Be Hospitable to One Another

Aim: The aim of this study is to realise how much western individualism dictates our day to day lifestyle. We all have a sense of entitlement. We want to reframe our thinking of the resources, gifts, house etc. God has given us. Every gift, resource is given to us by God for the purpose of serving others (as it says in 1 eter !". The issue with our society (even in #hristian circles" is that we start believing that we actually own and possess the gifts that God has given to us. $n fact, the biblical premise is that we are a community and all our possessions belong to each other. Bible Verses: % rimary verse& 1 eter !'()1*' +bove all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins. ,e hospitable to one another without complaining. ,ased on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. +cts -'.-)./ %#hallenge the group to this very different culture0paradigm of thinking&' 1ow the large group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common. +nd the apostles were giving testimony with great power to the resurrection of the 2ord 3esus, and great grace was on all of them. 4or there was not a needy person among them, because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles5 feet. This was then distributed for each person5s basic needs. %6econdary verses& 7oman 1-'1*)1. 8atthew -/'!*)!9 1 #or 11'.. By definition: 2iteral translation' philo:enos (in the greek" from ph;los < friend, to be friendly to one or to wish him well, beloved, dear = :enos < stranger, unknown, foreign or foreigner, alien, guest" literally means stranger loving or >friendly to strangers?. ractically philo:enos means fond of guests and so hospitable or given to (lover of" hospitality. $t describes one who is given to generous, welcoming and cordial reception of visitors, guests or strangers. $t means to give practical help to anyone who is in need (friend or stranger, believer or unbeliever". $t was absolutely necessary for the e:pansion of the gospel and necessary for the maintenance of the fellowship within the church as well as the image of the church from without. Cultural issues: @ne of the aims would be to deconstruct our western individualistic thinking of our entitlement' our own property, our house, our own ?space? and allowing others in that space, our own calendars and letting people into your life (in your calendars". Biblical motif: 7ead this article' http'00classic.studylight.org0dic0sbd0view.cgiAnumber<T-*!. Broad Application: $t would be great to analyse our own lives and see how much individualism has pervaded into our own lifestyle. The bottom line is, individualistic culture has pervaded in the ways we live ?normally? and we need to rethink the principle of why we do things (even the simple things in life". We must change our biblical principle and foundation, being hospitable is necessary for the e:pansion of the gospel and the maintenance of the fellowship of the saints. Think hard and deconstruct our lifestyle from being ?closed? to being opened. @ur possession is a gift from God (not ours". @ur possession are >commonB and don5t belong to ourselves. What will it look like' 8oney #ar Couse #alendar (time" +nything else you want to focus on Other things to know - Open House: We will be calling people to regularly put this into practice by inviting others
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Be Hospitable to One Another

into their house starting on 6unday Dth 8arch. This has practical implications even in the way we think about >asylum seekersB. (6ome may not want to take it down this road", and if you don5t want to take it down this path, the way we treat >asylum seekersB is evidence of how closed our society is in welcoming strangers (entitlement' our country". $ believe hospitality begins from the homes God has given us and e:tends beyond that. Cere is an article' http'00www.ordinarylifeproEect.org0notes0-*1!0-01(0Eesus)was)an)asylum)seeker)and)five)other)biblical)observations 3333 +hether you choose to go down this road or not4 you ha5e to check this out2 6his may be worth a ser5e week: http:77welcometomyplace2org2au73333

8urther 9eading:

Source from http://preceptaustin.org/1_peter_47-13.htm Hospitable (5382) Philoxenos is use 3 times in the !" (no uses in the Septuagint)# in this $erse an in... 1Timothy 3:2 %n o$erseer# then# must &e a&o$e reproach# the hus&an of one 'ife# temperate# pru ent# respecta&(e# hospita&(e# a&(e to teach# Titus 1:8 (note) &ut hospita&(e# (o$ing 'hat is goo # sensi&(e# )ust# e$out# se(f-contro((e "he persecutions 'hich some of these *hristians 'ere en uring epri$e them often of the necessities of (ife# an such an e+hortation as this 'as nee e . ,urthermore# the (ac- of a rea i(. a$ai(a&(e /o(i a. 0nns# 1ote( 23s# etc for or inar. peop(e ha the resu(t that the 4ua(it. of &eing rea . to pro$i e &oar an (o ging for frien s an other suita&(. sponsore tra$e(ers 'as e$en more high(. esteeme that it is to a.. 5ersecute saints in particu(ar 'ou( nee p(aces to sta. 'here the. cou( &e assiste an encourage . Someone has sai that hospita(it. is the supernatura( a&i(it. to entertain strangers an frien s so that the. fee( 'e(come an e ifie . 6. the 'a. if .ou nee some a e moti$ation# remem&er the e+hortation from the 'riter of /e&re's ... 7o not neg(ect (stop comp(ete(. forgetting) to sho' hospita(it. to strangers# for &. this some ha$e entertaine ange(s (8ange(9 can simp(. mean 8messenger9 &ut it is sti(( nota&(e for ho' often ha$e ha guests in our home 'ho ha$e turne out to &e messengers of :o ;s &(essings) 'ithout -no'ing it.< (see note /e&re's 13:2) :o 'ou( ha$e &e(ie$ers to ha$e the same attitu e /e comman e of 0srae( in 0saiah 2=:11... "herefore .our gates sha(( &e open continua((.> the. sha(( not &e shut a. or night> that men ma. &ring unto .ou the forces of the :enti(es Erwin Lutzer 'rote that... Hospitality is a test for go (iness &ecause those 'ho are se(fish o not (i-e strangers (especia((. nee . ones) to intru e upon their pri$ate (i$es. "he. prefer their o'n frien s 'ho share their (ifest.(e. ?n(. the hum&(e ha$e the necessar. resources to gi$e of themse($es to those 'ho cou( ne$er gi$e of themse($es in return.< (@r'in A. ButCer) (Ed note: 6e(o$e # are .ou as con$icte as 0 amD) William ar!lay 'rites that... "he *hristian is to &e gi$en to hospita(it.. ?$er an o$er again the !e' "estament insists on this ut. of the open oor. ".n a(e use a magnificent 'or 'hen he trans(ate it that the *hristian shou( ha$e a harborous disposition. % home can ne$er &e happ. 'hen it is se(fish. *hristianit. is the re(igion of the open han # the open heart# an the open oor. (6arc(a.# A: "he 7ai(. Stu . 6i&(e Series. "he Aestminster 5ress or Bogos) ar!lay has an interesting note on hospitality 'riting that... <"he ancient 'or( (o$e an honoure hospita(it.. "he Ee's ha a sa.ing: 8_"here are si+ things the fruit of 'hich a man eats in this 'or( an &. 'hich his horn is raise in the 'or( to come._9 %n the (ist &egins: 8_Hospitality to the stran"er an $isiting the sic-. "he :ree-s ga$e Feus# as one of his fa$ourite tit(es# the tit(e Feus Genios# 'hich means Feus# the go of strangers. "he 'a.faring man an the stranger 'ere un er the protection of the -ing of the go s. Hospitality# as 1offatt sa.s# 'as anarti!le o# an!ient reli"ion. 0nns 'ere fi(th.# ruinous(. e+pensi$e# an of (o' repute. "he :ree- ha a('a.s a shrin-ing from hospita(it. gi$en for mone.> inn--eeping seeme to him an unnatura( affair. 0n "he ,rogs of %ristophanes# 7ion.sus as-s /erac(es# 'hen the. are iscussing fin ing a (o ging# if he -no's 'here there are fe'est f(eas. 5(ato in "he
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Be Hospitable to One Another

Ba's spea-s of the inn--eeper ho( ing tra$e((ers to ransom (/e compare them to pirates 'ho ho( their guests to ransom &efore the. a((o' them to escape). 0t is not 'ithout significance that Eosephus sa.s that Haha&# the har(ot 'ho har&oure Eoshua;s scouts in Eericho# -ept an inn. Ahen "heophrastus 'rote his character s-etch of the rec-(ess man# he sai that he 'as fit to -eep an inn or run a &rothe(> he put &oth occupations on the same (e$e(. 0n the ancient 'or( there 'as a rather 'on erfu( s.stem of 'hat 'ere ca((e 8_guest frien ships._9 "hroughout the .ears fami(ies# e$en 'hen the. ha (ost acti$e touch 'ith each other# ha an arrangement that at an. time nee fu( the. 'ou( ma-e accommo ation a$ai(a&(e for each other...."his connection &et'een fami(ies (aste throughout the generations an 'hen it 'as c(aime the c(aimant &rought 'ith him a sum&o(on# or to-en# 'hich i entifie him to his hosts. Some cities -ept an officia( ca((e the 5ro+enos in the (arger cities to 'hom their citiCens# 'hen tra$e(ing# might appea( for she(ter an for he(p. 0f the heathen 'or( accepte the o&(igation of hospita(it.# it 'as on(. to &e e+pecte that the *hristians 'ou( ta-e it e$en more serious(.. S(a$es ha no home of their o'n to 'hich to go. Aan ering preachers an prophets 'ere a('a.s on the roa s. ?n the or inar. &usiness of (ife# *hristians ha )ourne.s to ma-e. 6oth their price an their mora( atmosphere ma e the pu&(ic inns impossi&(e. "here must in those a.s ha$e &een man. iso(ate *hristians fighting a (one(. &att(e. $hristianity was% and still should be% the reli"ion o# the open door& ("here is the home of the shut oor an there is the home of the open oor. "he shut oor is the oor of se(fishness> the open oor is the oor of *hristian 'e(come an *hristian (o$e. 0t is a great thing to ha$e a oor from 'hich the stranger an the one in trou&(e -no' that the. 'i(( ne$er &e turne a'a.) "he 'riter to the /e&re's sa.s that those 'ho ha$e gi$en hospita(it. to strangers ha$e sometimes# a(( una'are# entertaine the ange(s of :o . /e is thin-ing of the time 'hen the ange( came to %&raham an Sarah to te(( them of the coming of a son (_:enesis 18:1ff_.) an of the a. 'hen the ange( came to 1anoah to te(( him that he 'ou( ha$e a son (_Eu ges 13:3ff_.).< (6arc(a.# A: "he 7ai(. Stu . 6i&(e Series. "he Aestminster 5ress or Bogos) (6o( ing a e ) %(though 0 on3t usua((. uti(iCe humorous 4uotes on this 'e&site# the fo((o'ing are mentione as the. each ha$e an e(ement of truth that 'e can pro&a&(. a(( i entif. 'ith... Some fo(-s ma-e .ou fee( at home. ?thers ma-e .ou 'ish .ou 'ere. - %rno( /. :(aso' "reat .our guest as a guest for t'o a.s> on the thir a.# gi$e him a hoe. - S'ahi(i pro$er& ,ish an $isitors sme(( in three a.s. - 6en)amin ,ran-(in (17=2I17J=) /ospita(it. is threefo( : for one;s fami(.# this of necessit.> for strangers# this of courtes.> for the poor# this is charit.. - "homas ,u((er :reat &oast an sma(( roast ma-es unsa$or. mouths. - /enr. Smith Without !omplaint - "his is the u(timate test of sincere hospita(it.. 0s .our hospita(it. <'ithout gru ging or murmuring<D 0f not it is h.pocritica( hospita(it. (an :o sees our heart an )u ges our moti$es - see 1*or 4:5). 5au( gi$es this same ca(( for sincerit. ec(aring... Bet (o$e &e 'ithout h.pocris. ('ithout a mas-) (Ho 12:J-note) 6e(o$e # if our hospita(it. is mi+e 'ith comp(aints# murmuring# grum&(ing or fee(ings of resentment# then 'e nee to chec- our moti$es for pro$i ing hospita(it.K $omplaint (1112) ("o""usmos) (*(ic- stu . on goggusmos) is an onomatopoeic 'or eri$e from the soun ma e 'hen murmuring or muttering in a (o' an in istinct $oice 'ith the i ea of comp(aint. ?ur 'or s murmur an "rumble are simi(ar in soun . %n so this <soun < refers to au i&(e e+pression of an un'arrante issatisfaction or an e+pression of our iscontent. "his prohi&ition &. 5eter unfortunate(. has a sharp t'ang of rea(ism a&out it for then as no'# guests cou( o$ersta. or other'ise a&use their host3s 'e(come. "his 'or emphasiCes that the one sho'ing hospita(it. nee s to stan firm in the true grace of :o to carr. out 'hat cou( turn out to &e an e+asperating chore that might resu(t in grum&(ing. Paul instructe the saints at 5hi(ippi to... 7o a(( things 'ithout "rumblin" ("o""usmos) or isputing that .ou ma. pro$e .ourse($es to &e &(ame(ess an innocent# chi( ren of :o a&o$e reproach in the mi st of a croo-e an per$erse generation# among 'hom .ou appear as (ights in the 'or( < (5hp 2:14# 15-note> 2:15) (&ut see the prece ing $erses for ho' this is e$en possi&(e - 5hp 2:12# 13-notes 5hp 2:12> 13 Lsee notesM)

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