A British evangelist has told of how he led a woman to faith during a recent screening of Christian-themed movie The Shack.
In a video shared by Bedford-based church The Kings Arms, the man explains how he was able to explain the Christian gospel to a woman after she was moved by the film, which was released in the UK recently. On the church's 'Training for Supernatural Ministry' Facebook page, the man named as 'Marco' recounts how he felt inspired by stories he'd previously heard about Christian cinema-goers publicly offering prayer after screenings of the movie.
'I asked... what does courage look like for me?' he explains. "For me it actually looks like doing something like that... this would really be a big risk for me."
He continues: 'So I perk up and I say "Hey everyone, thank you so much for coming," and everyone jumps! And I say, "Sorry for disturbing you, but just so you know this film is about a Christian God, who wants to encounter you, and if you have a question after the film or you want some prayer, we're here for you."' He then sat down, and the film began.
After the film, Marco says he saw two women who had stayed in their seats as the cinema had emptied. He had repeated his offer for prayer, and so he went over to chat to the women who had remained behind. 'One lady was really touched,' he recalls, 'and I asked her, "Hey, if God could do a miracle in your life, what would it be?"' The woman answered with some prayer requests, and Marco prayer for her, and he says, prophesied over her.
'Then I explained the gospel a little bit, and I said that there's this verse in the Bible, which says that Jesus knocks on the door of your heart, and wants to have a relationship with you. I think you've already figured out you can't do it on your own... would you like to start a relationship with Jesus?'
'And she said yes, I would like to."' The woman decided to become a follower of Jesus there and then in the cinema.
The story, which has already had over 8,000 views online, is an unusual but perhaps significant example of the direct impact of faith-based film on a person's decision to follow Jesus. The film is not, however, a miracle evangelistic resource: the story hinges on the courage of one young man who was prepared to look a bit foolish for the sake of his faith.
Martin Saunders is a Contributing Editor for Christian Today and the Deputy CEO ofYouthscape. Follow him on Twitter @martinsaunders.
