We’ve got a problem. You might have noticed it, but maybe you didn’t want to say it out loud. We’ve raised a generation of people who love church, but somehow, they’ve missed the point of loving God. That’s right—they love the performance, the music, the screens, the drama. They love the feel-good messages with the “three points and a poem” outlines. And don’t get me started on potlucks. I mean, who doesn’t love a good potluck? Even Jesus probably enjoyed a meal or two with His disciples. But let’s be real here. We’ve fallen in love with how we do church, not the God of the church.

Here’s the deal. Jesus wasn’t interested in creating a “church experience” that people would love. He wasn’t about making people comfortable. He said things that would make most of us squirm. He made it clear that following Him was not about convenience; it was about conviction. Look at what He said in Luke 9:23: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Deny yourself? Carry a cross? That doesn’t exactly sound like a comfortable Sunday morning, does it?

The problem is, most of us are looking for a convenient time to follow Jesus. We want to fit Him into our schedules, our routines, our lives when it’s easy. But here’s the truth: it is impossible to follow Jesus conveniently. We are called to follow Him convictionally. And a conviction is something you’re willing to live and die for. Convenience? You won’t live for it, you certainly won’t die for it, and you certainly won’t let it inconvenience you.

Let’s go deeper into scripture here. Jesus encounters a man in Matthew 8:21-22 who says, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Sounds reasonable, right? But Jesus responds, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” Now, some of you are probably thinking, “That’s harsh!” But Jesus wasn’t being insensitive. He was saying, “Look, you’re either going to follow Me when it’s difficult, or you’re never going to follow Me at all.” Because here’s the truth: there will never be a “convenient” time to follow Jesus. There will always be something that feels more pressing, more immediate. But Jesus is saying, “I come first.”

It’s not that Jesus is dismissive of our pain or our situations. Remember when Lazarus died? John 11:35 says, “Jesus wept.” He understands grief. He understands sorrow. But He also knows that sometimes we let these things become excuses that keep us from following Him. We say, “I’ll get serious about my faith when things settle down.” Spoiler alert: things never settle down! Life is chaos. There will always be a reason to put off following Jesus.

Let’s talk about convenience for a second. We love it. We microwave meals because we don’t want to wait. We use drive-thrus because who has time to get out of the car? We’ve got smart devices in our homes so we don’t even have to get up to turn off the lights. But what happens when we bring that attitude into our faith? We want a “microwave Jesus,” ready to serve us on demand, but we aren’t willing to be inconvenienced for Him. You know what? Jesus said it wouldn’t be easy. In fact, He said the opposite. John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus promises trouble, not comfort. Yet, He also promises victory for those who persevere.

Here’s another story for you. In Luke 18, there’s the story of the rich young ruler. He comes to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him to sell everything he owns and give it to the poor. And what happens? The man walks away sad because he had great wealth. The tragedy here isn’t that he was rich; it’s that he wanted to follow Jesus on his terms. And Jesus doesn’t operate on our terms. He operates on His.

Let’s cut to the chase. Most Christians today don’t want to be inconvenienced by their faith. They want their faith to fit into their lives, not to reshape their lives. That’s not how this works. Jesus didn’t call us to a life of convenience. He called us to a life of conviction, a life of sacrifice, and yes, sometimes a life of discomfort. If you’re looking for a faith that won’t mess with your life, you’re not looking for the faith Jesus talked about.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-25, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” That’s it. No disclaimers. No “fine print.” Following Jesus means we lay down everything, even when it’s inconvenient, especially when it’s inconvenient.

So, what’s it going to be? Are we going to keep playing church, or are we going to start loving the God of the church? It’s easy to fall in love with the lights, the music, the programs. But those things are temporary. They won’t change your life; only Jesus can do that. And He’s calling you to follow Him convictionally, not conveniently.

Ask yourself this: what am I willing to be inconvenienced for? Because that’s where your conviction lies. If you’re not willing to be inconvenienced for Jesus, you’ve got to ask if you’re really following Him at all. It’s not easy. It’s not supposed to be. But it’s worth it. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about loving church; it’s about loving God. And that, my friend, is the only thing worth living—and dying—for.