Harmonize Different Ministries in the Church Body

 

Based on 1 Corinthians 12 – 13

 POY! SKIT GUIDELINES:

• In a small group, participants might simply read their lines, or glance at their lines to get the idea so they can speak in their own words.
• Most POY! skits require no practice in advance.
• Have any small children play a brief part. Most scripts have an optional part for children, listed last under Participants.
• Most scripts have a Narrator who should read the script beforehand to see how to keep moving the story along.
• It is not necessary to employ costumes and objects, unless the skit recommends such.
• It is not required to have an audience watch the skit. All present may participate.
• Scripture and paraphrases, if any, usually appear in bold.

PARTICIPANTS:

Lubricator (Serves also as Narrator)
Church Planter
Mercy Worker
Specializer

Prompter (Optional). Prompter shouts a brief line and Companions repeat it.
Companions (Optional): children and all adults who want to take part. Make sure Companions know who the Prompter is, and that they are to repeat Prompter’s words.

 SCRIPT:

LubricatorÂ	I am Mr. Lubricator. If we let Him, the Holy Spirit keeps a church’s body joints oiled, so believers with different gifts can serve in loving harmony, under by our Head Jesus Christ. Oh, here comes Mr. Church Planter.
Church PlanterÂ	Well, I finally got here, you lucky people! I’m a Church Planting Specialist. Oh! Here comes our Mercy Ministry Specialist. Hello, brother. I’ve come to start a church among these pagans.
Mercy WorkerÂ	(Stare at the audience) Yeah, they do look really bad!
Church PlanterÂ	They sure do! They need to know Christ and form churches.
Mercy WorkerÂ	Well, yes, but first, let us meet their physical needs. To love God and show love to the needy are Jesus’ two most important commands. That’s why I do mercy ministry. Love is the Great Commandment.  Show mercy!
Prompter & CompanionsÂ	Show mercy! Show mercy!
Church PlanterÂ	But if we really love people, we will seek their salvation in Christ above all else. Making disciples is Jesus’ Great Commission. So my ministry is more important than yours is! Make disciples!Â
Prompter & CompanionsÂ	Make disciples! Make disciples!
Mercy WorkerÂ	That’s all very nice, but starving people will not listen to the Gospel until fed. So my ministry is more important than yours is! Feed the hungry!Â
Prompter & CompanionsÂ	Feed the hungry! Feed the hungry!
Church PlanterÂ	Without salvation, people will perish forever.  You focus too much on material things! Christ will help them live lives that are more productive, including materially. Witness for Jesus!
Prompter & CompanionsÂ	Witness for Jesus! Witness for Jesus!
LubricatorÂ	(Shout) Hold it, guys! Stop sparring! I’m your Ministry Lubricator and I I have the answer to your argument.
Church PlanterÂ	Well, just as long as it puts church planting first.
Mercy WorkerÂ	Provided it shows practical love first, as the Good Samaritan did.
LubricatorÂ	When the prophet Elijah was hiding in the wilderness from wicked king Ahab, how did God keep him from starving?
Mercy WorkerÂ	God sent ravens to bring him food.
LubricatorÂ	Right. Let’s pretend these people, like Elijah, are starving (point to audience). But let’s also pretend they need Christ. They need both food and Jesus. Now, you two workers are God’s ravens. Please hold out your wings and say “Tweet”.
Mercy Worker & Church Planter	  (Hold out your arms.) Tweet! Tweet!
Prompter & CompanionsÂ	Tweet! Tweet!
LubricatorÂ	Your left wings are Jesus’ Great Commandment, to love God and show mercy. Your right wings are Jesus’ Great Commission, to make disciples. Now, start flying toward those needy people with both food and the gospel.
Mercy Worker & Church PlanterÂ	(Take a step toward the people.)
SpecializerÂ	(Shout) Stop! I’m Mr. Specializer. It is always more efficient to specialize. Mercy Worker, let me clip your right wing, so you can focus only on mercy. Clip! Clip! (Pretend to clip feathers with large clippers on Mercy Worker’s right arm.)
Prompter & CompanionsÂ	Clip! Clip! Clip!
Mercy WorkerÂ	(Drop the clipped wing.) Ah! Now I can specialize with great efficiency! (Flapping your one good wing, fly  in a small circle once or twice.) Oh! Oh! I’m going in circles!
SpecializerÂ	I am doing the same for you, Church Planter. You will focus only on your specialty! (Pretend to clip Church Planter’s left wing.) Clip! Clip! Clip!
Prompter & CompanionsÂ	Clip! Clip! Clip!
Church PlanterÂ	(Drop the clipped wing.) Ah! Now I will specialize only in church planting! (Fly in a small circle once or twice.) Oh! Oh! What’s wrong?
LubricatorÂ	Actually, all of us have clipped wings; few have the gifts to do all ministries. Birds, join your weak arms, to work in harmony, as God’s Word requires.
Mercy Worker & Church PlanterÂ	(Join arms and fly with the strong wings towards the people.)
LubricatorÂ	Evangelism and mercy work reinforce each other when done in harmony.Â
Mercy WorkerÂ	I see! If I join my mercy work to church planters’ work, mercy ministry will spread right along with the growing movement. I will do that!
Church PlanterÂ	I see it too! Our church planting will be more complete and powerful when we do it the way Jesus’ apostles did, incorporating healing and mercy work.
Mercy WorkerÂ	If we love as 1 Corinthians 13 requires, then we can merge our ministries as 1 Corinthians 12 and 13 require.Â
Church PlanterÂ	(Hug Mercy Worker). Absolutely. We can do both efforts together!
Prompter & CompanionsÂ	  Do both together! Do both together!

 

DISCUSS:

What is wrong when church planters and mercy workers both think their ministry should overshadow the other ministry?

(Good answers:

• Church planting and mercy work are equally vital commands of Jesus.

• Failing to harmonizing gift-based ministries reveals a lack of godly love. The Holy Spirit puts love born from? God into believers’ hearts, which enables them to blend their work in loving harmony.)

Why do program-oriented churches with compartmentalized organization find it hard to integrate gift-based ministries in small groups?

Isaiah exclaimed, “How lovely are the feet of those who bring God’s Good News!”
A church body not doing evangelism has its feet shackled.
Ask a volunteer to pretend to try to walk with feet tied together.

The Old Testament called prophets “seers.” A church body without seers is blind.
Ask a volunteer to grope around with eyes closed.

Demonstrate a body that fails to engage those gifted to serve. Ask a volunteer to try to pretend to try to hand something to another, with hands tied behind him.