passover, shouting, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:37-38), the religious leaders insisted that Jesus rebuke them, claiming His followers were committing blasphemy. Jesus’ response was simple: “I tell you, if these keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40). 

 

Another time, in a passage describing an encounter Jesus had with His closest disciples following His resurrection, He instructed them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15). The truth of Christ shouldn’t be a best-kept secret. He needs to be proclaimed from hilltops, city streets and everywhere we go. This can be done in many ways, including one-to-one, in small groups, in religious settings, and mass crusades. But with media so pervasive in our society, one of the most powerful ways for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ is through the use of broadcast media and various forms of entertainment.

 

I don’t know that we’re in a time of revival, but there does seem to be an emergence of energy and enthusiasm for standing up for Christ in many public settings these days. I’m excited about that and hope you are too. There’s much darkness in our world today and it seems to be on the increase. The good news is, as darkness deepens even the smallest light can make a great difference, even an eternal one.

 

Yes, Christmas is about giving and love and a sense of magic. That’s true even from a Christian perspective. But as another Christmas celebration approaches, hopefully “the Reason for the season” won’t be forgotten. Biblically sound, faith-based TV and film productions can help in making sure of that.

He’s Not Always ‘Mr. Nice Guy’

Who’s your favorite actor or actress? (I know some consider ‘actor’ the proper term for both genders, but I’m using both terms since we might have both a favorite male and female in the acting profession.) Anyway, why is that individual your favorite? Is it because of that person’s excellence in being able to take on very different roles, or because he or she seems to be such a likeable person regardless of the role being played?

 

Over the years I’ve admired certain actors and actresses, sometimes thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to hang out with him (or her)?’ It can be hard to separate their screen presence from who they really are – or might be – in person.

 

Sometimes various sources reveal that what we see on TV or in the movies is definitely not what you get in person. I think of one popular crime series we watched in which the guy and gal seemed like such a perfect match; later it was divulged the two actually loathed one another when off the set. Disillusioning, right? At least they did a great job of acting as if they liked each other. 

 

In a very different sense, I wonder if some folks might feel this kind of disconnect about Jesus Christ. People say, “God is love” (quoting 1 John 4:16) so often it’s practically become a meaningless cliché. Envisioning a grandfather-like deity who tolerates any and all misdeeds with an “Aw shucks, kids will be kids” sort of attitude, they extend that image to Jesus, the Son of God. He’s perceived by some as a good buddy, an all-accepting Savior who can and will overlook sin in any form, all in the name of “love.”

 

This isn’t a new phenomenon. We’ve had songs like “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (written in 1855 by preacher Joseph M. Scriven) for a long time. It’s encouraging and heartening to know we can enjoy a growing personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. But if we examine the Scriptures, we see He didn’t just come to become our best friend. 

 

Intended or not, this perception of Christ as “Mr. Nice Guy” may have been advanced by the acclaimed, highly successful video series, “The Chosen.” (Of which I’m a great fan, by the way.) In its first four seasons, we often see Jesus (admirably portrayed by Jonathan Roumie) in ways rarely depicted on the screen. He’s having fun at times, teasing and joking a bit with His followers, dancing, and being the kind of person described above – someone we’d love to be able to hang out with.

 

In the Bible we do see occasions in which Jesus seemed to use subtle humor. Whether He danced or not, the Scriptures are silent on that. We wouldn’t be out of order to conclude He enjoyed having a little fun. When Jesus walked on water, as recounted in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and John, He demonstrated His divine power. But it also might have been a “Surprise!” moment with His followers.

 

Season 5 of “The Chosen,” however, is presenting a very different side of Jesus. It’s the end of always regarding Him as “Mr. Nice Guy,” which might be somewhat troubling for some viewers. Much like finding out a favorite actor or athlete isn’t exactly what we presumed.

 

In an early episode we see an angry Jesus overturning the merchants’ tables at the temple, an event recounted in each of the gospels. “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,’ He said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making a ‘den of robbers’” (Matthew 21:12-13).

 

Definitely no more Mr. Nice Guy. On numerous occasions in the gospels, and represented in “The Chosen,” Jesus confronts the self-righteous, hyper-religious Pharisees and Sadducees, including soon after literally upsetting the apple carts at the temple.

 

He chastises them with “seven woes,” making no effort to soften the blows of His condemning accusations. Jesus starts off, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!” a phrase He uses seven times. Then He proceeds, “You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to” (Matthew 23:13-14).

 

Jesus continues, specifying other ways their ritual hypocrisy serves to honor themselves but does nothing to honor or glorify the God they claim to worship. Jesus declares, “You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” (Matthew 23:25-26).

 

This is a different side of Jesus from what we see earlier in the gospels as He goes about teaching, healing the sick, raising the dead, and performing other miracles. However, there’s no contradiction. He’s God incarnate when demonstrating great compassion, kindness, mercy and love, and He’s God incarnate when demonstrating other important dimensions of God’s character – including His justice and truth.

 

Exodus 34:6-7 describes this well, recording an interaction between God and Moses. “And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”

 

We can be thankful for God’s mercy and grace, embodied in Jesus Christ. But we must never forget that He is also just and a hater of sin in every form. As C.S. Lewis, in his fantasy series, “Chronicles of Narnia, stated about the Christ figure, Aslan the lion, “He’s not safe, but he’s good.” 

There might be times when we discover that a beloved celebrity isn’t the person he or she appeared to be; they’re sinners just as we are. But not so with the God of the Bible. He is love, as the Scriptures declare, but He’s also holy. There’s no separation between the two. 

Finding True Meaning in ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’

They’ve already started – conversations, discussions and commentaries about ‘the real meaning of Christmas.’ As if it were a topic for debate, like what color to paint the living room. The holiday rom-com movies are posing their opinions, TV commercials are offering their points of view, and familiar seasonal songs are presenting all manner of Christmas sentiments.

 

It’s heartening that a new movie, which some have already proclaimed “a Christmas classic,” provides an answer to the real-meaning-of-Christmas question that’s consistent with the biblical account. Based on the 1972 novel by Barbara Robinson, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” offers a glimpse of annual Nativity reenactments in a way most of us have never seen or imagined.

How do you suppose people in a church would react if a gaggle of troublemakers showed up at auditions for their cherished Christmas pageant and demanded to be stars of the show? In “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” that’s exactly what happens. The Herdmans, six rabble rousing siblings deemed to be “the worst kids in the world,” decide to take over the town’s “sacred” tradition.

 

They steal schoolmates’ lunches, pelt neighbor kids with snowballs, use rough language, and terrorize everyone they encounter, including adults. How could youngsters like these ever be considered to take part in a calm, “we’ve always done it this way” presentation of Christ’s birth? This is what’s so compelling about the film directed by Dallas Jenkins, best-known as the director, producer and co-writer of “The Chosen” video series about Jesus Christ and His followers. 

 

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is at once heartwarming, humorous, thought-provoking, tear-jerking, and maybe even a little convicting. We know Jesus came to save sinners like us – but for sinners like the Herdmans, too?

 

In the minds of some, the all-too-familiar Christmas story might provoke a ho-hum attitude, maybe a bit of a yawn. Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus swaddled in a feeding trough because of the inn that had no room for them. Shepherds, sheep and other barnyard animals, wise men, and angels. We know that story. Been there, done that. This is where “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” triumphs. It affords an opportunity to look at this timeless biblical narrative with fresh eyes.

 

The Herdmans, you see, have never heard the story. They know nothing about Mary, or Joseph, whom Imogene, ringleader of the Herdmans, calls “Joe.” They’re astounded that a king – Herod – would want to kill a little baby. And the way the angel gets the shepherds’ attention isn’t quite what we have envisioned from the Scriptures.

 

Prior to the film’s release, Jenkins said capturing Robinson’s book for the silver screen has been a lifelong dream. He, his production team and the cast have done an outstanding job, its tone evoking such holiday classics as “A Christmas Story” and “Miracle on 34^th Street.” And with an unapologetic declaration of the Gospel message.

 

In Luke 2:10, the angel declares to the lowly shepherds – who had no social clout in those days – “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Watching the Herdmans absorb the Christmas story and undergo a slow but certain transformation, like butterflies emerging from a nondescript cocoon, we realize perhaps more than ever that this “good news of great joy” truly is for all the people.

 

Isaiah 9:6 gives the prophecy, “For a Child is born to us, a Son is given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Somehow, as we view this greatest story of stories through the eyes of a bunch of ragamuffins called the Herdmans, these words take on even greater meaning. Indeed, the true meaning of Christmas.

This is a film for the entire family. For many it will surely prove a highlight of the entire Christmas season. I’m eager to see it again. 

Wondering About ‘The Rest of the Story’

Do you remember Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story”? In his long-running radio series, the popular news commentator told stories about a variety of people and subjects. A key element in each story would be withheld until the surprise ending, and then Harvey would always close with the tag line, “And now you know…the rest of the story.”

 

Reading the Bible, sometimes I’d like to know ‘the rest of the story’ about people we meet in its pages, particularly those who appear at significant moments in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. This came to mind recently while reading the account of Jesus and His disciples in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when, “Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.” 

 

Exhausted from a busy day of teaching and ministering to the crowds, Jesus had fallen sound asleep, so the disciples woke Him up: ““Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm” (Matthew 8:24-26).

 

Amazing as that was, the same account in the gospel of Mark provides additional information: “Leaving the crowd behind, [the disciples] took Him along, just as He was, in the boat. There were other boats with Him” (Mark 4:36). Apparently, there were “other boats” on the sea at the time. So, we can assume that people in those boats also were terrified by the storm. 

 

Did they experience the same miraculous calming of the sea? And if so, how did they react? In His inspired Word, God chooses not to give us that information. We do learn how the disciples marveled at how Jesus caused the roaring sea to subside with just a few words, and that’s probably all we need to know. But it’s interesting to ponder how folks in those other boats might have responded.

 

The Bible doesn’t tell us everything there is to know about God and Jesus Christ. How could it? But it does tell us everything we need to know about the Father and the Son, which is challenging enough in striving for a stronger, more consistent walk with the Lord.

 

In concluding his gospel, the apostle John declares, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25).

 

This is one reason I find “The Chosen,” the groundbreaking film series about Jesus and some of His closest followers, so compelling. Through creative imagination, it presents plausible back-stories for key figures like brothers Peter and Andrew, Mary Magdalene, James and his brother John, Thomas, Nicodemus the Pharisee, and even a Roman centurion. We might describe Dallas Jenkins and his team as reverently reading between the lines.

 

Wouldn’t you like to know ‘the rest of the story’ about the rich young ruler we read about in Matthew 19, Luke 10 and Mark 10? He approached Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life” (Matthew 19:16). Can you imagine a modern-day evangelist being asked this question? He or she would quickly pull out the “Four Spiritual Laws” or open the Bible to the “Romans Road,” hoping to lead the individual to Christ. But Jesus had a very different strategy.

 

After talking to the young man about keeping the commandments, to which he stated, “All these I have kept from my youth,” Jesus matter-of-factly told him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matthew 19:20-21).

 

The fellow wasn’t expecting that! “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth” (Matthew 19:22). Jesus didn’t chase after him and beg him to reconsider. So, what happened to him? Did he ever have a change of heart? The gospels don’t tell us. All we know is that Jesus told His disciples, “…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God…. With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:24-26).

 

How about the individual commanded to carry Jesus’ cross to Golgotha when the Lord became too weak to bear it? Three of the gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, identify him as Simon of Cyrene, a city in North Africa. All we know about him is that his sons were Alexander and Rufus (Luke 15:21) and he had just arrived in Jerusalem. 

 

Perhaps Simon was among the onlookers when the Romans pressed him into service. How did he feel when assigned such a horrific task? Did he realize whose cross he was carrying? Did he stay to witness the crucifixion? Since Luke identifies Simon’s sons, he likely was known to at least some of Jesus’ followers. Did this unwitting cross-bearer come to saving faith in Him?

 

It would be interesting to learn ‘the rest of the story’ of many others in the gospels as well, including the Samaritan woman Jesus encountered at the well outside the town of Sychar; people with leprosy or possessed by demons; the paralyzed man lowered by friends through the rooftop of a house in Capernaum, or the man who had been blind since birth.

 

Perhaps we’ll meet some of them on the other side of eternity. But again, God didn’t inspire the Scriptures as multi-volume tomes. In the Bible’s 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books we don’t discover everything there is to know about God – but they provide us with everything we need to know about the Lord, and how we can have a life-changing, eternal relationship with Him.

What matters most is the rest of our own story. Will we be like the rich young ruler, who went away sad upon learning the cost of following Christ? Will we be like Nicodemus, who hovered on the fringes of Jesus’ followers, trying to figure out what to do with Him? Or will we be like Peter, Paul and others who overcame their sinful pasts to become stalwart ambassadors for the Lord?  

Finding Strength in Our Inadequacy

Do you remember the TV commercial of years ago in which a businessman was sitting behind a desk, phone to his ear, telling his boss, “I can do that! I can do that!...” But as he hung up the phone, he asked himself, “How am I going to do that?!”

 

I think we’ve all been there at one time or another, either piled up with too much work and too little time in which to do it, or confronted with a challenge that seems beyond our capabilities. It makes us want to ask the same question: ‘How am I going to do that?’ In a society in which “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” has been a dominant mantra, we like to feel competent at what’s in front of us, at least adequate for the task. It’s unsettling feeling to realize that what is confronting us might be more than we can handle.

 

This has been the case throughout the history of mankind. Technology and other advances may have made it easier to be productive, but we still find times when the work seems bigger than the worker. Back in the early 1900s, for example, the Wright brothers were armed with mechanical skills and a vision for creating a flying machine. They dreamed of building a contraption capable of overcoming the pull of gravity, but I suspect there were times when they wondered, ‘What in the world are we doing?’ Thankfully, the “can’t do” impulse was negated by “can do” determination.

 

Can you imagine how Jesus’ disciples felt when first He called them to follow Him, and then gradually entrusted them with more responsibility? These weren’t individuals holding the equivalent of PH.D.’s and MBAs in their day. They weren’t even learned religious leaders. They were lowly fishermen, a despised tax collector and other men situated on the lower end of the social totem pole.

 

How do you think they felt when Jesus looked directly in their eyes and declared, “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19)? Or when, as Mark 6:7 tells us, "He began to send them out two by two and gave them power over unclean spirits”?

 

I enjoyed the scene in the third season of “The Chosen” when Jesus, portrayed by Jonathan Roumie, announced His plan to send His disciples out for their first missionary foray. As the scene accurately depicts, I believe, they stared at Jesus with unbelief, even questioning what they had heard. In today’s vernacular they were asking a collective, “Say what?!”

 

Recently I enjoyed meeting with a longtime friend over coffee, reminiscing over the time we worked together on staff with the marketplace ministry Christian Business Men’s Connection (CBMC). We agreed that when we were called to our respective roles, we had no idea what we were signing up for. The only thing that really “qualified” us for the work was our realization of how unqualified we actually were.

 

Whether we’re at work, in college, doing volunteer work or engaged in the never-ending role of parenting, we like to feel as if we’re in control, that we’ve got things handled. But sooner or later we encounter challenges or obstacles that seem beyond our capacity. As unsettling and unnerving as that may be, that’s actually a good thing.

 

When my late friend Dave was being mentored early in his Christian life by another man named Dave, he would pour own his frustrations and grumble about the problems he was facing. His mentor would simply smile and say, “Dave, you’re in a great position!” Hearing this would aggravate my friend, but eventually he realized Dave was right. His sense of inadequacy inevitably forced him to turn to the ultimate source of strength, Jesus Christ.

 

The apostle Paul, who as Saul the Pharisee seemed to believe he had the world by the tail, eventually came to the same realization. To wipe away Paul’s sense of self-sufficiency, God had given him “a thorn in the flesh,” an affliction of some sort that he never specified. Whatever it was, it kept him sufficiently humble and dependent on His Savior and Lord.

 

Paul wrote, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

 

“When I am weak, then I am strong”? Are you kidding me, we’re tempted to ask. Strength, not weakness, is what it’s all about we’re told, whether in sports, politics, the business world, or another field of endeavor. 

 

And yet Paul, who had strength, status and worldly “stuff” that few others had prior to his Damascus Road encounter with Christ, came to understand his inadequacy was the path to true strength: “I consider everything a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:10).

 

Are you feeling weak today? Inadequate? You’re in a great position!

Does God Need to Meet Our Expectations?

Have you ever felt impressed to pray something like, “Lord, You’ve probably noticed, but things aren’t going well in the world these days. Would You please intervene and stop the growing godlessness in our world?” I have. Occasionally I’ve added a suggestion: “Something like a vast, spiritual awakening would be wonderful.”

Could it be that God, in more ways than we could imagine, is in the process of doing just that?

 

I’ve been reading about the spontaneous, student-led revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, Ky, near Lexington. It started on Feb. 8 at the biweekly chapel service in the university’s auditorium. More than a week later, students were still there, reading the Bible, singing, weeping, repenting, and praying. By all accounts, it wasn’t staged as an excuse to skip classes and forgo exams.

 

Students from other colleges were being drawn to the Asbury movement and beginning to “export” it to their own campuses. What do you suppose could be the impact if students from coast to coast, stirred by the Spirit of God, experienced similar “revivals” at their institutions of higher learning? 

 

Asbury – then Asbury College – was the site of a revival in 1970 that swept the campus and spread to other parts of the United States. Many lives were forever changed as men and women committed their lives to Jesus Christ and others deepened in their faith. 

 

The most recent Asbury revival might seem an isolated event, but there are other indications of a divine movement surging against the tides of secularism and skepticism.

 

Consider the response to “The Chosen,” a video series about Jesus Christ and His followers. Described by founder and producer Dallas Jenkins as a “TV show,” it’s the most successful crowd-funded production in media history. Its third eight-episode season just completed, “The Chosen” has captured the attention of countless millions of viewers across the U.S. and around the world.

 

An intriguing new theatrical film, “The Jesus Revolution,” has just been released about the so-called Jesus Movement of the 1970s. With the cast including popular actors Kelsey Grammer and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, as well as Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus in “The Chosen,” this movie is likely to receive lots of attention. Can anything good come out of Hollywood?

 

In a recent talk, Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow recounted the response to the “John 3:16” eye black he wore during his championship days as quarterback at the University of Florida. After seeing the inscription below his eyes during the games, millions of people were prompted to Google what John 3:16 meant. Surely some folks discovered for the first time how much God loved the world.

 

From around the globe come reports of God at work in myriad ways, including dreams and visions. We don’t hear a lot about this because the mainstream media doesn’t care, but in some regions, people are coming to know Jesus Christ in unprecedented numbers – and in very unusual ways.

 

Such developments should thrill every follower of Jesus but alas, not everyone seems happy about it. The Asbury revival has had its skeptics. “The Chosen” not only has avid fans but also vociferous detractors. Tebow’s actions weren’t universally applauded, even within the Christian community. Surprising?

 

Richard Blackaby, son of Henry Blackaby who developed the acclaimed Experiencing God Bible studies, has noted, “Every revival in history has had its critics, usually within the Church, because they disagreed with how God was doing it.”

 

We tend to put God in a box, believing He should work only in certain ways, according to our particular theology, doctrines and proclivity. We’re inclined to oppose or at least question anything that transpires outside those parameters. 

 

The Scriptures, however, assert God doesn’t need our approval for acting in whatever He chooses. It was youthful and impetuous Elihu who said, in response to the travails of Job and judgments by his older but unhelpful “friends,” “Why do you complain against Him, that He does not give an account of all His doings?” (Job 33:13).

 

Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God made clear that He will not be limited by our expectations. “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord, ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8).

 

I admit to having my own ideas about what God should do, how and when and why. But He’s never needed to consult with me about His plans. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Romans 11:33).

 

Are all of these seeming movements of God genuine? Only time will tell. But despite mounting evidence of people turning from Him, it’s heartening to learn about ways that God drawing folks to Himself. As Proverbs 21:30 declares, “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.”

Testimony Reflects Our History – His Story in Us

“That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it!” These words were introduced to popular culture with a song by country music artist Collin Raye in 1993. Since then, I’ve heard numerous people use it; I’ve occasionally utilized it myself. But it begs the question: What is your story?

 

I was part of a small group recently talking about how to prepare a personal testimony. In case you’re not sure what a testimony is, it’s your unique story of how you encountered Jesus Christ – and the difference He’s made in your life since then. 

 

There’s a wonderful scene in “The Chosen,” the film series on the life of Jesus and His followers. In one of its first episodes, a radically changed Mary Magdalene sums up very succinctly what a testimony is: “I was one way and now I am completely different. And the thing that happened in between was Him.”

 

So, if you’re a follower of Christ – if you have been “born again,” as Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3:3 – you’ve got a testimony to share with others, whether you realize it or not. Testimonies come in all shapes and sizes, some with high degrees of drama and some with very little. But for every one of us who knows Jesus, it’s part of our history – or we might say, His story at work in us.

 

One of the strengths of a testimony is it communicates the truth of God’s grace and mercy in a person’s life, doing so in the form of a genuine story. People might dispute one’s theology and spiritual beliefs, but they can’t argue with someone’s account of real-life experience.

 

Personal testimony was one method the apostles and first-century believers employed to communicate Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ. Telling what He had done in their lives – how they at one time had been one way, became something very different, and that He had been the difference-maker. 

 

We find excellent examples in Acts 22 and again in chapter 26, where the apostle Paul, being held prisoner by Roman officials, first told a large crowd and then Roman King Agrippa about his unexpected, life-changing encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. 

 

Paul began by describing his “before,” citing his pedigree as a devout Pharisee and religious leader, then known by the name of Saul. He noted, “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth…. I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them…. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them” (Acts 26:9-11). A proud antagonist for sure.

 

He proceeded to tell of his divine encounter with Christ while traveling to Damascus to persecute more Christians there. A blazingly bright light from heaven suddenly surrounded him and his companions, and Paul heard a voice asking, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads…. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 26:1415). In other words, “Saul, you’re engaged in an exercise of futility. You’re no match for Me.”

 

Paul’s story didn’t end there. He explained how the Lord had transformed him from a one-time enemy of Christ followers to being zealous and outspoken as one of them, attesting to what Jesus taught and what He had done, ultimately dying as the once-and-for-all sacrifice to redeem people from the penalty for sin. 

 

His personal account was so persuasive that Agrippa commented, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” To which Paul replied, “Short time or long – I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become as I am, except for these chains” (Acts 26:28).

 

This brief biblical account gives the basic outline for an effective testimony of one’s faith in Jesus – what one’s life was like before Christ, how the individual met and committed his or her life to Him, and how He’s worked in their life since then. 

 

However, there are two other significant elements to consider. First, Paul was invited by Agrippa to tell his story. In a New Testament letter, another apostle, Peter, addressed this: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to live the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). The door had been opened for Paul to speak about his faith.

 

The second is reflected in how he closed his testimony. Paul wasn’t seeking to win an argument or a debate; his sole desire was for Agrippa and all who heard him to enjoy the same life-transforming type of experience that had happened in his life.

 

It’s really not very complicated. In essence, all we need to tell others is what Mary Magdalene described in “The Chosen”: “I was one way and now I am completely different. And the thing that happened in between was Him.” Putting it another way, as a friend of mine used to say, it's “one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.”

Our History Is His Story in Us

There’s a lot of talk about history these days. Some people want to rewrite it, while others seem intent on erasing it entirely. But there’s intrinsic value to history, the record of humankind’s rights and wrongs, achievements and failings. As has often been observed, “Those who forget history are bound to repeat it.” A corollary to that is by studying the lives and actions of those who have benefited society, we find examples to follow and emulate.

 

We each have a personal history, the chronicle of experiences from our earliest waking moments up to one minute ago. Some aspects of our history we’re glad to recall and even share; others we would prefer to forget. Sometimes we find it necessary to repress them.

 

But have you ever considered that our history is also part of God’s history? That our history, in a sense, is a record of His story in us?

 

Does the message of this 
T-shirt describe your life?

Looking back over the course of my life – using the keen vision of hindsight – I marvel at how the Lord was busily involved in so many aspects of my life. Even at times when I was completely oblivious to His divine direction and intervention.

 

If things had gone as I envisioned, my career never would have unfolded as it did. The things God has enabled me to accomplish have far exceeded even my most optimistic ambitions. My family life certainly would not have been at all as I expected, and yet as the Lord directed – and redirected – my marriage, children and grandchildren have proved to be “immeasurably more than all I could ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

 

The places He has taken me to, and all that I have experienced in life, have far exceeded my greatest hopes and expectations.

 

As for my spiritual life, I marvel at how God intervened and interrupted in so many ways, rerouting me when I got off course and taking me to people and places that He would use to teach me; rebuke me when needed; correct me when I was in error or confused, and train me so I could understand how He wanted me to live, as 2 Timothy 3:16 describes so well.

 

How about you? What has been God’s story in your life, His story intertwined with your history?

 

During my journey with Jesus Christ, in my early 30s when I realized He wanted to have a growing, everyday relationship with me, I learned about the value and importance of a personal testimony. This is a recounting of how the Lord has worked in one’s life – and through it – to accomplish His purposes. It starts with life before Christ, before coming to an understanding of the essential truths God reveals through His Word. 

 

Basically, a description of my life prior to Jesus entering it amounts to my insistence on functioning as my own god. It was my life, and I was going to live it as I saw fit. At the time I thought I was doing a pretty good job, but in retrospect I can’t help but wonder, “What was I thinking?!”

 

The second part of the testimony is a remembrance of circumstances that resulted in truly coming to know Jesus Christ, not just in an intellectual sense, but in a manner that penetrates the heart in a life-altering way. For some, this involves considerable drama, perhaps akin to the apostle Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Still going by the name of Saul at the time, intent on persecuting, imprisoning and even killing the “Christ ones” he found so infuriating, he encountered Jesus and in an instant, the self-righteous Pharisee was transformed. 

 

Others, however – and I would be among them – arrived at the point of salvation and justification before God in a more gradual sense. We can’t pinpoint a day or hour when it happened, but we know without a doubt that it did. 

 

I can’t recall a time when I didn’t believe in God and Jesus in a factual way, but for many years I definitely did not know the Lord personally. Borrowing the line attributed to Mary Magdalene in “The Chosen” video series, “I was one way and now I am completely different – and the thing that happened in between was Him.”

 

The last part of the testimony, His story in our history, is what has taken place after coming to know Jesus. This last portion is ever-changing, growing and developing. The Bible calls it “sanctification.” It differs from justification, which is a “once and for all time” transaction – “The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:10-11). 

 

Instead, the Bible describes our new life in Christ as process that continues for the remainder of our earthly lives. This is why Paul, despite the moment when he literally “saw the light” as he went toward Damascus, would write toward the end of his life, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me…. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

In a testimony, our lives before Christ and the events that led us to Him remain essentially the same, but just as history has been unfolding for thousands of years, God’s story in ours also continues to unfold until we draw our last breath. And for many of us, the best is yet to come! 

Going Against the Flow Not a Popular Route to Take

Videos of salmon swimming upstream to spawn or reproduce have always intrigued me. I’ve never witnessed this phenomenon firsthand, but the images of these fish going against the current, sometimes leaping into the air along their journey, are captivating. Here are animals intentionally going against the flow, driven by natural instinct. They’re following a familiar scent that leads back to where they were born.

 

Humans sometimes go against the flow too, but it’s not an instinctive response and has nothing to do with our places of birth. This might be motivated by a desire to be non-conformists. We saw a lot of that in the 1960s, when hippies took a stand for non-conformity with their long hair, flowers, tie-dye shirts and bell-bottomed trousers. Ironically, their non-conformity became conformity to the established hippie culture.

 

The 'Against the Current' T-shirt produced
by "The Chosen" aptly represents
the course Christ asks us to take.

Countering the culture is a genuine reason for swimming upstream or going against the flow. A great verse in the Bible is Roman 12:2, which says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” One paraphrase from years ago put it this way: “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.”

This always has been, and probably always will be, a challenge for the people of God. The Scriptures provide us with many examples, but one in particular comes to mind.

 

First, let me ask a question: How many of the Israelite “spies,” sent into the Promised Land to check things out, can you name? I suspect at most you can name only two: Joshua and Caleb. Have you ever heard of Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, or Geuel? Probably not.

 

There’s a good reason for this, and it’s not just because they had unusual names. All of these men are listed in Numbers 13:3-15, and it says each was a leader, so they apparently had some notable qualities. But among them, only two – Joshua and Caleb – were willing to go against the current. After exploring the lush and beautiful land God had promised them, the other 10 returned and said, “the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large…. We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are” (Numbers 13:28-29,31).

 

The givers of the first “minority report,” Joshua and Caleb, insisted, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30), but the majority’s appraisal was adopted. As a result, the Israelites were consigned to wander in the wilderness for 40 years; the only ones from the spy expedition who actually found homes in the Promised Land were – Joshua and Caleb.

We could cite many other examples: Joseph, Daniel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah and others in the Old Testament. Most of Jesus' original disciples, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, Stephen, Paul and others in the New.

 

If you catch any of the episodes of the unique video series, “The Chosen” – which I highly recommend – you’ll notice an animated “logo” of a school of fish swimming in one direction, and then one by one, individual fish reversing course and starting to go the other way. This imagery represents Jesus’ calling of His followers and how they, like salmon swimming against the current, bravely chose to follow Him rather than their traditions and the prevailing culture.

 

Even though some of His disciples came from fishing backgrounds, Jesus used another metaphor to represent the difficult and sacrificial route they would have to take. He said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

 

Today, not much has changed. Our nation, once anchored in a Judeo-Christian culture, now seems bent on taking a totally different course, one that in many ways contradicts and even rebels against the time-honored, time-tested teachings of the Bible. Which brings – or will bring – each of us to an important point of decision.

 

Will we, like the determined salmon, undertake the hard work of going against the current? Or will we “go with the flow,” the path of least resistance, because it seems easier that way? There’s a “wide gate and narrow road” that most folks seem eager to take. The “small gate and narrow road” Jesus talked about, however, is the only one that lead to life – the “abundant life” He promised in John 10:10.

 

We each need to ask the honest and tough question, “Which way am I going?” And even if we’re presently following the path Jesus suggested, are we determined to stay on it – no matter what? 

A Picture Being Worth a Thousand Words Isn’t Enough

Since college, photography has been one of my favorite pastimes, ranking just behind writing. A graduate teaching assistantship in photojournalism launched me into the world of color and black-and-white imagery, and my passion for taking photos has only grown stronger over the years.

 My wife graciously has allowed me to hang many of my pictures around the house, some of our children and grandchildren, and others from beautiful locations we’ve visited. Each photo brings back happy memories, whether it’s one of the times we toured the Grand Canyon or Disney World, my trips to Hungary and Germany, or sights around our scenic city of Chattanooga.

 

Photos of the kids when they were young evoke fond remembrances, often causing us to marvel over how much time has passed – and how quickly it has gone. However, these images, no matter how well-composed and carefully exposed, fall short of capturing what we enjoyed “live and in person.” As for natural beauty, there’s no way a two-dimensional photo can convey the grandeur of the Canyon, a European cathedral, or a beach at sunset. 

A picture might be worth a thousand words, as they say, but the experiences behind the images are worth infinitely more than that.

 

Have you noticed we have no photographs of God? Nor do we have paintings, or even sketches, from anyone who was a contemporary of Jesus Christ. Yes, artists and sculptors through the centuries have created depictions of how they envisioned Jesus to have looked, but often those are reflections of their culture more than accurate representations.

 

Why do you think the Lord has chosen not to give us any kind of “photo albums” of Himself? Obviously, cameras weren’t invented until the 19^thcentury, so photographic images of Jesus were impossible. And compared to works from the Renaissance era and centuries that have followed, painting and sculpture in the days He walked the earth were primitive arts.

 

But I think there are two big reasons we don’t any precise images or reproductions to show what Jesus looked like. For one, despite the efforts of artists to show otherwise, His physical appearance is of little importance. Jesus’ sacrificial death, burial and resurrection were offered for everyone, regardless of color, gender, status or culture. As it says in Galatians 3:28, “There is Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 

And when Jesus gave His disciples their final instructions, they were all-encompassing: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19). He didn’t die to pay the penalty for the sins of only people in Israel, or Ireland, or Iran, or Idaho. The salvation He offers is for people in every nation, of every ethnicity. If we had accurate images of Christ, we might be tempted to conclude He came as Savior and Lord only for certain people groups that look as He did.

 

Another reason for not having actual images of Jesus is because of God’s taboo against idols of any kind. The second of the 10 Commandments was, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them and worship them…” (Exodus 20:4).

 

Even with this prohibition, we still have fancified depictions of Jesus in many churches, and in some countries, shrines have been erected at various locations where people can stop to worship and even leave gifts. If we had photos or statues of what Jesus actually looked like, we might be tempted to worship those rather than to observe His admonition, “…true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth…. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).

 

I’m a big fan of “The Chosen,” the still-unfolding, highly imaginative video series which in my estimation is the finest portrayal of the life of Christ ever produced. The actor who plays the role of Jesus, Jonathan Roumie, does an exceptional job of conveying both Christ’s divinity and humanity. However, there could be a temptation to see Roumie on the screen and believe that’s how Jesus actually looked like 2,000 years ago. There’s a difference between appreciating someone’s skills as a thespian and idolatry.

 

I suspect in everyone’s mind’s eye they have an idea of what they think Jesus looked like, but it matters far more what God has revealed to us through the eyes of faith. We don’t need photos or exact paintings of the Lord to be His true followers. Because, as 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.”