HOSPITALITY

HOSPITALITY

What do you think of when you think of strong committed Christians?  A lot of people will list items like a knowledge of the Bible, knowing the doctrines of the faith, faithful in attending worship, someone who witnesses to their faith, or someone who tithes.  We all have various lists we use to evaluate how good a Christian someone is.

At work we’ve been discussing the qualifications of leadership in the church.  A lot of time we discuss what disqualifies someone from being a leader.  But the one quality that I believe needs to be lifted up more is hospitality.  This afternoon, we again were able to partake of Christian fellowship through the hospitality of one of our committed members.

So why hospitality?  First because this is a quality the Bible lifts up as vital.  Let’s see what the Bible says:

Romans 12:13 says
13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

1 Timothy 5:9-10 says:
9No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 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.

1 Peter 4:9 says
9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

3 John 1:8 says
8We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.

1 Timothy 3:2 says  2Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

Titus 1:8 says 8Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.

The Bible places hospitality on a higher level than most churches.
A second reason hospitality is so important is because it ministers to Christ.

In Matthew 25:35 we have the teaching about the sheep and the goats.  In verse 35 it says:  35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

I was a stranger and you took me in.
Jesus said,  "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

When we show kindness and hospitality to others, we are ministering to the Lord Jesus Christ as well.

A third reason is because folks are hungry for fellowship.  We live a  world today which is lonely and looking for friends.  

The most important thing you can possibly do to increase the impact of your Christian faith may not be in many of the traditional areas.  It may be simply to show acts of kindness and hospitality to those around you.

As you go through this Advent season, think about ways you can show hospitality to people around you.

God bless you
Pastor John

Did Judas have a choice?

Did Judas have a choice?

In my Sunday School Class, we have been studying through the book of Mark. We have come now to the passage where Judas leaves the Passover table to go betray Jesus to the priest.

Jesus’ comment on this, “It would be better if he had never been born”.

How did Judas ever arrive at this terrible situation? How is it that this person who had spent three years in the presence of Jesus became the betrayer? Was it meant to be? Could it have been different?

To Review:
First, Jesus picked him to be his disciple and to be an Apostle. Did Jesus do this just to have the betrayer close at hand?
Second, Judas saw all the miracle that Jesus did and apparently never doubted their reality.
Third, Judas heard all of Jesus’ teaching.
Fourth, Judas apparently believed that Jesus wasn’t setting up a physical empire before the other disciples – that is, he understood Jesus on this issue when the others didn’t.
Fifth, he started stealing out of the money bag.
Sixth, Jesus washed his feet along with all the other disciples.
Seventh, Jesus gave Judas the seat of honor at the last supper.

So, what’s the answer? To be quite honest, I don’t really know. All I know is that up until the very end, Jesus appealed to Judas, Jesus loved Judas, and Jesus honored Judas. Jesus felt sorrow over what Judas was doing and gave him every opportunity to change his destiny.

As I read about Judas and think about how he arrived at the point of betraying the Lord of life, I switch my focus from wondering if Judas had a choice to wondering, “Could I betray Christ even as he did?”

Judas, it seems, went from a devoted disciple to a betraying brother. The Gospels all shout the answer, “Yes! He had a choice but he choose wrong”. Let’s pray that we don’t ever go down the path of Judas.

God bless
Pastor John