Originally published in Movie Guide
Christian filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick report that 50 people accepted Christ after a viewing of Overcomer.
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“I’m grateful the Lord has been carrying us through all of this,” Stephen told Movieguide.
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The multiple salvations are just one example of the miracles the brothers have heard in response to their movie.
“To hear that 50 people came to Christ in just one screening, and that churches were leveraging [the movie] for the Gospel, to hear people respond online that not only were they entertained by the film, but we see the responses that God spoke deeply to [them] about who [they are] in Christ, it’s everything we hoping would happen in the hearts of believers,” Stephen said.
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Alex said that he believes much of the success of Overcomer—which broke records for the number of theatres showing a Kendrick Brothers’ movie—stems from the amount of prayer behind the scenes.
“The more we went down the path of identity, the more prayer we knew was needed,” Alex said.
“We believe that the Creator gets to define the identity of His creation, and that’s where we find the truest version of our identity, and who we were meant to be, when we find ourselves in the One Who created us. That [process] took a lot of prayer and sensitivity as we wrote the script and made the movie. Our desire is to draw people to a relationship with God and to have them express their faith in Him,” Alex said.
Stephen said, “We never know how the Lord is going to work. We just know that He’s going to do something, and He’s going to get the credit for it.”
Overcomer’s message seems to be hitting the mark with viewers.
Audiences awarded the movie 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, exceeding the scores of other Kendrick Brother movies like War Room (87%), Fireproof (82%), Courageous (86%), and Facing the Giants (85%).
The brothers shared a story of one reviewer who was greatly impacted by the movie.
Alex recounted the YouTuber’s words: “I was totally blown away by this film. I totally was not expecting the impact it would have on me. I laughed. I was entertained, but God spoke to me deeply as I watched the movie. I realised I need to forgive some people who’ve hurt me. I began to study Ephesians 1 and 2.”
The brothers said the response is exactly what they prayed, and they will continue to follow the Lord’s prompting as He directs their steps.
“For us, being successful and obedient in God’s eyes is more important than being successful in the world’s eyes,” Stephen said. “We believe that God has called us to do [these movies] and we are going to aim for overt biblical message at the church, calling the church to full surrender to the Lordship of Christ.”
