Christianity Is Not a Sofa-Based Religion

I recently got new sofas. And I have to say, they are dangerously comfortable. Not just “that’s nice” comfortable. I mean deep, soft, disappears-your-spine comfortable. The kind of sofa that doesn’t simply invite you to sit down, but seems to make a full theological argument for why you should remain there indefinitely. You lower yourself in for five minutes and somehow reappear forty-five minutes later, holding an empty mug, slightly disorientated, with no idea what happened to your plans for the evening.

I am not anti-sofa, by the way. Let’s be very clear about that. Sofas are a gift from God. Some of my finest moments have involved a blanket, a brew, and the deeply spiritual question of whether I can justify getting up for another biscuit. But Christianity is not a sofa-based religion.

Jesus Said, “Follow Me”

Jesus didn’t walk along the shore of Galilee, see Peter and Andrew, and say, “Make yourselves comfortable and occasionally agree with me from a safe distance.” He said, “Follow me.” And following means movement.

Not frantic religious busyness. Not guilt-driven performance. Not trying to earn God’s love by becoming the sort of person who owns a clipboard and says things like “touch base” without irony. We are saved by grace. We are loved because of Jesus. Not because we finally joined a rota, turned up early, stayed late, or volunteered for something nobody else wanted to do.

But the grace that saves us does not leave us welded to the cushions. Grace lifts us. Grace changes us. Grace moves us towards God and towards one another.

When Church Becomes Something We Consume

I do think one of the quiet dangers for modern Christians is that we can slowly, almost without noticing, turn church into spiritual entertainment. We start treating Sunday like a religious product to consume, rather than a gathering of God’s people for the glory of God. We come if the preaching suits us. We engage if the worship feels good. We serve if it’s convenient. We notice what’s missing, but don’t always ask whether we might be meant to step into the gap.

And I’m saying “we” very deliberately, because I can do this too. I can become a consumer. I can have opinions without offering help. I can spot problems without offering myself. I can want church to bless me, feed me, encourage me, support me, and help me feel better, while quietly forgetting that worship and discipleship were never meant to revolve around me.

They are about God.

The Point of Gathering

Of course I hope to be encouraged when I gather with the church. I hope to be strengthened. I hope to hear God’s word clearly, worship sincerely, and leave built up in faith. But the goal of church is not that I leave impressed, entertained, affirmed, or personally satisfied.

The goal is that God is honoured. Christ is exalted. The Spirit is at work among his people. The church is built up in love. When I forget that, my spiritual discernment can start to look suspiciously like personal preference wearing a Christian hat.

But church was never meant to work like that.

A Body, Not an Audience

The Bible describes the church as a body. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul says the body has many parts, and each part has a role. That means Christianity is not a weekly event where a few people perform at the front and everyone else rates the experience on the drive home. The church is a people joined together in Christ, filled with the Spirit, called to honour God and serve one another.

And a body where only ten percent of the limbs are moving is not a healthy body. It’s a medical emergency.

Rest Is Not the Same as Passivity

Now, before anyone feels like I’m out here trying to lob a guilt grenade into the lap of exhausted people, let me be clear. There are seasons when we are genuinely weary, wounded, stretched, grieving, ill, or overwhelmed. Some people need permission to rest, heal, and receive. God is not standing over the burnt-out with a rota and a raised eyebrow.

But there is a difference between rest and passivity. Rest restores us for faithfulness. Passivity quietly excuses us from it. The issue is not having a sofa. The issue is when comfort becomes king. The issue is when convenience becomes our compass, and we only gather, serve, give, pray, and participate when it costs us almost nothing.

Worship Is the Offering of Our Whole Selves

Romans 12 urges us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. That means worship is not just something I consume when the music is good or the mood feels right. Worship is the offering of my whole self to God because of his mercy. My time, my energy, my gifts, my money, my presence, my patience, my willingness. All of it belongs to him.

And yes, sacrifice is uncomfortable. That is rather the point. If sacrifice feels exactly like getting everything my own way, there’s a decent chance I’ve misunderstood the assignment.

“I Didn’t Get Much Out of It Today”

One of the clearest places this shows up is in our attitude to Sunday gatherings. It is very easy to say, “I didn’t get much out of it today.” I’ve said that. I’ve thought that. I’ve probably muttered it in the car while pretending I was being spiritually insightful. But that question can quietly reveal the wrong centre.

Of course we hope to be fed, encouraged, and helped when we gather. God is kind, and he loves to strengthen his people. But Sunday is not first about what I get out of it. It is first about God being worshipped.

Being the Church

So even if I don’t love every song, I can still bring my worship. Even if the preacher is not my favourite, I can still come hungry for God’s word. Even if things feel a bit clunky, I can choose patience instead of criticism. Even if I feel a bit flat, I can still show up with love.

Because someone else in the room might be tired, new, lonely, anxious, grieving, or quietly hanging on by a thread. And God, in his kindness, may use my presence, my smile, my prayer, my encouragement, or my willingness to serve as part of how he strengthens them that morning.

That changes things. It’s about God, not my comfort. It’s about worship, not spiritual entertainment. It’s about being the church, not reviewing the church.

Stir One Another Up

Hebrews 10 tells us not to give up meeting together, but to encourage one another and stir one another up to love and good works. That is active language. It is not the language of sitting in the corner, silently hoping everyone else becomes more godly by osmosis.

So yes, enjoy the sofa. Rest well. Receive grace. Take a nap if you need one. Sometimes the godliest thing you can do is sleep instead of sending another email with the emotional tone of a wasp trapped in a jam jar. But don’t build your discipleship around comfort.

Get Up and Follow Jesus

Jesus still says, “Follow me.” He does not call us to admire him from a distance, consume religious content about him, or turn up only when all our preferences are met. He calls us to trust him with our whole lives.

And by his grace, we can get up. We can show up. We can serve, worship, encourage, pray, give, love, and stop waiting for everyone else to be the church.

Christianity is not a sofa-based religion.

So enjoy the sofa.

Then get up and follow Jesus.