Don’t be too quick to laugh

In view of the recent visit by Russell Peters to Malaysia, and how many of my own friends, some Christian, who were so excited to listen to him, I decided to a quick lookup in the bible to see what it has to say about laughter.

It was interesting to find that the word laughter is mostly used in a negative sense, with idea of mocking others. I could not find a place where the word laughter was used as something beneficial to do. Interesting isn’t it? Go ahead and try it, do a bible search for the word “bible” and see all the references.

But it does make some sense when you think of it. Many times when we find ourselves laughing, its in jest of someone’s weakness, or mistakes, or just to put someone to shame.

I must say I’m guilty of lending my loud laughs to such talk myself.

Which begs us to ask ourselves, should we as Christians actually listen to (or even pay to listen) jokes that are vulgar, sexist, distasteful, and degrading, even if the humor is in the irony of a fact? Does this please the Lord who loved and died for the ones whom comedians are making fun of?
I think my honest answer would be no. But I will need help to stop myself from partaking in such talk and laughing at others.

So does this mean we can’t laugh? No. The bible does teach us to ‘rejoice always’ and be ‘joyful’, and that a merry heart is like medicine. Surely in the spirit of those things laughter is permitted. We should pay attention though, to what we are laughing for and what we are laughing at. If the source or object of laughter is someone else’s weakness or if there is pun intended, we should stop laughing, for the bible tells us to “bear one another’s weakness” and to love one another.

So the next time we get on YouTube or Ted.com, let’s give some thought about what humor we are enjoying.

His doom is sure

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
- A Mighty Fortress is our God, Martin Luther

What victory! We ought to be living in the light of this don’t you think ?

Dare us preach the wrong gospel?

Sometimes, it just feels easier to tell people about God’s love, and how kindly He is, and how much He wants to bless them and heal them and make them happy in life.

Let’s just skip telling people about righteousness, judgement and repentance – it makes people uncomfortable and not want to come to church.

Let’s just have them think that they can be saved, if they would just follow Jesus. No need to teach that they need to confess sins and repent of their offenses toward God.

The danger is…

I believe there will be lots of church-going for a little while after the rapture of God’s people; those left behind will be crowding into the churches as never before. I think I see the Rev. Mr. Smooth-things standing in his pulpit, with pale, wan face. He looks at scores of parishioners he hasn’t seen for many years and thinks to himself, “Now, I have to explain to these people. I have been telling them for twenty years that this talk of the second coming is false.” People who believed in the second coming were looked on as idiotic ranters who didn’t know what they were talking about. I think I hear mutterings down in the congregation: “We trusted our souls to you. You had been to the colleges, seminaries, and universities, and read a whole library of books. We believed you when you told us the old idea of salvation by the blood of Christ was all worn out and that we could save ourselves by culture. We believed you when you said Christ’s second coming was only a fantastic notion. Now explain this to us. - H.A Ironside – Commentary on Revelation 6.

 

So, let us get back to the faithful preaching of the gospel – whatever the cost.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes… Rom 1:16

Worship

“But in worship — considered in and by itself, in the proper significance of the act — we lose sight of ourselves and our blessings, and are occupied with what God is in Himself, and what He is for us as revealed in Christ.” – E.Dennet (emphasis mine)