Acts 1:3 KJV "To whom also he (Jesus) shewed himself alive after his
passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking
of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."Acts 1:3 NIV "After
his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs
that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke
about the kingdom of God."
The dictionary definition of the word "passion" really describes how
this movie will touch all that see it with an open heart -- "Extreme
compelling emotion; any one of the emotions as agony, suffering, hate, grief,
fear, pain, love, joy, etc. ...all such emotions collectively."
You will feel our Lord’s agony and suffering because of the
realism depicted in this movie.
You will hate and feel grief that your own sins caused Christ
to suffer on the cross.
You will know the fear and pain of failing Him in your personal
life.
You will experience the love and joy of knowing that Christ
conquered death
And most of all....
You will know that He willingly went through all of this, because He loves us
passionately!
– Betty Miller -
Last year, Bud and I were invited to a private screening of the film "The
Passion of The Christ" in Santa Monica, California. Mel Gibson produced and
directed this movie that chronicles the last 12 hours of Christ's life leading
up to the cross. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding it and after
viewing it, we understand why. This movie vividly portrays the agony and
suffering that our Lord endured on behalf of all sinners and clearly depicts the
message of the cross. The devil does not want this message out.
Viewing this movie was an experience that I will not forget. I could not hold
back my emotions as I watched a depiction of how my Lord was beaten and
crucified. I travailed and sobbed at this point of the movie. It left me feeling
grieved that I had ever complained about anything that I had personally suffered
in this life, after seeing the depiction of what Jesus suffered. My husband,
Bud, likewise felt the gripping emotion of Christ’s ordeal to such a degree he
found himself gritting his teeth so hard that his jaws were aching at the end of
the movie.
At the conclusion of the screening, we all sat in stunned silence for ten
minutes before Mel's staff came back in the room to ask for input about the
movie. In the discussion that followed, not one person thought it would incite
ant-Semitic attitudes against the Jews. Just the opposite happened, instead of
blaming others, most of us felt the personal impact of what our own sins caused
Jesus to endure.
Someone asked if the movie would be rated "R" because of the bloody violence
imposed upon the Lord’s body. I asked permission for my input at that time, as I
felt it should be a "PG-13." I spoke up that our young people are already
exposed to so much blood and violence and the blood seen in this movie has the
power of Christ’s saving grace that they all need so desperately. After I shared
this, in a group of about 20 people, one young 18 year old girl testified that
she never knew what Jesus had done for her until this movie. She was touched and
saved and wanted all her friends to see the movie. Her mother said that after
viewing this movie it gave her the desire to go home and read her Bible. There
were others who were touched as well.
This is not a movie that you will want to attend for enjoyment, but it is one
that all Christians should experience as it will awaken a desire in your heart
to be more dedicated to Christ. It had a profound affect on us. Mel
definitely heard from the Lord to produce it. We know it has not been easy for
him with all the controversy that has surrounded it. Bless you, Mel, the kingdom
will be increased because of your obedience! The movie is definitely not
anti-Semitic, we feel the real spirit opposed to it is an anti-Christ spirit.
The viewing of it was an experience that we will not forget, as we felt the
personal impact of what our own sins caused Jesus to endure.
We are asking all Christians to pray that God
will use this film in a mighty way, not only to cause sinners to be saved, but
to also awaken backsliders to return to the Lord. It will be released in
February of 2004 on Ash Wednesday. Don’t miss this event on the big screen, as
this movie will be ranked as a classic of all times!
For Other Endorsements: (click here)
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