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Shawn Bolz: "FALLING STARS: The Harvest is RIPE in HOLLYWOOD! A Call to ACTION Toward the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY" by Shawn Bolz Jun 26, 2009 From the desk of Steve Shultz: Dear ElijahList Readers: It's imperative that we learn and grow as well as show great compassion during times of crisis, whether the death we observe is of a famous person or someone completely unknown. This is an Issachar time to understand what is being allowed to happen "on the same day" by those who are known. This timing has to be more than coincidental. Both deaths yesterday (and a few previous ones to yesterday), were ICONS in Hollywood. The Bible teaches that there IS a time for each person to die. Unless we are alive when Jesus comes back, we will each have to face that day eventually ourselves. Observing what God is allowing, the timing that it takes place, and learning to weep with those who weep, is very key right now. We are rarely shown who accepted Christ "just in time," but whether they have received Jesus or not, the pain felt by surviving relatives is very real. At just such a time, our sympathies must be apparent and we should learn what God is teaching us with the timing He allows.
Blessings,
Shawn Bolz: "FALLING STARS: The Harvest is RIPE in HOLLYWOOD! A Call to ACTION Toward the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY" A Commission of Love is Being Released Toward the Entertainment Industry The tragic passing of both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson in one day has hit the heart of Los Angeles in a devastating way. These two cultural icons that pioneered in their respective industries were loved. They were controversial, they were famous, they were broken, they were incredible—they were two people Jesus paid the price for on the Cross. For those of us living in Los Angeles, these kinds of events give us a much different perspective on the world around us. As I watched people gathering on the streets for both of these stars, my heart broke. The issue of what happens after the death of some, like these, hung in the air. I have been receiving emails all day—so many people had a burden for these two superstars. I know many Christians who surrounded Farrah Fawcett all the way to the end. She was prayed for. She put her hope in God. She was believing for miraculous healing, and she was even reading books from a Christian perspective about this. I am so grateful for her choices in the end. She will be missed. Michael Jackson also had many Christians in his life giving him hope. They believed for restoration of who he was, not just as an entertainer, but as an individual. A radical Christian friend of ours was going to be one of the choreographers on his new 50-concert tour. God was surrounding Michael Jackson with people who were called to love him on this mission ground of Hollywood. You and I Are Responsible for the Famous Entertainers It is society that raises people up to stardom, and society is responsible for their failures, their brokenness and their extreme behaviors. The Church is as responsible as anyone for popular culture. We have a responsibility to love the entertainment industry well. This is one of the reasons why I planted a church in one of the entertainment capitals of the world—to provide hope and family to people who live in this cultural city. We are supposed to respect and honor those who have leadership and influence in society, even if we cannot honor their message or methods. When the Father created them, He was preparing a place for them in Heaven. He hoped that they would spend their whole lives in eternity with Him. Because of what Jesus did on the Cross, God treated them their whole lives as being worthy of His love. We are not supposed to treat them with any less value. The Father doesn't judge these people with a permanent curse because they are not saved or are not walking with Him; He only judges them on the day they die, and His judgment is based on whether they chose Him or not. We need to give celebrities the same value and the same love the Father does. It was proven through marketing statistics that the reason Kris Allen (of American Idol fame) won this season was because Christian America was rooting for him. Kris was talented, but Adam Lambert, the runner up who many thought was more talented, was not as appealing to the fans of the show. The Church caused Kris Allen's rise to stardom and it is now responsible for its future treatment of him. We have to shepherd the famous, love them, and help them find their true identity. This has never been truer than now. Because we haven't taken responsibility, there is a whole culture of people who are badly wounded and broken. They feel estranged from the very people who are supposed to represent the love of God. Instead of love being our response, we have rejected an unreached people group. Many of us have felt righteous in the process. Let's start to take responsibility. Maybe you don't know how to actually affect culture as a Christian, but these people are cultural leaders in our society. We are called to action concerning them. We are called: 1. To pray that God reveals His love to them in tangible ways. 2. To pray that ungodly influences are cut off from them. 3. To pray that they won't be an immoral influence. 4. To love them like they are part of our heart—like they are family. These famous people are being raised up as voices, as icons and as idols because they have something to give to the world around them. They have a message. They are a voice for those who have no voice. Sometimes their message is absolutely polluted, but that doesn't mean their gift is not from God. We can see redemption of these people and their gifts. There Will Be a Revival Amongst the Unreached People Group Called the Entertainment Industry There will be revival amongst the entertainment industry, but it is only going to break through as Daniels and Josephs love these people well, and as we raise up a prayer movement among those in the industry. These are going to be the two keys to revival breaking out in this harvest field. This is where you and I come in. It's time to raise up prayers and to accept the responsibility to love entertainers and the industry they are in. It's time to influence them, not just with faith-based initiatives, but with compassion and kindness, whether they embrace Christ or not. It is time to answer the offense towards Christianity with authentic love. Planting Mission Movements in Entertainment Cultures Taking it a step further, I believe the Lord of the harvest is sending workers to the harvest field of the entertainment industry in a way that has never been so widespread. People are coming from all over the world to provoke God's love in the entertainment industries by working there. Almost every major ministry we are connected to has begun to send people to minister here. Others are releasing people because they believe in their calling. Bethel, MorningStar, YWAM, Campus Crusade for Christ, TAC, Harvest Rock, HIM, Iris Ministries, etc. are all seeing the value of going into this industry to reap the harvest that is promised to Jesus. The Entertainment Industry is Like a Third World Nation in the Spirit When I came to Los Angeles to plant a church, I had a vision of a group of us ministering to one of the most extreme third world poverty people I had ever seen. Then my eyes opened and overlaying the vision was "Los Angeles." I immediately received the correlation that we are in a place where people die all the time because of their spiritual hunger. LA and other lands like it are third world nations in the spirit, and their people need intense love, effort and provision given to them in creative spiritual ways. I want to call you to action. If you have no way to directly go yourself into this mission field, connect the dots to someone who is there! About fifty percent of the people in our church are in the entertainment industry, and we are about to rent a building in the West Los Angeles area (around or in Hollywood) within the next three months. There are groups like us that you can partner with to make a difference. Let your heart be gripped with compassion for the cause! Help us bring in the entertainment field's harvest! In the love of God, Shawn Bolz July 12, 2009 July 16-18, 2009 July 24-26, 2009 1-866-354-5245 (USA) -OR- 1-541-926-3250 (Outside the USA) "Pray, Pursue God...and Laugh While You Do It!" by Ray Hughes, Larry Randolph and Bobby Conner $17.99 3-CD Set Or Take Advantage of Our Download Store! $10.99 MP3 Download "One Thing: How to Keep Your Faith in a World of Chaos" by Chuck D. and Pamela J. Pierce $14.99 Book "Transported by the Lion of Judah" by Anne Elmer $8.99 Book $12.99 2-CD Audio Book Or Take Advantage of Our Download Store! $5.99 PDF E-Book $7.99 MP3 Download Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact. ElijahList Publications |