Hospitality is love in action. It is the flesh and muscles on the bones of love. Yet, it is a forgotten command today. Hospitality is a love for strangers. It's a  love  to  take  care  of  people  who  do  not  belong  to  your  usual  circle  of  friends  or  family. Jesus taught that hospitality is required, is remembered and is rewarded. Even a cup of cold water given in God's name can release an ocean of warmth into another person’s life.

As a church every Sunday is an opportunity for us to be hospitable to one another. Jesus’ hospitality brought strangers and enemies like us into the family of God. His example should spur us a people of God to imitate Him with practical deeds of love.

Practicing hospitality is not for the connection corner ministry workers alone. Nor is it the exclusive job of only pastors, deacons or elders. Missional hospitality is required from all of us. It’s a fundamental aspect of how God intended for the Gospel to reach our neighborhoods and communities. Not all of us will cross the seas with the gospel, but all of us can take a stroll across the church foyer to shake a stranger’s hand. We can discover the power of biblical hospitality by taking time each Sunday to acquaint ourselves with an unfamiliar face. God can use our obedience and turn awkward encounters into awesome encounters.

When we perform an act of hospitality, it will never be forgotten. We are by nature forgetful people and fundamentally we are selfish people, we take others for granted. Although we may experience the same treatment from others, the good news is that a biblical act of hospitality is done for God. Jesus said that “Whoever receives you receives me.” God will not forget our labor of love, He will remember it when we finally meet Him. “Truly, I say to  you as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to Me.” (Matthew  25:37-40) This is a stunning statement that demonstrates that no deed is too small to go unseen, unrecognized or unremembered by God.

Hospitality will not only be remembered it will be rewarded. Jesus assures it will be impossible for the righteous to lose their reward. (Mat. 10:41) With such a hope promised, we can launch into thinking and praying about intentional ways to bless. You may not preach the gospel, but you can live out the gospel. Someone said, “The Gospel comes with a house key.” An open door to invite Individuals, couples and families into our lives and allow them to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ in ways like never before!

Pastor Jason Lim