Comfort Zone or Hypocrite?

Comfort Zone or Hypocrite?

In last week’s blog I encouraged you to step out of your Comfort Zone. I mentioned how I would step out to teach or speak to people. I call it my “social butterfly” mode. But that almost sounds like a Sunday Morning Christian. Non-Christians refer to it as being a hypocrite.

Not good.

I want to take a moment to clarify. When I push myself in a social situation, I’m still being myself. I’m just forcing myself to fight the introvert within. In many situations – like when I’m teaching or speaking in public I rely heavily on the power of the Holy Spirit. There are many times I leave my Senior Adult Sunday School class, and I really don’t know what I said. Or out of the blue an illustration comes to me as I am talking. This is what Jesus promised in Luke 12:12 –  “for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” (NIV)

In that blog article that didn’t pass the muster I gave an extreme, but true, example.

George (not his real name) was owner/manager of a factory where I worked as receptionist for a few years. He said he was a Christian. He sang in churches and gave his testimony. He was an elder and active in his church.

At work he didn’t hide the fact that he was a Christian, and all of his employees knew he went to church. At Christmas he sponsored a meal for all the employees, and after we ate he stood up and shared the Gospel. 

I sat there appalled. This isn’t my usual reaction to the sharing of the Gospel, but in this case I understood something that George did not. I understood that every man and woman at that meal had experienced his explosive temper. They had witnessed signs of deceit, some verging on illegal, and most had been treated like crap. 

I can’t judge his salvation, but I could see the fruit. And so could his workers. On one occasion one man asked one of the office girls where George went to church because he wanted to make sure not to ever go there. Ouch.

That wasn’t stepping out of his comfort zone. That was George making everyone else UNcomfortable. Dare I say, THIS is a picture of a hypocrite?

Hopefully that helps you to see the difference between hypocrisy and a Christian, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, who steps out in faith to go to the mission field, teach a class, be a greeter at the door, or do anything the Lord asks them to do.

My social butterfly mode isn’t sitting there waiting to come out, but when a visitor enters my Sunday School room I KNOW that I can’t sit back and wait for someone else to greet them. It is a responsibility the Lord has given me.

The good thing is, when God calls us, He also equips us. And we have the promises in His Word. Philippians 1:6 tells us,

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”