Movie review: "God's Not Dead"

I would wholeheartedly give "God's Not Dead" two thumbs up. It's a movie that will boost your faith in very tangible ways.

Here are a few of the reasons why I liked this movie:

1). It was "real." For too long, Christian movies have been known for bad acting and bad story lines. Here's how it would have played out: You sat down to watch a wholesome, Christian movie. Minutes into the movie, you realized that the acting was so bad or the scenarios seemed so silly that you shook your head and turned the thing off.

Well, this movie suffers from neither (for the most part). The acting is more than good enough to bring you into the story and the story line is real and believable. In fact, this story did an incredible job of bringing you into the lives of many(!) different characters to show how the issue of God's existence/non-existence plays out in the real world. 

2). It illustrates the truth that "ideas have consequences." Whether or not God exists is not an idea/conviction that is held in a vacuum. It affects everything else in our life. It affects our attitudes, what we value, how we spend our time, our money, how we treat others, etc., etc., etc.

Two very powerful scenes in the movie occur when two separate characters are faced with death. Without giving anything away, I'll just point out that the one who did not believe in God's existence faced the reality of her demise with fear, anger, and overwhelming grief. She saw death as a merciless enemy and she hated it. Yet, when another of the characters who placed his trust in Jesus came to the point of his death, there was the realization that no matter how horrific death is, it is the doorway to eternal splendor.

3). It showed that people disbelieve in God/Jesus for various reasons. Someone who lives in a Christian bubble and doesn't mingle with folks who are lost may make very wrong conclusions about why folks don't believe the Bible and place their trust in Jesus. 

Ultimately, it is a heart issue. It's a sin issue. But, many times, folks don't want to trust the Bible or Jesus for any of the following reasons:
1) they fear it would be intellectual suicide, 
2) they fear being scoffed and/or rejected by their family/peers,  
3) they have experienced pain or evil and are angry at God,
4) they don't want to give up their self-centered lifestyle, 
5) etc.

This movie digs into the lives of its various characters and shows why they believe what they believe. It puts their belief systems in context so that we can understand the rationale for those beliefs. If you pay close attention, you can learn a lot by observing the mindsets of the individual characters.

4). It digs into apologetics. Apologetics is simply the defense of one's beliefs. The real reason why this movie was made is shown in the three 20-minute presentations that the main character gives in front of his college class. The purpose is to show that the Christian faith is reasonable. It is absolutely reasonable to believe that there is a God ... certainly more reasonable than to deny His existence.

Christians whose faith is a little shaky may go away feeling much more confident. Christians who want to share their faith with someone else will go away realizing that it may not be easy but the facts are on our side. Folks who are not saved may give their lives to Jesus (the Gospel is presented more than once).


There are many other positive points about this movie but I would simply encourage you to go see it for yourself. 

A Sunday Morning Prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to worship You today. I realize that it is my greatest privilege to worship You every moment of every day of my week. Yet, today is special in that I will join with my family of friends to focus on You.

We will sing to You. We will pray to You. We will listen to You as Your Word is taught and preached by folks who have studied at Your feet. We will also make the necessary adjustments in our thinking, behavior and attitudes as we hear from You.

I guess what I'm saying is that today is all about You, Jesus. It's about me enjoying You and praising You for the experience. In fact, I'm convinced that the way that I can show how wonderful You really are to me is to enjoy You today ... not just 'show up for church.' I pray that I will be able to really enjoy and experience You today in the congregation of Your people.

For that to happen, please cleanse me of any sin in my heart that would hinder me from enjoying You. As You bring specific sins to my mind, I will confess and forsake them specifically. Experiencing You today in an incredible way is worth any preparation it will take to make it happen. Amen.

Bearing a striking resemblance to God

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to read certain verses in the Bible and how infinitely difficult it is to

actually put them into practice? I certainly have!

In my prayer time, I often use "Handbook to Prayer" by Kenneth Boa to guide my prayers. In today's prayer guide, he offered Matthew 5:44 as a verse to pray through. That verse says:

Matthew 5:44 (New Living Translation)

"But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!"

Easy to read. Extremely difficult to put into practice.

After all, it comes natural to hold grudges, doesn't it? It feels normal and we feel justified when we avoid (ignore) those who have hurt us. It might even be easy to go so far as to undermine them by talking badly about them to others.

But, if you look in the neighborhood in which Matthew 5:44 camps out, you'll see that there's more on the line than just being merciful and gracious to those who have hurt us. The big idea is this: When we are merciful and gracious to others, especially those who have hurt us, we are evidencing the qualities of a true child of God. 

God loves His enemies. Do you want others to see the family resemblance when they look at you? Do the same thing.

Matthew 5:43-48 (New Living Translation)

"You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I (Jesus) say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."

Periodically, folks look at one of our three boys and say something like, "Wow! The resemblance is striking! He sure looks like his dad!"

Do you want to look like your Heavenly Father? Love the unlovable today.

The Temptation of Jesus

We all know what temptation is, don't we? We've been there, done that and could write a book about it.

As far as what temptation is in its essence, it is when desire meets opportunity. 

If I have a desire for a Diet Coke (that Kim tells me I'm supposed to avoid) but don't have access to one, then there is no temptation. If, on the other hand, I have access to a Diet Coke but don't have the desire to consume it, there is no temptation. Yet, if I am craving a Diet Coke and one is placed in front of me ... walla! ... temptation!

From that we can understand what sinful temptation is. It occurs when we have a sinful desire and an opportunity to indulge that desire. 

But what about Jesus? In my Bible reading this morning, I came across Luke 4:1-13 where it gives the account of Jesus' temptation. This is a point of much debate and has been for centuries. 

Why? Because Jesus is God in the flesh. As God in the flesh, He was fully human yet lacked one thing that every other human had/has - the sin nature. We are all born with a sin nature that explains our sinful cravings. We sin and violate God's laws because there is within us what the Bible sometimes calls "the flesh" that wants to focus upon gratifying self regardless of what God has said. Even though God's laws are given for our good, we often violate them to our own harm ... because of the sin nature.

Well, Jesus didn't have a sin nature. Thus, the question: "How could Jesus be tempted if He didn't have a sin nature? He was given opportunities to sin by Satan in Luke 4:1-13 but if He didn't have the desire, then how could it be temptation?" But, an even bigger question than that is, "How could it be said that Jesus was tempted when He was, in fact, God?" God can't be tempted, right (James 1:13)?

Luke 4:1-2 (New Living Translation)

"Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry."

For starters, the Word of God calls it "temptation" so, well, um, that's what it was whether we understand it or not.

Second, Adam and Eve were not created with a sin nature. They were created neutral to sin. They could take it or leave it. Unlike us, there wasn't a driving force within them that compelled them to sin. Yet, they sinned. 

I believe that it is in this way that we are to understand Jesus' human nature. He was fully human. Yet, He had more in common with Adam than He did with you or me. (In fact, Jesus is compared/contrasted to Adam in the New Testament - see Romans 5:12-21 & 1 Corinthians 15:45-49). He did not have the driving force to sin within Him that you and I have. He was neutral to sin like Adam and Eve in their original state. In His human nature, He could take it or leave it.

Yet, that being the case, one can see how even though Jesus was neutral to sin could be tempted in the three areas that Satan hurled at Him.

Jesus was hungry (He hadn't eaten for 40 days!) and Satan tempted Him with the idea of recklessly using His divine power to turn rocks into bread (Luke 4:3-4). That would be VERY tempting!

Jesus knew that claiming a position of authority over the world would require His substitutionary death (see Philippians 2:5-11). Satan provided a shortcut (Luke 4:5-8). We can see how this would be tempting, can't we?

In the third and final temptation, it seems as if Satan was calling upon Jesus to prove that He really was a person of divine value. He could find out by jumping off the highest point of the temple and seeing Heaven's angelic host come to His rescue (Luke 4:9-12). The assurance from Heaven could be tempting. 

So, it is true that Jesus was tempted. Even though His human nature was neutral to sin, we can see how the temptation that Satan lobbed at Him was truly tempting.

Yet, how are we to understand that Jesus was tempted when we consider His divine nature? After all, since He was God in the flesh, He couldn't be tempted (see James 1:13)?

An explanation that has made the most sense to me is found in the book, "Systematic Theology" by Wayne Grudem. In it, the author states that we may understand Jesus' human nature by picturing someone in a baseball game. They are the catcher behind home plate. The pitcher winds up and throws the ball. The catcher is supposed to catch it and absolutely not let it get past him. Yet, if the ball gets past him, there is a backstop behind him to stop the ball.

It was noted that the human nature of Jesus is the "catcher." Satan lobbed temptations at Him and he combated those temptations in the realm of His human nature. (If He had combated them in the realm of His divine nature, it could not have been accurately said that He was tempted since God cannot be tempted.) If His human nature had failed and was made willing to yield to temptation, His divine nature would have stopped it from happening. Yet, that never happened. Jesus battled Satan and sin in His flesh and emerged victorious.

In fact, we could even say that Jesus knows what temptation is like even more than we do. We often only experience momentary temptation before we give in. Yet, Jesus bore the full weight of temptation because He refused to give in.

So, Hebrews 4:15 is absolutely accurate when it says that Jesus was genuinely tempted. "This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin."

Since Jesus has experienced temptation and understands what it's like, call out to Him when you are struggling. Not only does He know all things as God, He experientially knows what it's like. He can help you, friend.

On Misunderstandings and Jumping to Conclusions

Have you ever jumped to a conclusion? I mean, have you ever thought you completely understood a situation, made an assessment that caused you to get hot around the collar ... and then found out that your assessment was wrong?

We all have!

Everyone of us has been guilty of jumping to conclusions (or as a former pastor friend and mentor [Wallace York] used to say - "Jumping to a concussion"). Instead of gathering as much information as possible, we recklessly gather only a few of the facts and then assume that we have enough information to make a definitive decision. Then, we justify our anger and condemnation. Oftentimes, we are wrong and must humbly apologize.

In my Bible reading this morning, I came across a story where "Jumping to Conclusions" is beautifully illustrated. It is found in Joshua 22. Here's what happened:

After the Promised Land had been conquered, the leader Joshua released the Israelite tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He told them that they had been faithful in carrying out their end of the bargain by helping the other tribes conquer the land. They were free to go back to their home on the east side of the Jordan River.

On their way back, though, they "stopped to build a large and imposing altar" (Joshua 22:10). Why did they do this? Listen to their explanation. We have no reason to doubt the veracity of their words...

Joshua 22:26-27 (New Living Translation)

“So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a memorial. It will remind our descendants and your descendants that we, too, have the right to worship the lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no claim to the lord.'"

So, their motives were pure and there was nothing essentially wrong with what they did. But, before their intentions were explained, someone jumped to a conclusion! They were almost killed for their actions!

Joshua 22:11-12 (New Living Translation)

"The rest of Israel heard that the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at Geliloth at the edge of the land of Canaan, on the west side of the Jordan River. So the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them."

Why was the rest of Israel willing to go to war again the 2 1/2 tribes who had built their altar? We see later in the chapter that they misjudged the motives of those who had built it. They assumed that it was an alternate place of worship. That being the case, there was fear that God would bring judgment upon them all for this act (Joshua 22:15-20).

But, fortunately(!), reason prevailed and they talked before taking action (Joshua 22:15-31). They went away peaceably. No one got hurt and the bond of their relationship remained strong.

So, what about you? Do you find it easy to jump to conclusions? When you make an assumption regarding someone's intentions or actions that you believe to be wrong or sinful, do you go to them and talk it out or do you hold onto your critical attitude?

As we saw in this story, there's a good chance that you could be completely wrong in your assessment.

Don't jump to a concussion! Patiently gather facts. Love others enough to talk things out. Satan would love to divide God's people. Don't let him do it.

Praying God's Word

One practice that I have come to enjoy is turning God's Word into my personal prayers. I learned this at a Promise Keepers gathering about 15 years ago.

Essentially, all it requires is to read through God's Word. When I come across something that seems particularly relevant, I change a few of the words to make it my own and then I pray it to God.

Here's how it works. I came across 1 Peter 5:8-9 this morning. Here's what it says:

1 Peter 5:8-9 (New Living Translation)

"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are."

Here's how I might pray it:

"Lord Jesus, please help me to stay alert and watchful today.

I know that I had better be diligent because I have an incredibly powerful enemy, the devil. He prowls around just like a roaring lion who would love to paralyze me with fear and doubt. He spends his days looking for someone to devour.

Lord Jesus, help me to realize that while my enemy has a loud roar, he is chained and cannot touch me without Your permission. Help me to stand firm against him, to resist him as a courageous warrior of the cross. Allow me to experience that courage that comes by wholeheartedly trusting you, being strong in your faith.

And Lord, please help me to never forget that I'm not in this alone. Help me to remember that my brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering and tempting circumstances as I am.

And finally, help me to remember that one day, it will all be over as I stand before you in glory. I want to live today in light of eternity. Amen."

Try doing this in your own time with the Lord. It takes the two basic Christian disciplines, Bible intake and prayer, and combines them. The end result is that you are essentially meditating on God's Word and allowing it to take root in your mind and heart.

Faith, Doubt and God's Glory

There will always be people who make God look bad.

While they proclaim that He is all-powerful, they will live in defeat.

While they proclaim that He is over all other supposed "gods," they will live in doubt and fear.

While they proclaim that He sovereignly works out His perfect plan, they will second guess what He is doing in their lives.

This happened when Moses sent the 12 spies into the Promised Land (see Numbers 13). Ten of them returned and said that the land was as wonderful as God had said. Yet, they also warned that the people were giants and the city walls were massive. There was no way that they would be able to take it ... in spite of the promises of their God.

So, since they doubted God's plan, power and presence, they doomed themselves to live in that reality. Their existence for 40 long years was that of wandering through the desert of life. Babies were born and old people died. They ate the same bland food for 40 years. It was a pitiful, boring existence for 40 longs years when they could have had the adventure of fulfilling God's plan for their lives.

Fast-forward 40 years to Joshua's leadership when they crossed the Jordan River on dry ground and began to take the Promised Land. Fast-forward 45 more years to a conversation that Caleb and Joshua had (the only 2 original spies who were still alive because they trusted God).

Caleb, who is now 85 years old was long past "retirement" age. Yet, He knew that God's name had been blasphemed when those 10 spies caused the nation of Israel to doubt God's plan, power and presence.

So, Caleb asked Joshua for a specific plot of land. The enemy inhabited that land and Caleb wanted it. But it wasn't just any enemy. It was the giants that caused the 10 spies to doubt their ability to take the Promised Land (Numbers 13:28). It was the sons of Anak!

Well Caleb knew that God's name had been drug through the mud. It made him sick. So, he determined to do something about it.

Caleb was going to show that with God's assistance, even a worn out 85 year old man could take down the "sons of Anak!" He wasn't going to fight those giants for his own glory. He was going to engage them to show that God can do whatever God wants to do. He wanted to show that there can be the adventure of a lifetime when we side with God and trust His plan, power and presence in our lives!

Listen closely to Caleb's words as he speaks with Joshua, the leader of Israel: 

Joshua 14:10-12 (New Living Translation)

“Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as He promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise - even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said.”

So, friend, what does your life do? Does it show others how wonderful your God is or does it cause them to doubt His power ... or His existence? Are you more like the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness for 40 longs years or are you like Caleb who wanted to show others how incredible His God was?

These are no small questions. Because, if you read the story, you'll see that God disciplined the doubters and blessed those who trusted Him.

What can you do beginning today to show others how great your God is?