Behind the Scenes
Image: Hüseyin Tural on www.pexels.com
The movie blockbusters of the 1970s and 1980s had a massive effect on me when I was young.
Films such as the original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and ‘Back to the Future’, simply blew my mind. I loved the characters and stories, but was even more fascinated as to how they were made.
I would watch ‘the making of…’ documentaries and read books on everything behind the camera. I loved the planning, detail and special effects that were involved in making these epic movies.
If the New Testament was a film, then the main character would be Jesus! I would suggest that another ‘star’ would be Paul (formerly known as Saul). He dominated the majority of the book of Acts, and wrote 13 of the 22 New Testament letters. Before Paul became ‘famous’, there were two men who helped him, both of whom were ‘behind the scenes’:
The first was Ananias, who God told to go and pray for Paul after his supernatural encounter with God left him blind…
“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord – Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here – has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’”
The second was Barnabas, who took Paul, as a new Christian, to meet the apostles in Jerusalem. They had heard of Paul, but were frightened of him and did not believe that God had changed him…
“But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.”
When Paul was a new Christian, Ananias prayed for him, and Barnabas believed in him!
We may never become like Paul, but we can be like Ananias and Barnabas: we can all pray for someone and we can all believe in someone and encourage them.
God bless you:)
Gary Bastin
Hope Community Church leader