Comfortable Christianity

     The title of this post is a contradiction. The two words “comfortable” and “Christianity” have two completely different meanings. True Christianity is not comfortable; it’s anything but that. Do you think Jesus’ disciples were always comfortable as they followed their Savior? What about Paul? Was he comfortable as he traveled from city to city with the risk of death staring him in the face everywhere he went? This is something that the Lord has been teaching me lately: True biblical Christianity is not a call to be comfortable.

     Let me explain it this way. If we are truly pursuing Christ then the Gospel will be our highest boast at all times. As I look at my own life I see me boasting in the Gospel only when it is easy or when it is comfortable. If I’m only talking about the Gospel and sharing the Gospel when it’s comfortable then that’s not boasting at all; it’s nothing more than me flattering myself into thinking that I’m truly pursuing Christ. Exalting Christ and Him crucified means pointing to the truths of the Gospel with our words, thoughts, actions, and lives at ALL times, not just when it is convenient for us or acceptable to others.

I think it’s important to note when discussing this topic of comfort that our goal is not being uncomfortable. The end in our journey as believers is not discomfort, it’s treasuring and exalting God. The proper response to the realization that the message of the Gospel is on my lips just when it is comfortable for me is not to try and make myself uncomfortable. Jesus’ last words to His disciples aren’t, “Strive to be uncomfortable at all times,” but rather he tells them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). So our highest priority as Christians isn’t to be uncomfortable; our highest priority is to advance the Gospel of Christ by the power of his Holy Spirit, and if that means being uncomfortable then so be it. God, grant your Church a holy boldness to share the good news of Christ who has brought us to you by His shed blood on the Cross.