Hospitality

Hospitality
Words of Faith 6-27-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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3 John 1
[5] Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. [6] They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. [7] It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. [8] We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.

John commended Gaius for a rather simple thing-- hospitality. The dictionary defines hospitality as the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers, or the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way. This was the way that Gaius lived.
The report of Gaius' hospitality had reached the church where John was. This may well have been the church at Jerusalem before the fall of Jerusalem. The report had come that Gaius was deliberate in helping those who had gone out for the sake of the "Name". He helped missionaries and evangelists along the way so that the Gospel might go forth.
In the early days of the church, traveling prophets, evangelists, and teachers were helped on their way by people like Gaius, who housed and fed them. It probably was not something he thought of as a big deal, but it was a vital element in the planting of the church. Without the hospitality of believers, the message would never have gotten much past the Judean hills.
Some say that hospitality is a lost art among Christian believers today. It is true that many churches have gone "mega" and many are impersonal no matter the size. But the reality is that each day, there are still thousands of meals cooked by believers for people who have just moved to town. There are hundreds of plates of cookies left for neighbors. Millions of notes are jotted to welcome. Scores of meals arrive to help families who have just experienced a birth or a grievous loss. And many open their homes each week to those who are extending the Gospel or just need a temporary place to stay. Christian hospitality is alive and well.
It is true that we would do well to invite more people for meals-- fellow church members, young people, traveling missionaries, those in need, visitors. We would do well to listen carefully and respond to the needs of those in our sphere of care and influence. We would see great fruit come from careful and thoughtful communication that welcomes others. These are active and much-appreciated ways to show love and welcome people to explore the faith.
In fact, it may be that hospitality is more important today than ever before because our culture tends to be individualistic and self-centered. There are many people floating through life wondering if anyone cares whether they live or die. They are dying to hear the Gospel. Finding such a person and sharing hospitality can make an eternal difference.
The truth is that hospitality is fundamental to fellowship, outreach, and mission. Hospitality greases the wheels of missionary outreach and warms the welcome extended to those seeking life in Christ. Hospitality also warms the fires of friendship built over many years.
For today, how would God have you extend the hospitality of Christ?

Father God, open my eyes to those You desire to welcome into Your family. Open my ears to hear the needs of those who are seeking You. Open my mouth to speak words of kindness and welcome. Open my heart to those I do not yet know but are known to You. Open my home to those who are carrying the Gospel to others. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.