This comfort-seeking tendency can be dangerous because it leads believers to forget the cost of discipleship. Jesus said in Luke 9:23-24:"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it."Comfort-oriented faith fails to embrace this radical call to self-denial and discipleship.
Furthermore, comfort-focused faith undermines the mission of the church. If a church becomes too inwardly focused—concerned with the comfort and preferences of its members—it loses its mission to the lost and fails to engage with the world’s pain and brokenness. In fact, the church militant is often called to go into the uncomfortable spaces of society, engaging in justice, evangelism, and service to bring about the kingdom of God. When was the last time you thought about the church militant?
Reclaiming the Active, Sacrificial Church
The antidote to this comfort-based faith is a return to a sacrificial, mission-focused life. The church militant is an active, engaged Christian community, willing to sacrifice comfort for the sake of the kingdom. Here are a few ways to reclaim this active stance:
Embrace the call to sacrifice: Remind the church that following Christ often means stepping into discomfort, whether it’s financially, emotionally, or physically. Serving others, engaging in spiritual disciplines, and going into the world to make disciples requires a willingness to suffer for Christ’s sake.
Focus on the mission: The church’s mission is to make disciples, to seek and save the lost, and to bring justice where there is injustice. When comfort becomes the goal, the great commission can get sidelined. Christians must refocus on being witnesses to the world, even if it disrupts their comfort.
Develop a deeper theology of suffering: Suffering and discomfort are part of the Christian life, and Jesus modeled this for us. When we can embrace suffering for the kingdom, we’ll see that it doesn’t diminish our joy; instead, it deepens our understanding of God’s work in us and through us.
Engage in spiritual practices that challenge comfort: This can include practices like fasting, serving others sacrificially, and going on mission trips to places where the gospel has not yet reached. These practices help Christians break free from a comfort-centered life and grow in their understanding of God’s call.
Conclusion
Comfort, in and of itself, is not wrong, but when it becomes the primary focus of a believer's life, it can easily lead to ineffective Christianity, spiritual stagnation, passivity, and an inward focus that neglects the mission of the church. The church militant calls Christians to deny themselves and actively participate in God’s redemptive work in the world, even when it disrupts their comfort. In doing so, we are shaped more into the likeness of Christ and become agents of transformation in the world. Comfort must be counterbalanced by mission, and the church must remember that its calling is to be a light in the darkness, no matter how uncomfortable that might feel.
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