Rediscovering the Kingdom in Hospitality

Posted By: Andrew Mason

 

Biblical hospitality is a reoccurring pattern in the New Testament ministry of Jesus and the early church. It was a conduit through which kingdom activity flowed. A casual reading of scripture can cause this repeated dynamic to be overlooked. Paying closer attention to this detail however, can unveil one of God’s favorite places to move in power.

Biblical hospitality is a readiness to welcome people into our home who don’t ordinarily live there. With each NT episode listed below, we must remember that it first required the generosity of a person to open their doors to those who didn’t ordinarily live there.

 In Biblical Foundations for the Cell-Based Church by Joel Comiskey, there is a list of examples of Christ’s Ministry in the Home (page 79)…

• Jesus in the house of Peter (Matt 8:14). The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law.
• Jesus in the house of Matthew (Matt 9:10). Jesus is ministering to unbelievers.
• Jesus in the house of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:5-9). Jesus is leading Zacchaeus to repentance
• Jesus in the house of Lazarus and his sisters (Luke 10:38-42). Jesus is teaching the Kingdom of God
• Jesus in the House of Jairus (Mark 5:35-42). Jairus’ daughter is raised from the dead
• Jesus being hosted in a person’s home (Matt 9:28-30). Two blind people receive their sight.
• Jesus in the house of Simon the leper (Matt 26:6-13). Jesus is anointed.
• Jesus with his disciples in a person’s home (Mark 7:17-18; 9:33, 10:10). Jesus is teaching his disciples the Kingdom of God
• Jesus in the house of another person (Luke 5:17-26). Jesus forgives and heals a paralyzed person.
• Jesus in the home of a Pharisee (Luke 14). Jesus is teaching the Kingdom of God.
• Jesus with his disciples in a person’s home (Matt 26:18). Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper in a house.
• Jesus sends his twelve and his seventy disciples to heal and teach from village to village and house-to-house (Luke 9:1-9, 10:1-11).

In The Church in the House by Robert Fitts, it details foundational events that took place in someone’s house… (pages 25-27)

• The outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost happened in a house (Acts 2:1-2)
• The early church gathered in homes (Acts 2:46)
• Peter is divinely delivered from prison by a prayer meeting in a house (Acts 12:5, 12)
• The Gospel was first preached to the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:24-27)
• The first churches that the Apostle Paul started were all in houses (Rom 16:5, Col 4:15, 1 Cor 16:19, Phlm 1:1-2).
• Lydia’s House was Europe’s First Church (Acts 16:40)

This represents the NT kingdom activity that was recorded. One could easily speculate there were many more examples of God moving in a home during the time of the Gospels and Acts that were never written down. Even when you factor in what most likely represents a small sample size of house-to-house ministry, the exploits listed above are still impressive… Evangelism, discipleship, community, laborers sent, churches planted, powerful prayer gatherings, sickness healed, the lame walking, the blind seeing and the dead raised!

In the article, Rediscovering the Power of Hospitality, I discussed how hospitality is an act that mirrors and releases Heaven into the earth. I believe these NT examples reinforce this idea. In my own living room, I have personally seen people surrender their life to Christ, receive answers to prayer, be emotionally healed, physically healed, baptized in the Spirit, activated into ministry and transformed.

It has been my experience that when I invite others into my space for the kingdom, I’m also welcoming Jesus into our midst with all of His power and glory.

Rediscovering Hospitality

---

---