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| David G. Cashin, Resident Faculty - Muslim Studies | Print-Friendly Version (PDF - requires Acrobat Reader) |
"Be hospitable to one another without complaint" 1Peter 4: 9
"Do not neglect to show Hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it" Hebrews 13: 2
"And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us". Acts 16: 15
Who owns your home? The answer to this question is easy for most people. They
think they own their homes. Actually that isn't true. The bank owns their homes. They
occupy the house on a trust that they will eventually pay back to the bank their
loans. For the Christian, however, there is a deeper issue. Jesus said "So therefore,
no one of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions" (Luke
14: 33). The primary possession of every Christian is their home. So what does God
intend by this radical statement?
First, our homes are not our own. I drove past my old home on 47 Farview Way in Amherst Massachusetts this past Christmas. Hadn't been there in 20 years. New people that I do not know live there now. I can visualize every room in that house, but I cannot go there anymore. I suppose that the people who live there now believe that the house belongs to them. But the fact is we are just a passing through our homes. They do not, have not, nor ever will belong to us in any permanent sense. Your home does not belong to you, it is given to you as a trust.
Second, if you are a Christian your home belongs to Christ who has consecrated it to the purpose of ministry. The home is meant as a place not only for the raising of a godly family, but as a place to minister to outsiders. In New Testament times churches met in homes. Throughout history, in times of persecution, the church has met secretly in homes. The basis of the rapid church-growth of China today is home based fellowships. When is the last time you entertained a person in your home?
The concept of hospitality has virtually died in the United States. In spite of time saving devices such as dish-washers and micro-waves, we do not seem to have time to cook meals, let alone invite a stranger for dinner. Our lives reflect speed, stress and self-focus.
Third, you can change. It is possible to learn to be hospitable in much the same way we learned how to pray or to read the Bible as an aspect of the Christian life. It is a habit which must be cultivated. For married couples I would suggest the following simple steps: