"Let there be no ... silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting." Ephesians. 5:4 (RSV)
Excessive levity should be avoided because it inevitably results in a leakage of spiritual power.
The preacher deals with serious issues, with life and death, with time and eternity. He may
deliver a masterpiece of a message, and yet if there is undue humor in it, people are apt to
remember the jokes and forget the rest.
Oftentimes the power of a message can be dissipated by lighthearted conversation afterwards. A
solemn Gospel appeal may result in the hush of eternity coming over a meeting. Yet when the
people rise to leave, there is the buzz of social chatter. People talk about the football scores or the
business of the day. Little wonder that the Holy Spirit is grieved and nothing happens for God.
Elders who are forever cracking jokes have little real spiritual impact on young people who look
to them for inspiration. They might think that their wit ingratiates them with the young, but the
truth is that the latter feel a keen sense of disappointment and disillusionment.
A form of levity that is especially harmful is making puns on the Bible, using passages of
Scripture to get a laugh rather than to change a life. Every time we pun on the Bible, we lower its
sense of authority in our own lives and in the lives of others.
This does not mean that a believer must be a gloomy Gus, without a trace of humor showing. It
means rather that he should control his humor so that it will not cancel out his message.
Kierkegaard tells of the circus clown who ran into a town to cry out that the circus tent on the
outskirts was on fire. The people listened to his cries and roared with laughter. He had been
clowning so much that he had lost his credibility.
Charles Simeon kept a picture of Henry Martyn in his study. Wherever Simeon went in the room, it
seemed that Martyn was following him with his eyes and saying, "Be earnest, be earnest; don't
trifle, don't trifle." And Simeon would reply, "Yes, I will be in earnest; I will, I will be in earnest; I will
not trifle, for souls are perishing, and Jesus is to be glorified."
Excessive levity should be avoided because it inevitably results in a leakage of spiritual power.
The preacher deals with serious issues, with life and death, with time and eternity. He may
deliver a masterpiece of a message, and yet if there is undue humor in it, people are apt to
remember the jokes and forget the rest.
Oftentimes the power of a message can be dissipated by lighthearted conversation afterwards. A
solemn Gospel appeal may result in the hush of eternity coming over a meeting. Yet when the
people rise to leave, there is the buzz of social chatter. People talk about the football scores or the
business of the day. Little wonder that the Holy Spirit is grieved and nothing happens for God.
Elders who are forever cracking jokes have little real spiritual impact on young people who look
to them for inspiration. They might think that their wit ingratiates them with the young, but the
truth is that the latter feel a keen sense of disappointment and disillusionment.
A form of levity that is especially harmful is making puns on the Bible, using passages of
Scripture to get a laugh rather than to change a life. Every time we pun on the Bible, we lower its
sense of authority in our own lives and in the lives of others.
This does not mean that a believer must be a gloomy Gus, without a trace of humor showing. It
means rather that he should control his humor so that it will not cancel out his message.
Kierkegaard tells of the circus clown who ran into a town to cry out that the circus tent on the
outskirts was on fire. The people listened to his cries and roared with laughter. He had been
clowning so much that he had lost his credibility.
Charles Simeon kept a picture of Henry Martyn in his study. Wherever Simeon went in the room, it
seemed that Martyn was following him with his eyes and saying, "Be earnest, be earnest; don't
trifle, don't trifle." And Simeon would reply, "Yes, I will be in earnest; I will, I will be in earnest; I will
not trifle, for souls are perishing, and Jesus is to be glorified."
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Grace Bible Chapel of Springfield, Illinois
Grace Bible Chapel of Springfield, Illinois
|
| SPEAKERS IN JANUARY |
We join believers around the world in mourning
the passing of our friend William MacDonald, who
gave much appreciated help in the early days of
Grace Bible Chapel. (Below is a meditation
written, by Mr. MacDonald.)
the passing of our friend William MacDonald, who
gave much appreciated help in the early days of
Grace Bible Chapel. (Below is a meditation
written, by Mr. MacDonald.)
BUD MORRIS will be our speaker on Sunday, January 29,
2012 at our 11 a.m. Family Bible Hour service. Bud served
as a medical missionary in Zambia, Africa, along with his
wife Shirley. They have eight adult children, and five
grandchildren. Bud serves as an elder at Grace Bible
Chapel and is one of the teachers at an adult elective
Sunday School Class. He recently retired from medical
practice and is now visiting and preaching in various cities
across the Midwest. He also has an interesting & helpful
web site... POETRY SITE (Click Here)
2012 at our 11 a.m. Family Bible Hour service. Bud served
as a medical missionary in Zambia, Africa, along with his
wife Shirley. They have eight adult children, and five
grandchildren. Bud serves as an elder at Grace Bible
Chapel and is one of the teachers at an adult elective
Sunday School Class. He recently retired from medical
practice and is now visiting and preaching in various cities
across the Midwest. He also has an interesting & helpful
web site... POETRY SITE (Click Here)