[CS-FSLUG] THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST

Fri Sep 3 23:37:51 CDT 2004

If this devotional is a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or
family member that would like to start receiving this daily word. You
can forward this to them, and they can use the following link to subscribe.
www.liveprayer.com/signup.htm

DAILY DEVOTIONAL    SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2004
(Luke 23:26-47)

***Please be in prayer for those whose live have been affected by Hurricane
Frances.

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST       Part One of Two
(*Churches and Believers should purchase the DVD and use it as an
evangelistic tool)

 The PASSION of the Christ.  This movie is a perfect example of what I have
been talking about these past 60 months and what Liveprayer is all about,
taking the message of Christ TO THE WORLD.  Bringing Christ to the world
through the same mainstream channels satan uses to take his message of
destruction to the masses every single day.  We need MORE movies like this,
we need programs on SECULAR television that tell the truth of God's Word, we
need those on secular radio willing to tell people the truth of God's Word
in the context of the day to day issues we face in our world.  Did you see
all of the airtime the secular media outlets devoted to this movie?  People
that
will never go to church, never watch the Christian media, were being exposed
to
Christ daily because of it.  AMEN!!!

I want to start by saying thank you to Mel Gibson for his personal sacrifice
to make this movie.  He was truly an instrument God used to make this
happen.  I do need to address however an error in Mr. Gibson's theology.  He
is widely quoted as saying, "there is no salvation for those outside the
Church (meaning the Roman Catholic Church)."  That of course is not what the
Bible, our final authority in ALL matters, teaches.  It is NOT a church that
saves you, but your faith in Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 2:8,9 clearly tells us
that salvation is a two part process, God's grace and our faith plus
nothing else.  No church can save you, no amount of good works can save you,
ONLY faith in Jesus Christ can save you.  As for the movie itself, it was
theologically very true to the Gospels.

Of course, one of the biggest controversies surrounding this movie has been
the charge that it is anti-Semitic.  Nothing could be further from the
truth!  Again, the movie was very true to the Gospels and accurately
portrayed the role each group played in the death of Christ.  The fact is, I
killed Jesus Christ.  It was MY SINS that He died for.  YOU killed Jesus
Christ.  It was YOUR sins that He died for.  All mankind killed Jesus
Christ.  It was for the sins of all mankind that He died for.

The Gospels clearly lay out and contemporaneous history confirms that Jesus
was seen as a threat to the Jewish religious leaders of His day.  They
plotted to kill Him and were able to use the Roman government that was in
power to carry out His death.  That is an historical fact.  This movie does
not promote anti-Semitism any more than it promotes a hatred of Italians for
the role they played in Christ's death.

The other controversy surrounding this film is the intense and graphic
violence.  While I personally do not enjoy movies with this type of
violence, you could not accurately tell this story without it.  Few people
really comprehend the horror and brutality of the death Christ endured.  You
MUST WATCH every second as painful as it will be to begin to understand the
price that He paid for OUR sins.  Not His sins, OURS!  I pray that the next
time you make a choice to sin, you remember the pain He endured for that
sin.  After seeing this movie, you will never be able to take sin lightly
again!

*I do need to add that in my personal view, this is NOT a movie a child
under 12 should watch.  It is simply too brutal, too graphic for a child
under 12 to see.  Of course, this is something each parent will need to pray
about, but I advise you to see the movie FIRST before taking children under
12.

The reason I am so excited about this movie is that it can be an incredible
evangelistic tool to lead many people to know Christ as their Savior.  I
realize that Mr. Gibson is a filmmaker and not an evangelist, but the only
problem I had with the movie is after the last scene there NEEDED TO BE AN
ALTAR CALL!  It opens a person's heart to the Gospel, it moves them towards
Christ, and then it ends.  A thirty second explanation of what it takes to
be a Christian and then giving an invitation to accept Christ would yield an
incredible harvest of souls.

Since there is no altar call at the end of the movie, this is a unique
opportunity
for the church to fulfill part of its mission in the world.  I suggest that
churches
buy the DVD and show the movie as an evangelistic outreach.  Those in the
church can bring unsaved family members and friends.  The pastor will have
the opportunity to gather everyone together after the movie and share the
plan of
salvation to lead those who are ready to make a commitment to accept Christ.

The other role the local church MUST play is in the follow-up.  Those who
commit their lives to Christ through this movie MUST BE DISCIPLED.  That is
a mission the local church has to play to see the maximum fruit from this
unique evangelistic opportunity.  A local church that makes full use of this
movie could see hundreds, even thousands of new believers in their pews over
the next few months!

I love you and care about you so much.   I will be praying for you to take
time out of your busy life to see The Passion.  As powerful as the various
movies about the life of Christ over the years have been, none of them ever
properly captured the brutality and horror of His death the way this movie
does.  It is IMPORTANT for every person who knows Christ as their Savior to
understand the price of  our sin.  We often sin without regard because we
know
we can ask God to forgive us and He will according to His promises.  But for
the first time, many are going to see a brief glimpse of the incredible
PRICE
that was paid by Jesus for our sins.

I will also pray that you take advantage of this movie as an evangelistic
tool to
reach the lost for Christ.  It is a great personal witnessing tool for those
who
know the Lord to show the movie to unsaved family members, friends,
co-workers,
those you go to school with, and be able to share with them afterwards how
Jesus
Christ has made a difference in your life.

The most important decision that we will make in this life is what we do
with this man named JESUS.  The moment we die we will stand before God and
be held accountable for our choice to accept Him into our heart and life by
faith or reject Him.  That choice will determine whether we spend
eternity WITH God our Creator, or SEPARATED from God.  The beauty of The
Passion is that it will force people to make a decision about Jesus.

The Bible says that TODAY is the day of salvation, tomorrow is not promised
to us.  If you do not have the assurance that when your life is over you
will
spend eternity WITH God and want to have a personal relationship with this
Jesus who paid the ultimate price for your sins, simply pray for God to open
your
heart and read the words at:  www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html .

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email
at bkeller at liveprayer.com

***GET YOUR FREE LPeMAIL ACCOUNT!  Never miss receiving your Daily
Devotional again.  LPeMail is an effective email SPAM filtering application
that most ISP's charge $10/mo, for FREE!  Get your LPeMail account now at:
www.lpemail.com .

***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer Daily Devotional is
now available via AUDIO each day.  Simply go to
http://www.liveprayer.com/DailyDevotionalAudio.html

-- 
"Running Windows on a Pentium is like getting a Porsche but only being
able to drive it in reverse with the handbrake on."