Be Welcoming 5

Romans 12:13

This past spring I was impressed with a fellow pastor who asked me for a ride after a meeting. I had to take him to the home of one of his church members so he could retrieve his car. Apparently, the church member needed a car for work and the pastor loaned him his own car – for a few months.

I was impressed with the sense of giving and the willingness to sacrifice in a concrete way for someone in need. The pastor inconvenienced himself for an extended period so someone else could have things a bit easier.

Like the “Love Chapter” most people are familiar with from 1 Corinthians, Paul talks about how to express love in his letter to the church in Rome. He speaks of love being sincere (verse 9) and how we should be devoted to devoted to one another (verse 10). What other attributes of love should we show?

At first glance this verse may seem to hold two instructions. We should share with those in need AND we should be hospitable. But in fact I believe these are two facets of the same idea.

If we will truly love another person we will be willing to share what we have with those who have not. This is one way to live out what it means to be a Christian. We supply what the other person lacks.

We should also practice hospitality. We should be welcoming to the stranger, kind and friendly to the visitor, encouraging to those new in the faith. Not only is hospitality a way to live out the love of God, it is part of sharing with those in need.

If we encounter someone new to our church or new to belief in Jesus, then we must share with them. Part of that sharing is hospitality. They need to find comfort and acceptance. We are able to provide that.

The practice of hospitality is a sharing of what we have, who we are, and what we know with those who do not have that familiarity and comfort in worship. Hospitality, welcoming the stranger, is an expression of love that fills a need in the other person.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you share of yourself in hospitality?

Be Welcoming 3

1 Peter 4:10-11

When our children got involved in some of the plays put on at school my wife and I, both veterans of the theater, told them the old adage – “There are no small parts, only small actors.” With only a single line of dialogue or serving as part of the crew, hidden from view, involvement in the play at first seemed somewhat less than exciting. But we emphasized that it took all the different parts and services in a play to make the whole effort a success.

The same is true in our work for God. What does Peter remind us of? What are his comments about serving?

It is very easy to fall into the misconception that only those who preach or work as foreign missionaries are really serving God. Too many believe the only way to reach the unsaved is to present a God-inspired sermon. Too many believe that the only way to help the needy is to live in a grass hut in the jungle ministering to the poor.

This can foster a defeatist attitude and a lackluster approach to serving God. We recognize that we do not possess these gifts and decide not to do anything at all. But we all have a part to play in serving God.

The work of God’s kingdom involves many different gifts and skills. An incredible variety of talents and interests can be employed in serving both God and man. Peter urges us to use our gifts, our God-given abilities and talents, to serve other people.

Peter also reminds us that as we employ our abilities we need to remember who it is that has given us these abilities and for whom we are working. We need to do whatever we can for the benefit of the kingdom of God and do it with zeal and joy, focusing on glorifying God in what we do.

One simple way to serve the Lord is to make those new to the faith and new to the church feel welcome. We may need to set our own desires and comforts aside for the benefit of others. Rather than judging those who enter our place of worship we should do all we can to provide them with loving guidance, forgiveness and grace, and a sincere welcoming heart.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What are you talented at doing? How can this be used to welcome others and help them?