Hospitality

April 2007

I have some thoughts on the practice of evangelism. Of all the practices of the Christian faith this one is often benched. In many books on the spiritual disciplines evangelism does not even get an honorable mention. The reasons for this are too complex to analyze in this brief article. The emphasis I want to give today is to the practice of hospitality in relationship to evangelism. There is a relationship between the two which is inviting us to explore it.

Historically, Southern Baptists were on the frontlines of the evangelism movement. According to Tom Rainier (LifeWay president, in a speech 2 years ago in Nashville) it takes 40 Southern Baptists to usher a new believer into the Kingdom of God. Today we talk it up aplenty, develop strategies for it periodically, and encourage it constantly. We give a lion’s share of money to promote it, train for it, and produce the materials we believe we need for it. Shortly after my heart was redeemed I was instructed about sharing my faith. “Tell people what I was like before redemption, tell them how my redemption happened, and tell them how I’ve changed since”.

Real evangelism training followed. I learned the Roman Road to salvation (presenting the gospel from the book of Romans), the Four Spiritual Laws (presenting the gospel via a tract), CWT (continuous Witness Training, which is an elaborate memorized presentation of the gospel, with answers to anticipated questions), and a few more techniques I am forgetting. Mine was no solo experience. Millions of us Southern Baptists have been “trained” in the techniques of evangelism. However, techniques have a short life span. We are constantly developing methods of evangelism we think are more relevant for today’s non Christians.

Aside from training individuals to do evangelism churches got into seeker sensitive services. Simple language, more appealing church services, relevant preaching, contemporary music, doing the baseball diamond, website, and corporate evangelism was supposed to take off where individual evangelism left off. But the number of the unchurched continues to creep upward.

Today we are struggling to find more ways to effectively evangelize lost America. I wish to flirt with the idea of emphasizing and retraining believers in hospitality, a New Testament practice. I believe if hospitality becomes a discipline of every Christian, evangelism as a way of life will be restored to the church, the body and bride of Christ, the family of God. Philoxenia, usually translated hospitality, “suggests loving foreigners or aliens (philo=love, xeno=what is unknown). Jesus practiced hospitality. For him hospitality had nothing to do with “fine linens, elegant crystal, or gourmet cooking” (Darryl Tippens, Pilgrim Heart, 55).  He says that “rather, it [hospitality] consists of a generous heart and a welcoming spirit that leads to tangible expressions of care for others… It entails an active concern for those different from ourselves” (Tippens, 55). Hospitality has a family of words: hospital, hospice, hotel, hostel, host, and hostess.

I see my (and others) college age children buying into the idea of hospitality as the context for evangelism. It is natural to them to practice hospitality. They constantly invite their friends (Christians and not-yet-Christians) to hang out with them when they come home from college (this happens almost every weekend). For them evangelism entails an active concern for others. They hang out, talk a lot, laugh a lot till the wee hours of the morning, and verbalize what they believe about Jesus and about their relationship with him. I witness this hospitality-evangelism take place every time they come home. Perhaps they’ve figured it out. Evangelism is a natural conversation that happens in the midst of hospitality. I cannot see them ever memorizing a canned approach to doing evangelism. I prefer their way. It is a discipline they do in conjunction with hospitality. 

I believe that teaching the discipline of hospitality in the church is crucial for regaining the edge on the discipline of evangelism in North America for those who walk with the Master. Techniques won’t do it. Programs cannot sustain it. But a heart transformed by our Great Host would. The people of God were sustained by the truth that being Christlike includes the practice of hospitality. Here is what you do. Look up these few passages and delight in the marvelous pattern God has put in place for us to win his world: Romans 15:7; Matthew 25:35; Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2; 1Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; Luke 14:12-14; Exodus 23:9; Deuteronomy 10:17-19. 

With these teachings anchored in the soul of the Jesus movement and those who are determined to walk with the Master, is it any wonder that the church went from 25,000 in AD 100 to 20,000,000 by 310 AD?  Darryl Tippens attributes this success to hospitality. Allow yourself to think what 16,000,000 million Southern Baptists could do (not to mention all the other denominations) if we relearn the practice of hospitality and “unbusy” our lives enough to do it on a regular basis. Where did your mind take you? Now, go there with your heart! 

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