LEARNING DAILY

Isaiah 43:18-19a. “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, …”

At the Movies featured the movie Jesus Revolution. The movie was about the evangelical Christian movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, as well as the Greg Laurie asking Jesus Christ into his heart. This is the third weekend that NorthRock Church showed clips of a movie and used them to discuss biblical principles found in them. In this movie Pastor Chuck Smith was pastoring a church that was “dying”; “Pastor Smith was skeptical of anything that defied the traditions he was using”, said NorthRock pastor Jonathon Moore.

The movie was about God wanting to do “a new thing” in the life of Chuck Smith and his ministry. Pastor Smith allowed people who did not look like those in his congregation, to come in to his church and worship with them. Those coming were the youth of that day – they were called “hippies”, among other things. “They were searching for something, searching often times in the wrong things, in the wrong places, in drugs, in unhealthy relationships, and in places that were empty”, said pastor Moore. The people who came to Pastor Smith’s church had been doing that; but they had found Jesus.

The verse from Isaiah above is a reference “to God moving people on from what He had done for them in the past. People can think their best days were behind them. God does not want them longing for that past because He has something new for them to do in the present” (Pastor Moore). In the movie, Pastor Smith found his best days were not in the past; God answered his prayers in a way he was not expecting. “People around him were searching for Jesus, they just did not realize it” (Pastore Moore). Pastor Moore continued, “The only true satisfaction comes through a relationship with Jesus”. He used Matthew 6:33 to let us know the importance of “seeking first the kingdom of God and it’s righteousness”.

In the movie, Pastor Smith ministered to those who the rest of the people were overlooking. Isn’t that just like God! “He chooses those who the world overlooks to show His power to, for His glory. Pastor Smith changed the methods he used to minister to people; he did not change the message! The message, the gospel of Jesus Christ never changes. Just like in the movie, when God chooses to use a person, you or me, not everyone is going to understand. Too often people choose to prioritize traditions over Truth. The message is always to be sacred.” (Pastor Moore).

It is not your or my job to save anyone. That is God’s responsibility. Once saved, the Believer’s job is to serve God as He leads us. People are searching today. Do they see the light of Jesus Christ in you? Surrender to Him. Surrender every aspect of your life to Him. To do so is to let His light in you shine brightly. That might be all that is needed for someone to come forward and ask you why you are different. That’s when you get to tell them about the One who saved and changed you! That is what Jesus asks of you, and He will do the rest!