I love the quote by C.S. Lewis that says, “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” I truly believe that’s the case for us here at Foundations Church. Our best is yet to come—if we heed this cautionary warning:
One thing I’ve realized is that the older we get, the more we crave comfort. That’s why, even when we’ve sworn we would never get a La-Z-Boy, we have houses full of them! Because the older we get, the less we care about what comfort looks like, we just want it.
The same is true when it comes to churches.
If we’re not careful, when we become more established, we begin to crave comfort over movement. Which leads us to the decision: do we want to be a comfortable church or an impactful one?
In other words, do we want to be a church that sits in La-Z-Boys, or do we want to be one that’s firmly in the starting blocks of life?
Ecclesiastes 7:10 says this,
“Don’t long for ‘the good old days.’ This is not wise.”
But if we’re not careful, we can talk about the good old days as a church instead of pushing on towards the better days that are ahead.
So how do you know if you’ve settled for comfort? How do you know if you’ve gravitated towards a spiritual La-Z-Boy type of faith?
Here are a few ways we can tell:
We become the armchair quarterbacks saying, “Ah, somebody should do something about that.” In church, it sounds like, “Why isn’t the church doing this? Why isn’t the church doing that?” And before long, we become pointers and expecters instead of get up and do-ers.
If you read about the New Testament church, I can tell you, it’s a whole lot of doing and not a lot of sitting.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we shouldn’t abide in the Lord and be still when He calls us to. There will be moments when you’re going to be sitting and just being with Him. But what’s happened to a lot of us is that we’re not abiding, we’re just sitting. That’s where we get stuck.
The second indicator that you’ve got La-Z-Boy faith is this:
The truth is, there’s a lot of change happening here at FC. But it’s because we will not be a ‘Nokia church.’
Nokia cell phones first came out in the 1980s and they basically put handheld phones on the map. But when the iPhone came out in 2007, Nokia became a relic almost overnight.
I read an article about the CEO of Nokia, and in it, he said this: “It’s not that we did anything wrong. We just refused to change, and that’s what led to our downfall.”
Nokia didn’t keep up with the advancements of technology. It didn’t keep up with smartphones. It didn’t add touchscreens and all the things we can now do with a computer in our pocket. They refused to change, and as a result, they became a cautionary tale about the dangers of not changing.
The same goes for the church. Somewhere along the way, we drift to comfort instead of staying in the starting blocks of our faith. But remember, growing equals changing. It’s not just a slogan or a value we write on the wall, it’s the reality of healthy church.
All the church has to do to be ineffective is to become a gathering of spectators instead of participators.
So ask yourself, in your spiritual life, do you want to be watching and complaining, or participating and changing? Do you want to live a La-Z-Boy life or be on the starting blocks of the race?
Starting blocks help sprinters get a faster, more powerful running start at track meets by providing a stable, angled platform for their feet, allowing them to apply more force and achieve better acceleration than a standing start, which can make or break their race. When seconds matter, they enable the proper body position and muscle preloading, helping athletes transition smoothly and efficiently into their sprint.
Time is of the essence, and what we do every single day matters. Remember, peoples’ eternity is hanging in the balance. That’s what’s on the line when we choose to sit in the La-Z-Boy of faith or get into the starting blocks.
We’re not resting on what God has done through Foundations Church over the last 17 years. We’re pushing off from that and accelerating forward.
Hebrews 12:1-2 says,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus…”
I love that—by keeping our eyes on Jesus, not on what God is doing at other churches.
Remember, other churches aren’t our competition. We’re cheering one another on, right? We’re all part of the global Church. Our job is just to keep our eyes on Jesus and run the race He’s calling us to run.
1 Corinthians 9:24-26 says,
“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.”
Can I tell you, the most valuable asset you have is time. How are you spending it? Are you using it with purpose or are you doom-scrolling? You say you don’t have time to serve, but do you make time for social media and entertainment every day? That’s wasting our precious time, not running with purpose in every step.
Philippians 3:13-14 says,
“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
One of the people that was the most responsible for changing my life was a volunteer at a church. He was a youth sponsor named Mike. If there was no Mike in my life, I wouldn’t be where I am today. That’s why I encourage us again and again, don’t let your get to become your have to. You get to serve and impact the next generation of believers. You get to help students and young people experience the real Jesus.
Did you know hosting is probably the most important position in church? It’s because people make a decision on whether or not they like a church within just 5 minutes of arriving. They’ve made up their mind before a note is played in worship and before a sermon is given. They’ve already made their choice based on the interactions they’ve had from hosts from the parking lot, to the front doors, to the seats. When they feel welcomed and greeted, and believe this is a friendly place where they can grow, learn, and belong, they stay. That’s why I say, greeting isn’t a have to, it’s an incredible get to.
It’s time for us to be a church of participation. Generous, engaged, and doing this life God has given us.
I love what Bernard Shaw said, “People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”
Foundations Church, we’re doing it. We’re doing it together, each and every one of us, together.
Here are three action items you can start with right now:
No matter where you are in your walk with God right now, it’s never too late to get into the starting blocks of life and choose movement over comfort.