THE STORYTELLER'S BIBLE
Act VIII - General Epistles and Revelation
Script by Bob Allen
For four voices

THE STORYTELLERS BIBLE

Script by Bob Allen

Arranged for four voices. 

           

Voice two should be female.  The other voices can be either male or female.

Scene changes are indicated by numbers and should be marked by a pause,

accompanied by a re-arrangement of the positions of the speakers.  Suggested staging and   

movements are included in the text. 

PART EIGHT: GENERAL EPISTLES AND REVELATION

Scene 1

3          2          4          1

VOICE TWO:                        Unbounded excitement.

VOICE THREE:        We’ve received a letter—from the Apostle Paul himself!

VOICE FOUR:          It’s a long letter, addressed directly to us.  So it is important for  

                                  each member to be there when the letter is read.  If you know of                                   those not present this morning, be sure to let them know what is                                   going to happen next week.

VOICE ONE:             All week people talked to each other about the reading of the letter.

VOICE TWO:           You need to be there to here it.

VOICE THREE:        Well, I suppose I could come.

VOICE FOUR:          I guess we could stay in town this week instead of going to the  

                                   shore.  It has been several weeks since we were in church.

VOICE ONE:             I know I’m going to be there.  A letter from Paul.

VOICE THREE:        That is pretty impressive.  I suppose it will be more exciting than  

                                       what we usually get in church each week.

VOICE TWO:              The next Sunday the house where the church met was packed. 

                                     There were people who hadn’t been in services since the previous                                        Easter.

VOICE FOUR:          Like the pastor had said, it was a long letter that took almost an   

                                   hour to read.  But toward the end of the letter Paul said something                                    that hit some people right between the eyes.

VOICE ONE:             Don’t forsake assembling together regularly.  I know that some  

                                    have not been coming to church.  You need to be here and exhort                                    one another, even more importantly now that the day of Christ’s                                     return is so rapidly approaching.

VOICE TWO:             Do you think our pastor wrote and told Paul that some of us  

                                    haven’t been attending very often?

VOICE THREE:        Must be!  How could he have known otherwise.

VOICE FOUR:          Maybe we’re not the only church that has this problem.

VOICE ONE:             I just think Paul knows what our hearts are like.  It is hard to be  

                                   faithful to church, but it is very important.  Besides, if it took us an                                    hour just to read his letter, how long will it take us to study it until                                    we really understand it?

VOICE TWO:            You’re right.   I’d sure like to know more about Christ being better 

                                    than the angels.  That was really interesting.

VOICE THREE:        He said that Christ was better than Moses, too.  That’s one I’m

                                  going to have to think about after the respect we have given to 

                                  Moses all these years.

VOICE FOUR:          I want to learn more about this priest named Melchizedek.  There                                        are many things about him that I admit I don’t understand.

VOICE ONE:             The entire matter of the high priesthood is much clearer to me

                                   now, but I know what you mean.  I’ve never thought much before                                    how everything the high priest did has now been fulfilled in the 

                                   finished work of Christ.

VOICE TWO:            To think that the very death of Christ opened our way into the holy  

                                   of holies—into the presence of God Himself.

VOICE THREE:        It was at the time of sacrifice, 3:00 in the afternoon on the Day of  

                                  Atonement that Christ died.  Just as the High Priest was carrying                                    the blood through the curtain it ripped apart from the top to the

                                   bottom.  Every one standing nearby could see right into the very                                    presence of the Holy God.

VOICE FOUR:          And now Paul says we can have “boldness to enter into the holiest                                    by the blood of Jesus.”  We don’t need to wait for the Day of   

                                  Atonement.  We don’t need to wait for the High Priest.  We can                                   serve as our own priest before God.  Access to God by the blood of 

                                  the cross.  What a change in the way we think about our religion.

VOICE ONE:             Maybe that’s why Paul said we were in need of “milk and not solid 

                                   food.”   He has certainly given us some solid food in this letter.                                     His comparisons between Christ and the temple sacrifices certainly  

                                   opened my eyes to the importance of Calvary.  “He entered the                                     holy place once for all.”  What a change from those hundreds of                                          years when every time a lamb was offered another one was waiting                                     to be killed.

VOICE TWO:               Blood sacrifice has always been a part of our religion since the

                                      days of Moses.  Every time the throat of a lamb was slit, another                                       lamb was waiting in the stall.  They could never “with those                                       sacrifices which they offered year by year continually, make the                                       comers thereunto perfect.”

VOICE THREE:        Until Christ.  A perfect Lamb could be a perfect sacrifice.

VOICE FOUR:          A sinless Son could offer himself for others since He would not  

                                   need a sacrifice for Himself.

VOICE ONE:             The continual flow of blood on the altar of the temple had not done                                    the job.  Not a single person had been cleansed from sin by the                                    blood of lambs.

VOICE TWO:            If they had been cleansed they would not have needed to bring  

                                   another lamb the next time.

VOICE THREE:        I guess those thousands upon thousands of sacrifices have taught                                   us one thing—there is always another sacrifice to be offered.

VOICE FOUR:          Until Christ.  “This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins  

                                   forever, sat down on the right hand of God.”

VOICE TWO:            I’ll have to admit.  The reason our family had quit coming  

                                   regularly to church was because we were ready to go back to the                                    old ways.  It has been hard to give up the traditions and the social                                    ties connected with temple worship. 

VOICE THREE:        I know.  When he said, “we are not of those who shrink back to  

                                 destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the  

                                 soul” I wanted to yell out—but we have been shrinking back!  And  

                                 then he launched into the fabulous list of the men and women of  

                                 faith—and I wanted to fall on my knees and sob out a prayer of                                       repentance.

VOICE FOUR:          Faith in a time of victory.

VOICE ONE:             Faith is stronger than political kingdoms, because by faith men like 

                                    Gideon and Barak “subdued kingdoms.”

VOICE TWO:             Faith is stronger than evil, because by faith prophets like Samuel 

                                     “wrought righteousness.”

VOICE THREE:        Faith is stronger than doubt, because by faith men like David  

                                  “obtained promises.”

VOICE FOUR:          Faith is stronger than lions, because by faith men like Daniel  

                                  “stopped the mouths of lions.”

VOICE ONE:             Faith is stronger than fire, because by faith men like Shadrach,

                                   Meshach and Abednego “quenched the violence of fire.”

VOICE TWO:            Faith is stronger than death, because by faith Elijah restored the  

                                   widow of Zarephath’s son to life.

VOICE THREE:        But what about faith that doesn’t result in victory?  Is faith stronger   

                                 when we are rewarded or when we endure?  Is it possible to                       

                                  continue trusting God when things aren’t going our way?

VOICE FOUR:          Faith is stronger than torture, for “others were tortured” without  

                                   deliverance.

VOICE ONE:             Faith is stronger than physical abuse, for some endured “cruel 

                                   mockings and scourgings” without turning their backs on God.

VOICE TWO:            Faith is stronger than prison, for there were some like Joseph who suffered unjust “bonds and imprisonments” while continuing to live a life of faith.        

VOICE THREE:        Faith is stronger than persecution, for others were “stoned, they  

                                  were sawn asunder, were tempted.”

VOICE FOUR:          Faith is stronger than death, for some were “slain with the sword” 

                                  and still “obtained a good report through faith” even though they                                   never saw God at work on their behalf.  To think that they are in                                   the stands witnessing our faith race.

VOICE ONE:             We must go on!

VOICE TWO:          We must not forsake assembling together.

VOICE THREE:        We must draw near in full assurance of faith.

VOICE FOUR:          We must encourage one another, and all the more as we see the                                    day approaching.

ALL:                           We must!