Flex Those Muscles

“Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” ~Romans 12:13

In times of great need, a friend of mine is fond of saying, “It’s time to flex our Christian hospitality muscles.” I love this image! It resonates on multiple levels. Sometimes being hospitable feels like flexing your muscles — it can create some tension; it requires some effort; it suggests there’s work to be done. In other words, Christian hospitality can be difficult sometimes.

It’s a mistake to believe that there are some who are naturally gifted with hospitality, so it’s easy for them to be hospitable. That’s like saying Arnold Schwarzenegger is naturally gifted with muscles, so it’s easy for him to win Mr. Olympia seven times. If you’ve any familiarity with how much work goes into bodybuilding, you’ll know that Arnold’s success is attributable to his tremendous work ethic in the gym. Being a hospitable Christian requires some effort, like flexing. So how should those who don’t naturally gravitate toward hospitality proceed?

First, it’s important to define our terms. Hospitality is more than opening up a spare room or providing a meal for a family in need. The word hospitality in the Bible is made up of two words: philos and xenos, meaning friend and stranger, respectively. At it’s core, hospitality is about being a friend, even to people you don’t know. This last element is important — we often think of hospitality as being principally concerned with people in the church. And while that is true (Rom 12:13; Gal 6:10), the Bible also teaches that we are to be a friend to those outside the church. Consider Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Here, Jesus teaches that being a friend mustn’t be limited to those who look like, believe like, or think like us. The author of Hebrews says much the same thing when he says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…” (Heb 13:2). So first of all, hospitality is being a friend to anyone who needs a friend.

Second, we ought to ask: what would a friend do? A friend does more than just offer resources to those who express a need. What makes someone a friend is that they know there’s a need to be addressed! Not only do they resist turning a blind eye to the plight of others who are suffering, they make effort (think, flexing) to find out what kinds of needs others have. So let me ask you, Christian, do you know about the needs of others in the church? And if so, are you flexing to help them? What about your community? Do you know of people outside the church who are in need? If so, what are you doing about it?

I trust that as you look to the example of Christ and spend time reading His Word, you’ll become more convinced that it is your Christian responsibility to show hospitality — to be a friend — to everyone in need, even as Jesus was a friend to you when you needed a Savior.

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Associate Pastor