Hospitality that Honors God, part 2


In the first post on hospitality(https://savoring-the-scripture.blogspot.com/), we looked at 1 Peter 4:9-11 and saw that hospitality seeks to meet the needs of others cheerfully and graciously in a practical way without complaining by opening our home and ministering our gifts by God’s power to those we have the privilege to serve. In this post we will look at two more passages that give us more insight on hospitality: Romans 12:13 and Hebrews 13:2. 

Seek Opportunities

Hospitality usually does not just happen.  There is an intentionality to hospitality that requires the believer to seek opportunities to practice it. Rom. 12:13, “Contribute to the needs to the saints and seek to show hospitality.” This word translated “seek” means “to follow or press hard after, to pursue with earnestness and diligence in order to obtain.”[1]  This does not sound like the happenstance hospitality. Occasionally the act of hosting others in our home happens by accident, is forced upon us, or spontaneous.  This is not what this verse means.  We are to actively pursue showing hospitality to others with earnestness and diligence. We will consistently be hospitable with zeal and passion. To seek to show hospitality means that I must plan for opportunities to have others in my home.  While hospitality does not need to be limited to our home, it is a primary place where hospitality will be done. I can invite others over for a play date, coffee, bible study, or discipleship time. I can plan a special dinner and invite the Sunday school class, elders, or widows to partake. I can approach a family at church to come over after the Sunday service for a meal.  While there are many ways in which we can show hospitality, simple or extravagant, the point of this verse is that we plan and seek out opportunities to minister to others through hospitality. 

Contribute to Needs

Uniquely, we can fulfill the command to “contribute to the needs of the saints” through our hospitality.  We can encourage and minister to the elders and leaders in our church by having them in our home for an appreciation dinner. We can open our home to widows and singles, especially around holidays. We can make our home available to host bible studies and baby/bridal showers so the people of God can gather together. 
Additionally, hospitality is a means of helping those in need. One of the requirements for widows in 1Tim. 5 is that she had to have assisted those in distress, to relieve those who are afflicted or oppressed. When we open our home or use our resources to meet the distress or afflictions of others, we are demonstrating a heart of compassion, which reflects our compassionate Lord. Compassion itself is not just a feeling of sorrow or sadness for the plight of someone else.  Compassion always moves to action.  Our feelings of empathy and sympathy move us to act on behalf of those in distress to try and relieve their burden.  In our hospitality, we as good stewards use our resources given to us by God to give relief to those who carry burdens, whether they be financial, physical, or spiritual. So, while seeking various ways to demonstrate hospitality, we should be looking also for those who may be in need of our hospitality and reach out to them. 

Hospitality to Strangers

Finally, believers are to show hospitality to strangers. Hebrews 13:2, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for in so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” One of the  biblical examples of this is Abraham in Genesis 18. When three men appeared to Abraham in the heat of the day, he quickly provided food, water, and shelter for them. We know from the text that these men were really the Lord and two angels (Gen. 18:22; 19:1). These men, when they first arrived, were unknown to Abraham and yet we see him quickly, willingly, and generously providing the needs of his guests. Admittedly, having strangers in my home is the most challenging one for me, more specifically unbelieving guests. In what ways can I open my home to strangers? I can open my home to visiting missionaries and guests from our church. How can I minister to my neighborhood? I can welcome new neighbors with a plate of cookies. I can bring drinks and treats to our neighborhood pool lady. I can have a friendly and inviting demeanor to the children in our neighborhood. Believers ought to pray for the Lord’s help in seeing ways we can minister to others through hospitality. 
There are many ways believers can seek to practice hospitality to one another and the world. In whatever way we can show practical love can be an avenue of hospitality. Prayer, reliance on the Lord, and a diligent and cheerful pursuit of hospitality are essential for the life of the believer striving to glorify God.


[1] The Complete Word Study Dictionary by Zodhiates

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