The Heart of Hospitality

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. 

Hospitality is demanding. It requires us to give sacrificially of ourselves. At the core of hospitality is a discipline of heart, mind, and action. It requires you and me to have a new mindset—to work at getting outside ourselves (our perspective, preferences, hurts, grievances, etc.) into the world of “the other”. It is to be considerate and kind, looking at and appreciating life from another’s perspective (Philippians 2:1-5).

Now…such hospitality does not come naturally. It must be developed and practiced. The more you do it, the more you will become it (Philippians 2:12). BUT it is not merely an issue of our work either; it first requires seeing and being transformed by God’s work for us (2 Corinthians 3). Gospel hospitality requires a supernatural level of love and patience, and so, we cannot do it without continually drinking deeply of the well of God’s grace…for us. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). This means that we grow in patience, to the degree we see how patient Jesus continues to be with us. We grow in kindness, to the degree we see how kindly Jesus deals with us. We grow in our ability to forgive and forbear to the degree we continually see the greatness of God’s forgiveness and forbearance of us.

And so, my dear friends, fix your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter our faith!

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

~ Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV)