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Assembly Times

 Sunday

   Bible Classes (10:00 am)

   AM Worship (11:00 am)

 Wednesday

   Bible Classes (7:00 pm)

Location

180 Townwood Drive

Charlottesville, VA 22901

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Comfort Zone Christians

By Jim Lee

It is said that "He who aims at nothing will hit it," and "He who has no goal in mind will get there fast." I wonder, in the realm of Christianity, how many of us go through our lives as Christians with no goals, no objectives, and no plans? "Comfort Zone Christians" is a term that is growing in popularity which describes this behavior, and I believe that many of us fit into this category.

Why do I believe this? For the simple fact that it's easy to just do as you please if you have no objectives, goals, or plans in life. No plans means no failures! What an easy life! Thus with this attitude everything is nice and safe within our "Comfort Zone." But is that where Jesus wants us to be? Oh yes, He did say in Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me...and I will give you rest." But I really don't think He meant for us to just "kick back and get comfortable" (cf. 2 Timothy 3:12). Rest assured my brethren, one is not going to suffer any form of persecution while in their "Comfort Zone." I believe that God expects us to reach out beyond our private domain.

Let me illustrate with the following example. When a baby eagle is left in its nest, it is in its "Comfort Zone." In order for it to learn to fly, it must leave its "Comfort Zone." Often, the mother eagle will begin to pull the feathers from the bottom of the nest, leaving the baby eagle sitting on the hard, sharp sticks that make up the nest. Get the picture? Many of us are like that baby eagle. We snuggle down into our padded pew, we get comfortable and don't want to go out into the real world. What would happen to that eagle if it never left its nest? It would live and die never knowing the thrill of flight, never reaching its potential (cf. Revelation 3:1). It's sad to say, but it's worth repeating, many of us are like that baby eagle. We'll never know the thrill of flight because we never leave the nest. We'll never reach our potential, or even know what it is, because we won't leave our "Comfort Zone."

Then Peter left the boat and walked to Jesus on the sea (Matthew 14:22-31), he had to leave his "Comfort Zone." How many of us would get out of the boat and go to Jesus if He would bid us to come? Now, before you answer that too quickly, consider the fact that He commanded us to "Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled" (Luke 14:23). Jesus didn't ask us to walk on water, just to go out and invite them to come in. But when going out and ministering to people is suggested, some react with excuses as if you had asked them to walk on water!

Brethren, we need to realize that the boat we must come out of is our "Comfort Zone"; the water we must walk on is the unsure ground of a new experience. This may be a hard road for some to conquer, and some of you may be thinking, "I'll never be able to conquer that road." If this is your thinking, let me remind you of something. A long, long time ago, this same Jesus had to conquer the road that led to Golgotha, "that is to say, a place of a skull" (Matthew 27:33). In conquering that road, He has afforded you and me the hope of conquering the road that leads to heaven. But in order to conquer that road we must leave our "Comfort Zone." If this means "out of our seats and into the streets," then let's go! Remember, Heaven will surely be worth it all!