On August 28, 2015, the Kendrick brothers' new movie, War Room, debuted in theaters across America.
On that day, Stephen, Alex and Shannon were filled with anticipation; but not in the way one might expect.
For them, the matters of business and monetary success are simply the necessary, worldly mechanics that enable them to continue making history in the Christian film and publishing industries.
What They Were Doing on Release Day
So, what were the brothers doing the day War Room released?
"Anticipating what God will do."
Their response gives candid insight into these brothers and their unprecedented success.
A seeming paradox exists in the upbringing of these filmmakers: they were raised in a home without a television for a good part of their childhood. Their only exposure to filmed entertainment was in the form of infrequent trips to the nearest movie theater to be awed by the newest Disney® film. While watching these animated offerings, a love for the artistry of filmmaking was born.
Three Brothers and an 8mm Camera
As adolescents, the three brothers borrowed a neighbor's 8mm camera and set off to create their own brand of entertainment. Bit by bit, their individual roles and giftings began to emerge.
The tech-savvy Shannon would discover technology and learn its applications; Alex, the storyteller at heart, would develop the movie plots and plan the shots; and Stephen, the most daring of the brothers, would jump off the cliffs or blow up the firecrackers—whatever it took to produce the scene.
The love of filmmaking that was birthed in these three men as preteens has led them down a path that none of them could have foreseen. Shannon the administrator, Alex the director and Stephen the producer have proven to the world that movies with a strong Christian message aren't only possible, they're desperately needed and whole-heartedly embraced by millions.
War Room is their fifth movie project since 2003; each one has greatly surpassed its predecessor in monetary success; but, more importantly to the brothers, each has resulted in ever-growing numbers of lives impacted by the truth of the gospel.
The Sturdy Familial Foundation of the Kendrick Brothers
One may wonder what lies at the heart of a story of such accomplishment.
"We have a praying mom at home who, at 72 years of age, gets up every morning and prays for us and our kids by name," Stephen said. "We have a dad who walks in integrity, loves the Lord and models what a humble Christian life could look like. So, we have some incredible roots. The older we get, the more grateful we are for those roots and to see what God has done with them."
Contrary to society's view of siblings, rivalry seems nonexistent within the Kendrick ranks.
They consider working so closely with family members to be "a little taste of heaven on earth, in a lot of ways; [when] you love one another and you all love the Lord and you believe the best in one another . . . there's this ‘iron sharpens iron' accountability that goes on between us where we're sometimes gently, lovingly rebuking one another; or appealing [to one another], ‘Please pray for me.' There's an honesty in our relationship that I think the Lord has blessed." Stephen's words seem to speak the hearts of all three brothers; as Alex says, "What makes it work is the fact that we're all believers and want to honor the Lord."
How Film Changes Lives for Eternity
Obviously, something is working well in this band of brothers.
Five feature length films, film festival awards, screenplay awards, millions in box office revenue and DVD sales, the number-one selling DVD in the country—all this spells success in anyone's estimation. But beyond these amazing movie industry stats lies a much more powerful kingdom influence.
There are, to date, more than 17,000 churches that have rented the Kendrick brothers' movies, affording them the opportunity to present biblical truth to an audience that may not otherwise enter the doors of a church. From this venue, incredible stories of life-changing impact emerge.
"A church rented one of our films (I think it was Fireproof or Courageous) and [a couple from the church] begged their son to come," Alex said. "To pacify his parents, he said, ‘Fine.' So, he drove his motorcycle over, sat there and watched the movie. He went forward and turned his life over to Christ. Then he got on his motorcycle and was hit by a car and killed.
"His parents wrote us saying, ‘Thank you for your films. It was the last thing he saw and the catalyst to bring him to Christ before he died.' Now, tell me a price you can put on that. You can't; it's invaluable. We don't plan on that. We can tell a story, but the Lord changes the heart. We know the Lord is behind these stories."
A Film About the Power of Prayer
The story of War Room revolves around the need for prayer in the Christian life.
Books and Bible studies abound on the subject; yet, the message seems to be largely unheard. By portraying true-to-life situations to which most of us can relate, the Kendrick brothers hope to capture the attention of the church in this crucial area of faith.
"We are hoping churches will become praying churches; . . . men and women will become praying individuals; families will become praying families; Christian businesses will become praying businesses as a result of this movie."
The Inspiration of War Room
On their website, Kendrick Brothers Productions shares about the impetus behind the movie.
"We made this film to inspire, challenge and motivate viewers to fight the right kind of battles and to fight them in the best way possible," Alex said.
"I'm hoping people will watch this movie and say, ‘Man! That's what I've got to do! I've got to fight in prayer. I've got to fight the right enemy. I've got to aim at the right target with the right weapons.' And the right weapon is not bitterness. It's not selfishness. It's not all about me. The right weapon is, ‘God, for Your glory and using Your weapons, I'm resisting the enemy—the true enemy—and I'm fighting for my husband, or my daughter, or my son, or for my boss, or for my president.'
"Scripture says you must pray for these people. It's a mindset; it's a battle of the mind; it's a battle of the heart; it's warfare. If we do it the right way with the right weapons, we gain ground," Stephen said. "Ephesians 6 says to put on the armor. And then it says [we should be] praying at all times with all perseverance for all the saints for all things. Basically, [this means to] put on the armor of God and then get busy praying, because that's where the battle is taking place."
When Is the Right Time to Pray?
And what is the right time for prayer, according to Stephen?
"One of the messages of this movie is ‘pray first.' Pray first before you go into a meeting; pray first as you go into the day; pray first before you make a major decision; pray first before you give up and quit; pray first instead of worrying. When you pull the Lord into the context of what you're working on, everything changes. Your attitude changes . . . your pride changes to humility in the presence of the Lord; believers start working together in unity."
Stephen continues, "I love [the words of] that old hymn, ‘I need Thee; O, I need Thee. Every hour, I need Thee', because they are so true. The first words out of Jesus' mouth in the first sermon He preached in the first Gospel were, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' Well, what does that mean? It means to be so spiritually dependent upon the Lord that you're perpetually begging Him, in order for you to survive in that moment: ‘I'm needy of You every moment. I'm spiritually impoverished; I'm begging You and I'm desperate for You.' And Jesus said it's those people who have the kingdom of God alive in them: the presence, the power, the work, the intervention of God in their lives. If churches can't grab hold of that, we will fail today as a church; we will not have a fellowship of believers, we'll have division; and we will not have salvation, we'll have hardened hearts to the Word. We won't have discipleship.
We won't have cultural change unless we're dependent upon the Lord—unless we're crying out and seeking Him and His face. If churches would get that and pastors would get that, it would completely transform them because they would become houses of prayer."
Article courtesy of HomeLife magazine.
From the award-winning creators of Fireproof and Courageous comes War Room, a compelling drama with humor and heart that explores the power that prayer can have on marriages, parenting, careers, friendships and every other area of our lives. Click below to see War Room Bible studies, church campaign kits, prayer journals and the War Room novel.
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