Rather, he must be hospitable …
Summary: Hospitable is a word that may best be understood by looking at its opposite. Then there are other qualities that need to be considered to ensure that one’s hospitable nature is genuine.
Paul has started his description of an overseer with a list of “nots.” Now he turns his mind to what he wants to see in an overseer for God’s church. You might say he is going to show us the other side of the coin. The first item on this list is the trait of being hospitable.
What do you think of when you hear that word? Does it convey a clear meaning to you? How about the word, “inhospitable?” Is that more clear? It is for me. Someone who is inhospitable is unwelcoming and unfriendly. They are hard to get along with and grating to be around.
Sometimes the best way to understand something is to look at its opposite. It is hard to understand light without knowing what darkness is. Rich gave a great sermon on Sunday (LINK) that emphasized this truth. He showed us pictures of a night sky in a dark part of the world, and the stars fill the sky with light that cannot be seen from a city street. Like light is to darkness, being hospitable is to being inhospitable.
A hospitable man is welcoming and friendly. They are easy to be around and comfortable to work with. The hospitable man is capable of rebuking those who need correction (Titus 1:10-16) but do so in a way that is loving and respectful.
There is another quality inherent in such a man that should be mentioned as well. Anyone can pretend to be hospitable. If someone is trying to win your confidence so that they can take advantage of you, their goal is to act like the most hospitable person in the world. This is the definition of seduction — to win someone’s trust so that you can entice them to betray themselves in some way.
A person whose is genuinely hospitable is sincere and trustworthy. They care about you in a way that reflects God’s caring for you and me. They want what is best for you, not what is best for them. This brings me to the reason why there is so much trouble in the world.
The world can be divided up in a lot of ways, but for this topic let’s divide the world up between those who submit to God and those who don’t. Those who serve God want what he wants. They want his will to be done. They want to share his love with others. Those who do not submit to God serve their own wants. They promote their own interests. They do not have any interest in the welfare of others unless it somehow serves their interests, too.
The reason Paul has laid out all these criteria for leadership is because of this divide. Many people would gladly serve themselves by selling a watered-down gospel. Some would use their position and influence to take advantage of others. An overseer must be blameless, not pursuing dishonest gain, and sincerely hospitable in a trustworthy way.
Application: Test everything (1 John 4:1). Be wary of the hospitable who are worldly and be blessed by the godly who are hospitable.
Food for Thought: How do we discern the motives of the hospitable?
Thank you brother. I am humbled by the comment on the message yesterday. I also like the way you helped define hospitality by looking at its opposite. I found that very useful.
Discerning motives of anyone is challenging. I think we should look at the fruit and general track record of that person (realizing that everyone has sinful tendencies and needs forgiveness). In general, is there spiritual fruit and godliness exhibited in their lives? What is their reputation? Of course, since discernment is from the Spirit, prayer is essential.
Brother Rich,
Nicely answered! I find that I keep coming back to this question of motives in one form or another. I think your point about prayer is essential. When all is said and done, our life is all about our relationship with God directly, not through other people.
How do we discern the motives of the hospitable?
Discerning people know the difference between the ways of the world and the ways of God and chose to live in obedience to God. They know the importance of truth, pay attention to words and actions, listen for the Holy Spirit speaking through others, and embrace goodness wherever they find it. They focus on finding goodness in the broken and use their wisdom to help others.
In Romans 12:13, Paul writes, “contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.” The Lord is calling us to generosity and hospitality, which involves sharing our resources, with others. Paul is saying that if we have experienced God’s many mercies in Christ, then it is only reasonable that we give ourselves totally to Him and live in a manner that is pleasing to Him.
Christlike Generosity is a way of life that flows out of the condition, desires and purpose of our hearts. A generous person, with their eyes on eternity, gives as the Lord has prospered them. All we have belongs to God, we are His stewards. All those who fully understand this truth find joy in giving, service and it is seen in all they do.
With regard to the motives of the hospitality of others, remember a discerning person will focus on on finding goodness in the broken and use their wisdom from God to help others.
Ron,
Thank you for your comments today. You use the word “hospitality” instead of “hospitable.” I found myself doing the same thing when I wrote the first draft of my post for today. I don’t think it is wrong to do so, but there does seem to be a slight difference in meaning. The Greek word for hospitable is philoxenos. This is sometimes translated as “given to hospitality.” It is almost as if the difference is “hospitable” describes the experience you have when you are first around someone who is prone to offer “hospitality” when they get to know you. I don’t know if that is exactly correct, but that is the sense that I get.
Jeff,
Your right, I picked that up from the Romans 12:13 passage.
HOSPITAL’ITY, n. L. hospitalitas. The act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality.
A bishop–must be given to hospitality. 1 Timothy 3:2, a qualification for a Bishop.
Appreciate the feedback,
Ron
The Geneva Bible uses the word harberous in its translation. I liked the imagery of that one. It makes me think of being hospitable as offering a “safe harbor.”
Jesus said something like people will know that we are His disciples by our love for others,..so I would think that the motive of the hospitable should be love,..
As I am writing this the thought comes to me,..Paul is writing this letter to Titus to raise up elders for the church of Christ,..but when I read the letters most of what he writes pertains to you and me today,..there weren’t alot of people reading these letters back then,..not like there is today anyway,..
Just a thought,..imagine if everyone put these words into pratice with their own life,..it may just be a better place to live,..love has got to be put into practice each and every day no matter how hard it is these days,..words have power and Christ has given us this power to speak love into other peoples lives through the Holy Spirit,…that’s got to be pretty genuine, unique and radical,…who speaks love these days? Pretty sad we have to wait til the end of the newsbroadcast to hear maybe one good thing that has happened because someone shared their love with another,..wonder what it would be like if there were a newsbroadcast with nothing but love and kind acts reported?
Well I have discerned myself as starting to ramble so,..until the next class,..may the motive to stop be hospitable,..keep smiling!
John,
You make a great point! I am so glad you feel free to ramble here! Please keep it up. 🙂
…and turn the other cheek…easier said than done
That is a very tough one for me Rob.
Ron