Yes, Apple is my real name.  And no, no relation to the computer.

A lot of people think that since I’m on the radio, Apple must be an “air name.”  But no, Apple was my dad’s name and his dad’s name and on and on, at least as far back as the Revolutionary War.  

In school, some kids liked to poke fun at the name Apple.  I didn’t like it, but later I realized that some kids are going to find something to make fun of no matter what, and in my case the name was such an easy target it kept them away from more personal things.  

I remember one old guy telling me about his school buddies, and he remembered them all by their nicknames.  And get this, most of them sounded negative, names like shorty or fatty or squeaky or gopher or humpty.
I noticed there was no “Joltin’ Joe” or “Stan the Man,” nothing like “The Iron Horse” or even “Primetime.”  And that’s the way I remember it.  Nicknames tended to be negative, picking on some less-than-stellar quality.
But that’s just school kids, right?  Only bratty boys make fun of friends.

But no!  I’ve seen this spill over into the church.  I’ve heard pastors poke fun at their deacons or their assistants in front of the congregation, and everyone laughs at the great fun.  I’ve heard Christian businessmen mock their employees.  Of course it goes the other way, too.  Christians mock their pastors and employees mock their boss.

Yes, I realize that sometimes it can be done respectfully and no one gets hurt, but that is a very fine line.  How do you make sarcastic comments about someone without hurting them?   I guess it’s possible that someone could be on the receiving end and not be hurt, but I wouldn’t like it.  If my pastor stood in front of the congregation and poked fun at me, or if my wife started mocking me in front of our friends, my disapproval would boil over.

People don’t like to be mocked because it shows disrespect.  People don’t like to be the butt of jokes.  People don’t like negative nicknames and sarcastic comments about them.

It’s one thing to be treated like that in the world.  The world is a rough place where people let their sin nature run amuck.  

But in the church?  No one should be treated like this in the church.  And no Christians should be treating anyone this way.

If you are a Christian, you should not be cutting other people down.  You shouldn’t make negative, sarcastic comments about people just to get a laugh.  You shouldn’t tag people with negative nicknames, and you shouldn’t use such nicknames even if everyone else does.

You know that guy everyone calls Fatty?  Get him alone sometime and ask him what he would prefer to be called.  If he genuinely prefers Fatty, fine.  Some guys probably do.  But some guys probably don’t, and you can find out by asking.

I’ve done this many times, asked people what they preferred to be called.  My favorite response was, “I don’t care what people call me, as long as they call me for dinner.”

Now see, that’s sarcasm that didn’t hurt anyone.  Yes, it is possible to use sarcasm as good humor, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone in the process.

The church is to be a place of love.  We Christians are to be known by our love.  We should love one another so much that there are no doubts, that even outsiders say, “Boy, those people really love each another.”  

And that should come out in the comments we make, and the names we call each other.  

Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

The NIV says we should only say “what is helpful for building others up according to their needs...”  So think about it.  Do you poke fun at people to get a laugh?  Do you make sarcastic comments or toss out little “zingers” or put downs?  

Is it possible, even remotely possible, that those people are hurt in some way by your comments?  If so, then stop saying them.  Excise them from your vocabulary.  The church is to be a place of love, and we Christians should be known by our love, and that includes the comments we make and the nicknames we call each other.

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