“I would have paid $2,000 to go and see that film – it has changed my life, “said one New Zealander after a showing of the Jesus film at a cinema in Christchurch. “I cried all the way through it and then prayed the prayer at the end. The man next to me cried through it, too!”
The showing had grown out of a prayer meeting held by three women. Three concerned mothers began meeting weekly to lift their families in prayer before God. At one session, they talked about the lack of good, wholesome films being shown in local cinemas. So they decided to take over one of the screens in a local multiplex and show a film that they, and others like them, could confidently take their families to see. With just three weeks until the showing, the women prayed for guidance about which film they should book. And God confirmed to one of them, Lisa, that they should try to book the Jesus film for that night.
It was Christmas Eve when the three women and their families went along to the first showing. Uncertain how many of the 500 seats would be filled, they were overjoyed when, 15 minutes before it was due to start, an announcement came over the public address system saying the seats were sold out! And so was the film’s second showing… and the third! The fourth showing, on January 14, sold out a week in advance!
After one of the showings, Lisa reported, “People were praying ‘The Sinner’s Prayer’ out loud and bursting into tears. And then the whole audience applauded the film.”
Noting the remarkable attendances the Jesus film drew in Christchurch, cinema owners in Auckland decided to show it, too. Newspapers and television stations began reporting the surprising popularity of this 20-year-old production about the life of Christ.
Audiences were given informative material from Campus Crusade for Christ to help direct them in their newfound faith. It included an address to write to for more information. Encouraged by the success of the screenings, Campus Crusade New Zealand kicked off a door-to-door distribution campaign called ‘Jesus – Gift to the Nation’. Working with local churches, they aim to give a free copy of the film on video to every home in New Zealand.
Courtesy of The Jesus Film Project
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