Build Your Hospitality Skills!

Good afternoon, everyone. It’s good to see you today.

Could you see yourself doing something like this? Turn to Genesis chapter eighteen. Could you see yourself doing the following? Genesis eighteen, we’ll pick it up at the beginning of the chapter. Genesis eighteen. It’s the first book in the Bible if you’re looking for it. Genesis chapter eighteen. We’ll begin at the beginning of the chapter, “And the Lord appeared unto him,” Abraham is the him “...in the plains of Mamre, and he sat in the tent in the heat of the day.” So it was hot. This is a desert climate.

So Abraham is in his tent and it’s hot out, “And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door,” so he’s running, and when he gets to them, “...he bowed himself to the ground and he said, My Lord if now I have found favor in your sight, pass not away I pray you from your servant. Let a little water I pray you be fetched and wash your feet,” let me get some water for you and your men, you’ve been traveling, give you the opportunity to wash your feet, “...and rest yourselves under a tree.” So you can rest over here under this tree.

“And I’ll fetch a morsel of bread and comfort you, your hearts,” good bread I guess “...after that, you shall pass on: for therefore you come to your servant. And they said, So do, as you have said.” So they probably were hungry after all that travel. “And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah and said, Make ready quickly, three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.” So now he’s recruiting. He’s getting some help here from his wife, from Sarah. “Hurry up and make some bread.” “And Abraham ran,” he’s still running, be quite a scene he is running “...unto the herd and fetched a calf and good, and gave it to a young man,” he’s getting some more help here “...and he hastened to dress it.” So the young man prepared it.

“And he took butter and milk and the calf, which he had dressed, and set it before them.” So he prepared this, well, I’m sure was a delicious meal for these hungry travelers. He prepared it very quickly, put it all together with butter and milk, and all the fixings. “And he, Abraham, stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.” So he stood there and watched them enjoy this meal that he put together. Could you see yourself doing something like that for guests?

Now, there were three men that came by to visit, and two of those men went on to see Lot in Sodom. So turn to Genesis nineteen. Genesis nineteen nearby here. Once again at the beginning of the chapter, “And there came two angels to Sodom,” if you read in the context, that’s two of the men, two of the three that went to see Abraham, and two angels “...and there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.” Sounds kind of familiar with what Abraham did.

“And he said, “Behold now, my Lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house,” so come in, come into my home, let me host you “...and stay the night, wash your feet,” and again, they were traveling “...and you shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, No; but we will abide in the street all night.” No, we’ll stay in the street. No need to host us. “And he, Lot, pressed upon them greatly.” Now, that means... I looked it up. It’s kind of funny. It gives you a funny image. It means to peck at vehemently. So Lot pestered them. “He pestered them greatly, and they turned in unto him,” okay, we’ll come in “...they turned in unto him and entered his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.” Would you do what Lot did for those guests? Both Abraham and Lot showed extraordinary hospitality. Could you see yourselves... I’ll ask myself the same question, could I see myself doing the same thing for guests? Hospitality, it’s a word we all know, but it means the act of being friendly, welcoming, and generous to our guests, visitors, or strangers. Hospitality, brethren, is something that we all know about. It could be opening your home for someone to stay overnight. It could be having someone over for a game night. It could be preparing a meal in your home and taking it to their home for them to enjoy. It could be consoling a person in their time of need.

Maybe a death in the family or they’re not feeling well and you console them, you spend time with them in their time of need, that’s a form of hospitality. It could be just doing someone a favor. Someone just needs a solid. Do me a solid. Do me a favor. All forms of hospitality. And hospitality, brethren, is based on being warm, friendly, and helpful. That’s what it is at its essence. Do you have the skills to be hospitable? Do you have hospitality skills? Well, brethren, we don’t have much of a choice when it comes to being hospitable. It’s a skill.

Hospitality is a skill that we have to have as God’s people. We have to have it. So, today, I’m going to show you how to be hospitable. Now, I’ll start with another question. Did Abraham and Lot know that they were serving angels when they came by the tent or they came into the town and Lot welcomed them into his home? Did they actually know that they were angels that they were serving? Well, it’s hard to say when you first read it. You can speculate maybe they did, but it’s hard to say. You don’t necessarily know if they knew that, especially at first. Maybe they knew. But why does it matter? Why does it matter that they were angels?

Turn to Hebrews chapter thirteen. Why does it matter? Why did the Bible make it clear that those were angels that both men got the opportunity to be hospitable toward? Hebrews thirteen verse one. Hebrews thirteen, one. “Let brotherly love continue.” Now, brotherly love is another term for what? Philadelphia. To be Philadelphian. Brethren, we are the people of Philadelphia. We are Philadelphian. We’re the people of brotherly love. And it’s saying, “Let that brotherly love continue.”

So we’re commanded to be the people of brotherly love, to be Philadelphian, and we can’t stop being Philadelphian. We have to continue being Philadelphian. We can’t forget it. “Be not forgetful,” don’t forget to entertain strangers “...for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Goes on to say, “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” So entertain there means to be hospitable. That’s what the word means.

So don’t forget to be hospitable. People of brotherly love, as you continue in brotherly love, don’t forget to be hospitable. Philadelphians are people of hospitality. We can’t forget it. We must continue in it. And we must be hospitable brethren toward everyone because you never know, you could be hosting angels. You never know. In other words, treat everyone the way that Abraham and Lot treated those men, obviously, in the circumstance that you’re in. But treat everyone the way that Abraham and Lot treated those men. That’s the connection. That’s the connection that’s being made there. Both men were eager. It was a group effort.

Remember, Sarah and the young man got involved, but they were eager to serve, eager to be hospitable. Now, why is it important to know that they were angels? Why is that important to know? Why is that helpful to know? Angels are very powerful beings. They really don’t need anything from us. They certainly don’t need water to wash their feet. They certainly don’t need to be fed. Those men didn’t actually have to have that in order to survive. So why is it important to know that they were angels? It shows, brethren, that by serving those men who really didn’t need it, that hospitality benefits the person giving the hospitality as much as it does the person receiving it, if not more. Do you understand?

So those men, they didn’t truly need what Abraham and Lot had to offer, but the point was Abraham and Lot needed what they had to offer as much if not more than those men. That’s a very, very important thing to know. Abraham and Sarah were the ones, and the young man, they were the ones who benefited from being hospitable. Though they were showing the hospitality, Lot was the one that benefited from showing the hospitality and really in a literal sense, because when you keep reading, remember what happened that night. They were at the door. They were trying to get at Lot, and those angels who were originally going to stay in the street ended up saving his life.

So the person or people being hospitable benefit as much if not more than those being shown the hospitality. God wants us to be hospitable, brethren. Turn to Leviticus chapter nineteen. God wants us to show hospitality. Leviticus nineteen. God here is just still introducing himself to this people, this slave nation. Leviticus nineteen, we’ll read verse thirty-three. There is a set of instructions here. “And if a stranger sojourn with you in your land, you shall not vex him,” you shall receive him. “But the stranger that dwells with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” Now, stranger there means guest. It means a guest.

So we can often think of strangers, and we’re talking about hospitality. We’re talking about just inviting people off the street into your house, feeding them. I guess it could apply. I want to get ahead of myself, but when you hear the word stranger, it merely means a guest. So a guest in your home is considered, per the Bible, a stranger in your home. So, as we talk about strangers and you hear it throughout the message, just replace it with the word guest. But God is saying, “Entertain these guests. Love them as you love yourself. Remember, you were guests in Egypt, and I took care of you. You take care of people the way I took care of you. Don’t forget.” God says we are to treat guests properly. We are to take care of them.

Deuteronomy chapter ten. We are to take care of the stranger, take care of those guests among us. Deuteronomy ten. Let’s pick it up at verse seventeen. Deuteronomy ten, seventeen. “For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, mighty, and a terrible, which regards not persons, nor takes reward.” God is establishing. He’s telling us who he is. “I’m God.” Eighteen, “He does exercise judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loves the stranger,” he loves guests, “...in giving him food and clothing.” He takes care of guests. “Love you therefore the stranger.” Now, he just said, “I’m God. I love strangers. I love guests.” I’m telling you, people of Israel, physical Israel here, spiritual Israel, “Love the stranger. Take care of your guests the way that I do. “For you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” So once again, he’s tying it to the experience that the children of Israel had, being guests themselves, being strangers themselves, trapped slaves in Egypt.

Once again, we’re commanded to love guests. God is putting his own reputation behind that, “I’m God. Remember? God of gods. Lord of lords. I love the stranger. I love guests. You love guests.” Why? You were guests in Egypt. God is establishing this idea, this command for hospitality. And God puts his own actions. He’s telling us to make sure we love the stranger as I do. He puts his actions behind his words.

Go to Exodus chapter twenty-four. This is a fascinating account here. You read it and it’s just like, wow. Exodus twenty-four, verse one. “And He said unto Moses, Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship you afar off.’ “So God is telling Moses and those men, the elders, “Come over, come up, come up to Sinai.” He just sent them an invitation.

Verse nine, “They went up, Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel.” So they accepted the invitation. “And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone...” Now, sapphire is to be different colors, but it’s typically a light blue color. So they’re seeing the God of Israel standing on a pavement of sapphire, “...as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.”

So, he’s standing on this clear pavement of sapphire, the God of Israel. They’re seeing this. “And upon the nobles of the children of Israel, he laid not his hand...” So they saw the God of Israel and they didn’t die. God allowed himself to be seen and they didn’t die. As you know, if you see God and God doesn’t protect you, you see God and you die. So in this case, he didn’t let them die. “...and also they saw God,” in case there was any doubt, “...and did eat and drink.” God invited them. He hosted them. They were guests. God invited people over for a meal. Think about that. Hospitality is not just tied to God, it’s tied to his people also. Acts chapter two. Remember God is saying, “I love the stranger, I love guests. I want you to love guests. I want you to be hospitable.” God ties hospitality to his people. Acts two, we’re going to read about the birth, the beginning of the Church, day of Pentecost. Pentecost is just ahead of us. Acts chapter two verse forty-one, I’ll read a bit here. Acts chapter two verse forty-one. “Then they gladly received his word and were baptized...” So, Peter had given this amazing sermon, and Holy Spirit was poured out. Everyone is excited.

“They gladly received his word and were baptized: and the same day they were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them unto all men, as every man had need.” So, the brethren are sharing with each other.

“And they continued daily in one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.” You notice, it didn’t take them years to figure out. You know what? We need to be hospitable toward each other. We’re happy. God has poured out his spirit. The Church is born. They didn’t have to go through a lot of classes or a lot of lectures or a lot of sermons to know we are supposed to be taking care of each other, house to house, breaking bread, spending time with each other. That’s hospitality. That’s what it is.

Men, women, children, all participating, all excited about an idea, this idea of being hospitable toward one another. Brethren, how excited do we get about the opportunity to spend time with one another, to fellowship with one another, to be hospitable toward one another? The Church had an atmosphere of hospitality, and it grew. Three thousand souls were baptized in that environment. When we’re hospitable, when we love guests, when we love the stranger, the Church grows. God is pleased.

Acts chapter four verse thirty-two, “And the multitude of them that believed,” well, still talking about believers here, “...were of one heart and one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possesses was his own, but they had all things common.” We read it again. What’s mine is mine, what’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine. Freudian slip perhaps? So everyone was sharing all that they had. They had all things common with each other. They were all being hospitable toward one another. We’re seeing this from the very beginning of God’s Church. Brethren, we, of course, have to continue that. We have to continue that attitude.

Hospitality is clearly tied at its foundation to the people of God. That’s serious, but on an even more serious note, hospitality is tied to salvation. Turn to Matthew twenty-five. We’re going to read about the sheep and goats. Matthew twenty-five. Hospitality is tied to our salvation, to our eternal life, or the opposite, eternal death. Sheep and goats. Matthew twenty-five, verse thirty-one. “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.” So, God is on his throne, Son of man is on his throne, surrounded by angels.

“And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And he set the sheep on his right hand but the goats on the left. Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me meat, you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in.” What does it sound like? What is it sounding like? “Naked, and you gave me clothes. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came unto me.” Now, watch this. “And then shall the righteous answer.” So we’re seeing those who did what was just described are being called righteous.

“Then shall the righteous answer saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry? When did we feed you or thirsty or gave you a drink?” They’re before the throne of God and the king is saying, “Thank you for doing all that you did for me.” And they’re thinking, “What? When did we do that? When did we do any of the things that you just described?” “When we saw you, a stranger, and took you in, or naked, and clothed you, or when you were sick, and were imprisoned, came on to you? And the king shall answer and say unto them, Truly I say unto you, inasmuch as you’ve done it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto me.”

When we are hospitable toward each other, when we love guests, and we treat them the way we should treat them, we’re doing it unto the king. We’re doing it unto God. “Then shall he say also unto them on his left hand,” forty-one, we’re talking to the goats now, “...Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Wow.

“For I was hungry, and you gave me no food. I was thirsty, you didn’t give me anything to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me not in. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothes. I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.

Then shall they answer him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister unto you? Then shall he answer unto them saying, Truly I say unto you, inasmuch as you did it not to the least of these, you did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life.” Brethren, it doesn’t get any plainer than that. We have to be hospitable. We have to love strangers, love our guests, take care of our guests. We have to do it. We must have hospitality skills. We must possess those skills. We need them. Our eternal life is tied to our ability and willingness to be hospitable.

Let’s look at some good examples of hospitality. We’ll go through several. First Kings chapter seventeen. Let’s go to school on this subject. Let’s learn about it. I said today I was going to teach you how to be hospitable. Many of you know how to be hospitable. I’ve personally experienced it, or I’ve seen you be hospitable. First Kings Seventeen. Let’s look at a good example here. First Kings, seventeen, we’ll pick it up at verse eight. First Kings, seventeen, verse eight. “And the word of the Lord came unto him,” this is to Elijah, saying, “...Arise, get you to Zarephath, which belongs to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain you.” To take care of you.

“So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called unto her, and said, Fetch me, I pray you, a little water and a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called unto her, and said, Bring me, I pray, you a morsel of bread in your hand.” So please go get me something to drink and something to eat. I’m here to stay with you. “And she said, As the Lord your God lives, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I’m gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” We don’t have much. We don’t have a lot to share with you. This is our last meal.

“And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as you have said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make of you and for your Son.” Give me something first and then you and your son can have the leftovers. Talk about a test, brethren. Talk about a test. You just came, a guest, in my home. You want to eat first of this last meal. “For thus says the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sustains rain upon the earth.” And she believed it. She had the faith. “She went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.”

Brethren, she didn’t have to believe him like, “Yes, right, you’re just hungry. You just want to eat first. This is my last meal.” But she believed him. She believed him, and she ended up having, her and her son, had more than enough food. I was talking about my message, and a friend of mine was telling me that one of the things that changed him, changed his perspective when it came to hospitality, was spending time in a third-world country. Not in a nation of Israel where there is abundance.

Sometimes we can take things for granted but what changed his view about being hospitable was spending time with the poor. And he talked about this tradition that they had, whenever they would prepare a meal, this is on a daily basis if I’m recalling correctly, on a daily basis, they would always make a plate of food just in case a guest was going to come over. Now, these people barely had enough food to make sure that they had three meals a day, barely enough food to make sure that they could eat but they would always prepare an extra plate, a meal, just in case a guest would come by. That’s a different mindset.

These people didn’t have God’s spirit. It was a part of their culture. It was a part of what they do. And he said that changed him. Brethren, hearing that story changed me. I wasn’t even there but it changed my perspective just like it changed his perspective. There’s lessons all throughout that. Brethren, give what you can. When you’re being hospitable, do what you can. It doesn’t have to be a lot. It doesn’t have to be fancy. In many ways, it means more when it’s not fancy because you’re giving based on what you have. Be willing to sacrifice in order to take care of a guest. That’s when it’s harder to do.

God, who owns everything when we’re willing to love the guests, love strangers, just like he loves strangers, he’ll take care of us. God will take care of us just like we’re taking care of others. God took care of that widow and her son. They had plenty to eat. They didn’t have to worry about it. Turn to Second Kings four. Let’s look at another good example. Hospitality. Second Kings chapter four, let’s pick it up at verse eight. Second Kings chapter four verse eight, “And it fell on a day that Elisha passed to Shunem,” now, we just read about Elijah, so now we’re reading about Elisha, “...Elisha passed to Shunem, and there was a great woman.” So this woman was well-to-do.

Now, the first woman, she was poor. She didn’t have much. This woman was different. “...was a great woman and she constrained him to eat bread.” “Stop. I’ll grab you something to eat.” “And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.” So whenever he was in town, he always knew he had a meal. Anytime he came by, she always made sure he had something to eat, that he was always taken care of. And then she got a bright idea. “She said unto her husband, Behold now, look now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, which passes by us continually.” So this man that’s constantly coming, this is a man of God. He’s different.

“Let us make him a little chamber,” let’s put an addition on the house “...I pray you, on the wall; and let us set him there a bed, a table, a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he shall turn and thither.” So now instead of just coming by and giving this man a meal, we’re going to build him a room. And whenever he comes by, he has a place to sleep, he has a stool to sit on, he has a desk to work on, and a candlestick. That’s hospitality. That’s taking care of the stranger. That’s loving our guests.

This Shunammite woman, she gave out of her abundance. She had it to give. Brethren, we never want to be too good or above hosting people or above hospitality. I don’t have time for that. That’s for widows to do that. We never want to be above that. And this woman was committed long-term to hospitality. It wasn’t just, okay, he’s in town. I’ll feed him. I’ll do it this time. No. Every time he came, he had something to eat. And that wasn’t enough.

We’re going to build an addition so he can have a place to stay whenever he comes by. She was committed to hospitality for the long term. Brethren, lessons once again for all of us. None of us are above being hospitable. We have to be committed to hospitality long term. We have to be in it for the long haul. We have to also think out of the box. That was an out-of-the-box thought. That’s not something that typical people do. When we’re being hospitable, think out of the box. Be creative. Try not to get stuck in a rut.

Luke nineteen. Let’s go to another good example of hospitality. Luke nineteen. Start at the beginning of the chapter, Luke nineteen. “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.” So you have the publicans, very well-to-do part of society. “This was the chief of the publicans…” So he is the head guy of the head guys. He is the chief.

And just in case you weren’t sure, he was rich. “And he, Zacchaeus, sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.” So he was short. If you’re standing in a crowd, he couldn’t really see. “And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.” He was excited. He wanted to see Christ. “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, come down; for today I must abide at your house.” I’m coming over. And he made haste.” Now, think about this man. He was excited. He wanted to see Christ. He just wanted to see him, hear him, what all the buzz was about. “I’m going to climb this tree, so I can get a good look.”

Christ takes it to another level. He eyes him, identifies him out of the crowd and says, “I’m coming over.” Imagine how excited that man had to be. “What? I just wanted to see him.” “He made haste, came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it,” this is interesting, “...And when they saw it,” so, okay, you’re picking this “...when they saw it, they all murmured saying, That he was gone to be a guest with a man that is a sinner.” People noticed. When he opened his door, accepted Christ into his home, people noticed. They saw it. It wasn’t hidden. In this case, they didn’t like it.

“And Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation coming to this house, for so much as he also is a son of Abraham.” We’re going to treat you as a son of Abraham. We’re going to take care of you because you took care of me. Brethren, lessons for us, we should not be too busy to be hospitable. This man was the chief of the publicans. He had things to do. He was rich. He had to count all of his money. “I’m busy,” but he wasn’t too busy to be hospitable.

He took the time that it needed in order to be able to host, “Oh well, it’s Christ.” It was Christ. He opened his doors. He didn’t have to do that. Publicans typically didn’t do that. They didn’t associate with that. He wouldn’t have expected that. People, they see when we’re willing to be hospitable to others. People are watching. It’s not why we do it, but we also recognize, however, that people see it. People see when we are or are not hospitable. People notice it. Zacchaeus didn’t make hospitality about him. He didn’t make it about him. He says, “I give half my goods to the poor.”

It wasn’t about him. The focus wasn’t on him. He made it about others, and he was eager. He made haste. He was zealous, and God rewarded him for it. God rewarded him for it. Brethren, God rewards us for our hospitality. Acts sixteen, one more good example. Acts chapter sixteen. I don’t know if you’re like me, you just look in the Bible and say, wow, there’s a lot of examples of hospitality.

Acts sixteen verse fourteen. Acts sixteen, fourteen, “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshiped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened,” god called her, opened her mind, God called her, “...and she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.” She was called and she listened to God’s minister. God opened her mind. “And when she was baptized,” so she was called, listened to the word and got baptized, “...and her household,” so her whole household was baptized, “...she besought us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.” She leaned on them, “Come in. Come into my home. I know I just got baptized.

I know I barely know which way is up, but come in. “Come into my home, apostle, and the men that are with you. Come into my home.” Lydia was a new Christian and she’s already being hospitable. She didn’t go through, oh, I have to go through this class, or I have to figure... I have to listen to a few more summons before I can be hospitable. No. She was hospitable from the beginning. This is a new person. Lydia was bold. “Come into my home, apostle.” She wasn’t too afraid.

Those men had needs and she opened her home to fill those needs. How bold are we when it comes to being hospitable? How willing are we to have someone come and allow us to take care of them? Lydia took initiative. Brethren, we have to take the initiative, we can’t be afraid, we can’t be fearful. It’s a big reason people aren’t always as hospitable as they should be. It’s not always selfishness. Sometimes they’re just afraid. I don’t think I can do it, I don’t think I’m worthy to have someone allow me to be hospitable to them.

God has not given us this sort of fear. Bold, take care of one another and now we’re seeing that God expects us to do that. All the more reason not to be afraid of it. And be hospitable over time. Okay, you got a new person. They’re on fire. I’m on fire. I’ll do anything, you know, I run through a wall. You know how it is when you first come into the Church, “I’m just going to have everybody over,” and that’s great. That’s great. But over time, are you still zealous? Over time, are you still willing to be hospitable? Does it get old? I’ve done that already, I’ve served enough.

Or do you keep it going? Do you keep that same passion, that same boldness, that same willingness that Lydia showed? Brethren, those are all good examples. All good examples of hospitality. But we can also learn from some not-so-good examples. Luke ten. Luke ten. We could also learn from the examples that are not so good. Luke ten, famous, famous account. Luke ten, I’m going to read several verses here. Set it up. Picking it up in the context. Luke chapter ten verse twenty-five. This is what will be a not good example of hospitality.

Luke chapter ten verse twenty-five, “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him,” that’s what lawyers do, not all of them, but some of them. He tempted him saying, “Master,” he’s talking to Christ, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Christ said unto him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” So Christ is very wise. He knows he’s talking to a lawyer. “How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

“Christ said unto him, ‘You answered right. This do and you shall live.’ “So if you do this, you’ll have eternal life. The lawyer decided not to stop there, “But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, ‘Who’s my neighbor?’” So instead of letting, leaving well enough alone, “Well, who is my neighbor?” And I know he said it like that because he was tempting him. That was not a sincere question. Who is my neighbor? Jesus answered and said, this is the famous account, “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves which stripped him of his clothing and wounded him and departed, and leaving him half dead.

And by chance there came by a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.” So he saw that man and said, “Oh, I’m going to go that way.” “Likewise, a Levite, excuse me, when he was at the place came and looked on him,” so he saw him also, “...and passed by on the other side.” So we have a priest and a Levite deciding not to intervene. Obviously, not a good example. “But a certain Samaritan as he journeyed, came in where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.” So his reaction was very different.

“And he went unto him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his beast, and brought him to an end, and took care of him. And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence and gave it to the host, and said uno him, ‘Take care of him, and whatsoever you spend more, when I come again, I will repay you.’” So I’ll cover it. Whatever you do, to have to do to take care of him, I’ll cover it when I come back. “Which now...” This is Christ again, “Which now of these three think you was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?”

Since you want to know who is my neighbor, who do you think was the neighbor? And the lawyer said, “He that showed mercy on him.” So he got that right. He got it right. “And then Jesus said unto him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” Remember the question, what should I do to inherit eternal life? Go and do likewise. There’s a lot that went wrong in that account, a lot that we can learn from. First of all, you have the lawyer, the priest, and the Levite all with the wrong attitude. They were focused on themselves. That lawyer was focused on trying to trip Christ up.

He knew the law but didn’t know how to apply it. Well, who is my neighbor? Though he knew the law right away, but he didn’t know how to apply it. The priest, he didn’t help. What is a priest’s job? A priest’s job is to help people. That’s his training. That’s at the essence and the core of what he does as a priest. That’s what he does. He didn’t help the man. He wasn’t hospitable. The man was clearly in need. The Levite was no different. He saw him and said, “You know what? I don’t have time for that.” Perhaps the Levite was afraid. “That man’s beat up over there. They might come back and beat me up and rob me.”

So he didn’t have time for them. But you had this Samaritan, this lowly Samaritan, the one that people overlook, he stopped. He took time out of his day. He didn’t wake up that day, and said, “You know what? I’m going to save someone who got beat up. And I’m going to take my time, I’m going to stay with him overnight. I’m going to make sure he’s taken care of.” He probably had a completely different plan for his day, but he saw someone who had a need, and he decided to take care of it. That’s a much, much better attitude. He gave of his resources, his time, and his money.

He sacrificed to take care of the man who had a need. Talk about being hospitable. Brethren, we can know to be hospitable. I could stand here, I don’t have to convince you that we have to show hospitality. That’s not a hard sell. I don’t have to convince you of that, but it does us no good if we know to do it and don’t do it. If we’re like the lawyer, we know the law, but we don’t know how to apply it, it doesn’t help anyone. We have to be hospitable toward everyone, toward our neighbor. That’s very broad. And we can be hospitable in many different ways.

We’ll talk about those different ways, but we have to have that attitude toward everyone. Not just when it’s convenient, not just the people that we like or that we feel deserve our hospitality. We have to think bigger than that. We have to help people, especially in their time of need. When people are at their lowest point, that’s when they need us. That’s when they need us to help them. This man was beaten. He was robbed. He was lying on the side of the road. That doesn’t get any lower than that. When we help people in their time of need, that makes a difference.

It makes a difference. Think about... The account doesn’t go on to say it, but just think about how thankful that man was when he came to his senses and, “What happened?” “Oh, there was a man who brought you in and took care of you. He wrapped you up. He was there for you, and in fact, he left more money just in case.” Like, what? Think about how his life was changed. It’s hard to be hospitable when we’re focused on ourselves. It’s difficult because we’re too busy focusing on ourselves. We’re not focusing on others. We don’t even see the need.

Remember the man, he saw them, he saw, but those men didn’t truly understand and see what was happening because they were so busy focusing on themselves. Brethren, we have to be willing to be inconvenienced sometimes when we’re being hospitable toward others. Loners out there, introverts out there, you have to be hospitable also. You can’t just rest on, you know what? I’m a shy person, so I just can’t be hospitable. No, it doesn’t work that way. We can’t be driven by fear. We can’t be afraid. That person, those people are in need, and when people are in need, that’s when we have to step up the most.

Another bad example of hospitality, and interestingly enough, you don’t have to turn anywhere. We’ll just keep reading. Now, this is coming out of the context of the Good Samaritan. Luke, chapter ten. Let’s read in verse thirty-eight. “Now, it came to pass as they went. He entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.” So Christ was invited into this home, into Martha’s home. “And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’s feet and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving.”

She was very busy. Busy, busy, busy, busy, busy. You know how it is when you’re hosting, you’re all over the place, trying to make sure everything is what it needs to be. “Martha was cumbered about much serving and came to him and said, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Make her help me.’ “Lord, don’t you see how busy I am? Why are you letting her sit there? She actually said that. “And Jesus answered and said unto her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken up away from her.’”

Martha was focused on the wrong things. She was so busy being hospitable that she was not being hospitable. Did you follow that? She’s so busy being hospitable that she was not being hospitable. Her focus was on the wrong place. Martha was overdoing it. She was going overboard. Who’s been there when it comes to being hospitable and hosting and taking care of others? Who’s been there? You get so wrapped up in trying to make sure everything is perfect that you don’t end up appreciating and enjoying the moment. In the end, Mary, who was just sitting there, was being more hospitable than Martha.

Seems counterintuitive, right? Like, wait a minute, Lord, make her help me. It’s interesting, this account brings to light a very important point when it comes to hospitality, and I touched on it there a little bit. We can sometimes be so busy “being hospitable” that we’re not being hospitable at all. One of the biggest reasons people aren’t hospitable, I’m in the same boat, one of the biggest reasons or main reasons people aren’t as hospitable as often as they should is because they make it too onerous. They make it too difficult; they make it too hard.

“I just... I’d love to do it, but I just can’t build a wing on my home so Elisha can come by and say, I just can’t do it.” The problem is we end up not being hospitable at all. Brethren, at its core, it’s tricky because it can feel like, you know what? I care so much about my guests that I’m not going to have any guests. And it’s tricky because you feel like it’s motivated by the right things. But if we’re not being hospitable, then what did we accomplish? Now, this is where it gets dark, because is it really that you care about your guests, or are you actually focused on yourself?

Are you trying to impress people? Are you trying to make it so perfect? Because when they... when I host them, or if I give them this meal, or if I do a favor for them, it needs to be perfect. Because they have to know that I can... I’m the best, most hospitable person in the Church. Are we really trying to impress them? Is it really driven by pride? Or are we just making an excuse not to be hospitable? That stings. I have to ask myself some of those same questions. Brethren, if we allow those obstacles to stand in the way, we’re going to find that we’re not doing anything.

We’re not being as hospitable as we could be. We’re letting God down. We’re letting the people down who could use our help, and we’re letting ourselves down. First Peter chapter four. First Peter chapter four verse nine. First Peter chapter four, actually it started in verse eight. First Peter chapter four verse eight. “And above all things have fervent love or charity among yourselves. For charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” We’re talking about love, which is outgoing concern for others. “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” So that tells me, oh, you can be “hospitable” but do it grudgingly.

It’s possible. Because it’s saying be hospitable without doing that. Without grudging. Grudging means grumbling. If we’re being “hospitable”, and I’m doing the air quotes, if we’re being “hospitable” and we’re gritting our teeth the whole time, what did we accomplish? What did we really accomplish? And guess what? People can tell. People can tell when he didn’t really want to do that. She really just kind of did that because out of some sense of obligation. People can tell when your heart’s not in it. When my heart is not in being hospitable. People can see it.

We can’t hide it, even though we think we are. And even if somehow, we fooled everyone and we’re just a great actor, actress, they can’t tell that I’m doing this grudgingly, God can see it. God sees it. What did we accomplish? You should be seeing hospitality in a different light. I certainly see it in a different light, of working on a message like this. Hospitality and getting better at it requires guidance. That’s what I’m doing. I’m using the word of God to give you guidance. It requires skills. But brother, hopefully, you’re excited. This should get you excited.

So you know what? I’m going to be more hospitable. And those of you who are already hospitable... and there are many of you out there and you know, you’re my hero. My heroes. I see you. You inspire me to do those things. Keep doing it. Keep being hospitable. And even if you’re good at something, you can get better. That’s why I call it a skill. I chose that on purpose. Think about what a skill is. It’s a set of tasks or a set of ways of doing something to get to accomplish it. So, in this case a skill of hospitality is something that you can... a series of steps that you can learn to do.

We learn skills. Those aren’t talents. Skills are different. You learn a skill. And even if you’re good at it, you keep getting better. You can always get better. We can always get better.

That’s why I call it the skill of hospitality. We want to build that skill. And thing about skills, if you’re not that great at it, you can get good at it. And if you’re already good at it, you can get better. So it applies to everyone, myself included. Building the skill of hospitality first starts with an attitude. The right attitude. Matthew five. Let’s put all this together. Matthew five.

The skill of hospitality starts with the right attitude. Matthew five verse forty. Matthew five verse forty. This is just talking about attitude here. “And if a man will sue you at the law...” So imagine getting sued. Not a very pleasant thing. Someone is going to sue me, I don’t know if I would like them very much. “If a man will sue you at the law and take your coat, let him have your cloak also.” Huh? “And whosoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him twain.” Go the extra mile. You’ve heard the term. That’s where it comes from. Go the extra mile.

We have to be, this is to have the skill, to have the build, the skill of hospitality, to have this attitude, we have to have this attitude of being willing to go the extra mile, and I don’t think it’s a mistake that it’s with someone that’s suing you. So even when it’s someone maybe that’s not as easy to deal with, go the extra mile. Apply that to hospitality. Apply that to giving of yourself. Like Abraham. Remember, he was running. Those men came. He was running from place to place. Make the bread, cut the calf. And he did it all and he watched as those men enjoyed that meal under a tree.

He went the extra mile. Or Lot picking vehemently. “Come in, come in, come in, come in, come in.” “No, we’ll stay on the street.” No, come in, come in, come in, come in.” And it worked. They came in. They stayed. First Timothy chapter three. First Timothy chapter three. Verse two. First Timothy chapter three verse two. “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, good behavior, given to hospitality...” I picked this verse for that obvious reason. “Given to hospitality.” There it means fond of guests. Fond of guests.

Fond means that you like it. So you like having guests. You like taking care of the stranger. Remember? Stranger, guests. Brethren, we must like it. We must like being hospitable. Titus chapter one. Titus chapter one. Let’s read more about the qualifications for leadership in God’s Church. Titus chapter one verse eight. Titus chapter one verse eight. Let’s do seven again, will sound very familiar. “For a bishop must be blameless as a steward of God, not self-willed, soon angry, given to wine, a striker, given to filthy lucre, but a lover of hospitality.”

So we must love it. Be fond of it. We must like it. It starts from the top. God’s leaders set the pace. We set the example, the example for others to follow. It’s being played out as part of the qualifications. When you read, it’s like, well, that makes sense because if God’s hospitable, then of course he wants us to be, definitely. His leaders need to be. So it’s being set out from the very beginning. But is it just the ministry? Is it just the ministry I have to be hospitable and the brethren just sit back, don’t have to be hospitable? Of course not.

Of course not. Romans twelve. Romans twelve. That simply sets the pace. The leaders set the pace. Romans twelve. Romans chapter twelve verse nine. Romans twelve, nine. “Let love be without dissimulation.” So that word... What it means is our love should be sincere. Not phony. Not a put-on. Not fake. Our love should be without dissimulation. “Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love.” Remember? Philadelphian, “...in honor preferring one another, not slothful in business, fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Rejoice in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer. Distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality.” All of us, brethren.

All of God’s people have to be fond of guests. Given to hospitality. Willing to help those in need. Given there is the word “pursue”. So if you think about when you’re pursuing something, you’re chasing it, and if it’s eluding you, you’re just doing whatever it takes to keep up with it. We have to pursue hospitality, not just when it’s convenient and it’s like right there. And that’s good too. But when it’s over there, we got to be willing to pursue it.

To go find it, to grab a hold of it. That’s a different mindset. It’s a different mindset. So we got our attitude right. We have the right attitude for hospitality. Now, what do we do? What do we do? Keep it simple. Especially to start, if you’re not really a... consider yourself a big hospitality person, keep it simple. Remember all the stuff we talked about? Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew. Start from where you are. Baby steps. Small. It’s the small victories. Give from your lack. Remember, the widow from Zarephath? She didn’t have much.

She was out collecting those two sticks, getting ready to have her last meal. It doesn’t take a lot. Give from your lack or give from your abundance. If you’re like the Shunammite woman and you got plenty, give it, open your home. Take care of people. Do nice things for people. Don’t see yourself as too good. I can’t see myself as, “Oh, I’m beyond that. I’ve served already. I’ve done enough of that. That’s for others to do.” Be creative, be eager. Be eager. First Thessalonians chapter five. First Thessalonians chapter five, verse eleven. First Thessalonians chapter five verse eleven.

We’ll just read one verse here, “Where wherefore comfort yourselves together and edify one another.” I picked that verse for those two words. Comfort, edify one another, this is how we should be treating each other, brethren. Examples, what can I do, Mr. Winkfield? I’m on fire, I’m excited. I’m like Lydia, I’m ready to do this. What do I do? Brethren, open your home. Host people. We just had the privilege of hosting a couple in our home for almost a week. Now, I don’t say that to brag. That was a stretch for me. I’m one of those people who look and say, you know what? I think I can get a little bit better at this hospitality thing.

There are many of you out there, I don’t want to look in any direction, but you know who you are. Every time there’s an opportunity to be hospitable, whether it’s hosting or making a meal, you’re on it every time. I admire you. You’re my hero. Every time. Brethren, that is so inspiring to do and to see, rather. But what a rewarding experience that we had when we opened our home to those guests. We got to spend extended amounts of time with them, we got to learn about them. They got to learn about us. It was amazing. And I knew it would be, but it was even better than I thought.

And did we have to, like, do certain things different in the morning and routine? Did we have to do that? Yes. Was it hard? No. It was worth it. It was worth it. Prepare meals for potlucks. Not always. It’s just about opening your home. Prepare a meal for potluck. That’s being hospitable. That’s putting in your money, your time, your effort, your creativity to bring a meal so we can all enjoy it. That is a form of hospitality also. That’s something that we can all do. Drive people to services. Pick them up, offer to pick them up. Offer to take them to an appointment.

They’re not feeling well. They need to go to where they need to go or maybe they rely on public transportation. You know what? This time I’m going to come pick you up. What time can I be there? Okay, what time do you need to come back? That’s a form of hospitality that’s being there for someone when they’re in need. That’s when it really counts. And think about it, when you’re spending that time with them and driving them, whether it’s to services or to an appointment, you’re getting precious fellowship. First of all, they are just thankful.

Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you for showing the love of God. And you get to share. Remember, back ago, we’re serving angels unawares? The person giving the hospitality benefits as much, if not more than the person receiving it. Don’t forget that. I can’t forget that. You might think, “You know what? I’m scattered. I don’t have any brethren near me. I can’t be hospitable.” Yes, you can. You can call people. You can get on the telephone with them. That’s a form of hospitality. And if you’re lonely or they’re lonely, you’re helping them.

Do a video call. Shoot them a text. That’s a form of hospitality. When you do get together with brethren, we have to do it at the feast. I’ve heard of stories and many of you have been there, I’ve participated. They invite a bunch of people over for the feast. They open their hotel room, they blow the doors open, not literally. They blow the doors open and they all enjoy a meal together. That is hospitality. When we have the holy days and we have combined services, and people, first of all, the local congregation is hosting people coming in, or there’s a social.

Brethren, there’s all sorts of ways to show hospitality. All sorts of ways. Be creative. Think out of the box. It doesn’t have to be the same old, same old, but don’t forget the same old, same old. Those things count as well. Philippians Chapter two. Philippians chapter two. Philippians chapter two, verse four, memory verse here. “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” I’ll just briefly say, as I often do, when I come to this verse, there’s nothing wrong with looking after your own things. You can look after yourself.

We’re allowed to do that. In fact, we should do that, but it says to look also. We can’t look to ourselves to the exclusion of everyone else, but look also on the needs of others, and others there is very broad. Hospitality is not just owed to the saints. Of course, it is owed to the saints, but it’s not just owed to the saints. Remember, we are to love our neighbor. Who is our neighbor? Everyone. Everyone is our neighbor. We have to show hospitality to everyone. We can show hospitality toward our family. We can host them and have them over.

We might be gritting our teeth for a different reason when family comes over, but guess what? We were hospitable. Just because we go to that Church doesn’t mean we can’t spend time with our families. In fact, we should spend time with our family so we can let our light shine and they can see how much we’ve changed. That’s not the time to preach to them, but they can see how much we’ve changed, how we’re different than we used to be. If your family member is not in the Church, they live with you, do something nice for them, be hospitable toward them.

Don’t be mean toward them, even if sometimes they’re mean toward you because of what you believe. Be nice to them. One thing I’ve heard people do, and I think it’s a neat idea, but they give gifts to their family on non-holidays, like, “Oh, you can give gifts? I didn’t know that. I thought you didn’t celebrate Christmas.” “It’s not Christmas. I’m just giving you a gift. I’m just doing something nice for you.” Brethren, that’s a form of hospitality. You can be hospitable toward your actual neighbor, the person that lives next door to you. Now, here on campus, we live next door to the brethren.

Obviously, my audience is beyond this room, but you could be hospitable toward your actual neighbor. Offer to cut their grass once. “And you know what? I just had some extra gas in my lawnmower, let me cut your grass.” I don’t know if they would buy that but I’m sure they would accept. Offer to cut their grass. Invite them. You’re barbecuing, invite them over. “You know what? I have some extra chicken that I barbecued. Why don’t you come over and grab a piece?” You didn’t have to invite them over for a meal, to eat in your house. They don’t have to stay.

Now, they might go, why are you being so nice? But you know what? Just come over. I’m trying out something new, just bring a plate, pile it up and you can have a nice day. Believe it or not, that person that kind of go, he’s different. She’s different. Brethren, that’s a form of hospitality. That’s something creative that we can all do. Be kind to your coworkers at work. I’ve seen people and they do it. They’ll have a candy jar sitting on their desk and just people come by and they can just take candy. Brethren, there’s all sorts of ways, all creative ways to be hospitable.

As we conclude, the key is incorporating it into what you’re already doing. Don’t allow it to be a grudge. Hospitality should not be a burden. That way we can do it eagerly like Abraham. We can be filled with joy like Zacchaeus. We can be consistent like the Shunamite woman. Of course, we can focus on the right things like Mary with Christ, and not like Martha. Brethren, we serve a hospitable God. We serve a God of hospitality. He wants us to be hospitable. And yes, it takes skill, but you can do it. I can do it. We can work on it. We can get better. Brethren, build the skill of hospitality and thus please God.