Christians Among Mockers

A northerner who spends his winters in Florida tells this incident: “I had three negroes picking oranges for me. One of them was a Christian, the other two decidedly not. All three were working on the same tree and the two were trying to upset the faith of the Christian. They attacked this and that and ridi- culed here and there but the Christian gave them as good as they sent.

After a while the Christian negro said, “ ’Tain’t no use, ’tain’t no use, you fellers talkin’. When you really believe in de Lord, really believe in de Lord, yo jest can’t lose yo faith.”

Illustrations of such a nature are some of the very best you can get, especially for teaching and conversation. 4. Humorous illustrations that clash with people’s likes and dis- likes, prejudices, foibles, manners and customs should be avoided. One must know the hearers better than in the use of any other kind.

If you base a humorous incident on some hobby, some pet notion, some prejudice of. one or more in the congregation, you injure more than you help. HUMOROUS ILLUSTRATIONS 115 Remember always that souls are not won to Christ by jokes, by making people laugh. Decision for Christ is not brought about by telling the soul a joke. III.

Some advantages in using humorous illustrations. 1. They break down opposition, prejudice, tenseness that pre- vent the soul from giving the spirit of God a chance to work His grace in the human heart. The laughter the humorous illustration causes works an inner change.

It loosens the cords, muscles, nerves. This releases the tenseness of mind under which the soul then is.

It creates a receptiveness of mind which makes for a will- ingness to listen and gives the message a fair hearing. This is especially true when the laughter is what we term gentle laughing rather than hearty.

The mind recovers its poise quicker, is more quickly ready for what you have to say next. When they laugh heartily, you must wait longer to again secure their real at- tention.

The mind is taken farther away from the current of the sermon and for a longer time. When they smile or laugh a little, they are almost instantly ready for you to go ahead.

In general, one will wish to make people laugh more heartily in evangelistic preaching than in preaching to Christians. The oppo- sition and tenseness is generally greater when the speaker is press- ing people towards that moment of decision for Christ.

Satan seems to be working harder just then, harder than at any other time. Hearty laughter then helps probably more than at any other time.

Parallel with these results, there is another that is best consid- ered here. Humorous illustrations cause a quickening of the atten- tion and interest. While one should not give humorous illustra- tions just for quickening interest, it is wise to make use of this law. Along about three quarters way through the sermon interest may lag, attention be not as intent.

Make use of the law just given. At that point introduce a humorous incident, but see to it that it abso- lutely does bring out the point in the sermon you are then treating.

2. A solemn impression is deepened if tt ts immediately pre- ceded by laughter. One is more easily led to serious thought just after one has laughed.

Speakers who make a specialty of causing audiences to cry, always precede this attempt to move to tears by making them laugh heartily. It is not our purpose as ministers or workers in general to make people cry. Tears do not amount to very much. If you think they do, go and study movie audiences and see what comes from those tears.

Our purpose is to move them towards God. This can be more easily done right after a smile or a laugh than by any other means.

Never immediately succeed a deep impression of a serious na- ture, with laughter. That laughter may immediately dissipate that impression. Often it will wipe the mind clear of that impression. Laughter first, then the serious, never the reverse.

3. In conversation humor is a powerful aid. If you bring mer- riment into your conversations, people will like to talk with you. Bring laughter into the homes where you go, and you will always be a welcome visitor.

People have enough troubles of their own. Get their minds away from these things a while. In that condition of mind you can slip in a serious thought or illustration or two. The very welcome which they have for you places them in a receptiveness of mind for your messages, not only in the home but in the Church services as well.

Study carefully “The use of the illustration in conversation,” chapter XIII, for additional matter touching this point. 4. Humorous illustrations are of great value in teaching. Teaching should be ad hominem, directed at the individual, as much as possible.

Pressing things home in that way is not always easy. Often there are many things in the mind that must be got out of the way before you get at the real attention of the individuals in the class.

The teacher needs something that will sweep everything out of the mind and give fixed attention to what is being said. The humorous illustration is the one thing that will accomplish that end. Especially is this true when the illustration is given not for mere laughter, but is given because it admirably brings out the truth you are emphasizing just then.

Intersperse your teaching by apt humorous illustrations and you have increased your power as a teacher. This has been proven to be true beyond any possibility of doubt. But be sure that these humorous illustrations actually illustrate the various points and are not related just to create laughter.

IV. Ridicule. 1. Ridicule means making fun of someone or something, hold- ing up some cause or person in such a way as to make people laugh at them, not with them.

We can for all practical purposes use the word never in connection with using illustrations that ridicule. Ridicule always works injury.