Theme: Living a life of sacrifice & service
Topic: Serving God with Our Resources
Main Texts: Genesis 18:1-8
Key verse: Hebrews 13:2 “…Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some have unwittingly entertained angels.” (NKJV)
Introduction:
As Christians, we know we “are not [our] own, we were bought with a price” (1 Cor 6:19,20). Everything we are, and have – our time, talent, and treasure belongs to God. When we “pay” tithes, give offerings, or share our resources with others, we are giving God some of what is already His, which He has graciously put under our stewardship. In Abraham’s time, and still in some parts of the world, a person’s reputation was largely connected to his hospitality – the sharing of home and food. Meeting another’s need for food or shelter was, and is still, one of the most immediate and practical ways to obey God. It is also a time-honoured relationship builder. And, as we see from our passage, doing so faithfully might bring angels to your home!
Q1. Read Ro 12:12-13; 1 Ti 3:2; and Titus 1:8. (1a) How would YOU define hospitality or to be hospitable? (1b) Why do you think the Bible not only commands us to be hospitable, but it also makes it a qualification for leadership in the church? (1c) Read Genesis 18:2, 6-7 and Luke 15:20-23. What do you notice about the behaviour of Abraham and of the father in the Luke passage and what do you think it signifies?
Paragraph 2:
The word translated as “hospitality” is “philoxenia” which means “love of the stranger.” We were “strangers to the commonwealth of Israel” and even enemies of God, yet God loved us saved us. Hospitality has been said to be the act of making space for guests, visitors, or strangers and extending to them the privileges of family. Biblical hospitality focuses on how we live as God’s people in relationship with people who are different from us. Hospitality is a faith practice that helps make us better disciples of Jesus. A US church once surveyed the area it serves and found that the most important thing people were looking for from a church is welcoming relationships. It also found that, amongst those who did not attend church, the most common reason was that they did not feel welcomed! That is likely to be the experience of many churches in other countries.
Q2.(2a) What lessons about hospitality can we draw from Abraham in Genesis 18:2-8 (2b) Read Deut 27:19 and Jer 22:3 Why do you think God puts the stranger (sojourner or resident alien) on a par with the fatherless and widows? (2c) Ruth 2: 8-13, 3:14-15 What can we learn about how to treat strangers from Boaz’s behaviour toward Ruth?
Paragraph 3:
The Bible stresses community and fellowship with believers – there is no such thing as solo Christianity. It also teaches that believers must reach out to strangers to our community to bring them into the family – there is no such thing as insular Christianity. Hospitality creates space in our lives for people on the outside to become enfolded on the inside and intentionally pulls those people in, giving them a place to belong. To be hospitable as the Bible commands will cause us inconvenience and require we expend our resources generously – it will cost us time, energy, and money. Yet, we must do it with the right attitude or risk offending both strangers and our Lord.
Q3.(3a) Read Genesis 23:11-16 and 1 Samuel 24:24 What do you notice about the attitude of Abraham and David to serving God with their resources? (3b) Read 1 Peter 4:9 and Luke 10:38-42 What warning must we heed regarding our attitude and priorities from these passages when it comes to hospitality? (3c) How can we improve as individuals and as a church when it comes to being hospitable?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that you gave, and you keep giving, so freely to us. Help us to give of ourselves and our substance to others as freely as we receive so that your kingdom will be extended, and your name glorified. Amen.