Rivka-Ep 04: Troubled Times

Provided by: JesusFilmMedia.org
Greenlit by Antoy Grant

Lanuage: ENGLISH
Length: 18 mins

Yacoub rushes Ayoub back from the fields. He’s bloody and broken by robbers who came after their flocks. The women rush him inside and gently lay him down. Sara’s frantic and asks where Dawud is. Ayoub says he wasn’t there.

Sara goes on about how irresponsible Dawud is. But she takes a moment to stop and thank Yacoub for his help. When Mariam comes back with water, she says the whole town is saying the attack may have been because they follow Jesus.

Ayoub says that may be true. But everyone must choose, like the rich young ruler. Laila quiets him and continues. The rich young ruler asked Jesus what he had to do to get eternal life. Jesus told him to sell everything and follow Him. But the man wouldn’t give up his riches to follow Jesus. Ayoub says God could ask for their reputations and safety. But it’s a choice. And in choosing to follow Jesus, they build their house on a foundation that cannot be destroyed.

Dawud runs in and apologizes for not being there. Noura comes next, saying she’s heard what the town is saying but declares that she will stand with the family. Mariam says she will continue to choose to follow Jesus, no matter what.

Rivka hurries in and looks over Ayoub. Dawud is quick to step away from her, but she asks him for help setting Ayoub’s broken arm.

After Ayoub’s cared for, Rivka and Noura talk in the courtyard. Noura says she’s been thinking about Jesus and finds herself believing that Jesus is the Messiah. Rivka asks if she’s ready to give her life to Jesus and follow Him. Noura says there’s not much left of her life, but she’ll give the rest to Jesus if He’ll have it.

Rivka tells her a parable. A vineyard owner hires men in the morning, at midday, and in the afternoon. At the end of the day, he pays each of them the same thing, despite the work they’ve done. The owner is generous, even to those who come last. She says when the work is done, Jesus will welcome both she and Noura into His presence.

How does Ayoub respond when the town thinks the attack was because of his beliefs?
What does Mariam learn from the story of the rich young ruler?
What does it mean to you that God is generous, like the vineyard owner?

Following Jesus requires sacrifice. The rich young ruler tried to follow rules. He had hoped that Jesus would give him a final rule to follow, something he could do without truly sacrificing much of his life. But Jesus asked him to sell all of his many possessions and give them to the poor. Then he should follow Jesus. The disciples left everything they had to follow Jesus. He is all we truly need. Ayoub was willing to sacrifice their safety and reputations. God will require us to sacrifice parts of our life to follow him.

Following Jesus is a choice. God doesn’t force the sacrifice of Jesus and our own lives on us. But Jesus reminds us that God is the only thing strong enough to withstand everything that happens in life. “So then, everyone who hears My [Jesus’s] words and puts them into practice is like a wise man. He builds his house on the rock. The rain comes down. The water rises. The winds blow and beat against that house. But it does not fall” (Matthew 7:24-25). If you’ve decided to follow Jesus and you do God’s will, you can be sure that you will never be ripped from that relationship no matter what happens in life.

“God is our place of safety. He gives us strength. He is always there to help us in times of trouble. The earth may fall apart. The mountains may fall into the middle of the sea. But we will not be afraid”(Psalm 46:1-2).

Rivka and Noura talk about the choice to follow Jesus. Noura wants to follow Jesus, though she’s not sure God would appreciate having her late years. Rivka assures her with the parable of the vineyard owner. God is generous. Like the Prodigal Son, He welcomes us with open arms. The time, age, and circumstances don’t matter. What matters is our faith in Jesus and that He atoned for our sins against God.

TO WATCH MORE LIFE-CHANGING FILMS GO TO: JesusFilmMedia.org

Read More

Rivka-Ep 03: Daily Bread

Provided by: JesusFilmMedia.org
Greenlit by Antoy Grant

Lanuage: ENGLISH
Length: 22 mins

Mariam eats in the fields with Dawud. When she walks back, she spots a young man named Yacoub struggling with oxen in the field. She laughs and smiles at him. But at home, Moussa tells her that his cousin has proposed a marriage.

She tries to tell him a marriage to Enoc wouldn’t work. But he doesn’t understand. She goes to her mother and says the marriage wouldn’t be right. When Moussa asks why, she answers that Enoc doesn’t follow Jesus. Moussa gets upset and says he doesn’t claim to follow Jesus either. Will she disown him too?

When Mariam leaves, Moussa tries to tell Laila how good the match would be. He’s trying to make sure the family is cared for before he goes. Laila tries to assure him that Ayoub, Dawud, and she would care for them. He’s worried about the trouble with Dawud. But he’s also concerned for Laila’s health. She insists God will provide.

As Mariam helps Laila cook, she tells her mother that she doesn’t want to be like oxen. She explains she had seen Yacoub struggling with oxen in the field because they wanted to go two different directions. Mariam thinks that being married to someone who doesn’t follow Jesus would be like those oxen.

But she also wonders about causing trouble. She loves her father and she hopes she’s not doing something wrong by refusing to marry Enoc. Mariam asks Laila how they can really know they’re right in following Jesus.

Laila says they can trust the Scriptures. Every prophecy written about the Messiah came true when Jesus lived, died, and rose again. She says that Scripture has been proven true, that God inspired them, and He protects them. She insists the Word is their hope and nourishment. Mariam wonders how to live in faith. But Laila says God will provide that too.

Dawud comes in from the fields angry over Moussa leaving. But Moussa asks him to watch over the family and hugs him. Early the next morning, Moussa gathers his things, says goodbye, and leaves for Beirut.

Why does Mariam think marrying someone who doesn’t follow Jesus will be difficult?
What does Laila say to help Mariam with her doubts about Jesus?
What did this episode show you about doubt and faith?

The Bible has 66 books written by at least 40 writers over more than 1,500 years. The writers include kings, prophets, philosophers, military men, a farmer, a fisherman, a doctor, and a tax collector. They wrote in three different languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. But through everything, God has kept His Word consistent.

The Bible has been tested. Prophecies were given about the Messiah hundreds of years before He came. Sixty of the major prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled by Jesus. Most of them were about events Jesus couldn’t have controlled.

Laila quotes Paul when she says, “God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right” (2 Timothy 3:16). The Word, proven to be true and from God, has been given to us for everything in life. It may not cover every specific situation. But it reveals God’s will for our lives and guides every situation with its principles.

TO WATCH MORE LIFE-CHANGING FILMS GO TO: JesusFilmMedia.org

Read More

Rivka-Ep 02: Handiwork

Provided by: JesusFilmMedia.org
Greenlit by Antoy Grant

Lanuage: ENGLISH
Length: 24 mins

Mariam and her friend Daliyah visit Rivka. But Rivka and her husband fight over his work as tax collector. He thinks Mariam visits to talk with him about Moussa’s taxes. Rivka apologizes and asks to walk back with Mariam.

Rivka and Sara talk while they clean wool. Laila, though still weak, is away, helping a family in need. And Sara is tired from caring for the family… and being pregnant. Rivka starts to smile but she realizes Sara’s afraid. Sara explains that she’s had miscarriages and she and her husband Ayoub had hoped to move closer to his family. She’s frustrated because she feels stuck waiting, and far from God.

Rivka assures her that even Jesus’s disciples felt alone sometimes. She mentions the time when the disciples were in a boat with Jesus. A storm came up over the lake and Jesus stayed asleep. The boat was taking on water and the disciples were about to die. So they woke Jesus up and asked if He cared about them. Jesus calmed the storm. But He rebuked them for having little faith. It was okay to be afraid. But they had doubted whether He cared for them.

There’s a knock at the door. Soldiers hand Noah a summons for Moussa. He’s to report to Beirut for work. Mariam insists on taking the summons to Moussa in the fields. Sara says this is one more thing to worry about and wonders where God is in all their troubles. Their neighbor, Noura, comes by to check on them. When she hears about the troubles, she wonders where God is, too.

Rivka tries to encourage both women that God loves and sees them, especially in hard times. She reminds them of Adam and Eve. Even when they rebelled, God looked for them. She assures them that God has done that again in the life and sacrifice of Jesus. Even imperfect people can be reconciled to God. Rivka uses the dirty wool to illustrate. Sara sees dirty wool now. But she also sees the beautiful rug she’ll make from it. Rivka says God sees us now, but He can also see what we will be. She says Paul, an apostle of Jesus, calls us God’s handiwork. Noura marvels that Rivka makes God seem so close. Rivka insists He is.

Mariam and Noah find Moussa and Dawud in the fields. Though his children plead and angrily protest, Moussa resolves to obey the summons and go to Beirut.

How do you feel during hard times?
What does the story about Jesus and the storm tell you about your troubles and His care for you?
What does it mean that you’re God’s handiwork?

There are a number of things Sara’s worried about. And she doesn’t feel very close to God in the middle of it. But Rivka tells her the story of the disciples, the storm, and the power of Jesus. We can rely on Jesus to love and care for us. To remember His love, we can look to the cross and John 3:16. “For He so loved the world, that He [God] gave His only son, that whosever would believe in Him shouldn’t die, but should have eternal life.”

Later, Noura and Sara continue to worry and wonder about God’s character. They wonder if their own sin is keeping them from Him. In those times, physical ailments and trouble were seen as punishment from God. But Rivka uses the wool to demonstrate how God sees us. Every day, we’re being made into something beautiful. And even now when we’re imperfect, we are loved by God.

“I am sure that the One who began a good work in you will carry it on until it is completed. That will be on the day Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6). We won’t be perfect until we’re with Him. But because of Jesus, we can draw near to God in troubled times and good times and know God’s love for us.

TO WATCH MORE LIFE-CHANGING FILMS GO TO: JesusFilmMedia.org

Read More

Copyright © 2023 MANGOSEED.TV All Rights Reserved. Movies, shows, videos, content and images on this platform are trademarked or licensed property of Mangoseed.TV. Some content on this site may be the copyright property of others, and acknowledgement of those copyrights are hereby given. All such content is being used with the written permission of the owner. Duplication, copying, or redistribution of any  content  on this platform is prohibited.

Follow Mangoseed.TV
Get Mangoseed.TV Apps