A POWERFUL GIFT
One of the most powerful gifts that a congregation can experience is the power of genuine hospitality. The modern church is often made uncomfortable by the description of the early church in Acts 2:43-47 where they seemed to pool their resources and share with each other according to each one’s need. What we often fail to understand is that what they were describing is what commonly takes place in any healthy family. When Jesus described his family as those who were obedient to God, he was suggesting that the church became a family. Healthy families are more than willing to make sacrifices for each other. The church was acting like a family.
WELCOME THE STRANGER
Some historians have suggested that a major factor in the explosive growth of Christianity in its early days was their strong ministry of hospitality. They went out into the streets and fed the hungry, cared for the sick, and supported the widow and the orphan. It was in such contrast to a world who often tried to avoid the needy that it attracted adherents to it. They invited people to become part of a family.
Some people would attribute the growth of the Mormon Church and the explosion of the Pentecostal experience around the world to their willingness to offer hospitality to those who they met. A lonely person in an impersonal society is going to be attracted to a community that makes them feel valued. We live in an alienated society that is wary of strangers. One of the powerful gifts that the church can exhibit is to make strangers into friends, neighbors, and family.
A MODEL FOR MINISTRY
The model for such a ministry is suggested by Romans 12:9-13. Imagine the power of a church that emphasizes the following: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.”
Sometimes what is basic and simple is also radical and difficult
