Bible Study: Growing in Hospitality

For starters

• Think of some of the people you’ve met in your life who have been most welcoming or hospitable towards you. How would you describe the welcome you received from them?
• What are some of the reasons that stop us being more hospitable?

Into the Bible
Read over 1 Peter 4:7-9

• What are the three instructions Peter gives to his readers? How are these three things linked together?

Read Hebrews 13:2

• What does this add to the picture of hospitality we get from 1 Peter 4? (See the account of Abraham welcoming the three angels in Genesis 18:1-8 for the OT background.)

Look over the following passages for more examples of biblical hospitality:

• Matthew 10:40
• Matthew 25:35-40
• Acts 2:42-47
• Romans 12:9-13

What picture of Christian hospitality do we get from these passages? Why does hospitality matter to Christians?

Application
Definition of hospitality from Sunday – Welcoming other people into our lives

• Why do we need to be willing to welcome other people into our lives as a church family? Why is that often hard?
• How do you really feel about opening up your home? In particular:
• To people you don’t know?
• To people you wouldn’t normally mix with?
• How does understanding the gospel help us grow in hospitality?
• Think about a typical week for you. What could you alter to make hospitality an integral part of your life?
• How can we grow in hospitality over the coming months:
• As a homegroup?
• As a gathered church family?

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“Don’t start with a big program. Don’t suddenly think you can add to your church budget and begin. Start personally and start in your home. I dare you. I dare you in the name of Jesus Christ. Do what I am going to suggest. Begin by opening your home for community. [...] You don’t need a big program [...] All you have to do is open your home and begin. And there is no place in God’s world where there are no people who will come and share a home as long as it is a real home.” (Francis Schaeffer)