Challenge #7 - Offer Hospitality
Feeling put on the shelf? Do you want to be used by God? Offer hospitality.
When hospitality is used in the Bible, the original word means “loving a stranger.” We can love and welcome strangers in so many different ways. This can include opening up our house or apartment. Perhaps this means having others over for dinner or lunch. It can mean hosting or leading a small group. We also can be hospitable with our time. Instead of being in a rush, we can slow down and welcome others. We welcome them by saying hello, asking them how they are doing, and really listening.
There are two questions that rise to the surface. The first question is, “Do we want to be used by God?” If the answer is yes, then “God will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). It is a good desire. We should want to see God move through us and reach our neighbors. If you don’t have a desire to reach others, then ask yourself why. If you have an honest and open heart, God will guide you and transform you. This is the key to hospitality, having a heart to serve others.
The second question is, “Are we too busy?” We have a desire to serve God, offer hospitality, and spread the Good News, but there is no time in our schedules. It is important to bring our schedules to God and ask him what he wants us to do. We need to pray for discernment. We may be in a season where we simply have limited time, and he is asking us to remain faithful with our current commitments. We may have over-committed ourselves and need to pray through what God wants us to drop from our schedule. Instead of living distracted lives, we need to dedicate our schedule to God. He may be asking us to quit one thing so we can be used in other ways. Lastly, we may not be too busy, but we need to reframe how we see our time. Just like how yeast works through a batch of dough (Matthew 13:33-37), we need to ask God to work through our schedule. We can have an open heart, offering hospitality to whoever God is calling us to as we live through our daily schedules. We can be intentional about asking God to use our relationships at work, school, or sports. We can love and welcome strangers no matter where we are.
Video: The Practice of Hospitality | John Mark Comer
➡️ https://youtu.be/bOXuqF7h_es
In this quick 5:00 minute video, John Mark Comer defines biblical hospitality and talks about Rosaria Butterfield's amazing testimony. This is a great launching point for the study of hospitality.
Video: How Radically Ordinary Hospitality Changed Rosaria Butterfield’s Life | Rosaria Butterfield and Crossway
➡️ https://youtu.be/kfYibfY6fQk
In her own words, Rosaria unpacks her story and how God used “radically ordinary hospitality” to impact and change her life.
10 Things You Should Know about Christian Hospitality | Rosaria Butterfield and Crossway
➡️ https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-christian-hospitality/
Here are ten quick but powerful ideas about hospitality.
Share Your House Key to Win Your Neighbors | Tilly Dillehay & The Gospel Coalition
➡️ https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/gospel-comes-house-key/
In this review from The Gospel Coalition, Tilly Dillehay reviews the book The Gospel Comes with a House Key. This book by Rosaria Butterfield describes how to offer hospitality and the huge impact it can make on this world.