If you are, get out now while you still can

Comfort. We yearn for it, we work for it, we save for it, we cherish it. In suburban America, comfort is the Holy Grail. We avoid conflict and troubles whenever possible. While you may be very comfortable in the cul-de-sac, if you’re finding yourself comfortable in church you may be in trouble. If church is comfortable, your church may not be preaching the word of God.

Have you ever had an itch? An itch you can’t scratch can be annoying, maddening, horribly distracting. Scratching that itch brings instant relief. It’s wonderful. Yet, the Apostle Paul, author of much of the New Testament, warned against scratching certain itches.

These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.

a. NASB “These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaing an advantage.”

We live in a time when the idol, Tolerance, is worshipped from the least to the greatest. If we as Christians dare make a moral judgment, or indeed any kind of judgment, we are immediately labeled as being intolerant. If we decry the slaughter of babies that is carried out each day in abortion mills we are accused of being intolerant of women and their bodies. Abortion should be a private matter between a woman and her doctor according to those whose consciences have been warped by the propaganda of Planned Parenthood and others like them. If we speak out on the sinfulness of homosexuality we are called intolerant and homophobic. If we speak out about the virtues of motherhood and how children flourish when mom is there for them, we are accused of being sexist and trying to subject women to the control of men. And in our increasingly pluralistic society if we tell others that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone, that all other religions and beliefs are vain and hopelessly incapable of making us acceptable to God, the idol, Tolerance, grows to mammoth proportions.

Luke 2: 1 – 20

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.