The Issue of Hospitality

Backstory:
The gospel was taken from place to place by roaming evangelists and teachers, and believers regularly welcomed them into their homes. John wrote 2 John to encourage discernment in supporting these missionaries. John wrote 3 John to commend Gaius for supporting missionaries and to rebuke Diotrephes for refusing to take them into his home.

God’s Story:
Believers must be wise in whom they follow and to whom they listen. They must not give those who are not true to Christ’s teaching a stage from which to spread their erroneous beliefs.

Read 2 and 3 John
Your Story:
While 2 John stresses the need to refuse hospitality to false teachers, 3 John insists on offering hospitality to those who teach and preach the truth. Hospitality is a way to show your support and love for others. It makes others feel welcomed and appreciated. Some have commented that in recent years, hospitality in churches seems to have become a thing of the past. What do you think? What are some examples of hospitality that you’ve experienced? Why is hospitality important for the life of the church?