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Biblical Hospitality (Part 2)

May 31, 2020 Speaker: Ken Ramey Series: Hospitable God And His Hospitable People

Topic: Hospitality

THEME: Hospitality is an essential Christian virtue that is both commanded and commended throughout Scripture. Sadly, however, hospitality is something many Christians don’t entirely understand or routinely practice. Understanding and practicing biblical hospitality has the potential to radically transform our church and our community. It is one of the most effective means to build closer relationships with people in our church and one of the most effective tools to build bridges to people in our community for the sake of the gospel. Consequently, we all need to develop a heart for and a habit of showing hospitality to people we know and don’t know; to believers and unbelievers alike. This subject can be broken into TWO PARTS:

 

1. THE BIBLICAL EXPLANATION OF HOSPITALITY

     A. HOSPITALITY DEFINED

     B. HOSPITALITY DEMONSTRATED

2. THE PRACTICAL EXECUTION OF HOSPITALITY

     A. HINDRANCES TO HOSPITALITY

     B. HINTS FOR HOSPITALITY

          1. HOSPITALITY IN THE CHURCH

          2. HOSPITALITY FOR FELLOWSHIP

          3. HOSPITALITY FOR EVANGELISM

 

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” These questions are designed to help you apply today’s message to your life. We encourage you to thoughtfully answer these questions and discuss your answers with others. For more information about joining a Grow Group that uses these questions as the basis for weekly discussion, prayer, and accountability, please call the church office at (936) 582-1977.

 

  1. Read Romans 15:7. How does showing hospitality to others display the gospel and glorify God?
  2. Read Romans 16:16-18, 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-16, Titus 3:10, and 2 John 7-11.  Who are you commanded to not show hospitality to and why? What is your responsibility to false teachers and unrepentant professing believers (cf. 2 Tim. 2:24-26)
  3. In your opinion, what is the most compelling example of hospitality in the Old Testament (i.e. Abraham, Rebekah, David, Job)? What about in the New Testament?
  4. Read Luke 7:36-47 and 10:30-37. Contrast the hospitality Simon the Pharisee failed to show Jesus and the hospitality the Good Samaritan showed to the needy man he came across on a journey.
  5. As God’s representative here on earth, when it comes to hospitality, what are people around you learning about God by observing your life (i.e. cold and distant vs. warm, loving, and gracious)?
  6. How does hospitality have the potential to radically change our church and our community? What are some practical steps you can take to develop a heart for and a habit of showing hospitality?
  7. Thank God for lovingly pursuing you and graciously befriending you when you were stranger. Ask Him to forgive you for not better reflecting/representing His lavish hospitality to those around you. Ask Him to help you develop a heart for and a habit of hospitality in order to build relationships with fellow believers and build bridges to unbelievers for the sake of the gospel.

 

“We find ourselves in a long line of people whom God is using to put His hospitality on display….Any time we practice hospitality we follow in the steps of our lavishly hospitable God. Here’s the potentially scary part: because of our role in representing God to the world, when we don’t walk in hospitality, we do not tell the truth about God. When we are cold, separated, and distant from those around us, we communicate that God is cold, separated, and distant. When we are warm, loving, and gracious, we put the gospel on display. This type of hospitality, which testifies to the character of our God,

has always been the hallmark of God’s people.”

 

Dustin Willis and Brandon Clements, The Simplest Way To Change The World: Biblical Hospitality As A Way Of Life, 55, 42

More in Hospitable God And His Hospitable People

June 14, 2020

Biblical Hospitality (Part 4)

June 7, 2020

Biblical Hospitality (Part 3)

May 24, 2020

Biblical Hospitality (Part 1)