It’s always hit and miss with TBN as to when they air anything, and I don’t click my remote control up that way very often, so there’s no telling when or if I’ll ever see the parts I’m missing.
I spent much of the movies wondering if some of the actors were just earning a payday, or if they were actually committed Christians making a statement. I know Left Behind’s Kirk Cameron (formerly of Growing Pains) is an outspoken Christian, but other stars included Brad Johnson (Always), Margo Kidder (Superman), Mr. T (The A-Team), Corbin Bernsen (L.A. Law), Howie Mandel (Deal or No Deal)and Gary Bussey (The Buddy Holly Story). Actually, I thought the best of the three series was one which had no “big name” stars at all.
“End of days” movies seem to be very popular — at least with a big chunk of the church-going public. I can see why. (I watched them myself, after all.) I like knowing who the good guys are, and I enjoy hearing my point of view expressed in a film even if it does come from a fictional script.
But I also think maybe there’s some strange pleasure in imagining ourselves in the place of Christians during the Tribulation. All the gray areas we deal with in our lives would suddenly be black and white. I mean, it’s relatively easy to refuse the mark of the Beast if you’ve witnessed the miracle of the Rapture and all the prophecies of The Revelation are unfolding before your eyes. There wouldn’t be any question or confusion anymore about what’s important. You know you’ve only got seven years to hang in there for God (or fewer if the Anti-Christ gets hold of you) and you’re done. Sainthood will be assured.
It’s not that easy when you’re dealing with house payments, work, friends and family and all the other things that distract us from living the way God wants us to. In a way, we all have ADD, and it’s remarkably easy to forget God is even there. Even when we remember, we may have a hard time figuring out what God’s plan is. We can’t all be missionaries … some of us will have to grow food if nothing else.
I think Jesus acknowledged that the temporal world does intrude on strictly focusing on God’s playbook.
And He answered them saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”
Luke 14:5
That was after Jesus was getting some flack or healing people on the Sabbath, so I take it to mean, sometimes we have to take care of business. Of course, this doesn’t help with the problem of figuring out when it's okay to be concerned with the problems in this world..
Maybe we can take some comfort in some verses a little further down.
“When you are invited to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited … go and sit down in the lowest place , so that when he who invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.”
Luke 14: 8 -- 10
Perhaps we can’t really expect to know where we are in the “honored” department. The important thing is to be invited to the party, humbly take a seat and wait and see how we did.
