HomeThe story is about a New Testament church, where the people are trying to live and work together in a way that demonstrates the Body of Christ. A goal is one thing, but working it out is quite another thing. But it is good to have a goal so that we know what we are working towards. The story shows a church where the members have not quite got it together yet, and the same church after it has gone successfully through the melting pot.
The Characters
There are these ordinary people, laymen if you wish, who have received gifts for different spiritual ministries in the church, the Prophet, the Teacher, the Shepherd, the Evangelist, and the Administrator. The central character is the Lost One.
The setting
The set shows a business meeting with the Prophet, the Teacher, the Shepherd, the Evangelist and the Administrator sitting behind a U-table. The Prophet is sitting at the head of the U-table facing the audience, and the other four are on both sides, facing each other. The table is neatly arranged, with glasses of water for each person, and a jug each on both sides. There is a large flower vase in the middle of the U-table on the floor. Each man has a Bible opened in front of him, except the Administrator whose Bible is closed. He has a note pad open before him and is busy noting things down. Each man has a piece of paper stuck on the front and back of his shirt, with the name of his ministry in bold letters, e.g., PROPHET, TEACHER, etc. There are two or three folding chairs kept leaning against the wall.
ACT 1
While the curtain remains closed, a narration begins.
Narrator: What you are going to see now is a business meeting of a young New Testament church. These are good Christians who have got together wanting to build a church following the instructions given in the New Testament, as strictly as possible. They have received spiritual gifts for carrying out different ministries in the church. But they are young in their Christian experience, and they have not learned yet that they are each different from the others because of their special focus in the ministry. They have not yet understood their own individual limitations nor learned to respect the different focus the others have. And there you have a melting pot which many have found to be too hot for comfort.
The curtain opens.
Prophet: Well, brothers, it’s very easy to see that things are not going on as we hoped in the church. The preaching is good, the singing is good, the prayer meetings are also regular. But we can see that the people are not really making any progress. Their singing is loud and in harmony, but I feel there is no fervency in their spirit. They know how to pray, but I am afraid it has become more or less stereotyped. I also get a suspicion that there are even people who don’t talk to each other. What is the real problem? I think we need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Administrator: I agree with you, Brother Prophet. Things are not as they should be. I have been quite concerned about this myself. You know, we have all left big denominations and come together to build the Body of Christ. But we can’t build the Body if we do things in the old denominational way. You know what I mean. If everyone comes to listen to one preacher and goes away, how can they participate in the Body? I think we need to make some programmes where there is some role for everyone. Some programmes must target the small children, some must be aimed at the young people, some for married sisters, some for older brothers, and so on. There must be people who are identified to plan and organise each of these activities. In this way everyone will feel that he is a part of the church, and then there will be involvement and growth.
Prophet: What you are saying is correct, Brother Administrator. There has to be involvement, and there has to be something catering to different groups of people. But I am sure we all remember how in those big denominations also there are lots of such programmes going on, and yet there is no life. So it is not just programmes. Something else is lacking.
Teacher: You know, the Bible says in First Peter Second Chapter Verse 2 that we must desire the sincere milk of God’s word if we are to grow in salvation. People have no time for Bible study. Either they are too busy or they would rather read some popular story book. How can they grow? I am amazed by the ignorance of so many people who have been Christians for years, even in our midst. They even get fooled by false doctrines! I know our preaching is based on God’s word. But I think there should be Bible studies for different age groups. If you like, I can get hold of some good Bible Study Plans.
Prophet: Brother Teacher. There is no question about that. How can anyone grow unless he knows the way God has laid down in His word? But the problem still is, how do we get people to be interested in a Bible study? I mean, they all have their Bibles, and you know how we exhort everyone to read it every day and to listen to God. But people are still not awake enough, spiritually speaking. Sometimes I feel that many people here do not really know God.
Teacher: Another thing is that people have all come from different groups, and they all don’t have a proper foundation in their spiritual life. You know how the preaching in different groups is. It is very difficult to find a group where the preaching is balanced and complete. Some leave out important aspects of salvation, and others emphasise certain aspects out of proportion. People don’t know how to interpret the experiences they have had, and they don’t know what all God has prepared for them. I am again saying that we need a systematic Bible Study going on at different levels.
Shepherd: Brother Administrator was saying about how everyone needs to be involved in the different programmes. What I am saying is that we need to get involved with everyone. Many people are coming to our meetings. We need to know each one at an individual level and understand his spiritual condition, his problems. Preaching to a general audience is not enough. We need to deal with each one personally if we are to help them. You know, human beings are complex creatures and like they say, “One size doesn’t fit all.”
Prophet: I can’t agree with you more, Brother Shepherd. How I wish there would be many people with a shepherd’s heart who will be genuinely concerned for the others, and who would take the trouble to go after sheep who are straying away, before they get lost.
Evangelist: Speaking about the lost, sometimes I sit here wondering if we are doing the right thing. We have everything going well for us, we have a church, we have brothers and sisters, we have the preaching of the truth, and all that. But what about so many people who haven’t even heard the gospel? How many people have a burden for those who are perishing, even among our relatives? I mean, we don’t have to go far away. Right next to us we have so many people we meet every day, who are heading for hell while we are sitting here comfortably singing worship songs! Sometimes I think I should forget about enjoying the worship meeting and the fellowship, and go out into the streets to see if I can help at least one person to come into the Kingdom!
Prophet: That is true, Brother Evangelist. That was how Paul also felt. Oh, what shall we do, brothers? We all have a burden for the church to be built, but there is so much to be done. Let us call for a fast …
There is a knock on the door, and everyone jerks up as if out of a reverie. The Lost One comes in. Everyone looks at him in surprise. The Lost One is a young man in his twenties, dressed in a shabby jeans and T-shirt, with rather long hair that has not been combed. There is a stubble of hair on his face. He is holding a smoking cigarette in his hands which he throws down and stamps out with his shoe when he sees the gentlemen at the table. He stands looking around at them, looking for someone who would show some welcome or sympathy.
Administrator: How did you come inside? What do you want?
The Lost One: I am sorry, Sir. I was walking on the road, and I just came in. I really don’t know what I want.
Evangelist: I know, young man. Please come here and sit down.
Evangelist gets up, takes a folding chair, unfolds it and puts it near him, and turns around his own chair to face him. The Lost One hesitates.
Evangelist: Come on, sit down and tell us all about yourself.
Administrator: Brother Evangelist, let us find out what he wants. Why did you come in here?
The Lost One: Actually I don’t know why I came here. I was just walking down the road, and I just saw the name of the church and I thought I would come inside.
Administrator: Yes, this is a church, and all are welcome. But our meetings are on Sundays at 9:30 in the morning and Wednesdays at 6:30 in the evening. Why don’t you come for a meeting?
Prophet: Are you a Christian?
The Lost One: No, I am not.
Teacher: If you are interested, we can give you some tracts. Have you ever read the Bible?
The Lost One: No, Sir.
Administrator: We have Bibles and books in different languages and price ranges. Would you like to go to our office and choose?
Evangelist: I think we are confusing him. Why don’t you come and sit here? You have come to the right place. I am sure it was God who prompted you to come in from the road. Do you know how much He loves you?
The Lost One: (Makes a sign of the cross). I am not so sure God loves me.
Teacher: If you come to our meetings, we can easily teach you how much God loves you and what He has done for you. By the way, this is not a Roman Catholic Church, for you to make a sign of the cross.
Shepherd: Brother Teacher, it doesn’t matter. Oh, you dear friend, come and sit down. Don’t get confused.
Teacher: All I say is, “He who has an ear, let him hear.”
Evangelist: Dear friend, actually we all want to help you. Everyone here is trying in his own way to help you. What we want to tell you is that God is love. He loves you, and He wants to save you from sin and hell, and give you a happy life forever.
Prophet: Tell him to repent first.
Teacher: Give him that book about salvation.
Administrator: That’s what I said. If you want to buy books, go to our office. We can even give you some concession.
Shepherd: Brothers, brothers. This man has come into a church for the first time. Don’t confuse him. Let us make friends with him first.
Prophet: Friendship with the world is enmity with God.
Teacher: Doesn’t God’s word say that it is a shame for a man to have long hair?
Evangelist: Where do you live, friend? I’ll come to your house and talk to you. I am so happy that you came in here, and I don’t want you to miss what God has planned for you.
Prophet: That’s a good idea. Brother Evangelist, why don’t you get his address and talk to him later? Let us get on with the meeting.
The Evangelist goes out with the Lost One.
Administrator: There is a time and place for everything. We have meetings twice a week, and he could have come in one of those times. On the other hand, I think this shows us that we need to start some outreach programmes also in the church.
Prophet: What Brother Evangelist said is correct. There are many like this man who are perishing while we have a nice praise and worship meeting. We should have some outreach meetings too.
While the Prophet is talking the curtain falls.
ACT 2
Setting: The scene is the same as the previous one. But the men have aged, showing some grey hair.
Narrator: Many years have gone by. Experience has matured the people in the church.
Curtain opens.
Prophet: Brothers, I was thinking yesterday about how we were sitting down in this place some years ago and how that young man came in suddenly. How immature and carnal we were in the way we received him! By the way, Brother Evangelist, what happened to that young man?
Evangelist: That was really sad. He would not speak to me. I asked him about his address, but he wouldn’t talk. I tried again and again to tell him that we loved him. But he just shook his head and went away. I never saw him again. That really taught me a great lesson, how much valuable one soul is, and how I should never trifle with it.
Prophet: We were really foolish people. We should have just left him with Brother Evangelist. I feel quite stupid now, when I think about it.
Teacher: It has taken us some time to learn some of the practical aspects of truth. We had learned at that time that the Lord had given each one of us some specific ministry in the church. What we didn’t realise was that each ministry has its boundaries too. If we are to work together as a Body, we must not only do our part, we must also let others do their part without interfering with them. We must respect the ministries which the Lord has given to the others, even if our own burden is for something else. When we find that another brother has to do something according to his ministry, we must get into a supporting role. We shouldn’t insist that things should be done our way. For example, when our legs have to walk and take us somewhere, our eyes have to support them by looking at the path ahead and guiding our feet. That is not the time for them to read a book. But when we have to read something, our legs must sit down and let the eyes take the lead.
Prophet: Well said. How good to have a teacher in our midst! It is good that the Lord has taught us even through our mistakes.
Administrator: I have also learned my lesson. People are people, not things. Management techniques may help with production lines in a factory, but we can’t deal with people in the same way. I also learned from Brother Teacher how I ought to be like Melchizedek, just stepping in where I am needed and disappearing when my part is done.
Shepherd: One of the things I have learned is to treat each human being with respect. Especially when someone behaves in a way which I think is crude or improper, I need to give him space to be what he is. I learned that if God was working on me to change me, I must give time for God to do His work in the other people too. What I find is that the church is a melting pot, where people with heaps of differences are put together. God wants us to melt together with the others and become one. This can’t happen if we keep holding up before our eyes the differences we notice in the others.
Teacher: I remember how I was upset that the young man had long hair. The Bible certainly says that long hair is not fitting for a man. But if we all waited till everyone obeyed everything in the Bible before we accepted him or her into the church, we ourselves wouldn’t be here! This applies actually to so many things in the church. What do we think about those who come here and pray in a different style? What about someone who doesn’t know our customs and practices and does something differently?
Shepherd: I have been particularly concerned about the impression we give a newcomer to the church. It may be an unconverted person like that young man, or it may be a carnal believer from somewhere else. They may come in with long hair, or they may crack some off-colour jokes, or they may just do something that we don’t do here. There are many things like that. Don’t we need to be tactful so that we don’t offend one of these little ones, like Jesus said? Of course we need to keep a certain standard, but do we want to win people for the Lord or keep sifting out all the odd ones? I have had to do a lot of heart searching.
Teacher: The Bible says that a brother offended is harder to won than a city. It is easy to offend someone, but difficult to win back his confidence.
Prophet: The thing about the melting pot is that it is when we allow ourselves to be cooked that we become of nourishment to the others.
There is a knock on the door, and the Lost One comes in with a limp. His clothes are torn, and have some blood marks. His hands and face show some bruises.
Everyone is surprised.
Evangelist: Praise the Lord! Here he comes again! The Lord has given us one more chance.
The Evangelist jumps up, takes a chair to the Lost One, and helps him to sit down. He pulls up his chair close to him. He jumps up again and takes a glass of water and gives it to the Lost One.
Evangelist: Oh, I am so glad you have come back.
The Prophet, the Teacher and the Administrator get on their knees and start praying silently. The Shepherd watches on, whispering prayers, raising his hands now and then.
The Lost One: I need help. Can you help me?
Evangelist: Oh yes, we want to help you. Tell us.
The Lost One: I am hungry.
The Administrator gets up, takes a look at the Lost One, and goes out through the door. He comes back shortly afterwards.
Administrator: Somebody will bring some food. Relax.
The Administrator stands around.
Evangelist: Tell me, what happened to you?
The Lost One: Sir, you were the one who was kind to me. I was hoping you would be here.
Evangelist: My dear friend, this shows you how much God loves you. He brought you in here the first time. But we were not ready. So He has brought you here one more time.
The Lost One: I think only God can help me. But I don’t know if He will help me now. I have got into such a mess. I was already in a mess when I came here last time. But after I went out from here I thought, “What’s the use? Who cares for me?” And I got mad with God and went and did all kinds of things just to show that I didn’t care. But now I am lost. I am sick; I don’t have anyone to help me. I felt I couldn’t take it anymore. But somehow I thought of you, Sir, and I thought I’d just make one last attempt.
There is a knock on the door. The Administrator goes and brings in a plate with food, and gives it to the Lost One. He looks at the Administrator with gratitude and begins to eat.
Evangelist: Do you remember how I told you last time about how much God loved you? Do you know how He has shown us that? When God looked at all the people from heaven, He saw that all of us, I mean every single human being, had done wrong and messed up our lives. You may think that only you have messed up your life. But actually, every person needs to be saved from a mess. Whether we have done only one sin or a thousand sins, whether we have killed somebody or told some lies, whether nobody else knows about the sins we have done or everyone knows, the fact is that we have all sinned, and God knows everything about that. But God didn’t want to punish us and send us to hell, which is what we really deserve.
Want some more water? OK. (Gets up and pours in some water from the jug).
He loves us because He is the One who created us. So He wanted to save us somehow. He knew that if He just told us not to do wrong things, we wouldn’t be able to avoid doing wrong. And what about the punishment for all the sins we have already done? So God found the perfect way. He decided to take the punishment Himself and to set us free. He sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world as a Man. He died on the cross even though He had done nothing wrong Himself. It was our punishment that He took on Himself on the cross at Calvary 2000 years ago. Now God says that we can be forgiven if we believe in Jesus, that it was for us that He died.
That was how my sins were forgiven. I told God that I was a sinner, and that I didn’t want to sin anymore. I asked Him to forgive me because of Jesus. I told Him that I would live the rest of my life for Him.
What do you say? Don’t you believe that God loves you?
The Lost One: I think He loves me. But I don’t know if He will forgive all the sins that I have done.
The Teacher gets up and comes around to the Lost One.
Teacher: God’s word says that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from ALL sin. God also says that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.
Evangelist: Oh yes. The love of God is so great and the blood of Jesus is so powerful that there is no sinner on earth who cannot be forgiven. All you have to do is to give up your sins and ask God for forgiveness. I’ll tell you what happened to one criminal. This man had lived all his life in sin. He committed a lot of crimes including robbery and murder. Finally they caught him and condemned him to death, on a cross. It so happened that his cross was standing next to the cross on which Jesus was hanging. When he saw Jesus hanging there even though Jesus had not done anything wrong, he just realised that he himself was getting only what he deserved. He suddenly realised that Jesus was really the Son of God He had always claimed to be. So he asked Jesus for mercy. Jesus not only forgave him immediately, but also promised him that he would be with Jesus in Paradise on that day itself. That is how that criminal received his salvation.
The Lost One: I have lived such a wretched life and I do want to give up my sins. I want God to forgive me.
The Prophet gets up and comes to the Lost One.
Prophet: WHOEVER calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. The name of the Lord is ‘Jesus.’
The Lost One: Oh God, forgive me. Jesus, forgive me. I want to live for You. (Starts weeping.) Oh, I think He has forgiven me. (Jumps up.) Can you believe it? God has forgiven me! (Jumps up and down.) God has forgiven me. Oh, God, what can I do for You?
The Shepherd jumps up from his chair and hugs the Lost One. Everyone starts praising God.
Prophet: I can imagine how they are rejoicing there in heaven now. We are so happy ourselves. Oh, Brother, you have no idea what God has kept in store for you. Eye has not seen nor ear heard what God has prepared for you because you have now come to love Him.
Shepherd: Did you hear that? Now you are our brother. God is our Father and your Father also. Talk to Him. Tell Him all about your problems, and thank Him again and again for showing you such mercy. Welcome to the church. Oh, what a great thing has happened to you and to us today!
The curtain falls as "Amazing grace" plays in the background.