6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
We can place ourselves in a position in which we allow the power of the Lord will flow through us. That will be short-circuited by areas of sin that will inhibit the flow. If there are areas in which we are weak, we have to be careful to allow the Lord to fill those areas, rather than to be controlled by selfish desire. God wants to give us His strength so that we will be bold to testify to His presence within.
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In Acts chapter 4, we see that the early disciples had prayed for God to display His power and to give them boldness to speak His truth. We read:
31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
She said she couldn't do it - he wouldn't bend.
Last week, I referred to a Creative Arts Emmy handed out to a television series that depicts the cult of Scientology. It's called Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, and she, according to a story on AOL.com, "took home the Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series." The article says that she "was brought to tears by the emotional win."
The article says:
During her acceptance speech, Remini got emotional as she dedicated the win to the "brave contributors who [worked on the series] despite ongoing risk and repercussions."
"It's not an easy job, but they were the ones putting their stories out there for everyone to hear. And we are honored to be the vessel to tell these stories," she explained. "It's about doing the right thing. This doesn't belong to me, it belongs to our contributors."Scientology is a pseudo-religion which boasts some famous followers, like Tom Cruise, who allegedly has not seen his young daughter in over four years. In Touch Weekly reports that ex-wife Katie Holmes is reaching out to Tom. The article states:
Tom has repeatedly refused to answer In Touch’s detailed questions about why he no longer visits Suri. He also avoids the topic during media interviews promoting his projects. And he seems more deeply immersed in Scientology than ever after selling his Beverly Hills mansion for a reported $40 million in 2016. His new home: Clearwater, FL, where Scientology has its headquarters.Back to Leah Remini, who has placed herself at odds with the so-called "church," and those she claims follow it - the TV series is now in season 2, and Leah has reunited with former King of Queens co-star Kevin James, the one who I said earlier "wouldn't bend." She will co-star with James on his series, Kevin Can Wait. And, she claims that her former "church" wanted her to try to convert James.
Here's the story, from The Inquisitr website:
“They always tried to get me to, [asking] ‘Why is he not in? Why have you not promoted it to him?” Remini revealed in this week’s issue of People. “Because he’s Catholic. He doesn’t want anything to do with it. They let it go after a while, but usually, you’d be expected to recruit, especially with somebody you work with for nine years.”Of course, the church denies it.
James, on the other hand, according to the article, "...has been a proud Catholic all his life. He’s not afraid to speak out about his faith. Growing up, his father instilled the value of living a God-centered life and attending church regularly. To this day, James regularly attends church service and practices prayer. He has no problem talking about his faith and how it affects his Hollywood career."
James told CBN, "I'm continuing to learn more and more each day and trying to be the person that God wants me to be." Meanwhile, People magazine reports that, after leaving Scientology, Remini converted to Catholicism.
This real-life story deals with matters of faith. And, while you see major stars who will call attention to a faith component, the pursuit of religious faith has been a key element of both James and Remini's lives. James has been outspoken about his religious upbringing, and Remini has taken a controversial religion to task in a very public way, allowing others to tell their stories in her Emmy-winning television series.
Several things have come to mind in considering these actors' stories:
I think one challenge for us as Christians has to do with our devotion to our faith. We have to check for areas of vulnerability and make sure we are grounded in what we believe. We may encounter people, like Remini allegedly was, who are dedicated to "converting" us - intentionally. Or, there may be people of influence whose value system differs from the one to whom we adhere, rooted in the Scriptures. We have to stay in the Word - the enemy wants to get us off track, and he will use people to do that.
Leah Remini escaped Scientology; she was set free. Jesus taught about a person who was "cleansed" from demonic influence, but was captured again - seven times worse! When we experience forgiveness, when deliverance occurs in our lives, we have to build up a spiritual stronghold that is rooted in Christ; we have to fill the empty places with His presence and truth. Again, we have to check that we are not vulnerable to the enemy's schemes.
Finally, it is reported that Kevin James says that he is "not afraid to speak out about his faith." We can examine our own lives and make sure that we are characterized by how we live out our faith. We can develop a sense of boldness to put Christ on display, strengthened and motivated by His great love for us and the people with whom we interact.
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