Dear Friend in Christ,

"Come and see the works of God,
Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men" (Psalm 66:5, NASB).

Wonderful reports arrive almost daily as God affirms His Word--clearly presented in the film JESUS. Because you partner with some 2,870 JESUS film teams, I pray their reports will inspire your heart!

A film team was showing JESUS in a village of West Africa. The dramatic recounting of Blind Bartimaeus was already moving many people in the crowd.

In the film, when Jesus touches and heals his blind eyes, Bartimaeus cries out in wonder, "I can see." People often cheer and applaud. But this time a man in the crowd yelled out, "It's false!" Bartimaeus looks up, and again cries out in wonder, "I can see!" The man in the audience once again challenges, "It's false!"

A third time Bartimaeus says he can see. The man loudly denounces the miracle. But the fourth and last time, when Bartimaeus says, "I can see," something happened.

That man once more yelled it was false. But then, he suddenly fell silent and began to tremble. His defiant attitude turned to fear. In that community's culture, if an elder affirms a fact more than three times, it is considered undeniably true. To challenge that elder would be unthinkable, resulting in a deadly curse. He had challenged four times!

In terror, the man approached the film team. The film, heard in his mother tongue, was so real that he feared Bartimaeus had heard his challenge and cursed him!

Instead, the film team explained that the people he saw on the screen were merely actors. They had reenacted true events that happened long ago. The team assured him that Bartimaeus had not heard his challenge--that he was not cursed.

More importantly, they spoke to his fear, explaining that Jesus had come to free him from the greatest curse, sin--that Jesus offered him freedom, hope and life! Finally, he understood the good news and surrendered his life to Christ, saying, "Now I know that this is true, and I will never go back." There is more to this story . . .

He had a reputation for his rebellious attitude--a thorn in the side of many. Now, discipled in a local church, his transformation became widely known. Numerous other villages, formerly enslaved to idol worship and demonic rituals, saw JESUS and surrendered to Christ. Pray that hundreds who responded to the work of the teams and JESUS will be firmly rooted in their new faith, grow in Christ, and bring glory to His name.

This next report is truly amazing. For security reasons I cannot tell you the location, except to say the area is extremely hostile to followers of Jesus. The people are devout in their religion, holding to a strict code of conduct. They believe the Bible to be false because it contradicts their holy book. And they consider Christians immoral and degenerate people.

Out of this environment God worked a miracle. In 1996, 17 young people began a quest. Questioning the violence around them and their long-held beliefs, they approached the lone pastor in their city, wanting to know more about Christ. (Among the city's 850,000 people there were only 650 known followers of Jesus.)

Feeling he could not answer all their questions, and possibly fearing reprisals, the pastor referred them to Campus Crusade for Christ, based hundreds of miles away, in a safer area. The 17 seekers traveled by bus and train to the Campus Crusade conference center, at their own expense--a three-day trip. There they began a one-week dialogue with trained staff and watched the JESUS film. All 17 became followers of Christ.

They returned transformed, were baptized and began to grow in their faith. Soon they found 100 other young people who were also searching for truth, which I believe was entirely a moving of the Holy Spirit. In groups of 25 to 30, they too made the three-day journey to the conference center.

Every three months a new group came. And every time, each seeker came to Christ. Ten of these young people have since been trained and joined the Campus Crusade for Christ ministry. Six are part of JESUS film teams. The staff leader who shared this amazing account was just with some of those established believers. They told him the gospel is "spreading like wildfire." Newspapers, run by radicals, are reporting what is happening, saying that between 10,000 and 20,000 people have now become followers of Jesus! With alarm, even they are calling it a movement.

That is very good news. In fact, building "movements" (what I call "follow-through evangelism") is the core strategy of The JESUS Film Project. We don't want to just show people JESUS, but also to see new believers followed up and discipled, as well as churches planted, partnered with and equipped to do the same . . . to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He gives birth to whole movements of evangelism and discipleship.

Ironically, some of these new staff and JESUS film team members were already expert at building movements, enlisting volunteers and building partnerships that work toward a grand goal. You see, before they came to Christ, they had been trained as radicals!

Now they are using those same skills, along with their training in discipleship and church planting, to help build God's kingdom. So great is this movement that staff members relate strongly to Acts 2:47b, "And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved" (NASB).

These same JESUS film teams report that healings, miracles and victories over demonic forces are common. They also report great persecution and growing threats against their work. Keep them in prayer please. But also rejoice with me over this spiritual movement begun by God, through which there may be as many as 20,000 new followers of Jesus.

These faithful, committed film teams are dedicated to the kingdom of God. They burn with a desire to show the way to hundreds of thousands more. The teams report that wherever they show JESUS, people are searching for truth, as they once did.

It is for these teams that I write today, to invite your help. Currently we have funding to sustain the work of 2,870 film and video teams only through July. The teams are sustained by very modest salaries, with funds for ministry, travel, follow-up, and for training and mobilizing of others to help build movements of evangelism, discipleship and church planting.

On average, each team needs $1,250 per month. Currently, those 2,870 teams are training, mobilizing, answering the questions of seekers, partnering, and, of course, showing JESUS. I am writing in the hope that you might want to partner with one of these film teams to sustain their work.

May I then invite your gift today of $100, $300 or $500? Should you have greater resources perhaps you can get involved at a deeper level through a gift of $1,250, $2,500, $5,000, $10,000 or even $15,000 to sustain one team for an entire year. Please give according to your ability and at the leading of the Lord.

One last report, one that affirms how God is preparing hearts to see and understand JESUS even before a team arrives in a community. In Gambia lived a young man I will call Olam. Before a film team came to his village, Olam had a disturbing dream.

In his dream he decided to leave his traditions and become a follower of Jesus. After three troubled, sleepless nights, Olam told his mother of his dream. She had no answer. The next night a JESUS film team arrived. Olam watched JESUS. He was touched by the power of the story and the Word of God. The gospel reached to his soul. Olam saw his dream fulfilled, gladly committing his life to the Lord.

JESUS film teams from around the world tell of similar stories--how the Lord goes before, prepares hearts, even creates whole movements of evangelism born out of a quest for truth.

Millions of others are on that quest. Someday soon, a film team may arrive in their village or community with the answers they seek, with JESUS and the Word of God--the gospel brought to life on the film or video screen. Perhaps those who come will be a team you have sent!

The need to support these film teams is real and imminent. Please make your part a matter for prayer. May the Lord honor and bless you for whatever you can do. Your gift today will make a difference in the lives of people tomorrow, and ultimately, for eternity.

For Christ and His Kingdom,

Jim Green, Executive Director
The JESUS Film Project

P.S. Team support is an essential, ongoing need. I am so grateful to many friends and supporters of the ministry who have given generously to support the teams. That support will sustain the teams through the month of July, a fast approaching critical moment when additional funds need to be received, so 2,870 JESUS film teams will be enabled to remain at work, presenting the good news to needy people who have never heard. We are therefore praying that many friends of JESUS who receive my letter will seek to provide for their ministries, perhaps generously so. If you can be among them, thank you! Because of the impending need for film team support I ask if you can send your gift as soon as possible. As a reminder, you can give quickly and securely over the Internet--simply click on the red button above. Be sure to use the quick link code of NW4300. At our website www.jesusfilm.org/giving you can also set up bank transfer (EFT) giving. Another option is to call (800) 387-4040 to give via credit/debit card. Thank you so much.

It is a little less dangerous now in this area, so Campus Crusade for Christ staff travel every few months to a conference center closer by, again meeting regularly with searching young people, discussing Christ, showing them JESUS. Consistently, they report that every seeker who attends comes to Christ!