"Then Jesus said to his host, 'When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.'" – Luke 14:12-14
In 2016, at the Congo Palace Hotel in Athens, Greece, more than 100 ministers, elders, and ministry leaders gathered to discuss strategies for hospitality in serving refugees. These Christian leaders desired to serve and share Christ with the wave of refugees flooding into the continent from troubled, predominantly Muslim nations, including Syria and Iraq.
The five-day Refugee Ministry Workshop took place just a few miles from Mars Hill, where the apostle Paul told the people of Athens about the “unknown god” they worshiped.
One of the speakers, a native of Iran who asked that his name be withheld for security reasons, told about his own conversion to Christianity when he came to Greece as a refugee 10 years prior. He now leads a Farsi-speaking church in Germany.
Giving hospitality to strangers means getting out of our comfort zone and showing the love of Jesus Christ to others. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for the gifts He has given you and seek to give hospitality to others.
“We all depend on God’s grace and provision; we are all guests of a gracious and generous host. As we welcome others to our tables and into our lives, we remember, represent, and anticipate God’s hospitality.” – Christine D. Pohl
God’s Word: “Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” – Romans 12:13
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