More Than Just a Hollywood Script

We have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the light of Christ, from practicing futile behaviors into His abundant and eternal life.  The Lord wants to flood our lives and change us internally, so that we might display His nature and His presence.  In 1st Peter 1, we read:
17And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;18knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,19but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

External practices or material goods cannot change the inward heart of a person.  We need a new heart, a spiritual transformation, which can only be brought about by the power of God working through our hearts.  But, we know that life change is possible through the blood of Christ and the resurrection life that He comes to give.  We can pray for His overwhelming presence to work in our lives and in and through the lives of those who need to come to know Him.

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In Colossians 1, we can read a passage that underscores the amazing transformation that we have experienced if we have believed upon Jesus as our Lord and Savior:

21And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled22in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight--23if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
"First off, I want to thank God, because that's who I look up to."

Those were the opening words of an acceptance speech delivered earlier this year, according to a piece on The Christian Post website. The award winner went on: "He has graced my life with opportunities that I know are not of my hand or of any other human hand."

Now, I will tell you I'm not talking about a speech at the GMA Dove Awards or Ted Baehr's Movieguide Awards. Any idea who may have said it?

The answer: coming up.

How about this quote, from someone else, quoted in another article on The Christian Post website: "I became a Christian man … in a very real way. I could have just said the prayers that were on the page, but it was a real thing that really saved me. And you can't identify unless you're really going through it. It's a full-blown exchange of heart, a surrender of control."  Do you know who said that?

OK, enough of the mystery.  The first quote was in the Oscar acceptance speech of Matthew McConaughey, who won Best Actor for his performance in The Dallas Buyers' Club, whose new movie, Interstellar, opens in theaters today.   The second quote is from Transformers and Fury actor Shia LaBeouf.  

How about this quote, also from McConaughey, who recently married Camila Alves, the lady with whom he had been living for years - the couple in fact had already had two children together, and she gave birth to a third after their nuptials.  The Christian Post quotes the actor as saying in a GQ article that, "We talked about it spiritually...We did a lot of reading and talked to a lot of people that had been divorced, a lot of people that had been happily married. We talked to our pastor. In the end, our understanding was, 'Let's go make a covenant, with you, me, and God."

The Post reported that the ultimate decision to take an oath before God helped McConaughey view marriage as more than just a "destination."  The marriage ceremony reportedly consisted of Bible verses that moved them and spoke to who they were as a couple.

What's going on here?   Could it be God at work?   I don't know the extent of either actor's faith, but I can concede that there is potential for Him to use these high-profile individuals to communicate an awareness of Himself.   I submit this could be a indication of answered prayer of many who are actively interceding for the entertainment industry.

A HollywoodNews.com report that was linked to the Mastermedia International website identifies a number of encouraging trends regarding faith in Hollywood.  Larry W. Poland, chairman and founder of Mastermedia, said his group’s database has 4,000 believers who work in the industry and calculates there are another 6,000 that “I’d like to get out of the closet.”

Since 1985, Poland’s group has consulted with executives of top global media companies to help them better understand the 100-million-strong evangelical Christian community.  Mastermedia makes a Media Leader Prayer Calendar available.

The Hollywood News piece reports that more than 1,700 entertainment professionals have been matched up in one-on-one “prayer partnerships” with Christian intercessors from outside the industry. The connections are made through the Hollywood Prayer Network, a nonprofit prayer ministry created in 2001 that seeks to impact Hollywood’s culture through prayer.

The National Day of Prayer Task Force recently partnered with the network for an event called, “The Summons,” involving prayer ministries from across the globe gathering in Hollywood to pray at studios, with media executives, actors, producers and more.

So, what do we learn from these encouraging developments?  Well, for one thing, there are thousands who have not given up on the entertainment industry.  And, while we can be concerned about the volume of material proceeding forth from Hollywood that violates our values, we can be heartened to know that there are those that hold to a different worldview, working within the studios, as well as praying and communicating.

I do believe that when you have famous actors talking about God and sharing truth, it can make an impact on people.  How often do you hear marriage described as a covenant?  With God? Matthew McConaughey apparently believes it.   How about a relationship with God described as a "full-blown exchange of heart"?   That's how Shia LaBeouf apparently sees it.   Again, you treat these statements with caution, but wouldn't it be great if God were to raise up people in high-profile positions that surrender to Christ and live the life.  Do you believe it's possible?

I think we need to develop a confidence in prayer to the extent that we are not surprised when we actually get an answer.  Let's not be like the early believers who prayed for Peter to be released from prison, but who were surprised when Peter showed up at their door.  Remember that your heart has been changed, and we serve a God who is more than capable of transforming the lives of people who come in contact with love of Christ, who hear His Word, and respond to His invitation to follow Him.