Introduction from Bishop Robert ….
I am sharing this report from one of our CEEC.CHURCH partners. He is a 7-time Emmy-award winning producer with hundreds of projects to his credit. This story comes out of a joint project we were working in the Middle East. I know the man. I know the team. I know the nation where they were, and the host home they stayed in. I certify to you that this testimony is true. May you be as blessed as I was to hear about the Lord moving so powerfully. Here is his report:
THE REPORT
I want to relate what happened on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014 in a Middle Eastern nation that is over 99% Muslim. Myself and two other members of the Jesus Film Project of Campus Crusade for Christ were there scouting locations for a potential film we were preparing to shoot about the life of the Apostle Paul.
After dinner, the wife of our host asked if we would like to come with her to their church. She had arranged a special woman’s service, and would be screening a special film for Middle Eastern women. We said we’d be honored to accompany her. A church much like this was filled with 211 Muslim wives, who seemed angry and filled with hate. (Photo for illustration only).
They were about to watch the film “Magdalena, Released from Shame” off the internet on a small video projector, it is a CRU written and produced film aimed at reaching oppressed women.
In the film, Mary Magdalene acts as both narrator and participant as she tells the stories of several women’s lives that had come in contact with Jesus and, as a result, had been released from shame.
No one left the room or shouted down the message of the film. The audience was astonishingly quiet. When it came to the scenes of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus, which were offensive concepts to them, they were absolutely transfixed.
Once the film was over, the room was completely and totally silent as our hostess went forward and invited the women to pray with her. She said, “You can either pray to the dead prophet Mohammad or you can pray for and receive Jesus, the living God who died for you and was raised from the dead. The choice is yours.”
As the entire room bowed their heads and prayed I heard many women weeping in the audience and then, with a show of hands, all 211 women gave their lives to Christ and with tears streaming down their faces began to hug each other knowing for the first time that they were loved unconditionally.