Come and See - Stan Jantz | Faithly Stories

So our goal, we want to reach a million ministries. This includes churches and we believe that transformation, you're introduced to Jesus through a show like The Jokes and which we want then to then go to scripture and read about this thing you've seen on the screen and that's for you of course encounter the Holy Spirit is through you know the scriptures and then to be connected at some point to a local church, to a body of believers who can kind of help you on your journey to no Christ and to make him know. Welcome to Faithly Stories, the podcast that brings you inspiring tales from conversations with church leaders as they navigate the peaks and valleys of their faith journeys through their ministry work and everyday life brought to you by Faithly. An online community committed to empowering church leaders learn more at Faithly.co. Get ready to be uplifted and inspired on the Faithly Stories podcast. Welcome Stan Jans to the Faithly Stories podcast. Great. Great to be with Elysian and looking forward to our conversation. Great. So Stan you were the global ambassador of the Cum and C Foundation which of course fuels the work of the chosen which needs no introduction but before we get there I'd love to know before joining Cum and C as global ambassador you had a long career as a publisher and as a writer. Can you share a bit about that and how it led to your role with the chosen? Sure be happy to. Yeah I've been around my family owned a chain of Christian retail bookstores in California and so I grew up around books. I always loved them and it's worked for the family business after graduating from Biola University and and then as things happened you know the whole industry changed. We had this little company called Amazon that came along and now kind of changed way people buy books. We actually sold our stores before that became a big issue and then I started writing books because I've been around books my whole life and I've been doing doing different kind of writing projects for the industry for for Christian retail and and just started with a with a writing partner Bruce Pickle and we kind of adopted a kind of a God for dummies format. Oh in this case it was you know God buy dummies because we my writing partner Bruce Pickle is a lawyer and I do have a degree in Christian apologetics but we find the literature and the availability and this is before when he started writing was before of course all the online resources but there's so many wonderful wonderful you know resources for people who want to know more about the Christian story and whether it's CFS Lewis or Oz Guinness or Francis Schaeffer or you know more recently people like John Mark Comer and so I've just always been that way. So I got to writing and then I've started work for a couple of companies and publishing as you said and and then led the Evangelical Christian Publisher's Association which is a trade group that represents Christian publishers worldwide and so of course right there in New York there's a lot of you know Penguin Random House and Simon Schuster and and Hashat and all those Hashats I think French like he doesn't count but anyway New York is a publishing hub and I and I was in that industry I was here quite often and I always felt that you know there's something special about what happens in the publishing world and of course now it's shifted a lot to online but you still have to write content has to be written whether it's on a platform that is online or in a book physical book and but it's interesting Alicia there's trends now going on that seem to indicate people are getting back to reading physical Bibles you know it's just an interesting phenomenon which I think is wonderful and not that there's anything wrongfully reading a screen but as people people will say it's something about having a book or especially the word of God in your hand tangibly to be able to read it is is exceptional so and then I got involved in this little TV show called The Chosen about three years ago and I was you know kind of focusing my own personal life I left ECPA and focusing on discipleship and how do we encourage you know Christians to you know really engage in that lifelong journey of knowing Jesus and and of following him and committing to him in all that we do and so that kind of led me to this role I was the founding CEO of the Cumminsy Foundation which was established to you said it correctly to you know enable the chosen to be made so we raised money for the production of each season starting with season four and we're just concluding season six which we can talk about which is pretty exciting and then we also are making sure that the entire series can be translated and our goal is 600 languages which is pretty astounding for a series like this I think the most a TV series ever been translated before Cumminsy came along was about 50 and so we're right now actively working on about 125 to 150 languages but 600 is a huge task because most languages when you get over you know even the 50 mark you don't have like voice actors for dumping so there's the technology that's going to enter into that and that's every evolving as you know I'll be sure that it's it's it's kind of God's moment to have this technology available not just for distribution for people to access content like the chosen but also to enable us to engage in Bible translation both the Bible itself as well as these kind of projects like like the chosen so we live it any any time we really do in the 2000 year history of the church there's never been anything like this and maybe every generation says that but I think we can point to Alicia with both what's happened with technology but also the global population of 8.2 billion people you know it's doubled just the last you know 40 years from what it was and so it's there's a lot of people that God wants to hear hear his message and of course through media and story I think is is probably right now the most effective way to do that and so the story of Jesus is timeless and to see it in the way the chosen is portraying it is touching hearts all across the world in multiple countries languages regions and religions and so we're just but we're just getting started there's a lot to do but and thanks to you know podcasts like what you're doing to get the word out for people is really part of that ecosystem as well so appreciate what you're doing well thank you for taking me through all that I thought I heard you incorrectly when you said 600 but it really it's 600 like that's the goal and thank you especially for I'm talking about the role that technology can play in that I think we all are aware of the dangers of technology but I think we don't often we don't often get such a clear picture of how technology can enable the spreading of the gospel in such a powerful way well it's not the first time Alicia you know there have been I kind of say there've been three of these technological moments that spread the gospel extraordinarily in ways that had ever been experienced then the first happened when Jesus was on the earth and that's the Roman roads right so you have this technology of Rome building about 250,000 miles of roads about 50,000 were paved and so that was how people took out their message that you know that's how Rome moved their commerce and of course you know sometimes when not sometimes always when God allows or enables something like this you know we can it can be for evil or for good and up to the current time but the Roman road is enabled the gospel to go out very efficiently in that first century to the farthest points of the known world and then about 1450 you have this little thing called the printing press and that was a technology that massively changed the way people were able to access content in fact nobody could read because they didn't have to and it took 40 days to copy a book one book after Gutenberg within one generation they printed 50 million books and of course the first book to be printed was the Bible and you have this it changed the world the reformation was triggered and enabled Martin Luther you know of course and that was enabled by the printing press to get that message out and and so now here we are in what I would call the third great technological moment for the gospel and that's the information super highway which is kind of like the Roman roads of our day right it's like that's how people are getting this message out all all around the world and again you as you said it can be used for not good reasons but God intends it for good and for those like you who are using it in such a positive productive way is so important to what God has in mind for his world and I think again the reason he seems to be moving so fast is because this technology is available it's never been this is a unique time in 2000 years of history and you know Bill Bright who is the founder of campus crusade for Christ now crew he used to quote Matthew 24 14 and it was his drought what drove him to say let's tell the whole world because Jesus said when the whole world knows I'll return I'm paraphrasing loosely and so it's like okay if we can just tell the whole world well it wasn't possible in Bill Bright's day which is just a few decades ago and it's often possible till today no we're not there but that possibility exists and as you know it's amazing where you can find people that have a you know mobile phone there are 8.2 billion people but there are 6 billion smartphones in the world which means not just a device to answer but you can actually get content so I come and see one of our jobs is we have a whole division devoted to just just the app both the iOS and Google app and to make sure that the contents always free that people would never have to pay for it through that and that's one of Dallas Jenkins visions too if you want to reach a billion people and keep it free and so that come and see that's our mandate we want to reach a billion people and keep the show free for you know for all now people can watch it in theaters when it comes each season comes out or on Amazon Prime but it'll always be available and then in the languages as you mentioned are available through that through that app but but I've been in from the Middle East to Brazil to Poland to Bangkok and I've watched people watch the shows in an episode in their language and it's just astounding to see their faces they go wow that's my heart language I can understand this and it shows such respect and of course the communication of the content is much stronger and not the characters and so that's a big goal and then and then we partner with with literally hundreds of ministries so far like crew and like one hope prison fellowship and alpha and you name it I mean we've got got them lined up of course our goal we talk about reaching a billion people we want to reach a million ministries now I'm qualified that that a church is a ministry right so this includes churches and we believe that transformation you're introduced to Jesus through a show like the chosen which we want then to then go to scripture and read about this thing you've seen on the screen what is this story and that's for you of course encounter the Holy Spirit is through you know the scriptures and then to be connected at some point to a local church to a body of believers who can kind of help you on your journey to know Christ and to make him known so we really we really value and count on those ministries taking this and that's the only way to reach a billion people is when people then can experience it through local churches local cities and whether it's in theaters and home groups or on their phones so got a ways to go but we're kind of making that progress and meanwhile this week is very timely they are concluding production of the chosen season six wow and so it'll wrap this week and then go in a post-production and I can explain the cadence of that because it is kind of unique to what the chosen has done in the past but this is the crucifixion season and we'd like to say season five which is currently available on Amazon Prime and through the app um was the most intense week in history palm sunday to the kiss that betrayed Jesus so it really is a little bit less than a week but it goes up to the gardening of semini and when Jesus was betrayed season six is the most intense day in history it just covers one day and so what happened after that betrayal to the cross and his burial and then season seven which will start filming next year is the resurrection season and so that will be the conclusion and and that'll come out in 2028 so anyways there's there's a ways to go but people are still catching on to the first few seasons so it's not like you know don't feel bad if you're behind because you get lots of time to catch up and I talked to somebody last night he says yeah when I started watching it I kind of okay it's pretty good but then as I started it would get really good in the story you know started getting intense and and I think the production quality was really good to begin with but every season seems to be something more personal not more spectacular but more personal and more relatable to who Jesus is and his followers and you get to know the characters better so anyway it's uh hang on it's gonna it's gonna be quite a ride well thank you for sharing all of that with us Dan there is so much to unpack and everything that you said um I want to first start by saying you surprised me when you said there were three sort of major technological shifts and you started with Roman roads I thought you were going to start with the Gutenberg press but you started with Roman roads which is perfect and ties into sort of the information super highway age that we're in today um but when you mentioned the Gutenberg press I it brought to mind for me the first time I saw a page of the Bible that actually came off of that Gutenberg press and I was so moved by it there is still even today something different about the story in print and so when you said that earlier in our conversation that um people are wanting to read the Bible the physical Bible um that's really encouraging because I I think that means people don't just want to skim it they know that there's something there that they need to absorb something there that will move them and will change them so anyway I just wanted to sort of react to a lot of what you said there um all right so we are now six seasons into the chosen right um or the or the six one is soon to be released um but can you take us back to your first encounter with the chosen I imagine it wasn't when you joined the team um did you know right away given your long career in publishing did you know right away that this would be something that God would use in such a big way I had no idea all I knew and I had downloaded the original app now the angel app which the chosen on it just because it was you know people were talking about it but I'd never seen it and what I was impressed with and at that time they had a little counter on how many views not viewers but views and I think it was over two hundred million when I first downloaded the app I thought wow and being I think I uh I mentioned earlier I mentioned that I was part of a family that we owned a chain of Christian bookstores and back in the day Alicia um there were things called video tapes and then before that which your listeners probably don't even remember but 16 millimeter films so we had a film we called a library because we would then loan these or as we would rent them to churches to show and they were these really cheesy dramas you know about someone whose you know life isn't going so well and then of course at the very end of these movies you had to accept Jesus that was the absolutely the important thing and that I get not trying to downplay the importance of conversion but it was so formulaic you know they just had this and that quality was very poor and even up to more recent years I just said never felt that the Christian movie quality was up to snuff with what we see in in general you know productions so even though I had heard about it and I downloaded the app I'd never seen it and I had no desire to because I thought well it's gonna be another cheesy Jesus TV show or movie and I just so then I met the I'm a trustee at Biola University and Biola here in Los Angeles has a film school and we just had gotten a new dean he came from AMC networks in New York and he moved and decided to get into Christian higher ed and be the dean of the Snyder School of cinema and media arts and I met him and I held up the my phone I said look at this app here it says 200 million views the students need to know about this now keep mine I'd never seen it and I said maybe do some kind of event I you know I don't know the people there but I bet they'd help you well he did exactly that I had nothing to do with the production of it of the event but I kind of sparked the idea so he calls me up a few weeks later said we're gonna do this thing would you come I'd like you to be there so at least I sought for the first time at this event and they did it because they had like 2000 people showed up out in the the quad the lawn you know of Biola University and they had a big screen set up and Dallas did an on screen welcome they had a couple of actors there and I watched season one episode one for the first time with 2000 people and as this this episode kind of progressed the word the room or the space got small that was just me and there's there's for those of you who have who have seen it the last scene is when Jesus shows up he hasn't been in the in the scene until then and it's to to talk with Lilith who was the woman possessed by seven demons we know her is Mary Magdalene but she was we know his Lilith and he called her Mary and she's just startled as she's walking out of this this bar and then she had been as a child in that episode reciting this this kind of prophecy that from the Old Testament you know I have called you I redeemed you you were mine you know and but then she given up and her life was just a wreck so he walks out behind her and he calls her Mary and she startled and she's got a little drink in her hand drops it in his shatters on the ground and she turns around and he's he recites that to her he says you know I have redeemed you I have called you by name you are mine you know and she just collapses into this you know emotional like she she realizes what this doesn't know who he is but she realizes something special so that to me just got to me and I was going oh man and so that was my first encounter with watching it and I've talked to many people who have that same resistance and then there's something when they watch it and maybe it's not that scene but it could be another one that they've seen that they just it kind of it kind of melts them you know because there's such and it's not just the film it's the power of the story and the way it's being portrayed and realizing this is the effect that Jesus has on people and how he you know as the story progresses we know where it goes that he came to give his life and that's why this everything leading up to this crucifixion season is almost like a prologue because it's preparing the way kind of like John the Baptist did and there's indications of what Jesus knows what he needs to do and of course seeing that human side of him that we sometimes overlook as evangelicals I mean I would say I'd have because we focus on his divinity and his majesty and obviously all of that is true but we sometimes minimize the humanity and it was we we are no one scripture he's fully God fully met so 100% of both which is a mystery and so when you see his humanity in the context of the story and what he was called to do it's it's the attractiveness and the relatability that starts to become so important and such a part of the appeal not just of the chosen book of Jesus that he he did yet that's why people followed him they read there was something about him you know they compelled them to to follow this person even if they didn't understand exactly what that meant and isn't that true today sometimes we're so yeah I'll follow Jesus but we don't really okay there's there's gonna be a cost here some kind and we in the west maybe don't understand that completely but as I travel Alicia I see the cost of people are paying in other parts of the world especially in the Middle East and places that it's not safe to be a Christian it's not necessarily you know in your family even not to mention the state itself or places where there's just they're so entrenched in another cultural religion Hinduism Buddhism you know that it's just like that's all we know you know and how do you introduce this new person this new way of living this new reality to to people and yet that's what the Holy Spirit's for right he prepares the way it prepares hearts it's not our job you know and there's a saying at the chosen is not a job to change people it's just to bring the lobes and fishes which is a reference of course to the miracle of Jesus taking those lobes and fishes and expanding them and so and that's one of the thing the show is not the shows the chosen's job to win people to Jesus it's just to tell the story yeah and then what we do is come and see is part of that that third pillar I talked about the distribution is where the ministries that can help do that and I'll give you a quick example is a crew and they have been doing for the last year and a half watch parties where they will during us and they've done it at NYU in Columbia and they'll invite students to come and you know feed him pizza and show an episode and then they'll afterwards they'll talk about it and they'll what did you think and you know we're so quick as Christians to kind of proclaim and want to tell them what they should believe rather than just ask questions just invite people into a conversation and the results have been remarkable and they'll do like a whole season so eight consecutive evenings they have like a Monday night they'll do this and they've had some some wonderful stories to come out of that and they're really pleased with again the portrayal of the story in a way that's creative and kind of matches kind of the Gen Z sensibility which is around beauty and I'm a boomer my sensibilities around truth you know it's kind of like that's what I value and millennials they're about goodness right so you've got truth goodness and then Gen Z is all about beauty they like if it has that that ring of of you know quality and it doesn't not just an object but a production or a relationship or friendship that's kind of the most important thing now truth has to be there you can't deny that but it's not a true story then it's really just now it's just a story yeah but if it's a story well told and it's good for me and it has truth in it then you've got all those truth goodness and beauty kind of wrapped together but you've got the triathlon there yeah and and of course that's what the Greeks you know talked about but the Bible did it first right and to talk about that beauty of and and and Jesus really is there's a beauty in the story and a beauty in his person that is very attractive and not not to minimize what he had to go through at all but there was something about him that and still is very compelling to people and what he did to sacrifice is is also the thing how do we understand that that he did that for us yeah you know and with what this and we've all you know if you grow up anywhere around the church or something you know the story and you know the cross and all of that but again to see the portrayal in a way that will bring it I can't wait as this I get away till next year so that's the only thing so well so I think one of the themes that I heard through what you said one of the themes is that storytelling is a super powerful way to share the gospel why do you think that is especially through media like the chosen why has it been and why will it continue to be so powerful well I think first of all God made us to to you know understand stories I mean the greatest story of the ages is the classic story of all Hollywood movies right creation fall redemption you know hero gets introduced the hero has a crisis and the hero has a guide that leads him back you take take Star Wars insert Luke into that in Yoda and the dark you know all that stuff that goes into it C.S. Lewis once said that he said every myth has a story and because he was as a scholar he was an expert on mythology that's kind of what he did so every myth kind of has a similar theme but he said only the Christian story is the true story and he said and when people hear it they'll recognize it because God has planted that story in each heart whether or not you acknowledge it is there in one verse in particular is Ecclesiastes 311 that God has planted eternity in the human heart so there's something that people whether they accept it deny it whatever it is there and you can't you have to deal with it there's something beyond what we have here in this world and so that that true myth of C.S. Lewis called it as it's being told but it was through the Bible or through a book or through a film like that it resonates in people again depending no matter where you are you know in the world and I think that's where the story is something we have sometimes put aside in play in a place of it we put in the doctrinal realities the the steps and we we parse how Christian I'm speaking for myself we parse how Christianity into a series of propositions and so when you accept Christ it's a transaction I'm I'm being pretty cold about this but I think it'll it I think you'll get my meaning verses when you come to Christ and you understand what he's doing and you have to know it's not just yes it starts with the story but you have to know there's things that he did to for this to fix the the sorry state that we're in the fall you know and but then it becomes a transformation not a transaction and a life has changed and what I'm finding to Alicia is that we we put too much emphasis and I'm speaking for myself on that instant moment that this happens I think Jesus didn't call Christians to be his disciples he called people who were on a journey to know him and then as they then came to that point of realization certainly from his death and resurrection and the encounter with him in the upper room in the Holy Spirit coming upon them it's like oh K that this is what this is and I think it's no different today you know sometimes we we think you've got to have that moment and it can be where you realize oh gosh I'm a sinner I need Jesus I need to raise my hand and become a Christian and I'm not minimizing that but I think from many people it's it's it's the beginning of a journey to better understand who Jesus is and let the Holy Spirit do His work in our hearts and being in community where you can interact with people you can hear like in your church here message is being taught and worship music and talking with people and being a small group our church is just starting the the group of the process called rooted which is a long and a lot of church so using this now it's just it's kind of taking you through what it means to to follow Jesus and and I think we see in the disciples that they had different moments of awakening and the should the chosen kind of shows this like they oh they finally get it but not all at once right and and that's what's going to be kind of hard to watch in season six is how many disciples were actually at the foot of the cross when Jesus would be crucified just one you know one betrayed him of course let's let the leaven but the only one that was at the cross was John and and the women were there so otherwise the rest were hiding they were just scared other wits and and scripture tells us then when they met in the upper room after he had been risen but they hadn't seen him yet there's 120 of them you know well they had seen Jesus I'm sorry but they hadn't experienced Holy Spirit yet they were hundred only 120 out of all the throngs that he preached to and so who you know then of course Peter preaches for sermon and the Holy Spirit was there and 3000 people were added so it started to grow very quickly but in that turmoil of what was going on so I think we need to give people room that this is a journey and and to give them guidance and what I would call the discipleship to follow Jesus what that means and then let the Holy Spirit do its work to up transformation supernatural transformation for people and the story is just just helps us opens us up to what we can experience and I we have a we have a phrase too that at the come and see we want everyone to experience Jesus and we like the word experience where you can use word encounter but there's something about not just one you know start with that because the transformation will follow and as people then you engage with the community people start praying for you and and if you're in that that that particular place in life and you being in a city like you see it's just like people are they're looking for meaning and but it could also happen in a rural cornfield too so it just seems like the movement by the way in the movement towards cities is profound in the globally yeah it's it's something that in for ministries it's it's extremely important that those cities are cared for and that there's you know creative productive and and welcoming you know opportunities for people to be able to be engaged in these conversations and to meet Jesus in this way and often will be through through the you know the fellowship and the kindness and the the prayers of God's people you know in a community like that and to people feel like they belong be even before they believe but they believe belong here in that belief will then follow well as a 20 year New Yorker I couldn't agree more with what you said I also I think there is a ton of truth in what you said about the teaching of the church moving over time from transactional to sort of transformation I also have seen in my own church leadership that even when you teach transformation that for those who are looking to follow Jesus that there's an evolution for them right in their journey that it moves from transaction to transformation in terms of their understanding it seems to be part of those sort of maturity and part of the walk so thank you for sharing that and you know since we're talking about storytelling Stan and you alluded to you know things you've seen around the world as a result of your work with come and see can you share with us a story or two of something that's really moved you in terms of how the chosen has impacted people's faith yeah well I'll tell a quick story about in Egypt and I've been as I've said been spending some time in the Middle East and getting invitations to come but we were at a camp in Egypt sponsored by an evangelical church and this is not just any camp they they built this with some help from some American churches and they they have a soccer stadium that they built and so every day they bus in about 10 to 11,000 people now in Egypt it's illegal to prostitutize so you can you can practice as a Christian or as a Catholic Anglican but if you invite a Muslim to your church you you are violating the law and it would be subject to you know prosecution and so this camp is they they bring in quote unquote Christians but inevitably there are Muslims who are going to come too because it's this wonderful experience and they provide if any of you or your listeners have experienced a camp experience the Christian camp is like they have activities and you can do it'll a climbing wall and they had motorcycle demonstrations of you know stunt drivers and all that but then they had a room they had dedicated to the chosen and about about 500 people and so we showed episodes of the chosen my team and I in in Egyptian Arabic and so we started the first day and it was going to be the episode of Jesus Racing Lazarus from the dead which is the the conclusion of season four and and so we're talking about the front and so the the organizers come up and say would you give an invitation at the end of this particular screening and I didn't say anything but I had been told you know this is one of those countries where you can't prostitize and and I'm thinking either well aren't these all Christians but to myself you know I didn't say anything but I just followed and so that episode played and it's of course it's a great story and that is of Lazarus in his resurrection and the conversation that Jesus has with with Mary and Martha and he makes that famous statement I'm the resurrection of the life he believes me will not die but you know have eternal life and in the fact that he raised Lazarus yes he raised him back but Lazarus would would physically die again but he would also have which all of us have and that's the eternal life that we have in Jesus so anyway so the conclusion of this and of course it's in Egyptian Arabic and and so that the conclusion and then the one of the pastors came up and interpreted for me as I then gave an invitation and it was amazing how many people came up and including and they would because they tell me I'm Muslim and I know now the truth about who Jesus is so to me that was indication that this story will translate and of course the language translation was very important and as I watched them watch the chosen in Arabic and you could see their faces they just they got it but there's no barrier and they could could get to the story without the language interference and but then to see the the response of people and so it was it was quite moving for me and and you know I guess I could say maybe a surprise it shouldn't have been but that Muslims came forward so it's really encouraged me that there's a you know there are 2.2 billion Muslims in the world as many as there are Christians and so it's and it's the fastest growing religion and but it's you know the story is based in the Middle East it's a Middle Eastern story and Arab you know believers are some of the sweetest people in the world and so it's been exciting to see that so and then one quick story that didn't happen to me but I can relate to you what they've done in the chosen is they've developed some some characters or personality traits of known characters that help us better relate to what the story is saying and for example Matthew the character of Matthew is you would say just observing him he's on the spectrum now the first century they didn't have somebody like that but what the script writers have done so well is to relate the story to some current you know things that we would say today are going on and that's why you'll see sometimes you'll see it you'll see Jesus say something like he said when he says not too shabby is he he's when they put a clean a clean cloak over the leper at a ragged one well that's kind of a contributing but it kind of brings that relatability a bit so some of the characters they've they've written and it doesn't violate at all scripture in fact they're so faithful to the truth of scripture the integrity of theological integrity the fact that Matthew was a tax collector and that he you know was engaged in that world yeah I mean people who are on spectrum typically are really good with numbers and there's a there's a kind of a genius there so and he's become like one of the most popular characters I think people just really identify within so anyway so we get this letter from a from a mother and she said when I watched the chosen and first saw Matthew I wept for an hour because my 11 year old son is on the spectrum fact he's autistic and I never always have wondered whether he could understand the story in the scripture and know what it means to be a Christian so I had him watch the chosen and see this character and he said his eyes lit up when he saw Matthew and and I was wondering would he know enough to be able to accept Christ to have him in his life as his Savior and Lord and he came to his mother this is in the email that she sent us and said mommy I want to be a Christian wow so she prayed with him and and then later in his room he made up kind of a poster that said God loves me and she says you can't know how meaningful this is that this this character who I know is an actor but the way it was portrayed spoke to my son and we've had many there's another conversation that takes place between little James who is with the staff and is kind of you know disabled in a way and Jesus about healing and if you remember that it's in season three and there's again from scripture there is a scene where Jesus is sending them disciples out two by two and they're going to go out and spread the message and they're going to cast out demons and heal people and so and it's it's kind of it's a it's a charming moment in in the show where they have this and they're kind of looking each other like I've got to go with him you know especially who gets paired up with Matthew it's like because he's considered kind of strange you know by doing the disciples but anyway as these dispersing them they walk out little James with his staff he walks out behind Jesus and he says rabbi could I have a word and he says sure little James what is it he says you've asked us to cast out demons into heal yes why haven't you healed me and he's you know clearly struggles when he walks and by the way the actor who plays that character does have a disability and I've got to know him I asked him once did did they bring you on the cast for that this scene and I'm about to describe he said no that came up later and so so they're standing there and they're having this conversation and how many people that we know have ever asked that question God why haven't you healed me why haven't you healed my grandmother my son my what it's a it's a question that Christians ask and sometimes non Christians about well God's so great why isn't he fix that you know that person and so the conversation again is not scripture but it's so consistent with who God is who Jesus what he came to do and the theology of that we've all had to kind of work through on how does God heal and two things that Jesus tells him first he said little James just think how powerful it'll be this someone like you is healing others and and and the you know character nods like he's okay I think I'm getting this he's oh and by the way little James you will be healed it's just a matter of time and and and Lisa the number of people we have heard from just how that has been so meaningful including someone like Johnny Eric Centata you know who has been in a wheelchair for more than 50 years because of the diving accident how much that meant to her you know as a global you know Christian and what she does for for disabled representing disability and so again just credit these script writers for being so faithful with scripture but then telling us okay there is some there's maybe a character here that we can develop that would help people understand better and relate better to who Jesus is and so those kind of things are coming up more and more we hear them and it's just quite it's humbling quite honestly and I just credit how God has been been so faithful and Dallas Jenkins is so willing and submissive to what God wants for this show to do the best in terms of quality but let's not be away from what God wants us to do in this and there's so mindful then careful about that so but again it kind of starts with telling a good story in a good way the quality you know has to be there and it's no different than your your podcast if you didn't do this with quality people wouldn't listen you know so your message gets muddled that it's not done well or an artist you know paint something or a book is written or a sermon is preach or anything that when we communicate to others and we do it with the best we can give that God has given us you know the first person to be filled with spirit of God in the Bible was an artist hmm his name was bezel L hmm and in Exodus 31 you read the story where the spirit of God filled bezel L so he could make beautiful objects for the temple he was already an artist he was but this this a special anointing a special filling was for the for the skill of even being better as a craftsman hmm and I think that's for us is that that's what God wants for us to whatever you're called to whether it's in banking or art or school teaching or you know medical field or whatever you know be the best you can and bring that that beauty of your giftedness to whatever it is and people will be attracted to that want to know more okay yeah what's your story right we all have a story right so that's what God uses in this whole you know I say communication but this whole telling of the story includes our story as well yeah and it makes it so real for people you know in this conversation Stan I'm struck by how many times we've used millions and hundreds of millions and billions as we talk about how God is moving and using the chosen but the story is really I think bring to life for people the impact and the power so let's let's go back to the numbers actually for a moment Stan because I know the mission I've come and see is to reach a billion people with the with the story of Jesus let me ask you a couple questions about that first is how far along in that goal are you yeah probably right around 300 million right now wow and we count a view or assume you a viewer so these are viewers versus the number I quoted earlier was views because one person can have multiple views but a viewer is someone who's washed at least five minutes of one episode so it doesn't mean that there are three and a million people have seen the entire series but they've at least been introduced to the chosen and and part of that is we work very closely obviously with five and two studios who do the production of the show and they have a course of strategy for both theatrical and streaming and all those things that go into when you make a product like this known in the world and it's it's really important and they do a wonderful job Lionsgate is their commercial distributor and then of course Amazon Prime it's available now I'm Amazon Prime doesn't go outside the US so you then Netflix becomes a factor but then other broadcast platforms as well that satellites are another part of what is how it's being portrayed but to get to that number of a billion it's going to it's going to take you know we think it could it take well in the 20th 2030s and as you know there's this date of 2033 that of course a lot of the 2000 you know anniversary but we've kind of set our bar a little higher we'd like to get to three billion by 2033 so that's only eight years you know by that but it's going to be at least it's going to be these million ministries these ministries like crew and prison fellowship and and local churches and we're seeing especially with this season five which is the Holy Week season and then getting into the crucifixion I don't think you're young enough do you remember that passion of the Christ from that first day of course I'm definitely young okay that was 2004 when that came yeah well you meant old enough right Stan you meant old enough oh yeah old enough excuse me yeah I thought you're maybe too young to remember that one but it it it was a dramatic had a dramatic impact in the world and the church really came to its you know to the conclusion as well we need to invite people and develop you know study guides and all of that it was it was a great example of what this story can do there'll be a difference because now the season six is if you could say it's the passion of the Christ only whereas Mel Gibson passion is suffering so really focus on the suffering the hard brutality that Jesus endured which is all important for us to to know and experience in that way what the chosen's approach will be is more the compassion of the Christ so meaning to to suffer with that he did this for us and so it becomes basically what the Bible says it is it's the greatest love story in the Bible that God so loved the world that he sent his son well sending meaning he sent him to die you know or in Romans where it said God demonstrated his love for us so while we were still sinners Christ died for us and for Paul it's interesting my wife and I went France a couple weeks ago for a little vacation and went through a lot of this everybody does and go to your all the cathedrals right from Notre Dame to all the other and there's crucifix is all through you know because they're built by the Romans and they're Catholic and and I remember growing up it's like well that's kind of weird you know you have Jesus in the cross he's not in the cross anymore you know he's in heaven he's you know he's risen from the dead so I think we sometimes as again as evangelicals we've underplayed the crucifixion and and obviously Paul also said that without if Christ is not raised then we're all fools you know for talking this message but he also said I preach nothing except Christ crucified that was his that was his driving if you will motivation and throughout his letters he talks about the crucifix Christ how important that is for us to realize and what's interesting is in that first century Alicia that was a terrible message the Greeks hated it because they're all about wisdom let's not wise why would somebody come and then be be killed and the Jews didn't like it because you know they're after a Messiah that's going to rescue them from their oppressors and the Romans thought I was stupid because you know Roman citizens were it was not crucified you had to be you couldn't be a Roman citizen to crucify this wouldn't do with so so shameful it's scandalous it's but that's what Jesus did he he took that on and the shame and he endured that for us and it's just like wow and people start to and I've even gone through my own little kind of journey through us as we come up to the season we have to embrace that and realize what he did how big a sacrifice that was now again we have Jesus coming back and that'll season seven but we know in the Bible it's from the dead a conquering death and the grave and Satan and but it's still a presence among us like Lazarus yeah I raised you but you're still going to die but we have this eternal hope this eternal weight of glory is as he has to let's call it that but to not have the cross as part of that story in a profound way minimizes what we have in the resurrection and the fact that we will raised that even those that have died and so I think that the chosen and we're really counting on churches to really help with that as well to get that message out and to really show the world and it's it's a story then too that does does play in the Muslim world to play in the Buddhist in Hindu so these 4.2 billion people more Christians you know or more probably more than that this story is going to have a profound effect and and the way they're doing it there's a typically the seasons have and so far through season five have eight episodes so it's an episodic show for season six they're going to do six episodes showing the from the kiss that we create Jesus so that's that moment in the garden then he was arrested and we know then all these things that happen the trials the denial of Peter all these different things that happen will be in the first six episodes as the chosen is so good at telling developing these characters and taking giving us some background in place of the last two episodes they have already shot a feature film and they did it in matera Italy which is one of the oldest villages that is still inhabited it's over 2000 years old and it is where male gifts and shot passionate the Christ fact the three crosses for that movie are still there oh you're kidding but it's got that ring of authenticity of cinematic quality they wanted this not to look like it was in the sound stage but to really feel like this is where it could have and this is the kind of place it would happen yeah and they were there in the month of June shooting it it was extremely difficult Dallas posted on social media how difficult it was both from the heat and the circumstances in the place and the Italian film crew but but what we've been told is what is come out of that is going to be profoundly impactful for that movie and so these six episodes will release in the fourth quarter of next year so before Christmas and then the movie will come out in the first quarter of 2027 so before Easter that it'll come out in preparation of course for that holy week that year yeah and then season seven which is we'll open with a crucifix with a resurrection movie so similar kind of idea but they'll begin the season and that will open in the spring of 2028 before Easter and then the other episodes follow that when he was on earth for 40 days doing different things and of course it's sparse the information about what he did in those 40 days when he did the road to Emmaus of course we know that and he had the you know breakfast on the beach with the fish and the disciples and he forgave Peter and all the things that happened that's all after the resurrection so they'll then conclude the season but that's still you know two years away for that two and a half years away so lots to do and to reach that number as you said of the three billion it's going to take well past the conclusion of the chosen into you know the uh uh 2033 is kind of our goal but there's you got to have you know got to be ambitious with those goals even though it seems like it's impossible we probably won't get the 600 language is done by then that's going to take some some doing but this is kind of the world you've lived into is how technology change finance and like it was changing art as well and translation and so the ability to employ some of the technology that didn't exist just a few years ago then now can be used to create you know effective episodes with the translated you know dubbing that is possible so we just god god has something in mind so he's just going to be faithful and follow what he's what he's doing that's right and i'll go back to the the one of the very first things you said at the beginning of this conversation which is that god is moving fast um you know we we know technology is moving fast but i think i don't think we always remember that technology is of god that he is over all of that and he is using it and these huge numbers that seem so staggering and so um unreal to us um god is moving fast so let me let me leave it with just a one final question for you Stan so um we have thousands of pastors and other ministry leaders who listen to this podcast and i have to imagine they're excited and they're thinking how can we get involved you talked about you know the million ministries million including churches that you need to further this work how can they get involved well we would love there's a we have a an app of course you can download the chosen app and by the way you just develop a what's called a light app for those places in the world that the full picture would would be more than their phone can handle so but the website come and see dot net is probably you can you go come and come and see foundation dot org but just come and see dot net will take you to our website and there's buttons for resources and uh for we have sermon outlines and one of the most effective things if we have time real quick is we have a library of clips and we're expanding this even more where uh there's a particular scripture uh and then the clip that would then show what that scripture has been portrayed in the chosen and and pastors can download this and then use and even provides sermon outlines so that's under under the resources tab uh on there and um and then also there's ways to be involved in prayer we are so grateful for and depend on the prayers of people we have a call we call them the prayer crew and you can sign up without any obligation you don't have to be to donate to be a part of it and we have almost 200,000 people have signed up to pray and they get a regular email they can opt in to receive an email that she'll okay here's what we're doing we're they're filming in Italy now pray for that or they're in in you know post-production pray for that or pray for our translators as they work in this so uh but the website will give a lot of you know information and a way to contact us and and uh and get involved so we'd love to um you know hear from from pastors and and my email is real simple stand at come and see.net and if if there's a pastor it wants to just reach out and say hey how can I get involved um happy to to respond to that so um yeah it's we again we are um we are it come and see is is the kind of the bridge if you will for for churches and ministries pastors you know those are working in the creative arts to be able to then utilize this I call it a catalyst you know catalyst is something you add to what's already existing and it just gives it more energy and more movement I mean it's a chemical reaction takes place so wonderful ministries and organizations and churches already have things in process and small groups meeting and then this is like put this catalyst insert what you're doing and make it a part of your strategy as you go forward especially leading into holy week next year for 2026 and then at the end of that year is when the crucifixion season will be released so um and again I think we we've seen this too where you said the the technology that we have enables people around the world to be able to see it and to experience it and many churches have connections to ministries that are global and uh you know to be able to either they have people that they've sent into these regions or to be able to you know connect with ministries that are working we have one real quick wave of ministry that works with us called the bucket ministry and they um they basically go into slums in primarily africa but india and they have a five gallon bucket that has a filter attached to it and you can pour you know sewer water into it and it comes out drinkable and so what they're doing is showing episodes then of the chosen someone from that local you know knows the language goes in and shares with them we've had some dramatic testimonies of people who have watched this in in their language and uh realize that there is more than just this space here and and then you try to help in other ways as well but just to give them that hope yeah and so those kind of ministries are are abundant and it's exciting to see what but ministries are doing with this this catalyst uh call the chosen i love it well um we'll leave it there for today sian um i just want to thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing about the mission and um all the beautiful work that's being done for the kingdom i've learned so much i'm excited i'm encouraged and i know our listeners are as well good well thank you for what you're doing you're part of the you're part of this you know this process of getting this word out and podcasting is it's the new reality of how people access content information find out what they should do so thank you for what you're doing your faithfully podcast thank you sir thank you for tuning in to the faithfully stories podcast we pray this episode gave you the encouragement you needed to continue on your journey the faithfully stories podcast is brought to you by faithfully an online community committed to empowering church leaders pastors staff and volunteers the faithfully digital platform offers innovative and practical tools and resources to enhance connection foster collaboration and promote growth within the church and ministry space remember to subscribe rate and review our podcast to help reach more listeners like you stay tuned for more uplifting tales from the front lines of ministry on the faithfully podcast stay bold stay faithful and never underestimate the power of your own story