Review of the Christian Musical Drama Every Nation Worships the Practical God: The Inexpressible Love of God

By Jingmo, the United States

Musical is a kind of performance art which synthesizes music, dancing, singing, and comedy. The musical “Every Nation Worships the Practical God” is no exception. It is a blend of various art forms like music and dancing, chorus, dialogue show and recital. The stage design presents a beautiful and heartwarming scene, and the excellent performance of the actors offers the audience an immersive experience of God’s love. More importantly, this musical also brings us a piece of great news. Can you imagine what the great news is?

Since the music has started, I say no more here. Let’s enjoy the musical.

In the opening scene, we can see a bright moon hung in the starry night sky, there lay a village surrounded by hills, and the dancing fireflies cast a glamour over the summer night. When the audience was still immersed in the atmosphere of peace and calm, the camera suddenly zoomed in and the quiet scene also became alive. In the moonlight, a group of Christians who expected the return of the Savior were singing and dancing to a merry music. The lively music and graceful dancing immediately attracted the audience’s attention. Influenced by the happy atmosphere they created, my heart unconsciously undulated along with their dancing and I could also feel their sincerity and genuine affection.

The wonderful dance music as well as the performance made the audience eager to know what great news they would bring to us. The computer-generated gate into the kingdom and the way leading to the new age were especially striking. Today in the last days, who among the believers in the Lord does not expect to find the gate into the kingdom and the guide into the new age? Unexpectedly, the messages that the Christians have been desperately searching for so many years are released here.

At the end of a piece of music, before the joyful hearts of the people calmed down, someone suddenly blurted out, “So, God has returned?!” These words immediately attracted everyone’s attention. Then another person raised a differing opinion, “God hasn’t returned. The incarnation here is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ.” These two different opinions put all people into confusion. Some believed that God had returned, for the hymn said: **“the body of God’s second incarnation;”** some doubted and felt confused: What on earth does the “incarnation” here refer to, the Lord Jesus or the Christ of the last days?

As the witnesses sang out more messages, someone eagerly brought up a question: “Isn’t he just an ordinary flesh? How can he be said to be God?” This gave full expression to the Christians’ desperate longing for the Lord’s return; at the same time, this scene also reminded us: We must be in a calm state of mind while seeking the truth and investigating the true way. Rushing won’t solve anything. Since God is faithful, if we quiet our heart to listen and seek, we’ll definitely find the answer.

Besides, the director ingeniously designed a comic situation in this scene. In reciting the same sentence, one person recited in a humorous and exaggerated way and the other following him kept correcting his mistakes. After a storm of laughter, these words were also impressed on our memories. When I read them myself, I came to realize the director’s intention behind this design. The messages contained in these words were far more profound than the literal meaning. After that, someone eagerly asked, “Does ‘the words He speaks’ refer to God’s words? Then where are God’s words? What has God said?” A host of questions promoted the development of the story.

After meeting with the witnesses for the first time, this group of Christians who searched for the footprints of the Lord became even more confused: The prophesies about the Lord’s coming have basically come true and disasters are frequently happening around the world. Can it be that the Lord has truly returned? To get the answer, they fellowshiped and discussed together many times; in order to find God’s words, they searched the Bible, for they believed that it could give them the answer.

There’re two scenes worth mentioning. One was the part of studying the Bible. The excellent and funny performance of the actors was praised enthusiastically by the audience and had them in convulsions. The other was that when they finally failed to find God’s words in the Bible, two of them fell into a discussion, which caught the attention of all people. One said, “Aside from God, no one can tell us all of these things.” “That is to say,” said the other, “the One who can tell us all of this is certainly God.” This conversation may sound like logical inference, but if we consider it carefully, it is the fact. Since no one can tell us all the mysteries of God’s work, the One who can tell us is certainly God. This is beyond all doubt.

Then, under the guidance of the witnesses, this group of people who sought for God’s new words finally found the book of The Word Appears in the Flesh. What book is it? Why are there a lot of words of life that mankind needs in it? Who expressed these words? A series of questions appeared in their mind, which also touched the heart of the audience. The vivid performance of two types of people in reading two different books conveyed an important message: God’s words and work are not all recorded in the Bible. There’re other words and work of God outside the Bible, for God is the spring of living water of life. This also made me recall what is recorded in the Bible: **“I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come”** (John 16:12-13). “**And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals”** (Revelation 5:1). **“He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”** (Revelation 2:7). From here we can see that the Lord will speak new words when He returns in the last days. This is beyond doubt.

Furthermore, behind the brilliant plot as well as the humorous dialogues and performance, it seems that there’re many other messages that the director is intended to express. Perhaps, not all my following reflections have fully or exactly expressed what the director wants to convey, but from the viewpoint of us audience, we do respond to the musical.

#### **What Is the Implied Meaning of the Repeatedly Emphasized Words?**

The three people who hold onto the Bible represent a great majority of people in the religious world. Although this type of people cling to many religious conceptions, it is undeniable that they are also desperately longing for the return of the Savior and the day when they can hear God’s words. As the three people had many religious notions, in the course of their seeking and investigating God’s work, they suffered more hardships and obstructions before they were certain that the Lord has returned. This also makes us see that we must put aside our religious notions when seeking and investigating the true way. Only by seeking with a pure heart can we be able to find the Lord’s footsteps. In this part, the three people stressed again and again: How come the book of The Word Appears in the Flesh is so thick? How many years did it take to say all of this? I believe that the director is not merely intended to tell the audience how thick the book is, but aims to tell all of us: God has long ago come to do work on earth, for The Word Appears in the Flesh cannot be expressed in a couple of days. At this time, the witnesses told the three people and also told all of us: God is the spring of living water. The Word Appears in the Flesh is only a part of God’s expressions in this incarnation. The words of the witnesses made all people surprised.

#### **What Is the Implied Meaning of Taking Night as the Background?**

The beginning of the last scene was also filmed against the tranquil starry night sky as the background. The investigators and the witnesses gathered together; some were fellowshiping and some praying. In this static image, they all came together in harmony. Only then did I realize the reason why the director took night as the background. This just fulfills the words in the Bible: **“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him”** (Matthew 25:6). The background of night is just showing us the important message that “God has returned!”

In this scene, the witnesses testified to the book of The Word Appears in the Flesh for the third time. Everybody present was moved when the witnesses shouted out: “It is the words expressed by God in the flesh that bring us the truth and the life and point out for us the path to salvation!” Seeing the scene where an elder Christian who had followed the Lord for many years spoke out “what an unexpected gift” and a young Christian said “God hasn’t cast us aside” in tears, my heart was also deeply touched. Looking back on their rough and rugged path of looking for God and then looking at the scene when they gathered together again at last, I truly felt glad for them. Especially the three people, their journey was really hard! Actually, there are too many people who act like them in real life. It is true that we Christians all expect the return of the Lord. However, when hearing someone preach the news about the Lord’s return, many of us were bound and constrained by varied conceptions and rumors, which made them unable to seek boldly. As a result, they missed the good opportunity. I couldn’t help remembering the tribe of the Judah two thousand years ago, who desperately yearned for the arrival of the Messiah but nailed the returned Messiah—the Lord Jesus onto the cross and lost the salvation of the Lord. How pathetic and miserable they are! Today in the last days, we are facing the same situation like the Jews. If we do not seek the truth humbly, we’ll be very likely to follow the footsteps of the Jews!When all the actors shouted out: “Now God truly has returned! What are we still waiting for?”, I believed that all Christians who truly had faith in God and sought God’s footsteps must also ponder: God has returned. Then what are we still waiting for? The expectation over two thousand years has finally been realized. What reason do we have to refuse it again?
Every Nation Worships the Practical God is, up to this day, the first musical on the theme of “Testifying that Christ of the last days—the Savior has appeared.” It reveals the mystery and points out the path for all who have been anxiously yearning for the return of the Savior for thousands of years, bringing to mankind the unprecedented shock and surprise, and making immeasurable contributions to mankind’s knowing the appearance and work of God! When the actors and the audience shouted out together: “The kingdom has descended! The new age has started! God has returned! God has returned!”, the salute of the kingdom rang out, and people at the scene were simmering with excitement. What they expressed was exactly the heartfelt wishes of thousands upon thousands of Christians who earnestly yearned for the return of the Lord Jesus.

So much for the musical review. Yet my heart is still immersed in God’s love and cannot calm down for a long time. This musical play cannot be dissected clearly and thoroughly by one or two reviews, for we need to use our heart to personally feel and experience God’s love that lies behind it. I believe that when you taste it with your heart, you will also feel God’s care and pity for us mankind!