1 Peter 4:7-11
Hospitality
Luke 7:36-50
What Jesus accuses the Pharisees of is not bad Theology, or unbelief, but lack of hospitality. Hospitality is a mark of people who serve God down through the ages.
1 Peter 4:7-11
7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Verse 9, Offer hospitality to one another
As far as cultures go, Canadians have become relatively inhospitable people. Many new immigrants quickly learn that when we say, "you’ll have to come and visit sometime," we really don’t mean it! Pam and I became acutely aware of the difference in hospitality customs when we were in Sri Lanka and people would invite us over when we had just met - and they meant it! But we are told here to practice hospitality with one another.
Why Offer Hospitality?
1. It is Commanded - vs.9,
To all Christians
Ro 12:9-13; 9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
To elders & pastors - 1Ti 3:2, 1Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer,[1] he desires a noble task. 2Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, (see also Tit 1:8,)
To widows - 1Ti 5:9-10 9””No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband,[1] 10and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.”
The widows list was a list of women eligible for help from the church – in order to receive help from the benevolent fund, you had to prove yourself hospitable!
Old Testament
Leviticus 19:33 " ’When an alien (stranger)lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien (stranger) living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
In the Old Testament, Hospitality was expected!
Travelers would arrive in the town square at the end of the day, and expect someone to invite them into their home. - would be pretty ticked if it didn’t happen - most likely still practiced in NT - Jesus told His disciples to rely on the hospitality of others when he sent them out the first time.
It is an important command!
- 1 Peter 4:7 - The end of all things is near, therefore we should be about these things - thing God would have us do. - Important command!
2. It is an out-working of our Salvation
Verse 10 implies that we should let our hospitality be an extension or an overflow of God’s hospitality to us. “Be a good steward of God’s grace.“
God has taken us from being lost, and brought into his household as adopted children. We should at least be able to bring people into our household for lunch!
Romans 15:7 says “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
2. It develops community (Koinonia)
This is one of the “One another” commands that teach how we should treat one another in the church
Acts 2:46-47
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
- We are called into relationship with other Christians - what better way to form those relationships than through hospitality!
3. Hospitality is a witness to the world – “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’’ (John 13:35 NIV) - neighbours will see the love between Christians evidenced by the hospitality, and they will be attracted to that love, and Christ.
But we are not just called to be hospitable to Christians – but to strangers as well – our hospitality is often the way that people experience God’s love!
Last week we talked about Prayer Evangelism and I quoted Ed Silvoso who said “"Prayer is the most tangible trace of eternity in the person’s heart”
If we partner prayer and hospitality, people don’t have a chance at staying out of the Kingdom!
3. Added bonus of entertaining angels
- "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2 NIV)
Gen. 18:1-8 - Story of the Lord coming to visit Abraham
1The LORD appeared again to Abraham while he was camped near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day about noon, as Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent, 2he suddenly noticed three men standing nearby. He got up and ran to meet them, welcoming them by bowing low to the ground. 3”My lord,” he said, “if it pleases you, stop here for a while. 4Rest in the shade of this tree while my servants get some water to wash your feet. 5Let me prepare some food to refresh you. Please stay awhile before continuing on your journey.”
“All right,” they said. “Do as you have said.”
6So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Get three measures[1] of your best flour, and bake some bread.” 7Then Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a fat calf and told a servant to hurry and butcher it. 8When the food was ready, he took some cheese curds and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them there beneath the trees.
Whether Abraham was aware that he was hosting the Lord or not, he still acted in hospitality. Because of this he received The promise of a son within the year, and he learned of the destruction of Sodom.
Jesus promises us that if we are hospitable to the least in society, then we are being hospitable to Him. (Matthew 25)
If we are commanded to be hospitable to one another, and there are so many benefits, why don’t we?
Hindrances to Hospitality
1. Hospitality takes work,
It does put you out, it draws you out of your self
Hospitality is a lot of work. It is often inconvenient. It can ruin your plans and invade your privacy. It may not even be enjoyable. It is something that we may tend to complain about having to do.
Romans 12:13 said that we should "be constant" or persistent in our practice of hospitality. Hebrews says the same thing in a negative way: don’t neglect it. Evidently it is something that can easily fall into neglect.
John Piper says:
The physical force of gravity pulls everything to the center of the earth. In order to break free from earth-centered life, thousands and thousands of pounds of energy have to push the space shuttle away from the center. There is also a psychological force of gravity that constantly pulls our thoughts and affections and physical actions inward toward the center of our own selves and our own homes.
Therefore the most natural thing in the world is to neglect hospitality. It is the path of least resistance. All we have to do is yield to the natural gravity of our self-centered life, and the result will be a life so full of self that there is no room for hospitality. We will forget about it. And we will neglect it. So the Bible bluntly says. Stop that! Build a launching pad. Fill up your boosters. And blast out of your self-oriented routine. Stop neglecting hospitality. Practice hospitality.
2. "My House is too messy, and I have no time to keep it up".
Karen Burton Mains, author of Open Heart/Open Home,
- one morning decided to read a novel instead of doing the house work, of course a person from church stopped by - the place was a mess - dishes in the sink, toys every where, last night’s newspaper all over the floor.
As she went to the door she could hear her father’s voice, "Hospitality comes before pride" easy enough to say when your place is tidy. She swallowed her pride and let the person from church in. After they came in and got sat down her friend says "I used to think you were perfect, now I think we can be friends!"
At the end of that chapter she suggest that we should write down all the reasons that we do not practice hospitality, and then put a "P" right beside each one that is because of pride - good idea.
Distinction between entertaining and hospitality,
- entertaining people is showing off your house, and your cooking abilities to them,
- Hospitality is opening your house to them.
- - Entertaining really centers on self and begs compliments,
- hospitality centers on the other, and on God.
Your “out” – take someone to lunch, coffee…
2. Busy-ness
My own experience speaks to this – my neighbours are always ready to lend a hand, but I find that if I see them working on something, I often have too much to do to go and lend a hand. It can be the same way with hospitality, it is hard to stop everything and have someone over.
You may have to schedule your hospitality – like Sunday lunch – hospitality should be a lifestyle, but it may need to start as a habit first.
3. "We barely have enough for ourselves, never mind others!"
1 Kings 17:8-16 - story of Elijah staying with widow during famine - they were just about to have their last meal together, and then die, God said feed this man! The flour never ran out, and neither did the oil as long as the famine lasted.
- If we follow God’s commands, he will provide enough.
4. Seeing our house as a sanctuary
“My house is the place where I get away from people, not where I have them in!” – Is there selfishness at the root of this attitude?
You may need to be hospitable outside the home.
Conclusion.
Practice Hospitality! We are commanded to practice it, it will lead to the community that God desires us to have, and it will lead others to Christ, and we may luck out and end up entertaining angels! We need to remember that hospitality comes before both pride and poverty. We need to show hospitality to each other
- invite someone into your home this week.
Opportunities for hospitality
Sunday Lunch “turn on the PWHR – Post Worship Hospitality Radar”
- be part of the hospitality team
- just tidy up a little on Saturday night, kick the toys in the corner Sunday morning, be ready to receive someone
- Samaritan’s purse opportunity
