Stories are important. In fact, they played such an essential role in Jesus’ teaching. The Gospels tell us that Jesus seldom taught apart from parables. Stories allow us to experience ideas empathetically and experience truth in new ways.
Film brings stories to life, allowing people to engage with them, breaking down communication barriers, and allowing them to connect and wrestle with new ideas and principles. And when they can have this experience in their own heart language, it dramatically increases the impact.
The JESUS film has been translated into more than 2,000 languages and used worldwide, leading to more than 600 million decisions to follow Jesus. But Jesus Film Project has produced more than just the JESUS film. We and our partners have created many videos you can use to share your faith with others.
Here are three great examples.
1. The Life of Jesus (Gospel of John)
The JESUS film is a dramatic retelling of Luke’s gospel. In The Life of Jesus, viewers experience Jesus’ story through the gospel of John. It has a three-hour runtime and follows the Good News Bible’s Gospel of John word for word.
Produced in 2003, the Life of Jesus cast features 75 principal actors, including narration from Christopher Plummer and Peruvian actor Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus. There is also a cast of over 2,000 extras, many selected from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Soulpepper Theatre Company, Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company, and the Royal National Theater.
How you can use this film
As a feature film created within the last few decades, The Life of Jesus is exceedingly watchable for people more used to high production values. The longer run time makes it a little challenging to have someone over and sit down and watch it from start to finish and then expect an in-depth discussion.
If this is someone you have a close relationship with, you might consider having them over a couple of times and split the film into two or three segments. This way, you can have some discussion after every viewing.
You can also send them a link to the film and follow up at a later date. The film has been dubbed into 23 languages other than English, so if English isn’t their first language, there’s a chance that they can watch this film in their own heart language.
You can also share or watch vignettes with them. There are a number of clips available of the film that cover significant parts of the gospel story that they can watch and discuss, too, like this scene where Jesus talks with Nicodemus.
2. LUMO: The Gospel of Matthew
The LUMO Project aims to craft films for an international audience that can be shown for churches, small groups and large outreaches. LUMO promotes more profound engagement with the Gospels and facilitates group discussion. LUMO has been broadcast to millions and is bringing to life the truth of Jesus as people engage visually with God’s Word.
You can watch The Gospel of Matthew on the Jesus Film Project® website. It’s available in 24 videos, averaging between 5–9 minutes a video.
How you can use these videos
These short videos can make an excellent resource for a small group discussion. So let’s say you have a couple of friends and acquaintances interested or willing to learn more about Jesus; you could gather a couple of hours over multiple weeks. During that time, you could share a meal, watch a couple of videos and discuss some of the themes you each noticed.
3. Falling Plates
Jesus Film Project has several short films that are perfect for generating conversations. When it comes to topics, they run the gamut, allowing you to create deep, thoughtful conversations around a variety of topics.
Falling Plates is an excellent example of a short film that allows you to discuss what it means to be made in the image of God, the issue of sin, and what restoration can actually look like.
How you can use these videos
The great thing about the library of short videos at jesusfilm.org is that they’re not all overtly religious in tone, allowing for spiritually adjacent conversations and a lower barrier of entry. As you become more familiar with the library, you can pick a suitable film for any situation.
Their short nature means you don’t need to carve out a lot of time to facilitate deep conversation. And with the free Jesus Film Project App, you can watch and share these videos with nearly anyone anywhere.
Just the tip of the iceberg
These are only a few of the hundreds of videos available on jesusfilm.org, our YouTube channel, and the free Jesus Film Project App. Take some time to explore one (or all) of these platforms to discover new tools for sharing your faith!
