we need a hospitality revival

I hate it when people are trying to force me into a mould that I don’t want to be in. One of the things that I have about being an adult is this constant pressure to confirm. It is not that it was not there when I was younger, but now I am an adult man and it seems to me that I should now be in charge of my life, especially when it comes to following Christ.

One area in my life which is really challenging is hospitality. In Romans 12:13-16, which is part of a larger section of teaching, we are instructed in what some of the aspects of presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice means. Those whom are rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation and always ready to pray are also seeing to the needs of others and practicing hospitality. They bless others and show compassion with them as they walk in the shoes of another.

In 1Timothy 3:2 it says that one of the qualifications of a leader is practicing hospitality. In Titus 1:8 it says that hey should be a lover of hospitality. Now just chew on this for a moment. How is it that with all of the paperwork, meetings, and such that a person will have the strength or desire to not only practise hospitality but to love doing it? I think that clue is in how leadership affects those who follow. What the leadership does so does the group. Hospitality practiced among leaders produces congregations that practice hospitality and thus produce cultures of hospitality.

I cannot tell you the last time I heard a riveting sermon about the merits of hospitality. I hear more talk about speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy than I’ve ever heard about how important it is to serve others and make strangers feel at home, and yet this is one of the spiritual gifts. You know the special abilities that the Holy Spirit gives us, so that the body of Christ is built up, and actually reflects the life of Christ to a world that wanders in darkness.

But there is more

In Hebrews 13:2 it says that when we are hospitable then we might even, without knowing it, entertain angles. We see an example of this in Genesis 18:1-8 when God appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre. Abraham, the father of those who trust God in faith, invites them to spend some time with him, quench their thirst, clean themselves up and share a meal. The thing is that God obliges Abraham and the three men stay.

In Judges 13 Manoah entreats the Angel of the Lord to stay and eat with them.

Now that is something to think about!

1 Peter 4:9 tells us that hospitality is not to be done grudgingly by force and guilty feelings but generously. It is part of how we practice Christian love.

As Paul is writing to Timothy (5:10) about the qualifications of the widows that are to be taken care of he talks about how important her life of diligent good works and the reputation that grows from that is. She is to have lodged strangers, washed the feet of the saints, given relief to those who are afflicted, that is hospitality.

Today I was trying to help someone understand that hospitality is something that is very important. Hospitality is one of the signs of a sound biblical teaching. Actually if you are looking for a church to belong to then look and see how the church and its members practice hospitality. I can assure you that if you spend a long time in a community that does not practice this then you may find it increasingly difficult to practice or to grow in hospitality.

Needless to say I did not win the discussion. In fact I was really upset after that failed conversation. Even though many churches are economically pressed, I feel that it is wrong to then use that as an excuse for not practicing hospitality. Does not our God own the cattle on a thousand hills or is it just poetic talk?

So many times we make decisions based solely on what we have in our hands. It might sound responsible to justify why we can’t share our resources, especially with those who have it tough, but it is a flight from faith. Will God take care of our needs, if we generously share what we have with others, or will he not? I think that this question is at the bottom of today’s hospitality crisis. We are often looking at what we loose instead of what we gain.

We need a revival of hospitality. We need to hear sermons telling about how important this spiritual gift is as well as courageous leaders willing to demonstrate it or least not stopping it. We need to make sure that when we have social times after our church services, that we are not excluding the poor and those who have very little from being a part of this time of fellowship, by charging them to participate.

A few years ago, when I was still a seminary student, my family and I stopped participating in the after-service-fellowship, because we could not afford it. I was too embarrassed to have to ask permission to not pay so that we would be a part of the fun that so many others were having. When I did mention it, someone replied, “That tiny sum of money can’t break your bank”. The truth is that for 5 people (my 4 children and I) that money was a whole meal for us. And it would break our bank.

When God has blessed us economically, it is stupidity for us to forget where he has brought us from, and not understand and feel the pressure that those who are less fortunate have live under. One of the largest sorrows in my life is not being able to invite people to my home. I always feel bad about that. But because of a combination of my hours (I work nights), my wife is not a believer and the fact that we live outside of the civic center then it is nearly impossible to have someone at our place. But the home is not the only place to practice this.

At my job and in my daily walk, I hope that I am still practicing a generous hospitality. I don’t know because in my environment there is no one spurring me onward in my obedience to the Lord through my hospitality.

Pray for a revival among the followers of Jesus.

Peace in abundance,

Edward

way too long

Well today i am writing because I just haven't done anything for a long while. I guess that since i have a day off then I don't have a lot to say.

This past week has been very difficult for me. I find myself doing a lot of paperwork. It is not that I am unable but that it just sucks the life right out of me. The dilemma is that if I do the paperwork then people don't complain. I didn't study theology so that I can sit in a room and do administrative work. This has always been a constant struggle in my work and so this is nothing really big. I just hate it that everyone seems to try and force me into this mould.

The main problem is that I know that I have, if God is willing, only about 35 years of life left. Those years can rapidly decrease by sickness and aging. So how do I make the most of the time I have left? How do I serve my God faithfully? How do I invest the talents (this is about my stewardship) that he has given me, in an effective way?

I moved to Sweden because God called me. I did not move here because of tho social services, even though they are terrific. I did not move here to be part of a religious structure, even though I am ordained as a priest in the Church of Sweden. My desire is to encourage others to share their faith, not that I should not but that I should not be the only one. I want to help others to grow in Christ. No growth is equivalent with death and atrophy like stagnation.

Going to church on Sundays is just not enough. There is more to following Yeshua (yes his name in Hebrew is not Jesus) than checking of a religious activity one or two days a week. I believe that it is living in community with others who also want to walk in the Master's footsteps.

In the past I have used this blogg to vent when I am frustrated. I want to introduce something different. i want to widen it's use. I want to share my journey with others. from the dark musings that swirl around in my head to the zany and spontaneous things that keep the child in me alive.

I want to encourage with raw truth and not just nice words. The truth hurts, but it can also lead to change.

I am torn between various groups. The groups want me to belong to them or to lead them or to exclusively commit myself to them. In the process there is always a catch. It is about me having to change and become someone else. They want me to more forceful and then less. To do what they themselves are unwilling to pay the price for. I hate it because it often means that I should take the risk alone instead or "we" take the risk. Now this is not in all groups that I am associated with. But it happens too often.

Now don't get me wrong I have faults. I am way too optimistic about time. I am always trying to cram as much as I can into everything because I really don't believe that there is plenty of time to take care of it later. I will always stop to help someone when I am on the way because most people don't stop. If more people did it then I would have faith that someone else would. I drive everyone around me crazy. people tend to glide away from me over time because I am just a bit much to take.



I work as a Lutheran priest. But that means something different to many other people than it means to me. I could care less about how I dress. when I decide to change from a tee-shirt and jeans to a shirt and slacks, then I'll hear someone make a comment like, "Wow you have decided to dress like and adult today". Like I go around with fuzzy clothing like a baby.

The other thing is my faith. I believe what I believe but it seems that over the years the whole goal is to not make people upset by what we say. This results in there being no room to share and discuss. How can we grow in our faith when we are not allowed to challenge each other. The Church of Sweden is then heading towards path of apostasy. When we care more about people feeling good than about them hearing the truth, we will become apostate.

Case in point. I believe that Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMachiach) is the only way to forgiveness, eternal life and communion with God. This makes some people upset. If I just keep it privately to myself then that is okay. But actually saying that those priest in who teach otherwise are leading people astray would be considered something wrong. But if I really believe this then I would be a hypocrite for not saying anything. I could be accused of hating instead of loving. Love demands the truth regardless. I can't force anyone but I still must proclaim the truth to those around me. This truth is not shared because I am right but because God has changed my heart and given me love for others. This changed condition results in the boldness to tell them the truth.

I hope to live the rest of my days breaking down the frames that i allow others construct around me. I hope to be a voice that dares to risk it all for the cause of Christ. Hopefully this will happen in community with others who want to walk this crazy path, but if not then I will still follow Yeshua all of my days, or at least until I'm totally senile.

This picture is how I want things to be. Like the water reflects the sky, I want to reflect Christ in my world and time.

God's peace and love in abundance,

Edward