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Slumdog Christian-heirs
Christianaires |
Greetings!
Introduction
Many people have watched the powerful 2009 movie Slumdog Millionaire. In the movie there is a wonderful rags-to-riches story about an impoverished boy (Jamal Malik) whoexchanged his difficult life experiences into the correct answers of life on the Indian Hindi version of 'Who wants to be a millionaire.' Some insist the movie is based on a true story, while others think that the original novel is based on some true experiences in India. No matter how the movie evolved, it has a wonderful real life application for anyone who has ever experienced life as the 'under-dog'.
This spiritual bulletin is for anyone who has ever felt like life has dealt them an unfair 'hand', or that the consequences of their circumstances or family upbringing are irrevocable or unrecoverable.
The life application of Slumdog Millionaire is worth examining in light of where many under-dogs have been, or are at the present time. Possibly you have never received the opportunity to go to college, people have always made fun of your misfortunate or handicaps, or your family or work place has always glossed over your true abilities. We could list all the potential misfortunes that exist in a socially unfair world, and many of the readers would relate. This type of feeling is the very thing that makes the application of Slumdog Millionaire so powerful; it illustrates the greatest distance traveled from living in a slum to a successful life. It allows the reader/viewer to provoke the internal thought that If Jamal Malik can exchange his circumstances into real answers, possibly each of us can too!
This Bulletin is broken into the following topics:
1. How did Jamal Malik exchange his misfortune?
2. What does this have to do with Christianity?
3. Who is a Slumdog Christian-heir (Christianiare)?
4. The victory in obedience
5. An upcoming interview with a Slumdog Christian-heir
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How did Jamal Malik exchange his misfortunate? | |
Jamal Malik had to make a transition in his mind not to view his unfortunate circumstances as negative and hopeless. Something inside of him had to generate enough faith to know that one day he might exchange his problems, struggles, and poverty with something of greater value. This kind of faith is exactly what was mentioned about Abraham in Romans 4:18 (He had hope when there was no hope). It is that mustard seed of faith that exists in anyone such as an Abraham or Jamal that allows them to turn a negative chapter in life into a positive new beginning. Jamal also had to be ready for his moment of exchange. The game show was his place of exchange where he could redeem/exchange his experiences of life for the answer that allowed him to continually process each bad chapter of life.
The game show was his moment of truth where his faith in his past could not be perceived as a bad circumstance, but an opportunity to usher in a greater future for himself. However, Jamal had to re-enter his past and let it meet the present moment in order to reach his destiny. Another key aspect of the movie was the fact that the real reason he was on the game show was to win over the girl-friend Latika (Freida). He was less concerned about the money, but extremely drawn to the love of His life that he felt was his to win over.
The movie is told in flashback sequences of a journey of a young boy who did not allow the hand he was dealt to keep him from finding all that he desired. This exact message of traveling through our past, meeting our present, to obtain our future destiny is the exact experience we can each leverage, and is conveyed in the recent book - The PearlWithin, an Interactive Journal through your past, present, and future to find the true pearl within you. |
What does this have to do with Christianity? | |
I am glad you asked! When you boil Christianity down to its simplest form it is a powerful story of exchanging or redeeming what we were born into, into something of far greater value and worth. However, before we can find that worth, we must confess (as Jamal did) that we must exchange who we are/were into who we want to become. This is not just some cheap belief as in positive confession; rather it is a childlike belief in the name of Jesus who is our Savior, Lord, and redeemer. Yes, a redeemer who literally redeems our issues, sicknesses, sinful natures, unfortunate circumstances for something of greater value (Galatians 3:13: Job 19:25.) This is why Jesus states in Mark 13:45 that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a Merchant of fine pearls, when he finds one of great value, he sells or exchanges all he has for the one of greater value. Jesus is a redeemer with anyone and everyone who desires to exchange with him when they look to Him as their savior and redeemer.
Jesus knew that merchants are exchangers of things and on the look-out for the moments of time where they find something to exchange with; that is what merchants do. Many reading this very bulletin may be on a personal search of a life-time, but continue to come up empty handed. It's time for you to act like a merchant or Jamal and have that mustard seed of faith so you can exchange your issues in life with a new life of greatness. It's time many of you have the boldness to exchange your past issues, your under privileged circumstances with things of greater value; by starting with the promise of eternal life.
Ironically, Steven Curtis Chapman's great song 'Sing Out Loud' begins with the very words that related to Who Wants to be a Millionaire; he sings "Imagine this, I get a call from Regis Philbin, asking if I want to be a millionaire, they put me on the show, and I win with two life lines to spare ...; but I have been given more than Regis ever gave away." Steven Curtis Chapman speaks for all of us who realize the great value of our redeemed nature and potential is not measured in money.
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What is a Slumdog Christian-heir? | |
"Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? James 2:5
The above scripture passage stands on its own; by stating from a scriptural perspective that the promise to everyone who has felt poor in spirit, mind, body, family, upbringing, intellect, and/or finances. I personally believe that God loves the under-dog. The reason God loves the under-dog is because He generally gets more glory, credit, acknowledgement and praise from those who did not earn things on their own. People who are not under-dogs will generally boast and take credit. This concept is far too simple, but is also the very reason the plan of salvation itself cannot be earned. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
When we are Saved, we are literally heirs to the greater things -- through the exchange or redemption process then we ever thought possible. However, we must first be Saved through acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior, who redeems my sin and past. Without that initial redemption, we cannot redeem the other things in life. When a sinner becomes Saved they have the new authority as a Son of God to start redeeming things in exchange for their former misfortunate circumstances. This redemptive process is my right through Jesus Christ. The Bible says that I am an heir with Christ and therefore a Son of God, versus a slave to God. A slave always sees misfortune and their under-dog status as their lot in life; whereas a Son sees that the Father has greater things ready for them to redeem through His son. The reality is that we have access to the things of the Kingdom of God through our redeemer, who redeems things for us; yes He is greater than Regis Philbin! Galatians 4:7 and Romans 8:17 sums up the concept of being an heir to Christ, versus a slave.
� "So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God." (Galatians 4:7)
� "And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ ..." (Romans 8:17)
Hopefully you can put the pieces together and see that at birth I may have been born as a 'Slumdog,' but by faith in Jesus I became an heir to Christ and have access to the throne room of God. By having access to the throne room through my Redeemer (Christ), I can redeem things in the name of Jesus (Ephesians 1:14). I am truly a slumdog Christian-heir (Christianaire). This was the same act that was fulfilled by Jamal; he redeemed his past experiences for something far greater.
There is great speculation that suddenly Jamal was thankful for his past experiences. This same kind of thankfulness for our past may be a great start for any of us to give God credit and allow our redeemer to exchange and redeem these experiences with something greater. The book The Pearl Within shares an entire chapter on Thankfulness and the simplicity of redeeming the past.
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In the movie Jamal wins the game show - the Million dollars, his girl friend, and avenges the disobedient acts of his brother who found a dishonest way in life to get ahead. Jamal stayed the course of obedience, and when his obedience becamed fulfilled by exchanging the past for his destiny, he naturally overcomes his brothers misdeeds and disobedience. This story-line is so incredibly like a Christians promise of overcoming acts of disobedience. II Corinthians 10:6 states that when a person's obedience is complete, their acts of obedience will revenge or overcome the acts of disobedience (make sure to read this powerful passage). This is a powerful incentive to realize that we must stay obedience, as that is what God rewards. Once our obedience is complete, God works on our behalf to show the disobedient that He is pleased with our obedience. In Jamal's case as well as ours, part of our obedience is complete when we learn to 'Thank' God for our birth, our negative and positives experiences, and have the faith that allows him to exchange the missteps through his redemptive power. Imagine our power, when we exchange our misfortunes with God's promise for greater things and eventually learn to fulfill our obedience. When this happens we will get the Godly pearls that God has promised. On the other hand be reminded that if you never can answer what God's will is, or are in a cycle of always trying to find it, it will be impossible for you to complete your obedience and rule over disobedient people or deeds. This is the very reason I push people to answer the question ... Why did God give you an assignment? Without answering it, they will never complete their obedience, simply because they can't identify it. |
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A Modern Day Slumdog Christian-heir Interview - This Sunday |
 This Sunday at 4:00 PM CST we will be hosting the radio show called 'Gossiping the Gospel.' With a modern day example of someone who has redeemed 20 years of incarceration with the great things of God. David C. Hairabedian will be our guest. As a young boy David C. Hairabedian had a tremendous gift from God for dreams and dream interpretation. Unfortunately after many kids made fun of David's gift he ignored the gift and started straying from God. This happened to the point that in 1989 David C. Hairabedian conspired to steal a jet airplane to import drugs for the Columbian cartel. As a result, he spent the next 20 years incarcerated in the U.S. Federal Prison System. At age 26, while in a dirty prison cell inside the super-max building at Leavenworth Penitentiary David experienced a visitation from the Lord calling him to deep repentance, salvation and also into the ministry. David responded to this call. The vision David received inspired the founding of HEART of America Prison Ministries, a ministry that provides first quality leather-bound study Bibles, Christian resource materials and a discipleship newsletter to those behind bars. HEART currently serves approximately 5,000 inmates in more than 800 facilities. David went on to earn his Bachelor's Degree in Theology and has authored more than thirty teachings, booklets, and tracts. David is a living testimony of exchanging his experiences into far greater value. Join us Sunday at 4:00 PM CST by dialing into (347) 633-9687, or online at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/focusonheaven. For a head start on this great redemptive story please visit http://davidhairabedian.com |
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| We believe that we all have far more redemptive value then we care to admit (Thanks be to God). However, we must start taking an active role in exchanging the past for our future destiny while living in the present day. After hearing David Hairabedian's testimony on Sunday and correlating the movie Slum Dog Millionaire, you may b e convinced that as a Son and heir of God, and joint heir with Christ, you may see some of your greatest days ahead of you! In this bulletin through simple illustrations we are trying to redeem the story and analogy as we apply scriptural evidence that God, as a great Father has far more in store for us than many of us have ever realized.
We would love nothing more than for 1,000s of people called ChristianHeirs (Christianaires) to start claiming the possessions that have been designed for them. Added to this would be all the people who could examine their act of obedience (call of God) to see if it has been completed. Upon completion, start watching the defeat of disobedience. Who knows this confession may fix more issues than we could ever imagine. Go back and read II Corinthians 10:4-6 and you may understand how this really happens. I need to state that it was our friend David Hairabedian who recently illuminated this passage with us. David continues to redeem his experiences through brokering knowledge, people, and the gifts of God. Don't miss his testimony!
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