What Happiness & Holiness Have in Common - Spiritual Disciplines Part 4

Lisa Harper's Back Porch Theology

AccessMore

Talk Radio, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.8 • 2.4K Ratings

🗓️ 21 September 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is one of the best we’ve had in a while because it’s basically a dissertation on why play and celebration should be a part of every Christ-follower’s spiritual formation plan! While there’s no single verse proving that our Savior laughed and played during His earthly life and ministry, there are a plethora of passages that imply it like the literary. The Bible proves over and over again that Christoformity – being shaped like Jesus – isn’t always supposed to be serious and somber. Being playful can be every bit as spiritual as being prayerful. Today’s going to be a fun day on the porch y’all, so you might want to bring a caffeinated drink, a yummy snack, and your Bible. And try to talk one of your small group friends who thinks spiritual maturity and grumpiness are congruent into hanging out with us too, because we’re going to expose that myth as being biblically indefensible! Thanks for carving the time out of your day to be with us – we love getting to spend these moments on the porch with you.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Access more.
0:08.5	Today's conversation on Backport's Theology is one of the best we've had in a while
0:12.5	because it's basically a dissertation on why play and celebration should be parts of
0:18.0	every Christ's follower's spiritual formation plan.
0:21.6	While there's no single verse proving that our Savior laughed and played during his earthly life and ministry,
0:26.6	there are a plethora of passages that imply it, like the literary wink he made when describing
0:33.6	a giant mammal of a camel attempting to squeeze through the minuscule eye of a needle in Matthew 19.
0:39.5	Or when he promises that mirth will follow mourning in Luke chapter 6, when Jesus said,
0:45.9	God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh.
0:52.0	Or how about when the Pharisees accused Jesus of being a frivolous person and a partier
0:57.2	in Luke chapter 7? They said, the son of man has come eating and drinking and so you say, look,
1:02.6	a glutton and a drunker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners, which they certainly couldn't have
1:09.1	accused our Redeemer of if he was a curmudgeon.
1:12.2	Plus, Mark's Gospel account depicts Jesus shirking off the formality of a first-century rabbi
1:17.3	and bear-hugging little kids who are probably all sticky from eating candy
1:22.1	and clamoring for his attention like puppies.
1:24.9	One day, some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them.
1:30.0	But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry
1:35.3	with his disciples. He said to them, let the children come to me. Don't stop them. For the kingdom of
1:42.3	God belongs to those who are like these children.
1:45.2	I tell you the truth.
1:46.9	Anyone who doesn't receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.
	...

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