Josh Newell, executive director of the Jesus Film Project, recently announced an effort to further spread the Gospel through a powerful animated movie about Christ's life and ministry. The feature film is set to premiere in theaters in 2025. "It flows out of the heart of our mission, which is to reach everyone, everywhere, no matter what language they speak or where they live," Newell told CBN Digital. "And lifting up the story of Jesus is something we've been doing for close to 44 and a half years at this point ... it's really in our DNA."
The nonprofit leader said the choice to tell Jesus' story in animated form is important to reaching the next generation in "compelling and relevant ways." The original "Jesus" film, which was released in 1979, has, for decades, been brought to communities across the globe, delivering the Gospel in more than 2,100 languages. The movie is many times the pathway through which people discover the Lord and begin a spiritual journey with Him.
With so many millions impacted by the movie over the years, Newell said he believes the secret to its success is rooted in the film's reliance on God's Word. "It's not just a movie," Newell said. "That's really the bottom line; it's a movement. It's based off of the Word of God in the Gospel of Luke. So, the script is taken from that." He said the "Jesus" film's inclusion of so many languages also enables people to seamlessly hear the Gospel. With that in mind, the eternal meaning behind Christ's words resonates.
"To hear Jesus say, 'I love you' in their own language ... that's really powerful," Newell said. The "Jesus" film has been viewed by an estimated 10 billion people over the past four decades, with 633 million people indicating a decision to follow Jesus. Listen to him explain.