A Church of Hospitality

The Kind of Church God Builds
A Church of Hospitality

I. Introduction

A. At the very of Christianity is a meal—the Last Supper!

B. By simply welcoming people into our homes, we have an opportunity to model healthy .

1. We need each other—not just in the context of a meeting at church. We need each other in a context—in a gracious home environment.

C. Genesis 18:1b-8 (NLT) ¹One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. ²He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground. ³“My lord,” he said, “if it pleases you, stop here for a while. ⁴Rest in the shade of this tree while water is brought to wash your feet. ⁵And since you’ve honored your servant with this visit, let me prepare some food to refresh you before you continue on your journey.” “All right,” they said. “Do as you have said.” ⁶So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, “Hurry! Get three large measures of your best flour, knead it into dough, and bake some bread.” ⁷Then Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a tender calf and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it. ⁸When the food was ready, Abraham took some yogurt and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them in the shade of the trees.

1. A warm is the beginning point of practicing hospitality!

2. We are throwing a every weekend here at VC!

3. When you practice hospitality, end up being blessed yourself!

D. Genesis 18:9-10 (NLT) ⁹“Where is Sarah, your wife?” the visitors asked. “She’s inside the tent,” Abraham replied. ¹⁰Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!”

E. Hebrews 13:2 (NLT) Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!

1. When we open up our lives to other people, we end up opening up our lives to !

F. Mark 2:13-17 (NLT) ¹³Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him. ¹⁴As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him. ¹⁵Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) ¹⁶But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum? ” ¹⁷When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

G. Mark 2:16 (NLT) But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

1. The word “Pharisee” literally means “the ones.”

2. The religion of the Pharisees was one of —one of separation—one of going through life insulated from contact with people who were considered “unclean.”

3. Our motto at Vineyard Church North Phoenix is, welcome! Nobody’s perfect! And anything is possible!

H. I Timothy 3:2 (NAS) An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.

I. Romans 12:13 (NAS) Contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

1. “Hospitality” literally means “the love of a .”

2. For Jesus, hospitality means you open up your home to —to people you don’t know!

J. Luke 14:12-14 (NLT) ¹²Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. ¹³Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

1. The first step in practicing hospitality—and making room for someone new in our home—is making room for someone new in our .

2. “God, stretch my . Make my heart open to new people.”

K. Another major reason we don’t practice hospitality is simply because of .

1. “Come as you are, you’ll be .” It’s also saying, “When you come into my home, you’ll see me as I am—‘’ and all.”

2. Hospitality is a test of our .

3. The key to practicing hospitality—is to value above “things.”

4. Our church welcomes children with .

5. We have interpretation for the – during our Sunday 9:15 AM service.

6. We have simultaneous translation into during all of our services for those who only speak Spanish!

7. One of the ways we can do that is just by having people into our , from time to time.

8. Another great way to practice hospitality is to open up your home and a small group.

II. Conclusion