Comfortable Christians

     Have Christians become too comfortable? I think we have. Most are satisfied that they have a few church friends to befriend them, and think little about the lonely people in the church. Not only that, but they have become comfortable with the world dying and going to Hell.
    Church pews are padded and church temperatures controlled to a degree. People worry about how hot they are but little about how hot Hell is. People worry about cold churches but not cold hearts. I don't intend to use the, I walked five miles to school, exaggeration, but we did sit on pews without cushions and in buildings without air-conditioning. We even lived in homes in which we froze in winter and burnt up in the summer. We, however, were not content with people going to Hell!
     Christians take too little time being Christians. If they are crossed, there is Hell to pay for the other. The attitude is not forgiveness but revenge: I'll show him (or her); I will treat them like strangers. They isolate the offensive person just as God will isolate them in the end. Christians may not hate other Christians but they don't take the time to love them either. They are just too comfortable in their circle.
     Money for outreach is well spent. I cringe at money spent for our own well-being. I have went to churches which built new large buildings as the real invisible Church went crashing down. I am uncomfortable with dissension, so much so, that I care little how hard my seat is.
     An atheist once commented, If Christians are so caring how can they even sleep nights knowing people are going to Hell? I find myself too comfortable with that myself. I worry because we care so much into ourselves but so little into the eternal comfort of the world.
     I have invited people to church quite often. Usually, they say, we go to so and so church. Later I will ask a regular there, "Do you know this family?" Inevitably they do not, or the family has attended there once or twice. Christians, if they truly are, are too comfortable lying even about their relationship with God. God will judge them: "Away from me, I never knew you."
     We spend too much money on things, and outreach is impersonal. The way to grow the church is individuals loving individuals. People may be part of the church, but apart from it. They may commune with God there, but commune only with their families as others worship alone in a crowd. There is not even a crowd in the church. There are a few gathered for whatever reason. God must feel isolated in His own church!
     Sometimes I think the church is all about eating. The mental sermon each week is topical: "Great Places to Pig Out." Scripture chastises people who take communion to fill their bellies:

When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? what shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. (1 Cor 11:20-22).

     The communion table is not for our hunger, it is for God's delight. The Church is not for our comfort, but for the delight of God. God delights in accordance among the people. He delights in love and concern. He delights when people have changed lives. On the other hand, God must cringe at how comfortable people are knowing others won't be for eternity1