Comfortable Christianity

Just a warning we will be covering some heavy topics tonight. With that being said I will not hold any punches so be prepared. Take tonight seriously and pay attention.

How many of you if I gave you a map could point to where the Democratic Republic of Congo is? What Continent its a part of? What part of the continent its in?

It is the second largest country in Africa and the 11th largest country in the world. It has a population of 105.8 million. Just to put that into perspective Texas only has 21.29 million residents.

Out of the 105.8 million people that live there 95.2% of their population are Christians. so that means that 100.6 million Christians call the Democratic Republic of Congo home. So why is Reed telling us about these people and making us sit on the floor tonight? Thats probably what youre all thinking.

Well the Christians of the DRC are under attack. On 2/13/25 thats less than 2 weeks ago. In the town of Mayba 20 Christian men, women, and children were taken from their homes and told “Get out, get out and dont make any noise.” They were then taken to a Protestant church in Kasanga. After the first 20 were taken hostage 50 more from the same village were taken to the same church. At the church 70 Christian men, women, and children were decapitated for their faith in Christ. After they were martyred it was 5 days before their families were able to go in and retrieve them to be properly buried.

In the DRC right now there is a terrorist group that is affiliated with ISIS taking over especially on the eastern part of the country where Mayba is located. Theyre called the ADF(Allied Democratic Forces). The ADF are targeting Christians and Christian leaders as well as their families.

So what is the DRC doing to protect their Christian population? Remember they are a 95.2% Christian nation so the government must be doing something right? Sadly they arent.

“The DRC has no specific laws to protect Christian women and girls, making them vulnerable to domestic violence and forced marriages. Christian women are also at risk of abduction, rape, trafficking and sexual slavery, especially by the ADF.

Christian men are at risk of being maimed, abducted, forced to join militia groups and killed. Men and boys can also face sexual violence.

To escape, Christian men may be forced to pay large ransoms, driving their families deeper into poverty. Christian men also face workplace discrimination and may be denied jobs.”

(Open Doors Uk)

Comfort

1 Peter 4:12–14 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”

Remember that time when you tried a new food that looked odd but everyone insisted was delicious? You hesitated, feeling that pang of discomfort, yet when you finally took a bite, it was actually amazing! Sometimes, God calls us to step out of our comfort zone with the same thrill and trepidation. Just like trying that strange dish, what may initially feel uncomfortable can lead to delicious experiences we never imagined!

How often in our lives do we get out of our comfort zone for our faith?

How often do we feel the spirit tugging at our hearts to share the gospel with someone but we don’t because of the fact that we are afraid how we may be judged by our peers?

When we feel that we are not meant to sit idly by. We arent meant to be comfortable in our faith.

As we go through our life fiery trials will test our faith. Those 70 Christians in the DRC didn’t deny their faith. They stood up for their faith. They faced the fiery trial knowing what the likely outcome would be. How easy would it have been for them to falsely deny their faith just to live another day?

They couldn’t have imagined denying Christ. They took on a split moment of the discomfort that Christ bore for us to save us. They shared in his suffering. But they are rejoicing with him right now. They are no longer concerned with the matters of this world. They are no longer in poverty, they are no longer hungry, they are no longer in pain. They are blesses with the Spirit of God.

Matthew 5:11–12 ““Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

This side of Heaven is not meant to be easy. Our society pushes comfort and pleasure over everything else. We need to take the blinders off of our eyes and see what path were headed down. Matthew 7:13 ““Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.”

In our comfort we can end up taking our faith for granted. The more comfortable we are the more we say to ourselves I dont need to read my bible today, I don’t need need to pray today, what good has God done for me? We lean on our own understanding of the world. We turn from our faith and we start taking our faith for granted.

Matthew 10:16–26 ““Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.”

We are going to be put in tough situations. Our faith is going to be tested. We need to get out of this American mentality of Christian Comfort before it ends up being the wolf in sheep’s clothing that leads us astray. When your faith is tested God will fill your mind with the answers that you need and your heart with the courage that you need to stand for him.

The World will hate you it will chew you up and spit you out.

Christ calls us to be in the world not of the world

We aren’t meant to be comfortable here this isn’t your home.

I pray that none of us become comfortable in our faith

If you don’t have any faith to speak of and want to be saved we would love to talk to you.

If you haven’t been baptized yet and would like to come talk to us.

If you have a situation that you need prayer for talk to one of the leaders in here. They are sitting on the floor and uncomfortable with you.

If you havent heard it today we love you. Were here for you.