(This is Part II in a two-part series. We recommend starting with “Guidelines for Generosity – Part I”)
Written by Stephen Rohrer
Our God is a very generous God. In fact, James tells us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17a). His generosity and His wisdom flow out together so that He gives good and perfect gifts. As His stewards, we should imitate our Lord and be wise with our generosity. When we give, we must make sure we are paying attention to the parameters that God has laid out in His Word so that we also give good gifts.
In the first part of this series, we looked at the difference between generosity and tithes. We then explored what Scripture says about two of the three major areas of generosity. Let’s examine the third major area: Hospitality.
Hospitality:
God speaks often about hospitality because it is another way to show God’s love. This is why He commands us to “show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Peter 4:9). We should cheerfully host others—both the saints (“one another”), and “strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb. 13:2b). This could mean having people over for dinner, or it could be letting travelers or family stay in your home.
We should seek to do hospitality excellently – as excellently as God has enabled us. Some cultures place a high emphasis on the responsibilities of a host. In the U.S. today, our understanding of the responsibilities of the host varies widely. In many cases, people do not take hosting seriously.
Properly understood, however, Christians should excel at hosting for at least three reasons.
First, we should do all things excellently for the glory of our God (see Col. 3:23). As stewards of His property, we are serving Him by hosting. The way we do so reflects upon Him. If we host in a shoddy, careless fashion, we are saying that our Master is shoddy and careless. Our God is not shoddy or careless. His Creation is full of His attention to detail and excellence. By hosting to the best of our ability, we bring our Master glory. This does not mean that every dinner must feature “three courses or don’t bother” but we can put effort and care into whatever we do. Also, it does not mean that you should not host unless you have a 5-star hotel for a home, but no matter what God has given us, we can be attentive and thoughtful to our guests’ needs.
Secondly, it displays God’s love to others and shows that our faith is alive. “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[b] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17). Hospitality is a fundamental way to put our faith into action and demonstrate God’s love.
Thirdly, hosting others should be a strong testimony of the work that God is doing in our lives. There are many ways in which people may see God’s work in life as you host. For example, when others come into our home, it is a good testimony for them to see a house that is well-ordered and joyful. As Paul says to Timothy, an elder “must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (1 Tim. 3:4-5). If it is a requirement for elders (and deacons later in the same chapter), it should be something that believers should strive towards. Similarly to the pursuit of general excellence, however, we should not let the ideal prevent us from hosting how we can. We all have different stages of life, gifting and situations. For instance, when God allowed the trials in Job’s life, he was quite limited in his ability to host. We also must prioritize between different God-given objectives (like we discuss in the Estate Steward series). This would fall further down on the list of objectives because it is not a requirement of all believers – it is only required of elders and deacons. Nonetheless, it is important to know what God encourages us to work towards as we are able.
What is Hospitality?
When we think of hospitality, we most likely think of having guests in our home: either overnight or for dinner. Hospitality certainly includes this, but it is also much more than this. We can show hospitality by treating others to coffee or dinner out, and by bringing meals to new parents. Many zoos, museums, and private gardens have memberships with guest passes. Making use of these is another excellent way to show hospitality to others. It may also look like letting people swim in our pools or use our business facilities. God is creative and loves creativity.
What is not Hospitality?
Now, a word to what hospitality is not: hosting someone who is traveling or in need of a meal in a crisis does not mean that you are now responsible for that person’s welfare indefinitely. Other places in Scripture make it clear that “if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies” (2 Thess. 3:9-11). Is this contradictory to the passage in James? It is not. James is speaking about a brother overtaken by calamity or dire circumstances who is otherwise working well and hard. Paul, in Thessalonians, is commanding us not to subsidize laziness. Laziness is not what God designed us for. He designed us to work in the Garden of Eden, before sin entered the world – not after. As Solomon observed, God’s natural design is that “a worker’s appetite works for him; his mouth urges him on.” (Prov. 16:26).
Also, 1 Timothy Chapter 5 sets extremely high standards for a widow to qualify for church support:
“Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband,[a] 10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry 12 and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. 13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.” – 1 Tim. 5:9-13
There are even more stipulations in this chapter before and after these verses, but it is obvious that long-term maintenance of someone is an entirely different situation than generosity in time of need.
Conclusion of the Matter:
God loves a wise, cheerful giver. He is bountiful to us so we should be bountiful to others. We are His Stewards and should follow His guidelines for our generosity. Many of these situations require discernment. Often our generosity will be a blend of one or more of these areas. For instance, a minister or missionary may be traveling and need our hospitality as well as our financial support. God gives us great latitude with generosity.
We may also be especially gifted in one area of generosity more than another. Like with any ability, God gifts each of us with different levels of skill, experience, or capability. This is what makes the body of Christ so marvelous. We are not all “hands”; we are not all “eyes”. We may not be able to fund a new church building single-handed, but another might be able to! Our apartment might not have the physical capacity to host a large group, but someone else might. One person’s generosity may not look like another’s, but we can all look for ways to be generous as God has enabled and gifted us. (And we can rejoice in how He has enabled others to be generous in ways that we cannot).
Let’s be excited to bring glory to our Lord through our generosity. Let’s be creative and wise in our giving. Let’s be discreet like a secret agent: “when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matt. 6:3). Have fun doing all this because in the “words of the Lord Jesus, . . . it is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35).
All Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.
