The Messengers The Birth of the Early Church DVD

The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church

John. First a disciple and then an apostle of Jesus. Now the only remaining man of Jesus' closest followers. The rest have been martyred one by one until only John remains. Even he, old as he is, has been banished to the Isle of Patmos. Yet, even imprisoned he continues to share the story of Christ and his church... with his Roman guards. He has finished his story of the life of Jesus Christ (as seen in the film God With Us) and has begun to recount the story of the early Church; their courage and conviction in the midst of great persecution. From Voice of the Martyrs comes a film of Jesus' earlies followers; The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church.

The Story

John begins the film The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church by reminding his Roman captors of where he ended his last story. . . with the resurrection of Jesus. He then begins his story of the early church. Based on the book of Acts (chapters one through nine) The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church continues the story of the disciples with Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the believers. It then follows the apostles through their early journey of following Christ, their miracles, conviction, courage, and persecution. And it follows the story of their most zealous enemy, Paul, when he unexpectedly encounters Jesus on the road to Damascus. Follow John and the rest of the disciples as they begin the great adventure of taking the gospel to "the ends of the earth."

A Message For Everyone

A valuable theme begun in the first film, is continued over into the film The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church. This is the truth that the gospel is a message for everyone. As the early church begins to spread the story of Jesus Christ across the known world, the church quickly grows. However, once specific conversion highlights this truth in the film The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church. That is the conversion of Saul, the fierce opponent and persecutor of the early church, on the road to Tarsus. Saul, who would later become Paul, the man who wrote much of the New Testament and devoted his life to spreading the gospel is a powerful reminder to viewers of all ages that God wants everyone (and that includes everyone) to be part of his family. No one is too sinful, too fallen, or too unworthy to receive God's grace, love, and salvation. As viewers of all ages watch the film The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church they will be reminded that God's message is a message for the entire world, for them and for their enemies, no one is outside of his love, and no one is to far gone to be saved by his grace.

̴Ì_

Courage and Boldness

Another powerful message in the film The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church is living and proclaiming the gospel with courage and boldness. Frightened by the rapid spread of Christianity the Jews and then the Romans would quickly and harshly begin persecuting the believers of the early church. Yet, in the midst of great opposition, intense persecution, and danger of death the early church flourished and boldly continued to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ their savior. John's story, the story of the early church, that he tells to his Roman captors The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church is one of living in love, courage, boldness, and peace in the midst of nearly certain capture and death. It is a reminder that God's plan is perfect, his protection is powerful, his love is all-encompassing and unconditional, and most importantly that his gospel releases believers from the fear of death; they (and we) are no longer slaves to fear. We can live boldly and courageously knowing no one or nothing can hurt or harm us without permission of the God of the universe. The courage and boldness of the early apostles and believers is a reminder to all twenty-first century believers that we can and should live a life that boldly proclaims the love of God with no concern for the consequences.

Conclusion

Journey with John once more as he concludes the story of his life; the story of Jesus working through his life in the film The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church. As you travel back again with John to the early days of the Church you will be reminded that God's love is a love that transcends all time. His love is a love that reaches even to the most unreachable. It is not confined to the "good," but it is a love that saves "the bad." It is a love that reaches out even to its enemies and asks them to receive God's grace. His love is a love that loosens the hold of fear and allows believers to boldly proclaim that love. From Voice of the Martyrs comes The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church a story that will encourage you with the lives of believers, challenge you to boldly proclaim God's love and live a life without fear, and remind you that no one has fallen too far that God cannot redeem their life.

The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church has not been rated by the Motion Picture Association of America and may include violence and other issues not suitable for younger viewers. Voice of the Martyrs recommends this film for children aged seven and up. As always, it is recommended that parents preview all content to determine what is suitable for their children, but the film The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church is generally considered appropriate for most audiences.

If you and your family enjoyed Voice of the Martyr's film The Messengers: The Birth of the Early Church you may also enjoy the prequel film God With Us which tells the story of Jesus Christ as recounted by John the Beloved.