I and six other students from the Bear Valley Bible Institute recently returned from an evangelistic campaign in Tuttle, Oklahoma. We stayed in the homes of members of the church there for five days as we knocked doors and invited people to come to a biblical seminar. I was impacted by the level of hospitality we were shown. This is something special we enjoy as fellow members of God’s family. As my host pointed out, in what other environment would you invite strangers into your home to stay for several days?
When we look at the New Testament, we find that hospitality was important in the early church. It was apparently common for traveling preachers to stay in the homes of other Christians (2 John 10). Christians were commanded to practice hospitality (Romans 12:13). One of the qualifications of elders is for them to be hospitable (1 Timothy 3:2). There was even an emphasis placed on being hospitable to strangers (1 Timothy 5:10; Hebrews 13:2). In Acts chapter 2, we even see that they spent time with each other every day.
I think you and I would both agree that the church today could stand to show more hospitality. This is just not as much a part of our culture as it was in the first century, but that doesn’t make it any less important. I would encourage you to pick a night this week and invite a member of the church over to your house for dinner. I will guarantee you will learn more about each other than you would just chatting in the foyer after worship services.
The church can only be the body of Christ He intended us to be if we are unified, and the only way we can be unified is if we know each other like family. Let us make every effort to show biblical hospitality.
In Christ,
Jordan Wise
