How to Share Your Faith Using Season 3 of Heroes

Sci-fi meets supernatural in the edgy television drama Heroes.

Think it would be awesome to possess such superhuman capabilities as reading people's thoughts, becoming invisible, time traveling, knowing the future, exhibiting incredible strength, and being indestructible? The traumatic destruction left in the wake of the Heroes' characters endowed with such capabilities, might make you think twice.

As season three unfolds, the secret formula giving humans these extraordinary abilities has been compromised, providing a glimpse into a future where superhuman abilities are for sale to those who can afford them. It's all about power, destiny and the future of mankind. The bad guys are determined to use the DNA from these specially gifted people for their own evil purposes, while the good guys are on a mission to save the world from a formidable future.

In the spiritual realm, the Evil One has a similar agenda. He is determined to take the good gifts God has given us and corrupt them for his own evil purposes. He's an expert at distorting God's truth and deceiving people with his lies. Eve in the Garden of fell for his distortion:

"Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"  The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Gen. 3:13)

And his deceptions continue. The Evil One takes God's blueprint for sexuality and distorts it with his lies about the lure of lust, porn and sex outside of marriage. Or consider our God-given appreciation for beauty. The Evil One is hard at work distorting beauty by turning it into an obsession with outward appearance and deceiving us with the lie that our value and self-image are determined by our physical appearance.

So as you find opportunities to talk with friends about the TV drama Heroes, try turning the conversation in a spiritual direction. Here are some ideas to help you bring God up in the conversation:

• Would you like to have some of the supernatural abilities the characters in Heroes exhibit? Why or why not? Which power would you be most interested in having, which least?
• If you had a supernatural power do you think you'd be tempted to use that special power for your own self-interest or do you think you would be motivated to use it for the good of others?
• Heroes is all about a reality beyond what we can see with our physical eyes. Ask your friends if they believe in a supernatural, unseen realm. Share what you believe about God.
• Find out if your friends believe in a personified evil force (Satan), who seeks to distort the good gifts God has given us and corrupt them for his evil purposes. Share what you believe.
• Heroes raises questions about whether at their root humans are basically good or not. Ask your friends if they've ever thought about this issue. Explain what the Bible has to say about this in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Share the good news of Jesus free gift of salvation and forgiveness.

In the real battle between good vs. evil, the hearts and souls of all mankind are at stake. Step up and enter the fray by telling your friends the good news of the gospel.

Jane Dratz serves as Editor for Dare 2 Share Ministries International (D2S) in Arvada, Colorado, a ministry committed to energizing and equipping teenagers to know, live, share and own their faith in Jesus. For more information about D2S, please visit www.dare2share.org.