A “comfort zone” is an environment or situation in which a person or group of people feel secure or at ease, an established lifestyle in which comfort is enjoyed as long as there is no drastic change.
Comfort zones can be a blessing, but they can also turn dangerous when we allow ourselves to…
- Feel satisfied (“Relax, eat, drink, be merry,” Luke 12:19)
- Stop (“I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God,” Rev 3:2)
- Settle (“I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” Rev 3:17)
- Stumble (“Return…for you have stumbled because of your iniquity,” Hos 14:1)
- Slide (“Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding?” Jer 8:5)
- Stagnate (“You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead,” Rev 3:1)
The stagnation often experienced in our comfort zones can damage our relationships, our academic pursuits, our careers, and our walks with God.
Dangerous Comfort Zones That Will Cripple a Church From the Inside
- “I go to church, therefore I’m a Christian.” (Isa 29:13)
- “I’m a consumer, and that’s all I’m interested in being.” (Eph 2:10)
- “I just want to come and go, no strings attached.” (Eph 2:19)
- “I have no interest in being corrected or held accountable.” (2 Tim 4:1-5; Heb 13:17)
- “I don’t have to ____, that’s why we have ____.” (Eph 4:15-16)
- “I want a church that looks like me.” (Rev 7:9-10)
- “That’s just the way we’ve always done it.” (1 Cor 15:58)
- “I don’t want anything to change; I like things just the way they are.” (Eph 1:22-23)
- “I’ve done my part, now it’s time for somebody else to step up while I relax.” (Rom 12:11)
- “We’ve arrived.” (Amos 6:1)
This sermon was delivered on May 31, 2015.
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