Thursday, June 29, 2017

Movie Suggestion, "Polycarp", Great Christian Story



May I suggest a good movie to rent or purchase would be, "Polycarp".

This is a very strong Christian, biblical movie with a clear moral message. Powerful presentations of the Gospel, compelling conversations, inspiring examples of self-sacrifice, heart-rending situations and boldness in the face of peer pressure, family pressure and state persecution; no foul language; some restrained violence including violence in the arena and burning of Polycarp at the stake; and, nothing else objectionable.

Polycarp was the last living link to the Apostolic church, since as a young man he studied under the Apostle John. He taught by quoting the most beloved Apostle and other early church leaders.

One day in 195 A.D.he was told he must worship Caesar as god, he refused to. Nor would he sacrifice to Caesar. The Roman Proconsul told him that if he would just take an oath to worship Caesar, and denounce the atheist Christ, he would be set free. His response was,
"86 years have I have served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior? I am a Christian."
Because of his refusal, he would be burned alive at the stake. One of his students wrote at the time of his martyrdom,
"He was burning in the middle, not as burning flesh, but as bread baking or as gold and silver refined in a furnace. And we smelled such a sweet aroma as the breath of incense or some other precious spice."
About a year later a man named Tertullian, would accept Christ as his Lord and savior. Tertullian would one day write that the martyrs like the Apostles, Polycarp and others who died for Christ, that their shed blood that is the seed of Christ's church.

As an aside, over 100 years before the church officially accepted it, Tertullian would lay down the formula for what we still use today as the Holy Trinity,
"God is one substance consisting of three persons."

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