How to Share Your Faith Using The Fantastic 4
Everybody loves a hero - especially unlikely heroes like the Fantastic Four who have had greatness thrust upon them by circumstances beyond their control. This movie, based on the Marvel comic strip series, puts four relatively ordinary people together, adds a large dose of cosmic rays on a space voyage gone wrong and KABOOM - you have a team of four superheroes with fantastic super-powers!
As a result of a cosmic cloud fundamentally altering their DNA, the space travelers acquire superhuman abilities. Reed Richard, designer and leader of the group, has the ability to stretch his body and changes his name to Mr. Fantastic. His fiancée, Susan Storm, can suddenly become invisible and create force fields. Johnny Storm, her younger brother, gains the ability to control fire and can soar through the air with his body ignited into a Human Torch. Ben Grimm loses his human features and becomes a super-strong rock creature known as Thing. Does this sound like a strange mix of super-powers thrown together in an unlikely group or what???
Confronted with these strange new powers, the four characters are faced with a confusing new world. What are they going to do with these new powers in their life? Will they stick together as a team through thick and thin to defeat the evil plans of Dr. Doom? Or will the rough edges of their character push them into conflicts that drive them apart?
No doubt you've experienced similar frustrations in your relationships. Does your family drive you crazy sometimes? Or are there kids in your youth group that seem like more than you can take? The Fantastic Four demonstrate how to stick with others who look different, behave differently, and come with their own set of emotional baggage. You don't have to agree with everyone on everything to still be a team that pulls together when the going gets tough! Jesus teaches in John 13:35, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." We're called to love one another even when we don't feel like it. When we do that, the world around us will know something more of God's unconditional love for us.
Part of what helped the Fantastic Four pull together was their realization that they had a calling that was bigger than what any one of them could accomplish individually - defeating the evil plans of Dr. Doom! As Christians, we also need to pull together because we have a calling that is bigger than what any one of us can accomplish individually - it's called The Great Commission and it's about sharing the fantastic news of what Jesus has done to defeat the plans of the Evil One. Jesus commands us in Mt. 28:18- 20,
"God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." (The Message)
Here are some ideas to launch you into conversations that will help you play a part in Jesus' Great Commission to go and tell everyone about Him.
- Ask your friends if their families drive them crazy sometimes. Of course their answer will be yes! If your friends really struggle with relationships in their families, perhaps you'll find the opportunity to talk further about the "O" part of the G.O.S.P.E.L Journey that deals with Our sin separates us from God. Explain that just like sin has broken our relationship with God, it also has the effect of breaking our relationships with other humans - even those we care about very much. But with God's help through the gift of his son Jesus, we can be restored into relationship with God and with others.
- The Fantastic Four pulled together for a greater calling that was bigger than each of them individually - to defeat the evil plans of Dr. Doom. Ask your friends if there's something in their lives that's bigger than themselves. Maybe it's a sports team they play on, or maybe it's a cause they care about. Share the calling you're involved with that's bigger than you.
"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."- it's a tall order and we can only do it with God's help. But whether it's in your family or your youth group, your friends will be watching when you stand together in the tough times. And that can be an appealing invitation for those outside God's family to come and join in!
