The Ministry of Hospitality

1 PETER 4:7-11

 

The Ministry of Hospitality

 

Introduction

 

This morning I want to take a brief time out from the book of Timothy so that we can expand on what we talked about last week. We considered how the church is a spiritual family and should be characterized by love and affection for one another.

 

We will continue that discussion by looking at a very practical way that we as the church can grow in love and friendship as a church family. That practical way is through what the Bible calls the ministry of hospitality. Turn with me to...

 

1 Peter 4:8-11

 

Although hospitality may not be the first thing we think of when we think of the Christian life, the New Testament calls Christians to be hospitable and we can see how serious Peter takes it when he calls the believers he is writing to to practice hospitality without grumbling.

 

• The Christians he is writing to are suffering severe persecution.
• He is reminding them the end of all things is at hand - to live soberly and to pray.

 

Then he immediately calls them to keep loving one another and in fact commands them to make it of the highest priority: Above all, keep loving one another fervently (strain at it, work at it). How? He mentions several expressions of how we are to love one another.

 

1.      Cover one another's sins - since love covers a multitude of sins.

 

Peter is not endorsing covering up sin that needs to be addressed or dealt with, he's talking about an atmosphere of love that is necessary in a church full of sinners so that it doesn't degenerate into backbiting and slander. He is quoting Proverbs 10:12

 

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

 

Love in the church will extend grace and cover sins that can be covered with grace.

 

2.      We serve one another by God's grace - one important expression of love is to serve. When Jesus wanted to express the fullness of his love to his disciples in the upper room, he laid aside his garment, wrapped himself in a towel and served by washing their feet. God has given us each varied gifts by grace flows from Calvary so that we can serve one another.

 

3.      We are to show hospitality to one another without grumbling

 

Joyfully showing hospitality is another way we can express love to one another.

 

4.      All of this abounds to the glory of God and glory of Jesus!

 

I.                   Hospitality is a practical expression of loving one another

 

Above all, keep loving one another - one expression of that is hospitality. In fact, it is a very practical way to express love. Refers to the practice of opening up one's home and life to others joyfully and generously. In biblical days hospitality was very important - if someone came to your house needing hospitality it was a matter of honor to be a good host. In the early church (and we can imagine for these Christians who are being persecuted) there were Christians who were displaced and needy - hungry, without money, and in desperate need, and hospitality was a very practical way of expressing love to brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

Hospitality is both a practical expression of love for one another, and an important way of growing in our love for one another.

 

"Hospitality fleshes out love in a uniquely personal and sacrificial way. Through the ministry of hospitality, we share our most prized possessions. We share our family, home, finances, food, privacy, and time. Indeed, we share our very lives. So, hospitality is always costly. Through the ministry of hospitality, we provide friendship, acceptance, fellowship, refreshment, comfort, and love in one of the richest and deepest ways possible for humans to understand. Unless we open the doors of our homes to one another, the reality of the local church as a close-knit family of loving brothers and sisters is only a theory."-Alexander Strauch, The Hospitality Commands

 

Hospitality takes the book about loving one another off the shelf and fleshes it out.

 

1. Hospitality helps to free us from a selfish lifestyle

 

I am very aware that most of us live pretty full lives - we've got a lot going on. And often when we come to some free time, we don't want to give it up to others - we want to veg out doing the things we really want to do. And that's not wrong in its place - in fact we need to schedule down-time in our lives.

 

But we live in a day when we can be pretty isolated from meaningful involvement with other people's lives and not even realize it. We can get to a point where we don't even miss the deeper interactions. We go to work (or stay at home and work), come home, eat with family and then watch TV or surf the Net, or listen to our IPOD or drive out to the movies or tinker around the house or...

 

But what can happen is that lack of opening up our lives causes us to grow inward. We can become selfish. The less we open up to others the less we want to open up lives to others.

 

When I used to sell cars I noticed an odd phenomenon occurred. When we went through slow times with few customers, we would have to occupy our time in different ways. We might talk with other salespeople or watch the news in the lunchroom and just hang out. When hadn't seen a customer in a long time, didn't want to see a customer. "Allen, you're up!" would annoy me - didn't want to be bothered. It was an interruption.

 

When I needed customers the most, I wanted them the least! We lose confidence and motivation - we just want to hang out. It's not good (especially when you are counting on selling cars for a paycheck!). This is even less desirable as Christians - an inward life is not a loving life. Love looks outward - it gives, it shares.

 

It's interesting that Peter says it should be without grumbling. It's not enough to do it - we need to do it with joy! Joyful hospitality helps to put to death the selfishness that either neglects or does it and complains about all the hassle it is to have someone over.

 

1. Hospitality helps us to go from stranger to friend

 

The word literally means the "love of strangers" or "friend of strangers". There is something about inviting people into home and lives (or being invited into theirs) that moves us from strangers to friends.

 

We all begin as strangers. We are brothers and sisters in Christ - but practically speaking we are strangers at first. If you are visiting us for the first time, probably most of people here are strangers to you and you to them. It's OKAY - it's good.

 

But know what? You can spend years in a church, and if only interaction is hello and goodbye on Sunday mornings, you will find yourself surrounded by acquaintances - but you won't really know them. In that sense, they are strangers to you. Friendship and love grows as we share our lives with one another.

 

Next month we will be having a family visit us from Gaithersburg. It is the family that opened their home to us for the 10 months I was in Pastor's College.

 

We did not know them at all when they invited us to stay with them. We were strangers. But they opened their home and lives to us all the same and for 10 months we lived life together. We ate most dinners together. Our kids played and laughed and yes, argued and quarreled together. Sometimes we spent family nights together. Got to see their quirks and imperfections and they ours.

 

We grew to love each other and are lifelong friends. Their daughter and our daughter call each other sisters.

 

How did this happen? They invited strangers into their home and expressed amazing hospitality and love for strangers and we became dear friends. Hospitality moved us from strangers to dear friends. It was a life changing effect!

 

Loving strangers can mean more than someone you don't know at all - can mean an older couple inviting a young married couple over. Or a single person inviting a family of 6 over for dinner. Invite that person that you feel you have nothing in common with over to spend time with you - get stretched! We should be stepping out of our comfort zones and opening our lives to those who may not be exactly like us.

 

II.                Hospitality is a practical means of evangelizing

 

Might not think of hospitality as a means for evangelizing, but it can be one of the most effective ways to reach out to those who don't know Christ. Most people who come to Christ don't come because of a program - come because of a relationship. As people come through our doors we want them to see a church that loves one another - that's a powerful testimony. But loving each other doesn't mean we're exclusive or cliquish. We should also love and reach out to strangers.

 

Mark Driscoll has said that involving unbelievers in church life can be a powerful tool for them to come to Christ. Often they will say, "This is my church" before they say, "He is my God."

 

Sometimes before they say, "This is my church", they need to say, "You are my friend." Opening up your home or your time can invite them into life as a friend. There they can see the gospel in your life. Prayer is that they will make it their gospel as well.

 

• Steve & Donna Calk's two boys are in playing little league - they had the chance to spend some time with the coach and his wife. Their family went to a barbecue and just spent time with the different parents and kids on team.  In these different interactions the coach and his wife saw the Calk kids being kind - and showing respect for their elders. They saw Steve & Donna being engaged but not overbearing with kids. Coach's wife in a conversation asked Donna, "Can I ask a personal question? My husband was asking me where your family went to church - we could tell you were Christians but you weren't pushing it on us. We see something in your family and my husband said if we go to church that's the church we want to go to."

 

III.             Hospitality brings God glory by reflecting His grace-filled welcome to us

 

In the gospel God has extended His eternal hospitality to lost sinners - welcomed us into His family and into His kingdom. God has prepared a table for us - a feast. He welcomes lost sinners, "come home". His home becomes our home. Piper says:

 

Therefore when we practice hospitality, here's what happens: we experience the refreshing joy of becoming conduits of God's hospitality rather than being self-decaying cul-de-sacs. The joy of receiving God's hospitality decays and dies if it doesn't flourish in our own hospitality to others. ~ John Piper

 

By being a conduit instead of a cul-de-sac we bring glory to God by mirroring His hospitality to us through Christ.

 

We are family - children of God and brothers and sisters. The glorious reality that reflects is that God has made a way for us to be in His household forever through Jesus Christ and welcomes us home forever. To God be the glory forever and ever.

 

IV.              Practical thoughts

 

1.      Keep it simple - think paper plates (John Piper's example). Open your homes and hearts to one another - it's an expression of love. Don't wait for invitations - initiate it.

 

Don't worry about whether your home is perfect or what serve. Doesn't have to be fancy.

 

2.      Come prepared on Sundays to invite someone - maybe preplanned, sometimes just prepare for someone and invite on spur of the moment. There was a family at CLC who every Sunday went looking for someone to invite over for lunch after church. It's a ministry.

 

• Jesse and Jess took a couple that attended church once out to lunch that very same Sunday and then followed up with them numerous times to invite them to service. They didn't come back, but it was an excellent job expressing care and sowing seeds.

 

3.      Initiate - don't wait for invitations.

 

4.      Hospitality Sundays - once in a while going to encourage everyone to get together with someone you have never gotten together with for lunch or significant time.