M/E International, Inc.

M/E International
Cassette Messages: Script 2

CDP: INDIA CASSETTE NO. 2

Revised 7-7-94

NOTE: This is an English translation of the second cassette tape played by the Village Evangelists to pre-literate villagers in remote villages in India. The script was written by the Rev. Dr. Jebasingh, founder and president of Galilean International Film and Television Service (GIFTS) of India. The 64-year-old Dr. Jebasingh is well known and highly respected throughout the Christian evangelical community in India. His choice of presenting the doctrinal messages through the use of a dialogue between evangelical Christians and nonChristians presents the gospel in the form of a pre-TV radio story program, appealing to a society where story telling is a very popular form of entertainment.

INTRODUCTION - At the house of Vasant and Mano, the audio
cassette player is playing a song about the Messiah who came into
the world to lay down His life as a sacrifice for man; and about
His love. Sunder comes and listens to the song.

Sunder:	Annan (Elder Brother)! It is a melodious and meaningful song. You told me the other day that God took human form and came to us as Jesus Christ to save us. Am I right, that this song is about Him?
Vasant:	You have understood it well. I feel very proud of you. You may recall my telling you about God creating man in His own image?
S:	Sure!.... and how man was cheated by Satan and how the fall of man happened. Throughout last week, I have been thinking about the way God sent his Judges, Kings and Prophets to teach His people about His precepts and redeem them from sin; and finally God Himself came -- born of a woman.
V:	Excellent!... You have a very good memory. Regarding the birth of Jesus Christ, the prophet Isaiah foretold it almost 800 years before the birth of Christ like this:
	(Here is a song that includes Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6)
Mano:	Not only that!.... He prophesied that Jesus Christ would suffer and die for the sins of mankind.... And when He comes again to establish His Kingdom, He will rule forever. There won't be any end to His rule.
S:	Wonderful!.... God...should be like that. Could you please tell me one thing? When Jesus was born, were there any signs by which people knew that He has come?
V:	Of course, there were signs. Jesus was born in a small village called Bethlehem in the land of Israel, as foretold by the prophet Micah. According to the prophet Isaiah, a virgin would conceive a son called Immanuel (which means "God with Us"). God's angel, Gabriel, announced to a young virgin, named Mary, that she would conceive the Messiah by the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus was born in a cattle shed and laid to rest in a cattle trough (called a "manger") in the village of Bethlehem, the exact place Micah said the Messiah would be born. God's entry into the world was very humble and known by very few. If He had been born in a palace, there would have been great announcements.
M:	But when Jesus Christ was born, a multitude of angels announced his birth to a humble group of shepherds, saying, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace and good-will towards men." The angels told them to go and see Jesus in the manger, and they went in singing. Don't you want to hear a song?
	_________________________________________________________________ (Here a folk-song known in the rural areas of India is sung. It describes the crib and the new-born child.) _________________________________________________________________
M:	At the same time, three wise men of the East saw a peculiar star in the sky, which led them to the place where Jesus was. They too sang joyfully, as follows:
	_________________________________________________________________ (Continuation of the folk-song: the segment on the wise men going and seeing Jesus.) _________________________________________________________________
M:	Thus, the shepherds and the wise men saw the signs of the birth of Jesus.
S:	Just as Isaiah and Micah prophesied. God is WONDERFUL! The signs are also wonderful. But, it seems to me that Jesus was born in a very ordinary manner.
Vasant:	True... Sunder. This Jesus who came to save mankind came as an ordinary person, grew and lived like all of us. As days went by, He grew in wisdom, stature, and favor of God and man. Joseph had been betrothed to Mary and married her after she conceived, as he had been told by angel that she was to bear a child by the Holy Spirit, who would save His people from their sins, and they were to call Him Jesus, which means "Jehovah Saves," in the Hebrew language, the language of the people of Israel. Although Jesus was actually God's son, Joseph raised Him as if he were Joseph's own son. Jesus obeyed His parents and probably worked in Joseph's carpentry shop.
S:	Didn't He go to school?
M:	The Bible doesn't tell us much about the boyhood of Jesus, but it does say that at the age of 12, He discussed the Scriptures with the teachers (called"rabbi's") at the temple and they were amazed at His knowledge and understanding. We know that He constantly quoted the Scriptures, which we have as the Old Testament in our Bible, and explained their deepest meanings. We would infer both from Jewish tradition and from His great knowledge that He had studied under the teachings of rabbi's at the temple or synagague.
Mano:	He observed intensely all that God created in this world and learned all about God's omniscience and omnipotence. We know that the Creator God was His own Father. Therefore, He was very much involved in the study and research of the Scriptures and spent much time in prayer and meditation. Also, He was careful to observe the worship in the temple and kept all the feasts and other sacred days that God gave to Israel. He kept a very close relationship with His Father-God.
S:	From what you are describing, I see that there must be another great reason for God sending His Son.
V:	Oh?..... Let us hear that, Sunder.
S:	O.K.... Please correct me if I'm wrong.... Before the first man sinned, he was pure and healthy. He enjoyed an intimate relationship with God. It seems God wanted to restore that old relationship through the life and example of His Son.
M:	Again, you have said it right...on the dot. Jesus lived with His parents. Jesus lived and worked with them until He was 30 years old. He loved as an example to all those who said that purity of life was not possible.
S:	So His words and actions went together.... Right?
V:	Yes.... His teachings and words were different from that of others. He taught so intelligently and with such insight that He taught not only with authority, but as the author of His teachings.
S:	I have heard it said that Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation, followed the teachings of Christ and evolved the principles of nonviolence. Is that so?
M:	I appreciate the depth of general knowledge you have.... Yes, Gandhi read the Bible very carefully and he practiced the principles of Christ described in His "Sermon on the Mount." It is in that sermon that we see God's authority possessed by His Son.
Sunder:	Akka (Elder Sister) .... I too want to get a Bible and read it.
M:	You must.... Everyone must read the Bible. It explains the ways to win over the world and Satan. It leads men to the way to a holy life and to heaven. King David, ancestor of Jesus Christ, wrote in Psalms, one of the books of the Bible, that God's Word is a lamp unto his feet and light unto his path. And Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the light." Jesus also said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
	_________________________________________________________________ (Here a song is played that explains Jn 14:6) _________________________________________________________________
S:	A very good song... of course.... But I have a doubt.... In our country there are so many religions. And they all claim that you attain heaven by following any of these ways.
Vasant:	They "claim".... But you should understand an important matter. Jesus did not come to establish a religion and show one of many ways to reach heaven. He did not teach a philosophical way of wisdom by which those who suffer from sin can work hard in all types of meditation and self-denial and then after so much struggle get mukti (salvation). In Jesus' coming, God Himself came as man to talk to men according to their ability of understanding. For this, He lived the life of a Savior and showed men the way of salvation. He revealed to man who God is so that man could regain his fellowship with God. That is why He claimed that those who have seen and experienced Him have seen God the Father Himself.
S:	Oh..Oh.... That means, there were many men of God who spoke to people about God. But Jesus is God Himself.... But can we forget that these men of God also taught men how to lead a Godly life?
V:	True.... We cannot deny it.... The Bible itself speaks that many men of God taught about God in different times in history and made efforts to reveal God's goodness. But, by their own piety they could not reveal God in His fullness. Therefore, Jesus Christ came as a true guide and He claimed Himself as the Good Shepherd and lived a life of a Good Shepherd. He said as a Good Shepherd, He would even lay down His life to save his flock from going astray and toward destruction.
	_______________________________________________________________ (Here a song is played of what Jesus said: "I am the Good Shepherd; I am the Bread of Life; I am the Light of the World.") _________________________________________________________________
M:	Besides, Jesus said that He is the True Vine; and His disciples are the branches. He insisted that they could not do anything pleasing to God without His help. In order to do good and win over Satan and his evil designs and come out victorious, man must depend on Him.
S:	I can understand that. How much I want to be religious and do all sorts of rituals. But I find it difficult to control my mind which leads me to sin. I now understand why I fail. The more I control, the more I speed up.
V:	Would you think of a balloon filled with air? When it is pressed under water, it shoots up. The mind also does that when you control it with your own strength. It shoots up with more desires and worries.
Mano:	Look! ... Jesus Christ asked His disciples to learn from Him. He said that if our minds do not become like that of little children, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Children are innocent.... They have love without guile; they have implicit faith. Jesus was very much attracted to children. He longed for their company. When children sing about Jesus, it is pleasing to hear. Would you like to hear a song?
S:	I can understand that. How much I want to be religious and do all sorts of rituals. But I find it difficult to control my mind which leads me to sin. I now understand why I fail. The more I control, the more I speed up.
V:	Would you think of a balloon filled with air? When it is pressed under water, it shoots up. The mind also does that when you control it with your own strength. It shoots up with more desires and worries.
M:	Look! ... Jesus Christ asked His disciples to learn from Him. He said that if our minds do not become like that of little children, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Children are innocent.... They have love without guile; they have implicit faith. Jesus was very much attracted to children. He longed for their company. When children sing about Jesus, it is pleasing to hear. Would you like to hear a song? ____________________________________________________________ (A song sung by children extolling the quality of Jesus' love for children. They say He is our friend. The song is in the form of rural folk.) _____________________________________________________________
V:	Sunder... it is when we become pestered with the worldly worries and problems, we get tired to the xtent that we are weak and tend not to think about God. In this condition, Jesus Christ extorts us to receive the Kingdom of God with the simplicity of faith that children have. Or else, He asserted, man cannot enter the Kingdom.
Mano:	Jesus also said, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the other things will be added unto you."
Sunder:	Which means, when man seeks after God and His love -- and strives to establish His love in this world, he will be given all the blessings he needs. Am I right?
Vasant:	Exactly!... With love and compassion Jesus healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, revived hearing to the deaf, touched lepers to make them whole...and well! .... Jesus held authority over diseases, spirits and demons.
M:	Yet a little more of it. Once when He spoke to the disciples, He said, "Whatever you ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My Name, I will do it."
S:	How wonderful it is. He will give everything to those who ask in faith in His powers..... Incredible.
V:	Yes, Sunder.... There is more to His ministries to man. There were many sections of people in the Jewish community of those days who were ostracized. They were the tax collectors, prostitutes, publicans, and sinners. But Jesus proclaimed that He will not close His doors against those who come to Him, and those that come to Him would not thirst or feel hungry.
S:	Will He do this even today?
M:	Yes, of course. The Bible says that Jesus came into this world to save sinners. That was the primary purpose for which He came.
S:	O.K. . Good... But one doubt.... Jesus loved those who were hated by the Jewish leaders. I think the leaders would have hated Him for that.
V:	Really, your brains are working fast.... They hated Him.... They harbored resentment against Him. They named Him as the friend of the sinners and depressed classes.... But - Do you know what He said?
S:	Please hurry.... Tell me!
Vasant:	He said that the publicans, tax-collectors and sinners will enter the Kingdom of God; and He pointed His finger at the leaders and said to them, "You will be cast out into Hell, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Sunder:	Oh, what a tough saying and warning. Annan, is it true that those who reject Jesus will go to Hell?
V:	Certainly.... yes...Sunder! Jesus said those who reject Him will be judged by whatever Jesus taught on the last day of judgment.
S:	Then they would have become very angry. Didn't they?
M:	What, angry?.... They were furious! There was another reason for their fury. In spite of their resistance to Jesus, Jesus was accepted by the people as any one of the Rabbis. Some Jewish leaders even went to Jesus secretly and received His teachings. They realized that Jesus was the Messiah of whom Moses and the other prophets foretold. They felt Jesus had the power of God.
V:	As days went by, there were multitudes who flocked to Him and received healing and solutions to their problems. There were many who were attracted to His heavenly person and His powerful, compassionate utterances. And then suddenly something very significant and unique happened that made the religious leaders to rise up against Him.
S:	Please tell me.... What incident?
V:	Don't be impatient, Sunder.
S:	What?.... You yourself used to tell me that I should be swift to hear and slow to speak. O.K. I am anxious to hear.
M:	Then I will continue. Lazarus was Jesus' bosom friend. News came to Jesus that His friend was dead. It took four days for Him to reach the house of His friend, where the two sisters of Lazarus were waiting for Jesus. When Jesus saw Mary, the sister of Lazarus, and other Jews weeping, He too wept. He asked them to show the place where he was buried. He ordered some people to open the tomb, and commanded loudly, "Lazarus, come out."
S:	What?.... Akka... After four days of burial? The body would have been stinking.
M:	Yes, Thampi... Martha, the other sister of Lazarus, also said the same. But, at the command of Jesus, Lazarus came out of the tomb, alive.
S:	I believe! When God made man, He made him out of the dust of the earth and breathed His own breath of life into him. And it is not impossible for Him to resurrect Lazarus.... It certainly is a great miracle. I think the hatred of the religious leaders would have turned into fear. They would have been trembling, I suppose.
V:	Yes, that's what happened. Jesus had brought a few others from the dead earlier. But raising Lazarus after four days of death caused many to follow Jesus and to pronounce Jesus as the Messiah. The hatred of the Jewish leaders turned to militancy and they wanted to kill Him.
S:	What a pity...Thinking of killing the One who went about doing good? They seemed to have feared that they wouldn't have anyone to follow them, if people followed Jesus.
Mano:	Sunder! You are adept in deduction. Yes, they thought so. But them.... They waited patiently for an opportunity to turn the people against Jesus and to kill Him.
S:	So, they plotted against Jesus? Did anyone alert Jesus of their plans? Would they really kill Him?
V:	Don't cry Sunder. Jesus is the One who knows the thoughts of men before they originate in their minds. You may remember what I told you earlier? ... That Jesus, the meek Lamb of God came with the specific purpose of sacrificing Himself for the sins of the world.
S:	Yes, I remember ..... So...
Vasant:	Jesus had already prepared His disciples to understand that the Jewish leaders would crucify Him on a cross and kill Him; and, that He would resurrect Himself from the dead on the third day. Thus, Jesus prepared Himself for His death and would come out victorious over his enemies, over death, and over the sins of the entire world.
S:	Sins of the entire world means .... they include my sins too?
Mano:	Yes, Sunder! We are the ones who should experience death for the sins we have committed. But Jesus took that on Himself and allowed Himself to be condemned to die by the hands of the Jewish high priest, his retinue, and by the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. They removed His garments from His person. They dressed Him with a small piece of cloth on His loins; they pressed a crown of thorns on His head. They mocked Him. They spit upon Him. They beat Him black ...and ... blue. His flesh ... came off and... He ... bled!!! Why? Sunder ... why? This suffering to our Lord for our sins... yours and mine. Our sins, committed by our hands; our eyes, our legs; our hearts and minds. And, finally, after receiving all these brutalities, He was made to carry a heavy wooden cross. He was paraded through the streets of Jerusalem to be crucified at the outskirts of the city, on the mount of Calvary.....
	_________________________________________________________________ (Here a song of mourning explaining the sufferings of Jesus is sung with all the pathos the scenes can bear.) _________________________________________________________________
Vasant:	While on the cross, Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of His offenders. He handed over the responsibility of His dear mother to His dear disciple, John. And at the end, He expressed His satisfaction of completing the work He was sent to accomplish, for which He came into the world and gave up His ghost to the eternal hands of His Father.
S:	Ah.... What a wonderful life -- that one solitary life. I bow down.
V:	The sinless Son of God became SIN for the sins of all mankind and sacrificed His life as the Pascal Lamb, the Lamb of God sacrificed in God's love for all mankind. Therefore, there is no need to offer sacrifices or offerings to cleanse oneself from sin. Neither is there any need for anyone to go on pilgrimages. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all our sins.
	_________________________________________________________________ (At this point, a song is sung about Jesus' blood and its power - the matchless transforming power.) _________________________________________________________________
V:	Sunder, if you, in faith, receive the cleansing of your sins by His precious blood, you too will receive complete forgiveness of your sins.
S:	Yes .... Oh, yes.... I do receive.
M:	Good! But first, let me add a few more details about Jesus' death. The dead body of Jesus was buried in a tomb. Thinking that the disciples would steal away the body, the authorities kept a tight vigil, keeping soldiers to guard the tomb. The seal of the Roman Emperor was also fixed on the entrance to the tomb. But Jesus, as He had promised, rose from the dead. The women came and found the stone that guarded the tomb had been rolled away and the tomb was empty, except for the grave clothes in which Jesus had been wrapped. Jesus conquered death, not only for Himself but for those who would follow Him. This is the promise of the victory for all who believe.
	_________________________________________________________________ (Here a song of victory is played that says the King of Judah has triumphed.) _________________________________________________________________
Mano:	It is truly exciting to hear about Jesus' death and resurrection. I am rejoicing within my heart. It gives so much faith in my heart when I hear that neither did Jesus run away at the face of death, nor did He become dust unto dust at His death. But then, please don't be angry with me if I ask you a question.
Vasant:	Why get angry? No, never. I am glad you are asking questions. Only when you ask questions and clear your doubts, will you get clarity in thinking on matters concerning the divine purpose of God.
Sunder:	O.K. Then.... After the resurrection, did anyone see Jesus? Did He talk to anybody?
Vasant:	Oh, yes, Sunder... Yes. After the resurrection, He was in the world for 40 days. Hundreds of people saw Him. When Jesus showed Himself to His disciples, Thomas, one of the disciples, was not with them. When they told Thomas that they had seen Jesus, he did not believe them. He believed only after He saw Jesus and felt His wounds. It was this Thomas who came to India and preached the good news of Jesus Christ.
M:	It is interesting to know that when Jesus died, the disciples ran away and hid themselves. They lost all their courage. But when He showed Himself to them, they remembered all that He had taught them. They became very courageous. They even went to the same Jewish leaders who killed Jesus and witnessed to them that Jesus is the Messiah.
Sunder:	Akka ... Annan... I want this Jesus. I want this Jesus who died for me.
V:	A good desire. Let me tell you a little more. After 40 days, Jesus assembled His disciples on the mount when He ascended to heaven. When the disciples stood wonderstruck, a voice repeated the words Jesus told them when He taught them that He would come a second time to gather all those who believed in Him and received Him as Lord and Savior. Therefore, Sunder, You and Akka and I should be ready in purity of life to receive Him and live with Him in heaven forever.
	_________________________________________________________________ (Cassette 2 ends with a song that depicts the longing of the heart of a believer for the second coming of Jesus)

	This ends Cassette 2 Go to Cassette 3
Home \| Info/History \| Gifts of India Info \| Cassette Scripts \| Gifts M/E Intl Affiliation \| Team 1 - You Can Help \| Typical Pictures \| Newsletters \| Request Form \| Executive Summary \| Links \|