Actor Nick Shakoour credited the hit Faith-based series ā€œThe Chosenā€ for his conversion to Christianity.

In an interview with Christian Headlines, Shakoour, who portrays Zebedee, the father of James and John, in ā€œThe Chosenā€, spoke about the ā€œmajor changeā€ the show has had on his life.

Although he grew up in a Christian home, he wasn’t a Christian himself. However, Shakoour said that changed after meeting ā€œbehind-the-scenes people who are Believersā€ and ā€œtheir friends and in running in their circles and starting to seek out God through them.ā€

Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  View this post on Instagram Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā 

A post shared by The Chosen (@thechosentvseries)

šŸ“ŗ Embedded media — coming soon

ā€œAnd it all accumulated to last September, where I was invited to a church conference where the next thing I knew a bunch of people surrounded me … and laid their hands over me and started praying,ā€ Shakoour explained. ā€œAnd I was able to experience what it was like to experience the Holy Spirit going from outside to in and it set my body into flames.ā€

He added, ā€œIt felt like my organs were all being burned away and I was being vibrated and microwaved at the same time. That’s the best way I can describe it.ā€

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, ā€œTherefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.ā€

Advertisement

Shakoour proceeded to get emotional as he recalled the life-changing experience, per Christian Headlines.

ā€œI literally felt like I was given a brand new body – brand new everything,ā€ he said.

He continued:

ā€œBut since that’s happened, I don’t have the sensation of hunger, and I don’t get thirsty. So now I’ve got to go out of my way to remind myself to drink water and eat – and I was someone that would six meals a day … for the workouts. And it’s like God came and went, ā€˜No, you don’t need all those six meals.ā€

ā€œMy mind is blown by what’s happened. So the show’s been a blessing and I’ve loved acting in it. But it’s definitely been the conduit that I can’t help but talk about,ā€ he expressed.

Miraculously, Shakoour revealed that the lead construction worker on the setĀ prayed for one of the actor’s salvation. He also discovered that the construction team wrote Bible verses on the wall of the sets before they were painted over — and the first Bible verse was painted in the set of Zebedee’s home.

ā€œHe said, ā€˜We got together as a construction crew, and we prayed for one of the actors to receive the Holy Spirit, and would become the seed that would spread the gospel,'ā€ he reminisced. ā€œIt’s been one mind-blowing thing after the next with what’s been happening in and outside of the show.ā€

In an interview with The Christian Post in June 2023, Dallas Jenkins, the show’s creator, revealed why he hires unbelievers.

Advertisement

ā€œWe are not a church in which all of our employees are going to fit under one particular mission statement, one particular belief system,ā€ he explained. ā€œWe are a for-profit company; we’re a media company; we’re a public company. We have investors and all of that.ā€

Jenkins later added, ā€œWhen we hire someone to work for us, our No. 1 objective is who is the best person for this job? We made a decision from the beginning that our standards is going to be ā€˜will you work hard?'ā€