Thursday, May 9th, in the year of our Lord 2019
By Jonathan Clark
Asia Bibi, Pakistani Christian Woman, Finds Asylum in Canada
Praise God! Asia Bibi has made it out of Pakistan this week and is now safely reunited with her family in Canada, her lawyer confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday.
Bibi spent eight years on death row in Pakistan over false blasphemy charges against Islam before being acquitted last year by the country’s Supreme Court. However, she was unable to leave the country until recently as mobs and extremists were still calling for her death.
Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, said Bibi has “bravely held onto her faith” through the brutal trial.
Psalm 146:7 says God is the one “Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.”
Cyclone Causes Damage in India
Cyclone Fani struck India last Friday, causing heavy devastation, reports Christian Aid.
The worst damage came to Odisha, the poorest state in India, where many are without power. About a million people were evacuated ahead of the cyclone, the worst storm to hit India in the last five years.
Christian Aid said they are working quickly to airlift emergency supplies to thousands in affected areas who are lacking clean water, food, and sanitation.
Please pray for those affected by the storm, and for the Christians helping them to shine the light of Christ in their mercy ministry.
Australian Christian Rugby Player Refuses $1 Million
On Tuesday, a three-person panel from the Rugby Australia judicial board ruled that Israel Folau violated their standards over his religious Instagram post.
In the post, the Christian rugby player warned that hell awaits drunks, homosexuals, and adulterers unless they repent and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Folau turned down an offer of $1 million to walk away from the game.
Conservative Anglicans Speak Out Against “Gay” Agenda
The Anglican church is facing continued division over the issue of faux homosexual marriage.
The Global Anglican Future Conference, a conservative group of Anglican leaders, announced Monday that they may be boycotting the 2020 Lambeth Conference, a major global Anglican gathering held almost every 10 years in Canterbury, United Kingdom.
The conservative group has warned against members attending the conference over the presence of leaders whose regional territories do not uphold the Biblical definition of marriage between one man and one woman.
Democrat PA Rep Harasses Pro-Life Teen Girls Protesting Abortion
Many are calling for Democrat Brian Sims, a Pennsylvania state representative, to resign after footage surfaced of him harassing an elderly pro-life woman, reports Fox News.
More people joined the calls for him to resign over another video where Sims offered online viewers $100 to search for and publish private information on the internet about young pro-life girls who were praying outside of a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood abortion mill.
Life News started a petition for Sims to resign, garnering over 14,000 signatures as of Wednesday. You can sign the petition through a link in our transcript today at theworldview.com.
Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.”
Sneak Peek: Inviting High School Students to Get Serious About God
If you have high school-age students in your home or if you have a heart to reach the high school students at your church, check out the World View Special Report after the newscast on a new Christian movie out called Play the Flute.
One Student Killed and Eight Injured in Colorado High School Shooting
And finally, tragically, two students carried out a shooting at the STEM School Highlands Ranch in Colorado, killing one classmate and injuring eight others.
Within minutes, two deputies from a nearby sheriff’s department arrived on the scene and arrested the shooters.
A hero also emerged from the incident. Brendan Bialy, a senior at the school and an aspiring Marine, was joined by several of his classmates to disarm one of the shooters, risking their lives to save others.
Sign Up for the Generations Father/Son Retreat in Colorado
Join our annual Generations Father/Son Retreat in the Colorado mountains Thursday, August 29th through Sunday, September 1st.
You can register now and save $150 at www.ColoradoFatherSon.com.
Close
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, May 9th in the year of our Lord 2019. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldView.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus (adam@TheWorldView.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
Special Report: New Christian Film Challenges Youth to Get Serious About God
Time now for a World View Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.
by Emily Swanson
Play the Flute is a new Christian movie all about a young pastor who comes into a group of young people who are uninterested in a deeper relationship with the Lord. The film goes through his journey of encouraging each student to really be serious and sober about following Christ.
One reviewer, Pastor Kevin Carr from Hinckley, Minnesota, said of the movie, “My wife and just watched it and found it a great affirmation of the power and sufficiency of God’s Word.”
The World View spoke to Rich Christiano, writer and director of the movie, about the story. The movie is based on Matthew 11:16-17 which says, “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’”
CHRISTIANO: “It’s about a youth pastor that takes over an indifferent youth group, tries to motivate these kids to read God’s Word, but more importantly get serious about the Lord. Just so you know, I’ve never done a movie I didn’t feel led to do, and about three years ago, I was thinking, ‘What is a Christian?’ Well, a Christian is somebody who really is serious about the Lord.
“Think about this. If you’re going to a doctor next week to get surgery, do you want a serious doctor or a half-hearted one to do the surgery? You want a serious one. Ask any employer you know. You want serious employees or half-hearted employees? I want serious employees. The Lord’s looking for serious followers.
“I thought I need to do a movie about a youth pastor that’s committed to God’s Word, who won’t compromise the terms of the gospel to build his youth group.”
Christiano said that the youth of today’s culture are difficult to reach.
CHRISTIANO: “Youth ministry today is really important. I think it’s never been harder to reach the youth culture, never. They have too many distractions, and we’re hoping this movie can be used to reach people and so far so good.”
He shared that the lukewarmness in Jesus’ day is still a very real temptation today for Christians.
CHRISTIANO: “We become indifferent and this movie is based on Matthew 11:16-17; if you go read those verses, it’s no different than in Jesus’ day. In fact if you watch the trailer, you will see where the guy says, ‘Like the Jews of old we have become indifferent.’ And I think too a lot of people go to church on Sunday and think that they serve the Lord by going to church. Nobody’s doing anything.
“In many cases, the youth go to church because their parents make them go or want them to go. They’re not making it their own, and they’re not getting involved in any ministry. Every youth group’s going to have two or three kids that are into it, that are committed, but for the most part, they’re not. They’re distracted by the world. They’re distracted by the world’s entertainment or the world’s music.”
Christiano said that Christians may not realize what a distraction secular entertainment has become.
CHRISTIANO: “I talk to pastors all the time and say, ‘Look, I think the number one problem you face in your congregation is secular entertainment. That’s what your competing against, and I realize that you can’t sit in the pulpit and tell people what to watch and what not to watch, but what are they doing the other six days? That becomes the issue. And I don’t think people realize how powerful media is and how it impacts their lives.”
He gave one illustration that revealed the power of the visual medium.
CHRISTIANO: “I’ll give you an example. The very first film I ever directed was a film called ‘The Appointment’, released in 1991. And we were showing it one night at a retreat center to about 100 people. A church group, but it was a retreat center, and the pastor wasn’t there and I knew that. I did a little experiment. I introed the film; I had a guy stand up, and I asked, ‘Sir do you go to church?’ He said, ‘Yes I do.’ ‘Do you go very week?’ He says, ‘Yes I do.’ I said, ‘Good, what did your pastor talk about from the pulpit one month ago? The guy looked at me like I had asked him a physics question. He didn’t know. He looked at his wife. She didn’t know. He looked back at me and said, ‘I don’t know.’ I said, ‘You don’t know? I’m going to tell your pastor on you.’ Everyone started to laugh. He started to sit down.
I said, ‘Wait a minute sir. Let me ask you another question. Have you ever seen a movie called The Wizard of Oz? He goes, ‘Yes I have.’ I said, ‘When was the last time you saw that movie?’ He goes, ‘Well it’s been a while. It’s been forever, like 10 or 15 years. I said, ‘Tell me about it.’ And the guy gave me the longest staredown. I said, ‘Sir if I give you half an hour could you tell me about Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tinman, Wicked Witch, the Munchkins, the lion, the whole thing?’ He goes, ‘Yes I could.’ Now this is a movie he hadn’t seen for 10 or 15 years, but he could remember detail after detail after detail, but he couldn’t remember what his pastor talked about from the pulpit one month ago.”
Christiano said that no one can say that the media doesn’t affect them.
CHRISTIANO: “A lot of people say, ‘Oh the media doesn’t affect me.’ People are not disciplined spiritually and we don’t have spiritual momentum in our lives, and what we try to do with this film is to motive people to commit to read God’s Word, but more importantly get serious about your relationship with the Lord which is really what true Christianity is and even though we target youth it’s for everybody. In fact we get a better response from this movie from adults and from the seniors than we do from the teens.”
John 14:23-24 says, “Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. And the word that you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”
He said that Christians need to set a priority on following Jesus.
CHRISTIANO: “We’ve got to set some God priorities in our lives. We’ve got to make a commitment we’re going to spend time with the Lord every day. We’re going to spend time in His Word and in prayer. And I’m not trying to say that to just sound ‘spiritual’, but that’s where it starts. When church comes I’m going to go to church, but third, I encouraged people to get involved in a mid week small group.
“So, if you’re reading God’s Word every day, and you’re involved in a small group, and you’re going to church, now you’ve got half a chance to live the spiritual life because you’re getting spiritual encouragement from other Christians.”
Hebrews 10:25 reminds Christians of the value of gathering together, noting that we should not forsake “the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Christiano said that if you neglect these special means of grace, the Christian will start to drift. He said one pastor shared a story of how it impacted one of their church members.
CHRISTIANO: “The pastor got a hold of me a couple days later, and he said, ‘I want to tell you a story. The next day a mom was taking her 14-year-old son to school. The son looks at his mom and said, ‘Mom I want you to know that I’m going to start reading God’s Word and having a quiet time every morning.’ His mom almost drove off the road. She was so thrilled to hear that. The important thing is it wasn’t the mom telling the kid to do it, it was the 14-year-old telling his mom he was going to do it. And that’s where we need to get to with the youth.”
The filmmaker said that churches can share the movie with their congregation and will receive a portion of the ticket sales if they show it at a private showing in a local theater.
CHRISTIANO: “Not only are they showing a movie that edifies Christians and can encourage them and has a passionate clear gospel presentation, they make money at the same time. They can make several hundred dollars showing a movie as an outreach. And I realize that there are some churches that don’t want to go to theaters, so then we show it at church; we either do a rental, or a love offering, or a combination of both.
“One thing we’ve been doing at church showings is a live Skype with myself as the Director, introducing the film, and the lead actor in this movie is played by Brett Varvel, who plays the youth pastor in the film; he comes on at the end and speaks to the audience, and that really adds to the event.”
Christiano shared the main prayer request for the film going forward.
CHRISTIANO: “Our main prayer request is that the Lord would raise up sponsors for the film, or individuals to bring the movie to your community. In other words, we need a church to want to show it at their church or to bring it to the local theater.
“Think about it. Christians are going to the theaters every week anyways watching junk, whether you want them to or not. So, we’re trying to offer an alternative. But I would just ask for people to pray, watch the trailer, you’ll see a little message just in the trailer; you’ll get the gist of what the movie is. I want to put a challenge out to anyone that’s listening; here’s an opportunity to do something for the Lord. We are going to impact people with the truth.”
Christiano explained that the Play the Flute film does not shy away from the bold proclamation of Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life.
CHRISTIANO: “Sadly a lot of films come out that are called ‘faith-based’ films, but they don’t even say anything about Jesus. And that’s not our motive. They know that our motive is first to glorify the Lord. We’re trying to encourage and inspire Christians to give them food for their soul, and then we’re going to share the gospel so a nonbeliever can consider Christ. And we try to please the Lord first, that’s always been our strategy, because if the Lord’s not pleased, you’ve got a zero.”
He said it will not be available on DVD for 2-3 years while they provide many opportunities for churches to have group showings for the movie at theaters or at their church building.
To watch the trailer, go to their website PlaytheFluteMovie.com. And if you’re interested in bringing it to share with your Christian friends, email Rich Christiano at rich@christianmovies.com.
This has been a World View Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.