Hospitality

Hospitality Includes Ministering to One another

In view of the possibility of the Lord’s return Peter admonishes the believers to be “sober” (v. 7). It seems that he was telling them not to get out of balan¬ce in their emphasis of prophecy. If we think right and pray right our living should be right …

Full Hospitality for Weary Travelers

Since it was late in the day his servant suggested that they spend the night in Jerusalem, but the Levite said no because it belonged to foreigners and was not considered a proper place to be (vv. 11-13). Instead, they traveled on north to Gibeah and arrived there just as the sun was going down …

Moral Directions

In this chapter, as throughout this whole letter, it is evident that God is not interested in religion, but in life that produces the evidences of our faith. Real love for others produces tangible actions:Open to strangers (vv. 1-2). A Christian home should be a center of hospita …

Practice Hospitality Ungrudgingly

John mentions how Diotrephes likes to be the number-one leader in the Church and refuses to welcome any of the Lord’s followers who come by (vv. 9-10). The ancient world had a system of “guest-friendships” whereby families undertook to give each other hospitality when …

Jesus Sends His Disciples as Missionaries

Jesus had been with the disciples for a period of training and now they were ready to go out and preach. He sent them out in pairs so they could encourage one another (v. 7). He gave them power over unclean spirits and with this He gave them instructions for their journey (vv. 8- …

IllustrationSchaeffer’s House of Hospitality in Switzerland

For many years Dr. Frances Schaeffer and his wife Edith ran a house of Christian hospitality and study in Switzerland called L’Abri. They opened their hearts and homes to hundreds of people seeking Biblical answers to life’s challenges. In her book What is a Family? E …

IllustrationThe Unwelcomed Mother-in-law

A man took his dog to the veterinarian and asked him to cut his tail off completely. “I don’t like to do that,” said the vet. “And why completely?” “Well,” said the dog owner, “my mother-in-law is coming to visit us, and I don’t want anything in …

IllustrationHospitality isn’t what it used to be

Perhaps the most effective way to demonstrate God’s values and Christ’s love to others is to invite and welcome guests into our homes. I can’t help but think of the film Christmas Vacation. The …

IllustrationA Woman Who Wanted to See Heaven

A certain minister preached one day on Heaven. The next morning he was met by one of his wealthy members, who said: “Pastor, you preached a good sermon about Heaven. You told me all about Heaven, but you did not tell me where Heaven is.” “Ah,” said the pastor, …

IllustrationNicholes – Hospitality definition

Hospitality is the art of making people want to stay without interfering with their departure. (Source Unknown,  Lou Nicholes – Missionary/Author). …