Introduction and Recap
Today’s lesson is entitled “Hunting Hospitality.” It is the practical advice. If you’ve been here and you’re wondering, “When’s he going to talk about hospitality?”—because I haven’t talked very much about the what—as I said, we focused very much in parts one and two on the why.
As we get into today, let’s back up and remember where we’ve been in part one and two. I want to remind you first what I mean by hospitality, what I think the Bible means by hospitality, what Christians should mean by hospitality.
Christian hospitality is lovingly providing and caring for those who are not your family as if they are your family, especially with your home. Where do I get that from? Just as a way of reminder, if you remember, the Greek word—this was not a Christian word, this was a Greek word that did mean hospitality. Hospitality was something that was esteemed in the culture. If somebody would show hospitality, they were esteemed, and if you didn’t show hospitality it was a shameful thing culturally.
But the word for hospitality is a combination of two separate Greek words. The first one: philo (Philadelphia)—brotherly love, and the second one means strangers. It’s a combination of two words: brotherly love towards strangers. That brotherly love word was one that was used at that time to speak exclusively to family members, love between family members, not just friends. It could be used in the nation of Israel describing love among kinsmen, but generally it was most often reserved for family love in a home towards strangers.
So in Christians, who have been adopted—taken from the household of God’s enemies (we were children of wrath, even described as Satan’s children) and made God’s children, made part of the household of faith, the household of God—it was very understandable, it was built into the word for Christians to say, “That’s ours. That describes us.” Hospitality is our word: it’s brotherly love towards strangers.
If we look at all the commands in the New Testament to hospitality (and there are quite a few teachings about hospitality, but three main areas of command where that hospitality word is used), you see very clearly that love is tied to it, and our love for others is always tied to God’s love for us. So we see that love for others, and even Christian hospitality, has to be descriptive for a Christian.
Gospel-Rooted Love and Hospitality
1 John 4:20 says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
In the hospitality commands—Romans 12:9, “Let love be genuine,” pursuing hospitality. 1 Peter 4:8 says above all be fervent in your love for one another, that flows out in hospitality. Hebrews 13:1-2, “Let the love of brothers continue, do not neglect to show hospitality.”
Brotherly love cannot be disconnected from hospitality. If you love your fellow Christian, even those you don’t know yet like a brother, it would be really weird not to use your home. If you told your real brother, “I love you,” your parents, “I love you,” your kids, “I love you, you’re my family,” but “you can’t come in my house,” there’s a disconnect.
Our homes are not off limits for our brothers and sisters in Christ. They actually should be home base for our ministry, our very lives. This isn’t limited to your home, but especially in our world, it’s abnormal to have people in our home—our fortress. Not so for Christians.
Alexander Strauch says unless we open the doors of our home to one another, the reality of the local church as a close-knit family of loving brothers and sisters is only a theory. That’s true. It’s not limited to your home, it’s your life. Our love for one another can’t be compartmentalized to sterile coffee shop environments, or superficial conversations out in the breezeway. If someone has a need and you say, “I’ll pray for that,” but do nothing, that’s not the faith that saves. That must not describe our relationships.
Why Matters Before What
We’re still reviewing because we’re going to be speaking practically today, and I know if I disconnect the practical from the theological, if I disconnect the what from the why, I mess it up. God doesn’t get the glory, I do. I get weary and it becomes not worth it. Other priorities sneak in. But when something so critical as hospitality is tied so clearly to the gospel, we remember it’s worth it and we must above all be fervent in our love for one another, being hospitable.
We previously learned that Christian hospitality imitates God’s love in the gospel, reveals God’s love in the gospel, and spreads gospel love. We must know and be motivated by the why of hospitality because it is a defining trait of Christians. If we say we love, we have to do it.
1 John 3:17: “Whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” This isn’t saying give your stuff away to earn God’s love—it’s the opposite. If you’ve received God’s love, what does it say about your faith if you close your heart? When reconciled to God, you’re rightly related to the world’s goods. Everything you have is from God. If you see a brother in need, God put you there to meet that need.
Compare James 2:15-17. Faith without works is dead. True saving faith is always accompanied by works—enabled by the Holy Spirit—that show God’s love, not earn it.
Early Church as a Model (Acts 2+)
Open your Bibles to Acts 2. Christian hospitality is a natural and necessary response to the gospel. The early believers modeled unmistakable love through caring for others. This made the world take notice, and the church grew.
Acts 2:36-47: After Peter preaches, about 3,000 are saved—3,000 strangers now brothers and sisters. Verse 44: “All who believed were together and had all things in common.” They sold possessions to meet needs, broke bread in homes, received food with glad hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. The Lord added daily.
This wasn’t surface-level hospitality. It was sacrificial and joyful. Their relationship to God changed, to each other changed, and the way they used their stuff and homes showed it. They treated others as family.
Acts 4:4—now 5,000 men, and still one heart and soul, no needy person among them. Not forced sharing, but genuine love. By Acts 6, when widows were neglected, the apostles appointed deacon prototypes to ensure hospitality happened. The word of God increased and even priests believed.
Acts 9:36—Tabitha’s example of caring for widows is remembered. Acts 10—Peter in Cornelius’ home crosses Jew/Gentile barriers. Acts 16—Lydia and the Philippian jailer open their homes immediately after conversion.
The big takeaway: The gospel leads to hospitality. It’s not random. It meets needs and is closely connected to believing the gospel message and its expansion. The early church’s hospitality was evidence of their faith.
Command to “Hunt” Hospitality (Romans 12)
The Bible doesn’t say let hospitality just happen. Hebrews 13:2 says don’t neglect it. Peter says be fervent. Paul in Romans 12 says hunt it.
Romans 12:13: “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” The word “seek” means to run after, pursue, hunt. It’s active, like a hound chasing a fox. Not just be open if it arises, but zealously pursue it.
We must go after it, chase it down, not stop until we’ve wrestled it to the ground. This command requires zealous, vigorous effort. Love must have practical outworkings, contributing to needs and hunting hospitality.
Paul once hunted Christians to destroy them (Acts 26:11). Now we hunt to show love. If evil doers are so zealous, how much more we for good. Only active pursuit of hospitality glorifies God.
John Murray: we must be active, not just grudgingly hospitable when forced. Don’t wait until the last moment hoping someone else invites them first.
Imagine if Grace Bible Church took this seriously, like a pack of African wild dogs hunting. We’d coordinate, not stop until needs are met. Each of us gifted differently, praying for awareness of needs.
Practical Strategies
Pursue it. Some practical considerations:
1. Plan for hospitality. Prepare meals in advance, make lists of people to pray for, meals to quickly make, leave margins in your schedule. Especially around holidays, invite strangers who have no family.
2. Pray for hospitality. Confess selfishness and pride. Pray for opportunities and diligence. Pray for those you plan to invite. Pray to see needs and to have God superintend your efforts.
3. Personalize your hospitality. Each has unique abilities and limitations. Single, married, young kids, empty nesters, all can show hospitality in unique ways. Every recipient has unique needs.
4. Prioritize others. Show hospitality especially to those who cannot repay. Follow Jesus’ teaching in Luke 14:12.
5. Partner with others. Like hunting dogs, we can be more effective together. Some have homes, others have time.
6. Practice humility. It’s not about showing off stuff. A welcoming environment, not perfection. Teach your kids, have code words, be ready.
7. Preach the gospel to yourself and your home. Hospitality flows from the gospel. Regularly remind yourself of God’s love for you, and let that fuel your love for others.
Conclusion and Prayer
Hunt hospitality together for God’s glory. Let’s pray:
God, thank you for each gift you’ve given us, for the money we have, the needs we have. All are from you for your glory. Where there’s a need, help us meet it. Where there’s provision, help us be content and ready to give. We’ve received so much grace, reconciled while we were enemies. You’ve made us your children, prepared a place for us. Let us prepare, plan, pursue each other for your glory in hospitality. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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