I was watching one of those time wasting but weirdly captivating videos posted on Facebook. Picture 2 women strapped in a cage on the side of the mountain. One says, "This is way out of my comfort zone!" just as the cage drops off the mountain and they fall screaming down the cliff and bouncing up and down on the attached bungee cord. The caption read, "Life begins when you leave your comfort zone." I learned that lesson the first time I shelved my fear of heights, stepped off a high dive tower, and felt the thrill of flying through the air.

I'm in South Carolina wearing a bathing suit and sitting on a screened back porch facing a lake. I spent the morning swimming and boating with grandchildren. Let me assure you that at 62, wearing a bathing suit is out of my comfort zone but if I want to enjoy water sports, it is necessary. My beautiful always perfectly dressed Mama was my hero regarding this. She was 84 on our last lake vacation together. She put her bathing suit on each morning and wore it all day, without a cover up. This woman who wore high heels through serious foot pain, stockings in the heat of the summer, and hated the way she looked in a bathing suit refused to let that keep her from enjoying life in the water with her family. Having decided to wear a bathing suit, she refused any self consciousness that might have ruined her fun. Daddy once told me that he wasn't afraid of dying but he was afraid of not living. He owned a boat and rode roller coasters right up until the end. No matter what God, their church, and their family called my parents to do, they did so regardless of how much outside their comfort zone it was. Even though neither had the gift of evangelism, when their church had evangelism outreaches, Mama and Daddy were there giving the Gospel. No one can deny that Mama and Daddy lived until the day they died.

People often tell me that sharing Jesus is outside of their comfort zone. I believe them but Biblically, it  is irrelevant. If you don't believe me, just read 2nd Corinthians. Those Christians lived continually outside their comfort zone. They were beaten, were locked up, had their own personal fears, were criticized by everyone including other religious leaders, and often went hungry. Paul was so uncomfortable on earth that he wrote of longing for heaven but he kept sharing Jesus anyway. Moses was uncomfortable speaking because of a stutter but God called on him to speak anyway. I'm sure hanging naked on the cross was outside Jesus' human comfort zone but life began for us when he did. The Holy Spirit is the Great Comforter and comforts us spiritually and emotionally through everything but my reading of the Bible is that God sends us into world that is completely outside our comfort zones. After all, earth is not our home so we shouldn't be too comfortable.

I'll give you a personal example. I have the gift of evangelism but didn't always use it. Why? I was uncomfortable. Fear of people getting mad at me and Christians criticizing me stopped me. I long to be accepted in my church and Christian communities and while I am in a church who loves me and supports evangelism, those kinds of churches are hard to find. It has been my observation that those who actively share their faith face the greatest criticism within the body of Christ. Trust me - being criticized by those I consider family is outside my comfort zone but when I stepped outside my comfort zone and began sharing my faith anyway, life began for me and many others. Believe it or not, when I haven't evangelized for a week or more, I too feel that cold dread of fear squeeze my heart when I open my mouth again. Having said that, I do realize that sharing the Gospel is more comfortable for me than for most.

Let give you an example you may relate to better. My husband has the natural spiritual gifts of leadership and service. That means that when we do evangelism events together, he is most comfortable rallying the troops and carrying the luggage. That doesn't mean God lets him off the hook for sharing his faith. It just means he is less comfortable than I when he does it. At an event, I'd noticed him continually sharing his faith using the Gospel Bracelets but later, when I asked each team member for a salvation count, Bob hadn't led anyone to Christ. Yes, I understand that the Holy Spirit convicts the heart, that many aren't willing to say yes yet, and that the results are not up to us but I also noticed the flash of guilt that crossed Bob's face when he said it. Usually, when people feel guilty or defensive about how few they are leading to Jesus, it means they have been unwilling to step outside their comfort zone and they know it.

"Bob, I saw you giving the Gospel. You were using the scriptures and presenting the beads just the way you were trained. Let me ask you a question. When you get to the end, are you asking the individual if he or she knows where they are going in the next life and then inviting them to meet Jesus?"

"No," Bob said, not quite meeting my eyes. "That is way outside my comfort zone."

"I know," I said. "Do it anyway! You'll feel better and people will meet Jesus."

The next time I asked Bob for numbers, he had led 5 people to Jesus. Yes, he had to gulp and ask a question that made him uncomfortable but that question opened the door for new life for 5 people. My favorite part of that conversation was how Bob was beaming. Stepping outside his comfort zone had breathed new life into him at the event. Life began for 5 people when Bob stepped outside his comfort zone.

Nothing inspires us and increases our faith more than seeing the Holy Spirit take the words of the Gospel that we speak and convict a heart. Seeing the Holy Spirit Glow come on someone's face for the first time rejuvenates our own spiritual life in a way that nothing else does. Life begins anew for us when we step outside our comfort zone and lead someone to Jesus. If you don't believe me, try it.

The same is true for churches. What kept the early churches willing to share through the uncomfortable persecution was seeing new life in Christ. When a church feels dead or isn't growing, it has been my observation that the church body as a whole has almost completely stopped leading people to Jesus. Yes, there are those few diehards gifted with evangelism who press on through criticism but for the most part, the body may talk about Jesus with others or even invite people to church but they aren't giving the Gospel - sharing the Gospel scriptures and inviting people to meet Jesus. The harvest is ripe. The scripture convicts. Life begins for a church and a community when the body of Christ steps outside its comfort zone and begins leading people to Jesus.

Cheryle