Acting is not about being famous, it's about exploring the human soul.
- Annette Bening
Flight is a 2012 American drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis. The film stars Denzel Washington as Whip Whitaker, a fictitious airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after it suffers an in-flight mechanical failure, saving nearly everyone on board.
Immediately following the crash, he is hailed a hero, but an investigation soon leads to questions that put the captain in a different light. His honest and surprising confession may be exactly in line with what God may require from modern Christianity.
Some of the most dramatic depictions of the kind of individual and corporate heart wrenching brokenness that may yet avail at this late hour ironically can be found in a variety of well known movies. After 70,000 hours of strategical seeking and serving God, all culminating in extensive research and writing, I strongly suspect the application of the spiritual metaphor exemplified in the few minutes of the courtroom interview of Denzel Washington at the end of the movie "Flight" holds the key to the best chance modern Christianity and even the vast majority of prophetic Christians have in overcoming worldliness and Satanic deception thereby saving our souls and those of others. Preferable before but if necessary during judgment and/or Tribulation, “they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, word of their "testimony" and not loving their lives unto death.”
Reminiscent of Peter's 2nd great confession, it may be that only the kind of ruthless repentance and honesty portrayed in this scene can save the day. Dualistic and double-minded as this pilot, who's amazing skill saved countless lives while his alcoholism (worldliness) had and would continue to jeopardize far more, it’s high time we awake from our worldly stupor. Coming to the end of ourselves, and the service of two masters, might we declared as he later did in explanation of his phenomenal change of heart, “I just couldn't tell one more lie.” Refusing to mar the memory of a dead flight attendant (his past lover and drinking buddy) when by doing so he could have walked away a wealthy hero and free man... instead he chose shame and imprisionment (metaphor: prisoner and bondslave to Christ) to become a lover of the Truth...
Continuing and perhaps straining the worldly intoxication analogy, given the ubiquity of temptation and deception exacerbated by elevated levels of entitlement and sin rampant within Churchianity, a 12-Step discipleship program with weekly and daily meetings (perhaps with chips for number of days sober) might be in order. Particularly for those hoping to discern, much less overcome, a myriad of subtle attitudes and actions by which we continually grieve if not alienate the Holy Spirit. Consider something universally accepted and seemingly innocuous as T.V. For a variety of reasons, to the serious Christian the subject of TV should be a no brainer. The odds are good (or in our case bad) that subscribing to and viewing, much less paying for and thereby partaking in and promoting broadcast and/or cable TV is not only contrary to Biblical Christianity but anathema.
There are likely dozens of similar besetting sins, or at least doubtful habits, not even remotely on our radars. For those who would diligently seek and serve God, trying to draw Omnity near with one hand and with other pushing His Spirit away may prove worse than pointless. Let us cease trading presumption for faith, in our prayers and worship, teaching and fellowship. Having done so, by all means let us cautiously yet boldly approach Omnity’s throne of grace to obtain mercy in these times of need, remembering our God, the Creator of 50 billion trillion suns is indeed “a consuming fire.”
- “See to it that you do not refuse [to listen to] Him who is speaking [to you now]. For if those [sons of Israel] did not escape when they refused [to listen to] him who warned them on earth [revealing God’s will], how much less will we escape if we turn our backs on Him who warns from heaven? His voice shook the earth [at Mount Sinai] then, but now He has given a promise, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the [starry] heaven.” Now this [expression], “Yet once more,” indicates the removal and final transformation of all those things which can be shaken—that is, of that which has been created—so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for our God is [indeed] a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:25-29 AMP
- “On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return.”
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