Preaching to the Hard hearted with Joy

I read a good joke on Gayle’s Blog recently, she has the ability to change her focus to suite what she is experiencing in her life but she always keeps a strong stand in regards to God’s Truth. (see her link below )

 

Blog Posts-  http://livinginobscurity.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/just-a-little-humor/

 

Gayle’s joke yesterday lead to some very interesting conversation, and many smilies, yes it had me pondering and those who know me, know this leads to me to sharing deep heart thoughts. Now where did pondering come from…

 

It’s an English word first used in the 14th centary, it means to deeply concider something or study it and others like me believe the Holy Scriptures are truly meant to be pondered on as to what they mean by the empowering of The Holy Spirit and the Scriptures confirm this too, we are to Study to be approved and not just accept words on a page without any Spiritual understanding.   

 

 I decided to share Gayle’s Joke with you ( see below ) but with animation added so you can enjoy it in motion, it’s called … ” Preaching to the Hard hearted “

 

Witty inventions or jokes are great if they are good and not destructive to our faith and they can also be used for teaching or sharing God’s Truth but surprisingly even some Theologians and Bible Translators have undermined this gift from God by not reading it in the context it was used. 

 

There is always a flesh or worldly reference as well as the Spiritual in Scripture such as wordly love, joy, peace, hope, wisdom, pride and the Spiritual is Godly Love, Joy, Peace, Hope, Wisdom, Pride etc This is the same as witty inventions we need to know the differance. 

 

Sin can inhibit good laughter and it often creates evil wit, we need to have God’s wisdom and His reasoning, Logic and discernment by the empowering of The Holy Spirit.1Corinthians2 Laughter also like fear in the Hebrew does not always mean what we may understand it to be, it depends on the context it is used in, it can mean, not accepting abuse or taking to heart what those say  who mock us. 

 

Proverbs 8:11-13 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance  and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

 

Psalm 126:2-3 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:4  A time to weep, and a time to Laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

 

God has given us the gift of Laughter and yes there is a time for everything, humour is part of wisdom and when it comes from the heart, we can create good, clean witty inventions or share those of others. I really enjoy it when people use this gift in a good and constructive way and I often share there’s and mine, especially if it is over the Top, in other words not for real, like my Posts, Sony Digital Ape and Brain Freeze and others, why because it’s cleaver and Laughter is a good emotion when it has a good focus,  it has great benefits for the mind and body but how do we know if the Humour we hear or read is wrong….. 

 

Just like we know and recognize Jesus’ voice in the Truth we read and hear, so we can also  recognize Satan’s evil wit, it puts God and others down in a cruel way. There is no real humour in evil, those who use it and enjoy and share it will eventually accept the evil it teaches, this is why God tells us to reject this type of Humour, when we laugh it relaxes us and our defences are down,  as an example,  when the Elderly are made fun of,  this leads to a lack of respect for them and laughing at what God tells us is evil encourages us not to accept God’s Truth or respect Godly advice from others. Thank you for listening, I hope you will enjoy Gayle’s joke.

 

 

Preaching to The Hard hearted

 

A Priest, a Pentecostal Preacher and a Rabbi all served as Chaplains to the Students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette. They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop.

 

 One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn’t really that hard.

 

A real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another, and they decided to do a seven-day experiment.

 

They would all go out into the woods, find a bear and preach to it. Seven days later, they’re all together to discuss the experience…

 

Father O’Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has various bandages, goes first. “Wellll,” he says, in a fine Irish brouge, “Ey wint oot into th’ wooods to fynd me a bearr. Oond when Ey fund him Ey began to rread to him from the Baltimorre Catechism.

 

Welll, thet bearr wanted naught to do wi’ me und begun to slap me aboot. So I quick grrabbed me holy water and, THE SAINTS BE PRAISED, he became as gentle as a lamb. The Bishop is cooming oot next wik to give him fierst communion und confierrmation.”

 

Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm and both legs in casts, and an IV drip. In his best fire and brimstone oratory he proclaimed, “WELL, brothers, you KNOW that we don’t sprinkle…WE DUNK! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to him from God’s HOOOOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me.

 

I SAY NO! He wanted NOTHING to do with me. So I took HOOOLD of him and we began to rassle. We rassled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we come to a crick. So I quick DUNK him and BAPTIZE his hairy soul. An’ jus like you sez, he wuz gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the week in fellowship, feasting on God’s HOOOOLY word.”

 

They both look down at the Rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IV’s and monitors running in and out of him.

 

The Rabbi looks up and says, “Oy! You don’t know what tough is until you try to circumcise one of those creatures.”