It's a documentary shot in seven countries across five different continents. And it is unashamedly for followers of Jesus.
Christianity Explored Ministries has unveiled the classy trailer for Discipleship Explored, a film series based on Paul's letter to the Philippians and its impact on people's lives around the world.
The new Discipleship Explored will be released on March 1, 2018, the tenth anniversary of the first edition. 'One of the most significant changes we've made is to incorporate interview footage and real life stories from around the world,' said Barry Cooper, co-founder of Christianity Explored Ministries and writer and presenter of Discipleship Explored. 'Our focus is still on Paul's Letter to the Philippians, but we get to see how that letter impacts believers internationally, including those who are being persecuted. Seeing the joy of these men and women is compelling, contagious, and often very moving.'
All eight films are directed by Stephen McCaskell (director of the multi-award-winning Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer), while the Apostle Paul is voiced by the author and pastor Thabiti Anyabwile.
Set on location in Greece, Serbia, Jordan, Rwanda, India, Peru and the United States, the series features striking cinematography and an evocative soundtrack, while the accompanying handbooks have been redesigned for simplicity, with each session focusing exclusively on one passage of Philippians.
'Model' prayers enable believers to learn prayer from the Apostle Paul, and daily activity plans assist with reading and meditating on the Scriptures.
The accompanying leader's kit contains a leader handbook, guest handbook, DVD, and free access to digital copies of the films, making DE easy to use in one-to-one settings, in larger groups, in churches or in homes.
Michael Horton, Professor of Theology at Westminster Seminary in California, said: 'The quality of the content is matched by the quality of presentation in this amazing series.'
The production is the third in a trilogy, alongside Christianity Explored — an evangelistic series that has so far been used in 100 countries, and translated into 50 languages — and the evangelistic series Life Explored.
Sinclair B Ferguson, professor of systematic theology at the Redeemer Seminary, Dallas, said: 'Discipleship Explored has always been a valuable tool for helping Christians understand what it means to follow Christ. But with this new series of films, along with the accompanying leader's and guest Handbooks, it reaches another level of excellence. The films are a pleasure to watch; Thabiti Anyabwile conveys the meaning of Philippians as he reads it for us, section by section; and Barry Cooper excels as an engaging guide to help us understand Paul's Letter to the Philippians and apply it to our lives today.
'And all this comes with a wonderfully international flavour to both the locations used and the Christians who make cameo appearances. If, after using Discipleship Explored, you don't love Philippians and want to grow more like Christ, you may be spiritually brain dead. The only downside is that it may make you impatient for this team to do the rest of the New Testament!'
