Passion of the Christ
Passion, what is passion? Do you know? Do I know? I went to the "Passion of the Christ" movie yesterday. I went because I was drawn to go, not by the media, but by the Spirit. The movie was overwhelming to me. I feel I am a mature, strong Christian and I could handle it. It was subtitled, which is cool to me. I felt like I was listening in person. Each character totally displayed their true worth of themselves. I commend the Casting Director for the perfect casting. We in the audience had our popcorn, nachos, candy and sodas in hand. It was a movie with previews, but a massive movie I was about to experience. The crowd was somber. It was packed. A lady fell on the stairs before it began and everyone sighed. The lights went out, gripping the armrests, I awaited the movie. The whole theater was still and silent like they were sitting on the front row of a Pentecost Church. The garden scene where Jesus was praying with his friends asleep, is how it began. The betrayal by Judas was next. The courts of Rome and the Jews condemned Him. I felt sorry for the Romans, but the Jewish leaders were so hateful and lost. Everyone knows the outcome.
One scene that overwhelmed me was when the whore , Mary Magdalene, was brought to Jesus by the Jewish leadership. The whore should have been stoned to death by Jewish law. They were testing Jesus. They feared His miraculous behavior. It was in slow motion. You see and hear a sandal hit the sand and the earth gives way. You see a line of Jewish leaders with big stones in their hands. They are tossing them up and down waiting to kill her. They were ruled by the Jewish law that said to stone to death an adulterer. It was the law versa love and Spirit. Jesus knelt down and with His fingers drew in the sand. The line of stone throwers stopped and then dropped their stones to the ground and walked away. This was in all in slow motion. The whore, Mary Magdalene, crawled towards Him and touched His foot. He put His hand out and she did rise. I really liked the direction in this part of the movie. It gave me chills.
The other scene I was taken by was the depiction of Satan. Satan was an albino looking hairless being robed in a black
grim reaper's style garment. The eyes, I remember the eyes. All through this movie I watched all the actor's eyes. Evil watched also thinking it had the victory. The dark figure is actually a woman actor with a shaved head and she spoke with an overdubbing of a man's voice. The figure moved in and out through the whole movie.
The violence of this movie was just as much as a strong believer could handle. You almost had to hand it to Mel Gibson, but I think he went a little too far. After the torture and death of Jesus, there was just too much torn flesh revealed.
I understand that for each stripe on His body by a cat of nine tails we are healed. In this movie and probably in reality, He was whipped into hamburger meat. Okay, the movie will help me grow as a believer, but to the non-believer it could be a
stumbling block because of the graphic display of wounds and bloodshed upon the Savior's body.
When I first came to the Lord, I was drawn by love and the realization of the spiritual emptiness of my soul. I loved to inhibit the worship and the praise of His people. "Promiseland" church in Austin, TX. is where I was really born again. It was 1971. If you don't know it , Jesus was resurrected and then He told His followers to go Jerusalem to an Upper room and stay there and pray until they be filled with power.
I am turned off by the word religion. It divides believers. I believe on a one on one relationship with Jesus. Read the book of Luke at the end. Read the books of Acts, especially chapter 2. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost along with 149 others, including Mary the mother of Jesus. Peter preached a message to the crowds gathered underneath the balcony of the upper room. It was the very first sermon from an annointed, Spirit-filled apostle. He preached, repentance, baptism in the name of Jesus and receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This message is a promise to everyone near or far, alive or not born yet. It had to be Peter to preach the first message after the death of Christ because Christ gave him the authority and power. Peter had the keys in his hand. Peter was the rock. Peter started the first Gentile church in Acts chapter 10. Jesus told him whatever Peter binds on earth He would bind in heaven. So Peter's message in Acts 2:38 is the simple message of salvation. The crowd that gathered outside the upper room asked Peter "What must we do to be saved" and Peter answered with authority "Repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus and be filled with the Holy Ghost" The infilling of the Spirit is displayed in the upper room experience. A rushing mighty wind came upon the 150 believers and cloven tongues like fire sat on each of them. They began to worship Jesus and speak in tongues. When the Holy Ghost was present in the Apostles they had the boldness and power to preach Jesus. They had the power to heal the sick in the name of Jesus. It is said in the Bible that the mere shadow of an Apostle healed people. The Bible says "If the power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you then your soul will be resurrected and go and be where Jesus dwells", In His kingdom. You see, the followers of Jesus, when He was alive, believed He was the Christ. He constantly told them to receive the Spirit, the Comforter after His death. It takes more than believing to be save. You must obey Acts 2:38. With the power of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles inside the souls of each of them that gathered at the upper room as commanded by Jesus, this power gave them authority to preach the name of Jesus all over. A believer without the Holy Spirit is just a believer. A believer with the Holy Spirit is spiritually complete with the resurrection power dwelling in their souls. This Holy Spirit inside you makes you want to reach out to others with the good news of infilling of His Spirit, also called the Comforter. We all need to be overcomers. It is our ticket out of here, a ticket to enter through the gates of Heaven and be with Jesus forever more. Read the scriptures I mentioned above. Ask Jesus to touch you and open your eyes to the truth. Ask Jesus to allow you to read in the Spirit so you can understand the truth of His message. "The letter killeth, but the Spirit gives light"...meaning, words are just words without His light. Words read in the Spirit will light up the truth! It is also important to have an open and clean heart so the words of salvation can penetrate into the spiritual side of you, your soul, the eternal part of you. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit you will have the power living inside you to help you become an overcomer from this physical world we live in now. The Spirit defies gravity in a rapture experience. It is kind of like a one way ticket to paradise or heaven. The road is wide that leads to destuction and many will chose that road. The narrow road is the path to eternity and few there be that find it. Find an upper room and be filled with the Spirit. It will be the greatest high you will ever experience! All it takes is simple child-like faith. Remember what it was like being a child?
A child is full of faith because their youth has not experienced the disappointments the world will throw at you as you grow older. The world will let you down, your friends will betray you, you will experience sickness, you will experience the loss of loved ones, so why not ask the "Comforter" inside your soul? The comforter or Holy Spirit will help you through all the pain and all your problems. Become a son or daughter of God. It's simple just obey Act 2:38. Believe, receive the Holy Spirit and then be baptized full emersion in the name of Jesus. Then go out and share the good new with your friends. "What the world needs now is love, sweet love. That the only thing that there's just too little of." God is love. That says it all.
"My heart is ready"...from the movie "Passion of the Christ"....that stood up when Jesus said that as the torturing and His killing began.
We all have hope of some form of eternity. I am glad I know where I will dwell all the days of my being. So won't you come and go with me to my Father's house? There are many mansions there. If it were not true He would have told us so. Come an go with me and walk streets of gold. Are you in need of shelter? Do you need a home? Or do you just want to touch the throne? Come and go with me...
At my website I have my song called "Come and Go" there. Give it a listen if you feel something special now.
www.nancy-heartmusic.com
click on music
click on the song
"Come and Go"....
God bless you with rich blessings,
Nancy G "Firefly"
MAY THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST TOUCH YOU AND MAY HIS SPIRIT DWELL IN YOUR SOUL. IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST!
