Be Hospitable to One Another | Retreat session 1

Be Hospitable

 

1 Peter 4:9-10 – “Be hospitable to one another without complaint.  As each one has received a

special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

1 Timothy 3:2 – “An overseer, then, must be…hospitable…

Titus 1:7-8 – “For the overseer must be…hospitable…

Matthew 25:31-46, esp. vss 35-36

 

Greek “philoxenos”:  “friend of, fond of, lover of…”  “…strangers, guests, foreigners”

Tyndale (1534):  “harborous” (from Old English: military refuge, fortified town)

Harbor:  “to give shelter or refuge to; a place of security and comfort.”

KJV and subsequent:  “hospitable” (from Latin: host, of a guest, “hospital” = “guest room”)

Hospitable

“given to generous and cordial reception of guests”

“offering a pleasant or sustaining environment”

Cordial

“of or relating to the heart

“tending to revive, cheer, or invigorate

“warmly and genially affable

Synonyms related to cordial:  generally, “markedly pleasant and easy in social intercourse”

Gracious – implies courtesy and kindly consideration

Cordial – stresses warmth and heartiness

Affable – implies easy approachability and readiness to respond pleasantly to conversation or requests or

proposals

Genial – stresses cheerfulness and even joviality

Sociable – suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of others

 

“Hospitality” relates to your character (“be hospitable”)

  • Use of your home to show hospitality is one expression of this character quality.
  • To be hospitable involves interaction with other people.
  • It involves a spirit that initiates and genuinely welcomes:

“How are you doing?” “How can I minister to you in a way that is meaningful?”

  • It is an essential quality for an elder or other leader in the church.
  • It is a significant outward expression of inward heart condition.

 

Questions:

  1. What kind of person or people do you most like to be with? Why?  Characteristics?
  2. What aspect(s) of Jesus’ character most draws you to Him? How was He hospitable?
  3. How do you feel about this priority of being hospitable or exercising hospitality toward one another?
  4. What might it look like for you?
  5. In which aspect(s) of being hospitable described above do you most want to grow?
  6. What obstacles do you face?