Why These Moviemakers Keep Putting Their Trust in the Lord
By Movieguide® Contributor
Alex and Stephen Kendrick explain how they got their start and why they continue to place their trust in the Lord as they tackle new projects.
Having fallen in love with movies at a young age, the Kendrick brothers pretty much always wanted to be involved in the entertainment industry, however, they wanted to make movies that promoted the Gospel as well as being entertaining.
“So, initially I wanted to do STAR WARS, the Christian version, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, the Christian version, INDIANA JONES, the Christian version, and then when I began walking that path, the Lord basically just said, ‘No. I’m not blessing this,’” Stephen Kendrick told Andrew Erwin’s “Storytellers” podcast.
“It took me a while to listen to Him but, as you know because you guys have done the same things, as you seek the Lord and learn some lessons the hard way, you get to a point where you realize the vein that you’re supposed to be flowing in,” Stephen continued. “And doing that changed so much for us. So, I was able to throw out all of these Hollywood movies sprinkled with Jesus on top.”
Instead, the Lord called them to create original movies that are built from the ground up on faith and that He uses to profoundly impact audiences’ lives. In pursuing this path, the Kendrick brothers have created dozens of movies that have an eternal impact. However, because this is a counter-cultural approach, they have had to learn how to tune out the world and tune into God.
“It has taught us we got to find our identity in Christ, not the opinions of other people. Our value is not wrapped up in box office numbers and what people say about us,” said Alex Kendrick. “So, we can sleep well at night knowing that we gave God the best offering we could with what we had and we obeyed Him and we delivered the message.”
“There’s a lot of teachers and preachers and profits in scripture who God gave an ‘A’ when they walked into a town and said repent but everybody in the town hated them and threw them in jail and tried to kill them,” Alex continued. “So, it’s like, okay, if that’s the case, we need to be okay if our audience of one — which is the Lord — is He says good job, well done.”
The brothers have also found that on every project they get to a point where they need to rely on the Lord and trust in Him. Remembering these moments later helps them keep their focus on God, rather than on what the world is saying.
“God puts us as filmmakers in a scenario where at some point there is a gap that doesn’t make sense, like, you know, ‘God, what am I supposed to do here?’ Those gaps are there on purpose because it requires faith,” Stephen explained. “It requires us to say to the Lord, ‘You’ve got to get me from this point to that point if we’re going to keep going…’ So when we look back at each of our films, there was a piece of it where the Lord had to step in and answer a prayer or everything was going to fall apart.”
In keeping with the Lord’s plan, the Kendrick brothers have eternally impacted millions of lives and helped audiences around the world connect with God and deepen their faith. Their most recent movie, THE FORGE, is no different, and after releasing in August, the movie has made nearly $25 million at the box office.
Movieguide®’s review reads:
The first act of THE FORGE is a bit slow with too much static dialogue. However, once the jeopardy starts, it becomes more exciting and finishes with a powerful, entertaining, redemptive ending. THE FORGE has a strong Christian, biblical worldview. It does a beautiful job displaying the deep need for discipleship in the Church. It spurs Christian believers to disciple and mentor the next generation. The movie also shows how prayer changes hearts and has a clear presentation of the Gospel. THE FORGE will inspire the hearts of Christians to continue being fully committed to Christ.
“We love the testimonies already coming in,” said Alex last month. “There’s buyouts, it’s well over 100 buyouts already, churches and ministries doing that, and that’s been exciting. Theaters are going to have to add showtimes, which that’s a great problem. Thank you for those going to see THE FORGE.”
Movieguide® previously reported:
Director Alex Kendrick is placing more faith in the Lord than ever while creating his upcoming movie, THE FORGE, a story about Christian discipleship.
“In Ezekiel chapter 47, there is a very interesting vision that God gives Ezekiel. It starts where a river of light from the Lord is flowing out of the temple,” Kendrick said. “It’s about ankle-deep. He says it’s no problem to cross the river and come to the other side. [Ezekiel] goes further down the river and it gets up to knee-deep, later waist-deep. He can still cross, but you gotta keep your footing, be a little more careful because the current’s coming.”
“Later down the river, he gets where it’s so deep he can’t touch the bottom,’ Kendrick continued. “He says, ‘You cannot cross. You’ve got to go with the flow of the river if you’re gonna get in.’ I am mindful that in my spiritual life, I have been ankle-deep with the Lord in my faith, trying to follow what the Lord’s doing, but just ankle-deep. ‘Lord, I can tell you’re moving. I want to be with what you’re moving,’ but honestly, I’m relying heavily on my own logic and control. It’s just ankle-deep.”
“Later, the Lord [has] called me waist-deep. ‘I’m a little nervous now it’s waist-deep. My feet are still touching the bottom of the river as I’m crossing and getting down into the flow, but the current is now stronger,’” Kendrick added. “The Lord’s taking me deeper. He’s teaching more things, sometimes through trials…but I still feel like, ‘Okay, I’m not out of wits yet.’”
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