Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another (I Pet 4:9)
God wants us to share life with our brothers and sisters in Christ. He also wants us to welcome the stranger. Hospitality is a means toward both those ends.
Hospitality brings people together and makes them feel welcome and important. Hospitality builds community and helps the stranger.
Hospitality was one of the central traits that God used to build the early church. They were constantly meeting in one another’s homes.
Those with the gift of hospitality use their homes to bless others. They have people for dinner. They host small groups and gatherings in their home. They let travelers stay overnight. They provide a bed and food for those in difficulty. Hospitable people have an open home. They understand that their home belongs to God, and they are willing to use it for His purposes. They take delight in hosting people.
But hospitable people do more than merely use their home. They make you feel comfortable around them. You are important to them. They welcome you at church. They take a new hire at work, show him around, and make him feel wanted. The important thing to them is the people.
Because of this, hospitable people do more than open their home. The home of a hospitable person is not a museum. Hospitable people are not afraid to let others in even if the home or food is not perfect. The key is to welcome them, not impress them. The important issue is the people who come over, not the state of the house or food. Of course, hospitable people will want to make the house clean and the food good as much as possible, but they tend not to stress over imperfections.
The hospitable woman will invite people over even if she has nothing fancy to serve for dinner. She may go to the store and buy a nice meal, but if she can’t, she will be OK serving hotdogs and fruit. The important thing to her is not the meal but the people.
The hospitable woman will host twenty people overnight from a missions trip even though she has no space for them. She will give them whatever blankets she has, let them sleep on the floor and pull out cold cereal for breakfast because that’s all she has. She will do what she can to make the sleeping arrangements as nice as possible, but she will also be OK with what she has. The important thing to her is not the sleeping arrangements but the people.
If you get stressed over imperfect accommodations or food, you probably do not have the gift of hospitality. If you cannot host people unless everything is perfect, you do not have the gift of hospitality. People with the gift of hospitality do want a situation that is comfortable for their guests, but the important thing is not the situation. It is the guests. Hospitable people are more interested in the community than in the accommodations.
Those with the gift of hospitality may also have the gift of service and/or giving. They are not necessarily extroverts. Introverts can have this gift as well.
The Importance of Hospitality
Hospitality helps build the community of the church. It shows the body of Christ the homes, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, children and fields that we all have in Christ.
Strengths
- a giving heart
- freedom from materialism
- love for people
- personable
- often joyful
- welcoming
- building community
- often good listeners
Weaknesses
- can overcommit
- can fail to consider other factors in welcoming people (a spouse who is stressed by. hosting; safety for children)
- can sometimes disregard their responsibilities in order to host or help others
Examples of People with this Gift
Abraham, The Shunammite woman (II Kgs 4:8ff), Lydia (Acts 16:11-15), Rosaria Butterfield
Good Roles for People with this Gift
Hosts for small groups, Bible studies, etc., greeter, meals for the needy
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