You most definitely should be in the world!

Ooops, so I was a day late reading this and should really have posten yesterday but I LOVE the verse in John 17 in which Jesus prays...

'My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one'

Jesus said it so well!  We are TOTALLY called to be IN THE WORLD just not 'of it'.  So often I  find that Christians hang about in their little church bubbles, hanging out with Christians, eating with Christians, working with Christians and literally breathing Christians.  Whilst this is good and whilst I agree completely that fellowship and relationships with Christians are vital (you often become who you hang out with - and therefore being surrounded by good people who will encourage you in your faith is vital) I do think there can be a tendency to live 'in the bubble'.  We are called to be in the world not in some holy bubble whilst living here on earth.

Let me ask a question.  When was the last time you hung out with a someone who doesn't believe?  Isn't our calling to be witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1v8)?  Aren't we told to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28v19).  Don't we need to bind up the broken hearted and bring freedom for the captives (Isaiah 61)?  Why so often do we preach to the converted?  How can we advance the Kingdom of God if we only ever hang out with those already in it?  And in doing so, rather than quickly running back to our little cosy, comfortable bubbles, we should be getting out there and praying for protection from the evil one, who by the way cannot touch us as we are born of God (1 John 5v18).  We have been given authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to ovecome the power of the enemy (Luke 10v19), so why do we so often insist on taking the easy option out?

When was the last time you hung out with someone who doesn't believe and had an impact?