Fighting Temptations

The Fighting Temptations

Another fun movie that’s worth showing. Starring Beyonce and Cuba Gooding Jr, we follow the life of a New York ad-man who returns to his home town after his Aunt Sally dies and as part of the will has to lead the Church Choir into the Gospel Explosion competition in order to get Aunt Sally’s money.

In Chapter 14 (DVD) we find the choir singing a song called ‘Love Rain Down’ and see that people start coming to the church. Music isn’t worship but music can stir the hearts of people if used wisely for God and with God’s anointing. It brings a smile to my heart hearing lively gospel songs too – try it!

Chapter 15 sees the hero Darren have his past catch up with him. He’s run up a whole load of credit card debt and has been fronting about his life (the reason why he gets sacked at the start of the movie). One of the church members (called Paulina) is only too happy to announce his problems in front of people at the church carnival. The point is that we reap what we sow, we cannot front before God and get away with it. Let’s live lives of truth and integrity. God sees everything anyway! (1hr 27mins into the movie) 

Chapter 17 – The self-righteous Paulina has assumed control of the gospel choir in the Gospel Explosion competition and starts telling people they need to get right with God. In fact, she’s made a list of everyone’s ‘sins’ and is about to publicly announce all these sins. (I think we’ve all got these types in our churches!) 

Then Darren and Beyonce turn up and Darren assumes control. Paulina won’t go without a fight but her downfall comes through the baptised members of the choir voting to throw her out. This is ironic as she was the one who insisted on the choir being baptised. The Reverend also reveals that Paulina has been lying about her supposedly ‘dead’ husband. Another lesson in not being hypocritical, reaping what you sow and integrity.

(1hr 38.50mins into the movie, this clip has parts of singing from the Blind Boys Of Alabama in the middle of it). This is a fairly short clip so you’ll need to run it on to 1hr 42.32 when Paulina is kicked out of the choir!

Chapter 19 – The uplifting ending to the movie. Again, the music is funky and full of life. Unlike many of our churches. There are lessons in this movie about music believe! But we do see a church united, singing together and worshipping God. This is the kind of church I want to belong to. You?

By the way the Christian rapper T-Bone is ‘Briggs’ – one of the convicts in this movie and his music features during and through the end credits of the movie. Big ups to T-Bone. See a good review of the movie here.