Given to Hospitality
It seems that we are always looking for the “Key” to success. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do our best and be successful in God’s work. We want to learn all we can that will help us be better servants. But too often we seek to learn from the world and then see if we can justify it from Scripture. Some have even gone so far as to say that if the Bible doesn’t expressly prohibit something, we should use it. We have this all backwards. If we would truly be successful as God’s servants, we must learn our philosophy and our strategy from God Himself, and then we see it demonstrated through our experience.
The following qualities are among those God looks for in a servant: Hospitable (a friend of or fond of guests), a well-managed home, children that are not out of control, righteous, self-controlled, respected, and having a good reputation. Why do you suppose God counts these things as important? Because ministry is not just about the message we preach – it (and above all church planting) has to do with the impact of our lives on other people. The Word of God has it’s own power – it doesn’t need authentication from us. But the willingness of others to listen to God’s Word is often directly linked to what they observe in our lives.
Those going overseas to minister in a foreign culture have found that people will not listen to our message until a friendship is established and its truth can be seen in our life. Guess what? The same principle holds true in church planting ministry in our own land. Experts tell us that the younger generations respond more to people than to principles – to relationship rather than rhetoric. Besides that, foreign-born immigrants make up nearly 15% of our population. People from every culture, even those that are difficult to penetrate, will respond to friendship.
Unbelievers are attracted to the Savior when they see Christ-likeness. How will they see Him, unless they are around Christians? Believers learn to be disciples when they see Christ-like living modeled in His servants. How will they learn unless we are willing to spend time with them? People around us long to know what a real Christian family is like. How will they see one in action unless we welcome them into our homes?
The Bible is filled with both teaching and examples of using hospitality as an avenue to the hearts of people. If we would be effective church planters, we must learn to effectively apply this practice in our ministry. It will take sacrifice, as we are willing to invest both time and effort in the lives of others. It will take patience. If we’re looking for instant response and gratification, we should choose another line of work. It will take discernment to know when people like the coffee but their heart is not open to anything else. We need to be willing to let go if they are not responding. We don’t give up, but we may have to back off. At least they’ll know where to find us when their heart is open. It will take the sincerity and the true love of Christ operating in and working through our lives. Phony friendship is readily spotted by people who live in a phony world.
Some suggest that hospitality doesn’t fit in our culture so much any more. Hotels are plentiful – they are a big business, and probably preferred by most people in need of lodging. And many people eat in restaurants more than they eat at home. But God still thinks the principle is important. Others will say, “I’m just not a people person.” We don’t have to all be extroverts, but we all do need to have a love for Christ and a love for people that make us willing for God to stretch our comfort zone and shore up the weaknesses inherent in our temperaments.
If you would be a servant God will use to seek the lost and build His church, your life should reflect the heart of the Savior in this area. A strong church will not be built nearly as much by magnificent marketing, powerful presentations or astute administration, as by heartfelt hospitality.