We all see hospitality as a “good thing”. But God calls us to be hospitable as a way of life.
1 Peter 4:9-11
9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Peter commands believers to show hospitality to fellow believers with a joyful heart. Hospitality isn’t something that “just happens”. It takes work! Hospitality is the nature in which we are to use the gifts that God has given us to serve others.
Not only are we called to be hospitable to other Christians, but to all people around us.
Hebrews 13:1-2
1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
The word for “hospitality” in the original Greek is philoxenia, which is literally translated as “love to strangers”. The main point of this verse isn’t to say that we should be hospitable to all, JUST because we might be entertaining angels, but really it’s reinforcing the importance of being generous to strangers.
We can’t be hospitable without first being inviting.
God calls us to be hospitable in all that we do. Here is an example of how the early believers of Christ would live that out:
Acts 2: 42-47
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved
The members of the early church were constantly in a cycle of inviting others into their lives.
This passage is the vision for what our Life Groups should look like. That means, we need to be ready to constantly be inviting others to share in what God is doing. This kind of evangelism should be in the DNA of our Life Groups.
Inviting… to what?
When we get ask ourselves why we evangelize, don’t you think the answer should be something like..
“to make disciples of all nations”.
“To introduce the sick to the Healer”
“To point the broken to the one who makes all things new”
“To invite people to know God, and to seek eternal life through his son Jesus Christ”.
When we invite people into our lives, when we serve them with the same sacrificial love and hospitality that Christ shows us, we have the amazing opportunity to give them a glimpse into the heart of God. That’s the whole reason we’re still here, anyway: To be the reflection of Christ to those here on Earth.
This means that we should be aware of our surroundings. Always looking for the people that God intentionally puts in our lives.
By no means are we “Undercover Christians” waiting for the right moment to spring the Gospel onto our friends. We are ambassadors of Christ. We live like Christ, we love like Christ and that means that we invite like Christ.
Be ready to respond to the invitations of others
So, inviting people into our lives is super important, but if we’re genuinely loving those around us, we need to be comfortable with them inviting us into their life as well. Not only are we inviting people into our homes, our free time, and our families, but we need to be willing to go into those places in others lives too.
Philippians 2:3-8
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
We’re not investing in the interests of others when they invite us in simply to pat ourselves on the back. We’re called to show them the heart of God. Should we really be surprised that we should strive to be a part of the lives of others, when we serve a God who humbled himself to step into our world?
The Invitations of Jesus
Jesus invites us to restore our relationship with God through His sacrifice. The response you decide to give to that invitation is the most important decision you could ever make.
Here are some other ways that Jesus continues to invite us, showing the heart of a God who is continuing to welcome us in as His people:
During the Feast of Booths, a Jewish celebration, Jesus invites all to come to him.
John 7:37-38
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
Jesus invites us to take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow him.
Matthew 16:24
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Jesus invites us into his perfect rest.
Matthew 11:28
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Jesus invites us into His Kingdom
Matthew 25:34
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
James 4:8 says that if we draw near to God, he will draw near to us.
God is a gracious host, more loving and sacrificial than any of us could ever be.
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
“Psalm 23 is a song of praise to the God who has come to get us and bring us home. The journey is long, so we need. Shepherd; it is dangerous, so we need a companion; and it is wearisome, so we need a host. But the journey has always had an ultimate destination in mind: the restoration of return to the house of the Lord.”
John 14:2-3
2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
This is what we’re ultimately inviting others into. This is why we invite people into our homes, to share in our favorite activities, to be a part of our family. This is the end goal - that they might see that Jesus is drawing them into HIS family.
