Is It Possible?

We tackled the difficult subject of demonic activity at our last meeting, watching Jennifer Carpenter's compelling turn in THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE. Part courtroom drama, part horror film, the story stays grounded in reality with believable performances from a credible cast. All leading up to the inevitable question: What really happened to Emily?

While the film owes a great deal to its 1973 predecessor, director Scott Derrickson doesn't need foul language or gruesome effects to engage his audience. With the help of Paul Boardman, his producer/co-writer, he portrays the scary moments with both eyes open, allowing the viewer to determine if Emily is truly possessed, or merely suffering from medically explainable conditions.

We discussed how focusing on the demonic can lead down a confusing path. Some see a demon around every corner, while others rule out demonic influence in the life of a believer. And then there are those who see spiritual warfare as some kind of power struggle, ranging from deliverance ministries to outright exorcism.

Rather than go down any number of rabbit holes, we zeroed in on scripture, where the emphasis is on who we are in Christ. Here is where true freedom can be found! There are so many blessings for the believer in Jesus that we could have spent all night praising God for them. Here are just a few:

I am God's child.
JOHN 1:12

As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.
JOHN 15:15

I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
COLOSSIANS 1:13-14

I am a citizen of heaven.
PHILIPPIANS 3:20

I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
EPHESIANS 3:12

I can do all things through Christ,
who strengthens me.
PHILIPPIANS 4:13

These eternal promises are true for the believer right now! None can be taken away by our adversary.

Precept after precept, the Bible builds the case that God loves us and "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 TIM 2:4). While we are not to be unaware of the devil's schemes (2 COR 2:11), our focus should be on the Lord Jesus Christ, who has already overcome the world (JOHN 16:33)!

As always, we ended our time in prayer for the cast and crew of the film, asking God to redeem their gifts to glorify himself.

If you're still curious about our ministry, please email me, find me on Facebook, Twitter, or go old school and talk to me in person at church!

See you next time at THE DECODER RING.

It has begun. Let us pray.

THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE

rated PG13

(for intense horrific scenes and subject matter)

Written by

Paul Harris Boardman

and Scott Derrickson

Directed by

Scott Derrickson

Starring

Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson,

Campbell Scott and Jennifer Carpenter.

Watch it with us

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23rd at 7:00pm

in the Chapel Room at

CALVARY CHAPEL BURBANK

"Be merciful to those who doubt;

snatch others from the fire and save them;

to others show mercy, mixed with fear."

JUDE 1:22-23a

Wake Up!

At our last DECODER RING screening, we traveled to the alien world of Pandora, following ex-marine Jake Sully as he incorporates the Avatar of a Na'vi warrior. Jake discovers a whole new world of beauty and wonder as the exotic Neytiri teaches him her tribe's ways. When the Na'vi home is threatened, Jake rallies them against the oppressors... his fellow humans.

Watching James Cameron's mega-hit movie AVATAR is a conflicting experience. On the one hand, it is immersive, beautiful and detailed. On the other, the ideas and beliefs presented are confusing and ultimately dangerous. We had a lot of ground to cover, and I'm grateful to everyone who made it through to the end.

First off, I must acknowledge the incredible leap forward that James Cameron has made here. It cannot be overstated that this is a truly advanced cinematic experience. AVATAR is a marker in film history when everything changed. The technology to produce AVATAR had to be created by the director himself, including the Cameron/Pace fusion 3D camera system. The computer graphic artists melded the actors' performances with alien characteristics for an unforgettable presentation.

Despite all of the spectacle however, the story lingers on the culture and spirituality of the Na'vi people. We are trained along with Jake to literally connect with animals, plants, trees, and ultimately their ancestors and goddess. If all of this sounds familiar, well, it is. Heavy doses of Native American religion are present here, modified to fit an alien race. Add the modern twist of logging in to be someone else in another world, and you've got a destructive pairing of escapism and paganism.

I wrote a review of AVATAR when it first came out, elaborating on the three main agendas of the film: the Military-Industrial Complex, Environmentalism, and Pantheistic Spirituality. The greatest danger of the film is tying a political stance (the green movement) to false teaching (worshiping nature) with a supposedly scientific basis.

Here is the truth: God is not nature. God CREATED nature. The first words in the bible echo this timeless reality:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
GENESIS 1:1

Do you believe that?

Unfortunately, James Cameron (one of my favorite filmmakers) is a professed atheist. And he is propagating falsehood through entertainment. With AVATAR, he is promoting an agenda that despite its good intentions has real power to turn people away from the one true Creator-God and his only son, Jesus Christ.

So we prayed for Jim, his wife Suzy, and the rest of the cast and crew that the LORD would bring them to himself and they would use their incredible talents for His kingdom. And we prayed for all those who have watched this film, that their eyes would be opened, and their ears would hear the still small voice of God calling their name.

See you next time at THE DECODER RING.