Eugene Peterson comments on life in the church in his book “Practice Resurrection”.
Life in the church is dangerous. Much of the danger comes from from becoming so cozily familiar with the way of faith that we feel set apart or above our early status of what we sometimes think of as a mere Christian. We become so diligent in learning about and working for Jesus that our relationship with with Jesus erodes. The constant danger – and this has been going on for a long time in church – is that we rake on a role, a religious role, that gradually obliterates the life of the soul.