Drama, The Visual Labuage Part 3

The Message and The Messenger Part 3 By Howi Tiller

The world we live in is driven by unbridled floods of media that appeal directly to the senses of the flesh. The successful advertising agencies not only have a message, but they know that the right messenger is what sells the product of the message. That's why they have Tiger Woods as the spokesman for credit card advertising and Michael Jordan as the spokesman for athletic shoes. They are messengers. Secular media has a message that is designed to tickle one or more of our senses. The message is dramatized to appeal to fleshly appetites. It is constantly selling something to the human element…eyes, flesh or the pride of life. The worldly message appeals to the fleshly appetites and usually becomes a detriment to the human spirit or a waste of money. The message in Christian drama appeals to the human spirit and keeps the flesh honest about itself and in check. Since this is true, the church must acknowledge that we may have to adjust our approach to the evangelistic effort. We cannot and do not want to make changes to the message, but we can make adjustments to our methods that communicate that message. No question, the gospel message is our most important subject, but how we communicate that message can be equally as important…not more important, but at times our method can be just as significant. How will the audience hear unless we are wise in our communication of it? Information is communicated in an entirely different way than twenty years. People see the whole world in a flash via satellite. I believe the Lord wants us to search for new ways of communicating the gospel. I know that the preaching methods have changed down through the years. Today's method isn't anything
4.like the way Jesus ministered. So, let's be careful criticizing changes in preaching methods, remember ours isn't anything close to Jesus' method or template. Today's method will hopefully evolve again into what God wants to use. We need to be open to what God wants to develop into being a viable and intricate element of today's evangelism. This may be hard to believe, but I think that as you read this book, you will come to the same conclusion. He who wins souls is wise. God has given us an opportunity to win souls through drama. We need to use it wisely. When you think about the way Jesus communicated, it made sense. His message was relative and the application was modern. I think that you should do what God calls you to do. If He asks you to stand on a soapbox and preach loudly on the city-street corner, then that's what you need to do. The problem with that is that today's mind-set doesn't respond to that way of preaching very well. They did in the 1930's and 40's, but not today. Maybe there will come a time again that the world could be brought to their knees and cry for bibles and repent like they did in America a hundred years ago. Having said all that, I think we need to seriously look at the opportunities that drama might afford to us as an end-time tool. The words, drama or theater might have the conservative church reeling from bad past experiences. There are also main stream religions that have opened their doors to drama but may have also opened the door to more than a pure evangelistic drama ministry. I think many churches have accepted a mix of secular entertainment and a so-called drama ministry which usually ends up be nothing more than secular theater performed in the church or fellowship-hall. That's a far cry from what this book is talking about. I'm talking about drama that genuinely draws people to Christ and causes people to really think about their soul and where they are going to spend eternity. Does that mean every play is nothing but scripture? No. Plays can be about how to live life…raise teenagers in today's world…love, hate, life and death. When my wife and I minister through dinner drama, we perform pieces or sketches that I call, "Slices of Life". Each sketch has a relative message that transcends religious background and family upbringing. The sketches are about finances, raising kids, relationships and everyday life. It wouldn't matter if your audience were Baptist, Methodist or Pentecostal, most could relate to the "Slices of Life". That's what Jesus did. His message was no respecter of persons. His message was about life situations that His audience understood. There are times that you might want to do drama for just your church family and that's fine. It could be a time for doing short sketches that included inner circle jokes or roasts. That certainly has its place. However, never invite guests to your drama or dinner drama where any or all humor is what we call inner circle humor. In other words don't do comedy that only your church members would understand. It leaves the guest out of the circle and they feel uncomfortable. The guest will most likely not come back. So, choose material and humor that's relative and transcending.

www.howitiller.com/dramas.htm