{"id":24841,"date":"2020-05-19T17:57:53","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T22:57:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/?p=24841"},"modified":"2020-05-19T17:57:53","modified_gmt":"2020-05-19T22:57:53","slug":"when-we-come-back-hospitality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2020\/05\/19\/when-we-come-back-hospitality\/","title":{"rendered":"When We Come Back: Hospitality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During this time of COVID-19 lockdowns we have a unique opportunity to refocus and learn what’s really important. When the world gets back to a sense of normalcy, hopefully we’ll all be looking to make some changes as a result of those lessons. Hospitality and the fellowship it brings are two things I hope we’ll re-emphasize when we return. With that in mind, here’s an excerpt from our new book, Church Reset<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

We live in an era where the house is totally closed off to the outside world. It is our escape, our sanctuary. All you have to do is contrast the design of houses built today and houses built 50 years ago. Not only do we not have front porches anymore, but the design has gone in the opposite direction. We live in fortresses where the living areas are being built downstairs or to the back of the house, walling us off from the world outside our front door. We then retreat inside these fortresses and connect with the outside world through social media, a terribly fake substitute for real life interaction. To love one another as Christ loved and to take the church outside of the building we\u2019re going to have to tear down those walls. (Um, metaphorically, of course.)<\/p>\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just that \u201cbe hospitable to one another\u201d is a command (1 Peter 4:9), but it\u2019s also one of the ways we\u2019re expected to be devoted to one another in honor (Romans 12:10-13). It\u2019s so important to God that He doesn\u2019t want men to rise to leadership positions in the church if this practice isn\u2019t part of their lives (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:8). Why is it so important?<\/p>\n\n\n

Because, when it comes to helping people grow in Christ, the kitchen table can be just as effective as the pulpit\u2014possibly even more. It\u2019s in the informal setting of the home that we can share questions, help people learn at their own level and pace, and pray specific prayers together. It\u2019s where Jesus did much of His teaching. It\u2019s where discipleship has a chance to take off. And, it\u2019s a fantastic tool for evangelism. It gives us the opportunity to introduce people to the church as Jesus\u2019 people rather than as an organization for them to either like or dislike.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

However, a few concerns arise whenever this topic is discussed.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cMy house is never clean enough to have people over,\u201d some have said. It doesn\u2019t matter if your house is sparkling clean or if you\u2019re having one of those weeks where the laundry and dishes just won\u2019t ever end. Letting people in our imperfect houses is actually a great metaphor for how church life should work. We\u2019re letting each other see that our lives aren\u2019t Instagram perfect. By doing this we\u2019re showing that our fellowship isn\u2019t defined by preserving a perfect facade. We\u2019re saying instead that loving each other and building each other up are more important than making everyone think our lives are flawless.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

If you want to host others for meals, cost can also become an issue. Rest assured, it doesn\u2019t have to be anything fancy. It doesn\u2019t matter if you can provide prime rib or peanut butter and jellies. What matters is that the family has a chance to be with each other and build the kind of relationships where the one anothers can be fulfilled. But even feeding people inexpensive meals with any regularity can be a strain if the budget is tight. So get creative with it. Cut out a trip to a restaurant once a month with the faith that God will bless what we give up for Him and His work.<\/p>\n\n\n

Plenty of folks don\u2019t even have that kind of expense to cut, though. An option in that case: plan a shared meal where each person or family brings their own. Once again, the message is being sent that what matters is being together and not showing off. Another option might be to take $5 or so off your weekly contribution and put it toward having some brothers and sisters over for a meal and a time of devotional and prayer once a month. Some church leaders probably aren\u2019t terribly happy with that suggestion, but it gets at the heart of thinking of the church as a family rather than an organization. Doing such isn\u2019t \u201ctaking away from the work of the church.\u201d It\u2019s doing<\/em> the work of the church as an active participant.<\/p>\n\n\n

If you want to feel truly blessed and truly bless others, make time for hospitality and table fellowship. To grow and to help others grow, work on developing relationships that go beyond the building. Use the resources God has given you to model Jesus, teach Jesus, and show others how to do the work of Jesus. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During this time of COVID-19 lockdowns we have a unique opportunity to refocus and learn what’s really important. When the world gets back to a sense of normalcy, hopefully we’ll all be looking to make some changes as a result of those lessons. Hospitality and the fellowship it brings are two things I hope we’ll […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24842,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,59,32,391],"tags":[1556,120,467,210,474,23],"class_list":["post-24841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-christian-living","category-church","category-focus-press","tag-church-reset","tag-family","tag-fellowship","tag-home","tag-hospitality","tag-jack","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen We Come Back: Hospitality - Focus Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2020\/05\/19\/when-we-come-back-hospitality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When We Come Back: Hospitality - Focus Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"During this time of COVID-19 lockdowns we have a unique opportunity to refocus and learn what’s really important. 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