regarding concerns some brethren seem to have regarding recent motion pictures involving Jesus Christ...
TALKING WITH DEAD PEOPLE - Star of Jesus Revolution Asked For a Supernatural Sign!!
this brother in Christ, Mark, certainly highlights many Biblical truths here. while the majority of mainstream Christians are taught that when people die they go to heaven and remain conscious, the Bible exemplifies the dead as being asleep until their appointed resurrection. it is also commonly understood that Catholicism teaches praying to certain saints who they believe are in this state of being conscious after death.
so really, Jonathan Roumie is not acting outside of that which he has been taught. however, in the interview i don’t think he ever said he was “praying to” Lonnie Frisbee, but “praying with” him. and as stated in this video, the popular mainstream Christian doctrine (both Catholic and Protestant) is that when people die they immediately go to “heaven” or “hell” (or “purgatory”, for Catholics) dependent upon one’s faith in Jesus Christ.
within this belief (which i personally believe to be false) they apparently feel those saints which they believe are in heaven with the Father & the Son somehow take part in our defense with Jesus against the accusations of satan. he and others do not believe what they are doing is “calling up or conjuring the dead”, for they believe the dead in Christ are alive and conscious now.
while myself and others Biblically understand none but Christ has entered into the third heaven, the majority of Christianity has been taught otherwise. why must we conclude that Jonathan was actually speaking with a demon when he might have only been speaking with himself? why conclude the organ was played by a demon when it could have been a coincidence that someone in the cathedral happened to play it at that moment? or in spite of whatever he thinks about the state of the dead, perhaps God heard his prayer and nudged someone to play the organ at that point to give him a sign to be part of the movie? after all, his prayer was ultimately to God, not any dead person.
as concerned Christians, rather than risk condemning him should we not be praying for not only Jonathan that God would open his eyes but the eyes of all our Christian brethren who believe they ought to be praying to or with the deceased?
some of the comments here condemn this movie Jesus Revolution, as well as The Chosen, on one hand for including imperfect Christians and/or unbelievers in the production. there are also ignorant claims that Catholic or Mormons wrote The Chosen.
however, anyone doing some research into the truth of these matters will discover that evangelist Christians have been writing The Chosen and that the Mormon brothers who started Angel Studios do not interfere with the creative aspect of the shows and movies they are helping to produce outside of Hollywood.
upon watching a Babylon Bee interview i highly recommend about the background of Angel Studios, i am entirely convinced that God’s hand was certainly in it. besides the testimony of some miraculous events which prevented Disney from shutting down the entire fledgling business and projects, God worked it all out in a way no one ever thought would happen or previously conceived of: a “pay it forward” model, which has allowed them to entirely avoid Hollywood.
while the Jesus Revolution movie is merely a dramatization of the story about a couple individuals who were on fire for Christ in the 70’s which led to another branch of the ministry of Christ, The Chosen has received much of its criticism not only for partnering with Mormons who i believe were motivated by God’s Holy Spirit to do what they are doing, but also for creating backgrounds for the characters playing the disciples as not being Biblically accurate.
so then, are we supposed to believe that God cannot work through any ministry unless that ministry is “Biblically accurate”? because if that’s the truth, then apparently God is not working though ANY ministry, because NONE are 100% Biblically accurate.
as a weekly and annual Sabbath observer, my heart grieved when i discovered that some Sabbatarians have accused both the ministries of Greg Laurie (Jesus Revolution) and the deliverance ministry of Greg Locke among others (as depicted in the documentary Come Out in Jesus’ Name) as being worshippers of the devil because they do not observe God’s Sabbaths. since then, both brothers in Christ have reacted in like manner, claiming that Sabbath observance is satanic.
for nearly three decades i have been involved in a Sabbatarian church culture which has often taught likewise (in action if not teaching) — that unless one is observing the true holy appointed times of God one is worshipping a “different” Messiah, eluding to worship of satan.
consider: how have such actions of accusation and condemnation served at all to exemplify to the world Christian love toward one another? how have they positively served in accomplishing the great commission to spread the good news of both the risen Messiah and His coming kingdom? how might the world view such an exchange other than blatant hypocrisy which goes against the plain words of our Lord?
this spirit of legalism seems to commonly cause people of God to be hypocrites, for Jesus Christ, Yahshua Messiah Himself commanded His followers to avoid judging (condemning) one another. so why are other commandments paramount while this one is so often ignored? who has obeyed God perfectly — who has actually obeyed torah other than One, Jesus Christ?
and wherever we teach or learn in error, does it mean we are worshipping satan the devil? or does it merely exemplify and confirm the Biblical precept that we ALL only see in part? does anyone teach 100% Biblically accurate truth? according to the Word of God, the answer is a resounding “NO!”
even in this video around the 16 minute mark, a question is posed about whether or not the repentant thief being crucified with Christ would have “met Jesus in Paradise on that day, Friday,” referencing John 20:17.
yet, Christ was crucified on a wednesday, not a friday. there are always two Sabbaths during the week in which Passover occurs: 1. the weekly Sabbath, 2. the First Day of Unleavened Bread, which is the first annual Sabbath on God’s sacred calendar. there are also even two Sabbaths during the following week, because the Last Day of Unleavened Bread is ALSO an annual Sabbath.
where did our brother Mark here who made this video get the idea that this most important event throughout all human history occurred on a friday rather than a wednesday? simple answer: the Catholic church, for the Word of God never mentions there even being a “good friday” or even an “easter” observance among God’s children. the word “easter” appears in the Bible, however, the original word translated there actually refers to Passover.
so his “if it’s not in the Bible, we don’t want it” mantra was apparently ignored regarding this particular point of doctrine. regardless, his heart is certainly in the right place… most likely in similar manner as is the heart of Jonathan Roumie and all other believers who see God’s truths only in part.
now consider: should those believers who understand such Biblical truths merely because YHWH opened our minds to do so consider Mark and others who fail to teach the scriptures with 100% accuracy “heathens” or “worshiping satan”? of course not! why? for the simple fact that we ALL only see in part.
i’ve seen both of these movies, as well as all of The Chosen through season 3. we cannot know that God didn’t place upon the hearts of those who created these productions to do so. we also cannot know how God has used the ministries of these people in furthering His great commission. we cannot know how God will ultimately wind up using these motion picture productions to do likewise.
however, we can — and are Biblically supposed to — judge (evaluate) the answers to such questions by the fruit being produced.
regarding the Jesus Revolution documentary, it appears that Chuck Smith, Lonnie Frisbee, and Greg Laurie have all three been used to whatever degree by God to help accomplish His will: to spread the gospel of the risen Christ and His coming kingdom. there is no telling how many were drawn to Christ’s salvation after wandering in this world of darkness and deceit.
regarding The Chosen, i’ve heard many testimonies which confirm that the show is accomplishing that which its creators, mostly Dallas Jenkins, set out to do: have people, especially unbelievers, open their Bibles and investigate more about Jesus for themselves.
so if you feel you are being led by God’s Holy Spirit and justified in criticizing and/or condemning the entire production because those involved are imperfect sinning Christians, you may wish to reconsider your own understanding of God’s Word regarding the spirit of such contention. you may wish to heed the scriptures which instruct Messiah’s worshipers to examine oneself rather than others, especially this time of year during our Lord’s Passover season.
if you are troubled in any way about people watching The Chosen being led astray away from Jesus, perhaps you might consider watching this testimony video about a girl with a horrible background named Meghan, whose life was turned around by her Christian conversion, how some non-judgmental Christians showed her a tasted of the true agape love of God the Father and His Son, and how the role The Chosen played in her journey of deliverance, specifically with regard to the connection she developed with the portrayal of Mary Magdalene in “I Have Called You By Name” (s1e1).
Meghan Connors Called by Name
i pray that God will heal His children in Christ so they will more fully grow in His agape love and finally dispense with criticizing and/or condemning the ministries of fellow believers, so that the gospel message of the risen Messiah and His coming kingdom may be more effectively received by those stumbling in this present world of darkness who are genuinely searching for TRUTH.
🙏🏼❤️😎
8-)
bernard baruch carman
- truth seeker/seeder • audio engineer • musician
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