Michael continued our series “We the Church” by reminding us that we don’t need to be an extrovert to be hospitable. It is important to welcome everyone who enters our doors and make it our mission to discover their names and stories. It takes perseverance and commitment to cultivate friendships out of fellowship with those with whom God has placed us together. This may not come naturally to some of us, but we need to extend ourselves and practice it like Jesus did. Stop being a peripheral in society and start connecting to the messy lives of others, as we are called to do. Mixing and mingling, as you gather together, even when you have nothing in common with each other, shows others the genuine love of Jesus.
As we look at the example of how to be hospitable in Acts 2:42-47, we see that:
- Hospitality is Biblical
We are commanded to share God’s grace by welcoming strangers into God’s family. Ephesians 2:11-12 reminds us that there is no “us” and “them,” but we are all part of God’s Church. We need to seek out the lost and invite them into God’s family, to become our sisters and brothers in Christ. This means we need to go outside of our comfort zone to find them. It is not about what it costs but what it is worth that counts. Start welcoming people into your hearts and your home. - Hospitality is Offensive
The world’s way is to fear the stranger, but Hebrews 13:1-2 commands us to show hospitality and love to strangers. We are not called to live a safe, suburban, sanitized life. Only when we welcome everyone, especially those who are different from us, can we turn strangers into friends, instead of enemies. You are the miracle for someone else! We see from the Acts 2 account that the table is at the center of the gospel story, where divine hospitality is shared through enjoying meals together. Inclusion is one of God’s greatest acts of redeeming love. Who you are inviting to your table says a lot about your heart and your home. Extending yourself to others will cost you and can offend, but it is crucial if we want to be like Jesus. Hospitality is an act of warfare when we choose to see Jesus in other people. The Church is not just a holy huddle on a Sunday but needs to be lived out through the week. - Hospitality looks Different
As Christians, we need to start tolerating each other more and not be like the world. We cannot love others from a distance. John 13:34-35 commands us to love others, which is what will show the world that we are disciples of Jesus. 1 Peter 4:8-10 tells us to be hospitable toward others with our love and without complaining. We are to steward what God has given us by giving of our time, our resources, and our energy. People may let us down, but it’s Jesus’s love and grace poured out through us that will look different to others. - Hospitality is Practiced
We need to stop defaulting to our cliques and keeping our distance from others and start welcoming everyone, even those whose lifestyles we don’t agree with. Hospitality is practiced at home first before we can do this effectively at Church. We need to be sharing with others that their identity is not found in their sexuality. As in Rosaria Butterfield’s testimony and book ‘The Gospel Comes with a House Key’, about radical, ordinary hospitality, it is our love and grace to others that unlocks the doors to salvation. Start seeing strangers as neighbours and neighbours as family. Your home is God’s gift to use for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom by opening it up to others.
We are the Church that is called to be the hope of the world. When you bring of yourself and share it with others, you open the dialogue to find out about each other’s stories. You are filled by Jesus so you can overflow to others.
It is time to start asking yourself – If your life was the only evidence that Christ was alive, would anyone be convinced?
See additional resources about Hospitality from Rosaria Butterfield – https://rosariabutterfield.com/testimony-conversion-1