The Comfortable Church

My kids in Kaunlaran High School in Navotas (through the partnership of International Graduate School of Leadership-Asia and Breakthrough Community Church-Navotas) wrote the following down when I asked them about their dreams and aspirations: 

"Know Christ"

"Change"

"Be Helpful and responsible"

"Expect more knowledge (Know) about God"

"Help my parents"

"Help my family"

"I want to help others to be God's followers"

These are what these kids hope for, what they desire in life. They desire a life out of poverty, out of daily financial hardship, out of broken down communities, and they desire Christ. They desire God. 

A couple of months back I asked the Lord why he wanted me to serve in this community. God's answer? The kids themselves. He wanted to expose me to his heart... a heart that longs to be connected and reunited to his people from all cultures, nations, from every tongue, every tribe and from every land. 

A recent study shows that most churches today do not share the Gospel. This is what is happening in churches nowadays.

In light of the study, one of the problems today is that as a church, we look inward, instead of outward. We fret about poorly air-conditioned worship auditoriums, frown upon bad sound systems, and complain about the poorly seasoned lunch offered in our monthly ministry meeting. These kids? They have their algebra class during midday, under the shade of the quadrangle stage due to the lack of classrooms. The Track and Field team practices on 40 feet of parking space on worn out training shoes. No grass, no track oval. They miss out on school 1-2 times a week during the rainy season due to constant and regular flooding in the city. That is their reality. 

We are simply just too comfortable. The "problems" we see are but a speck compared to the reality of the world we live in today, a world beyond the confines of our comfortable "problem filled" lives, a world that desperately desires a hope... a world that needs Jesus Christ. 

The bible says:

"Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace"  (Acts 18:9b)

"I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ"  (Romans 1:16)

"(Pray)...that I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak"  (Ephesians 6:18-20)

"Be not thou ashamed of the testimony of our Lord" (2 Timothy 1:8a)

"We were bold...to speak the gospel of God"  (1 Thessalonians 2:2)

God wants us to reach out to all people, and we achieve this by not just simply sitting comfortably, sipping freshly brewed coffee in the posh cafes where we hold weekly bible studies. God wants us to get out of our comfort zones, roll up our sleeves, and to confidently go. 

Are you too comfortable? Be thankful. Be exposed. Pray for divine appointments outside your comfort zone. Share God's blessing of salvation today.