Watched The Chosen? This new resource plans to turn the show into a Gospel conversation

During a tough season, as he was struggling with work and relationships, Raj Govindharaj was browsing Netflix when a thumbnail featuring a long-haired Middle Eastern man caught his eye.

He pressed play on the first episode and was so captivated by the show’s central character – Jesus – that he ended up binge-watching all five seasons in four days. By the end of it, he felt a renewed sense of hope.

The show that Raj, who comes from another religious background, had stumbled upon was The Chosen, a multi-season series by American filmmaker Dallas Jenkins that creatively retells the life of Jesus as depicted in the Gospels.

Recounting this story at a recent Missions Partners Event in Singapore – organised by Come and See Foundation, which produces The Chosen – Linus Koh recalled how Raj, his friend, had come to his house and shared with him enthusiastically about Jesus for half an hour, and quite accurately at that.

Linus, Country Lead for The Chosen Singapore, told an audience of about 100 people, including representatives from more than 10 Asian countries: “The Lord was saying to me through Raj that The Chosen is not meant for Christians. It is meant for those who are still seeking, and those whom He wants to find.”

When Scripture comes alive on screen

To Linus, Raj’s story demonstrates how The Chosen can introduce Christ to people who may never otherwise pick up a Bible or walk into a church.

And now, with a newly launched online resource which provides a database of short clips from the show, Christians can use the series as a starting point for faith conversations in a practical way.

Available in 38 languages, including Mandarin, Tamil, Bahasa Indonesia and Tagalog, the free-to-use website pairs each short clip with relevant Scripture passages, discussion guides and teaching notes.

Through this tool, viewers can also go through a guided three-step process, called The Chosen Encounter, which involves reading a Scripture passage, watching a corresponding short clip from the show and then reflecting on what they have just watched.

Ashish Nag, Strategy Head for Asia, said at the event that the show is not meant to replace Scripture but to point people to it.

“If you are talking to somebody who’s looking for hope, somebody who’s looking for healing, those who don’t want to listen to any sermon … Now we have an opportunity to introduce them to some of the (Bible) stories and start a conversation,” he said.

Is The Chosen biblical?

On the biblical accuracy of The Chosen, Ashish acknowledged that scriptwriters have taken creative liberties to add context to the Gospel stories. This includes conversations, backstories, characters and events that are not found in the Bible.

However, he shared that these additions are reviewed by a committee comprising an evangelical Pastor, a Catholic priest and a Jewish rabbi. This ensures that the central message of Christ and biblical principles remain true to Scripture.

“The Chosen is not the Bible,” said Ashish. “But The Chosen is biblical.”

Turning fans into disciples

While the entirely crowdfunded show has been running since 2019, there has been a new push to engage church leaders to come alongside it ahead of the release of Season 6 in November and a film, The Chosen: Crucifixion, in March 2027.

“We are well aware that a show can make fans,” said Ashish. “But Jesus never said, ‘Go make fans’. He said, ‘Go make disciples’.”

This is where the Church has to come in, he stressed. “By bringing leaders along, discipleship can take place in the Church, not by any show. We believe that we are starting a conversation and handing it over to leaders, so that fans can become disciples.”

He related a story of a young girl from India who messaged The Chosen India on Instagram, eagerly asking when the next season would be coming out. They replied that it would take some time, but told her that “the Book is already out”, Ashish said.

This led the girl, who did not know any Christians, to get a Bible and read it. “After some time, she reached out to us and she said, ‘Hey, the book is more interesting than the show!'” recalled Ashish.

The girl later visited a church, was discipled by the faith community there and eventually got baptised. Today, she is leading others to Christ, said Ashish.

A call to come alongside

To rally churches, The Chosen Singapore will be releasing Season 6’s first episode, which is centred on the theme of prayer, exclusively for screening at churches and parishes from as early as September 15, two months ahead of its public release in November, said Ashish.

“We don’t want to make it just a screening. It’s a call to prayer. We want churches to come together, watch Season 6 Episode 1, and pray for what’s coming,” he said.

“When the crucifixion movie comes out in theatres, we don’t want churches to be in the audience. We want the Church to be in the lead.”

For the resources you need for The Chosen Encounter, tap here. 

The Chosen (Seasons 1 to 5) is streaming on The Chosen App (Apple App Store, Google Play) and website, as well as on Amazon Prime Video. Check out the trailer for Season 6, which will be released in November, here.

Church leaders who want to host an early access screening of Season 6 Episode 1 may register here.

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