Should we make sinners comfortable in the church? The conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit will make an unbeliever very uncomfortable in a worship service. This is the way God made man, so that he will respond to the gospel message. Actually, the same is true for carnal believers.

The Lord intends for Christians who are living in unrepentant sin to be convicted until they change. If this is the way God arranged things, why do we adjust our meetings to avoid making sinners uncomfortable? The answer is fairly simple. Instead of going out into our community as witnesses, we have brought our evangelistic efforts inside the church. Therefore, it has become necessary to attract the lost to the meetings where they will hear the plan of salvation. So, providing a non-threatening environment naturally rose in the priorities of ministry. The non-Christian does not naturally want to go into a church. Yet, the offense of the cross is the only way for the sinner to understand his lost state and God’s solution to his problem. Interestingly, the early church didn’t find itself in the dilemma we face. Acts 5:13 records that the unbelievers didn’t dare join themselves to the church, even though they regarded the lifestyle of the Christians highly. The reason is because they saw the judgment of sin by God, and counted the cost carefully before receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The goal of the church of God needs to be purity rather than popularity. Exalting the Savior and equipping the saints for ministry is the purpose of the church meetings. Evangelizing the sinner should take place primarily outside the church. The Lord intends that Christians, in the routine course of life, “share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit” with the unbelievers that they encounter. Then, bring the new converts to church to be nurtured. Sinners should never be comfortable.

Sin cera, Erik

Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.

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