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By: Pastor Peter Schlicht

In the Old Testament, God wanted his people to remain separate from other nations physically. He wanted them to be distinct as his people outwardly and inwardly. There was a sacred bubble that preserved God’s people until the promised Savior would be born. But after Christ died and rose from the dead, the bubble burst. Just before his ascension, he commanded us “Go and gather disciples from all nations…” 

Jesus tells us to go out into the world. But often the pressure from polarizing voices and the comfort of confirmation bias tempt us to only hang around other Christians, where it’s safe. Here are 5 signs you might need to burst your bubble: 

1. You can’t remember the last deeper talk you had with someone who is not a Christian. 
2. You pray for Christians much more than you pray for those who don’t know Christ. 
3. Your social activities only involve Christians.
4. You only invite other Christians to go to church with you. 
5. You are scared of the idea of befriending a non-Christain. 

If you said “yes” to two or more of those signs, please consider bursting your bubble! Bursting your bubble is about taking an intentional step to spend more time with people who don’t know Jesus or don’t have a regular church life. It takes courage to do this and that’s why God sends us the Holy Spirit. The Spirit strengthens your faith through Word and Sacrament, he motivates your love for the lost, and he even gives you the words when an opportunity to witness presents itself. This is Jesus’ promise, not mine: “Do not worry beforehand what you should say. Say whatever is given to you in that hour, because you will not be the ones speaking; instead it will be the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 13:11)

You may afraid that you don’t know enough, but remember that God is the only one who opens hearts. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to say just the perfect thing. This leads to a sort of evangelistic paralysis. There are definitely things we can do to become more confident, like learning more about the Bible, refuting false claims about Christianity, etc. But approaching evangelism as if it’s all on us is the wrong approach and a major reason why we get so tied up in knots over it. 

What did Paul say to the Corinthians: “When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. [We all know at least that much!]  I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” Paul’s words had the Spirit’s power and his inadequacies and weaknesses as a speaker only highlighted that power! You know more than enough. Speaking in a natural way, even stammering and searching for words, will only highlight the importance of the message in a way only you could deliver to people only you can reach. 

Consider inviting someone to our Thanksgiving service or take them to the Art and Craft Fair, the Canvass Food Drive, or Thanksgiving for Kids. Burst your bubble and let the Holy Spirit do what he does best. Share Jesus with someone new this November!