tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1608850906658140123.post9180404890826763587..comments2017-05-15T22:06:43.597-04:00Comments on Insights, Inspirations, & Other Ideas: An Exposé of Christian ComedyBondservant of Christhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05080969156703365493noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1608850906658140123.post-83634660295855772232014-02-25T15:08:25.048-05:002014-02-25T15:08:25.048-05:00It's very interesting that the Lord is dealing...It's very interesting that the Lord is dealing with me personally today on the topic of aggressiveness in dealing with non-believers and believers alike. I am one of those guys that could care less what anyone thinks. Driven by the knowledge that every problem known to man finds it's origin in sin and is in direct opposition to God's Holiness, I see God as the ONLY solution for problems.<br /><br />Yesterday, I was approached by someone on the street that was screaming at me about Jesus. My boss, who is not a practicing believer completely blew this person off. I did engage them, but left wondering what God's purpose was in the exchange. I was not questioning Him, but wondering who it was for.<br /><br />At the end of the day we must remember that God does not need us. He is Holy and complete in and of himself. His Holy Spirit is here to help us. Our involvement is a sign of obedience and love to him, but He does not need our "help" in convicting others or in accomplishing His will. Left without a voice from man, God's purpose would still be fulfilled. It's His pleasure that allows us an outward expression of our inward emotion toward Him.<br /><br />Does the world receive hope from this argument? Does the discipline of this approach accomplish the commission that Jesus gives us when He directs us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves? I am left with the feeling that this whole page has Pharisee written all over it. I love you as a brother in Christ, but being beaten with the law doesn't work. The Holy Spirit changes hearts. Heart work is for the Lord.<br /><br />Be blessed brother.<br /><br />If you are interested, you can respond to me via email. If not, I understand. Please be advised, I am open to communication and commentary, but I am not going to argue endlessly over interpretation of scripture. <br /><br />Currituck4Jesus@Gmail.com<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1608850906658140123.post-81503492140721215422014-01-25T01:05:04.435-05:002014-01-25T01:05:04.435-05:00I really appreciate your viewpoint, and I respect ...I really appreciate your viewpoint, and I respect your obvious prayerful concerns on the idea of Christian humor. As a Christian, I just feel that humor is not always mockery. Humor to present the message is not necessarily unsound doctrine or practice. Even John Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, said, “We are nowhere forbidden to laugh, or to be satisfied with food, …or to be delighted with music, or to drink wine.” I look nowhere else than the Gospels to see Jesus's humor, very much clearly Jewish humor of his day. In Matthew 16;13-30, Jesus's conversation with Peter is ripe with humor, as he refers to the rock, who had just sunk in the water with his lack of faith right before this. Do you believe that the other disciples understood the gentle humor on Peter's account? Now Peter did eventually live up to that name, of course. In Matthew 19:24, the humor of a camel going through the eye of a needle seems quite obvious. In Mark 7:14, Jesus points out that it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. He is not just speaking of words and thoughts (though that is his intent), but of our physical body. And finally, Colossians 4:6 tells us that our conversations should be full of grace, seasoned with salt. Being "tasty" to our ears can also be referring to humor. I read your words carefully, but I just don't read the Gospels to see only a "stern" Jesus expecting us to be the same. A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. (Proverbs 17:22) Actually, though the message of all of Proverbs 26 is serious, the wording is certainly not. I invite you to read it with that in mind. God bless, and I hope and pray that our common ground, the love of Jesus, will surpass the non-essentials. I leave you with this. I grew up in a church with a retired pastor, well past his prime, at the pulpit. He was a great man of God, who was leading our church to nowhere. He thought laughter in church to be a sin, "a circus." His young replacement brought in humor to teach the Gospel, God's word. For the first time in my life, Jesus entered my heart. It wasn't some cheap humor trick, it was the Holy Spirit, touching me and my older brother for the first time. A few years later, with another retired preacher at the pulpit, it may have been humor that drew people in, but it was the message of the Gospels that sent them to heaven. You describe Christian humor as "irreverent, impertinent, and satirical." It seems to me that the pharisees described Jesus in very much the same way. Scott S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05712879715229898032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1608850906658140123.post-63462734410757529652013-06-12T20:14:46.139-04:002013-06-12T20:14:46.139-04:00Thanks for your comment, Ben. I really appreciate ...Thanks for your comment, Ben. I really appreciate the feedback. <br />Reading your thoughts on the matter reminded me of Proverbs 14:12. I must incorporated this thought into this post. <br />And yes, what a wonderful day that will be when we will rejoice in the Lord's presence giving all praise and glory to Him alone!<br />Thanks again, and may God richly bless you in your walk with Him. Bondservant of Christhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05080969156703365493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1608850906658140123.post-82094579626225834292013-03-14T00:57:21.690-04:002013-03-14T00:57:21.690-04:00These are all great and thought provoking comments...These are all great and thought provoking comments. I find the ring of Truth in them. We must not put laughter ahead of our Lord. God will not be mocked and I do not suppose he will suffer those who would mock his church (whether I think it innocuous or not). God is infinitely better than jokes. We, as believers, should all long for the day when we drink the new wine in our Savior's new Heaven and new Earth. There the laughter will be eternal and rejoicing will not cease. If we must be stern to endure until the end, so be it. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07307107644414567052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1608850906658140123.post-86961610794526597932013-03-08T19:19:54.296-05:002013-03-08T19:19:54.296-05:00Thought provoking. Like how you backed up your tho...Thought provoking. Like how you backed up your thoughts with the Bible--without twisting it to mean what you wanted it to mean. Very good. Thanks for the insight.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com