12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
In the Spirit, we have the glorious opportunity to see Him work in us, to be participants in the exciting adventure of spiritual growth. Now, that story comes with some twists and turns, tests and trials, but we can become more aware of the person whom God wants us to be. In our reliance on the Spirit, we can discover what it means to be a follower of Christ and the implications that has for our interactions with other people.
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In the story that God is crafting in us, we recognize that there are tests and trials, plenty of second chances and the expression of His grace. It is certainly an adventure of spiritual growth, as described
in 1st Thessalonians chapter 2:
10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe;
11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children,
12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
The movie set is a working environment where there is quite a bit of precision, just trying to get all the elements right, as well as the repetition involved in getting just the right shot or the right nuance. There, I imagine, would also be the anticipation of how the final product will turn out.
I've had the opportunity to visit a movie "set" on a couple of occasions and bring back coverage from my experiences. Now, when you're dealing with multiple locations, the "set" can be considered wherever you are for a particular scene. I had the chance to observe the filming of two scenes in the movie, Courageous, which was filmed in Albany, Georgia, home of Alex and Stephen Kendrick - one was a backyard scene; you may remember it, in which the main characters were discussing what it meant to be a good father. I also watched as actor Robert Amaya, who played the character, Javier, was walking down a street when he heard the Alex Kendrick character call his name. That particular scene had numerous takes involved. It was very informative to see parts of a neighborhood converted to a movie "set" - I did the majority of my interviews there in a carport.
The filming of a movie involves many long hours, repeated attempts to get things right, and, I would think, plenty of down time. I remember being at a Birmingham family fun place anticipating the filming of the scene in the movie Moms Night Out in which the dads took their kids out while their moms enjoyed some time away. There was plenty of setup, as well as take after take. It's pretty fascinating.
So, I can imagine the types of relationships that can be built on a movie set, and how the actors can contribute to one another. Nigerian actress Sope Aluko gives some insight behind the scenes from the set of the next Marvel movie, Black Panther, out next month. The Faithwire website reports:
Aluko, an outspoken Christian who plays Shaman in the movie, said that her on-set experience was wonderful, and that everyone was kind and down to Earth, according to The Christian Post.
She also said an interview with Okay Africa that the experience — particularly during breaks between shooting scenes — was almost like being in church.In describing her interaction with other actors, Aluko related: “During breaks we shared our testimony of how we got to where did and most of the people were testifying to God’s miracles, it was almost like church.”
The Faithwire story also says that:
The actress frequently posts Christian sentiment on social media. In October, she shared a quote that read, “Maintaining my relationship with God, because without Him I am nothing.”So, apparently, Sope has brought her faith to the movie set; for her, that is her workplace. So, let's discuss some takeaways from this story. First of all, we can think about how we are bringing our faith, bringing the presence of the Lord to our workplace; or for those not in the workplace, wherever we might be involved. Essentially, wherever we go, we know that we are His representatives.
The finished product of a movie is designed to entertain, and in most cases, to tell a compelling story. There generally are months of preparation, filming, more filming, even more filming, editing, marketing, and more that go into the movie you see on the screen or in your home. In a movie, you can do and redo enough to get it right. For us, our stories are told in real time. In one sense, you don't get the chance for a re-take. That's why time with the Lord and spiritual growth are so important - we have to be prepared to make the decisions with which we're confronted, to relate to people in a Christ-infused manner, and to allow God to work through our lives for His glory.
But, in another sense, in the arena of grace, you do get the opportunity to "do it again." Because we may fail a test, but another one is coming, perhaps in the same area. If we identify, by the Spirit, that we have erred in a situation, we can confess our sin to God and be ready the next time that it occurs. By His grace, we can correct our mistakes and develop Godly character; so our story becomes more compelling because of what God has enabled us to overcome.
God wants to tell His story through us - a story of His love extended toward and expressed through each of us. He is a God who is patient with us through our tests and trials, and who desires to perfect us daily into who He intends for us to be.
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