The actor who portrays the father of two of Jesus’ disciples in the popular Bible-based TV show “The Chosen” detailed a “mind-blowing” encounter with God he had while filming.
Nick Shakoour plays Zebedee, who is the father of the “sons of thunder” James and John, but he doubted if God even existed when he was first cast in the role.
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“When I first signed up to do ‘The Chosen,’ I had a conversation with God and told Him, ‘You probably don’t even exist’ because of where I was at,” Shakoour told CBN’s Ashley Key. “And something in me opened up. It was like a black hole started to open up and swallow me alive. And I heard my heart call out, say, ‘If you don’t call out to God right now, this is about to get really bad.’”
Two of the construction blueprint designers invited Shakoour, who was raised Greek Orthodox but didn’t really believe at that point, to a church conference where he experienced God in a new way.
“I got on my knee, and for the first time in my life, I genuinely gave [my idols] all to God. As in, ‘This is my offering to You,’ because I’ve been on this show, ‘I’ve been hearing about You. I’ve been hearing about these parables and I just want to be with You now.’ So I gave Him everything,” he explained.
Then a group started praying for him and an elder anointed him with oil.
“From the bottom of my feet to the top of my head, it was like fire was passing through and burning everything that I had in me away to where I was gonna ask them to call 911. It was like, whoa, I’m getting dizzy, what’s going on? And it was frightening,” Shakoour said. “I felt God’s presence.”
Shakoour said, “since then it’s been one encounter after the next.”
Expounding on his relationship with Jesus, he said, “Like I know the guy, like I know Him because He’s in me and He’s around me and all I have to do is address Him and He’s literally right there…I’ve never experienced God like that.”
Later he found out from two construction workers on the set, John Hart and Michael Singh, that they prayed an actor would receive the Holy Spirit and spread the gospel on the set.
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“God did this to the loudmouth voice actor who’s blabbing on set in between takes because I can’t help but to talk about how mind-blowing this was,” he concluded. “Once this happens to you, there’s no going back.”
Nick’s story reminds me of the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” So powerful.
WATCH HIS TESTIMONY WITH CBN BELOW:
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Caleb Parke is the SMG managing editor. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and connect with him at calebparke.com.
