In 1978, Alexander Solzhenitsyn addressed the graduating class at Harvard saying, “Many of you have already found out what others will find out in the course of their lives that truth eludes us as soon as our concentration begins to flag, all the while leaving the illusion that we are continuing to pursue it.” I believe this holds true for the Western Church today. Much like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, we have heaped rules and regulations onto the teachings of Christ. In the centuries that have followed His death, Christianity has often looked little like its namesake. Instead of being an all-inclusive people loving and serving others in their desperation, we have become somewhat of a closed society, a secret handshake club that does our best to keep the world at bay. We have lost our concentration on the person of Jesus and have been lulled to sleep, convinced that we are still pursuing His truth.
Mark
Generalities
Christians love to speak in generalities. As long as we don’t get too specific, we can all just get along. As long as we don’t get too specific, we can live just like everyone else. Did you ever notice how Jesus only dealt in specifics? It was as if He didn’t even recognize gray as a color! Jesus never left any wiggle room; it was always black or white. As followers of Jesus, our own lives should be identified by the specific things we do, not by some general sense of what we believe. A general knowledge of anything yields little; specific action is how results are delivered.
Comfortable Faith
I recently heard Ken Davis make the statement that, “There is no such thing as a comfortable faith.” How many of us believe that, or at least live as if it were true? It reminds me of a question A.W. Tozer asked years ago, “Have the saints of God joined the mad scramble for security?” Modern day Christianity looks awfully comfortable, and it seems few are willing to run towards the battle. We want the benefits of Heaven without having to go through Hell to get them. This may resonate with our modern ears, but it’s not the life Jesus modeled for His disciples.
Obedience is the Test of Love
A.W. Tozer once said, “The final test of love is obedience.” This is such a profound truth, yet one that is consistently overlooked or ignored in our modern version of Christianity. Ours is an era of “cheap grace”, meaning salvation is ours for the asking and requiring no more of us than the request itself. Following Jesus requires more than mere belief that He is the Son of God; it requires more than believing He was crucified and rose from the dead. Even demons believe this (James 2:19)! To be welcomed into the Kingdom of God, we must not only believe, but also be madly in love with Jesus. And the final test of love is obedience.
Comfort or Courage?
I heard Dr. Brene Brown speak at a conference I recently attended. During her talk she made the statement that, “You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you cannot choose both.” That’s a great mantra for anyone, but I think it is particularly appropriate for the Western church today. Many ministries are doing incredible, life-changing, and brave things; they are taking a risk and engaging the world around them. Other churches are content to wallow in their comfort; they risk little and therefore affect little. Sadly, looking at the general landscape and direction of Christianity in America and Europe, it would appear the comfort seekers far outnumber their courageous counterparts.
The difference between the comfortable and the courageous is the sum total of the people within each group. Courageous churches are filled with courageous people, while comfortable churches are filled with comfortable people. Which church are you helping to build? There is nothing comfortable about being a follower of Jesus. He warned us that a life spent following Him would be difficult and uncomfortable (Mark 10:17-22; Luke 9:57-62; Matthew 10:32-39). If you are casually or comfortably following Christ, you may want to check your ticket and make sure you are on the right bus. What a tragedy to spend your entire life thinking you were known by Christ, only to discover in the end He never knew you (Matthew 7:21-23).
We are called to be a courageous people. We have been gifted to accomplish impossible tasks for the glory of God’s Kingdom. Why then do we crave and cling to comfort? We weren’t designed for this, which means Satan is having a field day convincing us otherwise. I believe the vast majority of us would intellectually prefer courage over comfort, but emotionally we side with comfort. Courage is enticing, but comfort is familiar. Comfort is safe and predictable, and we like that. Courage, on the other hand, moves us out of our comfort zone and encourages us to do things we never dreamed possible. Which of those attitudes sounds more like that of Jesus?
Billions of people are dying without knowing Jesus. The job before us is monumental. Our mission is to take the love of Jesus to each and every soul on this planet (Matthew 28:18-20). The odds are daunting, and we will not overcome them while maintaining our level of comfort. It will take courageous activity to share God’s love with so many.
Being courageous for Jesus means to stop worrying what others think and start doing what Jesus told us to do. Being comfortable means you probably won’t need to change anything about your life. It’s easier, for certain, but who wants to meet Jesus and tell Him how comfortable you were down on earth? What are you not doing for Jesus? What have you not given up for His sake? What is more important in your life than He is? It’s time to get rid of all of it. It’s time to set aside your comfort so He can do what He intends through you. It’s time to be courageous.