Comfortable Christianity

[Chad]

Comfortable Christianity
Horatius Bonar

Is the Christianity of our day of the lofty kind of which apostolic men have left us so bright an example? Is it not feeble, indolent, self-indulgent, second-rate? Is there in it anything of the presentation of ‘living sacrifices’ to God, which is our acceptable and reasonable service? Are we not seeking our own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s? Are we not feasting when the world is starving? Are we not at ease in Zion? Are we not sitting still and in luxurious comfort, when many noble and self-sacrificing ones amongst us are rushing into the toil or the war, and, for want of being supported by their fellow Christians, are sinking under the burden and heat of the day?

O easy, luxurious, comfortable Christian! While you are lolling on your couch the sinner is going down to woe! While you are soothing your conscience with the opiates of religious routine; or pampering the flesh; or killing time in mirth and music, at the concert, or oratorio, or social party; or idling days in sport; or talking politics; or drinking in the applause of public opinion; or sunning yourself in the blaze of the ballroom; or absorbed in the latest novel; or engrossed with the unmeaningness of the card table;—men are dying, the present scene is passing, the eternal world is hastening on, and the Judge is at the door!

Rouse thyself from thy indulgence, and work! Do it with thy might. Spend and be spent. Give thy money to the Master; give thy strength and thy life to Him. For He is at hand. He may be nearer than thou thinkest. And how shouldst thou like to be caught by Him lounging on thy soft couch, or feasting at thy well-spread table, when thou shouldst have been working for Him, or fighting His battles,—visiting His brethren, soothing His sorrowing children, ministering to His poor disciples, grudging no weariness or hardship for a Master like Him?

-Taken from Light & Truth: Bible Thoughts and Themes, Vol. IV, The Lesser Epistles, by Horatius Bonar, 1870.

 

[Coconut]

I`m afraid there is much more of the foolish virgin in us than the wise...
the Bride seems to be persuaded that the best way to redeem the time is to spend more time under a steeple feasting on the harvest of yesteryear...the oil and the meal have run out...and we`ve fooled ourselves into believing if we cry loud enough around the alter of revival, the harvest will bring itself in...strangely enough, the word "revival" is not to be found in scripture..."WAKE UP" is tho...


Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.


Rom 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Eph 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Eph 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Eph 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Mat 9:37 So he said to his disciples, "The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in.
Mat 9:38 Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest."

oh 4:34 "My food," Jesus said to them, "is to obey the will of the one who sent me and to finish the work he gave me to do.
Joh 4:35 You have a saying, 'Four more months and then the harvest.' But I tell you, take a good look at the fields; the crops are now ripe and ready to be harvested!

 

[jiggyfly]

I`m afraid there is much more of the foolish virgin in us than the wise...
the Bride seems to be persuaded that the best way to redeem the time is to spend more time under a steeple feasting on the harvest of yesteryear...the oil and the meal have run out...and we`ve fooled ourselves into believing if we cry loud enough around the alter of revival, the harvest will bring itself in...strangely enough, the word "revival" is not to be found in scripture..."WAKE UP" is tho...


Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.


Rom 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Eph 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Eph 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Eph 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Mat 9:37 So he said to his disciples, "The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in.
Mat 9:38 Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest."

oh 4:34 "My food," Jesus said to them, "is to obey the will of the one who sent me and to finish the work he gave me to do.
Joh 4:35 You have a saying, 'Four more months and then the harvest.' But I tell you, take a good look at the fields; the crops are now ripe and ready to be harvested!

Praise God! While ten virgins were sleeping Praise God someone was awake and cried out "wake up"! Probably an ex-crack head prostitute who Jesus set free and the ten virgins looked down on.

 

[Coconut]

I have to tell you this message about comfortable Christianity didnt make me feel very comfortable...it actually pressed further on me something that has been troubling me a lot lately...

Today the words that Christ spoke have been on my mind all day..."Pray the Lord of the Harvest will send forth laborers..." It simply does`nt correlate with all this talk of sitting and praying "Pray Lord - bring them to us" Does`nt it seem we have got it all backwards?

Didnt the Saints used to sing "Bringing in the Sheaves..."? Now everywhere I hear singing, "Let it rain on me..." or something of the sorts ...but if I really want rained on, should`nt I be out there in the harvest field? That would be the place to get really soaked! At least getting soaked while serving would have served some purpose. If a life of serving others, was the will of Father for Christ, am I to be more privileged than my master?

Mar 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people."

Not only that, but what is all this praying for "revival" about anyways? The scripture tells me "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the full knowledge of Him" So I have to ask, how much reviving do we need, how much more power, how much more blessing, before we all burst at the seams? It seems strange that when He gave us life, to think He didnt give us life enoug,h that we should need revived?

Is it we really dont believe His words?

 

[Coconut]

Let us liken the farmer to the Son of God...

When springtime comes and my Husband says "Honey its time to get the garden in" I join him in working in the garden, it is the way of life.

It is also the way of life in the Kingdom of God..

Shall I say to my husband, " You go ahead and get the garden tilled and planted , I am going to stay in the house and pray to be revived."

My husband will look at me concerned and ask "Are you sick?"

I answer, "Well no, but I dont 'feel' strong enough for working"...and the next day, same scenario...

"Honey i`m going to meet my friends at Sister Sallys house, and we are going to pray to be revived."

My husband asks, "Are your friends not well?"

And I answer, "Well yes, but they dont 'feel' strong enough for working either, so we are going to pray to be revived"....and the next day..

"Honey Bro John is having a revival meeting over in the church in the wildwood, i`m going over there to pray to be revived"...and the next day...

"Honey theres a big camp meeting going on in the next town over....oh this is so exciting, I just know now i`m going to get revived"...and so the story goes...

Spring turns into summer, and summer turns into fall...the Husband talks to his bride again and again about making up for lost time, but she answers glibly, " oh we pray at the meetings that our husbands will have a bountiful harvest! You should come to the revival meetings with me, we get so blessed!"

My husband looks at me sadly, and says "I have work to do..."

Joh 4:34 Jesus told them, "My food is doing the will of the one who sent me and completing his work. You say, don't you, 'In four more months the harvest will be here?' Look, I tell you, open your eyes and observe that the fields are ready for harvesting! The one who harvests is already receiving his wages and gathering a crop for eternal life...

Mat 7:21 "Not everyone who keeps saying to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will get into the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who keeps doing the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, drove out demons in your name, and performed many miracles in your name, didn't we?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you evildoers!'"

Oh foolish foolish foolish virgin, your Husband has gathered His harvest, and that time of opportunity you were given to work with Him in the fields has all been wasted ...

Mat 25:41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Get away from me, you who are accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't welcome me. I was naked, and you didn't clothe me. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.' "Then they will reply, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn't help you?' Then he will say to them, 'Truly I tell you, in that you did not do it for one of the least important of these, you did not do it for me.'



Rom 13:11 You must do this, because you know that the time has come for you to wake up from your sleep. For the moment when we will be saved is closer now than it was when we first believed. The night is nearly over, day is almost here. Let us stop doing the things that belong to the dark, and let us take up weapons for fighting in the light...

 

[SpiritLedEd]

I think it should be called Pretend Christianity because people who do the things the writer wrote of are not genuine Christians. The slogan "Fake it 'til you make it" works in many endeavors but not in the endeavor of being a genuine Christian. You might be able to fake it while you learn a trade but, as Christians, we are called to be servants and that means that no matter how qualified you feel, you find somewhere to start and then START!

SLE

 

[Copper25]

Thoughts

Ecclesiastes 7:2) It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.


Ecclesiastes 7:3) Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
Ecclesiastes 7:4) The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Frankly, can a revolution/awakening come, lest there be a powerful reach for God, commitment and sacrafice on our part, I think not.

______________________________

1 corinthians 15:34) Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

O if people only had the clue who God was! Things would be a lot different.

:hourglass: