STUDENT DISCUSSION GUIDE
IN THEATERS DECEMBER 2ND
www.Believe.Film
#WhatDoYouBelieve
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Introduction and Plot
Synopsis:
Business owner Matthew Peyton finds himself alone and
feeling hopeless after his company faces bankruptcy, his
employees go on strike, and the local Christmas pageant his
company sponsors must be cancelled. When he’s beaten up
and left for dead, a miraculous encounter with an optimistic
young boy, C.J., will give Matthew the opportunity to renew
his belief in himself, his community, and the power of prayer.
Through the presence of C.J. and the gift of new friendships,
the Christmas pageant, the failing business, and Matthew’s
perspective on life may all experience redemption.
Believe is a story of faith, hope, and the gift of relationships
God brings into our lives. This discussion guide is meant for
small groups and youth groups to use when watching this film.
As you use this guide to foster discussion about the themes
and ideas presented in Believe, we hope you have an open
mind and heart. There are different portions of the guide,
including ACTIVITIES for movement and play, a DISCUSSION
GUIDE for asking questions and having a conversation about
the overall themes in the film, and a DIVE DEEPER section as
a short devotional with a passage of Scripture. Use any or
all of the elements to foster great conversations and further
steps of faith!
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ACTIVITY #1 (BEFORE THE MOVIE):
Calculate Your Worth
Give each person in your group a piece of paper and something
to write with, along with a calculator (if they don’t already have
one on their phone). Explain that you’d like each person to
calculate, to the best of his/her knowledge, how much money
you are personally worth based on what’s been spent on you
at this exact moment. Make an estimate at how much was
spent on:
* Clothing (including shoes, jacket, belt, purse, backpack)
* Accessories (watch, earrings, rings, etc.)
* Electronics (phone, iPad, laptop, etc.)
* Medical and dental (braces, medicine, etc.)
* Food you consumed today (meals, snacks, drinks)
* Transportation (mode of transportation you used to get
here, including gas, bus tickets, cost of vehicle, etc.)
Then ask these questions:
* What was it like calculating all the money spent on you?
What made it easy? What made it challenging?
* Did anything surprise you, encourage you, or bother you?
Describe your response and why.
* When it comes to spending money, how do you determine
if something is “excessive” or if it’s “necessary”?
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ACTIVITY #2 (AFTER THE MOVIE):
Practicing Righteousness
In Believe, Matthew and Nancy realize there is a community of
people living without heat in winter, so they choose to provide
blankets for them. Nancy notes to Matthew that their act is
just for one night, but at least it’s an act of service meeting the
needs of others.
As a group, brainstorm some of the tangible and immediate
ways you can serve your local community. Ask these questions
for your group:
* What are the physical needs of people in our immediate
context and community?
* Who are the people whose needs are not being met?
* Where are the people located?
* What can our small group do to meet one or some of
those needs?
* Who is already serving in our community that we can
partner with? (Look up local missions and services your
group can volunteer to help)
* When are we going to serve together?
This creates a tangible plan for your group to practice
righteousness and serve others in need!
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Discussion Guide
Questions
1. The town celebrates a Christmas pageant and festival each year
as a tradition. What are some traditions you practice during the
Christmas season? Why do you think those are your particular
traditions?
2. Which character do you relate with or liked the most in Believe?
Why do you think that character connected with you?
3. Nancy describes Matthew as materialistic and a workaholic, but
he points out that he’s just working hard and giving to others.
What do you think is the difference between being a “hard
worker” and a “workaholic”? How can you tell the difference in
someone’s life?
4. The whole town gets upset with Matthew for canceling the
Christmas festival, but he points out that no one has ever tried
to help him before, and they still won’t. Who is at fault in this
situation? How could the problem have been fixed sooner?
5. Sharon tells Matthew that external circumstances aren’t what
matter—it’s “the world inside” your heart that counts. Do you
agree or disagree with this worldview? What can be the negative
affects of not looking at people’s external circumstances? What
are the positive affects? What is the difference between being
optimistic and being naïve?
6. Matthew describes the inheritance his grandfather gave him
through a story about farmer: “treasure is in the toil.” What did
you think of the parable? Does this seem like good advice or
poor advice? Why?
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7. C.J. tells Matthew, “If you believe in your heart and pray long
enough, it’ll come true. That’s how God answers prayers.” What
do you think about this view of prayer? Can you think of stories
from the Bible that demonstrate this perspective to be true, and
stories from the Bible which may give a different view of prayer?
What do you think is the purpose of prayer?
8. Sharon tells Matthew, “People like you forgot about people like
us.” Think about your own community or city—what keeps people
from thinking about those in need? Who are the forgotten people
of your community? What are some practical ways to remember
and serve those people?
9. Nancy calls Matthew a “righteous man,” and defines righteous
as “right action, no matter the consequences.” How would you
define righteousness? What criteria can you use to determine
whether or not an action is “right”? How can someone grow in
righteousness?
10.Near the end of the film, C.J. repeats the phrase, “I believe!”
Who or what does he believe in? How can you tell?
11. One major theme in Believe is the meaning of true wealth and
abundance. Think about three different characters in the film:
Matthew, C.J., and Sharon. How are each of these characters
wealthy? What kind of wealth do they have? How do each of
these characters experience poverty or scarcity?
12. The film often jumps around in time through flashbacks and
slow-motion, such as the opening scene. Why do you think the
filmmakers chose to tell the story in this way? How does this
strengthen the narrative?
13. Why do you think the film is titled Believe? If you could rename
the film, what title would you choose and why?
14.Where is God in Believe? Describe how God is present within the
film and different character’s relationship with him.
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DIVE DEEPER:
The Parable of the Unjust
Steward
READ LUKE 16:1-15
So Jesus says to cheat your boss and use other people’s money to
make friends. That’s our lesson. Let’s close in prayer. (Just kidding).
Let’s agree that this is a difficult and confusing story. But if we take
time to prayerfully think and discuss this, we may find the call to
action Jesus is demanding.
First, the person in this parable is described as a manager or a steward.
What’s a steward? It’s a person who has been entrusted to manage
or be responsible for someone else’s property or estate—someone
in authority entrusts the steward to take care of the business. In
this story, the manager/steward is in charge of the wealthy man’s
possessions and accounts.
In Believe, there are two different accountants in this stewardship
position. Each behaves in completely different ways. One is dishonest
and selfish; the other works hard to do the right thing, even when it
costs her. In Jesus’s parable, the steward is a mixture of both. This
steward has not done a good job—he’s been accused of wasting the
resources and being lazy. He’s going to be fired and punished for it.
His responsibilities will be taken away from him.
QUESTION: Have you ever been fired from a job or let go from a team?
Tell that story to someone here. How did that experience affect you?
This story reminds me of two other parables. In one parable (Luke
19), a wealthy master gives three servants different amounts of
money. Two of the servants invest the money and make a profit,
while the third buries the money out of fear. The master takes away
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the money from this third servant, because he didn’t use it wisely or
gain anything.
In another parable (Luke 20), Jesus tells about a man who planted a
vineyard and gave it to a group of farmers to care for it as tenants.
But when the master sent his servant to get some of the fruit of the
vineyard, the farmers beat up the servant. He sends another and
another, with the same result, finally sending his own son, whom the
farmers kill. The owner of the vineyard will take away from the land
from the farmers and give it to someone else.
There’s a common theme of being given responsibility for something,
but the servants not doing their job properly, and ultimately the
wealth and job will be given to someone else. Perhaps Jesus is telling
these parables to wake up the people—both in ancient Israel and us
today—to their own stewardship practices.
QUESTION: What are the resources God has given you to steward?
Think of material possessions, personal skills or abilities, and
relationships. Where do you think you need to invest more of your
time, energy, or money?
After telling the parable and commending the steward for using
money to gain friendships, Jesus says something profound in verse
13: you can’t love God and money. When it comes to wealth and
finances, there are two extreme (and false) theologies about money.
First, there’s a prosperity theology. This is the health-and-wealth
gospel declaring that God wants us all to be happy and rich, and if
we trust God enough he will inevitably bless us. God rewards our
belief with material wealth and good circumstances. But this doesn’t
seem to resonate with passages like the one we just read, nor does
Jesus model this—he was a poor, homeless guy who gave up the
riches of heaven to be a human and died on a cross!
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On the other hand, there’s an ascetic theology. This is the idea that
being in poverty and rejecting material possessions will automatically
make you closer to God. We can see this in various monastic
communities in the past, as well as those who say that money is
inherently evil and bad. Yet God also created the material world in
Genesis 1 and called it very good. The book of Acts shows the early
church sharing and distributing their wealth and possessions with
each other, not abandoning or destroying it.
QUESTION: Which of these extremes do you tend to lean towards?
Why do you think that is? What might be a third way to view wealth?
Being poor doesn’t make you closer to God, nor does being rich
make you automatically farther away from God. What matters most
is being in relationship with Jesus, regardless of financial status.
Jesus makes us closer to God, not our financial circumstances. It’s
all about God’s generosity, not our bank account!
With both the shrewd manager and the characters in Believe,
relationship with others is more important than material wealth. The
best stewards are those who use the resources they’ve been given
to invest in God’s kingdom, loving others generously, practicing
mercy and compassion in the name of Jesus.
ACTION STEP:
How can our group be generous in our relationships? Who are some
people we can better serve this next season?
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IN THE ATERS DECEMBER 2ND