Dear Readers,
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going to see God’s Not Dead 3: A Light In Darkness. I believe this movie accurately reflects our current struggle to share The Gospel in the midst of a fallen world. In this third installment, controversy arises as Pastor Dave copes with protests about having a church on University property; it all comes to a head when the church is burned down in a fire. As he struggles to pick up and rebuild his father’s legacy, the protests continue with fighting from both sides. Enlisting the help of his brother (John Corbett), the two begin to fight it out in court against the University; however, the brothers are also dealing with their own childhood issues. Things haven’t been the same since his brother walked away from the faith; since then, Dave have been praying for him and he finds that annoying.
In the end, Pastor Dave surrenders, realizing that that church is just a building and he needs to share God’s message everywhere. He then decides to rebuild somewhere else.
I will admit it – some churches are struggling today. They have forgotten their purpose and goal… To proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Christians tend to forget that we are the Living Church. I love this; the church is not just a building. One of my favorite quotes from the movie says, “Without grace, we are just fighting,” We need to remember to share God’s truth in love. After all, we are representatives of Jesus and His Light. Matthew 5:14 says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;”