“God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams. When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.” – Daniel 1:17-20.
Average movies entertain us. The best ones inspire us. There’s nothing like watching a good movie. You’re caught up in the story, on the edge of your seat, feet glued to the floor, a bucket of popcorn in your lap. If you want to laugh—there’s comedy. If you want to cry—there’s a romantic movie. If you want to jump—there are scary movies. Thrills, action, drama—everything we long for, because we love stories. We long for adventure. We long for good triumphing over evil.
The truth is that we are each in the middle of our own story. Whether your story is somewhat boring and predictable or has more twists and turns than you know what to do with, we all want to live well. To face down the problems and troubles of this life. To rescue the besieged settlers just in the nick of time. We all want to leave a legacy that’s more than just a shadow riding off into the sunset.
During the At The Movie series, we unpacked some biblical truths from four Hollywood movies. We have been exploring how movies point us to Jesus and reflect truth we see in the Bible. The point of everything we do is to live like Jesus. The point is to point you towards Jesus. The point is Jesus. Because if we focus on him, it leads us to the right choices in life.
My hope is that the At The Movies series, reminded us through the The Impossible, Unbroken, All About Time and Mcfarland USA that Christianity is all about Jesus Christ. Everything depends on him. Without Jesus, there is no Christianity, no Christians, and no church. While there are so many things you can find in the Bible, everything points to Jesus and his central importance as the Savior of the world. Jesus should be the focal point of our story.
Discussion Questions:
- What was your favorite movie in the At The Movie series?
- It is possible to look to Hollywood for real life lessons?
- Did any of these movies resonate with your life story?
- What can you do this week to get closer to Jesus?