What is your comfort zone? Everyone has one - that place, either physically or emotionally, where you feel safe and the most comfortable. You may not think much about it until you are moved out of it. Then the uneasy feelings begin to creep in and you react. Some people react by shutting down, kind of like a turtle pulling his head back in his shell. Others react just the opposite, sometimes with a nervous giddiness. Then are those for whom getting out of the comfort zone causes a full-blown panic attack. Most of us are somewhere in between, depending on the day and the situation.
For me, personally, when I am asked or prodded out of my CZ, it usually calls for courage that is more than the daily deal. Sometimes it is courage to Act, and sometimes it is courage to not React!
The seventh and eighth chapters of Acts shows us two examples of men who were moved out of their comfort zone by the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. First, is Stephen. In chapter 6, Stephen and six others were set apart by the apostles to serve in a special role in the Jerusalem church. We generally refer to them as the first deacons. The church had grown so much that the apostles needed help with administrative and ministry duties so that they could concentrate on preaching and sharing the gospel. Stephen is described in 6:5 as "a man full of faith, and of the Holy Spirit." and in 6:8 as "full of grace and power who performed great wonders and signs among the people..." We don't know anything about this man before he was selected as a leader in the early church, but those few descriptions in the above mentioned verses tell a great deal.
Notice those verses repeat the saying "full of," thus, the emphasis in Stephen's life is "fullness." In scripture, to be "full of" something means to be controlled by that something. Paraphrased, that would read, "Stephen was controlled by faith, controlled by the Holy Spirit, controlled by grace, and controlled by power." I would say he was on "God-control!" Can you imagine living a life that full of the presence and power of God? Obviously, the apostles saw leadership qualities as well as a ministry spirit in him. So leading in the church and serving the widows may not have been too far, if at all, out of his comfort zone. However, I am going to take a leap here and say that preaching Christ and debating the same group of pharisees and high priests that had called for the execution of Jesus, was out of character for the "Before Christ" (BC) Stephen. He was so passionate in his zeal for the Lord that he was eventually stoned to death. Now that is out of anyone's comfort zone!
Phillip was another one of the deacons called out to lead the church. He is listed in 6:5 right after Stephen. We meet up with him again in Chapter 8, after the church was scattered throughout the regions. Phillip went out to share Christ in Samaria. Samaria would not be in most of these men's comfort zones. Samaria was a region north of Jerusalem populated by "half-breeds." - Jews who had, generations before, intermarried with foreigners from the east. Because of their "impurity," the Samaritans were hated by the Jews. In fact, Jews would travel out-of-their way to avoid passing through Samaria. Now that's bigotry! Remember, when they traveled, they traveled by foot and by caravans. To go miles out-of-their way so as to NOT have to interact with Samaritans, was the norm. Phillip's ministry in Samaria resulted in hundreds of new converts in that region and among non-Jewish people. On his way back to Jerusalem, an angel appeared to Phillip and said, "Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaze." (8:26-40) He obeyed, not having to know the reason or the outcome; he just obeyed. I'd say he was "full" of the Holy Spirit - just like Stephen. On that road, he saw a governmental caravan, and in the main chariot, was a man reading the book of Isaiah. Again, he obeyed the Spirit and caught up with the chariot and asked the man if he understood what he was reading. The guy, who just so happened to be a court official to the Queen of Ethiopia, said he needed someone to explain it to him. So Phil jumps aboard and tells the official about Jesus, beginning with the Old Testament prophecies all the way to His resurrection. The man accepts Jesus and stops to be baptized by the side of the road. Then Phil is miraculously whisked away and lands in another place to begin sharing the gospel.
I don't think I can wrap my mind around the importance and application of these stories. The best way for me to begin to understand is to look at the "what if's." What if Stephen hadn't ventured out of his comfort zone? Well, for starters, he most likely would not have been stoned to death! However, the flip side of that is what happened because he was stoned to death. Upon Stephen's death, the new christian church came under great persecution, and "they were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria...Saul [who later is renamed "Paul"] began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison." (8:1-3) As a result, Phillip took the message of Jesus to Samaria, and then, to Ethiopia by way of the court official he "ran" into on the road. Remember, the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20. And then, just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told the disciples, "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." (1:8) I'd say Ethiopia was pretty remote by their standards!
You see how the Lord took something that was not good - especially for Stephen personally - horrible, and used it for good? You see, we are never left without hope! Even when Stephen was being pounded by rocks until he literally died, he was gazing intently into heaven and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God (7:55) and knew that his death would be used by God for good! God used the horrific persecution of the church and the imprisonment and death of many believers to spread the availability of salvation the the entire world. The gospel spread from it's core in Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth like ripples on a pond. It was accomplished because believers who were full or controlled by the Holy Spirit were willing to leave their comfort zones and tell about Jesus.
I've been guilty of being "full of it" many times. But usually, I'm full of myself! What would God use me to accomplish if I were full of the Holy Spirit, i.e. controlled by the Spirit? If I were willing to leave my comfort zone and go and do whatever, wherever He directs? Only He knows the answer to that, but I have the same hope that Stephen and Phillip had - whatever it is, it will be for good.
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