Portfolio

Welcome to the Clubhouse, Not the Kingdom

Let’s begin with the greatest ecclesiological bait-and-switch in modern history:

Turning the church into a clubhouse for lost people instead of a covenant assembly of the redeemed.

Walk into most evangelical megachurches today, and what do you see? Welcome signs that look like Disney World. Cafes that rival Starbucks. A stage—not a pulpit—flanked by laser lights, LED walls, and a worship leader who sounds like he auditioned for The Voice. You’ll get a warm handshake, a smile, and a "message" that promises to make your life better.

But here’s what you won’t get: repentance. Holiness. Fear of God. Expository preaching. Or anything resembling the biblical vision of the gathered people of God.

Why? Because the church is no longer a Kingdom outpost that exists to train and equip the saints. It’s become a clubhouse for consumers looking for spiritual convenience.

The Seeker-Sensitive Swindle

Back in the 90s, evangelical leaders like Bill Hybels and Rick Warren popularized the idea that we needed to make church more "relevant" to seekers. Strip out anything that makes people uncomfortable. Replace theology with life tips. Swap hymns for radio hits. Make the building feel like a mall. Market the church like a product. Preach as if you're pitching Jesus in a TED Talk.

And what did it produce?

A generation of churchgoers who are emotionally attached to a brand, not biblically anchored in the gospel. A thousand churches filled with people who like Jesus but don’t worship Him. Sermons that talk about destiny and purpose but never touch the cross.

They turned the church from a worshipping army of exiles into a spiritual lounge for the uncommitted.

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers." (2 Timothy 4:3)

What Is the Church Actually For?

Let’s go to the book that defines the church: Scripture.

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ..." (Ephesians 4:11–12)

The church exists to equip the saints. It’s a training ground. A forge. A family. A flock. A barracks. It is not a seeker-safe hangout.

Yes, unbelievers may attend. And yes, we want them to hear the gospel. But the worship gathering is not designed around the preferences of the world. It is designed around the glory of Christ and the nourishment of His body.

This is a fundamental category mistake of seeker churches. They think the Sunday gathering is primarily evangelistic. But biblically, it's ecclesiological. It's about the saints. It is for the glory of God and the good of the redeemed.

If you don’t understand that, you’ll build everything wrong—from your stage design to your sermon content.

Clubhouse Christianity

Here are a few marks of the clubhouse church:

Everything is designed for the outsider. Sermons are simplified, worship is emotionalized, and everything theological is tucked into the background.
Doctrine is avoided. You’ll hear words like "grace" and "hope" but never "sin," "judgment," or "repentance."
Membership is meaningless. You don’t join a covenant community—you attend a weekly event.
Discipleship is shallow. If people know the brand better than they know the Bible, your church has failed.

This is not just a stylistic difference. It’s a theological malfunction.

These churches have replaced a Kingdom ecclesiology with a corporate marketing strategy.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..." (Romans 12:2)

Ironically, in trying to reach the world, these churches became just like it. They traded transformation for conformity.

Real Church Is Dangerous

Here’s the truth modern churches have forgotten: the gathered church should make unrepentant sinners uncomfortable.

When a sinner walks into a biblical worship gathering, they should feel the weight of God’s holiness. The authority of His Word. The otherness of His people. The majesty of His glory.

"But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all... and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you." (1 Cor. 14:24–25)

That’s what real worship does. It convicts. It confronts. It causes trembling. Not comfort.

The early church wasn’t worried about being "welcoming." They were worried about being faithful. They didn’t build services around preferences. They built everything around Christ.

Stop Playing Church

We need to stop pretending that the world wants Jesus. They don’t.

"The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil." (John 3:19)

Sinners don’t need a safer space. They need a Savior.

So stop trying to make your church palatable to the world. Stop crafting it like a conference. Stop gutting the liturgy, softening the songs, watering down the Word, and replacing reverence with relevance.

Let the church be the church. Let her be offensive to the flesh. Let her preach blood, fire, wrath, grace, mercy, and a King who demands allegiance.

If you build a church for the world, don’t be surprised when it looks just like the world.

But if you build the church around Christ’s design, you may not pack out the auditorium with curious consumers, but you’ll raise up an army of saints.

And that’s exactly what this dark, dying world needs:

Not another clubhouse. But a Kingdom.

Let the slicing continue.

God Never Told You to Entertain Goats

You know what the Bible doesn’t say?

“Make church fun so the goats feel at home.”

But that’s exactly how modern evangelicalism operates. Somewhere along the way, church leaders decided that instead of feeding the sheep, we should cater to the goats. Forget conviction. Forget the cross. Just keep ‘em coming back with catchy series titles, edgy stage sets, and coffee better than the gospel they won’t hear.

It’s no longer about Christ. It’s about consumers.

But here’s the problem: Jesus didn’t die to entertain goats. He came to separate them from the sheep (Matthew 25:32).

So why are we spending all our time and energy making goats feel comfortable in a place that should make them tremble?

You Can’t Entertain People Into the Kingdom

Seeker-sensitive churches think you can bait unbelievers with fun, and then switch the message later to Jesus. As if we can slide the gospel in the back door while they're distracted by the donut wall and Instagram wall.

That’s bait-and-switch evangelism. And it’s unbiblical.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing...” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

You can dress it up. You can shave off the edges. But the cross is still a scandal. It doesn’t need a marketing team. It needs a preacher.

The gospel doesn’t say “come as you are and stay as you are.” It says, “Die. Pick up your cross. Follow.” And that message? It offends goats. Every time.

Sheep Want Truth—Goats Want Snacks

This is why so many pastors today are burned out and their churches are hollow. Because they’re spending all their time trying to keep goats entertained.

Goats want:

Relevance
Novelty
Positive vibes
Short sermons
Surface-level community

Sheep want:

Truth
Doctrine
Christ
Holiness
Spiritual meat

And when you cater to goats, guess what happens? You starve the sheep. You feed no one. And the whole church becomes a circus, not a sanctuary.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27)

That verse doesn’t say the goats will become sheep if you bribe them with pizza. It says the sheep know the Shepherd’s voice. If your church has to turn down the volume of that voice to keep the crowd, you’re not growing—you’re compromising.

You Don’t Love Sinners by Lying to Them

You may think you're being loving by softening the message. But all you're doing is making sure the goats never realize they're lost.

They show up. They feel accepted. They get emotional. They raise a hand. And they leave unchanged, still dead in their sins, but now convinced they’re saved because they repeated a prayer after a guy with gelled hair and a wireless headset.

“Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26)

The gospel isn’t just hard to hear—it’s impossible to hear without the Spirit. That means you can’t clever your way into conversions. You can’t market people into the kingdom. You can’t Disney-fy damnation.

You must preach truth and trust the Holy Spirit to do what emotional music and skinny jeans never will.

A Real Church Is Uncomfortable for the Unconverted

In Acts 2, Peter preaches the gospel with no frills, no stage tricks, and no concern for seeker sensibilities:

“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36)

That’s not winsome. That’s a punch to the throat. And what happens?

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart...” (Acts 2:37)

Conviction. Repentance. Baptism. Salvation.

All without a single fog machine.

God doesn’t need your creativity—He uses your faithfulness.

Stop Apologizing for the Gospel

Some of you pastors need to repent for being ashamed of the gospel. You’ve edited it. Softened it. Hidden it behind cute sermon titles like:

“Better Me, Better Life”
“Unleash Your Potential”
“Level Up: Spiritual Growth Tips from Jesus”

That’s not preaching. That’s peddling.

“We are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God...” (2 Corinthians 2:17)

If your sermon could be preached at a self-help seminar and no one would know the difference, you’re not preaching the Word—you’re just entertaining goats.

Final Word: Preach to the Sheep—Let the Goats Be Offended

The church is not here to be liked. It’s here to be faithful.

Preach the Word.
Feed the sheep.
Let the goats bristle.

Some of them will be converted. Some of them will leave. But that’s not your concern.

“The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)

Let the Lord do the adding. Let the gospel do the cutting. And let the goats either become sheep—or walk away.

It’s about to get messier.

The Church Is a Barracks, Not a Business

Let’s make something painfully clear:

The church is not your brand. Not your weekend conference. Not your business model.

It’s a barracks. It’s a gritty, disciplined, blood-and-sweat training ground for the army of the Living God. And you don’t build barracks with lattes, light shows, or leadership seminars.

But hey, that hasn’t stopped Evan-jellyfish churches from trying.

These days, church is just a product.

Marketed like an app.
Packaged like a brand.
Managed like a corporation.

We’ve replaced shepherds with CEOs. We’ve traded the Sword of the Spirit for a vision statement. And we measure "success" not by holiness, but by how many butts you can get in a fog-filled seat.

Jesus Didn’t Die to Fund Your Franchise

I’m sorry—but if your church staff has a creative director, a brand strategist, and a “vibe coordinator,” but no elders who can actually teach doctrine, you’re not a church—you’re a Christian-themed startup.

And Christ doesn’t build startups. He builds churches.

“On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

Notice what He didn’t say:

“On this rock I will build my brand.”
“On this rock I will build a cozy venue.”
“On this rock I will build an emotional experience people can consume.”

No. He said, “church.”

You know, that thing that’s supposed to be governed by elders, ruled by the Word, marked by discipline, centered on worship, and hostile to the gates of hell.

You Don’t Sell the Sword

When churches become businesses, the gospel becomes a commodity.

So what do we do? We repackage the truth to make it more marketable. You’ll hear terms like:

“Brand alignment” instead of biblical conviction.
“Felt needs” instead of repentance.
“Vision casting” instead of shepherding.
“Guest experience” instead of corporate worship.

You think Paul was worried about brand alignment when he was getting flogged in synagogues and tossed in Roman jails?

“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2)

Paul preached Christ. Today’s churches preach culture, comfort, and catchy slogans.

Let’s Talk Metrics (AKA the Golden Calf of the Modern Church)

In business, success is measured by metrics. Revenue. Growth. Engagement.

So now pastors act like brand managers. They’re glued to analytics dashboards:

Attendance trends
Sermon clicks
Instagram likes
Baptism graphs

And here’s the kicker—they call it fruit.

But bigger doesn’t mean better. Reach doesn’t mean faithfulness. A crowd doesn’t mean the Spirit is moving.

The golden calf of church growth has convinced pastors to sell out truth for traction. They hire consultants. They redesign logos. They launch merch lines. But they can’t define justification or preach the gospel without a sports metaphor.

Church Is Boot Camp, Not Brunch

Try reading the New Testament with the average church today in mind. You’ll get theological whiplash.

The early church was:

Persecuted
Unpolished
Poor
Convicted
Holy

Today’s church is:

Marketed
Stylized
Profitable
Soft
Compromised

They were breaking bread. We’re baking croissants. They were equipping saints. We’re equipping influencers. They were dying for Christ. We’re dying to be liked.

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:3)

Suffering? Soldiers? That’s not the language of brands. That’s the language of barracks.

You Don’t Need Vision—You Need a Spine

Let’s be honest. A lot of modern pastors don’t need vision casting retreats. They need to repent of cowardice.

God already gave the vision. It’s called Scripture.

Your job isn’t to dream big—it’s to preach faithfully. Your mission isn’t to be innovative—it’s to be obedient. Your calling isn’t to grow the brand—it’s to shepherd the sheep.

God doesn’t need your 5-year plan. He needs your faithfulness right now.

“It is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2)

Blow Up the Stage and Build a Pulpit

If your church looks more like a TED Talk venue than a training ground for saints, you’ve lost the plot.

Blow up the stage. Burn the script. Get back to the Book.

You don’t need a brand. You need a Bible. You don’t need applause. You need authority. You don’t need to scale. You need to shepherd.

The church is not a business. It’s a barracks.

So man up. Suit up. And start preaching like the enemy is real.

Because he is.

“Missional” Without the Message

There’s a trendy word floating around in all the hip ministry circles:

“Missional.”

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Like you’re serious about the Great Commission. Like your church has ditched the fog machine and joined God’s eternal purposes in the world.

Except—more often than not—“missional” means nothing.

It’s just a hollow buzzword used by churches who want to sound spiritually edgy while gutting the gospel of everything sharp and offensive. They’re not missional. They’re confused.

Because here’s the brutal truth: You’re not on mission if you don’t preach the message.

Your “Missional” Movement Has No Message

You can have matching t-shirts. You can serve at soup kitchens. You can quote Bonhoeffer, post photos of your downtown campus plant, and talk about “being the hands and feet of Jesus.”

But if you’re not calling sinners to repent and believe the gospel, you’re not on mission. You’re just doing social work with a Bible verse taped to it.

“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14)

No one gets saved by osmosis. They get saved by hearing the gospel.

Don’t “Live the Gospel.” Preach It.

Ah yes, the classic line:

“We just want to live the gospel.”

Wrong. That’s not a thing. The gospel is a message, not a lifestyle.

You can’t “live” Jesus’ substitutionary atonement. You can’t mime the resurrection. You can’t smile your neighbor into heaven.

“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

The gospel isn’t contagious like the flu. It must be proclaimed—with words. Bold words. Dangerous words. Words that offend the flesh and raise the dead.

So if your church is “missional” but allergic to the actual gospel, you're just a nicer version of the Rotary Club.

Don’t Call It “Justice” if You’re Ashamed of the Cross

A lot of missional churches have hijacked gospel language to do leftist activism in ecclesiastical drag. They talk about justice, but never sin. They talk about human dignity, but never human depravity. They care about racism, poverty, and climate change—but not repentance, regeneration, or eternal damnation.

It’s a bait-and-switch.

You bait them with compassion, and when it’s time to drop the message of blood, wrath, and a crucified King—you flinch.

Because you’re not really missional. You’re just man-centered.

“We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles…” (1 Corinthians 1:23)

Jesus didn’t come to hand out bread and stop there. He came to give His body as bread for the life of the world. If your mission skips the cross, you’ve already failed.

The Gospel Is Not Optional Baggage

Missional churches often act like the gospel is a tool in the ministry toolbox. Something you bring out when it’s "culturally appropriate."

But the gospel isn’t a tool. It’s the whole point.

The gospel isn’t the launchpad to the mission. It is the mission.
The gospel isn’t your opener. It’s the main event.
The gospel isn’t a supplement. It’s the foundation.

“Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)

Woe. Not “brand inconsistency.” Not “lower engagement.” Woe.

Missional churches today want results without repentance. Impact without inerrancy. Cultural relevance without biblical authority.

Good luck with that.

Missional Without Holiness = Useless

Real mission begins in the local church—where the saints are equipped, fed, trained, disciplined, and sanctified. You don’t make disciples by handing out backpacks. You make disciples by preaching, teaching, rebuking, and baptizing.

If your church is “out in the community” but no one is being taught to obey Christ’s commands, you’re not doing missions—you’re doing marketing.

If your congregation is indistinguishable from the world, you’re not “incarnational”—you’re compromised.

Stop Posturing. Start Proclaiming.

You want to be missional? Here’s your mission:

“Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them... and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19–20)

That’s it. No fog. No marketing. No bait. Just a blood-soaked Savior, a resurrected King, and a command to preach repentance and faith in His name.

So stop parading your charity. Stop hiding behind relevance. Stop using the word “missional” to mask your fear of man.

And start proclaiming the actual gospel—in public, on purpose, without apology.

Real Hospitality Isn’t Hiding the Truth

Let’s talk about “hospitality.”

It used to mean opening your home, breaking bread, and showing warmth to fellow believers and strangers alike. It used to reflect the heart of a people who were redeemed and rejoiced in generosity.

Now? It’s a buzzword used by cowardly churches to justify coddling sin in the name of being “welcoming.”

They don’t preach repentance. They don’t preach holiness. They don’t preach transformation.

But don’t worry—they’ve got a rainbow flag in the lobby and a woman in a clerical collar up front.

Because to them, hospitality means affirmation without accountability.

Real Love Doesn’t Lie

Let’s get this nailed down: Biblical hospitality never means tolerating sin. It means calling sinners to repentance and welcoming them into the transforming grace of Christ.

But that’s not what these churches are doing. They’re rolling out the red carpet for rebellion.

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness...” (Isaiah 5:20)

You can paint your church walls with pastel Scripture verses, you can greet people with sugar-sweet smiles, but if you won’t call sin what it is, you’re not loving anyone—you’re damning them with kindness.

LGBTQ-Affirming Churches Aren’t Safe Spaces—They’re Soul Traps

There’s nothing loving about affirming what God condemns.

There’s nothing Christlike about normalizing what Romans 1 calls unnatural and shameful.

There’s nothing hospitable about paving the wide road to hell with inclusive slogans and progressive theology.

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral... nor men who practice homosexuality... will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10)

But these churches are deceived. Worse—they’re deceiving others.

You think you’re welcoming sinners. But in reality, you’re telling them, “Come in, make yourself at home, stay exactly the way you are. God doesn’t expect you to change.”

That’s not hospitality. That’s cruelty with a cross on the door.

“Pastor She” Isn’t a Thing

Let’s go ahead and offend the other sacred cow while we’re at it.

If your idea of hospitality is making space for women in the pulpit, you’re not being inclusive—you’re being disobedient.

“I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” (1 Timothy 2:12)

God didn’t ask for your updated interpretation. He didn’t forget to include women in the list of elders. He designed the church to function with male headship and biblical order, not cultural compromise.

So if you’ve got a woman preaching and a man sitting passively in the pew, guess what? You’re not hosting the Spirit—you’re quenching Him.

Tolerance Isn’t Love—Truth Is

The biggest lie the modern church believes is this:

“If you love them, you won’t judge them.”

Lie. Straight from hell.

If you love someone, you warn them of wrath. If you love someone, you plead for their repentance. If you love someone, you don’t affirm their chains—you preach the freedom of the cross.

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” (Revelation 3:19)

Jesus doesn’t coddle sin—He conquers it.

And if your church refuses to name sin, you are not walking in love. You’re walking in fear. You’re not being inclusive—you’re being indifferent to damnation.

The World Hates This Kind of Love

Let’s be honest. The world doesn’t want this kind of love. They want applause. They want affirmation. They want a Jesus who kisses their idols and never calls them out.

So when you preach repentance? They leave. When you call sin what it is? They riot. When you hold the line? They slander you as hateful, bigoted, phobic, and backwards.

Good.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” (John 15:18)

Let the world hate. Let them call it unloving. Because the true Christian knows: Love tells the truth. Love names sin. Love doesn’t hide behind a fake smile and a fake gospel.

Love says: “You’re not okay. But there’s a Savior who can make you new.”

Hospitality That Leads to Holiness

The church is a home—but it’s not your home. It’s God’s. And in His house, there’s room for every sinner— —but not for sin.

Real hospitality doesn’t mean you’re never offended. It means you’re welcomed into a holy war where Christ puts your flesh to death and raises you in new life.

That’s not safe. That’s not affirming. That’s grace.

So to every LGBTQ-affirming pastor: To every “Pastor Tiffany” behind the pulpit: To every church hiding behind fake love:

Repent.

Because you’re not loving people. You’re lying to them.

And the Judge is watching.

You Don’t Build the Church by Bait-and-Switch

If you have to trick people into coming to church, you’re not building a church—you’re building a circus.

And if you have to hide the truth in order to get them to stay, you’re not making disciples—you’re manufacturing consumers.

This is the bait-and-switch gospel of the seeker-sensitive movement:

Bait them with good vibes.
Switch to a “gospel” so soft it couldn’t convict a sponge.

But the real gospel doesn’t need a marketing funnel. It needs preachers with a spine.

Bait: Free Coffee, Cool Band, Non-Offensive Vibes

Let’s call it what it is. Most churches are running a spiritual PR campaign:

Sermon series titled like Buzzfeed articles: “You Good? (Finding Inner Peace)”
Social media reels that feature worship leaders more than the Word.
Websites that promise “a safe space to explore your faith journey.”

Translation: We’ve got nothing to say, but we’ll say it with a smile.

Churches today are more concerned with brand identity than with biblical fidelity. More focused on retention strategythan repentance preaching.

“Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?” (Galatians 1:10)

You bait them with emotionalism, relevance, and coffee. But when the time comes to preach:

You flinch at sin.
You soft-pedal hell.
You whisper about wrath.

Because the switch doesn’t come. You never meant to offend. You just wanted them to “feel welcome.”

Guess what? You’re not a pastor. You’re a sales rep for spiritual mediocrity.

Switch: A Gospel That Can’t Save

Here’s what happens when you build your church on gimmicks:

You get people who come for the coffee but never bow to Christ.
You get crowds, not converts.
You build a following, not a flock.

“They will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:4)

They didn’t come to die to self. They came to feel better. They didn’t come to be crucified with Christ. They came to be affirmed in their sin. They didn’t come to hear the gospel. They came for the show.

And you gave them what they wanted—at the cost of what they needed.

The Apostles Didn’t Bait Anyone

Peter didn’t start Pentecost with a feel-good story and a fog machine. He stood up and dropped this bomb:

“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36)

Result?

Conviction.
Repentance.
3,000 people added.

No gimmicks. No switch. Just unfiltered gospel power.

You Don’t Grow a Church—Christ Does

Jesus said He would build His church (Matt. 16:18). You know what that means?

You don’t have to manipulate the metrics. You don’t have to reinvent the methods. You don’t have to make the message palatable.

You just have to preach the truth and trust that Christ will save who He intends to save.

“The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)

Not the lights. Not the programs. Not the catchy sermons. The Lord added.

Stop Faking It—Start Faithfully Preaching It

Let’s burn the bait. Let’s dump the switch. Let’s preach the kind of gospel that empties the room before it fills the Kingdom.

Preach sin like it’s lethal. Because it is.
Preach hell like it’s real. Because it is.
Preach Christ like He’s King. Because He is.

Let the goats leave. Let the posers run. Let the dead mock.

Because when the real gospel is preached, the real sheep will hear His voice.

Stop Marketing Jesus—Start Magnifying Him

You don’t need brand loyalty. You need gospel clarity. You don’t need better optics. You need biblical orthodoxy. You don’t need to scale up. You need to kneel down.

So ditch the bait. Kill the switch. Preach the cross.

Let Christ build the church His way—not yours.

The Church Is a War Room for the Saints, Not a Lounge for the Lost

Let’s bring this home.

If you’ve made it through the first six rounds, here comes the knockout punch:

The church is not a lounge. It’s not a spiritual spa. It’s not a community event center, an open mic night, or a weekly therapy session for bored suburbanites.

It is a war room.

It is the strategic gathering place of the blood-bought saints of God—called to worship, trained to fight, equipped to stand, and sent to conquer.

But walk into most churches today, and it feels more like a Christian cruise ship than a Kingdom command center.

Church for the Comfortable

Soft preaching. Soft singing. Soft seats. Soft men.

Nobody talks about sin. Nobody weeps over repentance. Nobody trembles before the holiness of God.

You get a coffee, a good vibe, a positive message, and you’re out the door by brunch.

And somehow we have the gall to call that worship?

“Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”(Hebrews 12:28–29)

But instead of fire, we hand out foam swords. Instead of awe, we offer ambiance.

You don’t need a fog machine. You need fear of the Lord. You don’t need a padded seat. You need a padded kneeler.

Christian, This Should Make You Uncomfortable

If you’re attending one of these seeker-friendly, man-centered, relevance-obsessed churches...

...you should be squirming.

If you’ve never heard your pastor mention hell, judgment, or repentance, you’re not in a church—you’re in a feel-good fraud.
If your “worship” is indistinguishable from a Coldplay concert, you’re not glorifying Christ—you’re glorifying your preferences.
If the sermons are always about you—your dreams, your breakthrough, your peace—you’re not being discipled, you’re being sold a product.

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Don’t assume you’re safe just because you attend something that calls itself a church.

If your heart is never cut, If your sin is never exposed, If Christ is never exalted,

...then what are you even worshiping?

The Gathering Is for the Saints

Let’s say it again, louder for the people in the back:

The gathered church is not for the world.

Yes, unbelievers may walk in. Yes, they may hear. Yes, God may save them.

But the worship of God is for the people of God.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so...” (Psalm 107:2)

The prayers, the singing, the preaching, the Lord’s Table—all of it is for those who have been crucified with Christ and raised in Him.

This is a holy assembly, not a hangout. This is a war cry, not a playlist. This is Christ’s Bride, not a product to be customized.

And if you treat it like anything less, you dishonor the One who bought it with His blood.

It's Time to Leave the Lounge

So what do you do now? If you’ve been sitting in a soft, shallow, sugar-coated lounge that calls itself a church...

Get out.

Run.

Don’t make excuses. Don’t wait for things to improve. Don’t say, “But I have friends there.”

You wouldn’t stay on a sinking ship because the buffet’s good. You wouldn’t keep going to a hospital that doesn’t treat disease. So why are you sitting in a church that doesn’t preach the gospel?

Find a church that opens the Bible and doesn’t flinch. Find a church where the elders bleed to keep the sheep fed. Find a church that sings like soldiers and prays like prophets.

“Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3)

This is war. And you don’t bring a lounge chair to the front lines.

Answer the Call

The time for comfort-driven Christianity is over. The time for passive attendance and spectator spirituality is over. The time for biblically-anemic, culturally-tamed, Jesus-flavored self-help clubs is over.

The church must rise. Worship must roar. Truth must thunder.

So Christian:

Get out of the lounge.
Get into the Word.
Get planted in a true church.
And get ready for war.

Because Christ is King. The battle is raging. And the church is not a cruise ship.

It’s a war room.

Suit up. Show up. And worship like a soldier.