Hospitality has become a lost art. There are many reasons
for which we could lay blame for this, but fellowshipping with our neighbors
has become almost non-existent. A big
reason for no longer opening our homes to our neighbor is that society rarely views
the world as God would have us to. As this paragraph may sting a little,
I urge you to continue reading.
The Bible has much to say regarding hospitality;
in fact, God goes so far as to write entire books within the Bible on the
subject. Hospitality is one way in which the believer lives out the
Gospel, as well as being on mission in our community.
As I could spend the time - and by not
doing so is not belittling the importance – in showing how Scripture instructs
hospitality, I feel led to discuss a few ways that we can be more hospitable.
And this fits into the mission of our church for 2016.
At the beginning of 2016, we discussed the
mission and ministry of Campbellsburg Baptist Church. In doing so,
through the means of our newsletter, we have challenged each member to be on
mission in various ways; such as prayer walks throughout our community, and
actively inviting people to church.
While continuing to challenge our church with this mission, it is
necessary to stress the importance of engaging our community. And in order to invest in people’s lives with
the Gospel, there are a few things to consider.
First, we must have a love and concern for our neighbor.
Without the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ being the fuel of our souls, it
is difficult to see the world as God desires.
Second, we must be intentional, an intentionality
that is driven by the passion of Jesus Christ.
A passion that manifests itself through sacrificing time and plans in
order to be available to our community. Intentionality is a necessity in
developing a routine of being hospitable, because there is always going to be
something else that we could be doing.
Thirdly, a sincere prayer life. Prayers that petition God to send the right
people into our lives in which we can invest the Gospel through hospitality.
As there will be more to come about being
hospitable in future blogs, let me conclude by urging everyone to view this podcast. It is about 15 minutes and very powerful. Testimonies like this podcast should motivate
us in being intentional and prayerful about what the Gospel means to us and how
we can be Christ-centered, Gospel-driven believers in our communities.
