Director’s Notes: I’ve known a number of people who have become a Christian a dozen times. Well, they think they have. When someone comes to know Christ, it’s a joyous experience but following Christ is a long distance run (as I previously mentioned.) What happens when we ‘lose that feeling’ we had when we first became saved? When we are simply walking with Him through the highs and the lows? We need to be confident that God is working in us and He’s not going anywhere 🙂
Cast:
Katie: A woman seeking assurance.
John: Her husband.
Props:
2 chairs
Remote
Journal
Setting:
The Family room
(LIGHTS UP CENTER
STAGE where John is watching TV.)
Katie: John? John?
John: I’m in here, honey.
Katie: John, you’ll never believe what happened to me today!
John: (deadpan) You stepped forward at an altar call.
Katie: I stepped forward at an altar call!
John: (deadpan) You’ve become born again.
Katie: I’ve become Born again!
John: (deadpan) And you’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit.
Katie: I’m now filled with the Holy Spirit!
John: (deadpan) Congratulations. (pulls out a book and writes in it)
Katie: What are you doing?
John: I’m writing down this momentous event in this book here.
Katie: Cool! That’s so thoughtful of you!
John: No problem. I’ll just chronicle this under SAVED along with the other entries.
Katie: What other entries?
John: You know, the other 10 times you’ve become Born Again in the past year.
Katie: Oh but this one was different!
John: Different huh?
Katie: Yeah. I’m sure I wasn’t saved before. Those times weren’t nearly as emotional. I mean, this one was Special!
John: (writes) Special. Okay, the last one you said was Wonderful.
Katie: Uh huh.
John: And before that we had Splendorous, Majestic, Magnificent, Breath-taking, Amazing, Brilliant, and Glorious.
Katie: Really?
John: Katie, as your devoted husband, can I share a bit of insight with you?
Katie: Sure. Just don’t wreck the mood.
John: That’s exactly what I’m talking about. It’s not based on emotion. Katie, once you realize the Father has chosen you to be His, and once you trust in Jesus because His sacrifice, then the Holy Spirit lives inside you and you are His. At that moment you’re saved. You don’t need to keep doing it again and again just because you’ve lost the salvation high. You need to be confident in your adoption by God.
Katie: Hmmm. I’m not sure that that’s Biblical.
John: Okay. Let’s find out. (opens the Bible and reads a verse) “For you have been chosen by God to inherit His plan of salvation. This is a gift of grace, not of anything you can do on your own. He is calling you to come forward, over and over, to assure your spirit that He is living inside you. And if the feeling of His gift leaves you, even for a moment, enter His gates again and He will save you once more!”
Katie: Yeah! See? Exactly!
John: I made that verse up.
Katie: Oh.
John: Let me read you the real thing: “And because of what Christ did, all you others too, who heard the Good news about how to be saved, and trusted Christ, were marked as belonging to Christ by the Holy Spirit, who long ago had been promised to all of us Christians. His presence within us is God’s guarantee that he really will give us all that He promised; and the Spirit’s seal upon us means that God has already purchased us and that He guarantees to bring us to Himself. This is just
one more reason for us to praise our glorious God. Ephesians 1: 13-14”
Katie: Hmmm. Now that sounds special.
John: Yep. Even Majestic.
Katie: Yeah.
John: Or Glorious. (teasing)
Katie: I get the point.
John: (Smiles)
(LIGHTS OUT)
END
(c) 1999 Dave Marsh
Hello and welcome to Stage Right, the online drama ministry of EXW. My name is Dave Marsh and there are a few things you should probably know about me. First, I’m not a ‘theatre guy.’ I’ve never quoted Shakespeare (at least seriously), and I’ve never played Daddy Warbucks in Annie. Second, I received my ‘training’ in writing, directing, and acting at a church called Willow Creek (in Illinois.) Third, I’m an online games producer by trade but my real passion is found in telling others about Christ through contemporary church drama.
I have a few opinions about drama in the church as well. I think that contemporary drama is both underutilized and misunderstood. I believe it is something like 5-10 years behind contemporary worship. When many churches think about using drama, it usually involves the Passion Play or a children’s Christmas musical. Many people don’t have the opportunity to experience what are called ‘slice of life’ dramas. These dramas may last only 3-4 minutes long but create a powerful (and many times humorous) illustration on any given Sunday. I also believe that any church, no matter what size, can use drama effectively, giving God glory, and inspire/convict normal folks like you and I to walk closer to God
So, what’s Stage Right all about? It’s about offering you the advice and resources you need to help you create and act in contemporary Christian dramas. I’m no expert, but I’ve seen lives changed as I continue to strive for excellence in this area, constantly praying that God would use me to tell others about how to live for Him. Over the coming weeks and months, I hope to provide you with articles about creating a drama philosophy, working with your pastor, developing a team, writing short effective scripts, directing actors, and acting on stage. I also look forward to hearing from you, taking suggestions on topics that you feel should be covered
Over the last 3 years, I’ve written over 45 dramas that are easy to memorize, require few actors, and are highly humorous and relevant. These dramas are available to you for free and will be added to this site over the course of the next few months. You can currently download all of these dramas from my personal site (www.dave-marsh.com) and can contact me personally if you wish (dave).
I look forward to serving you here at EXW and want to thank Steve for asking me to jump on board.
In His hands
Dave Marsh