eXtreme movie

Now everyone wanted to see the movie. They whispered about it in the market and even in the mosque. “What is it about?” “Is it really that bad, that people should get arrested for having it?” 

The movie in question was the JESUS film—a high-quality film that portrays the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It shows the plan of salvation on the big screen, bringing the story of Jesus to life. 

In Jacobabad, Pakistan, two men were arrested for distributing the film and other Christian materials. Both men were beaten, and local mullahs—Muslim religious leaders—urged that charges be filed against them and others who had been involved in distributing the materials. Then they went one step beyond, encouraging Muslims in the city to take action against all Christians. Soon, a local pastor’s possessions were stolen, and shots were fired near a Christian school. The town seemed on the verge of outright violence. However, things soon began to change. Instead of boycotting the movie, everyone in town wanted to see the “sinful” film. They wanted to know about all the fuss firsthand. Black-market copies began making the rounds, and eventually the JESUS film was even shown on local television. The city judge watched the movie, and he declared that it was not anti-Islam.

Through the unintentional efforts of the mullahs, the gospel message reached an entire community. They planned to erase the JESUS film from their country. However, their campaign actually promoted the ministry. God does not turn evil into good by conventional methods. He blesses the efforts of His servants, but not in ways we might anticipate. Christians in restricted nations are learning this the hard way, but they rejoice to see the mystery of God at work in their nations. 

God makes a way for us even when it doesn’t make sense. There are times when everything seems to be going wrong. Are those the times when you trust God the most? He knows what He is doing even when you do not.