BREAKING STRONGHOLDS
Season 2 - Study Guide
Episode 3: Gathering forces
MEET THE CHARACTERS:
LUTHER CIRILLO
Nick’s father--In the opening flashback sequence, we see that Nick’s parents are Luther and Athena Cirillo. Along with Redmond Quinn’s grandfather, Damon Dupre, Luther Cirillo is also part of the secret organization called The Golden Order of the Ancient Light. In this secret organization, each family has a special book that has been handed down to male heirs for centuries. For generations, the families have been racing to be the first to complete all of the steps and to be the only family to achieve Apotheosis–God-like knowledge and eternal life. When young Nick finds out about the special book, he hides it as part of the game he has been playing with his father. He also accidentally sets a fire that gets out of control and catches their house on fire. When Luther runs back in to find the “special book,” he dies in the fire, leaving young Nick and his mother, Athena, to find a way to gain access through another family’s book so they can still achieve the final step.
NICK CIRILLO
As the story begins, Nick is working for his rival, Redmond Quinn. Unbeknownst to Redmond, they are both trying to achieve the same goal–a complete Golden Order of the Ancient Light family book, along with the elements needed to perform the final step. Before the story begins, Nick has already located the most important element– Grace, formerly Erzulie– who is believed to be “the spirit of love.” Grace’s lifeblood, freely given, is needed for the final step. To be near Grace, Redmond has moved his headquarters to the area. Throughout the story, Nick is looking for the missing pages of Redmond’s family book that Ella stole years ago to keep her daughter, Erzulie (Grace), safe. He has killed for it. In this episode, Nick finally finds the pages. Ella had given them to Benjamin for safekeeping. Nick retrieves them and gives them to Redmond, who puts them with the rest of the book in a safe. Now, Nick and Athena will need to find a way to access the completed book and Grace to complete the final step.
Athena Cirillo- Athena is Nick’s mother. After her husband, Luther, died in the fire, she was determined to continue her family’s legacy in The Golden Order of the Ancient Light through her son, Nick. Their family’s special book burned in the fire, so she gained access to Redmond Quinn’s Clarity Ranch Organization in hopes of finding his family book, stealing it, and having Nick continue the quest for Apotheosis through it.
JOURNAL PROMPTS:
As you watch Season 2 Episode 3, look for the answers to these questions. Keep a journal of your answers to get the most out of what God may be teaching you through Breaking Strongholds. If possible, watch the episode with others and discuss your answers.
1. What happened to Nick in his childhood in the opening flashback scenes? Do you think Nick has gotten help to process what happened to his father in the fire? What lie might he be believing as an adult based on the trauma from his childhood?
2. Like Nick, Ryan also had trauma in his past because of his mother’s death. Because traumatic events evoke strong emotions, they can lead us to believe lies. At the home church meeting, Ryan says, “I’ve learned that I can’t always trust my thoughts. They can lead me to some very dark places.”
• Instead of trusting his own thoughts, where has Ryan turned for Truth?
• Who has helped him, and what or who do they rely on to know what is true?
• What have they told Ryan about his identity and his purpose?
3. Copy Proverbs 3:5-6 into your journal: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
4. The world tells us to “follow our heart” and “believe in ourselves.” But what does the verse above say about that?
5. Ryan tells the group at the home church about the friends he has recently made. He says they made “all the difference.” Who were the five friends, and how did he meet them? What did each friend do or say that helped Ryan?
Using Ryan’s example, how might you reach out to create a meaningful, positive life-giving community in your life?
6. The last friend Ryan talks about is Jesus. He says, “I believe that when Jesus died on the cross and rose again, he paid for my sins and made a way for me to be part of God’s family.” That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ–the “Good News!” The invitation to trust in Jesus is for all of us.
To understand more about the gospel, watch the RMP production Jesus: Lifesaver of our Souls: Christianity 101, on the Reflective Media Productions Channel.
You can make the decision right now to trust in God’s gift of grace and be part of God’s eternal family.
7. As Ethan and Catherine talk over lunch, Ethan expresses that, “telling the kids about Shelly was great for Ryan and terrible for Riley.” How does Catherine see that situation differently? How has God used this in a positive way?
8. In talking to Catherine, Peyton demonstrates wisdom beyond her years. Often in relationships, people can lose sight of the other person’s well-being. They can selfishly push things forward to get what they want without thinking carefully about what is truly best for the other person.
Why is Peyton concerned about expressing her true feelings to Ryan at this point?
Does she have a valid concern?
She opens up to Catherine about it. Why is this a good idea?
9. After breaking into Benjamin’s house, Nick finally has the pages. Now, Redmond has all he needs to perform the ceremony and to experience the highest step–apotheosis–becoming all-knowing and eternal. Redmond trusts Nick to do as he is told and believes that Nick is only doing this job for the money. We are beginning to see that it is not the case. Why is Redmond so willing to blindly trust Nick?
10. Another case of misplaced trust occurs when Karl hands his gun to Redmond. Why is Karl so willing to trust Redmond? What does Karl get from his involvement in Redmond’s Clarity Way and the “level” system?
TALK WITH GOD:
Ask God to help you take time each day to read His Word. Ask for wisdom and discernment when hearing convincing speakers and when reading things that sound good, but that may be an attempt to deceive you. Pray that you can find a community of other believers to talk with when decisions must be made on who to trust and what information is true. Finally, if you find yourself caught up in a lie and far from God, call on Him anyway. He is waiting for you to turn to Him. He hears your prayers and loves you.