Powerful Gospel Skit

Thanks! Looks great, watching as I speak. Thanks for the link.

Paul

That is great!! I have seen this video before. The message is so powerful. I have some people in mind that I can share this with. Thanks for posting it! God Bless!
Amanda

that is a powerful video. i was moved to tears by the end. Christ’s amazing love for us far more vast than we can ever know or describe, yet this preformance manages to capture some of that infinite mystery in a way that touches my soul. it’s amazing. i’ll have to show it to my family and friends.
thank you, alex and brett, for posting this. what an encouragement!

My friend just emailed me this video a couple days ago . . . really good and very moving. Thanks!
Becky

Tears of joy rolling down my face. What a beautiful picture of God’s mighty, saving, beautiful Grace!

That IS an excellent portrayal of our sinfulness and God’s redemption. Thanks for sharing.

~Lady Tai

WOW! That’s an amazing, incredible, powerful and phenomenal skit!! A group from my church that went on a short term mission trip to India performed one for us almost exactly like that and I really enjoyed!! It’s fantastic getting to see it (or one very close to it) again. Thanks for the post!

At first, I was struggling to get the allegorical picture, but when I began to understand, I was blown away. God’s grace is amazing. When we push aside the things of the world to press through to him–there is true peace. It kind of reminded me of the woman with the issue of blood, who had to push her way to Jesus. Often the closer you get to him, the fiercer the opposition, but what is on the other side–Him–is more than worth it. Whether we are pushing to get to him for the first time or just trying to get to him in the midst of our daily schedule and struggles, he is there waiting…..and he is all we’ve ever wanted or needed.

Every time I have seen this skit it has been at a point in my life when I really needed to be reminded of Christs everlasting and amazing sacrifice and Love! The part that makes me cry every time is when she finally stops trying to redeem herself and gives it up to him to save her, so true and simple, but hard to do! Thanks for posting!

I hadn’t really noticed it before but I completely agree w/Deebee’s point. The version I saw the “encouraging person” was portrayed as either an Angel or a Christian mentor. That worked better. I don’t think Christ is sitting and fretting while we go through the trials in life.

That was amazing, I went from shivers to tears in a matter of seconds. Thank you so much Alex and Brett, for sharing it with us. I can’t wait to share it with my friends.

DeeDee and everyone – Perhaps a better way to portray Jesus would have been as more grieved and longing instead of helpless, which He definitely isn’t! God IS sovereign, and yet He allows us free choice and doesn’t force us to come until we choose, but I believe He longs for us to come/return. (“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to to show you compassion.” Is. 30:18)

Just my thoughts. Alex & Brett may wish to address this better.

Man, that was really something! I’m crying now as I write. How awesome God is! Thanks for posting that, Alex and Brett. I really needed it right now.

Wow! That was truly powerful! Thank you for sharing Alex & Brett!

I agree with Mark on some counts, eg. the clothing of some of the participants wasn’t modest.
I also agree with DeeDee. It’s not right that Jesus sould be fretting about our situation because He can do all His holy will. That can be the case though if that man is a mentor/older Christian.

Even so, the video as a whole is wholesome and I’d definitely recommend it to my friends (same as I do the rebelution ). Thanks again for sharing, Alex and Brett

Rating: 8/10

Also – in reply to what many have said… YES God is sovereign… but at the same time, He does care about us and what we are going through. He longs to help us, but we have to let Him. In this skit, she has pushed Him out of her life and that is why it’s portrayed the way it is… God IS sovereign – but He gave us free will, He’s always going to be there even when we turn away. He cares about us and He longs to help us, but we have to let Him…

Very interesting! Thought provoking and a very good reminder of Christ’s sacrifice. My Mom made a good point though, we shouldn’t be leaving our youth with in that state of ‘Let’s stay and listen to rock music’ idea. It’s a starting point, but it’s a huge part of the ‘teen scene’ that we are all trying to get away from. It was very good though, don’t get me wrong.

In Christ,
Sheila

Wow. That was such a blessing. Thanks so much for posting it!

(continued) I didn’t like the part with Christ being kinda “helpless” either… However I think the skit (as a whole) was trying to say that the sins of the world pull us down, tempt us, and TRY to keep us from Christ- (not that they actually CAN keep us from Him/salvation.) -And the skit did have Christ pulling her to Him with the rope and holding back the girl’s tempters Himself (for she couldn’t.) Sometimes God brings us through hard times. In the end it brings glory to Him! Just because He isn’t doing anything about what is happening to us doesn’t mean He can’t or that He isn’t there.

I didn’t like the immodesty either, however with the pink girl I think it made the point it was trying to make- and with the main girl- well- she was an average girl in a sin filled world, not yet mature in her faith…

I truly enjoyed it! Thanks so much for having it posted!

While I really appreciate what Alex and Bret are doing in general with this site, I have to disagree with them on this call. This video is wrong for at least two reasons.

DeeDee pointed out the whole God being helpless thing, which I definitely agree is a big problem. It looks like God is standing there thinking, “Oh, I wish they would listen to me, why won’t they obey me?” This isn’t true in the real world at all. God is completely powerful and sovereign over creation (Psalm 33). He chooses who He saves and who He doesn’t (Rom. 9:14-16). Yes, He begs and pleads with us through His Word, but He also guides us to Himself through His almighty power (Eph. 2:1). God is the opposite of helpless. We are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:5). Being dead, we are not able at all to seek to follow God. We have no desire to “let” God into our lives. It’s just the opposite, because Col 2:13 says God has to “make us alive in Him [Christ].” Once the Holy Spirit makes us alive, then we can seek God. God is in control; if He isn’t, then He isn’t all-powerful, which means he isn’t God.

I also disagree with this video for another reason. This reason, unpopular as it is, is still in the Bible, so I don’t think I can ignore it. I find it strange that Jesus is portrayed. Plain and simple. God shouldn’t be made by men to look like a man. Only God has the power to become human, while still keeping His divinity. Now, pardon me if I’m wrong, but humans don’t have the ability to take God and portray Him as a man, while still keeping His awesome divinity. That just isn’t possible (Deut. 4:15-19). Not to mention, changing the “glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man” is considered foolish, sinful, and changing the truth of God into a lie according to Romans 1:22-23. If I remember correctly, the Second Commandment says something about making images of God too. Whenever you pretend to be God, things don’t turn out so well (e.g. Satan, Nadab and Abihu, Aaron, Nebuchadnezzar, etc.).

I know you may not agree with my views here, but please read the Scriptures and see God’s glory and grace.

In Christ,
Althusius

DeeDee, Elizabeth, Lindsay M and Jessie U:
I understand completely where you’re coming from, with your concerns about how Christ’s sovereignty is portrayed…though I was so caught up in the power and beauty of the picture that it really hadn’t even occurred to me until I saw your comments.

But probably if you think back a little bit, you will remember experiences — or at least seen other people experience — where it *felt* or *seemed* like Christ was standing by idly or helplessly. Some of the Old Testament Minor Prophets are an illustration of that.

Also, many books – Isaiah in particular – are full of ”pleas” from God to us to do something that is not in us to do; turn from our wicked ways and worship Him only. Much like the ”frantic” hand-waving and attention-getting attempts of the savior portrayed in the skit.

So…I happen to find the depiction not very erroneous after all.

As we learn, by God’s grace, more about Him and His characteristics, we learn a better way to interpret/understand this. But still, especially to someone who doesn’t yet fully comprehend these encouraging truths, without a doubt it can appear as though Christ is helpless / powerless.

We cannot expect drama, or any art, to be scripture. Nor is it intended at all to be a substitute for the full truth of God’s written word in the Bible but rather a tool to point us to it. Any attempt we humans make at portraying the truths of scripture through art is going to be fraught with weakness and shortcomings.

But we should not allow that to scare us away from venturing into art…nor should we become guilty of ”over spiritualizing” it beyond recognition. It is still a very powerful, God-given tool that can be used mightily. It is (and should be) often used to communicate very narrow and specific truths with great impact – as is the case with this skit.

The gospel is a very simple message. Things like this skit that preserve the simplicity of that message and point people to the awesome power of Christ and what He did, should be celebrated. Certainly we don’t want our discipleship / sanctification to stop there, but it’s a great start!

With all the philosophical / theological comments out of the way, here is a productive question:
Is there a way that the savior in this skit could be portrayed that would better communicate the fullness of Christ’s characteristics, without detracting from the clarity or power of the message communicated?

(This is not a loaded question; hopefully it will result in at least some meaningful discussion…)

Wow! I really like it! Very well done.

Michael -
Good question.
I think that a better way to portray Christ in this instance is sorrowful, with His head bowed. This would show that He is grieved by sin, but not imply that He is unable to do anything about it.
I do understand what you mean, though, and it makes sense in a way to have Christ ‘distant’, but maybe the savior should stand in one place, and the girl stray away. That way, it’s not that the savior left the girl, but she left him.

Like you said, I hope people will contribute good discussion to this.

Megan H.

Actually, mo, the waving hands thing to try to get her to come back to Him bothered me because if Christ wants to be seen or noticed, He will be seen or noticed. He doesn’t have to ‘try’, like we as humans do. Maybe just standing there isn’t the best portrayal, either. I’ll have to think on that. I do think that He can be obscured by the world, but He will reveal Himself when it is His time.

wow. that is such a good picture of Jesus giving Himself up and then being so powerful.
also you can see people trying to drag her into newest fashions,trying to kill herself …..
thank you soooo much for putting that up for teenagers to see and steer clear away from people trying to drag them into sin,I know it is very hard to stay away from sin but Jesus will always be there for us and will always protect us if we call on his glorious name.

Megan H,
I’m not discrediting your comment by any means…it just seems to me that God allows us free will at GREAT cost to himself. Even though He appears helpless in the skit, it seems to me that the Jesus character is simply allowing the girl to live the life she has chosen for herself. A line in a Micheal Card song comes to mind: “…He simply speaks the sentence that they have passed upon themselves”.
That being said, I do think that in a way it breaks God’s heart to allow us free will. Look at the ways free will has been used throughout history…Hitler… Lenon…abortion…Saddam…hooter girls…insane asylums…children raising other children because of AIDS (spread through rape a lot of times)…the list goes on and on. And yet this is the proof of love, that God in his infinite wisdom and power lets us choose. Though he IS in control, he is not a control freak. That He who spoke the universe into being would allow us to say no to him, knowing fully the cost.

i cried when i got to the part where Jesus was pulling the girl toward him, then fighting off the demonic spirits on her behalf – it just confirmed to me what IS taking place now, as i continue to pray for my children, who are young adults and have chosen to not follow him at this point in their lives. powerful, and i am going to email it to both of them right now.
thanks for blessing me with this

Crissy, you saddened me by your reponse. I as far as I can see no one has been cynical or rude about the skit.

Only a few people have commented on the girls clothes. It may come as a surprise, but to some people a girl wearing jeans is immodest and to others a stumbling block. I happen to be one of the people that think it immodest for girls to wear pants, but I’m not judging them because they decide to wear jeans.

I also don’t think we have been judgemental, but concerned about some things in the skit. Of course this is what I’ve got out of the responses.

This is a discussion among concerned Christian youths and perhaps a few adults and no one has gotten out of hand. I’m sorry that you think we are taking the skit so negatively and I believe that we all understand that it’s purpose is to be a “door opener”. I am speaking for myself, but I hope for others as well.

You said that you had experienced the same as the girl in the skit and you may even have felt that God was standing aside helpless, but the truth is He wasn’t and isn’t.
Most of the responses have expressed their concern about the way God was portrayed with perfect right, but not the message of the skit itself.

Another thing that came across to me in your response was your accusation of us being judgmental. I couldn’t help but get the feeling that you were judging others for their concern about the skit. I have no desire to offend you and hope I haven’t.

I hope I was able to get across to you and perhaps clarify things a bit.

God Bless,
Amanda

I thought the skit was cool…Thank you to whoever posted it!

There seems to be quite a bit of debate going on…yikes! I think, like Elisabeth says, that we should remember the basic focus of the skit, which is really about salvation.

Thanks again to whoever posted it–I think it is a powerful illustration, and a great idea.

Carly D.

As I watched the video, I felt very powerfully for that girl when she tried to run to Jesus. But I still don’t think it’s perfect. The trouble with skits like these is that they’re too limited and too imprecise, which means it’s going to lead to some theological issues:
1. Was the girl a Christian at the beginning of the video, or a non-Christian? Only Adam and Eve began living with a deep relationship with God. If she was a Christian to start with, how is this supposed to be a evangelistic tool? If she’s supposed to represent all of humanity, then it’s untrue that all of humanity will be saved.
2. Jesus didn’t somehow defeat sins with His strength, He suffered in our place. Personnally, I was expecting all those people who represented sin to beat Him to the ground and kill him. But they didn’t. So where’s the cross in this video?
3. Is it right to represent God using a steorotype (robes, etc), let alone an actor?
4. Would a non-Christian really understand the necessity of the cross and of repentance? Or wouldn’t they just think: God’s going to forgive me in the end anyway.
I don’t think God was portrayed as helpless. God was distressed that her sins were seperating her. I don’t think the girl was immodest (ever since that modesty survey, that’s all we seem to comment about. Give it up!). And I don’t think God picks and chooses whom to save, or that humans have nothing to do whatsoever with their own salvation.

Sorry to be so critical. It’s only because I genuinly care about this stuff. I honestly don’t know what I would suggest to the actors if they were right here in front of me. They obviously really want to share the wonderful news with everyone. So don’t stop. Keep on trying. It’s almighty God who touches peoples’ hearts anyway. We’re just tools.

Plus, this video has put me in the mood to worship and marvel, at 10:00pm! Thanks for sharing.

Oops, I forgot #2! Secondly, I don’t see how you can really have a saving faith in Christ if you beleive we humans have something to do with our own salvation. But I think my first comment covered that topic, too.

Same here, mo. And sorry my last comment doesn’t make sense – the first one that goes with it is “awaiting moderation.”

On the whole, I like the skit, and thought that the end was particularly moving. That being said, it’s good to see people want to be theologically discerning about the skit.

As far as the “helpless God” concerns that some people have expressed, if I thought that was what the skit portrayed, I would be disturbed as well. But, having watched it several times now, my thoughts are similar to Michael’s — sections from the OT prophets came to my mind as well. The waving of the hands, etc., seems to me to be along the lines of the following from Isaiah 65:1-2:
“I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me;
I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here am I, here am I,”
to a nation that was not called by my name.
I spread out my hands all the day
to a rebellious people,”

The part of this skit that has me puzzled is actually why the girl’s black shirt comes off when it does (in the middle of when she’s struggling against her enemies). The black shirt, I would think, is representing her sins (especially considering the shirt underneath is white), yet it comes off before Jesus is portrayed as coming and taking her place, and is, in fact, ripped off by her enemies. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? If you’ve seen other versions of the skit, is it possible that the shirt was inadvertantly removed during the struggle, and was supposed to come off later?

A beautiful, beautiful skit that I do not regret watching. It literally sent chills all over my body and almost moved me to tears.

I wholly agree that the skit does not stand up to theological criticism in its allegorical portrayal. It is something told from “our” perspective, as some have pointed out. In application, it should be a pre-evangelistic skit rather than a presentation of Christian theology. The concerns are legitimate, but whatever was done was done beautifully.

It is still a wonderful and powerful Christian work of art, even if not a perfect allegory.

I need to clarify myself. I am not totally against this skit. Far from it, it gave me shivers, and I was about to cry at the beauty of Christ’s love. I just think we need to be very careful about how we give the gospel to the world.

Like Elisabeth and mo, these comments are so intriguing (spelling?) that I can’t stay off. Thanks to everybody who is contributing to it!

Wow, that was totally awesome!!! Praise the Lord, it just makes me want to screem and shout. That is such a powerfull message. That just shows so well how Jesus can and will save us from all our sins, and give us such a bright and awesome future. I hope and pray that this video will be viewed by millions of people, both Christian and non-Christian.

WOW. That vidoe made me remember what Jesus has done for me! So powerful! Thank you JESUS!!

Melissa, I was thinking about your comment, and I felt I had to respond. I just wanted to say that no one would ever come to Christ unless he had called them. Sorry if I’m misinterpreting your comment, but it sounded like you were saying that it is absolutely up to an individual human being whether they come to Christ or not. Without God’s divine mercy all of us would be lost anyway. And it is by God’s mercy *alone* that we are saved. Not by our own act. Please tell me if I was not clear in this!

Thanks for mentioning Romans 12:9, Brett. This skit gives us a great opportunity to do both things mentioned!

Thank you also (Brett and someone else earlier) for pointing out the fact that Jesus is drawing the girl to Himself—arm over arm—before she runs to Him. I think I must have been just focusing on the girl in the video (and trying to see past the tears in my eyes!), and did not see Him begin to do this. I know this seems like a small thing, but it’s so important, because we want to be careful to present Jesus as the initiator of our relationship with Him, because “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

This has been an edifying discussion. Thank you to all of you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, for keeping this discussion lively and intense, but not mean-spirited or harsh. It is such a blessing to have a community of Rebelutionaries to “fellowship” (albeit online) with! Let’s continue to “sharpen each other” (Proverbs 27:17) in the future, to the glory of God!

Thank you for clarifying, Brett. I’m sure you’re right…after all, it’s always good to make sure that our media has good theology, etc.

But ultimately, this is a skit. Like the parables Jesus used, it isn’t meant to be over-analyzed. Jesus told simple stories about farmers and fathers and other people his audience would be familiar with, to get a basic point across. That is the point of this skit…not the tightness of the girl’s jeans (there is, in all humility, a point where you just need to surrender your thoughts to God…this girl was covered) or the number of colored people (would it have been equally racist to use more white people than black to portray the “bad” characters? White people might have been offended…) but ultimately the simple, sweet story of salvation. And Jesus’ hand motions, as I saw it, were just dramatization of His sadness for the waywardness of His child…the whole skit was very dramatic (it was done in mime, the actors had to use excessive body language to communicate)…that was the point, as I saw it. Maybe I’m missing something, but I felt the theology was very, very strong for the simplicity of this little film.

Personally, quibbling over details feels pointless to me. Here’s what I felt when I saw this story.

I cried. Hard. I don’t cry very often over movies and songs, they move me, but I don’t openly cry. That is intense, for me. This five minute, wordless, simple little skit made me weep. Every time I think about it my heart aches. Because…I see myself in that girl. I see myself in the way she is distracted, discouraged, depressed…sometimes reaching out for Jesus, ultimately pulling away. Confused and lost. I see Jesus calling for her, reaching for her, weeping for her…and I understand how much He loves me, how saddened He is by my sin. I watch Him conquer the wrongs in her life and I know that He does the same for me. And I cry because I have been distracted from my Savior. I have been pulling away from Him, caught up in a swarm of consuming worldliness. And today God used a simple, perhaps imperfect bit of film to draw me to Himself. Maybe this movie, along with His word and some guidance from mentors today, was like the rope in this film. At any rate, I am being drawn to Him because I have drifted, and because He loves me.

This movie has changed me. Thank you so much, Brett and Alex, for sharing it!! I want to draw closer to Jesus. I feel less afraid of what my peers think of me. I’m ready to do the things He wants me to. I’m ready to follow Him. I see some things He wants me to change and do in my life and I’m ready to do them. I want to read His word more and reach out to my lost friends.

God used this movie powerfully to break down some defenses I’ve been building up…to cry tears of reconciliation…to see how I’ve been pushing Jesus away in my life in a lot of different ways.

I’m not saying that this movie is sovereign or anything, or even perfect, but God used it in my life a little bit today to draw me closer to Himself.

I’m tired of fighting. Let’s not be like the Ephesians in Revelations 2 who are so caught up in doctrine and rules that they have lost their first love. It is possible to be devoted to the pureness of the Word and how we share the gospel, while also being on fire for Jesus and seeing how dearly and truly and deeply He loves us. Discussing doctrine is good, iron sharpening iron. But fighting over little details is such a waste of precious time…and after awhile, it can harden you to the simple, pure beauty of salvation and the love of Christ which is fresh every time we see it.

Please…don’t be offended by what I’ve said. I don’t mean to hurt anyone. I just want to share this with you.

Thanks again, guys. I’ll be sharing this with a lot of people. I pray that the message will help them as it has helped me.

Your comments are thought-provoking, Melissa. Growing up in a Sovereign Grace church, I have always accepted the doctrine of election without a doubt. I still don’t doubt it – I beleive it is an inevitable and mysterious truth clearly displayed in God’s Word – but I have really begun to think about in a deeper level.
I understand that many people struggle with this. Just because it is taught at my church doesn’t mean everyone IN my church has completely reconciled the fact. Our flesh’s main argument is this – “That’s not fair. MY God wouldn’t do something like that to people!”
I agree with you. Salvation IS a gift offered FREELY to EVERYONE. Some will accept it – these are the hearts God has softened. But some will continue to kick against the goad and refuse to beleive. These God will give over to their own sins. Think about the example of the Pharisees. It’s not that God didn’t give them a chance. Hey, if anyone had a chance to see that Jesus was God, it would be those who lived around him. They always seem to be there when Jesus is preforming a miracle. All around them people are falling to their knees and accepting him. But the Pharisees just seem to get angrier. Yes, God gave them a free will to choose good or evil. But do you think while all these things were going on, Jesus was sitting there biting his nails and fretting “oh no! Are they going to beleive in me or not?” God knew ahead of time who would have faith and who wouldn’t.
The Bible also clearly says that he hardens people’s hearts. Consider Pharoah. God is performing all these signs through Moses, and each time it says “but Pharoah hardened his heart.” But the last time it says “And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.” He gave him many, many chances to accept God…and finally gave him over to his own sins.
So, then, where is this all leading to?
God has predestined those who will believe and those who will disbeleive. It is not random “picking and choosing” but neither is it because of anything anyone has done. All of God’s decisions point to his unstoppable plan throughout history and the future – to glorify himself. I know this is a brain-frying concept (it was for me too and I still don’t understand it fully.) Wether we like it or not, this is truth. To our weak minds this just looks like injustice. But God doensn’t change his plans according to wether or not we approve of his method. It is mysterious, but we were not supposed to understand everything! We are not God!

I am completely new here and I just read all the comments above and I have something to add

First off, I want to say that I watched this skit a couple months ago at a church and I was in tears by the end because it’s absolutely beautiful how Jesus comes to the girl’s rescue. I personally agree with some who have said that the attire of some of the actors was innappropriate… But that wasn’t my main problem with it. There’s this song that I know from Sovereign Grace Ministries (I go to a Sovereign Grace Church) that kept running through my head while I was reading these comments about predestination and whether we choose God or God chooses us:

“Dead in transgressions and sins
Without God without hope in this world
Then the glorious light of your gospel broke in
The Father stood up from his throne
Opened his arms as he called out my name
Grace IRRESISTABLE drew me
Opened my eyes to see

(That) you are the way
You are the truth
You are the life, Jesus
The only way
The only truth
You are my life, Jesus

You are the source of new life
The giver of every good thing
Withholding nothing you lavish your kindness on me
You emptied yourself became poor
Humbled and poured out to death
Now highly exalted above all
Your name alone can save

{chorus}”

I think this song depicts what Jesus did for us, don’t you!? We were lying dead in our transgressions, and he gave us NEW LIFE. Praise the Lord… Man is not naturally good. We are naturally EVIL! (And believe me, it’s not easy for me to say that!) We would never seek God on our own….

And this brings me back to my point: I disliked in the movie how Jesus was depicted as more than a bit helpless. I have been raised to believe God is sovereign and that he chooses his people, and this turned me off at the beginning (even though I STILL cried at the end!). God is outside time and space! He’s not limited by our feeble choices and our fickle nature! And thank goodness he isn’t… If he was, I’d be right where that girl was before she “went back to” Jesus because I cannot of myself CHOOSE God! How can something evil choose something good? It logically can’t happen. So God plants his seed in our hesrts, and we grow and thrive.

Now, Melissa, something you said interested me very much. You said in the beginning of your above paragraph that “It’s only by the work of the Holy Spirit that we are able to see our sinful condition,” and that is correct; I agree whole-heartidly. But after that you begin to say that Jesus wants ALL of us to come to him. Wait a minute, you’ve lost me here. This is important…

If Jesus wants everyone to come to him, AND he’s the one who shows people their sin, WHY DOESN’T HE JUST SHOW EVERYONE THIER SIN? Wouldn’t that make it pretty simple?

(By the way, don’t think I’m yelling at you when I type in capitals; I only do that to make a point, not yell at anyone.) So the only conclusion I can come to on this issue is that Jesus chooses some to reveal himself to. Otherwise, if he’s sovereign, he’d just reveal himself to everyone, right? It can’t be both… Either God is sovereign, or he’s not. Either he chooses us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1) or he waits to see who will choose him.

And here’s the beautiful part of all this: Knowing that God chooses his children, that he thought of you before you were even conceived and named you, that he loved you, that he picked YOU when he could have picked anyone; doesn’t that make you feel special? And it should be humbling as well… That God would choose that which is lowly to be his child–amazing! Melissa, you mentioned several times the word “fair” in your recent comments. What is fair? Hmmm. Well to me, fair is that we all go to Hell. I mean, that’s what we deserve, isn’t it? We KILLED Jesus, and every time we sin we crucify him yet again. So the fair thing for all human kind would be Hell…

But no. We’re all, as a big group (humankind) heading to Hell (running there a thousand miles an hour, actually) and he stops some, gives them a GIFT, the gift of grace. Those who do go to Hell are only getting what they deserve! I know that sounds heartless (and believe me, I don’t want anyone to go to Hell anymore than you do!) but it’s true! Would you say it’s not fair to a thief if he goes to prison? We’re all thieves that deserve worse than prison (we’re actually murderers) and if God wants to place his pardon on some, what is that to the others? They won’t care, or even long for God. God will never place a longing in someone’s heart for himself and then say “Nope, didn’t choose you.”

Those who go to Hell have no regrets. They didn’t know another way because God didn’t reveal it to them! And that is God’s sovereignty at work in this world… And it should make you that more appreciative and adoring of our mighty savior. He’ll do anything to bring us closer to him, and this is just one of the many things he does, he lets us know in his Word (Ephesians 1, Romans 9, Matthew 11:27 and many many more places) that he choose his people, and that causes gratitude, and that causes praise.

I sincerely hope that I didn’t offend anyone as that was most definitely not my intent. I honesly love debate *smile* and I also want others to see this glorious truth, this amazing love… I hope and pray that I have glorified the living God with my above comments… God bless whoever is reading this.

Katie, you summed that up in a much better way than I did. That is EXACTLY the point I was trying to make – those words were in my head and I just couldn’t seem to get them down in an orderly way. And I belive you did glorify God with your comments. Thank you.
Yes, “fair” is that we all go to Hell. “Justice” is that we all go to Hell. “Grace” is a gift – literally “undeserved favor.” And God is not only sovereign, he is good and wise. What an amazing God we serve! Thank you Jesus!
With that, I think our discussion is pretty well finished. Melissa, if you have any further doubts or questions, I would suggest you talk to your parents or your pastor about these issues. We humans often need a little help understanding doctrine. At least I do. God bless you!

Elisabeth and Emma, I think your comments were great too! I really love discussing all this kind of thing Thanks for being a part of it. It’s so neat to find like-minded people! I hope we can meet each other sometime… Take care and have a joyful day!

(I am Elisabeth Gruber’s Twin)

~I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH WHAT MY SISTER SAID. Also, I think what the entire point of this skit is that the girl was walking with God, then she fell prey to the world. Finally she realized what she was doing, and was trying to get back to Jesus. This was very difficult for her, because many things were standing in her way. She got to the point where she repented of her sins (thus the color change of her t-shirt from black to white), and Jesus came to the rescue, standing between her and the evil.
This post was such a blessing; thank you SO much…

In His Service,

~Kirsten A. Gruber

Elizabeth and Kirsten: I don’t know of any books that address this issue, but I am a Presbyterian, which is a Calvinist denomination, and I am going to put in what I think to be a verse which clearly states that people are chosen for salvation by God.

Acts 13: 48

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many AS HAD BEEN APPOINTED TO ETERNAL LIFE believed.

(note: when I write in capitals, I’m just trying to emphasize, not to sound like I’m shouting at you ;D)

~Emma

Wow. If only the one portraying God had been triplets.

At the beginning, the triplet #1 (Father) erects a cross where the triplet #2 (Son) is hanging. Triplet #1 points to the cross and starts the open call. Triplet #2 has his gaze fixed firmly on the girl. He died specifically for her. All this time, Triplet #3 (Spirit) is standing near the girl. When Triplet #1 begins drawing, Triplet #3 comes up behind the girl, encouraging her toward the cross. The crowd (World, original sin, whatever) has been holding the girl back all along. Triplet #3 sweep kicks the crowd away, picks up the girl over his shoulders and RUNS her to the cross.

That would be the way I remember it happening.

Amazing discussion, everyone. I too, coming on lately in the game, noticed a few things about the skit….I did NOT appreciate the sense I got that Jesus was in despair, wringing His hands and carrying on as if He had “lost another one”. When Nicodemus came to Him in the dark, afraid of what “they” would think of him, Jesus simply told him”sell what you have and give it to the poor”. End of message. He left it ALL on Nic’s shoulders..and didn’t fret one bit. When One is truly sovereign, He needn’t fret over anything. And doesn’t.

the other aspect of it that really bothered me is this, and it may help in the discussion over election, above. The entire perspective of the skit was that of man…”oh, ain’t it loverly the girl wan’t lost at the end”. The whole thing portrayed the salvation/lost tension as a duality…side A vs side B…a football match, a Star Wars..that sort of thing. The “forces of evil” were “holding her captive”, and Jesus had to “wrestle” them down, have possession at the end. No, not the way it really is. When Jesus stood outside Lazarus’ tomb, there was no contest. the “final score” had already been written…death , naught. Jesus, infinity. (as an aside, when I used to think I was the great, wise, brilliant, righteous one who had “chosen” to follow Jesus, the thing that undid me totally was seeing Lazarus as a type of ME…DEAD. Able to do nothing but stink on my own. Jesus came and said “come forth”…and life entered and never will leave more. As if I had anything to do with it). The world loves a contest, a match…because the outcome is not settled until the end, and we’ve a bit of suspense and excitement as we watch and see which side is the better, more skillful, more wary, and, perhaps, the most stealthy. Not the case at all with our God. Sin, and the world, have NO control over His elect….there IS no battle, except in our own selves. Will we settle for the here and now, temporary satisfaction that sin promises (and rarely delivers upon), or will we hold out for the long term, eternal rest? We KNOW the truth…and the Truth. The lie bears NO authority over us. Except what we render it.

I’ve seen plays and skits similar to this…many variations on the same theme…that of the contest, the duality. I am waiting to finally see one that clearly and accurately portrays that the match is already won, and God’s “side” is, and always has been, triumphant. Even in those who will be damned for eternity, God’s power is shown…..that He is sovereign, even in the display of His righteousness in condemning those who He has chosen to condemn. Those who serve Him in this life are rewarded in eternal life, those who do not acknowledge His sovereignty –and the demonstration of His power, mercy, and judgement simply add to His glory. How to portray this in a short skit, though..now there’s the rub.

Those scriptures present a very convincing argument, Brian. I just pray that God will use them to reveal himself to those who struggle with the doctrine of election.

Elizabeth Gruber and everyone else –

I know of a book that everyone should read who is intersted in Calvinism/Armenian/elect/non-elect. It is “A Journey in Grace” by Richard Belcher.

When I read it, I was just establishing (of course, I still am) what my worldview is. I wasn’t even sure what a Calvinist or Arminian was. As I read it, it became clear to me that the elect doctrine was correct. This book is fiction, but it is extremely powerful. It opens up when a young theology graduate named Ira was asked by a church board interested in hiring a pastor, “Young man, are you a Calvinist?” This prompted him to research both what a Calvinist was, and what the Bible said about it. It has an interesting story line, with lots of Bible verses and right/wrong examples of Calvinists and what are known as hyper-Calvinists.

I had better stop, before I give you the whole book in this comment.;-D

I really encourage anyone and everyone to read this book.

Oh, before I finish, I must say that I came to this book leaning toward Calvinism, because that is what my dad is agrees with. After I read it, though, I no longer relied completely on what he said, but recognized the truth in the Word.

Hope this helps!!

If there’s any questions please ask… I’ll try to answer!

Thanks for the recomendation! I’ll try to get ahold of it….

I have major problems with this skit. I do not have time to go in to the details now. But, to say the first thing that came to my mind, “And this is a good example why people are denying penal substitution these days.”

Charlie Albright – Your comment sounded very negative and it saddened me. I understand that you disagree with some of the aspects of the skit – there were some things I disagreed with, too. We just have to remember that not every biblical and theological truth can be portrayed in a simple, five minute skit! Besides, one human man could not possibly portray all the attributes and doctrines of God’s character in that short amount of time. I believe you truly want to glorify God by defending him, but is it glorifying to God to judge others? I hope I have not offended you – of course it was not my intention. I just wanted to encourage you and warn you as another sister in Christ.
God bless!

I should point out that what Mr. Albright responded to in the beginning of his latest comment was a trackback from my blog…not an actual comment that I made. I do not want to take this discussion off topic simply because of my trackback, so I thought I would clarify that.

However, allow me to clarify since Mr. Albright did disagree with my trackback/post. Through my post, my only intent was to encourage those watching to see the power that Christ does have over sin, etc. and about His great saving power, regardless of theology, in our lives. That is why I categorized the video as “powerful.” By encouraging people to take of their “theological hats,” I was encouraging people to simply observe the “power” that the skit projects instead of missing that part due to being critical theologically.

Thus, my point was not necessarily to endorse a theology, rather to state that I thought the video, regardless of theology, was powerful and moving.

I really do not want to enter a theological debate. I’ve had more than my share of the election debate, but allow me to simply state that I do not believe idolatry to be a problem in this skit. Had Jesus been represented by a piece of stone or wood, I would not have enjoyed the video. However, I do not believe that idolatry is promoted in the video. If this skit does represent idolatry, then it would appear that we should not make any more Jesus movies. And, of course, I say that with the love of Christ, not in a sarcastic manner.

Once again, I hope my clarification has helped.

In the matchless name of Jesus Christ,

Matt Ahearn

Charlie,

Thank you for your clear, concise, bold, and considerate posts! The same flags went up in my head when I read that I needed to “take off my theological cap.” Everything must be interpreted in light of God’s Word; we can never just sit back and allow our emotions to define truth. Emotions are wonderful, but only if they are based solidly on the foundation of truth.

Thank you again for your comments.

In Christ,
Lauren

Elisabeth –

What was it that convinced me of the doctrine of the elect?

First and foremost, it was the Holy Spirit opening my eyes to the truth. He used several resources and people to do this.

My dad had me read the book I recommended, “A Journey in Grace”. The amount of Scripture used in this book defending election and Calvinism was the main thing to start the convincing. I started wondering how God’s sovereignty could be sovereign if we got to choose whether or not we were His people. So, I finished the book, really thinking about what it meant. Then, in my youth group, there was a new teacher for the summer, and he was a believer in the doctrine of the elect. Continuing off what I had just learned, this helped me grow even more. When I went into my 8th grade year, the man who is now my worship/youth pastor started teaching. He also was a believer in this doctrine. In his Sunday School and youth group teaching, I am blessed to have a reliable [so far ], Biblical source of spiritual food. Thank you, Pastor Jake!

So God, over a course of two years or so, has brought me to conclude that the doctrine of the elect is correct. Using three different people in my life, a book, and His Word, He has convinced me of it in His great and glorious grace.

Elisabeth, thank you for asking. I needed to be able to tell someone outside of ‘my sphere’ about why I believe what I believe. I am glad I got to ‘meet’ you here. Thank you again!

If there’s anything else you want to know, or if what I said didn’t make sense, please ask me about it.

Charlie, Lauren, and Brett:

Allow me to once again clarify. I think my theological hats comment was probably misunderstood which is more my fault than yours. Allow me to make it quite clear that I am most certainly in favor of discernment and of testing the spirits as 1 John tells us. However, I was not encouraging anyone to take off their “discernment caps.” Had the video basically denied the basics of Christianity and promoted the idea that Christ does not save us from sin or had it promoted an anti Christian message, I would have been first to citicize it. However, when I spoke of the “theological hats,” I was mainly referring to the controversial issues we face in the church today, such as Calvinism and Arminianism, tongues, etc.

Thus, I was not suggesting that we stop discerning truth, rather I was suggesting that, on occasion, we simply need to stop picking on theological issues and simply focus on the overall message and theme. However, under no circumstances should we ever stop discerning and stop “testing the spirits.”

Allow me to present two examples. Had the skit gone showing Jesus leading the girl into a room and shown her that she could get to heaven trhough Buddha, then I would have rapidly criticized it. That would have been discerning and testing the spirits. On the other hand, I noticed the “tug of war” that Jesus seemed to be in as he appeared to be drawing the girl towards Him during the skit. As an Arminian, I could have immediatley interpreted this as clear evidence of a Calvinistic video (such as the doctrine of irresostable grace) and thus criticised it theologically and made it nearly impossible for me to see the simple message about the power of God over sin. However, in taking off the “theological hat,” though not a “discerning hat,” I was still able to see an excellent message despite theological views.

As a result, my view of the film was not based on emotion as Mr. Albright suggests. Instead, it was based on the desire that Christian sometimes need to set theolgical issues aside and simply work to agree.

Also, taking “off our theological hats” does not lead idolatry. Only a stoppage of discernment will do that and, as I point out, there is a difference.

In the matchless name of Jesus Christ,

Matt

(Note: my apologies if the grammar is bad in this comment. I am experiencing a few computer problems so I wasn’t able to edit very well)

Mr. Albright:

Thank you for your comments. I appreciate your response.

I see what you mean about “theological discernment.” My main concern was not the fact that people might find fault with it theologically, rather that their theological problems would cause them to completely miss the powerful message of God’s triumph over sin. Allow me to present one example: Let us say that I am invited to a Sovereign Grace church and I go. As I listen to the sermon, I am thinking, “Man! This is good!” I’m listening and the Pastor is preaching a fantastic message that I am learning from and being challenged by. Then, 15 minutes in, the Pastor makes a few statements about God that I don’t necessarily agree with in my Arminian theology. At that point, I have two options:

1. I immediately put on my “theological hat,” as I called it, and I begin to become very critical of the entire message and of the Pastor. I just went from totally loving it and learning to getting nothing out of it due to a few statements that are typically controversial within Christianity. This is what I wanted people to avoid while watching this skit. It was not wrong to recognize that you disagree. I was simply hoping that people wouldn’t allow disagreement to cause them to entirely miss the point on something we all agree on: God has power over sin.

2. Or, I can do this. I can realize that I disagree, “take of my theological hat (thought not my discernment cap),” and continue learning from the message. Sure, I may have disagreed with a statement, but the Pastor can still teach an excellent message that I can learn from despite that disagreement. This happens at times in my own church.

Do you see where I was driving at with my statement?

However, it appears that our main disagreement is over how “big” the problems are in the skit. That is fine. We will have our disagreements. And, I think that disagreement is what is causing this discussion. You tend to look at the problems in the skit as much “bigger” problems than I do. Thus, I could understand the problem that you would have with my suggesting that we do not concentrate so much on our theological disagreements while watching this skit.

Thus, based on all this, I think we see where each one of us is coming from. We obviously have different views on the importance of the theology in the skit, therefore, our views on how we should view it are much different.

As far as the emotion thing, I probably thought you were accusing me of basing my thoughts on emotion due to this statement, “But when you say, “take off your theological caps” you say (at least the way I heard it and the way you have explained yourself), don’t apply your mind to see if what you are beholding is the truth. Just kick back and let the emotions that will come over you by watching this cause you to rejoice. This is NOT worship!” That is probably my fault. Had I looked closer, I would have seen that you didn’t say I was basing my thoughts on emotion, you were simply making a point. So, my apologies if I mis-read your statements.

Yes, I think that helps. I hope that through this I have at least shown where I am coming from and I certainly see where you are coming from. Had I thought that the things portrayed in the skit were completely un-biblical, then I would have agreed completely with you! After all, discernment is VERY important. But, as we see, our disagreement is in how serious the “theological issues” of the skit really are.

Thank you, once again! And, thank you for such a calm and God-glorifying discussion!

In the matchless name of Christ,

Matt

As many have commented on the “evangelistic” nature of this skit, I want to propose a question. A couple days ago, Charlie said, “If a skit cannot say all that needs to be said I would reject it. Souls of men should not be lost because we can’t go another five minutes!”

I co-teach a class on evangelism at my church. In the upcoming weeks, I’m planning to address the relationship of the doctrines of grace with evangelism. Now, while I certainly have no desire to see any bad theology passed around, I do wonder if sometimes we miss the implications of God’s sovereignty in evangelism.

When I first started to evangelize, I was not a Calvinist. And I was afraid! I was scared almost catatonic at the thought of sharing my faith – what if I forgot to share a particular verse, what if I understated or overstated something. What if someone went to hell because I screwed up an evangelism encounter?

Now that I have seen and believed the doctrines of grace, I no longer have that fear. Now I see evangelism very differently. I’m not the one who is going to save them. God is. God has already chosen who will receive the gospel and who will not. God is the one who will regenerate a heart of stone and open ears to hear the gospel. All I have to do is obey Him in telling others the good news. Now, I do not want to be fluffy in my theology. Quite the contrary. I’m probably more concerned with accurate theology now than ever before in my life. But I feel a great freedom in evangelizing, knowing that one plants, another water, and another harvests. But God gives the increase.

Okay, all that to get back to Charlie’s point: do you have to say “all that needs to be said.” I would agree that what you do say MUST be faithful to Scripture. I don’t want to see anymore of “God has a wonderful plan for your life” or “Jesus is better than beer” style of evangelism. I want to make sure the message gets a cross that God is holy and righteous and we are not. Biblical truth must be presented. But if I’m sharing the gospel in the waiting room of the doctor’s office with someone and they are called back before I can finish, should I really feel that it would have been more faithful to Scripture if I had never said anything at all to them because I could not say “all that needs to be said”?

I’ve already stated that I think there are definitely problems with this skit. But I seriously question if “thoroughness” should be one of the concerns. I think if we look at the example of Jesus, we find that many times He himself was not “thorough.” His parables (probably the closest comparison to a skit) tended to address only one truth, only one facet of the big picture.

Could we not write a theologically sound 5-minute skit that addressed one aspect of salvation and that skit count as seed or water? We insist that God is sovereign over the will of man in salvation. Is He not just as sovereign over the understanding of man in evangelism?

Tash Reneee –
I hope these scriptures put things in perspective. We must sit UNDER the Word of God, and let it speak to us its truths – not lsit ABOVE the Word, looking for scriptures that will support our “cause” – hearing what we want it to hear and not what God meant it to say. Of course or flesh does not think the doctrine of the elect is “fair” on God’s part. We want to believe that God is calling everyone and some of us by some inner light just decide to “choose” him. This is not true!! If it were, God would not be in control – He would not be sovereign.
If God was “fair” by our standards…umm…where would we all be? In Hell. Yep. Because that is what we deserve. We killed Jesus. Nobody deserves to go to heaven – but God gives some a gift – the gift of grace. What is that to everyone else? They do not care anyways – they do not long for God because He hasn’t revealed himself to them. God will never place a longing in someones heart for them and then say “Sorry, didn’t choose you.”
It is the Holy Spirit who quickens our hearts to come to faith in Christ. If it were up to us to “choose”, we would still be running a hundred miles an hour to Hell. Yep. Its a good thing God’s in control!
So here’s the scriptures:

John 15:16 – “You did not choose God, but I [Jesus] chose you…”

Ephesians 1:4-9 – “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ…”

Romans 9:11 – “…though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of his call – she was told ‘The older will serve the younger. As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’
“What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moss, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and hardens whomever he wills.’”

Romans 8:29 – “For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first born amonth many brothers.”

God is so good to reveal even small portions of his heart in the scriptures. Knowing he has chosen US – when we did NOTHING to deserve it and when he could have chosen anyone else – but he chose US – should provoke GREAT gratitude. And gratitude causes praise. Which brings us back to the beginning – God’s glorious plan throughout history to glorify himself in the earth.

I thought this was an awesome skit te bit when jesus comes in and saves her all ways puts
my spine on its end.

Hey everyone,

I’ve kind of skimmed over this whole thing, so I don’t know if I’m just restating what’s already been stated or not.

My youth group just put on this skit for our Wednesday night outreach, so I’ve been watching this alot recently and talking with many people about it. My close friend’s mom agreed with many of you that this skit might not be an accurate description of Christ in that it shows him as Someone who may not have the strength to get to us, showing him with that look of “Oh no, what do I do?”

But here’s my take on this; I’ve discussed it alot with my mom. I don’t think this is so much a description of Christ that says, “Well, he can’t get to us some of the time. He’s not that strong.” Here’s how I see this skit: a person who begins the skit in love with Christ, with a little bit of innocence to her. Then, she is introduced to the things of this world – boyfriend, friends, appearance, money, pleasure, depression, etc. Through this whole time, Christ is hurt that she has rejected Him; He’s still in complete control, though. Then, He dies for her sins, forgiving her forever. When she throws down the gun and begins her struggle to reach Him again, this is what I see: she wants to get to Christ, and Christ is fighting for her. But she hasn’t fully let go of the things of this world. I can relate to this; trying to reach Christ, knowing that I need to let go of my earthly desires, but not totally letting go and letting God.

So this whole time, Christ is fighting for her soul, she’s trying to reach Him but still holding on to her wordly desires. When she finally rejects this world, THAT is when He gives Himself up to protect her from the things of this world that are still trying to get to her. Finally, she offers all of herself as a living sacrifice to Him, which is the point in the skit where He throws off all of this world’s sin. The end is what walking with Christ arm-in-arm looks like, which is what I’m trying to get to.

I’m terrible with words, so I hope this description makes sense. Alex and Brett, thanks so much for being superstars for Jesus. You guys are such blessings and inspirations.

Very powerful skit! A beautiful representation of what Jesus has done for us… Just this past summer when I was on a Mission’s Trip my small Youth Group did two skits a little like this one, except a little more simple… the first about a man in ‘bondage’ by his sin and breaking free of it through Christ dying on the cross and taking away the man’s sin, releasing him of the bonds that held him, and the other about two people; one who chose the Christian path and the other who was enticed into evil and went through something like the girl did in this present skit you showed here… there are many different renditions of that type of skit, but I have to admit this one up here was very powerful and nearly had me in tears.

Hello,

I was touched deeply by the skit, but when I went and watched it again, I also noticed that Jesus didn’t seem very sovereign or powerful in the skit. I think they should have tried to make it clear that she completely noticed Him, but tried to ignore him Him anyway until she realized she needed Him.

The first time I watched this skit was at an International Night of the floating bookstore, Doulos. It brought tears to my eyes, just like it did now, when I watched it again.

This skit has changed so many lives, there are so many different versions based off this original lifehouse skit. Here is the version from the Valparaiso University student body.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00jPhRjcpL4

Elisabeth Gruber — In answer to your question about books on the topic of election, I suggest the following: First and foremost, Martin Luther’s “The Bondage of the Will”, which comes highly recommended by my husband. I also enjoyed “A Journey of Grace”, which is a theological novel that explores the doctrines of grace very thoroughly and helped me understand Calvinism. Some books that we have (which I have yet to fully read, but I believe would help you in your quest) are “What is a True Calvinist?”, “Grace Unknown”, “The Doctrines of Grace”, “All of Grace”, and “Lectures on Calvinism”. Hope this helps!

I would also like to say how proud I am of everyone who has disagreed respectfully and in love on this discussion. You’ve been a true picture of Christ-like grace and patience. I have to commend y’all for relying on Christ to help you portray such a spirit! God’s blessings.

I agree that the theology was somewhat flawed, but I still had some serious shivers and tears. One of the best gospel skits I’ve ever seen.

WOW! Sitting here with my sister. No matter how many times we see this movie, we always get goosebumps! Amazing!!!

First off I must say this is a VERY powerful skit.
Second, I disagree with many of the posts. I believe God is sovereign despite of the choices we make but I believe he is not happy with every decision made. I believe his heart breaks for those who stray from him (Lk. 15:7) and that humans have free will (Gen. 2:16-17 & 3:22).

When Jesus was on earth he did not have a “I am sovereign attitude.” In Matthew 23:37 Jesus had just the opposite reaction- he actually had the attitude of the “Jesus” in the skit,

“…. Many times I have wanted to gather your people together. I have wanted to be like a hen who gathers her chicks under her wings. But you would not let me!”

I believe it is a accurate picture of how Jesus feels when his children turn his back on him, or someone He loves who is still enslaved to the enemy. I believe Jesus’s reaction should also be our reaction for the lost and hurting.

So, So powerful! I love when she is trying to get to Jesus and they are holding her back but he keeps on pulling her toward him. That is exactly how our God is. Pulling us ever toward him. He is so good!

Sarah.

Great video. This reminds me of a drama called Toymaker and Son. I was a part of a drama troupe that did this in churches and on the street up and down the eastern seaboard. I recalled many lives being changed. thanks for the memory…..

Wow, what a lively, thought-provoking discussion!

I remember the first time I watched this not really liking the style of the skit. However after reading all the various comments, I decided to watch it once more.

I think that rather than the girl representing one man, she is representing mankind.

As I watched the first scene with just God and the girls, I got the strong impression of life before the fall. The way He breathes life into her and shows her the wonders of the world is very similar to the creation of the world in the Garden of Eden.

Then Satan tempts her and after she disobeys God, she is now separated from God by sin. The various temptations have all come up in various ways through out the History of Man. In History God intervenes, but ultimately, He is orchestrating His perfect plan to play out. Often, in the old Testament, it seems like God is standing back, waiting for the part of the plan that involves His perfect Son to take on the sin of the world.

Near the end of the skit, this occurs. Mankind (the girl) struggles to free itself of sin, but only once Christ has taken our place, can we be truly free. Jesus filled in the gap that we could not cross with out the mediation of Himself. A pure mediator between sinful man and Holy God.

Of course, the skit still leaves gaps, but as some have mentioned above, even the parables Jesus told don’t tell everything, once they are fully analysed. It is just an illustration of something greater and bigger, portrayed in a simpler, smaller way for us to understand.

I know that even my description doesn’t even make total sense, but I think that it explains the question of whether she was saved or not at the beginning.

My dance team is doing this skit tomorrow night. I’ve seen about ten different versions of it and every time, it sends chills up my back.

Regardless of where you stand theologically, this skit is wonderful for Christians. Everytime I watch it, I am amazed at what a loving and soverign God I serve.

However, whether or not it is a great evangelistic resource, I’m not sure. I think it would be ok as long as a pastor or somebody followed up with the Gospel message.

I saw the beginning and thought that it would be boring – but of course I was wrong. I got shivers when I saw the guy with blood down his arm, and began to cry when the girl started fighting her way back to Jesus. I cried even more when, even though all the forces of evil were out to get her, and He held them all back. I am definitely going to get my youth group to do this, but perhaps with Jesus waving his arms about, trying to get her attention – I’m not sure. Will work on it. But I want people to feel as moved by this as I did. \

What is the name of this song?

Thanks so much, Alex and Brett, for posting this!

I was really touched by this skit. I saw it from the perspective of the girl representing a Christian who has strayed and become bogged down in the trappings of this world. As the sister of a “prodigal son” this skit represents the hope still available for my brother. When I watch this, all I can think of is the hope that my brother will come to the same realization that the girl has and come running home to his Heavenly Father. Thank you so much for posting this. -Janae

I really love this skit. We did thid skit for are youth service and it was really moving for the people who did it and the other kids, teenagers, and adults that were watching it. I remember crying after we did it because this is what are life is like especially at school and the people around us. Other people asked us to did it at there church and when we still do it or we watch it I have tear in my face. The one thing I relized is the Jesus is always there for us even if we fade away from him.

Christ did that for me. Just read those words, and think it through. Christ died for you. Amazing!

That was kind of interesting, but I don’t think it portrays salvation very accurately. What’s with all the dancing and swaying at the beggining? Also, while God does give a choice whether or not we’ll accept His gift of salvation, honestly, He knew before we were born, and therefore, “technically”, the choice is His. We never would have come to Him without Him.

WOW!!! There was a very heated discussion going on awhile back. I think it is very good that people are willing to really take the time to discern what they believe is good and evil as compared to the word of God. Too many people today just don’t care; they would watch it, read the comments section, and say “whatever, doesn’t really matter what I think, I’m goin’ to Heaven”. Anyway, even with its flaws I admired the skit. I have seen ones that I like better, but this one was still very touching. I would like to thank Alex and Brett for putting it on.
~Kay Morris

We have a great dance/drama ministry in our youth ministry & we use this skit, but we have made a few changes to reach the lost when we do outreaches. We do not have an immodest girl come out in a dress, but a modestly dressed preppy acting girl like she is ‘all that’. Jesus ackowledges the fact that the girl decides she wants to go her own way, rejecting His love & guidance & he acts grieved that she made that choice, but He does not act helpless. He stands with His head bowed as if crying because He died for her & hates to see where her choices are leading her. This can be a very powerful means of evangelism if done right & we know that for a fact:) We have Jesus make the devil look like a wimp & it’s a great tool. We have ministered to many cutters, etc. that nothing else has touched them.

i once again cried i loooooooooove this vid i really wish i could spend more time with god than i really do but i am so busy with sccool i cant get behind….sigh….life sux sometimes

I really liked this video. My wife shared it with me this morning. I can see some of the things about Jesus’ actions that others have noted. However, I think we have to remember that we do sideline Jesus and make him “powerless” in a sense. He won’t barge into our life and force us to accept Him. He probably does watch us when we have fallen and think “what can I do to make them ask for my help?” He probably does “worry” about us when we’ve turned our back on Him. His overpowering love for us makes Him hurt when we hurt; makes Him angry when people hurt us. He wants to deliver us from all evil, but we have to let Him.

ive been going away from god for awhile now and this movie really really helped me alot thanks!!!!!

she was in tears when it ended :*)

Chills everywhere. I never cease to be moved by this, it’s ridiculous. Everytime I need encouragement, I watch this. Gosh. Hah, tears

I love that skit! i never really thought about the helplessness that some people noticed…
he is trying in the beginning but the girl is not coming back. he cant make us do stuff even though he knows what we are going to do. he was simply waiting and he was pacing becuase it hurt him to see her going through that. or at least that what i got when i stopped and thought about it. just like God wated for the right time to send Jesus to earth. i really like how God stepped in and made a huge effort to bring her back. i love to listen to the corwd and i joined in cheering when she threw down the gun and the song says “your all i want your all i need your everything!”

oh gosh lord please oh please i nevr want to leave you like that please hold me close jesus hold me

I love it! Dramas can be so powerful is presenting the Gospel of God’s love. We are in the process of putting together a drama team in our youth group, we plan to do this one.
To comment on the “sovereignty of Christ” issue, I think that some are missing the whole picture of the message. It is meant to tell a story of the history of our salvation… from creation to after Christ’s redeeming sacrifice.
The part where Jesus is looking on, and desperate for the girl to come to him is before he died for us. In a sense, we see a picture of the old covenant and how it was God giving man a chance to “earn” salvation by obeying the law on his own strength. And we do see that picture in scripture of how God longed for his people to come to him, but they would not and could not. But sin separates us from God, we could never reach Him on our own strength. We could never do it, despite that God was faithful on His part, we can never be holy enough and keep up our end of the bargain. And God never violates our free will. So then, Jesus had to step in! Praise God for that. So in that sense it is pretty accurate in portraying God’s desire to draw us to Himself, how he gave us a chance to prove to ourselves we couldn’t do it without Jesus, then He stepped in and saved the day and defeated sin and death once and for all!

Way to many for me to read all of the comments, but my take on Jesus standing there is that when we stray Jesus is hurt and waits for us to repent, he doesn’t automatically pull you back to him, we have free will and therefore he stands where we left him sadly and waits til we repent, so I say it is accurate

I love it! It really shows the gospel and a striving loving Christian’s relationship with Jesus

This is a powerful skit that I have seen about 10 times, and it never gets old! I think it can be taken on a level other than individually. The girl represents humanity, and the others represent humanity’s fall. The first one represents taking sinful pleasure in the opposite gender. The second doesn’t only represent chasing after money, but other material possessions as well. The third represents partying, drinking, drugs, and the wrong company. The fourth represents not being happy the way we are or look, but wanting to change ourselves to the world’s standards, not God’s standards. The last represents not just the devil, but depression and suicide contemplation. I think the most powerful part of the skit is when Jesus dies as the girl places the gun to her head, then darts back to him resurrected as the music picks up. I think this represents more than suicide on an individual basis but also the gun called sin we put to our heads. When we accept Jesus and run back to him, then He comes and saves us from sin and defeats it, then we will spend eternity with Him.

I’ve seen several versions of this, and some depict different parts better than others, but this one is my favorite because I feel it is more emotional than the others. I’ve seen one where Satan was also pulling her to him, so it seemed as he was in a tug-of-war with Jesus, but Jesus always prevails.

Thanks for this blog, it has really impacted me. Keep it up! God bless!

Very nice , good sharing . Thanks …

I absolutely love it.
We are doing a VBS this year for teens and this has hit it on the nail. I would love to have the kids put this skit on for the church..can we?
I think with what the teens face today this is a powerful message!

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continued from above comment.

That’s why we need to repent and follow Jesus, and keep going back to Him. It’s a daily thing, choosing whom we will serve. Whom we will live for. Jesus or satan?