Why I'm a Jesus Film Missionary

by Tez

At 36 years old, I was a guy who just didn't know much about Campus Crusade for Christ^® (Cru^®). My fiancé served as a missionary for them for decades. They tried desperately to recruit me … even flying me to an out-of-state staff conference, to see if I could "catch the vision." It didn't work, I wasn't interested. I enjoyed my career in law enforcement.

One day at the Cru international headquarters—while meeting my fiancé for lunch—I decided to take the Jesus Film® tour. I remember seeing the film as a 16-year-old boy at the theaters and enjoying it. So, I was curious as to how it was still being used.

Each step of the interactive tour drew me in deeper as I learned the history of the film, how translations were made, and heard stories of those who gave up their lives for the gospel. By the end of the tour, I was crying. The Holy Spirit was moving in me and the call of God was strong.

All I could think was, Who's gonna continue this work—taking Jesus to the lost?

For several months the Lord continued to work in me. Shortly after we were married I went back for another tour, and cried again. A month later I went back a third time.

Surely this would eventually get old and I'd no longer be emotionally pulled in. Nope! I cried each time.

The Holy Spirit gently tugged. No, actually—He pulled at my heart. I heard God asking "Will you go? Will you devote your life's work to Me?"

A few days later I said to my new bride, almost in a whisper, "I think God is calling me to join you as a full-time missionary."

A few weeks later after some prayer, I interviewed with Cru. My application was approved and I suddenly found myself resigning a secure government job and going to Cru staff training. As I requested, they assigned me to serve with Jesus Film Mission Trips^™. I’ve been on staff now for 15 years, serving the Lord full time.

So it's more than a tour for me. It's more than an interactive experience that helps visitors understand the work of God around the world. For me, it was the instrument through which God called me into full-time ministry.

I bring all my friends to the tour when they are in town. I sit in my office right next to the very tour God used to call me here. I hear the tour all day long and pretty much have it memorized by now. It brings joy to my heart knowing there is probably someone —a teen, a mom, a truck driver, or senior citizen—experiencing the tour and maybe even being called to "go and make disciples of all nations."

I thank God for that tour. It's a tool that brings hundreds of people a year to our Master Studios in Orlando to experience what God is doing through the "JESUS" film. If you haven't yet, next time you're near the Orlando International Airport, make time to spend an hour and experience the tour at our headquarters.

Who knows, it just might change your life.

Meeting JESUS in a Spanish Hostel

Tez shares the gospel with a hiker.

One of the pilgrims who stayed the night.

The pungent odor of cow manure fills the air as travelers walk the Camino de Santiago (the Way of Saint James) toward a hostel named La Fuente del Peregrino. The name means The Pilgrim’s Fountain. It’s just one of many lodges for pilgrims hiking the 500-mile journey to Santiago de Compostela.

Many pilgrims have hiked for days before arriving at La Fuente del Peregrino—a 400-year-old building offering fresh coffee, clean bathrooms, and an overnight stay. Those who lodge get two hot meals, great hospitality, and a chance to watch the JESUS film.

The house is run by Natan, a staff member of Agape Spain, the name for Campus Crusade for Christ® in this country. He recruits volunteers from around the world. They rotate in for a week, maintaining the hostel and sharing Christ to the 400-800 pilgrims who pass each day.

Travelers on this pilgrimage often find themselves unexpectedly open to God conversations. “We use those moments as an open door for the gospel.” Natan says.

In the afternoon, an optional reflection time is offered to those staying overnight, followed by a showing of JESUS. For the pilgrims, a movie with popcorn is a welcome treat!

Natan explains to the guests, “Unlike most lodging that only provides for your physical needs, we focus also on heavenly needs—helping you take the next step in your spiritual journey.”

Filipe* is a guest this night. Filipe is a guru of Eastern mysticism and almost derails the discussion with his talk of chakra energy and an alien abduction that gave him power to heal.

The Jesus Film Mission Trip® volunteers pray as they communicate truth to Filipe. He is unreceptive. They don’t filter who stays at the hostel, trusting God to bring the right pilgrims who need to hear about Christ.

Some receive it, some reject it, but all are sent on their way contemplating Jesus and the extraordinary love poured out by the staff.

The next morning, one of the guests receives a copy of the film, “The Story of Jesus for Children.”

She responds, “You’ve blessed me. There’s something peaceful about this place—about you.”

This year marks the 20th anniversary since La Fuente del Peregrino opened its doors. Almost 19,000 pilgrims have found rest, shelter and the love of Christ. There’s no doubt God has placed this hostel in a strategic location. The Pilgrim’s Fountain continues to be a beacon of hope in a lost and broken world. To learn more, go to lafuentedelperegrino.com.

*Name changed for privacy

STATS FOR THAT TRIP:

• 4 Film Festivals at the Fuente with 17 people engaging with the short films.

• 4 Training's with 84 locals attending

• Roughly 130 initiated conversations (90 spiritual conversations and 24 gospel presentations)

• 2 indicated a decision to follow Christ.

• The most used short film was "Delight." 

PRAYER POINT: Ask God to use the JESUS film to reach pilgrims hiking El Camino.

A Bridge to Love

Anna* led her young son toward the bridge, where she believed her final act in life would be an act of mercy. Without hope for a future for herself and her son, there seemed no choice but to end his life, and hers.

Anna's desperation was no doubt born of an overwhelming set of circumstances. In the weeks prior, she'd tried what she could to provide for herself and her son in the midwestern city where they lived. But, her resources were exhausted. Her landlord would soon turn her out. She could no longer provide a roof over her son's head, if she could not pay rent by his deadline.

Eviction! Anna felt utterly alone.

In search of someone who might help, Anna dialed the phone, even calling people she did not know, grasping at straws. One of those calls was to a local pregnancy resource center. They called her back and asked her to come in. But by then—the circumstances, the setbacks, the loneliness had taken their toll. She lost hope. Gathering her son, she made her way toward the bridge.

On a whim, instead, Anna turned toward the entrance of that pregnancy resource center.  She shared a bit of her story with them. The center's director ushered her to a quiet area where Anna viewed portions of the "Magdalena" film.

The young mother emerged a different person. Moments before, she saw no alternative but to take her own life and that of her son.  But the message of the movie gave her hope that God would carry her through, despite the circumstances.

"Magdalena: Through Her Eyes" portrays Jesus's compassion for women and historical accounts of His interactions with them. The film's companion Bible study is a key part of this pregnancy center's outreach for providing hope and help to women.  What a difference it made in Anna's life.

With the help of a partnering church, the pregnancy resource center was able to help Anna with her rent payment and she was not evicted from her apartment. The Lord directed Anna away from the bridge of despair and death toward Christ, the Bridge to the Father. Please pray for young mothers in the USA to see Jesus as their hope and salvation.

*Name changed for privacy

Is Humanitarian Aid the Gospel?

           A lot of words are thrown around these days describing various kinds of compassion, acts of mercy, justice, and peace. Our society has redefined some of these biblical terms but muddled the meaning in the process. Lumping words together or using them interchangeably can cause quite confusing definitions.

COMPASSION DEFINED

The Bible never mentions the word “humanitarian aid” but it does speak of compassion. Humanitarian work is the practice of improving human life. So, let’s use the word compassion instead, which depicts more a stance of love and care, rather than supplying the outward physical needs one may have.

Using the words found in scripture helps us avoid any confusing definitions attached to modern terms or slang. Zechariah 7:9-10 says, “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.”

 I believe helping others not only shines our light as Christians in a dark world, but can sometimes open doors to a gospel presentation.

Mercy ministry—much like Jesus did when showing love to the sick, weak, and oppressed—can be a powerful tool to open hearts to hear the message of Christ. I’ve seen the power of mercy ministry in:

·      feeding/clothing those in need

·      helping widows/orphans

·      freeing slaves

·      rescuing human traffic victims

·      disaster relief

·      medical care units

·      and more

A few years ago I went on a medical mission trip to provide health/dental/vision care in Cambodia. It was clear to me how meeting the physical needs of individuals more readily prepared hearts to receive the message of the cross we presented.

But we must be careful not to take James 1:27 (like some Christians do) as a verse that explains what the gospel message is. This passage says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, ….”  This verse addresses pure and undefiled practices or good works (compassion). If we keep the verse in context, it’s clear James is talking about how we should live as a believer, not how we are to share the gospel.

We deceive ourselves when we begin to apply this verse or others like it, as a formula for the Great Commission. If we dig a well in Africa, play soccer with some kids, and hug a few villagers, yet never share the actual gospel—it would be wrong to say we evangelized. That’s actually a compassion trip, and even non-Christians are nice to the weak and oppressed. These trips are wonderful acts of love Christians should participate in. But without a gospel presentation, I fear we reduce our time, money, and effort to mere secular kindness. We might feel great about ourselves; while hundreds might now have a full belly, a cleft pallet repaired or freed from a brothel, no eternal difference was made—their souls are not secured.

Compassion is merely a tool to open heart doors. I too, love a good evangelism tool. But if I rely on tools alone as the gospel, I miss the mark. A clear, simple, gospel explanation must follow our love and generosity.

THE GOOD NEWS DEFINED

The gospel or Good News is clearly summarized in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, where Paul gives the most basic ingredients of the message—namely Jesus’s substitutionary death on the cross for us, his burial, and resurrection. It’s easy. If we share our faith in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God, there’s no limit to what he can do, with or without our good deeds.

While kindness is an effective tool, John 3:16 or Acts 10 or 13 doesn’t seem to mention anything about meeting people’s needs in order to present the Good News.

I’m concerned we’ve allowed the world to adopt and twist our terminology to water-down the definition of Christian outreach. How often have you heard secular organizations calling their medical practices in the jungle a “mission trip?”

            As we get involved with outreaches, here or overseas, let the worldwide Church be diligent not to embrace a watered-down gospel, but to communicate the true message of the cross. May we remind ourselves daily, that the Good News is the person and work of Jesus Christ—especially his virgin birth, righteous life, atoning death, and resurrection—with the promise that he will save anyone who turns from sin by trusting him as Lord. 

Let us continue to love sinners, using valuable tools like compassion to help the Holy Spirit prepare hearts. But may we never neglect to preach the gospel of grace to all nations, making disciples and teaching them to observe all Christ commanded.