Men in Black with Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney
This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we enter week four of our Summer Blockbuster Series with Men in Black starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. The world is more than it seems, and we’ve got to be prepared with an approach of curiosity, humility, courage, and tenacity. Along the way, we’ll find ourselves over our heads and engaging in new experiences. But once we go through our initiation, we’ve got to invite others to join us. We make this look good—join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.
Quotes
Your new identity is it’s not about you.
Understanding the Kingdom means you understand the world you see better.
Kingdom of God doesn’t come through observation, but revelation.
God doesn’t mind you asking tough questions.
To be ready, you have to be ready to be taught.
The world is more than it seems.
Themes
Aliens as an allegory for the supernatural
There’s more to this life than we can see.
Training your replacement/discipleship/equipping the saints
Requires humility, willingness to learn, admitting you might be wrong
See the truth in the chaos
Curiosity
Weren’t looking for someone to prove themselves
Takes toughness, courage, tenacity, perseverance
Have to be FAT-Flexible, Available, Teachable
Skills you used to have don’t apply.
To become above the system, you lose your old identity.
The tension between “I have something valuable to offer” with “My old skills won’t work in the new reality.”
Resources
“One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” - Luke 17:20-21 (NLT)
“When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.” - 2 Kings 6:15-17 (NLT)
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” - Ephesians 1:17-23 (NIV)
“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” - 2 Peter 1:5-7 (NIV)
Questions
What activities suck the life out of you?
Which activities energize you?
Where can you exercise humility, admitting that you could be wrong?
Who reminds you of a younger you, someone who needs your expertise?
How do you exercise flexibility, availability, and teachability? On a scale of 0-10, where would you rate yourself?
More info
If you would like to support our work (and get some behind-the-scenes perks), visit our Patreon page, www.patreon.com/menatthemovies. Get invites to livestreams, ebook devotionals drawn from a movie, even free merch. If you’d like to do a one-time contribution (a cameo appearance), visit www.menatthemovies.com/investors.
Edited and mixed by Grayson Foster (https://graysonfoster.com/)
Logo and episode templates by Ian Johnston (https://ianhjohnston.com/)
Audio quotes performed by Britt Mooney, Paul McDonald, and Tim Willard, taken from Epic (written by John Eldredge) and Song of Albion (written by Stephen Lawhead).
Southerly Change performed by Zane Dickinson, used under license from Shutterstock
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