When the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:27 that God chooses what is foolish and weak in the world, it is certainly talking about me. Before I was saved, hospitality was the last thing on my mind. My husband, Alan, and I were very content without others and lived far from family. In fact, I struggled socially; starting and maintaining conversations was a great weakness. During junior high and the first two years of high school, I actually hid in the bathroom during recess because of this weakness.
The Lord turned my whole world and almost everything about me completely around when he saved us in 1975. But I still had to learn how to start and continue a conversation so I could reach out to people and develop friendships. I am grateful I was given a husband who was very strong in these areas and who could teach me!
We became part of what is now Sovereign Grace Churches in 1979 and were taught the value of hospitality. We saw it lived out and were the recipients of the fruit it produced. This inspired us to start giving it a try. We began to see the difference that hospitality made in our relationships. We grew to care for each other, pray for each other, and share our struggles. What a difference this made!
It was not until we helped to plant Covenant Fellowship in 1984 that it became obvious that the Lord had given me a special calling to extend hospitality. After the service each Sunday, we would share a meal at the building where we met. People usually left soon after eating, and although some fellowship was enjoyed, it seemed limited.
Then the Lord gave me an idea to invite the whole church over to the large home we were renting for a meal every Sunday after church. Each week, I prepared a meal to serve to an indefinite number of people. We were amazed at all the fruit that came from this fellowship. People didn’t want to leave, and sometimes they ordered pizza for dinner so they could stay the whole day! There were many times when we had to announce at around 11:00 p.m. that, because of our four young children, we had to go up to bed, but that they were welcome to stay as long as they wanted if they locked up when they left.
Later, we learned that some often stayed until 2:00 a.m., enjoying fellowship and the deepening of relationships. People were saved during these times of fellowship and getting to really know one another. These were wonderfully rich times of living life together that were anointed by the Lord. Many were added to our church family, and the Lord was building his house! Life-long friendships were established that never would have begun without this time together.
What I want you to remember from all of this is that God enabled me. It wasn’t my strength or wisdom that produced so much fruit through hospitality. Alan and I provided a wineskin by the grace of God and through his strength. We are so grateful that God poured overflowing life into these times. I want you to believe that if someone as weak as I was could live a life of hospitality, so can you!
If you are willing to take the step and walk out on the water, the Lord will lift you up and prosper your efforts in ways you can’t imagine. You don’t have to invite the whole church over to your home (we are too big for that now!), but you can do something. Taking baby steps in opening your life and home to others will bear fruit and give you the faith to take bigger steps.
Since Alan went to glory, I have felt the Lord urge me to keep running, as Alan charged me to do. I began by inviting two couples and a single woman from my community group to my home for dinner twice a month. Each time I hosted people, we learned things about each other that we would never have known. I was able to deepen my relationships with dear friends. I really treasure those times, as well as times I have been invited to others’ homes for fellowship. The Lord truly wants to breathe life into even our most meager efforts.
If you are already extending hospitality, realize how important living life together can be, and increase your hospitality more and more. God loves to stretch us beyond what we think we can handle because that is when he can show that he wants to be strong on our behalf.
Living our lives together and deepening our relationships is a big part of what being a church is all about. Whether you are weak or gifted in hospitality, I hope that in reading this, you will realize it has a great eternal value far beyond our imagination.
