Articles
Be Hospitable to One Another
“Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” (1 Peter 4:9, NKJV)
When I read 1 Peter I am struck by the state of affairs of the brethren. They are being persecuted but are being encour-aged to be faithful in this suffering. It is not so much the barrage of ill treatment they are experiencing that surprises us, the striking part is how they are directed to react.
Peter certainly was not the first to offer this teaching. He got to witness Jesus’ teaching on this but to another level, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you” (Matt 5:44a, NKJV). In these examples we see suffer-ing, cursing, and hate. We could easily expand on the list through other exam-ples, but the point is clear to us.
When you think of hospitality, what im-ages pop in mind? A quick image search on the term returned images of restau-rant servers and hotel staff. Is that bibli-cal hospitality? Biblical examples in-clude supplying cups of water, food, shelter, visitation, etc. But hospitality is more than about giving things, it is root-ed in care for others, even in difficult cir-cumstances.
Speaking of caring for others in difficult circumstances, in Acts 16 Paul and Silas are in prison. As they were singing and praying, an earthquake opens all of the doors of the prison. Instead of run-ning away to freedom, they stay. The jailer prepares to kill him-self, knowing he would be customarily put to death for failing to secure the prisoners. Paul stops him and then teaches the jailer and his household about Jesus. The jailer and all who are in the house were baptized that night. Their kindness took a jailer from suicidal despair to great rejoicing through redemption in Christ! In the midst of this the jailer washes their stripes and feeds them. Paul and Silas could have selfishly run away and who would blame them? The jailer could have hauled them back to jail right away being concerned for when it may be found out that he and the prisoners were gone. Instead, peace and hospitality are shown.
We could go through many other examples of serving and being hospitable, sometimes even in despair and poverty. Abraham welcoming strangers (Genesis 18:1–8), the widow of Zarephath and Elijah (1 Kings 17:8–16), Jesus feeds the multitude (Matthew 14:13–21), Zacchaeus hosting Jesus (Luke 19:1–10), the early church sharing resources (Acts 2:42–47), Macedonian Christians give out of poverty (2 Cor 8:1-6).
How about us, are we looking for opportunities to serve, to be hospitable, even in poverty? There is an abundance of opportuni-ties! Are you waiting for your house to be clean enough? Waiting to be less busy? (like that will ever happen) Waiting for an empty nest? Waiting to be in a better financial position? Sometimes hospitality is just saying hello to a visitor and exchanging a hand-shake and a smile. Sometimes it is asking an overlooked home-less person on the street corner what their name is so they can feel human connection. Sometimes hospitality is simple, sometimes it is hard, but it is never excused from our duty. Don’t’ assume God cannot use your small effort to make great things happen. Hospi-tality doesn’t always have a monetary price.
Do you ever set goals in your Chrisitan walk? May I humbly rec-ommend some for hospitality? Set a goal for one or more of these. Have someone into your home this month. Take someone out to
eat this month. Meet five people that you do not know well in the congregation. Cross the aisle and meet someone on the left or right side of the building, or the back or front! Set a goal to greet a visitor with warmth and genuine interest. Give monetarily to someone you know in need. Give a text of encouragement to three people you know are being assailed daily by the evil one. You get the idea, now rinse and repeat. Hospitality is not just about welcoming people into your home. Biblical hospitality is about a heart of generosity rather than just a physical space, it’s about love in action. Hospital-ity in Scripture isn’t just about providing food or shelter, it’s an act of kindness, care, and reverence for others. Hospitality is about faith in God who can utilize any act of faith for good in His King-dom.
How has an act of hospitality benefited you? For me, the door to learning of Jesus was opened through an act of hospitality. About 30 years ago, a member of a congregation met me while I visited. He asked if I had a Bible. I said no. The next day he stopped by my home and handed me a Bible with a bookmark at the Gospel of Mark. He simply said, “you should read one of the Gospels and I recommend Mark.” He helped the Gospel turn my world upside down. I came to find out later that this person had recently lost his younger adult brother in a drowning accident during an annual family fishing trip. His life was a swirling torrent of anguish at that time, yet he served God!
For the suffering Christians Peter wrote to, they had a Faithful God and each other to stand against the persecution they faced. They had each other and they needed each other. They provide an exam-ple for us to follow. First, commit to God, then serve! “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.” (1 Peter 4:19, NKJV)
In closing, serving while suffering answers the question about when are we to be serving. If we are to serve in suffering, then we are to “always” serve. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, im-movable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor 15:58, NKJV)
