 Jesus...No Greater Love The truth of the gospel never changes. But Christianity has many faces. They reflect the customs and cultures and the beautiful diversity of the global church. They are lined with the wisdom of age and vibrant with the passion of youth. One gospel for all the world…but how will we deliver it in a way that reaches the whole world? How will we reach the next generation? Young Christians today are more like St. Francis of Assisi than a circuit riding preacher."“Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary, use words." This is a generation focused on being the hands and feet of Christ and meeting the physical needs of those in both the local and global community. They are building houses, planting gardens, taking food and clothes to the poor and helping the widows and orphans… and then they are sharing the gospel. And they are using technology like never before. They communicate the message through audio, film, video and the internet, and they strive for excellence within those mediums. They must. This is how they will reach their generation for Christ.
Bruce Marchiano shares their passion. As an actor, author and international speaker, Bruce is the founder of Marchiano Ministries, a non-profit organization reaching out to people both spiritually and practically in the USA and across the world. He is best known for his joyful, passionate portrayal of Jesus in the film, The Gospel According to Matthew. Marchiano captures the heart of Christ that is so often missing in Christian films, but the quality of the film making was constrained by an $800,000 budget. Now Marchiano is inspiring a movement that will bring Jesus to film in a version that literally leaps off the screen and into the hearts of viewers.
Jesus…No Greater Love, the new Jesus movie, (see www.NewJesusMovie.com) will be a word for word, verse by verse film adaption of the Gospel according to John. "The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. That's really our concept, that the gospel would go out in the power of the film medium, unaltered by any human script writer," Marchiano says.
The new Jesus movie is more than just a technological update of previous films in the genre. "The story as it is traditionally told begins in a manger or with John the Baptist and takes us through the events of Jesus' human life—healing, teaching, the cross and the resurrection," Marchiano says. "This new Jesus movie tells the story from the point where it truly began—'in the beginning' as John writes, with Jesus as God before the dawn of time and creation."
Many people have formed their understanding of Jesus from the images that movies have shown—Jesus as a weakling, showing little emotion and pausing often to gaze at the heavens. Marchiano's Jesus is a passionate hero, God's perfect embodiment of manhood, who gives everything to complete His mission. For the first time, the gospel will be revealed through the prophetic, holistic, kingdom perspective of Jesus, whose every move fulfilled the past, reached out to the present and provided for the future. The script includes imagery that ties specific moments in Jesus' ministry to Old Testament prophecy, Israel's past, and glimpses of Revelation.
The budget for a typical Hollywood production is $100-110 million. Actors' salaries account for much of that cost. Because the new Jesus movie will be not be paying big name actors, Marchiano and his team feel they can produce a world class, state-of-the-art film incorporating the latest cutting-edge technology for just $45 million. The production will be shot on location in Jerusalem and shot digitally using CGI backgrounds and a green screen stage, providing unlimited potential for sharing the gospel for generations to come.
His experience as a hired actor in The Gospel According To Matthew observing the production of a for-profit project convinced Marchiano that the new Jesus movie would have to be produced differently. "As I sat on the sideline, I saw this clash between business and ministry, and it seemed that ministry tended to lose. When I felt God's clear call to make a Jesus film that would truly capture the heart of his Son, one that would reach every culture and win souls around the world, I knew it would have to happen apart from the influence of profit seeking investors," he says.
So who will produce the Jesus film for the next generation? Marchiano and his team are inviting Christians from all nations and all generations to join this movement to bring the gospel to all people. A movement made of 4.5 million Christians contributing a tax deductible donation of $10 each would fund the cost of the film. "In all humility, I am asking Christians around the world to support us, to unite across culture and denomination in the name of Jesus. It will be a long process, but if we all pull together, we can get this movie made—that the nations might be saved." The Gospel belongs to everyone, and the new Jesus movie will be produced expressly so it can be accessed by everyone, no matter their financial situation. Marchiano's vision is to see the film translated into as many languages as possible and supplied to mission organizations and churches all over the world.
The new Jesus movie movement is already drawing support from noted Christian leaders. "Bruce Marchiano is a gift to the Body of Christ as an accomplished actor, a missionary with a burning passion to spread the Gospel to the multitudes and by the way he lives his life as a vessel for Jesus' glory," says Dr. Jack Hayford, President of International Foursquare Church and founding pastor of The Church on the Way. Friend, best-selling author and popular Bible study leader Kay Arthur comments "What a wonderful tool this will be, the living Word of God. I know lives will be touched all around the world. You can’t make a better investment! Join this life changing and valuable project and make an investment that will have eternal value."
Many have anticipated the launch of this movement and the grassroots buzz to become producers of the film indicates a growing excitement. The film makers must raise $45 million by March 2010 to begin production of the film in time to make the scheduled premier in 2011.
You can become a part of the movement to reach the next generation. Donations can be made at www.NewJesusMovie.com Source: Bruce Marchiano and The New Jesus Movie 2009 | 
