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)…
In The Church in the House by Robert Fitts, it details foundational events that took place in someone’s house… (pages 25-27)
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.
Andrew Mason is the Lead Pastor of the International Church of Las Vegas. He is Founder of SmallGroupChurches.com, an influential small group community, linking pastors and leaders to like-minded resources, events and organizations. He has also co-authored and published 7 different video-driven groups series and participant guides. Andrew resides in Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife Camille and their three sons.