Impact Your CitySample

Hospitality and Gifts

Peter asks you to be hospitable. What does "hospitality" mean? Hospitality is defined like this: The friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Hospitality, in a city, shines with the love of Jesus Christ. Even if you're struggling with sin, Jesus can conquer your sin. He wants you to have a welcoming, hospitable heart. How can God use you to reach out to your friends and neighbors? By loving others well and being hospitable. 

Last summer, Barry and Melissa Nolan, at our Downtown Campus, moved from the suburbs to the Downtown area – into the East Downtown area. EaDo is what the area is called. They built a house from scratch, just from the ground up. They built that house so that they could be hospitable. And now, at this time, they're having married, young adult life Bible studies at their house. They're hospitable by opening their home to men and women's ministry and Bible studies. They're also planning on reaching out to the poor and refugees next. That's hospitality. Many of you have rooms in your homes that need to be redeemed, spaces where you need to say, "Lord, I want You to use this. I bought this house so I could have people over. Let's redeem it and give it to the Lord." Be loving. Be hospitable. Be welcoming. 

Peter also asks you to walk in your giftedness. God has put a spiritual gift in you and He wants you to put it to use. If you don't know what your spiritual gift is, let me tell you what, you're missing out on the biggest joy of your life. Find it out. My gifts are leadership, teaching, and evangelism. So, if I wasn't teaching, I'd be withering. If I wasn't leading, I'd be withering. If I wasn't sharing my faith, I'd be withering. If you can find your giftedness and put your service around it, even your vocation around it, you will make a huge difference. 

Peter says that some of us have the gift of speaking, and if so, you should speak as if it's God's words you speak. There are gifts of encouragement, of leadership, of teaching. Some have service gifts, which are gifts of hospitality, mercy, and other gifts like those. Go and serve in the ways that you're gifted. But let God put it together for you. Allow the Spirit to guide you in your talents and gifts.