I was watching the movie Amistad recently. (I hated the violence, but sometimes it is a part of life we have to accept.) Anyway, there were two scenes in it that especially struck me.
Early in the movie there are bunch of devout Christians standing around praying and singing hymns and trying to convert these heathen Africans. I thought it amusing that the caged prisoners, who knew no English whatsoever, thought that the Christians looked so sad. Their dress was drab, their faces solemn, and their music offered no hope or comfort. Sometimes the world looks at us the same way today. They see all the “don’ts” in our lives, and because we don’t exude the joy of the Lord, they see some pretty sad people!
Toward the end of the movie there is a scene where one of the Africans has been studying the Bible that had been forced on him earlier in the movie. Despite not being able to read a word, he figured out the story inside. Looking at the renaissance era drawings inside he’d figured out that mankind is wicked, that Jesus came to pay the price for us, and this man wasn’t afraid to die now, because he “got it.” His friend said it was foolish to believe that this man (Jesus) would be put to death for nothing. The guy who “got it” said, here they sat for a crime they never committed. What was so difficult to believe that this other man died unjustly? Despite all the praying and singing and badgering by the “Christians” out there, it was the simple Word of God through the pictures that got the message through to this man.
The last thing I appreciated about the movie was the history of slavery and the strong Christian beliefs that came through in the founding of this country. Set in 1839, we were a relatively new country back then, and though we did a lot of things wrong as a nation and as Christians, the fact that we were formed as a Christian nation came through loud and clear in this movie. John Adams It’s too bad our nation doesn’t hold to those same values today, choosing to be politically correct.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Just Wondering...
Did you ever wonder what became of the woman at the well (John 4)? We always talk about how Christ gave her Living Water and how she testified about Him to her friends and neighbors, but what do you think became of her after those couple of days Jesus spent with them? If she were in today’s church, which person do you think she would be?
Do you think the guy she was living with ever got saved? And whether he did or didn’t, do you think they ever got married? Or did they split up? Her morals were obviously pretty loose for her time, based on how Jesus spoke to her about her living arrangement. Could she afford to live alone in that day and age with the culture the way it was? Were there children? If she turned her life around in this situation, how long do you think it took her to do that? Immediately? Maybe a few months? Did her village ever forgive her and embrace her?
How long do you think she stayed on fire for the Lord? Do you think it lasted much past Jesus and the disciples leaving town? Did she get discouraged because some of the other Samaritans might have told her they believed only because they had met Jesus themselves and not thanked her for sharing her testimony?
How about us? Do we have expectations of people when they first come to know the Lord? Do we have a timeline that we expect to see changes in them? And do we tolerate some sins more than others? Do we do all we can to encourage them to live for God or do we just kind of let them flounder on their own? Do we love them and become their friend even when they are not the most desirable people in the community? Do you think the Samaritan woman got invited to other people’s homes? (Remember she didn’t even get water at the well when the rest of the village did.) Do you think she was allowed to “serve” in any capacity? Did she need special training to bring other people to meet her Savior?
I wonder how I would have treated the woman. I wonder who she might be in my life today. How many people in my church don’t feel they have any friends there? What can and do I do about it? I wonder….
Do you think the guy she was living with ever got saved? And whether he did or didn’t, do you think they ever got married? Or did they split up? Her morals were obviously pretty loose for her time, based on how Jesus spoke to her about her living arrangement. Could she afford to live alone in that day and age with the culture the way it was? Were there children? If she turned her life around in this situation, how long do you think it took her to do that? Immediately? Maybe a few months? Did her village ever forgive her and embrace her?
How long do you think she stayed on fire for the Lord? Do you think it lasted much past Jesus and the disciples leaving town? Did she get discouraged because some of the other Samaritans might have told her they believed only because they had met Jesus themselves and not thanked her for sharing her testimony?
How about us? Do we have expectations of people when they first come to know the Lord? Do we have a timeline that we expect to see changes in them? And do we tolerate some sins more than others? Do we do all we can to encourage them to live for God or do we just kind of let them flounder on their own? Do we love them and become their friend even when they are not the most desirable people in the community? Do you think the Samaritan woman got invited to other people’s homes? (Remember she didn’t even get water at the well when the rest of the village did.) Do you think she was allowed to “serve” in any capacity? Did she need special training to bring other people to meet her Savior?
I wonder how I would have treated the woman. I wonder who she might be in my life today. How many people in my church don’t feel they have any friends there? What can and do I do about it? I wonder….
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