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Equipping people worldwide to learn, apply, and teach God's financial principles so they may know Christ more intimately, be free to serve Him, and help fund the Great Commission.
Today on MoneyLife
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
God Provides Films in Africa
The film series is designed to reach people who can’t read the Bible with God's truth about money and possessions. We went to Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and South Africa and it was a wonderful experience. I gave a report from Cape Town while on the trip, will be going into more detail today. The God Provides short film series is a new learning system to help people engage with what God’s Word teaches about money. It's more than just showing someone teaching.
These films are dramatizations of key stories in Scripture The God Provides stories have impact on people in every walk of life, rich and poor. They're designed for group learning as a tool for getting people to discover what God’s Word says about money. The flms are an answer to a prayer for God to give us a way to transfer His financial principles to people who couldn’t read. Half the world’s population can’t read, that's 3 billion people. God lead me to put these key stories in a format that visual and oral learners would understand. I was once asked to teach in a church in Honduras. It was a hot day and the church was packed with people. I had to communicate through a translator. I asked God what to teach and He led me 2 Kings 4:1-7 and the story of the widow who had been left with debt after her husband's death. She saw God provide in a miraculous way through the multiplication of oil, which the widow sold to pay off her debts. People in the church thought they had nothing and identified with the widow because she had nothing but a little oil. They were in financial bondage and wanted to turn to the Lord in faith. A key financial principle in the story is that God always gives us something we can use. We have to put it to work and God blesses our obedience. One lady in the audience responded to the story, came forward, and told me it had taken the blinders off her eyes. She told me I should follow the dream God had put in my heart. She said it would start small, but many will join us and a great revival will break out. It confirmed what I'd felt God was calling me to do. So, the Widow and Oil became the first film. We spent a year testing the film on every continent to see if it was an effective teaching tool and it was an overwhelming success. People who saw it understood the message, and God spoke to them through it. God’s financial principles were being transferred. Many people are visual learners. So, we asked Crown’s Board of Directors for permission to do five more films on the theme God Provides. The Board approved and the films have been made. I believe the God Providesfilms will be helpful to you, our listeners, and will give you a simple tool to help others learn God’s financial principles.
The learning system is designed for people to watch the film and discover through discussion afterward what God is teaching through the story and how His principles can be applied to their lives. We found people got more out of the stories than we had covered in the learning guide. When God’s Word is dramatized and the stories are brought to life, it’s not hard to understand what God is teaching us. The films are relevant for everyone, not just those who can’t read. We found even people who know the Bible see them and get a lot of out of them. The films are not intended to replace God’s Word and the power of the written text. They contain the spirit of God’s Word because they are a careful representation of it.
It's hard to reach the younger generation, but they are captivated by visual media that’s done well. That’s why we’ve taken so long to develop and release this new learning system. I believe the film series will be effective with people either before or after they take the Crown Small Group Study. It will be a way to reach new people and get them interested in a study. The films were designed to be short and engaging so viewers wouldn’t get bored. They are designed to touch the heart and emotions but have practical application, head, heart, and hands. We wanted to make them as close to Hollywood production standards as possible. We also recorded interviews with people who saw the films in Africa, and will be sharing some of those on a future program. I talked to many children on the trip. One was a tenth grader who didn’t have a mother. She was touched deeply by the widow in the Widow and Oil. Many children in Africa have lost parents to AIDS. A young boy told us most of his knowledge about God came from a pastor. He said the films had allowed him to hear from God directly, without interpretation. God affirmed to us that the films were fulfilling their purpose. The God Provides film series will be launched first in the U.S. and then around the world. I believe God will bring a revival through them. I hope you'll consider becoming part of Crown's effort to teach biblical stewardship by making a gift online or by calling 800-722-1976. Thank you! |
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We went to Africa a couple of weeks ago to test Crown’s new short film learning experience, 
We showed the film series to pastors, public schools students, ministry leaders, church bodies and business people. The message we heard was that the films work. When people see them, they learn God’s financial principles.
We will soon be releasing them in the U.S. and I hope those currently using Crown tools will purchase the films when they are released. It will be a new way to reach people and satisfy the desire of your heart to teach God’s financial principles in an effective and relevant way today.
